KimElliott.net

A good friend of mine recently got hold of an unreleased script for me. The writer of the script is one of my heroes and I was looking forward to having a sneak preview of his next project.

I’ve followed his career for the last six or seven years and have always been impressed with his work. Over time I’ve built up a bit of a loyalty toward him and just like with a favourite band or actor, I would be willing to check out his latest project even if it didn’t sound like the kind of thing I’d naturally go for on my own.

My friend, also a fan of the writer, warned me that I might not like the script. He was right. It wasn’t that the writing was poor or that the plot was lame – I’d just seen the same thing from the writer several times before.
What used to make me love his writing now just leaves me feeling a little flat. I spent a bit of time wondering if he’d changed his style or I had changed my tastes, or both.

Finally it hit me; he hasn’t changed and neither have I and that is the problem. I can only see the same scene, hear the same joke or listen to the same song so many times before I get bored. This script was like a cheap pop song: I knew the words I’d find before reaching them.

I was wondering how long he would take to notice this and then I realised I am part of the problem because I am encouraging him to produce the same thing again and again. As a loyal fan, I will still buy his product when it comes out even though I didn’t like it because I want him to succeed; I like him, not just his writing.

I think this is why people buy generic pop albums or watch long running sitcoms even after they stop being funny (I’m including series five of Scrubs and pretty much the last few series of Friends before it finally ended a few years back.) These shows lost their charm and humour a long time ago but we still watch them because we know what we’re getting, it’s the TV equivalent of an old blanket; stale but comforting.

Will I give up on my hero or be buying his Christmas special with free keyring? I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.