Dumb Vision, dumb fandom

One of the things (one of the many things) I rail against on this blog is dumb fandom. People who rather mindlessly express their admiration - even adulation - for certain bands or certain kinds of music. Badge wearers. T-shirt wearers. "Fans" in general. All kinds of hero-worshipping is anathema to me. It just grates. Wrong track, wrong speed. Take the bloody record off ... Anyway, in typical contradictory fashion, what have I now gone and done? I've only been to a gig and come away with band merch! Yes, actual product. Bundled up and carted off from a gig. For fuck's sake! What's the world coming to? Anyway, here it is ...

These products are dumb

In my defence: it was kind of accidental and it wasn't particularly expensive. Having tracked down a gig in the Ukrainian Village area of Chicago yesterday I bought the (rather snazzy) orange-red Dumb Vision tape for $5 in a rush of blood (probably caused from entering a warm environment after freezing half to death pounding the punishingly cold streets of Chicago all day). The sticker was free, so was the t-shirt. And the non-fandom doesn't end there. I hadn't heard any Dumb Vision music when I bought these little items, and ... I still haven't. Two bands were enough last night and I didn't stick around for the actual band in question. Oh dear. I'm definitely not doing this right. So when I've found out what Dumb Vision actually sound like I'll then be confronted with a tricky decision about whether to wear the t-shirt (do I disregard my own dictum about never wearing band t-shirts? Hmm ...). So, who knows? Maybe in a few days' time I'll be out and about in east London proudly modelling a Dumb Vision t-shirt. It'll be great. People will look on curiously. "Who's that Dumb Vision fan over there?", they'll say to themselves. "They're really cool. I didn't even know they had t-shirts. Blimey, he must have bought it directly off the band or something. He must be a real fan ...".