Loyal Fans at an All Time Low

Lately I’ve been finding that people (who call themselves ‘fans’) are shuffling two completely different definitions under the same category and I’m trying to correct this far too-commonly made mistake: Gaining a larger fan base and “selling out” are in no way, shape or form, the same thing!

Alex Gaskarth, for instance, was the last straw for me, personally.

In case all you All Time Low “fans” out there haven’t noticed, the boy is desperate for some stardom. He’s been quoted admitting that the song Holly, would you turn me on? was written as a pun for “Hollywood.” There are also songs such as Weightless, a song written about the “fucking rut” he feels stuck in between being nobody and that notable somebody, that goes on to plead, “I don’t want to dream anymore!” Other blunt hints within lyrics can be found in songs such as Come one, Come all, Poison, Sick Little Games, and Let it Roll. To name a few examples.

Recently Alex has been trying out little tastes of the fame he’s seemed to always crave. It's been pretty apparent from the beginning of All Time Low that their adorably scrawny, British-without-the-accent, brown-eyed lead singer/songwriter had ever wanted was to be heard, and, as his fans, shouldn’t we all be happy for him now? Happy that people are hearing him, that girls are fantasizing about this up-and-coming rock star, more and more fans are popping up, going to ATL’s shows, dancing along to their music, and singing along with him?

Wouldn’t a true fan be happy about all that? Because, let’s face it ladies, he isn’t going to fall in love with any of us fan girls anyways. So can everyone stop it already with all the jealous-hate and be happy for the band and the feats they’ve accomplishing so early in life? None of us actually even know Alex, Jack, Rian, or Zack. We like to fantasize that we do, but we don’t.

So, why must all those self-proclaimed ‘Original Fans’ insist upon holding some sort of claim on the band as they grow bigger? It’s alright for other to like their music.. You do! It’s not called selling out, every band does it at some point. As you continuously tour, put out new records, and get your name out there people are going to notice. More and more will hear that band name. And, if they like the music, they’ll become fans. It’s called building a fan base.

One of the main complaints that “original fans” are venting about is the infamous “Where is the old Alex Gaskarth now?”

They talk of the Alex who always had time for a photo with a fan who’d been waiting to meet him, comparing that Alex to the new ‘drunken jerk’ he’s apparently become, flirting with ‘busty bandsluts’ while his girlfriend stands just off of the stage wings. Allegedly.

But my big question is: If he’s ‘lost his appeal’ then, why do you care? If he’s really the jerky loser you’re complaining about, then why are you complaining when he doesn’t have the time to take a picture with every single fan who interrupts him constantly as if he’s not just another person?

So, sure, it’s a little annoying not being able to see that same old band you’ve seen half a dozen times in that same little club. Now you have to pay more in order to stand farther back and have a brand-new slim chance of meeting the musician you look up to, err, the hot guy behind the guitar, after the show. But that doesn’t mean the band did something wrong! Gaining a fan base is anything but.. By the way.

Selling out? Nope. Paramore didn’t do it. My Chemical Romance never did it. Panic(!) At The Disco didn’t do it. Neither did Cute is What We Aim For. And now, All Time Low isn’t doing it.

So what it all comes down to for me won’t change. All Time Low is a good band that I enjoy listening to. They never were my favorite band and never, ever, will be. It’s a band that has catchy lyrics, beats that flow well enough to back them up, and four adorable boys with just enough talent to make it in today‘s industry. But what they really have is the “full-package”. Who could deny that these boys have that ‘look’ along with that important lead singer? His voice is hardly melt-worthy (like, oh I don’t know, Brendan Urie’s or Gerard Way’s voices are) but he’s gorgeous, he’s a little over pampered, girls constantly throw themselves towards him... So, seriously, who can blame him for being a tad egotistical every now and then?