Top FanGirl Moments of 2008
breesays
Dec 18, 2008
I have a cool job. Don’t ask me how I ended up here, because when I was six years old, I wanted to be a trapeze artist and, six years ago, I was coaching pee-wee soccer and throwing killer parties for kids' sports teams. But, here I am and not only did I get to go on the Vans Warped Tour this past summer (!!!) but I’ve met some of the most inspiring people this year. Let me say this: I’m not a gusher. I get very, very quiet and sort-of wide-eyed around people I admire, fearing that they’ll be able to read my fangirl thoughts with their super-awesome-being powers. I try to tell myself to play it cool but, unfortunately, I don’t have a poker face. These are the Top 10 “wish I had tinfoil” moments of 2008. —Bree McGuire, Resident Buried Treasure Finder, breesays
10. Ashlee Simpson liked my hair.
I interviewed Ashlee Simpson just before Valentine’s Day, and she started out the whole shebang by complimenting my hair—despite my inch of roots. Now, Ash is not exactly my style icon, but as a pop-star who constantly has to evaluate her own look, I felt the comment held some weight. Or maybe she was just being polite. Either way, it was cool.
9. I became a Jack Barakat fangirl.
Right after this interview. Enough said.
8. Hayley Williams says 'sup.
I’m at the New Found Glory video shoot for "Listen to Your Friends" (as an extra) when the warmly dressed sprite that is Hayley Williams shows up to support her man Chad Gilbert. After a few takes I hang on the sidelines to chat for a bit. While talking to a mutual friend, Hayley looks at me with a fleck of recognition and asks if I’m from Buzznet. She shakes my hand and says, "Nice to re-meet you." I don’t think she knows how cool she is.
7. Anthony Kiedes introduces himself.
I was in the elevator leaving the Four Seasons Hotel after an interview, and this dude asks me if he knows me. He says "You look familiar." He looks vaguely familiar to me. I say, I don’t know? He asks my name. I tell him, then shrug and say that I’m a blogger? "World famous," he asks? I laugh. No. Local celebrity? I shake my head, laughing more. Well, what’s your name, I ask him. He extends his hand. "Anthony." Oh. Suddenly I see him as taller, and with longer hair. I just asked a Red Hot Chili Pepper to introduce himself.
6. Ryan Russell does a photo shoot with me and Mark.
OMG famous band photographer did a photoshoot with US. I was so nervous about being the subject of a shoot that I went super incognito with my Halloween outfit – I don’t even really know what I was. A combo of Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn and… a cat. In case you are unaware of the talented Mr. Russell, he took these MCR photos.
5. Diablo Cody signing at Book Soup
So I had this vision in my head that I would go to this reading, meet Diablo (again, as I got to interview her briefly at the Juno press junket), compliment her on some item of clothing, which would spark a conversation and reveal our fantastic potential to be besties. I would become her protégé and she would give me a bunch of hand-me-down leopard print jackets.
4. Leslie Simon comes to work at Buzznet
Leslie Simon wrote Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture. Now, I don’t really fly my emo flag, and I often do horrifically non-emo things, like shop at Hollister (you can take the girl out of Orange County, but you can’t take O.C. out of the girl…) but anyone who has ever seen my LiveJournal knows that I’ve been using emo lyrics to describe my feelings since 1999. Leslie Simon is to me what Chuck Klosterman is to hipsters. Or something. I should mention that Leslie is also my editor, and this paragraph is probably raising a combination of brown-nosing suspicion and a delight at the thought that this will mean many packs of peanut M&Ms to come.
3. Andrew MacMahon ate lunch at the same table as me.
As I was sitting there at lunch, in some state with miserably hot weather (AZ? TX?), nibbling at my baby corn, I couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the fact that this dude wrote "Konstantine." How many moments of emotional resurgence was supplemented by this piano ballad? I could never count. Leslie Simon likes to point out that he also wrote "If U C Jordan." I like to ignore that tidbit. Sure, I interviewed him at a later date, but at that time I had a job to do – I could not contemplate heart-achey Something Corporate lyrics while I picked at my lentil loaf.
2. Met Tom DeLonge.
Blink-182 was the reigning pop-punk band of my most formative years. Hearing Tom DeLong speak (no matter how self-congratulatory) is kind of like hearing that official movie announcer voice. But instead of a booming "In a world…" it’s a nasal-y, "I feel so…" I met him when I interviewed Angels and Airwaves this year, and it was epic. He asked me if my lipring was infected and then indicated I should make out with his (band mate) David Kennedy. He makes a few inappropriate jokes during the interview. All is right in the world.
1. I beat Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump to some awesome shoes.
I went to a Fresh Only Bakery delivery in Los Angeles and I was the recipient of the very last pair of Clandestine Supras. I was so excited I made a videoblog. I thought maybe 50 people would see it. As it happened, one of FOB’s viral sites picked it up and about 4,000 people saw it. Including Pete Wentz, who remarked, "You’re the one who got the shoes…" when I interviewed him and Patrick a week later. AWKWARD.
10. Ashlee Simpson liked my hair.
I interviewed Ashlee Simpson just before Valentine’s Day, and she started out the whole shebang by complimenting my hair—despite my inch of roots. Now, Ash is not exactly my style icon, but as a pop-star who constantly has to evaluate her own look, I felt the comment held some weight. Or maybe she was just being polite. Either way, it was cool.
9. I became a Jack Barakat fangirl.
Right after this interview. Enough said.
8. Hayley Williams says 'sup.
I’m at the New Found Glory video shoot for "Listen to Your Friends" (as an extra) when the warmly dressed sprite that is Hayley Williams shows up to support her man Chad Gilbert. After a few takes I hang on the sidelines to chat for a bit. While talking to a mutual friend, Hayley looks at me with a fleck of recognition and asks if I’m from Buzznet. She shakes my hand and says, "Nice to re-meet you." I don’t think she knows how cool she is.
7. Anthony Kiedes introduces himself.
I was in the elevator leaving the Four Seasons Hotel after an interview, and this dude asks me if he knows me. He says "You look familiar." He looks vaguely familiar to me. I say, I don’t know? He asks my name. I tell him, then shrug and say that I’m a blogger? "World famous," he asks? I laugh. No. Local celebrity? I shake my head, laughing more. Well, what’s your name, I ask him. He extends his hand. "Anthony." Oh. Suddenly I see him as taller, and with longer hair. I just asked a Red Hot Chili Pepper to introduce himself.
6. Ryan Russell does a photo shoot with me and Mark.
OMG famous band photographer did a photoshoot with US. I was so nervous about being the subject of a shoot that I went super incognito with my Halloween outfit – I don’t even really know what I was. A combo of Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn and… a cat. In case you are unaware of the talented Mr. Russell, he took these MCR photos.
5. Diablo Cody signing at Book Soup
So I had this vision in my head that I would go to this reading, meet Diablo (again, as I got to interview her briefly at the Juno press junket), compliment her on some item of clothing, which would spark a conversation and reveal our fantastic potential to be besties. I would become her protégé and she would give me a bunch of hand-me-down leopard print jackets.
4. Leslie Simon comes to work at Buzznet
Leslie Simon wrote Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture. Now, I don’t really fly my emo flag, and I often do horrifically non-emo things, like shop at Hollister (you can take the girl out of Orange County, but you can’t take O.C. out of the girl…) but anyone who has ever seen my LiveJournal knows that I’ve been using emo lyrics to describe my feelings since 1999. Leslie Simon is to me what Chuck Klosterman is to hipsters. Or something. I should mention that Leslie is also my editor, and this paragraph is probably raising a combination of brown-nosing suspicion and a delight at the thought that this will mean many packs of peanut M&Ms to come.
3. Andrew MacMahon ate lunch at the same table as me.
As I was sitting there at lunch, in some state with miserably hot weather (AZ? TX?), nibbling at my baby corn, I couldn’t help being overwhelmed by the fact that this dude wrote "Konstantine." How many moments of emotional resurgence was supplemented by this piano ballad? I could never count. Leslie Simon likes to point out that he also wrote "If U C Jordan." I like to ignore that tidbit. Sure, I interviewed him at a later date, but at that time I had a job to do – I could not contemplate heart-achey Something Corporate lyrics while I picked at my lentil loaf.
2. Met Tom DeLonge.
Blink-182 was the reigning pop-punk band of my most formative years. Hearing Tom DeLong speak (no matter how self-congratulatory) is kind of like hearing that official movie announcer voice. But instead of a booming "In a world…" it’s a nasal-y, "I feel so…" I met him when I interviewed Angels and Airwaves this year, and it was epic. He asked me if my lipring was infected and then indicated I should make out with his (band mate) David Kennedy. He makes a few inappropriate jokes during the interview. All is right in the world.
1. I beat Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump to some awesome shoes.
I went to a Fresh Only Bakery delivery in Los Angeles and I was the recipient of the very last pair of Clandestine Supras. I was so excited I made a videoblog. I thought maybe 50 people would see it. As it happened, one of FOB’s viral sites picked it up and about 4,000 people saw it. Including Pete Wentz, who remarked, "You’re the one who got the shoes…" when I interviewed him and Patrick a week later. AWKWARD.
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