Eating For Free Club Chalamet: Love In the Time of Stan Wars (Finale)
Sep 25, 2025
Dive into the whirlwind of Club Chalamet as the hosts tackle the fallout from being blocked on Instagram! They unveil Simone Cromer's intriguing fan persona and her journey through obsessive fandom culture. Discover how internet algorithms fuel this modern enthusiasm, shifting from anonymity to public interest. The hosts dissect Simone's conspiratorial views on celebrity relationships and her deep dives into fan narratives. Ultimately, they reflect on what Simone's saga reveals about the influence of fandom in shaping pop culture.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Fandom Distorts Perspective Over Time
- The hosts argue fandom can distort reality and shape personality, especially pre-algorithmic fan culture like Tumblr and WordPress.
- They show how obsessive worship now worsens under social platforms that reward engagement over follower count.
Engagement Beats Follower Counts
- Engagement, not follower count, drives influence under modern algorithms and can make niche accounts feel powerful.
- Joan and Matthew note algorithms reward provocative content, amplifying fringe fan voices like Club Chalamet's.
Origins: Fascinating Fassbender Interview
- Joan recounts Simone Cromer's early Fascinating Fassbender fan blog and its 2010 phone interview with Michael Fassbender.
- The New York Times noted Fassbender was "unfailingly patient" with that fawning interview.
