Musicians and artists accumulate numerous admirers over the course of their careers, if they achieve success with their art. Some of these become loyal followers, fans, or something slightly unpleasant: a stan. You all know where the term comes from, whether you like it or not, because in 2000, no one could ignore the mischievous, silly-faced Eminem. A white rapper from the streets of Detroit, who quickly managed to conquer the charts with his satirical alter ego Slim Shady. In his song
"Stan
, " the rising star described his parasocial relationship with a fictional follower named Stan, whose fandom extends far beyond collecting records and attending concerts. 25 years after the single's massive success and the unprecedented career of the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers the third, a documentary on the subject, called STANS , is being released . And anyone expecting it to be an educational film about "healthy fandom" isn't quite right.
Director Steven Lecker ( What's My Name: Muhammad Ali ) explores the life and career of rapper Eminem, from his earliest childhood to current albums and events. He interviews not only Eminem himself and a few of his collaborators, but also fans from all over the world, who describe what the artist and his songs mean to them.
The phenomenon of the parasocial relationship
I casually threw the term Stan out there in the introduction, so perhaps I should now explain it. In media psychology, a parasocial relationship describes a one-sided, intimate relationship between a person and another without knowing or ever having met them. In STANS we see some of them. A woman from Scotland who's in the Guinness Book of Records for having more portraits of Eminem inked on her skin than anyone else in the world. A Stan from France who makes as many pilgrimages to Detroit as he can to retrace Slim Shady's footsteps, curiously bearing a striking resemblance to the rapper. A lot of people talk about their horrific childhoods, abuse, and bullying, and it becomes clear why these people are so drawn to their star: They identify with him. Marshall knows this too but also explaining how the song "Stan" came about and what the hype surrounding him has done to him.
Light and shadow
Expected is the ruthless reckoning with Marshall's darkest hours. The main topics here, of course, are the murder of his best friend Proof and Eminem's drug addiction, as well as how dire the rapper's situation really was. For example, what they did when it became public how much trouble Eminem was in. Other people philosophize about what they might have done if their favorite rapper hadn't survived. Just to be clear: It took me two years to stop crying to Linkin Park songs after lead singer Chester died
. Some people might consider that an exaggerated reaction but it's a world away from what the stans had to say about premature death. The documentary is of high quality and divided into chapters, each one interspersed with appropriate song lyrics and quotes. After 132 minutes, you'll be well-informed about Marshall Mathers' life.
My Conclusion
STAN is not only traces the life of an exceptional artist but also attempts to explain the magnitude of what this exceptional artist sang about 25 years ago. The documentary is an absurd mix of justified praise, hard facts, and social experiment. Eminem is and remains a rapper who, no matter who he is, will always be remembered!
