Sometime back in the hoary old Eighties, I was accosted on the street by a staffer from a now-defunct weekly newspaper. ‘Accosted’ is a bit strong, perhaps; he just wanted to ask me a “man/woman in the street question,” something political. I gave him a typically intemperate quote and submitted to having my picture taken. Sure enough, my mug was displayed in a square-inch graphic accompanied by my reply, along side those of six or so other citizens. I cut out the feature and taped it to a wall where others could back in my transient celebrity.

I left the clipping on display for a few days – far too long for the dictates of modesty – and frankly forgot about it until one day when I noticed that it was still up. “Wow,” I said. “What a douchebag I am.”¹

Andy Warhol gave the world soup can art and this wry observation: “In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” (Of course, he grew so tired of being asked about the phrase that he started riffing off of it, giving annoying interviewers variations like “In 15 minutes everybody will be famous.” That Andy. Such a card.) If you broaden the meaning of ‘famous,’ he was right to the extent that everyone can potentially find themselves in front a camera or microphone belong to an actual media outlet, and that the potential is much greater than it was back in his day. Even a demonstrable cipher like myself has found himself interviewed by local TV newsers, newspaper folk, radio show and cable program hosts – and this was all long before I started actually vying for attention, as I had reason to do for a time. It all had mostly to do with what I did for a living at the time – work long enough at the right bookstore and people will find you, I suppose.

No, not fame by any significant measure; just very brief flashes of relative visibility. And as Gandalf said in admonishment to Frodo, “You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess.” (Actually, the wizard surely knew that this was not the case with the singular hobbit, but it’s certainly true of me.)

Actual fame is easier to come by these days, thanks to the wide world o’ web; Andy Warhol would be astonished and amused. You can become a true worldwide celebrity while sitting in your living room. You can become quite notorious almost entirely by accident. We’re all fameballs now – potentially, at least. Which is fine, if a little scary.

I think I can do without it. Actually, I’m quite sure. I had reason enough, starting a few years ago, to seek out attention, but that’s largely done now. I am really happy to go unnoticed except by my wife and cats. (Come to think of it, I’ve been getting the brush-off from the felines lately.) If I never find myself on the business end of a camera lens or microphone again, that will suit me very well.

So if I do have any leftover minutes, they’re yours. Take ‘em.