The story about the intruder breaking into Eminem’s house last month (the news is just breaking now) is incredibly freaky. The guy somehow gets past the gate, as well as Eminem’s security detail (who were elsewhere on the property) and goes up to the front door, peering in the windows (this was caught on Eminem’s doorcam, and it is very creepy footage: this rando peering through the windows.) It was 4 a.m. The guy circles the house and then picks up a paving stone and heaves it through the window. He crawls through the window into Eminem’s house. Eminem was not asleep so he heard the crash and goes into the living room and sees this random dude standing there. Eminem “detained” the guy until the security detail came back and then the cops came and took the guy away. Or maybe Eminem just called the cops (there are conflicting reports. TMZ said the guards were sleeping but apparently that’s not true).
This could have been so much worse. Eminem could be dead right now.
Apparently Rupert Pupkin just wanted to talk to Eminem, get some face time; i.e. he is literally a “Stan”. As far as I can tell from the reports he did not have any weapons. So perhaps he didn’t want to HURT Eminem, but, you know, come on, you broke a window at 4 a.m. You’re a total freak.
He’s been arrested and is charged with all kinds of things. An additional aspect to this is that Eminem has been quarantined, like the rest of us (although not much has changed, really, from Eminem’s normal reclusive lifestyle.). But this whole incident forced everyone to violate social distancing rules. The intruder was given a mask shortly after his arrest, but still.
Now, Eminem fans have been chattering about this nonstop since the news broke, and you’d have to be a stan to even pick up on this, but the first thing I thought when I heard the news (or second – the first thing I thought was “Jesus GOD I’m glad nobody is DEAD right now”) was: the intruder’s name is Matthew, and Matthew is the name of Stan’s little brother in Eminem’s famous song “Stan”, the song which gave the world the term “stan.” (news flash: I just learned on my FB page that many people do not know the origin of the term “stan”. How is that even possible? How can you have MISSED that song when it came out? It was a MONSTER hit? You really would have had to WORK to ignore it. I guess I live in a bubble – with bazillions of other Eminem fans.) Stan is even used as a verb at this point. “I stan for Supernatural.” “I am stanning so hard for Keanu Reeves” etc. In the song, Stan basically tells Eminem in one of the increasingly unhinged letters he sends to his favorite rapper, “It’s not ME you disappointed, it’s my little brother Matthew” (uh huh, Stan, sure, it’s Matthew who’s the superfan not you). It’s such a great song, a perfect evocation of the downward spiral from frenzied fandom to aggrieved psychosis.
But there’s more to this whole “Matthew” story: Eminem thought it would be interesting to loop back and re-visit the song, 20 years later, to see what else might be there to explore. And so, on the Marshall Mathers LP2 (2013), Eminem wrote a sequel to “Stan” called “Bad Guy”. It is a frightening song, told from the POV of little Matthew, all grown up now, and seeking revenge on the celebrity who “caused” his older brother’s death. Matthew is now coming for Eminem. These two songs are the King of Comedy of hip-hop: how love and adoration turns to a psychotic rage.
“Bad Guy”‘s final verse is among the best things Eminem has ever done. But what made me think of this is: The lyrics to “Bad Guy” are creepily prophetic, especially considering that a real-life Matthew just peeked through Eminem’s windows and then snuck around to the back of the house.
I peeked
Continue to peep, still bent low
Keep tapping the glass lightly then start to crescendo
Sneak all the way ’round to the back porch
Man, door handles unlocked, shouldn’t be that easy to do this
You don’t plan for intruders beforehand?
Surprised to see me? Cat got your tongue?
It’s terrifying: waking up and finding someone in your house, someone you don’t know. (I now wish I had never listened to Sandra Bullock’s 911 call when her stalker was walking around in her house, and she was hiding in her panic room. It’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever heard.) Eminem’s security people – which he CLEARLY needs – weren’t there – and so … Eminem “detained” the guy until help arrived. Apparently Eminem just talked to him, and kept him talking. That seemed to be all that the guy wanted (but imagine how frightening this must have been for Eminem? How his heart must have been racing?). Thank God nobody had any weapons. There are obviously weapons in the house but nobody was running around wielding them, even in the face of this insanely scary event.
During these recent months of lockdown, Eminem has been donating cups of spaghetti (the “mom’s spaghetti” from Eminem’s Oscar-winning song “Lose Yourself”, sorry, I’m a stan) to the hospitals in the Detroit area for the healthcare workers. This is part of hip hop’s larger efforts around the country to provide relief and food for hospital workers – at this point it’s up to $5 million in donations. And climbing.
I’m so glad Eminem is okay.
I hate to burst your bubble, but I wouldn’t know Eminem if he introduced himself to me in my driveway, much less know what ‘stan’ means. And, I really didn’t have to work not to know these things. This would be akin to me wondering how someone could possibly not be familiar with The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s album Visions of the Emerald Beyond. Yes, in my wide circle, that album is commonly known, but most people have no idea who that is. I admit, sadly, that Eminem is more ‘popular’ than Mahavishnu Orchestra, just as E.L. James is more ‘popular’ than James Joyce, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the average James Joyce fan didn’t know who E.L. James is.
And, I readily admit that I’m getting riled up about absolutely nothing….ha.
I used to be proud about not knowing about stuff too, but then I turned fifteen.
Sheila, it’s funny, I’m currently reading a (sadly more interesting in the abstract than actually good) book at the moment where the main character is a contemporary poet, talking endlessly about poetry and the lives of poets, and it’s reminded me in general of the vast black holes in my knowledge of whole chunks of human cultural expression (and history, science, etc); more specifically, it’s reminded me of your William Carlos Williams bday post in which a few years ago I learned about the existence of WCW, haha! Oh, I cringe, but American poetry is one of those many black holes. Whether it was a case of Baader-Meinhof or just coincidence, immediately afterwards This Is Just To Say became a meme and I saw it everywhere (still do!) which kept me in a perpetual cycle of cringe at my ignorance and gratitude to you for helping me spackle in a gap so at least I knew that was going on lol.
I’m glad Eminem is okay; these Michael Fagan incidents are fascinating culturally but must be utterly unreal and terrifying in the moment.
hahaha William Carlos and Baader Meinhof!! a fine pairing.
I think This is Just to Say meme has been kind of amazing … like: WHAT?? That plus the Jim Jarmusch movie was a truly strange moment – it kind of happened at the same time – like, why is WCW suddenly everywhere?? That never happens?
And believe me – I have huge gaps in cultural knowledge too. There’s so much stuff out there I’m not even AWARE I don’t know. So much of what I read is an attempt to … know shit I probably should know more about. lol
and in film, let’s say, too – I have my “pet” subjects and genres – where I could pontificate without notes. I am sure you do too. And then there are other things where … I’ve had to do a lot of catching up. Like French New Wave stuff. I had seen the big movies – but there was so much more, and I thought – okay, if I’m going to write about film I need to know about this since so much of what we see today comes from that time.
Sometimes I get sad that I don’t have enough time in one lifetime to know all the shit I probably need to know.
Speaking of something I don’t know: I had to Google Michael Fagan and I cannot believe what I am reading!! (His name – with its reference to the mastermind pickpocket and thief in Oliver Twist is almost too good to be true) – how on EARTH did this breach happen??
Sadly – what then occurs as a result – is you have more of a crackdown in security and a famous person – by necessity – has to be even more isolated.
I think David Letterman had some crazy stalker too – he came home and she was in his living room. Stephen King too – someone reminded me of this on Instagram. A woman was hiding in his ATTIC – !!!! – and King’s WIFE found her??
There are a lot of unstable people out there. And sadly – these people (unless they’re John Hinckley) – don’t get huge jail sentences for this kind of thing. Unless they get violent. And so they’re gonna be back out there, and even with restraining orders … you don’t just STOP obsessing on someone. I am sure there is an addictive quality to this kind of stalking (which Eminem clocks in “Stan” – like Stan’s girlfriend is sick of hearing about Eminem). I’m an obsessed person and a passionate fan but there are many hours, even days, when I don’t think about my obsession. It’s scary.
I think about Sandra Bullock’s experience all the time – what were that guy’s plans? Freakin terrifying.
from Wikipedia: “Fagan claims he entered the palace through an unlocked window on the roof and spent the next half-hour eating cheddar cheese and crackers and wandering around. ”
Oh my God.
// She had phoned the palace switchboard twice for police, but none had arrived. Fagan then asked for some cigarettes, which were brought by a maid, who had been cleaning a neighbouring room. //
That is so so British.
so much stuff out there I’m not even AWARE I don’t know.
oh man, I only know about Michael Fagan (yes, what a name!) because the break-in is referenced in my favourite Smiths song (The Queen Is Dead), haha. The details are CRAZY. He said to the police, “I want to know who I am, but only she knows and can tell me.”
I didn’t know that about Letterman’s and King’s and Bullock’s (MULTIPLE!) home invasion stalkers, wow. That one woman was in the attic puts me in mind of Karina Logue’s reveal in Terriers! It is such a hair-raising concept. Or like that awful scary twitter story, whether or not it’s true.
Holy shit that Twitter story – I had forgotten about that story, or maybe I just blocked it out because it was so frightening.
and speaking of freaky stalkers: I read this really gripping book called Rawhide Down, about the day President Reagan was shot – focusing on the Secret Service’s detail that day. (Rawhide was Reagan’s code name). It’s such a gripping book, about all the Secret Service protocols for and event such as this, and then a minute by minute breakdown of what the Secret Service did that day – before – during – and after the assassination attempt.
And of course in the first hours afterwards, everyone assumed it was a political assassination attempt from one of RR’s many enemies, in retaliation for this, for that, whatever, Presidents have so many enemies. Nobody for once thought, “This could be a stalker trying to impress the actress Jodie Foster, who is now studying at Yale.” Ya know? Late in the book – when word spread about who did it and why, all these FBI guys and Secret Service people were like, “…. wait, what?”
DBW – you and I go way back and you are getting riled up about nothing! I SAID I was in a bubble – with a bazillion other people, mind you. There are many people who are huge with teenagers right now and I’m like, “wait, who are they??” I was recently introduced to the Jonas Brothers, since my friend Mitchell is a huge fan – so I checked them out and they are adorable and they write catchy tunes. So I’m happy to know about them now. But they’re like Elvis to 13 year olds. They’re not on my radar at all.
and all of the assumptions about James Joyce fans – of which you know I am one: you threw that in there deliberately, a pettiness I find disturbing, considering how long you’ve been reading here. Assuming that JJ fans are snobby – OR that people who love Joyce look down on other authors – is so BORING – and you know me better than that. You’ve been reading me for years. Not only do I know who EL James is, I have read EL James. So stop it.
Look on the bright side: now you know what “stan” means. “Stan” was just an answer on the NY Times crossword last week – before this incident even hit the news – so that tells you how huge it is culturally. If nothing else, now if you see it on a crossword you would go “Oh! I know what that is, from Sheila’s obnoxious post about Eminem. Now I can finish this crossword puzzle.”
It’s a win-win for everyone.
Except Eminem. Who is probably still freaked out and yet also relieved his daughters weren’t at home with him. I hope he fired his security detail.
Wow. I just looked up Sandra Bullock’s stalker because I somehow missed the end of the story – he killed himself in 2018 after a standoff with the police. and in the house the cops found yet another letter to Sandra Bullock accusing her of “choosing other people over me.”
God, there are crazies out there.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/05/03/sandra-bullocks-convicted-stalker-kills-self-after-standoff-cops/577013002/
This is like if Gordon Lightfoot almost drowned in an American Great Lakes freighter sinking.
hahaha that’s a good point. It’s eerie.