Fanatics and Their Obsessions

By Steve Glykokokalos

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for a Degree in Professional Writing: Journalism/Freelance

Thursday, December 9, 2010

WRT 465/Thesis Instructor: Dr. John P. Briggs

Abstract

This collection of human interest pieces provides an in-depth look at fanatics and their individual obsessions. Fanatics describe their obsessions, and try to verbalize exactly what it is that keeps them hooked. Although their objects of fascination are very different, the similarities among these individuals is outlined in the final piece, which analyzes the phenomenon. Includes color photographs.

2 Table of Contents

I Introduction 4

II Louder Than The Rest A Yankee Bleacher Creature 6

III The Quest For Physical Perfection A Health Nut 17

IV The Phanatic A Phish Fan 26

V Analysis and Conclusions 35

VI Works Cited 39

3

I. Introduction

A fanatic is a nut who has something to believe in. - Dean Koontz

We all know that person: the one who shouts a little too loudly at the television during the ballgame, the one who spends too long playing video games, or the one who repeatedly travels across the country to see his or her favorite band.

The bond that ties different types of fanatics together is their single-minded obsession or relentless fascination. This project examines that fascination, that incredible zeal and some of the people who have it.

The main points in this study are:

- The origin of the fascination, and what brought the individual to feel a

connection with their obsession.

- The motivation to maintain the fascination and not allow it to fall away as

a temporary fad.

- High/Low points of the individual’s history with the obsession

- How the obsession permeates through the individual’s life.

- How the fanaticism has grown, evolved, or changed over time.

- The individual’s perception of their fascination.

- Other people’s views of the individual in terms of their fascination.

4 For “Louder Than The Rest,” I interviewed Anthony Galante of the Bronx,

N.Y., once in person and once on the phone as a shorter follow-up interview. The subjects of “The Quest for Physical Perfection” and “The Phanatic,” Joey Gavronsky and Mike Mellor, respectively, were interviewed over the phone. The interviews lasted between 60 and 90 minutes. The final piece of this study will compare the subjects, observing and analyzing striking similarities among the various fanatics.

5 II. Louder Than The Rest

The Bleacher Creatures, as they are affectionately known within the walls of

Yankee Stadium, are some of the loudest voices in . The Creatures are their own little community, with headquarters in section 203 (formerly section

39), located in right field. There, the “officials” of the Bleacher Creatures hold season tickets and can be found at every game.

Anthony Galante of the Bronx has been a Bleacher Creature since 1995. “I used to sit in the first row behind the tarp by first base,” he explained. “Then, in

1995, the head grounds crew guy, my friend, said to me that the bleachers would be going on sale. Before ’95, the bleachers were first come first serve, you just pick your seat. But in ’95, they actually numbered the seats. So from day one, those were my seats.”

Galante’s fascination with the Yankees began long before he was ever a

Bleacher Creature. “I’ve loved the Yankees since I was a baby,” said Galante. “My first game was with my grandfather, I had to be 5 or 6 years old.”

Yankees fanatacism is often a family affair. “It’s all we’ve ever known in our family,” said Galante. “If my son was a Mets fan or something, I don’t know…I don’t think I could tolerate it.”

However, Galante maintains that this loyalty is not solely because of the family tradition. He sees a difference in the way Yankee fans approach the game compared to fans of other teams. “People think that Yankee fans are frontrunners, but that’s not true, at least not for me. When I grew up, we were losers,” he

6 explained. “Throughout the whole 80’s, we sucked. In 1986, I went to the World

Series to see the Mets with some of my Met fan buddies. We were right there on the first base line. In the 7th inning, they were like ‘Let’s go.’ I didn’t really have anything vested in the game because I’m a Yankee fan. So we left, and we got back to the Bronx, it was the 9th, and as we walked into the Yankee Clipper [a sports bar near Yankee Stadium], the ball went between Buckner’s legs and the Mets went on to win. They missed it. That’s the difference with a Yankees fan: we never say die.”

The Bleacher Creatures have a number of rituals and chants that happen day- in and day-out at the stadium. “I’m not really one for rituals,” Galante said. “But one thing that I saw sort of turn into a ritual was pretty cool. I remember at one game, the Yankees were down a run or two, and they start playing the Rocky music in the stadium. They had Rocky clips on the Jumbotron and everything. All of a sudden,

Tom the Sheriff [a former Bleacher Creature], starts running up and down the aisle shadow boxing. Everyone started throwing water at him and it was just the sickest thing you’ve ever seen in your life. On the screen, Adrian told Rocky to ‘just go down there and win,’ and the stadium went nuts. From then on, if the Yankees were down a run or two, you could count on Tom doing his Rocky impersonation to fire up the stands. That was the coolest ritual for me. That and the roll call.”

At the start of every home game, just after the Yankee pitcher throws the first pitch, a hush falls over the bleachers. And then, a booming voice erupts.

“YOOOOOO!!!!!! CURRRRRRTIIIIISSS!!!”

7

Thus begins the “roll call.” It is known as the number one tradition of the

Bleacher Creatures, in which this entire section of fans greets each Yankee defensive player individually (with the exception of the pitcher and the catcher). Starting with the center fielder and ending with the third baseman, the creatures lead a chant of each player’s name until they somehow acknowledge the crowd in section 203. The player’s response may be a simple wave of the glove or a full about-face and military salute, a move that right fielder has adopted as his own.

The roll call is always started by Bleacher Creature legend “Bald Vinny”

MIlano. He is one of the authoritative figures of section 203, easily recognized by his shiny head and trademark white Oakley sunglasses. He’s fully embraced his role as a leader of the Bleacher Creatures, and has even quit his job so that he can be a full- time fan. He heads to the stadium for every home game, and his primary source of income now is through his merchandise business, which is available both online and down the street from Yankee Stadium, outside Stan’s Sports Bar. His fanaticism has completely reshaped his everyday life.

But Bald Vinny isn’t the only one calling the shots. The self-proclaimed

Queen of the Bleachers, Tina Lewis, also sits in section 203. Despite her unassuming appearance, Lewis is the ‘enforcer’ of certain rules and regulations of the bleachers.

8 The Creatures have gained a reputation as an elitist group, and if someone without the proper credentials (generally attendance record and seniority account for these credentials) begins a chant or gets a little too enthusiastic, Lewis will be the first to yank the reins.

Galante recalled a time when Lewis flexed her muscles. “She’s cool with people jabbing at the other team, but even she draws a line,” Galante explained.

“Some guy who got his tickets on Stubhub or whatever, and he’s not really one of us, he just kept yelling at the other team’s right fielder, but he got out of hand with the cursing and whatever. Tina went down to talk to him, and he called her a bunch of names and got in her face. She just walked away. Next thing you know, security’s kicking that guy out of the stadium.”

This authority does not come without responsibility, though. Lewis is often the one to organize and initiate Creature-wide policies and activities. For example, upon the passing of Yankee Owner , it was Lewis who arrived at the stadium with a mural for the Creatures to sign. All signatures had to be approved by Lewis, and many fans were denied the Sharpie simply because Lewis did not recognize them, and wrote them off as ‘stubhubbers,’ or casual ankee fans who bought their tickets on the secondary market. If she didn’t recognize you as a

Creature, and she didn’t give her approval, you just weren’t getting your name on that mural.

Galante’s heard complaints from fans that say they think Lewis’ role of authority is a little over the top, and that it’s unwarranted or it’s just an act.

However, Galante disagrees. “I don’t think it’s an act for her, because she really

9 believes that she’s the boss. And in a lot of ways, she is,” he says. “If she gets into it with somebody, that person is getting kicked out. Even if Tina’s wrong, she’ll get the other person kicked out. It’s a little unfair, but it is what it is. It comes with the territory.” There is an entire social hierarchy among the Bleacher Creatures, a power structure within the body of fanatics.

Also, Galante explained that it was Lewis who sorted out the seating fiasco when Yankee Stadium was relocated. “They weren’t going to let us all sit together again, it was going to be first come first serve,” said Galante. “But the queen sat down with somebody in the Yankee office, and she gave them all of our names, and they sat us together in the new stadium. It’s not section 39 anymore, but at least we’re all together.”

After serving as the Yankees’ home since 1923, Yankee Stadium was relocated in 2009. While the move was obviously heavily supported by the Yankee organization, the fans in the bleachers saw it differently. “Nobody wanted it to move,” Galante said. “It’s sickening. I always thought that they would make it like a museum or something. That would’ve been the right thing to do, instead of making it a park. There’s a million parks in that neighborhood, it’s bullshit. Too much history has gone down in that place, and to rip it up is a god damned tragedy.”

As Galante explained, the Bleacher Creatures had a particular problem with the new stadium. “Not only that they moved us, but it was the way they moved us,” he said. “They put box seats in front of us. They changed section 39. Even if they changed all the other numbers in the stadium, they should’ve kept section 39. Not that we should have special treatment, but every time you hear a Yankee player talk,

10 they’re talking about ‘those guys in the right field bleachers.’ The organization should be giving us some recognition, not just giving us the shaft.” The Bleacher

Creatures, or at least Galante, feel that they deserve at least some special treatment for their unwavering display of support and dedication.

The Bleacher Creatures have frequently come under criticism for being too rambunctious. Negative media attention has come as a result of fans in the bleachers harassing opposing teams’ fans, players, and just being offensive in general. In a 2001 article, Dan Raley of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the

Bleacher Creatures “the rowdiest collection of baseball fans anywhere, oblivious to the outside world…demanding, relentless, and venomous.” Galante agrees that it’s not the best idea to wear another team’s colors when entering the bleachers.

“Usually, with the terrible teams, we don’t even bother jabbing at somebody,”

Galante explains. “Because it’s like, whatever, the Mariners suck anyway, so just go to your seat. But a rival like the Red Sox or the Mets or even a team like the Rays, those fans are going to get abused. If the game gets out of hand, it can get ugly. But usually, you’ll just make a few cracks on them and then go on watching the game.

The most apparent example of this 'abuse’ is in the 7th inning, when “YMCA” is played throughout the stadium. When this happens, it’s common for fans in the bleachers to spot an opposing fan, circle around him, and point at him while singing parodied lyrics of the song, which are homophobic and inflammatory in nature.

“Yeah, sometimes we do stuff like that,” Galante said. “But it’s just a joke.

And not for nothing, but most of the people doing stupid stuff, they’re not even

Bleacher Creatures. They just bought the ticket on Stubhub. A true Bleacher

11 Creature, once in a while he’ll get kicked out, but he’s just there to watch the game and cheer the Yankees to victory.”

Galante maintains that while some of the things the Bleacher Creatures do can be considered offensive, it’s not to be taken seriously. “It’s all done in good fun, and it’s really not a big deal,” he said. “Usually the person that’s getting cracked on will laugh about it and just shrug it off. There’s some people who think you should just sit there, drink a club soda, watch the game and not say a word. And then as soon as that one person writes a letter, there’s 20 security guards in the aisle telling you that you can’t do this and you can’t do that.”

“And it’s really not that bad, to be honest,” Galante continued. “I mean, three seats down from me there’s this woman who usually brings her kid, and he’s gotta be 5 or 6 tops. She isn’t worried about it, because she’s surrounded by the real

Bleacher Creatures. It’s not the Creatures [that cause problems] as much as it’s the people around us who think they’re Bleacher Creatures.”

As Galante implies, there is a sort of exclusivity among the Bleacher

Creatures, a sentiment that has been endangered by the entrepreneurship of Milano.

According to Galante, the idea that the Bleacher Creatures are a special club, once a priority, is dwindling. “Our section [203] is our section. It’s the same people that have been there for the past 15 years. But on the outskirts, 201, 205, it can be anybody. They say, ‘We’re Bleacher Creatures,’ but they’re not,” he said. “Because of

Vinny selling everybody a shirt, it’s changed. In the old days, you couldn’t get one with $20. It was an earned privilege. It took me 5 years to get my first Bleacher

12 Creature shirt. He’s gotta make money, so you can’t blame him, but I think that’s a big reason why the Creatures get such a bad rap.”

Because the Creatures are thought to be a particularly rowdy folk, the Yankee organization has acknowledged this and responded accordingly, taking several measures to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for fans. In the old Yankee

Stadium, the bleachers had a separate entrance from the rest of the seats in the stadium. They were essentially in their own little ballpark, as you could not travel freely between the bleachers and the rest of the stadium. To discourage raucous behavior, no beer was served in the bleachers. At the new Yankee stadium, the bleachers are connected to the rest of the stadium and beer is served, but Yankee officials have said that the bleachers will be monitored closely.

“The bleachers at the old stadium were a totally different environment. It was our own little world,” said Galante. “We used to be separate, and there used to be different things going on. I used to be able to go to the bathroom, and say ‘Hey, let me get a bottle of vodka.’ There was a guy in there selling liquor out of a duffle bag, you know those little minibar bottles. But now, we’ve gotta buy $12 beers and

$10 hot chocolates. So we’re sort of getting mixed back into the mainstream fans, but there’s still a different environment out in the bleachers than anywhere else in the stadium.”

Galante doesn’t just leave his obsession with the Yankees at the stadium every day, though. All it takes to recognize his zeal for all things Yankee baseball is one step inside his home.

13 “My whole basement is wall-to-wall Yankees,” he explained. “The only thing allowed in that room is Yankee stuff. I had the couch reupholstered with Yankee colors and logos. My wife painted the logo on the ceiling. I’ve got everything: pictures, statues, balls, bats. And everything is autographed.”

The autograph is a very special thing for a fan of any sport, but even more so for Galante, who explains that it gives him a tangible piece of one of his heroes. “It just creates a bond, even though it’s just someone writing their name,” he said. “I’ve got a really nice photo of the 1998 team jumping up and down on the mound after they won the World Series, and everybody signed it. That was the best team ever, and I’ve got all their names on that picture.” A simple picture with players’ signatures connects Galante to something much larger than himself.

Of course, in this room, some objects are a little bit more valuable than others. Galante explained that his favorite and most prized possession is one that he keeps a close eye on. “Whenever my kid has people over, or if I have company or anything, the first thing I do is go to the basement and move my ticket signed by . That’s just something you’ll never be able to get again.”

Despite his seemingly endless collection of memorabilia, there is one piece of

Yankee history that Galante was a little disappointed not to secure. It’s a piece of lore that’s fan-created, and Galante claims that’s a large part of the reason he wanted it so bad. “There’s a kid that sits behind us, and he’s always got a clipboard and he’s always keeping score,” Galante explained. “He’s been a Bleacher Creature as long as I can remember. They call him ‘Stats.’ That kid’s got every game ever. If

14 he’s not there, he records the game on TV and does the scorecard at home. I tried, but he just wouldn’t sell me his scorecards from the ’98 season.”

Galante has been lucky enough to even meet some of his Yankee heroes.

“One of my best Yankee memories was running into Lou Piniella one day in Jersey,” he said. “He was my favorite player when I was a kid. I told him that, and I told him

I had a picture of him in a Seattle Pilot [a minor-league team affiliate with the

Kansas City Royals] uniform when he wasn’t in the big leagues yet. He didn’t believe it. He was opening up a car dealership or something soon, so he told me to go there so that he could see it and sign it. So I did, and when he saw it, he said ‘You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me that you’ve got this.’ It’s downstairs in my basement, and it’s up there with my Munson autograph.”

After seeing literally hundreds of games at Yankee stadium, one would expect

Galante to have a hard time recalling just one memory as his most cherished moment in the bleachers. However, that was not the case. “That’s really easy, man,” he said. “And it wasn’t as dramatic as some others, but the one that I remember, that I can still see it happening, was Joe Girardi’s triple against the Braves [in Game 6 of the ]. That ball was coming right for us. You felt like it was an earthquake, the floor of the stadium was moving, and the place was jumping. It bounced off the grass and hit the wall, and the place just went nuts.

Some people find the dedication and passion of the Bleacher Creatures a little curious. People wonder how the Bleacher Creatures can be so obsessed, because it’s not as if they’re on the field or anything. They’re just fans, they don’t have any impact on the game. Or do they?

15 “The fans change the game,” Galante said. “If you look at a game from LA or something, by the 7th inning, they’re not even there anymore, they’re all gone. If you were a baseball player, you’re just going to go through the motions if all you see is empty seats, or people sleeping, or people on their phones or whatever. You don’t see that at Yankee Stadium, and definitely not in the bleachers. The fans know what’s going on at the game, they know everything about what happened. And that translates into a different attitude from the players.”

16 III. The Quest for Physical Perfection

As a senior in high school, Joey Gavronsky was enjoying a partier’s lifestyle, surrounding himself with girls, drugs, and booze. Although a good student, he was kicked out of school for using and selling several different controlled substances. He

turned this tremendously negative experience into a very positive one, though, turning to a new obsession of health and physical wellness.

17 “I’d always been a very competitive athlete growing up, especially with baseball and tennis,”

Gavronsky said. “I grew up being active, but that sort of went away with my party lifestyle in high school.”

For Gavronsky, it was his family’s support that initially pushed him to his obsession of a healthy lifestyle. “When I got kicked out of school, my uncle got me a gym membership,” he said. “I started going and working out with my cousin and uncle. At first, it was just something to do, but I soon realized I liked how it felt, it made me feel good.”

Gavronsky is adamant in his notion that living a healthy lifestyle is an essential part of human development. “It’s that old saying, your body is your temple,” he said. “It makes me a better person. People who are in shape are such better people than those who aren’t. Maybe not morally or ethically or anything like that, but in different fields of human endeavors, you can do more when you’re physically fit.”

18 Gavronsky lives his healthy lifestyle through a strict and extensive diet and exercise routine. “The two really go hand-in-hand,” Gavronsky explained. “But for me and for my fitness goals, diet is much more important. I’m not a competitive athlete or bodybuilder or anything, I just have goals of personal health. I could take a couple weeks off from the gym if I wanted to, but I could never drop my eating habits that way.”

Gavronsky explained that his diet varies throughout the year due to his own personal fitness goals, but generally speaking, his diet is high in protein and essential fats and low in carbohydrates. “There’s fats that we need, amino acids and essential fatty acids,” he said. “But there’s no such thing as essential carbs. Even though I eat complex carbs every day, it’s only in the morning or after a workout.”

Gavronsky has developed a habit of weighing his food on a digital scale before he prepares his meals. “I use a digital food scale to measure carbs, meats, and fats. I don’t bother with veggies,” he said. “People call it crazy, but the scale’s right there and it’s not a big deal. It turns it into a science, and something you can point to if you don’t get the results you hoped for. If something isn’t measured and monitored, it’s impossible to improve upon.” Even though some people call him crazy, Gavronsky rationalizes it. He doesn’t recognize his fanatical behavior to be fanatical, much like a Bleacher Creature doesn’t think it’s all that crazy to quit his job and sell t-shirts for a living.

His exercise routine is equally demanding. “I change with the seasons,” he explained. “My goal is to get bigger every year, so now, in the fall and winter, I work

19 out much less than usual – 4 days a week, and I eat more and grow bigger. In the spring and summer, I’ll work out 6 days a week and do more aerobics to get ripped.”

Gavronsky noted that at first, it wasn’t easy to incorporate his new lifestyle into other aspects of his life. He pointed out that in the early stages of his transformation, his diet and exercise routine had a serious affect on other parts of his life. “First getting into it, eating a more regimented diet and working out, it was difficult because I didn’t really know how to bring it into my life yet,” he said. “I might not go out if there wasn’t something healthy I could eat there. But now, it’s more integrated into my life, and I’ve found ways to incorporate it into the rest of my life, rather than letting it interfere.” He explained that it’s become easier to find healthier options on nearly any restaurant’s menu, and in a worst-case scenario he will at the very least exercise extremely careful portion control.

One way that Gavronsky noticed his decisions regarding health and fitness assimilating into the rest of his life was through romantic relationships. “I was dating a girl some time ago, and I found a major reason that I was attracted to her was because she ate healthy like me. She cared about herself and her body, and to me that’s hot,” he said. “I’d be pretty grossed out if a girl ate fried food, or fast food, and just didn’t care about her health. Emotional eating would definitely be another turnoff. Even if a girl isn’t as big of a health nut as I am, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal as long as you take care of yourself.” As a fanatic, Gavronsky feels more aligned with other fanatics with similar obsessions, a phenomenon that we saw in Galante’s respect for a fellow Bleacher Creature, Stats.

20 Gavronsky has found a way for his passion to translate into income. He has worked as a personal trainer, and has partnered with other businesses to sell nutritional supplements and health food products online. “I started with personal training, but then I’ve also been teaching natural health seminars,” he said. “A lot of vitamins and supplements on the market aren’t really that great for you. The industry is huge, and there’s definitely a market there. That led me to build a business online retailing nutritional supplements.”

Curious about his sincerity and integrity on the business end of things, I posed the following scenario to him: If you were offered a million dollars to endorse a nutritional product that you had felt wasn’t really a person’s best option, would you still do it?

“Oh man, that’s a lot of money,” he said. “I’d think about it, but if it wasn’t a good product, I don’t know if I could. I don’t think I could do it. Come to think of it,

I’m unable to sell products I haven’t used myself. Even if I’ve read studies about them or have heard good reports about them, unless I’ve used it, I have trouble selling it.”

Although Gavronsky believes that being healthy is an essential part of human existence, he has come to learn that he cannot force his beliefs upon others. “I definitely draw people to personal fitness through attraction rather than promotion.

When I first stopped drinking and doing drugs, I wanted to tell all my buddies that I partied with because I wanted them to join me and I thought it was the way to go.

Same thing when I got into being in shape, I tried to help everyone with nutrition or get people to work out, but I saw that I was kind of tripping out, and it wasn’t really

21 fair for me to expect people to adopt this lifestyle. I just let people see what I do and how I eat, and let their curiosity pique itself.”

Gavronsky is well aware of the obesity epidemic that has rippled through the

United States, and he says that it bothers him personally on a very deep and sincere level. He notes that it truly affects him to see someone who is morbidly obese or tremendously unhealthy. “I feel bad for those people,” Gavronsky explained. “I had a client who was over 380 pounds, and she couldn’t afford training, but I decided to train her for free because she really needed the help. It’s so bad for your joints, and so many other parts of your body. But you can’t force people, no matter how bad you want to help them. They’ll change when they’re ready.” Gavronsky said that the eventual transformation of this client’s body and lifestyle was one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences he’s had in his life.

Gavronsky’s attitude about health and fitness has led him to a new way of thinking about many other aspects of society. For example, he frowns upon some of the trends of modern Western medicine. “Natural medicine all the way!” he preached. “Doctors overprescribe, that’s one of the biggest problems with Western medicine. There’s diet and exercise plans that people can use to help them reach their goals without some pill. A lot of times, there’s a supplement that can stand in for drugs. I have two clients, for example, that were on blood thinning medication called Coumadin. I got them on natural supplements, and now they don’t need that drug anymore. If we can merge the ideas of both Eastern and Western medicine, I think that’s the best way forward for the future.”

22 One big subject of interest in the health and fitness world today is vegetarianism. Gavronsky claims to have seen a growing trend in vegetarianism, but isn’t sold on its effectiveness. “It’s the big thing nowadays,” he said. “I don’t think vegetarianism in itself is necessarily the healthy thing to do. When people go on a vegetarian diet, they may get the results they want because they drastically reduce their fat intake. But those same goals can be achieved by eating lean meats and having a complete diet. I’m not convinced that the amino acid profiles in meat substitutes is quite on par with what you can get from eating good, lean meats.”

While Gavronsky is primarily concerned with his personal and internal health, he admits that a large part of his motivation for the healthy lifestyle is a bit more vain in nature. “For me, aesthetics are very important. Fitness is a way of expression, like art or music. It’s creating something out of nothing,” he says. “I feel really good when I can just go to the beach, take off my shirt, and now that I look good. It goes back to that idea of human excellence – it’s more excellent to look better than to not. Not that people who aren’t ‘specimens’ aren’t attractive or anything, but for me, it’s about being the best I can be, inside and out.”

Gavronsky laughs that people often don’t know quite what to think of him.

His dreadlocks and often tie-dye garb makes most people pin him as a hippie at their first impression. While it may be surprising to think of a hippie as a health nut,

Gavronsky claims it’s not that much of a stretch. “The hippie thing can go either way. There’s an element in hippie culture that parties a lot and does a lot of drugs, and then there’s another that’s into eating healthy and being active,” he said.

“People don’t necessarily know that, and they don’t really know how to take me.

23 First they think I’m a big hippie, but then they think I’m a big meathead. I camp, and go to music festivals and shows, and everything works out fine. Most of my buddies that I go to concerts with now are used to me living a healthier lifestyle and not abusing drugs or anything like that. The connection between the two lifestyles isn’t really as abstract as you might think. I think that people that are healthy can drink sometimes or smoke pot sometimes or even trip sometimes, and as long as you are good with moderation, it can be ok.”

Because the healthy lifestyle is such a big part of Gavronsky’s life, it could be interesting to see how he would cope if something were to happen where he was unable to continue his lifestyle. If an accident were to leave him unable to work out, for example, it’s easy to imagine that he would be devastated and almost unable to go on living since it’s become such a big part of his life. However, he prefers to believe that he would find a way to push through it.

“I would find something that was meaningful. I could find other things to bring meaning to me. That’s a big part of what it does, it brings more meaning to my life. When I used to party, that was the meaning to my life – throwing parties, meeting girls, having money in my pocket from selling drugs,” Gavronsky explained.

“But I changed that, and that was meaningful to me, and such a big part of my life. I think that’s what would happen. At first, I’d be blue, I’d be sad. I’d probably be depressed for a while. But I like to think that I’d be resilient enough to find something else and push through – play more bass, focus more on my business, do more philosophy. I’d find a way. It’d be a lot like losing a loved one.”

24 While Gavronsky tries not to preach his lifestyle onto others, he maintains that while personal fitness goals may vary from person to person, it is fundamentally important for everyone to try to live a healthy lifestyle. “Everybody has different goals, but it’s the right choice for everyone to be healthy,” he said.

“Think about it in terms of virtue and vice – it’s better to be in shape than out of shape. It’s really that simple.”

25 IV. The Phanatic

Mike Mellor first saw the band Phish in 1992, and he hasn’t looked back ever since. Without Phish, Mellor’s bank account would be $30,000 fuller – but as he explains, his heart would be much emptier.

“I was 14, and I saw them open for the Spin Doctors at [Madison Square]

Garden,” said Mellor. “It’s funny because I went to see the Spin Doctors, but I saw

Phish.”

Hailing from Vermont, Phish is undoubtedly the most popular group to hit the jamband scene since the dissipation of the Grateful Dead. What started out as a college band with a small grass-roots following in Burlington, VT has turned into a worldwide, multinational touring act that sells out arenas everywhere they go.

Phish is largely known for two things. The first is their extraordinarily creative and energy-fueled “jams”: that is, segments of live music that are improvised on the spot. Secondly, and more importantly for our purposes, is what is often referred to as a cult following.

“Phans,” as they call themselves, are undyingly devoted to the band, often attending shows in different cities on consecutive nights. Mellor definitely considers himself a phan, having seen over 120 shows since that fateful day in 1992.

He explained that he never had a problem traveling to see his favorite band.

“I went to Indio [California, where Phish held their ‘Festival 8’ over

Halloween weekend in 2009],” said Mellor, “and that’s probably the farthest I’ve been for one show. But back in the day, I used to hitchhike everywhere, especially in

26 college. I’d book a Southwest flight to Atlanta, meet up with friends, and just make it from one show to the next. I’d always just stay at a friend’s house, I never even thought about hotels or anything.”

After his first show, Mellor went away to prep school. There, he says he became fascinated with hearing as much Phish as he could by trading tapes with other phans. Phish is unusual in that they allow concertgoers to freely record the concert. In fact, there are certain seating sections that are specifically reserved for tapers. Mellor attributes a large part of Phish’s success to this liberal taping policy.

“It created this fantastic nucleus and really started organic growth, which I think is more pure,” said Mellor. “It got all the Phish heads buzzing, and trading tapes, and everyone was just hearing all these different shows, and it just got everyone that much more excited. It was like, you’d wait by your mailbox for that tape, and when it finally came, you threw it on right away.”

This “nucleus” that Mellor points out has stayed loyal to the band throughout the years. Mellor noted that in 2010, even after a five-year breakup, the individuals comprising the fanbase has largely stayed the same.

“Well there’s always gonna be some new people coming in and some people going out. But you usually see the same people at shows all the time,” said Mellor. “I saw 47 people who I knew before the [Halloween 2010 show in Atlantic City]. And about 20 of those are kids from the 90’s. They’re kids that I don’t even know their real names, just their lot names. That’s a great part of the whole thing, that community.”

27 This community that Mellor speaks of is one of the major reasons that Phish is often compared to the Grateful Dead. Both bands are known for a cult following, and Mellor recognizes this. “I definitely see the connection there,” he said. “What’s cool is that when you go to a Phish show, you know that every person there has the same favorite band – we all love Phish more than anything else. It was the same way with the Dead. The music isn’t even all that similar – both are exploratory and experimental, but it’s more about the scene, it’s about people who just really love music. It’s about letting people do their thing.”

In fact, for Mellor, the fanbase and community is just as much a reason he was drawn to Phish as the music itself. “The scene is really cool and very enabling,” he said. “It’s pure, and I feel like we have this collective joke that you can only have with your best friend. Sometimes I’ll look around at other people and laugh, because they just don’t get it.”

Because a large percentage of the fan community is dedicated to Phish and will continually tour with the band, it’s tough to imagine where these people go in between tours, or even when the band stops touring for an extended period of time.

“I always wondered that to be honest; who are these people and what do they do in the regular world? It seems like these natty dreads just crawl out of the woodworks,” he said. “I think some are trusties, living in their parents’ basements.

And then there’s just the lot scene kid, who will always be at any show, because it’s all he knows. I think after Coventry [Phish’s farewell festival and final shows before breaking up in 2004], everyone kind of looked around and said, ‘OK, time to grow up.’ Like me, I got everything together, and got married and everything. But then

28 they came back and opened this wound again, and we’re all back at square one again.” The wound Mellor refers to is his burning desire to see Phish as often as possible, no matter what circumstances. With Phish’s return to the stage, there are that many more opportunities for Mellor and other Phish fanatics to get their fix.

As Mellor said, the favorite band of nearly everyone at a Phish show is indeed

Phish. In fact, many Phish fans, Mellor included, will listen to Phish almost exclusively, losing taste for almost all other music. “I pretty much just listen to music other than Phish just to get me away from Phish so I can appreciate it more when I come back,” he said. “It’s so eclectic – some of it makes me laugh, some of it makes me cry, it just brings so many different emotions out, and I get so emotional with this music. That’s something that’s never happened to me before. They do everything for me, there’s a song for every type of mood.” Mellor’s description of how Phish’s music affects him is passionate and sincere, a clear portrayal of the

“wound” he referred to earlier.

While Mellor sees Phish shows whenever he can, he doesn’t attend many other concerts. “I used to do that scene – seeing [the Disco Biscuits] and [String]

Cheese [Incident], and Umphrey’s [McGee]. But not anymore, really. It’s just not worth it, because they don’t really compare to Phish,” Mellor said. “They have such a great combo. They’ve got the talent obviously, but it’s so much more than that.

They make love to each other on stage. It’s about the way they feed off each other, and the audience. It’s incredible, and nothing else really even comes close.”

Somehow, even those who have been following the band for nearly 20 years still have a reason to keep on going. Mellor claims that seeing the same band night

29 after night doesn’t get boring in the slightest. “People would think it gets a little old, but it’s always a great time, and nobody gets sick of having fun,” he explains. “Plus, it’s something different every night, you know? When you go see Phish, you’re never getting the same show twice. It’s always something new.”

Mellor says that he thinks the major reason that Phish is able to change things up every night is because they truly feed off the audience, and no two crowds are exactly alike. “It happens more with Phish than with anybody – any band, any team, any group, whatever. It’s probably because of the improv, but it’s also that they’re more human than any band I’ve ever seen,” Mellor said. “I see a lot of Dave

[Matthews Band], for example, because my wife loves them, and it’s not the same.

They’re just different, I guess. With Phish, it’s not just a performance, it’s a conversation between the audience and the band. It’s like they’ll read you. They direct everything and just feel out the audience as they go. With other bands, it’ll be like, ‘We’re going to the right tonight and that’s what we’re gonna do. If that’s what you wanted, you’re gonna like it, and if not, you’re shit out of luck.”

Mellor admitted that it is often fun to go see a Phish show by himself, as it allows him to form a closer connection with the band since he doesn’t have to worry about anybody else, it’s just him and Phish. However, he also stressed how important and rewarding it is to turn others onto Phish. “Oh man, it’s so awesome to bring someone to their first show. I brought my cousins Owen and Connor to their first shows, and the looks on their faces were awesome,” he said. “I brought my buddy Luke to his first show, and now he’s seen more shows than me. I brought

30 my wife to her first show. The ability to share that experience has brought me so much closer to people.”

Of course, over 120 concerts can add up to quite the chunk of change.

However, Mellor has no regrets about the thousands of dollars he’s spent on tickets to see his favorite band. “I guess I’ve spent around $7500 on tickets. My wife sees it the other way though, with all the extra expenses,” he laughed. “I guess with the whole experience – gas, tickets, and everything else – it probably comes out to around 25 or 30 grand.”

When Phish returned to the stage in 2009 after a five-year hiatus, Mellor spent more money than most would ever imagine a general admission concert ticket could cost. “That Hampton [Coliseum in Hampton, VA] reunion, I dropped $1,100 on tickets for all three nights,” he said. “I didn’t care. I was not getting shut out.

Nobody knew if this was a one-off or if the band was really back, and I wasn’t taking that chance. On the first night, some kid offered me $1,000 for my ticket. It would’ve basically paid for my trip, but I couldn’t take it. I thought about it, but there was no way I was missing that first night back.”

Money’s not the only thing that Mellor has sacrificed for his fascination with

Phish. “It’s certainly affected my life. It’s cost me plenty of relationships, it’s cost me money, it’s cost me jobs,” he said. “In 2001, I had my first job out of college, and I get a ride down to the Phish show at Jones Beach. I met this chick who lived in Long

Island, hung out with her all night, got up the next day, and started getting ready to leave. She said, ‘Just come to the lot and leave before the show.’ So I did. But then, once we were there, she said ‘Well, I have an extra ticket.’ So I borrowed her phone,

31 called the job, and they said I had to be back. I said, ‘Sorry, I’m at the Phish show,’ and that was that.”

Most people would view the decision Mellor made as a serious mistake, a grave lapse in judgment that could’ve crippled his professional career. “I wouldn’t do it any different,” he said. “It’s also brought me much closer with people, and that’s worth more than any job. Bringing my cousins to their first shows, bringing friends to shows and sharing something special. Phish has brought me a hell of a lot more good than bad, so I’m okay with it. I’m not going to play hindsight."

Mellor was excited to share the feeling of excitement he gets when he goes to a Phish concert. “It sort of defines me. It’s my slice of heaven. When push comes to shove, there’s no place I’d rather be in the world. If nothing else mattered, I’d be on tour all the time,” he said. “I love the anticipation, the collective excitement of running up steps to go see them and then looking over at a complete stranger, but it doesn’t matter that you don’t know their name because you know you’re in this together. It’s so exciting. Like at the Hampton shows, I remember being there way too early because I was just so excited. It was 9 a.m., and there I was walking around the lot. And I wasn’t the only one.”

Mellor claims that a Phish show isn’t like any other concert. While it is definitely recreational in nature, Mellor says that it transcends simply being a good time. “It’s definitely beyond just having fun. It’s hard to quantify what it is, without examples, though,” he said. “Halloween this year in AC [Atlantic City], for instance.

The energy was so tangible and it’s just…you were there. We experienced something that will never ever happen again. It’s like sharing a moment with your

32 girlfriend, or a good laugh with friends over some beers. There’s something you hang on to. It’s something historic.”

Mellor said that he doesn’t own very much in the way of band memorabilia.

“I have a bucket of all my ticket stubs. I’ve never been one for autographs or anything,” he explained. “I’d rather just spend that money on a ticket to another show.”

However, Mellor has been in the right place at the right time on more than one occasion, and has been able to have several close encounters with band members. “I’ve met them a bunch. I’ve had beers with

[bassist Mike] Gordon four or five times,” he said. “One of my coolest memories is when my friend Rita got me backstage at the Jammies [a jamband-oriented awards ceremony], and I played Guitar Hero with him.”

According to Mellor, the band’s welcoming approach to fans allows them to connect on a deeper level, and adds a refreshing dose of humanity to the band.

“That’s one of the things that turns me on with Phish, you know? They’re vulnerable and human. They’re not rock stars, they’re just people,” Mellor explained. “Gordon

33 used to ride his 10-speed around the lot, and just hang out with us, that was his thing. They’re regular dudes, but they also know that they do this thing to people.

I’m kind of like ‘Oh my God, we’ve had this intimate connection,’ and they don’t brush it off, they get it.”

However, some people “just don’t get it.” They don’t understand how someone can see the same band in the same venue three nights in a row. Mellor shared an example that was very close to home. “My brother hates Phish with a passion. He sees us as these purposeless lost souls just spending money and doing drugs,” he said. “He’ll say ‘Why don’t you go to a nice restaurant with your money?’

I just laugh. He just doesn’t get it.”

Mellor said he’s easily able to shrug off those who criticize his passion.

“Everyone’s crazy about something – it’s just about your norms, and your perspectives,” he said. “People laugh and dismiss it, they say to me, ‘Aren’t you a little too old for this already?’ or ‘Oh you’re doing your little hooligan games again,’ but I take it pretty seriously. Which is weird to say, but I’m serious about having fun.”

34 V. Analysis and Conclusions

The first thing I noticed upon looking back upon my interviews is how strikingly similar these fanatics are. While a die-hard sports fan, a live music junkie, and a health nut may not seem so similar on the surface, the way they handle their obsessions brings them together.

For example, they all have a high regard for and stress the importance of sharing their passion with others. This priority is manifested differently in each fanatic, but it’s certainly present in each one. Galante, for example, claimed that he

“would not tolerate” his son being anything but a Yankee fan. This strong language.

Gavronsky shares his passion with others by providing personal training services (sometimes for free) and distributing health products through his online company. Although this has a financial incentive to it, Gavronsky stresses that his true motivation is spreading knowledge and tips about good health. Gavronsky’s response to my question about endorsing an ineffective product if it carried a huge monetary benefit reinforces this.

In fact, throughout my interview with Mellor, he became most excited when talking about bringing friends to their first shows. His speech quickened, and even through the telephone, I could hear the smile growing on his face. For him, just like the other fanatics I interviewed, one of the most important aspects of his obsession is sharing it with others.

Another common thread tying these fanatics together is that they feel a deep bond with their fellow fanatics. For Galante, this phenomenon was clear through his

35 respect for another Bleacher Creature, a man they call “Stats.” Galante respected

Stats’ dedication to scoring every game, but I got the impression that something he respected more was Stats’ refusal to sell his 1998 scorecards. Galante respected this because it proved Stats was a fanatic just like him. They shared a bond.

Mellor also relayed that he feels a bond with other Phish fans in his interview. He stressed the importance of the scene’s community, and explained the band as a sort of “inside joke.” He explained the strange feeling that he has when he can exchange a head-nod with a relative stranger, and though they may not know each other’s names, they have a special connection that only Phish’s music could have forged.

Gavronsky’s bond with other health fanatics was represented in our interview when he explained that he’d have a hard time dating a girl who wasn’t into living a healthy lifestyle. As he explained, it would be difficult for him to share a bond and connection with someone whose views regarding health and physical fitness were very different from his. He explained that one of the major reasons he was attracted to a recent girlfriend was because she “ate healthy and took care of herself.”

Another interesting similarity among the three types of fanatics covered in this study is that they have all sacrificed other parts of their lives in order to become closer to their obsession. While Galante hasn’t quit his job to see more Yankee games, he pointed out that some Creatures, like Bald Vinny, have done just that. He sacrificed his career to fully dedicate himself to the Yankees.

36 Gavronsky explained in his interview that he gave up his party lifestyle, which largely defined him, in order to pursue physical excellence. In that transition, he lost many friends and relationships, as the common bond that he shared with some of his peers was shattered.

Mellor’s story about quitting his job to attend the concert at Jones Beach showed that to him, almost nothing is held in higher regard than a Phish show. Even though it was his first job out of college, it was more important for him to have a good time with a new friend at a Phish concert than it was for him to return home to his responsibilities. He explained that it all worked out in the end, as he was soon accepted to graduate school at Columbia, but what if it hadn’t?

Finally, the most interesting similarity among the three fanatics I interviewed is that they all have come under criticism or have been the subject of misunderstanding by mainstream society. We saw these in the Bleacher Creatures by the constant criticism they receive for being too rowdy or troublesome. Galante explains that this behavior isn’t representative of the “true” Bleacher Creatures, but nonetheless, the criticism continues.

For Gavronsky, he noted that a lot of people see him as too much of an extremist. When he explained that he measures out his meal portions on a digital food scale, he was sure to mention that a lot of people called him crazy for doing so.

He had a logical and reasonable explanation, but still, many people laugh at his incredible dedication.

As Mellor explained, some people, like his brother, “just don’t get it.” Like his brother, some people see his obsession as purposeless and simply a waste of money

37 and time. However, Mellor is able to dismiss these people easily, because he says they “just don’t get it,” and it’s not going to affect his good time. In fact, like the other fanatics, Mellor seems to wear this criticism as a badge of honor.

It’s easy for us to misunderstand these fanatics, because we don’t understand how their passions can completely consume their lives and very easily become their most important priority. Because we don’t understand the object of their obsession, we often dismiss their fascinations as immature or unreasonable. To use Koontz’s etymology, we just don’t understand what it is that these nuts believe in.

However, I’m inclined to agree with Mellor. We’re all crazy about something.

38 VI. Works Cited

Galante, Anthony. Face-to-Face INTERVIEW. 29 September 2010

Mellor, Michael. Telephone INTERVIEW. 11 October 2010.

Gavronsky, Joseph. Telephone INTERVIEW 17 October 2010.

Raley, Dan. "Rowdy, obnoxious…meet the Bleacher Creatures." The Seattle Post Intelligencer 23 Oct. 2001. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

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