Evaluation of Stan 

Eminem has been quiet for approximately two years since his last album, "Music to Be Murdered By." He hasn't published any new music or even toured in support of his last album, so we're left with nothing but old songs to listen to. Unexpectedly, in February 2022, Eminem gave a memorable performance at the Super Bowl along with 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and others. “Stan”, one of Eminem's most famous tracks was published in the year 2000 and is a true story talking about a super fan who looks up to Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady (︎“Eminem - Stan - Lyrics Analysis”). It also portrays the dark side of fandom. 

The song is about Stanley "Stan" Mitchell, who claimed to be Eminem's biggest fan. He wrote Eminem multiple letters talking about how much he relates to his music and how much alike the two are. Over time he becomes increasingly obsessive, and when he continues to receive no response, Stan's mental health worsens, with tragic consequences as he becomes delusional (“Eminem - Stan - Lyrics Analysis”). Finally, he makes a voice tape of himself driving down the highway after consuming large amounts of anti-depressants and alcohol; this verse includes a reference to Eminem's "My Name Is," with the lyrics "I drank a fifth of vodka, you dare me to drive?" As he reaches a bridge, he says he locked his pregnant girlfriend in the back of his trunk and learns just before driving off that he has no method to deliver the tape to Eminem. 

 Eminem as himself appears in the fourth stanza, writing back to Stan and seeking to reason with him. Stan is informed by Eminem that his songs are not meant to be taken literally when he says, “But what’s this sh*t you say about how you like to cut your wrists too? I say that shi*t just clownin’, dawg, come on, how f*cked up is you? You got some issues, Stan I think you need some counselin’.” He continues to tell Stan about something he saw on the news talking about a man who drove his car off a bridge under the influence, killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend, and advises him to seek assistance. Eminem suddenly realizes that the individual he saw on the news was actually Stan. 

The video shows the story in its complete. Overall, Stan wants Eminem to contact him via personal letter or phone call, but the letters do not reach Eminem in time. Stan portrays an unhealthy obsession by dyeing his hair blonde to look like Eminem. Later, he sits in a basement surrounded by Eminem posters, writing letters expressing his love for the rapper as "his biggest fan.” Every detail of Eminem's personal life is known to him. In stanza 3, Stan says, “And all I wanted was a lousy letter or a call. I hope you know I ripped all of your pictures off the wall. I loved you, Slim, we coulda been together- think about it! You ruined it now, I hope you can’t sleep and you dream about it.” It shows that Stan was not mentally stable and was depending his whole life on Eminem.  

Blurring the line between fantasy and reality or the obsession a fan has for an artist even when it comes from admiration, can become terrifying (Inkster & Sule). This is a concrete example of how dark fandom can get, leading to unhealthy behavior such as hurting yourself.