I am a fan of Saturday Night Live . Two of my favorite characters are “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” and “Grumpy Old Man.” Phil Hartman is masterful as a formally frozen caveman who fains confusion living in our modern world, charms each jury he faces by saying “I’m just a caveman,” and wins every case. Dana Carvey is delightful as a grumpy old man who doesn’t “like things now compared to the way the used to be.” Here’s what I think he would say about being a modern-day fan: “In my day, you had to make time for shows, movies, and bands you liked. Only fans who camped out for two weeks in the snow got good concert tickets. Going to a movie was the only way you got to see your favorite actor. And if you missed your T.V. show, tough! There were only 5 channels and everyone watched an episode of a show at the same time. We talked about it later with other people, in real life, like we were ...
Explaining fandom from an evolutionary point of view.