(Credits: Far Out / YouTube)
For some, being famous is a dream. The idea of millions of people knowing your name, fawning over your every move, and worshipping the ground you walk upon definitely appeals to certain folk, while others find the idea horrifying. Many artists—whether they be painters or musicians—want to make art; they’re not bothered about being a celebrity. Björk falls into this latter category, finding the concept of being constantly watched and publicised utterly bizarre.
Fan mania and media attention have been a big part of being a famous artist for decades, but that doesn’t mean celebrities should have to deal with constant harassment and the invasion of their privacy. From the days of Beatlemania to the exploitation of people in moments of vulnerability, like Britney Spears or Amy Winehouse, the paparazzi and tabloid journalists have a lot to answer for.
In 1996, Björk made headlines when she attacked a reporter after she touched down in Bangkok. It wasn’t until later that the singer explained why she lost her temper and punched the journalist, stating that she was protecting her son, Sindri Eldon Þórsson. Björk claimed that for several days, this specific reporter had been following her around and asking her ten-year-old son questions about his mother. She finally snapped, although she later apologised to the journalist.
Many people have defended Björk surrounding her actions, stating that her instincts to protect the privacy of her young son took over, and that can hardly be criticised. That same year, the musician was also caught up in a media storm after Ricardo Lopez, a self-confessed super fan, mailed a bomb to the singer (which was intercepted) and shot himself on video while listening to her music. He hoped they would both meet in heaven and be together.
It’s safe to say that the late ‘90s was an intense period for Björk, who admitted to The Guardian in 2002 that “It just got a bit much.” The singer found attention from British tabloids – she was living in London for a while – particularly difficult to deal with. In the same interview, she chalked the country’s obsession with celebrities down to “the royals”.
She explained: “I was wondering the other day whether it’s because of the royals. Maybe nobody has any sympathy for them because they don’t ever have to work, they just get born and they have money, right ? So everybody thinks we have unlimited access to their private lives, because they’re on this ‘dole’ from us. Well, they have a similar attitude to celebrities—kinda like, ‘We made you this rich, so we’ve got unlimited access to you… to your life.’”
Just one year after Björk’s violent run-in with the paparazzi, Princess Diana would be killed in a car crash in France caused by an onslaught of photographers desperate to capture her image. With no regard for privacy, the royal was mercilessly followed and photographed, and the insistence of the paparazzi to get as close to her as possible led to her demise.
Björk believes that celebrities, no matter their occupation, deserve as much privacy as everyone else because, clearly, the results can be catastrophic.
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