The Celebrity Imprint: Fan-Celebrity Attachments and Religious Work Among Fans of John Lennon and Johnny Cash

Abstract

Based on in-depth interviews, this article examines the relationships fans develop with John Lennon and Johnny Cash. Fan attachments consist of an initial curiosity, to a more profound emotional bond or relationship with “religious” underpinnings. An externalized sense of self and the concept of a product of popular culture doing the work of religion highlight how fans develop relationships because they see more of themselves in the celebrity than do other fans. The notion of gradual development of an interpretive lens helps explain how these shifts happen over time. I conclude by considering what degrees of fan attachment say about the relationship between celebrity fandom and religion.