"Quasi Fame" is a Really Interesting Character Trait

What's it like to be "locally famous" -- a celebrity to some, but a nobody to everyone else?

This is part of my “Art of Noticing” series, in which I learn, find, or discover the things around me that usually go unnoticed and turn them into an endless source of creative inspiration.

Today I recognized a local bassist who I’m guessing nobody else recognized. It made me think about what “celebrity” means, and how I could use that very interesting dynamic in my fiction.

Bass player Bruce Hughes usually plays with Lonelyland. That’s where I know him from, anyway. And so when I went to a Saturday night concert by another band and saw Bruce behind the 4-string, two things occurred to me:

The first was that maybe I should have said hello before they started; I was looking forward to the show. The second was what it must be like for anyone who’s low-tier famous: known by just a few fans, but anonymous to everyone else.

If Bruce were a character in a story or any other art, what would life be like?

Famous But Not Really

I may be wrong, but I’m guessing Bruce isn't stopped much when he’s out shopping. He’s just an average Joe, like me.

What’s that like in a story? Often characters are big-marquee famous, but what if they’re somewhere in between?

Personally, I made a note to include a character like that in my next book, because it seems to me that introducing a character with local fame (and not a lot of it; bassists don’t usually get the spotlight) in a story might be really interesting.

What’s it Like to be Average but Occasionally Adored?

I’ve seen Bruce with Lonelyland enough that he feels famous to me. If I did talk to him, I’d probably be just a little bit weird. I doubt he thinks of himself as anyone worth being weird around, but I also doubt I could be 100% blasé.

It’s a dynamic we never see in stories. That’s why I’m planning to explore it.

Characters with F-list fame would balance the joys and burdens of being known in one circle and unknown in most circle … all the while possibly yearning for broader recognition — or, maybe, cherishing their limited fame.

Explorations of Self-Worth

If a character like that wanted more fame but was never going to get it, how would it impact their psyche? What would it allow me, as an author, to explore?

Characters like this might undergo profound internal journeys, moving between pride in their achievements and maybe feelings of worthlessness: the desire for broader acknowledgment, versus a sense that they should be grateful for the fame they have.

In my mind, it's these nuanced states of being, these in-betweens, that add depth and authenticity to narratives. This is just one borderline case of many to explore.

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