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| "Illusions of Immortality: a Psychology of Fame and Celebrity" - book mentions Morrissey |
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posted by davidt
on Friday September 08 2000, @08:30AM
TrblLuvsMe sends this article from the Coventry Evening Telegraph, September 7, 2000:
FAME: IT BROUGHT ONE OF THESE MEN ALL HE WISHED FOR - AND LED TO THE DEATH OF THE OTHER;
COVENTRY UNIVERSITY PSYCHOLOGY LECTURER EXAMINES THE JOYS AND DESPAIR OF CELEBRITIES WHOSE LIVES ARE CONSTANTLY IN THE PUBLIC EYE
Kathryn Summers
(more)
THE problems that stardom and fortune can bring are explored in a book by a Coventry University lecturer on the psychology of fame.
Dr David Giles, a senior psychology lecturer at the university's School of Health and Social Sciences, was inspired to write the book after his experience interviewing pop stars while he worked as a music journalist.
He said he was at a concert in Switzerland, waiting to interview "a very minor pop band who were never going to make it big," when he realised all bands in the music business were surrounded by sycophants.
The book looks at pop stars such as Morrisey and Kurt Cobain and also features the notorious Kray twins and killer nanny Louise Woodward.
Dr Giles said: "Morrissey knew from a very young age that he wanted to be famous. At the age of 18 he wrote a note saying 'I'm sick of being an undiscovered genius. I want fame now, not when I'm dead'.'"
Kurt Cobain, on the other hand, had problems with celebrity. Dr Giles said: "I can't believe that Kurt Cobain did not want to be famous. But, like a lot of celebrities, he was not prepared for the responsibility involved.
"In his suicide note, he wrote that he was not being honest with his fans and feared that he had lost all authenticity."
Other people become famous for negative reasons. "Some people say the Krays were infamous," Dr Giles said. "They used their gangster activities throughout London. They then became media stars."
The book also examines the problems faced by celebrities with obsessive fans and stalkers. "The most frequent complaints from celebrities are about a lack of privacy," he said.
Dr Giles will be teaching a module based on his book at the university.
Illusions of Immortality: a Psychology of Fame and Celebrity, is available from Coventry University bookshop, priced pounds 12.99.
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