Fame, celebrity what is it? Even more curiously how has it changed and how do we attain it and what does it actually mean to be famous or a celebrity? These are some of the questions I posed over the past weekend to a number of people that I was fortunate to come across during the Northside Festival taking place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn or to be more exact at the Causey Contemporary Art Gallery in Williamsburg, where artists Amanda Dow Thompson and Sonjie Feliciano Solomon were showing their inspiring work. Who was also there included the designer Astrid Brucker, indie fashion designer extraordinaire and here coterie of girls and fans.
In a new series here at Scallywag and Vagabond, expect us to call on you in the foreseeable future as we seek to get down to some home truths as to the dialectics of our time. That said I trust you enjoy our fine cast of interviewees who personally stimulated me and from the outset I have to thank and congratulate Alenka Slavinec for putting up with me and her brilliant photography.
ANNA KUCHMA;
SCV: What do you do?
AK: I’m an actress, blogger, model and singer. I was on season 3 of Ugly Betty. I’m also a hot dynamo on the rise.
SCV: That’s inspiring. What is fame?
AK: When people recognize your name and face together. The dual association. I think.
AK: I did spend a season on cable TV. But I’m not sure if that necessarily means I am famous(yet).
SCV: How has fame changed?
AK: I think it’s become more how you look to other people as opposed to necessarily actually having achieved anything. There are a lot of people with no talent who are famous. You used to need talent to be famous, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. A good publicist it seems can work wonders.
SCV: Or a media machine giving you 24/7 attention?
AK: Yes, I think that always helps.
SCV: What is celebrity?
AK: Someone you want to meet.