BBC-documentation about history of music fans will air in 2015

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BBC on search for Michael Jackson fans to be part of new documentary
http://www.************************...l-jackson-fans-to-be-part-of-new-documentary/
by LMJ · January 21, 2015

Michael Jackson fans at WembleyBBC have contacted MJWN to help them find fans for a new television documentary they are making about the history of music fans. According to the MJWN website it focuses on celebrating the fans and artists and the BBC are looking to speak to life-long Michael Jackson fans as part of the film. Ideally they want to speak to fans who have been around since the early days of Michael’s career.

The new documentary is due to be screened later this year on BBC 4. It aims to give fans their part in the story of artists and where possible, through interview and archive, hear from the artist about how important fans are to them.

So many fans already applied to be part of the documentary so applications are no longer needed and have been closed.
 
Sounds like they could have made a series, rather than just one documentary! :)
 
Sounds like they could have made a series, rather than just one documentary! :)

Yeah, 6 part.. one episode for each artist.. will they include archive footage of fans from Michael's time in England? will they show archive footage of Michael speaking about his fans?
 
Glad they're focussing on the fans from the early days.
I agree-I hope they do that and this is a serious, intelligent documentary. During the trial days-even though I tried to avoid all coverage of it and only watched the (very one sided, although did not realize at the time) news reports at the end of the day, one of the things that I picked up on subliminally was that Michael's fans were all nut jobs.

I got where I was talking to him through the TV screen when he was leaving court-that I was here and I loved him and adored him and believed him and supported him and just ignore everybody else.

I finally got my own non-work personal computer in 2007 and in 2009, reading news reports of Michael's death as much as I could to try to figure out what in the heck happened, I was reading comments and realized that there were a TON of very normal, well educated, and very articulate fans out there. Which led me here. To this forum.

I subsequently found out that 90% of the stuff that I saw on the nightly news were "set ups" by late night comedians and weren't fans at all. Apparently, they just wanted everyone to think even worse of Michael and pretend that only crazed loonies followed him. Quite disgusting in my book. I still read news pieces that say something about "crazed fans".

So I'm reading about this with high hopes, that it doesn't turn into another horror documentary with a sinister voice over. I'm pretty cynical now.
 
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There's a documentary about fans on TONIGHT on BBC Four. I don't know if this is the one they were seeking MJ fans for or not. Sounds like it might be --? Or it's something else entirely. Anyone know? :unsure:

When Pop Ruled My Life: The Fans' Story
From the Beatles to One Direction, there has always been a unique relationship between musical artists and their fans. Journalist Kate Mossman explores how this connection has developed over the last 50 years of music, as well as her own evolving fascination with the band Queen
BBC4 - 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour )Fri 29 May
 
^ I think you may be right, this does sound like the programme they wanted to interview fans for. I've just watched the second half of it, and they don't seem to have interviewed very many 'committed' fans (to any artist / group)...maybe they were all in the first half? it seemed to be more about the presenters' own experience, with other interviews as a sideline.
 
Yes, that appears to have been the one. The documentary was kind of interesting in general, even when it was about bands I've barely heard of, lol. The segment about MJ fans was only about 3 minutes long and featured short clips of an interview with a fan named Stephen Leppard. Overall that part was nice... just very short. Definitely needed more MJ, especially when you consider his incredible impact. I think they spent much more time on The Beatles and the Bay City Rollers and such. But, on the other hand, others like Elvis were just an offhanded mention at the very end. It was only an hour long, after all.
 
I was amused that they interviewed a 'Fan expert'...Dr Ruth Deller, from Sheffield University, who actually appears to be a lecturer in media / celebrity culture etc., and is a member of the 'fan studies network'. Hmmm, maybe we're being watched, LOL.

I agree though, that given Michael's immense success and longevity in the charts, the MJ segment did seem a bit limited in content. Kinda glad that Stephen wasn't wearing a hat / glove / thriller jacket. ('Hello' Stephen if you are reading ).
 
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