Are You Fan Enough?

Junior Andrew Haas shows off his passion for the legendary band, Led Zeppelin.

BY ALYSSA FISHER

The Grammy Awards proved to be a memorable night for Lady Gaga; not only did she make the most dramatic entrance in an egg, she also broke a world record – with the help of her die-hard fans. E! Network set a Guinness World Record by managing to gather the most Lady Gaga impersonators in one place, with thousands of faux Lady Gagas running around wearing indistinguishable replicas of her statement wardrobe. Lady Gaga is not known for just having fans; her fans go to the extreme, doing whatever they can to make her proud. Some dress like her regularly, while others tattoo themselves with lyrics or completely decorate their bedrooms with posters. All of these acts don’t just make the average fan: they are super fans – enthusiastic devotees, ardent admirers and constant followers. CCHS is teeming with fans of all kinds, but do they have what it takes to be known as a super fan?

You can’t miss him: Accessorized with a bandana, chains, vibrant rock and roll t-shirts and a head of massive, messy blond locks, junior Andrew Haas is unquestionably a rock star in the making. With his cool, relaxed persona and a guitar in hand, he instantly brings to mind Led Zeppelin, the band who influenced his way of life and the one he strives to embody on a daily basis.

Led Zeppelin has been Haas’s obsession for as long as he can remember. His dad has been a huge fan since the band was formed in 1968, and promptly introduced him to them at a very young age.

“I knew all the words to Stairway to Heaven before I could put together a sentence,” Haas said. “I can even recite them backwards.”

After just a glance, you can tell that everything Haas owns leans toward Led Zeppelin. Nearly everyday he is equipped with a Led Zeppelin wallet and belt buckle. Hoping to look like the lead singer Robert Plant, Haas began working out and growing out his hair during freshman year. Just for a chance to play with the remaining members, he would do anything – including cut his hair.

“I love everything about them; the music, what it stands for, their stage presence and their diversity,” Haas said. “They changed rock and roll and made it awesome.”

They are also the force behind his raging musical abilities.

“Once I heard the song, ‘The Song Remains the Same’, I knew I wanted to do that,” he said. “They are the reason I began playing the guitar.

Once he began, he formed the way he played around Led Zeppelin. Now his style and the guitars themselves resemble that of Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Haas even owns a Marshall Amp, which is the same brand as the one Page used.

With 17 years of obsession under his belt, Haas never tires of hearing Led Zeppelin in every way, shape and form. Even though the band itself does not exist anymore, some of the former members tour individually, so he and his dad make sure to go to every show possible. To find out when the original members are performing next, Haas is constantly on Led Zeppelin sites searching for new tour dates and updates on what the members are up to.

The Internet actually plays a large role in feeding super fans’ obsessions. Among fan sites, Twitter is one of the most useful tools for following one’s idols and knowing what is going on in their daily lives. Senior Rachel Hoyle is a self-proclaimed super fan of Britney Spears and also one of her avid Twitter followers.

“I do follow her on Twitter, and I’m a fan of her on Facebook, a member of her website and I obviously have her iPhone app,” Hoyle said. “I check into all of these daily. Social networking makes “stalking” easy and harmless; it’s easy access, and celebrities have become so into Twitter and Faceboook that obsessing over them has become simple.”

Hoyle is notorious around CCHS for being a Spear’s super fan. Not only do her friends call her Britney, but she also claims that she could write Spear’s entire biography from memory.

While the Internet fuels Hoyle’s love, another teen used the radio to take her obsession to the extreme.

It started off as a normal afternoon for American Heritage senior Maude Leclerc; she was driving home from lacrosse practice when she and her mom heard a Y100 contest promotion on the radio: whichever mom showed up first to get a tattoo of the nighttime Dj, Mack at Night, would win backstage passes for their child to meet Justin Bieber at the Super Bowl Fan Jam on South Beach. Her mom excitedly said, “Let’s go!” and surprised her daughter with a hilarious and spontaneous evening.

This helped Leclerc meet Bieber two more times and he personally signed her guitar. In all, she has seen him in concert five times and met him four times. Since the tattoo affair, Bieber knows her by name.

“I’ll walk in and he’ll just be like, ‘Oh my God, it’s Maude!’ and he will start telling everyone in the room about me and my mom,” Leclerc said.

Leclerc has always been fascinated by celebrities and used to be completely obsessed with the Jonas Brothers. Bieber was a new, fresh face, and she loved how catchy his songs were; she continues to listen to his music on her way to and from school every day. She used to have posters of him hanging in her bedroom, but after a renovation, all her pictures of him and his concerts are framed throughout. She still has all of her concert tickets in a special box along with two of his guitar picks. All these pieces of memorabilia will undoubtedly fuel her love of Justin Bieber for years to come, making her a true super fan.

Not all super fans are obsessed with people; some are enormous fans of clothing lines. CCHS senior Christie Baumgartner has been in love with Victoria’s Secret since she first watched the fashion shows with her mom and sister. She is a frequent visitor in the store, but her closet doesn’t even compare to how decorated her room is.

“My room looks like it came out of a catalogue, from store posters to the matching bed set and pillows to their seasonal PINK dogs,” Baumgartner said. “I would do anything legal to win a lifetime supply of Victoria’s Secret merchandise and clothing!”

That’s what differentiates the super fans from the fans: They are willing to do anything for who or what they admire. Super fans will go to extreme lengths to carry out their obsessions, whether it’s dressing like them, listening to their music at every opportunity, completely decorating their room or tattooing their mothers for the chance to meet an idol. The average person may not understand and think they’re crazy, but it’s just love. Super fans just take that love to the next level.