There seems to be a tsunami of anticipatory disappointment developing at the moment. It all centers upon the promotional campaign, or lack of it, for Britney's forthcoming album. Who knows, at this point, what her team has in store? Their efforts been pretty bad for the last 7 years, but shouldn't we wait and give them a chance? Or do we have tha sickening feeling that we already know what's not going to happen?
The thing is... a fair proportion of Britney's fanbase live out their standom in a state of continual disappointment. They're a weird bunch. Where Beyonce's fans, Xtina's fans, GaGa's fans follow their heroines with simple 24/7 adoration, convinced of their world-class, unarguable quality as performers, many of Britney's fans don't believe she can either sing or dance. So why do they insist so forcefully that they are, in fact, fans? The truth is that they seem to have a huge and powerful emotional attachment to Britney. They feel somehow personally involved in her life, but also that she's personally involved with theirs.
From what they say, it's clear that Britney was a big part of their formative years, like Santa Claus. This is the age when your primary beliefs and certainties are formed and when your deepest neural pathways develop. Britney Spears was part of the magic of childhood that many fans look back on so fondly, now that they're young adults. They worry that the magic is gradually disappearing, and they don't want to let it go. Santa Claus has been debunked, like the Tooth Fairy, but - perhaps like a favorite teddy bear - Britney is still here and an awful lot is invested in her.
The magical Britney was shiny, happy, noisy, funny... and she was everywhere. She performed at Awards shows, she did interviews on almost every TV music show, there were documentaries about her "rise and rise" and "the making of the album". She even starred in her own movie! But none of that is here any more. Disappointed fans see everything as no better than average, and... totally lacking in magic. And without that magic, where would she be? Britney's strangely other-worldly and distant public persona may be of interest to pop culture analysts such as myself, and certainly avoids any risk of over-exposure, but mystification in itself will not be enough to combat disappointment.
A lot of fans are still looking for magic. MAGIC, and nothing less. The average, the pedestrian, the lackluster are no use to them whatsoever. You can be sure, even now, that these fans will be disappointed with the HIAM video. You can be sure they'll be disappointed with the new album. No matter how good anything may be, it never seems quite as special as the first, fresh excitement over Britney Spears all those years ago.
Personally, I became a fan in my 20s, so I was already looking at her with jaded and battle-hardened eyes. All I want from her is that she keeps her enthusiasm for recording, recording, recording. I want her to keep showing us that - live performer or not - she's one of the greatest recording artists of our time. And I want her to continue to make those fascinating albums that are always at or near the top of my favorites pile.
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