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Before I get into the autographs and music of The Jonas Brothers, I need to explain how Joe Jonas with DNCE had a massively huge impact on my life in a very literal way.
I “went viral” dancing to “Cake by the Ocean”. It seems that so many people CRAVE the experience of going viral. Let me tell you from first-hand experience that it is surreal and quite mind-numbing.
It’s posted on my Instagram and YouTube where it got a very simple 4k and 32k views respectively. Here's the 20 seconds that spread like wildfire ...
It was Valentine's Day of 2015. I hadn't even showered or really started my day but I was caffeinated. The song came on, I propped up my phone and just started dancing. I figured I would review it and recreate it later. But I was motivated in the moment to dance and record it. When I played it back, my heart started thumping really fast. I knew it was fun, that my Triple F (friends-family-followers) would laugh and like it and that I shouldn’t mess with the spontaneity
My heart was thumping even harder when I posted it on Instagram and it was immediately embraced by my modest following of about 2,500 people with comments pouring in. The next thing you know my phone was blowing up and the video was being reposted and shared. The love and positivity were overwhelming. And hearing from people that I hadn't spoken to in forever out of the blue was a trip.
But the video spread – and spread – and spread – and spread.
It started getting re-posted on Instagram and other sites like Tumblr, Facebook, etc. People started tracking me down; emails, messages from people everywhere (LinkedIn?!!), even finding my phone number. It was getting to be a little scary and all too surreal when I counted more than 5 million views over the various platforms that had reposted my video.
But I realized that people were more interested in reposting it for their own purposes, creating memes and gifs, inserting it into other videos, even creating an anime version where they added a flopping penis.
AND THEN CAME THE HATE IN A FLOOD
I had already been posted on sites promoting agendas such as stupid things white people do, sugar daddies for black girls, silver fox hunt - the gamut was crazy. But it exploded AGAIN when somebody reposted on Instagram with the caption "This is literally my worst nightmare" You can see the link below (if it is still active}, that it generated over 10,000 comments and when it had a view count it was over 300,000
Since I had long ago stopped reading comments and paying attention to things that people forwarded to me regarding the video, I tried not to pay too much attention when it flared up again negatively. I had begun to feel that all the commentary should not be taken to heart, good or bad, and almost all of it was meaningless.
But it was a weird slap in the face to feel the pendulum effect from overwhelming goodwill and cheer to straight up negativity, criticism of literally everything within the frame of the video: my socks, my claps, the hardwood floor, my shorts, the furniture, the stained-glass window … every little bit on the screen within those few seconds. But worst of all were the people projecting perversion on to me. Never mind the ageist, sexual and hateful commentary. For so many females to assume that I'm "the creeper in the club" was bemusing to me due to their lack of perception/radar. The boys in the band and a few “bros” knew otherwise.
Once you have a video that is seen by millions of people you gradually understand that you do not own your image. None of us do. Our "image" is like a mirage of other people's perceptions. How often do people look at us like we think we are being perceived? We NEVER truly know.
Going viral was an interesting experience for me and one that made me understand why social media can be so unhealthy for people. It's also why I don't engage heavily in social media or believe a lot of what I see. Because now I fully understand that my impression of who or what I see in a video or photo may never be accurately reflective of who they are.
2 years ago, one of the members on my pool league asked me if I had seen what somebody did to my video on TikTok. I said I don't pay much attention to social media and I’m not on TikTok. He told me somebody had made a creative video featuring me where they are held captive in a chair with zip ties being forced to watch me dance and then they get free and violently attack me. I said something like “Oh, yeah? I'm not on TikTok”. And went back to shooting pool.
Lesson - social media is so often NOT real. If somebody loves you or hates you online - it's not real life. Everybody should KNOW this, right? Even IRL, people may not be who or what you perceive.
“I think image is a fascinating topic, especially in America, where image is supreme.” Jim Brown (football player) p. 204 “Out of Bounds”
(I’ll cover Jim Brown, his Cosmopolitan centerfold, well-written autobiography, problematic situation with Playboy, etc. separately)
If you think YOU have an image, think again. I can 100% guarantee that there are people who do NOT perceive you as you think they do.
All of which goes to the root and loop of this entire bobbyatgloss blog. Here I am writing op-ed mini essays about celebrities, my perceptions, and my in-person recollections. The image of a famous person and whether that image is upheld in person is not only a crap shot, but also simply a perception and not a 100% all-the-time reality. Let the Manhattan Transfer tell you about it …
So yeah, that was a long story all about me, but it was all due to inspiration from Joe Jonas and DNCE.
And when the Jonas Brothers sang “Only Human” a couple of years later, I giggled to myself thinking about the number of people who had forwarded my video to Joe Jonas and mentioned it in various comments. I was laughing because the lyrics "dance in the living room ... drunk to an '80s groove" were exactly reflective of my “Cake by the Ocean” video.
BTW - I saw Nick Jonas twice and he was incredibly awesome. I know that he’s been touted as the sexy one because of his photo shoots, but I really do love his vocals. Especially the remix of Jealous with Tinashe. It still makes me feel a certain way – it’s sexy.
Watching Nick sing the song in person at Jingle Ball (with Halsey and Demi Lovato) on November 30th, 2017 at SAP Center in San Jose was great – check it out:
But when I saw Nick as a headliner at The Masonic in San Francisco on October 25th, 2015, he REALLY commanded the stage and this is an awesome full version of the song with a great ending, hitting the high notes.
In summary: I like the Jonas Brothers, really love music by Nick Jonas and I clearly will always have a tether to DNCE.
Why? Because they are so clean-cut and family oriented. Joe is so handsome and fun. Nick is so sexy and a good husband/great couple with Priyanka. And “Married to Jonas” showed us that Kevin is so sweet and such a good husband to Danielle.
But ARE they those things? Maybe it's just MY perceptions of THEIR imagery.
To close out, here’s my excited recording of DNCE singing Cake by the Ocean when they opened for Selena Gomez on May 11, 2016. I’m bad at recording on my phone in general PLUS I was jumping up and down with DNCE and the audience. Hence, this short clip is not advised for anybody prone to seizures.
I feel like Katharine Hepburn. "Do you like me? I wrote a book about it. It's called ME!"
Nick Jonas – Selena Gomez – Demi Lovato – Julia Michaels. These four have been so intertwined! Nick has co-headlined with Demi and Selena, while Julia has played on tours with all of them and written songs for Nick, Demi and Selena (including Selena’s huge hits “Lose You to Love Me” (#1), “Good for You (#6) and “Hands to Myself (#7).
All three of the women are hard autographs to get – BUT all three of them are known to authentically sign CD and album releases. Thank you Mike McGarbo
SELENA GOMEZ AUTOGRAPH
I’ve seen Selena a couple of times. The first time, she was a headliner (along with Nick and Demi) at Wild 94.9 Jingle Ball on December 3rd, 2015. She was good, but something was a bit off during the big screen close-ups. Her eyes were very, hmm, elsewhere. But then again, me and my friend Jake were also flying from the tails.
I saw Selena again headlining at SAP Arena in San Jose on May 11, 2016, with my gym son, Moean. And she was SO. MUCH. FUN! From the opening number, with the great sets and choreography and Selena’s beautiful hair blowing as if in a commercial, all through her greatest hits. The show was a homerun! I’m so happy to have the Selena Gomez signed LP insert from “Rare” for $40. Look how beautiful she is, the sexy dancer, the short shorts/choreography, etc. – we had a great time that evening.
DEMI LOVATO AUTOGRAPH
I’ve seen Demi a total of 3 times – two Jingle Ball concerts and the “Future Now” tour with Nick Jonas on August 19, 2016, at SAP Center in San Jose. My friend Lori and I were looking at each other when Demi made a few stumbles and onstage faux pas. But she was publicly sober; she’s just self-admittedly a bit awkward and klutzy at times. Honestly, she’s just relatable & quite endearing. The Demi Lovato signed CD art card from “I HEART ME” - $20
JULIA MICHAELS AUTOGRAPH
I saw Julia in concert at the 2017 Jingle Ball which was headlined by Demi, Nick, Charlie Puth and others. I don’t even recall if I got there in time to see her since there were so many acts. The whole night was a bit of a blur. I was with my bestie, Stacey, and I think we imbibed heartily and danced joyfully. I got the Julia Michaels signed CD’s (booklets) of “Not in Chronological Order” ~$25 ea
CONCERT PRICES ARE SURGING!
I’m showing a picture of the concert tickets from the shows featuring Selena, Demi, Nick and Julia so that you can see the prices. Even considering inflation, concert ticket prices have increased 50-80% in the last 10 years. They say it’s because of overhead costs and the value that Gen Z (and others) place on “experiences”; thereby justifying an expensive concert price. I’m just glad that I’m no officially a grumpy old man that hates to drive/Uber and then navigate the crowds at a huge arena and then be “that old guy” who knows all the words sitting next to people who are filming the entire show. Bah humbug.
