LIKE most of us, I consider myself to be an ordinary Joe Soap. I’m quite content with life and I have no ambition to be rich and famous.
Being ordinary isn’t for everyone though, and some spend a lifetime trying to find fame without success, while others strike it lucky and become famous only to find it’s all too much.
The recently deceased Matthew Perry, star of the Friends comedy show, is a good example of the latter. He was one of the most recognisable faces on the planet to people of a certain age. He played the part of Chandler Bing, a wise-cracking, low level executive who, with his five other friends, was living the American dream.
The reality for him though was something else. He was found dead in his jacuzzi at the age of 54 having spent a large part of his life battling his demons. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol at various stages of his career and had attended rehab on numerous occasions.
Perry found his fame difficult to handle and he’s not the only one who struggled with being easily recognised.
History is littered with the bodies of famous stars of the stage and screen who couldn’t deal with the full glare of an adoring public. They appeared to have it all, but in truth, they often found it difficult to cope in the real world.
After a stint in the spotlight, many celebrities realise that the lifestyle isn’t for them and send out cries for help that often result in strange behaviour.
According to celebritytoob.com, Charlie Sheen was a cast member on one of the most successful sitcoms of its time. However, in 2011, he suffered a very public emotional breakdown which resulted in him being removed from the cast of Two And A Half Men.
Sheen went on to make several bizarre public statements, which included him insinuating that he was a warlock.
Lindsay Lohan’s rapid rise to stardom took a toll on her mental health. She battled substance abuse issues, resulting in legal troubles and a decline in her career. Her struggles with addiction and unstable behaviour overshadowed her talent.
Pop star Britney Spears faced similar pressure, resulting in a highly publicized breakdown in 2007.
Fame is no guarantee of happiness and it’s no guarantee of wealth either. Annie Edson Taylor gained fame for going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel but ended up broke.
According to Historycollection.com, Annie was born on October 24, 1838, in New York. She was one of eight children and at the age of 12, her father, died suddenly.
Fortunately for Annie and her family, he left them financially secure, so they continued to live comfortably.
Annie eventually became a teacher. She met David Taylor, got married and had one child, a son, who passed away during infancy.
Seven years later, tragedy struck again when David passed away and Annie began to struggle financially. She soon found herself moving from place to place to find work as a teacher.
In her early sixties, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find employment. Taylor felt she needed to look at different options.
One day, she read about people making money by performing various stunts around the world.
That inspired her and, at the age of 63, she decided to throw herself off Niagra Falls in a barrel.
She believed this would give her fame and fortune to secure her future.
Taylor hired a manager to help her with marketing. The first thing they needed was a custom-built barrel, but craftsmen in the business didn’t want to be associated with her because they believed it was a suicide mission.
Eventually, she did find someone, and they set about designing it. The barrel needed to be shaped like a regular pickle barrel but big enough to accommodate Taylor. It was five feet long, and three feet in diameter and lined with a mattress for protection.
They also added a leather harness so she could be strapped in during her journey. To keep the barrel upright, they added a 200-pound anvil to the base.
Because the barrel was sealed, two air holes were made in the lid, which were closed with corks which Taylor could push out if she needed more air.
To test the barrel, she sent a cat down the falls in it. The cat survived with a slight head wound.
On October 24, 1901, thousands of people gathered around the 167-foot waterfall to watch the possible suicidal journey. Her crew fastened her in with the straps, screwed the top shut, and compressed air into the barrel with a bicycle pump. They plugged the air holes with corks, towed it to the middle of the river and cut it loose.
The crowd watched the barrel disappear into the mist. A few minutes later, they saw it float and come to rest on top of a rock.
The rescuers set to work getting Taylor out and, to everyone’s relief, she was able to walk and talk, and her only injury was a small gash on her head, like the cat.
She reportedly told people: “I would sooner walk up the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces, than make another trip over the falls.”
The stunt was a success and Taylor received the fame she wanted, but fortune eluded her. The barrel was to be the main money spinner, but her manager ran off with it.
She spent most of her money hiring private investigators to find the barrel, but it was never recovered.
Taylor continued to make very little money through her souvenir shops and died penniless in 1921, at the Niagara County Infirmary.
Like I say, there’s a lot to be said for being ordinary.
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