Music Fans Are Like Cult Members

I’m a music lover, but I would not call myself a superfan of any single artist. One reason I don’t consider myself a superfan is that I understand bands (or athletes, actors, politicians, et al.) can be very influential, but also be deeply flawed on the inside.

Children and teenagers will often form their identities and social groups based on their favorite musicians. Going further, there are studies out there (I won’t link to them, but please feel free to search for them) that claim one’s taste in music doesn’t develop beyond the early teenage years. I would not say I fit this mold. Awareness of this idea, though, could perhaps spur individuals to branch out and listen to other genres.

I don’t think any reasonable person would deny music fans are like cult members. Anyone who’s gone through the American education system can attest to music’s powerful influence over one’s peers and oneself. The worst side effect of this cultlike devotion in developing minds is the promotion of drugs. Here’s the recipe for disaster: cultlike devotion to band + band that promotes hard drugs + fentanyl and meth epidemics = death by overdose. N.b. I don’t want people to overdose; I am just trying to raise awareness of the processes involved in aligning oneself with a flawed personality.

I decided to write this article after reading an article in a local news outlet about people camping outside in cold, rainy weather to see a band called the 1975, whom I’d never even heard of until today. The venue is the Minneapolis Armory, a former armory for the National Guard, in downtown Minneapolis.

I don’t understand why anyone would want to camp outside this venue in comparatively bad weather, but I hope the campers are safe. Frankly, there is no musician worth seeing this badly.