Who goes around getting someone's autographs? Obviously a large chunk of humanity. I was at a recent conference where an apparently successful author had just published a book on the hot topic of the day. After the conference there was a mad rush of book buyers to get this person to sign their copy of the book.
Now first question -
In today's day and age of rampant identity theft do these authors actually pen their signature like they were signing a check? Or do they have a fake signature to give out to the millions of dolts that want this scribble on an otherwise pristine copy?
In case of the latter its already a sham since what that person does on someone's copy of the book is equivalent to graffiti as its not the real thing.
If it is a real signature then it actually might prove that the book belongs to the signer and not the signee and further screws up the idea of owning a new copy.
If the person signing is giving out his signatures willy nilly to any homeless that profers a copy of this book he wrote then it would be cool to see if his accounts got breached.
Second question -
Going back to the actual subject of why certain indivduals feel the urge to get signatures on stuff from celebrities is a mystery to my simple mind. I say celebrities because other than my bank no one has ever asked me to sign my name on anything. So it goes to say that certain people feel awed by other humans to the point that they will go for any crap that the so called celebrity doles out.
There are examples of Brittany Spears' hair and other detritus (including Reagan's blood sample and someone's last breath - that stinks) of other personalities being sold on eBay for monstrous sums.
If you really think hard you will realize there is no meaning to the idea of collecting anyone's signatures on anything anyway. What does that prove? To whom? Unless its a personally addressed note with certain significance, collecting stuff at random book signings and sportstar autographs on balls and bats and caps are an example of vanity to the extreme. Not to mention a huge bother to the person being accosted to get him to scribble on your stuff. Although some show offs actually enjoy the idea of signing off on any surface given a chance.
Moral of the story - Signs are pointing to a doomsday not far away!
I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language. Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds. The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic. Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'. This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...
With some recent experience of signing book copies, I can say that at least I wrote a personalised note to the buyer, before doing the real thing..but I have not really wanted anyone to sign anything at all. Maybe it's a Type A and Type B type thing. I must have some other disorder!
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