And You Thought Becoming Famous Was Hard? Think Again!
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by: RickLondon.
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Last night I turned on a cable news program. I was busy in the kitchen and couldn't see the screen but I heard a voice that I remembered always sent chills down my spine. I walked into the living room and sure enough, staring me in the face, swastika on forehead, was Charles Manson and a news reporter. It was a bit spooky.
I had to look twice. I shouldn't have been so surprised they had given him yet another Andy Warhol 15 minutes; I worked in news for nearly two decades before saying "enough is enough" as I saw it going in a direction in which valuable camera-time was being handed over to the infamous, rather than the famous; and often the famous had worked hard and been productive all their lives to get where they were. In other words, sensationalism was winning out over positive broadcasting. I am not saying stories of such notorious characters should not be mentioned or remembered. It is important to remember the Holocaust. It is important to remember Hilter; and for obvious reasons. It serves the educational process. Media can have a powerful effect on teaching a government, a citizenry, an entire nation on how not to repeat the errors of the past.
Since I knew there was not much I could do about it (but maybe write the network to complain, I thought to myself, "Maybe it's a good thing to show kids who maybe had never seen or heard of Manson to show his face remind us what we don't want to be. The problem I had with the program was he was given an entire hour of nothing but his predictable rambling. He was having a fun time with all the attention. He has become a clown of clowns, learning to "play the media" by magnify his insanity with loud ramblings and erratic moves. The media was showing the world, "Look, doing something crazy like brainwash people into killing other people, and you two, a half century later, can still be a big celebrity." And that is exactly what was happening. I kept thinking to myself, why couldn't this cable news program dedicate a full hour to a captain of industry such as Bill Gates or Michael Dell or the founders of Google who do so much good in the world. I could have even tolerated another Donald/Rosie fight over Charlie's mug; or pretended like I cared about "Barbara Walter's torrid sex life" now being broadcast from here to eternity due to her new kiss and tell book, one that I don't care to read, though I always did look at her as an excellent journalist. Why do they think they have to end it with a "Gotcha Moment Kiss And Tell" Book. Why can't they back away like a gentleman, Hugh Downs for example, when the time is right?
Would you believe Charles Manson almost became a Monkee? I mean the sixties singing band. He actually tried out. They didn't accept him however.
I don't think that is what Andy Warhol had in mind with his "15 minutes of fame" theory.
Do you want your 15 minutes? Do you want fame? Freud said something drives everyone. What drives you? Maybe it is not fame. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is doing good in the world. Maybe it is having money and doing good in the world with it. Whatever it is, chances are, you are willing to work for it.
As a cartoonist and writer, I have had way more than my 15 minutes, and I am grateful for it. I have been able to help other people, animals, and environmental causes, and do things I never dreamed I could do.
The steps to fame or success or both are fairly simple, but hard work.
Know first what your dream is. Without that, there will be nothing but false starts and no follow-through.
Ask questions of others who have already achieved similar dreams. Take notes. Take more notes. Ask more questions. Act. Act more. Take yet more action. Keep open to learning.
Use modern technology like the net to accelerate that dream. Andy Warhol and his friends Marilyn Monroe and so many others did not have the luxury of the Internet. Norma Jean never had a blog and Andy did no social networking. You can. You can learn article marketing. Do it. Don't stop with just a few articles. Blog, write articles in online magazines. Learn about quality back-links. Learn all you can. Keep working daily even when you don't feel like it. Success happens when you are not even aware.
Don't stop now. Keep doing this over and over. Make it a habit. A new work habit. What you once lacked, you now have in abundance. Congratulations. You have branded yourself and you will only become more successful in the future.
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