BEST/WORSE FAN RESPONSE TO SOMETHING I WROTE

By Malcolm X. Abram

Responses from fans tend to follow the age demographics for the artist. In other words, Avril Lavigne fans who feel compelled to respond are often young and their comments/complaints fit the approximate age rage (''Dude! You're too old to know what punk is! Avril Rocks!").

But Clay Aiken fans throw that concept out the window since his devotees go both ways (ba-dump-bump). Their devotion from the angriest little 8-year-old to the most enthralled 80-year-old is deep and can be a bit scary, and some of them are just plain out there.

Clay Aiken is going to change the music industry? Nope. I must be a sex-crazed pervert because I mention that the crowd squealed with delight when he placed his bony pelvis in proximity to the ample buttocks of one of his background singers? Get a grip.

By contrast, a few months ago I mentioned my lack of excitement about the Raspberries reunion at the new House of Blues and many, many Raspberries/Eric Carmen fans around the country wrote to tell me what I was missing, minus the blind fanaticism and personal attacks. One person even sent me a homemade CD filled with Carmen's music to help ''edumacate'' me, which I appreciate. And no less an expert than Mr. Carmen himself thanked me for not coming to the show and facetiously apologized for Hungry Eyes, which made me laugh.

Akron Beacon Journal / December 30, 2004