Track 37

Track 37

Interviewer: So, we have Phyllis Bailey here to talk to us about fame. Her new book, Famous for Fifteen Minutes is coming out on Monday. So Phyllis, welcome. What do you think fame means to us these days?

Phyllis: Well, famous people are everywhere and although we know nearly all there is to know about these people — their lives are splashed all over magazines and television — they’ve retained their mystery.

The public are always eager to find out more about them and this fuels the paparazzi to photograph them. It’s true that there are more celebrities around than ever before, but the number of really important famous people probably hasn’t changed greatly.

This is because people became famous for only a short time. Andy Warhol once famously said, ‘In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes’, and I think there’s some truth in that. One day a person is famous and the next they are forgotten.

Take, for example, contestants on reality television shows. After maybe six months we never see them again. This also highlights another characteristic of fame: in the past, people became famous because of something they had done, or because of their talent. Nowadays these things aren’t necessary. I personally think this is a great pity.

Interviewer: Is fame particularly beneficial now?

Phyllis: Well let’s look at the winners and losers when it comes to fame. Many people think that celebrities are the losers in this new media world, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

Take, for example, actors and actresses. They often complain about a lack of privacy, but privacy is possible. There are many celebrities who aren’t constantly in the papers. Much as they complain, they chase the publicity and then blame it on the media.

In fact. the paparazzi. who photograph the rich and famous. are often seen as figures of hate for this. They come off much worse in the end because they are so disliked by the public and celebrities. But in reality, they are making the celebrities and their managers even richer.

In fact, because of the cult of fame nowadays, we can see media executives making even more money and celebrities signing multi-million-pound deals. And who pays for this? Well. all of us. Cinema and concert ticket prices have risen and DVDs cost more than ever.

Merchandising makes a fortune for the famous these days. And although we are paying for it, the rewards go to only a small elite - the big players, the stars, and the executives, but they miss a lot of the creative talent in the industry. like the people who write the screenplays.

They are still on the same salary they were on ten years ago. Executives certainly have a difficult job managing their clients. but they get rewarded well for doing so. I for one think these rewards should be more fairly spread.

Interviewer: How could this be done? Are you …?