Anonymous Fame: Big In Albania

Charlie Winston's a name you probably haven't heard of, but charged with the task of hunting down celebrities who are surprisingly famous in other countries, and being provided with the names 'Norman Wisdom' and 'David Hasslehoff' I drew a predictable blank.

David Hasslehoff is famous in Germany as a pop-star. He's also a chronic alcoholic. Remember that awful moment when his daughter posted a video on youtube of him drunk out of his mind trying to eat a cheeseburger?

Norman Wisdom was awarded the key to the city of Tirana in Albania .

According to Wikipedia "Wisdom is a cult icon in Albania, where he was the only Western actor whose films were allowed in the country during the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha. He is known as "Mr Pitkin" after the Gump character from his films. In 1995, he visited the post-Stalinist country, where to his surprise he was greeted by many appreciative fans including the then president of Albania, Sali Berisha. On a visit in 2001, which coincided with the England football team playing Albania in the city of Tirana (of which Norman was granted the freedom in 1995),[11][12] his presence at the training ground eclipsed even that of David Beckham.[13]"

Felicity Cloake in the Daily Mail cites these examples as well as Kevin Costner, who's big in Turkey with his band "Modern West", Chris De Burgh who's big in Iran and Sharon Stone, who apparently was awarded for her 'services to world culture' (although knowing the French it was probably just a joke).

Charlie Winston though is a British musician who is virtually unknown in the UK, yet pulls tens of thousands regularly at concerts in France. He's had chart hits there, and is generally loved and adored, but walking around London he is unnoticed, and unknown.

Anonymous fame is a bizzare concept given the interconnectedness of the modern world, don't you think? However, I suspect it is increasingly common as people have more and more facets to their lives, more and more access to different cultures and are revered in different places for different things. It reminds me of an old school friend of mine who once claimed he had a cult following in Japan after taking job as an agony uncle in Sugar Magazine. 

I suppose what really interests me then, is secret celebrity. Ever feel like the stars who bask in the media limelight are faking it? Elton John for example, who's really called Reginald Dwight, is probably only known for his scholarship on east african migratory birds in higher academic circles. His contemporaries are no doubt aware of his 'alter ego' as a superstar musician, but prefer to act as if it is a vicious rumour in polite company referring to him lovingly as 'Our Reggie who likes the birds'.

But secret lives are interesting aren't they? If there's scandal or rumour about someone, the ganets of the media are always quick to delve and research, quick to find that aberrant picture, to point the finger of blame and laugh with maniacal hysteria at the freakish phenomenon they've discovered.

That's why I loved reading George Micheal's recent interview in the Guardian where he more or less said that when he was discovered as a cottager he felt dirty and ashamed, that up until he was forced out of the closet  he felt like he was living a lie, straight for the media and the hordes of adoring fans, but with a  guilty despicable secret, and further, that now he's blissfully happy: he can smoke a joint, go onto Hampstead Heath for a shag, and generally be himself without worrying all the time about a fake image constructed for him by some overzealous media/music autocrat with a hard-on for profits.

Funny then, that Elton John is still so keen on saving his soul from drugs, AIDS, and general licentious debauchery, especially now that we known about old Reggies' prediliction for 'Bird Watching'.

Japan is of course famously a place where celebrities make it big in rather unusual ways. Arnold Schwarzenegger for example, in those now infamous energy drink commercials almost instantly will provoke our memories into recalling Bill Murray's role in "Lost in Translation", advertising Scotch whiskey on Japanese TV, and being hopelessly lost as to why he's there.

Japan is just one of those places where celebrity gets routinely taken out of context but it's always oddly appropriate, like Richard Gere advertising hair-care products, we all know nothing ever goes out of style in Tokyo,  that is, unless it goes out of style in Tokyo first.

So who else is worthy of note with regard to this? Not Ruby Wax, although I'm sure she's not famous in the States, or Cliff Richard, who doubtless isn't famous in the States either, but what about the hordes of American morons who aren't famous here? Aren't we glad of that too!


:)