
According to Merriam Webster a fanatic person is “a person who is extremely enthusiastic about and devoted to some interest or activity.” Going from that definition, I would have to say at least in my teens and into early twenties I was a fanatic about music, going to concerts and most especially the Oak Ridge Boys.
I could tell you the names of the singers, band members and a large portion of the crew that toured with them. I was a member of their fan club and in total have seen them over fifteen times easily. Used to be I could recite all the shows and most of the dates they happened… I am getting old though and memory is a problem with fibro too so I can’t recall all of them so easily now.
What I was just talking to my boyfriend about is how a lot of the musicians of our youth are far from their youth now and that scares me. No, it will not have the impact John Lennon or Elvis Presley’s deaths had on a generation but with all four singers in the ORB being 75 or more now I dread the day I hear that one has left this world. I have already said my personal goodbyes to three men who used to be in the band… still miss them.
In the meantime, I will listen to their music, hope they come close enough for a concert (I don’t drive long distances like I used to due to anxiety issues on the road) and keep up to date with social media posts. Is there someone you were (or still are) a fanatic about?
(Here’s a video from back in the day… back when Skip, Steve and Don were still with us. May they all rest in peace.)
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Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – fanatic