Buzzfeed recently posted 28 Signs You Were A Take That Obsessive – and well, if I’m honest, as a dedicated Take That obsessive fan back in the day, I felt there were so many things that the writer of the list left out. So in the interest of representing my fellow Take That fans, here is my own list…
You know you were a REAL Take That obsessive if:
1. Age 14, you seriously considered getting a dolphin tattoo to match Mark’s. On the front of your hip, natch.
2. You still remember which year big life/news events happened, based on which Take That single was out at the time (“I’m pretty sure The National Lottery started in the UK in late 1994 because that’s when Take That’s Sure was out.”)
3. You bought five packets of promotional Take That Kellogg’s Corn Pops – but didn’t open any of them. You also received a free mini box on the “Pops Tour” and you still have it.
4. Every time you hear I Wanna Hold Your Hand by The Beatles, you expect it to seamlessly segue into Hard Day’s Night like the Take That Beatles Medley from the 1994 Brit Awards.
5. You’ve been to Littleborough, Ramsbottom, Castle Quay in Manchester, Tunstall and Frodsham. But not to visit your family, to stand outside the houses of your idols. For hours. And hours. Only then to leave. (You also visited King Street in Manchester, where Nigel Martin Smith had his office.)
6. You still have a shoebox that contains concert tickets, tour programmes, key rings (and if you’re anything like me, a packet of beef Hula Hoops bought in Howard’s local shop and a cigarette butt discarded by Robbie.)
7. You idolised pop magazine journalists like Kate Thornton and Alex Kadis because they got to MEET and INTERVIEW your idols.
8. You had 46 Take That pen pals from around the world (*waves at Yuki from Japan and Fiona from Brighton*) who you’d write actual letters to, swap photos of Take That with, and send FBs to.
9. You could repeat the Going Live/Live And Kicking phone number from memory, and every time Take That were guests, you sat pressing ‘redial’ for hours, just hoping you’d get through and could ask them a question. (081 811 8181 btw)
10. You had VHS tape after VHS tape that contained every TV performance Take That ever did (recorded on LP! Double the length!) and loads of C90 cassettes of their radio interviews – and the Radio 1 Top 40 Chart Shows of them reaching No1. Obvs.
What do you think? Have I missed out any signs?
If you liked that you might like: 50 things to do in London before you’re 5 – the ultimate guide to child-friendly fun in London
I remember crying once when Take That were on Going Live because I was overwhelmed by the memory of it all. You missed “Cutting out every single picture of Take That in the paper / magazines and then creating a huge scrapbook collage so there is no inch of wallpaper space left on your bedroom wall.”
Author
Oh yes my bedroom walls were a lovely sight and then had to be repainted after all the Blu-Tack wrecked them. I also had a ring binder (a TT one obvs) with loads of magazine interviews neatly in poly pockets.
This is spot on! I had so many pen pals from those weird little book things we use to pass on. And I also remember putting cellotape over stamps so we could re use them. Happy days x ps still got a box of corn pops and a water bottle Gary Barlow threw to me. My Nan chucked the water out of it. I had a full on breakdown! x
Author
Sellotape on stamps!! I’d forgotten about that! Hilarious. Cannot believe your nan chucked out the water. Not surprised you were upset.
Oh my gosh yes cellotape on stamps!!!
Wow you win out in the fan stakes here! However i do remember being devastated that i would never get to marry Mark because he was too old for me, like that was the only reason he wouldn’t be interested :-/
So pleased that I can still remember the number for Going Live! I clearly remember the day they announced they were breaking up, and the tears of my fellow housemates….
Author
… and your own tears, no? 😉
Those were the days eh – love the crop of your Mark shot on your homepage, talk about homing in!! Would love it if you get a chance to pop across and link this post up to our new #AllAboutYou Link&Pin Party, this is what the party is all about – the things that we do outside of our parenting time! x
Oh this is fantastic!! You definitely win in the fan/stalker obsessive stakes, and so pleased you linked up to #AllAboutYou!
Hi there, popping over from the #AllAboutYou link party. I have to admit that although I loved Take That I wasn’t really an obsessive fan. Robbie Williams was my favourite and I am still a big fan of his, even managed to go to Knebworth! Anyway, my sister was the bigger fan and some of the things you’ve said here remind me of her back in the day. 🙂 Great post that transported me back twenty odd years. Wait a minute… has it really been that long? 😉
Morgan x
Omg, I LOVE THIS! All so true!!!!
hahaha! All so very true!! I was a huge fan!! Still love Robbie but not so keen on the rest of them…lol #AllAboutYou
Haha so so true. Although as you know (I think) 911 were more my bag. But I totes would have had Take That’s babies if they had asked. 😉
Hehe I’ve only just found this post. We had Gary’s mum’s phone number and used to constantly ring just to hear his brother on the answer phone (he sounded JUST like Gary) saying, ‘if you’re ringing for Gary, he doesn’t live here’.
Confessions of a teenage stalker 😉
Absolutely love this! Yes, yes yes! Thanks for the trip down memory lane 🙂
And as I’d tweeted you, we were both working on a Take That related piece at the same time. Here’s mine:
http://youinspireme.co.uk/2014/why-you-want-them-to-have-a-business-crush-on-you/
I remember being so joyful to find a big pile of penpal mail on my door mat each morning. The photos that were copied from one fan to another, the banners we made for the concerts, standing in line outside Wembley with TT signs on our cheeks chatting away with fans from across the country, screaming and singing and crying so much during the concerts, I’d lose my voice for days after. Ah, happy times 🙂
Love this! I actually got a tattoo the same as Mark’s. Not when I was 14 I hasten to add!! And on my back, not my hip. Not obsessive at all….
Missing the all important “pray” perfume!!
I had hundreds of pen pals allover the world because Gary was my favourite and everyone wanted to write to a Gary fan – or Mrs Barlow, of course! I wonder if any of us here actually wrote to one another!
Brilliant and scarily true. I have the shoe box, corn pops box, videos and cassettes lol
Haha! All so true. I have the shoe box, the corn pops box, the videos and cassettes lol
I still have my Gary doll, unopened (the cellophane is ripped a little bit)!! Absolutely loved Gary then and now, always remember my mates ribbing me and saying Mark and Robbie were the best ones and id say no I love Gary the best!! Lol xxx
Just stumbled across this post and *had* to comment even though it’s an old one. I too had a cigarette butt that I eagerly grabbed from an ashtray at the age of 14 after watching Robbie Williams stub it out, the time that Take That played Wembley and — faint, swoon — stayed in a hotel near where I lived. Ah, them’s the days — nearly passing out at the sight of Howard Donald walking past and smoking indoors! Oh yes, and I dreamed of a dolphin tattoo on my hip as well. Thank god I grew out of that before I was old enough to get tattooed. Do you think there are hordes of people slightly older than us who actually DID get the tattoo?!
FBs!!! What a blast from the past!
I preferred Robbie’s celtic cross tattoo 😀
13th February 1995 – Need I say more!