Why John Mayer?
Why write a play about this guy?!
Both as a playwright and an actor, I’m attracted to material that weaves together comedy with social critiques like the works of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to write a play that would comment not only on the phenomenon of instant fame, but also inject humour into a story, which humanizes its characters. And who did I choose to humanize? None other than John “kiss-and-tell” Mayer.
I’ve been obsessed with pop culture and Hollywood since my pre-teens. Back in the mid-nineties, you read People magazine’s“Most Beautiful People” issue or watched Entertainment Tonight for a glimpse into celebrity. It was a simpler, sweeter time before TMZ, reality shows and YouTube.
More than a decade later, you’ll see that times have changed significantly. These days instant fame is easily accessible. Thanks to this new digital era, becoming famous is as simple as releasing a viral YouTube video. Talent and tenacity are no longer enough to succeed as an artist; you also need to be social media-savvy and have a Twitter account. To paraphrase Andy Warhol’s fateful prediction: everybody is after their fifteen minutes of fame.
I think of John Mayer as a good example of what it means to be famous today. As one of his fans and an avid tabloid-reader, society’s fascination with celebrities intrigues me. They’re only people, aren’t they? Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that they led simpler lives once upon a time—like you and me—when we bear witness to a string of frivolous affairs and ridiculous indiscretions. We’re left to wonder why a celebrity, such as John Mayer, would be caught prancing around in a mankini or comparing an ex-girlfriend to an incendiary liquid.
Is it the money and fame that changes celebrities, or did they always behave this way? And why on earth are consumers of pop culture—like me—so mesmerized by them? My Mayer-mania continued with the writing of this play. I thought back to the type of person John seemed to be when he won his first Grammy award in 2003 and wanted to recreate that TMZ-free John.
Fame is the unifying theme of the play. It’s also about what John Mayer’s journey may have been—a look back to sweeter times and the memories of young love. Maybe, once upon a time,John Mayer started out pumping gas, strumming his guitar and finding inspiration for his love songs from a special girl he met one summer. Maybe he looked to his music as an exit out of his suburban town and a chance to be understood as an artist. Then maybe somewhere down the line he was led astray.
Over the past several months, John Mayer has become as famous for his offensive ramblings as he has for his music. I’d like to believe that everyone is deserving of a happy ending if they’ve learned from their mistakes.
Even John Mayer.
- Brianne Hogan, Creator of "Back to You: A Dear John (Mayer) Letter"
I’ve been obsessed with pop culture and Hollywood since my pre-teens. Back in the mid-nineties, you read People magazine’s“Most Beautiful People” issue or watched Entertainment Tonight for a glimpse into celebrity. It was a simpler, sweeter time before TMZ, reality shows and YouTube.
More than a decade later, you’ll see that times have changed significantly. These days instant fame is easily accessible. Thanks to this new digital era, becoming famous is as simple as releasing a viral YouTube video. Talent and tenacity are no longer enough to succeed as an artist; you also need to be social media-savvy and have a Twitter account. To paraphrase Andy Warhol’s fateful prediction: everybody is after their fifteen minutes of fame.
I think of John Mayer as a good example of what it means to be famous today. As one of his fans and an avid tabloid-reader, society’s fascination with celebrities intrigues me. They’re only people, aren’t they? Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that they led simpler lives once upon a time—like you and me—when we bear witness to a string of frivolous affairs and ridiculous indiscretions. We’re left to wonder why a celebrity, such as John Mayer, would be caught prancing around in a mankini or comparing an ex-girlfriend to an incendiary liquid.
Is it the money and fame that changes celebrities, or did they always behave this way? And why on earth are consumers of pop culture—like me—so mesmerized by them? My Mayer-mania continued with the writing of this play. I thought back to the type of person John seemed to be when he won his first Grammy award in 2003 and wanted to recreate that TMZ-free John.
Fame is the unifying theme of the play. It’s also about what John Mayer’s journey may have been—a look back to sweeter times and the memories of young love. Maybe, once upon a time,John Mayer started out pumping gas, strumming his guitar and finding inspiration for his love songs from a special girl he met one summer. Maybe he looked to his music as an exit out of his suburban town and a chance to be understood as an artist. Then maybe somewhere down the line he was led astray.
Over the past several months, John Mayer has become as famous for his offensive ramblings as he has for his music. I’d like to believe that everyone is deserving of a happy ending if they’ve learned from their mistakes.
Even John Mayer.
- Brianne Hogan, Creator of "Back to You: A Dear John (Mayer) Letter"
