What's It Like To Be A Guy Fan & Why So Much Shit?

It's cooler to be an Elvis/Beatles fanboy because they are influential acts.

Bon Jovi have universal appeal, so a lot of women are into them too. And of course a lot of people don't like them. The ones who don't listen to mainstream Pop and Rock music.

And i've never heard about Maroon 5 being cool with straight guys.

Copy and pasted from the live on ellen thread, addresses some points on the topic http://drycounty.com/jovitalk/showpo...2&postcount=64

Absolutely pathetic if you ask me, and sexist. You wouldn't see Bruce or U2 having female only audiences on a similar TV event. Jon complains about the lack of respect and critical acclaim he gets, but he still panders to the ''housewife'' demographic by doing these types of shows (oprah, ellen..QVC?!)

Nothing wrong of course with having females fans, but lets be honest, a large proportion of the JBJ loving, backstage type, clueless bimbos wouldn't know a track of These Days if it came and bit them in the ass. And to be a male bon jovi fan still gets me some strange looks these days. Look at all the TV audiences on things like the Lost Highway DVD, An Evening With, Unplugged etc etc - all women, many of them lusting over Jon and chosen to be in the front rows by producers. This doesn't help the bands image if they want to be taken seriously.

And whether we want to admit it, the rock music scene and its critics is still a predominantly male orientated industry. Jon with his looks, his ridiculous white teeth and the commercial middle of the road stuff they are releasing lately all don't help his - this and for various other reasons is the reason why nobody takes Jon Bon Jovi seriously as an artist, despite the fact he does have the songwriting talent.

Andi

One thing I noticed in Europe was that there are actually more guy fans and the stigma you refer to is more present in the U.S.A.. It was pretty equal over in Europe.

Because they used to wear spandex and had massive hair. I shit you not. Not many similar bands have survived. U2, as far as I'm aware, never had massive hair. Bono aside maybe

I know plenty of other guys that love Bon Jovi. I may have taken flack from some guys for liking them, but then I think i've taken flack from chicks about liking them too. The other night some chick was giving me shit for wearing a Poison shirt and I'm like WTF do you care about it. In general I just don't care what people think of what music I like, and I like quite the variety. Depending on my mood i'll listen to anything from Megadeth to Ke$ha.

I've never really had any negativety towards my love of the bad. Sure, when having a conversation with the "ultra cool" pretentious, only listen to credible acts type of person, saying they are your favourite band doesnt get the best response but it sparks a healthy debate and i love music and enjoy other acts that do command a little more respect.

None of my mates have ever laughed about my love of the bad, they like the top 3 or 4 tracks and know the words purely cos they are amongst the biggest rock songs of all time. I actually think being a fan now isnt as much of an issue as it may have been back in the day. They play huge stadiums, have massive hits and put on a good show, it is what it is.

And the guys who hate Jon for those reasons would change places with him in a split second. Either they wish they'd at least tried to be rock stars themselves, or they're just plain jealous.

People have mentioned Axl here but remember the song that put GnR on the map. Welcome to the Jungle is pure testosterone. Ditto something like You Could Be Mine or Paradise City. There isn't really a Bon Jovi song to compare in the same way (or nothing well known at least). Sweet Child Of Mine and November Rain are the only love songs they released and most men think they are epic. Then there is the image. Jon is seen as a cynical product of the music industry. Axl is seen as a rebel in many ways. Jon is safe, Axl is dangerous.

And therein lies a lot of the reason that men are laughed at for liking Bon Jovi. Jon is a cynical exploiter of the female market by singing cliched love ballads and shaking his ass. The singles haven't helped and I don't think the band name has helped either.

Don't forget Patience, Don't Cry and Estranged. All were hits for the band (Estranged, I know wasn't)

Fair point actually. I stand corrected.

That said, neither are as cliched as say I'll be There For You or Thank You For Loving Me.