What To Do - And What *Not* To Do - When Approaching Your Idols
JEFF STINCO of SIMPLE PLAN
What are some questions that a fan should not ask you?
You know it’s very strange. When you decide to be in a band, you kind of have to let go of your privacy. There’s a certain limit that obviously you want to keep. I’ve got kids, for instance. I don’t really want to talk about my kids. That’s really got nothing to do with what I do, but besides from that, there’s really no limit.
What question do you like to hear from fans?
I like fans that talk about the music. A lot of times there is a strong emphasis on the artwork, the looks of the band. It’s always great to hear fans ask us about the process and the music, and our career in general. Those are always great questions to ask, and it makes this whole thing have a little sense.
Are there any questions you wish you heard more?
The shittiest question I hear all the time is, “What’s the craziest question you’ve ever heard?” Those questions are not very creative. I’d love to hear more creative questions about lyrics [and] the band in general.
What’s the worst fan experience you’ve had?
I can tell you of one. I think nowadays fans feel that they have—they should have—some sort of closeness with their favorite band. Recently, I had a fan hack into [some] of my [online] accounts. It was just pretty shitty to get tons of letters [and] emails and that person got angry at me for not answering at a certain point.
I’ve heard a lot of these bad stalker stories.
It was stalker-ish. That person kept their distance still. I never really met that person. It just felt very intrusive.
Is there anytime a fan should “back off” from you?
I’m pretty much always approachable. When you’re having dinner with people, that’s the worst scenario. You’re having dinner, sitting down and you’re having a good chat and someone just walks in, kind of barges in. That sucks. Besides from that, I’m pretty open. I think that most of our fans are very respectful, and they’ll wait for us to be done or take a break and they’ll come down and say hi. Honestly, we’ve been doing this for ten years now and we’ve had really, really great experiences with our fans.
Any last piece of advice for fans?
In general, whether you’re in a band or you’re a fan, just be nice. It’s very simple. There [are] a lot of egos in this business and I don’t know what for. Nobody’s saving lives here. I know some doctors who do save lives who are very humble. I think it’s a question of being a good human being and just doing your best.
(Källa)
