by Matthew J.X. Malady
Somebody asked if my twitter wallpaper was in reference to the white male gaze, but it’s really just about how much I love Kenny Loggins.
— Ashley Ford (@iSmashFizzle) April 20, 2015
Ashley! So what happened here?
A week or so ago, someone tweeted and asked me if my background photo on Twitter was in reference to the male gaze. Due to my feminist ways, I can see how someone would think this was the case, but the answer is no. Kenny Loggins is so much more than the white male gaze. He’s a wonder, a gentleman, and the subject of my harmless obsession.
I was first introduced to Kenny Loggins’ music at the impressionable age of twelve. My seventh grade computer teacher gave me a tape of Kenny’s called Return to Pooh Corner because I was embarrassingly afraid of the dark, and he said it helped his daughter get over her fear, so it might help me get over mine. And it did! I’ve always had what boring people call an “overactive imagination,” so eventually Kenny became this loving and supportive father figure in my mind. I remember telling a classmate that his rat-tail made me think about MC Hammer, and then I felt really bad when I considered how Kenny would feel about me being mean to that person.
If I can be honest, I had no idea Kenny Loggins wasn’t some amazing, sensitive new artist who seemed to really care about kids and nature and stuff. When I realized that how much I dug him was a little off-brand for my demographic, I tried to be sneaky about my adoration. Unfortunately, I’ve never been great at pretending. I think a Kenny Loggins lyric is my senior quote from high school. As I got older, my love for Kenny only deepened. I have all of his albums, I know most of his songs by heart, and anyone who knows me KNOWS about him too. It’s inevitable.
Because of my intense love for Kenny, people often ask if I’ve ever has any contact with him, seen a show, etc. Aside from the fact that he RT’d me talking about his cameo on Archer, we’ve never had any direct contact. I did send him some fan mail a few years ago to say we had the same birthday, and that I think he’s amazing. I’ve never seen him live, and frankly, I’m afraid I’d pass out or something.
What do you say to the people who scoff at your love of Kenny Loggins, or don’t believe you, or to those who think you may just be professing to like his work in a joke-y sort of non-serious way? I’m sure you must get that type of response every now and again, no?
The good thing about being in the Kenny Loggins fandom is that no one outside it really cares enough to argue about it. Most people are initially incredulous, then a little confused, then they just accept me as I am. And Kenny as he is. And us as we are together.
Lesson learned (if any)?
Maybe mention Kenny in my bio.
Just one more thing.
There are so many reasons why we love the things we love, but the ultimate reason should always be, because we want to. Don’t fight it. Don’t let anybody steal your joy, or what makes you happy. Let them meet you halfway, and anybody who doesn’t dig your choices? Send them right into the Danger Zone. We only get one life, one dream, only one world. This is it.
