In 1977, I sent a barely legible handwritten note to Arthur Fonzarelli.

“Dear The Fonz,

Ayyyyyy. How are you. I em fine.

My name is Danny. I em sevin yers old. I em yur bigest fan. I woch yur show evry week and I thing you are cool. Cud I have yur otograf.

Sey hi to Richee and Mr. C for me. Stay cool. Ayyyy.

Danny Evans

P.S. Ayyyyyy.”

Three months later, The Fonz sent me a postcard with his picture on one side and a handwritten message about staying in school on the other. It was my most prized possession. I taped the postcard to the side of my nightstand closest to my head because I wanted Fonzie to be the last thing I saw before falling asleep and the first image upon which my tired eyes focused each morning.

I never wrote another fan letter. Not to Magic Johnson or Bruce Springsteen or Reggie Jackson. Not to Neil Peart or Farrah Fawcett or Wayne Gretzky. Why bother? Nothing will ever be better than The Fonz.

But yesterday, for the first time in over 30 years, I wrote fan mail.

By some stroke of wonderful fortune, I’ve read five or six phenomenal books consecutively over the past four months or so. Great writers, great stories, great subject matter. The latest is BONK, the new release by Mary Roach.

I first stumbled upon Mary a few years ago when I read STIFF, which is at once the most fascinating, most hilarious and most educational book about what happens to the bodies of dead people I’ve ever read. I loved it. So when I saw the striking cover of BONK (two ladybugs doing it doggy style) at a bookstore early this week, which I was thrilled to discover is about the convergence of science and sex, I snatched it up immediately.

I’ve laughed out loud 50 times already. I took the book to lunch Thursday afternoon and could hardly concentrate on my food. Every so often I find a writer whose words seem to pop off the page and thrill me, and Mary Roach is most certainly on that short list.

I sent her an email, not to solicit an autographed headshot at which to stare, but merely to let her know I think she’s the cat’s ass.

I’ll spare you (and myself) the gory details of the letter, but you may safely assume that I made at least one inappropriate remark (the book is about sex, so I figured that would be kosher) and effusively gushed about the brilliance of her writing. She wrote back this morning. She’s so nice, so thoughtful, so willing to indulge the blubbering idiocy of a fan who clearly doesn’t have both of his oars in the water (if you know what I mean).

Is there a point here? Probably not. But as long as I have your attention, answer this: when was the last time you wrote a fan letter? When was the last time you told someone how much their work means to you? If you were going to write a piece of fan mail today, to whom would you write it?

Comments

I've actually never written what I would consider a fan letter, unless short notes about news articles that finally show a different viewpoint count. I definitely think I should do it as I've been touched by so many books, so thank you for inspiring me! I'm going to make a list of people I should write and will try to remember to come back and share it.

Does commenting on your blog and telling you how awesome you are once or twice a year count? Truly you have touched my life by making me laugh and cry and think a lot and I admire you greatly.

Beyond that, I have never written a fan letter, although I think you have inspired me to do so. Who? I don't know yet, possibly Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood whose relationship strikes a chord in my life and I would like to tell them that I admire the strength and courage it takes to stand up for true love no matter what anyone may think.

There was the open letter to George Clooney that I wrote on my blog last year inviting him over for the three B's (and no it's not what you're thinking). But before that it was Erica Estrada when I was 9 years old - I told him that if he was ever in Winnipeg, he could come to my house for dinner. Because that's where high profile actors want to hang out - the high octane movie mecca known as Winnipeg - having dinner with a nine year old who had greasy hair and a huge need for braces. It was returned three months later because the address was wrong. Three months where I waited breathlessly for the phone call from Eric saying he was going to be dropping by. I was devastated.

If I were to write a fan letter today it would be to my husband because he has to put up with a wife who literally goes crazy whenever she has a baby, who has the nickname "twig" because she tends to snap and will frequently add references of giving him blowjobs in her blog just to ensure that he's reading it. And apparently, as I read this over, I realize that I'm now talking about myself in the third person. I should just start calling myself Jimmy. Yep. He needs some fanmail ASAP.

I am moderately obsessed with Candice Carpenter who started iVillage. I feel like that is such a nerdy pick, Mick Jagger or Oprah would be way cooler. But she is just amazing I feel like she knew and got into the online world and Web 2.0 way ahead of her time and I so so so admire her for that. Plus she inspires a lot of women with stupid fashion stuff and serious articles...we all need a little of both, right? I actually tried to find her email or office number and couldnt, what do you do if you cannot find your idols contact info to send her obsessive, gushing fan mail?

I might as well put it all out there, I went through a, lets call it, boy crazy phase, I have also written fan letters to:
Nick Carter (5 times)
JT as in Justin Timberlake (2 times)
...I really shouldn't say, but oh well, the Hanson brothers
all of the Spice Girls
Martha Stewart (I was getting older)
Weird Al Yankovitch (what was I thinking??)

I wrote many a letter to Corey Haim when I was younger and just hitting puberty. I never sent any of them though. That's probably a good thing since the contents of some of them would probably land me on a watch list somewhere.

If I had to write a fan letter today I would probably write one to Daniel Tosh. The man is funny. I love people who make me laugh. You know, laugher's the best medicine and all that crap.

That's why I keep coming back here. All that crap.

When I was 12, I wrote the author Madeline L'Engle a few pages on how amazing her books were, and how much I could relate to them because I was very mature--everyone said so. The whole thing was in various colors of marker and pretty ornately decorated. A few months later, I got back two typed pages where she encouraged me, told me what a good writer I was, and answered all of my questions. It meant so much to me.

I'm a huge believer in telling people what the work they do means to you and the difference it makes, whether it's your childhood hero or the volunteer coordinator for your kid's school.

i wrote an email to annie choi after reading her book "happy birthday or whatever" and . . . SHE WROTE BACK like within a day or two!!!

I was soooo excited. (so excited i blogged about it.)

*i just checked - creepy - it was exactly one year ago . . .

I don't know that I've ever written a fan letter, not even to Santa (I was never a fan, really. Bastard!) I tried calling Donny Osmond once but I panicked when someone picked up on the other end, so I never actually got to express my true feelings. Then my dad yelled at me for making a long-distance phone call. I'm pretty sure that doused my passion for ever trying anything like that again.

My daughter sent a birthday card to the cartoonist Jim Davis when she was eight, and he promptly replied with a handwritten note and drawing of Garfield on scratch paper. And Bart King, who wrote "The Big Book of Boy Stuff" and "The Big Book of Girl Stuff" sent her a hilarious autographed picture.

If I were to write a fan letter to anyone, it would be to my favorite Supreme Court Justice because I think he totally kicks ass.

Oh yeah, and:

Dear Danny "Dad Gone Mad" Evans,

Ayyyyyy! You crack me so consistently ... up.

Your friend,
dgm

The last time I wrote a fan letter I think it was to Farrah Fawcett and I was in the 4th grade.

On a side note, I once got stoned and played beer pong with Donny Most (aka Ralph Malph!!!)

So funny MetroDad. I also wrote Farrah Fawcett a fan letter. I love that poster of her in the red one-piece bathing suit. I think it was a little cold in the studio that day.

I ate lunch with Nick Nolte on the set of "Teachers' when I was in high school. He sat at our table as a bunch of us were reading lines for "OKLAHOMA". He actually ran through them with us.

I recently subscribed to a mailing list thinking it was just a listserv thingy re: John Seller's Book Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life so I gushed about how much I love the book and wasn't terribly eloquent. Imagine my surprise when he wrote back to me the next day!

I wrote a fan letter to Prince sometime between "Purple Rain" and "Under the Cherry Moon" telling him I was going to marry him when I grew up.

Ayyyyyyyyy.

LOL. I've written very few fan letters in my life, but the last one I remember writing was an email I sent you, Danny, back in November. I was absolutely floored when you responded.

I wrote a fan letter to Drew Bledsoe back in the mid 90's, when he was starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. I asked him if he'd come to my birthday party, even allowing him to bring some of his friends so he wouldn't feel left out. He never RSVP'd.

I recently e-mailed Crystal (at Boobs, Injuries, and Dr Pepper) about how moving her writing is about her struggles going up. I have a great amount of respect for that woman.

If I were to write a fan letter today, it'd be to Steve Carrell (of "The Office" and "40-Year-Old Virgin" fame). He is simply one of the funniest people out there.

Gene Wilder. I recently read "It's Always Something" by Gilda Radner. In my letter I'm telling him how remarkable a guy I think he is, and I am also going to let him know Young Frankenstein is quoted in our house almost daily.

I've never written a fan letter. This will be my first. Now I'm going to hound Tenacious B. over at Deep Muck, Big Rake and see if she can find his address for me. She's good at that investigative shit. True.

I think the only fan letter that I have had the guts to send was to you. You had written a blog about the Museum of Tolerance. Some friends and I visited LA a few weeks later and I forced them to go. When we returned to Oklahoma, I wrote an email thanking you for writing about that place. It stunned me when you replied. I think we wrote back and forth a few times. I'm pretty sure you even invited me over for peanut butter sandwiches and yoohoo.

The one and only fan letter (read: email) I have written was to Mrs. Fletch herself - Jen Lancaster. It was right after I read Bitter is the new Black and choked more times than I care to recall (due to sudden uncontrollably snort inducing laughter). She never replied, although I did get an email from her another time when she was working on something similar to project lovebomb (which yes I totally saved). But don't despair - I'm totally saving your fan letter for after I read your book. I figure my fan comments will hold you over (read: stroke your ego) till then!

I usually talk myself out of writing fan mail. The negative self talk wins out. "Come on, that guy is busy. He doesn't have time to read your stupid fanboy gushing." I have only been able to force myself to write fan mail three times in my life.

The first time, I wrote Kevin Rose an e-mail back in 2003. This was before he created Digg and Revision3. Before his wealth was estimated in the millions. He was the "Dark Tipper" on The Screen Savers, and he created a nerdy internet show called "thebroken." I wrote a long winded letter about how it inspired me, and he sent me a one line reply. He replied, though. That is something.

The second time, I wrote Leo Laporte. Mind you, I have watched/listened to Leo Laporte since 1998 . I had never been inspired to write fan mail until he launched the podcast MacBreak Weekly. The content of that show was so good, I just had to let him know how much I appreciated it. This time, I kept the note short and sweet. Leo replied, and I was pleased.

The third time, I wrote the podiobook author J.C. Hutchins. He wrote such compelling prose, I was force to tell him that I enjoyed his work. We ended up swapping promos. He put forth the most effort of the three.

I don't have any horror stories or unbelievable folk tales to tell. Overall, my experiences have been very very tame. I don't know why I play it up in my head.

STIFF is one of my favorite books of all time. I devoured it in an afternoon and promptly decided that I would be donated to science and called my mother to let her know. She was less than enthusiastic since I was only 18 at the time but I was emphatic about it and still am.

I once wrote sort of a fan letter to a big-time blogger. She wrote a piece about abortion that just touched me to the very core and through my pathetic tears I wrote her a heartfelt letter about what it meant to me. But she didn't reply. So that's that.

If I had to write a letter today I'd write one to the inventor of the Baconator. It's genius.

I've never written a fan letter.
Once, my grandma had me write a letter to Senator Feinstein telling her that I approved of the stance she was taking on pharmaceuticals.
I was 7.

If I was going to write a fan letter today, it would either be to David Bowie as a last ditch effort to let me have his babies, to David Sedaris for making the fact that he's clearly insane seem both socially acceptable and hilarious, or to the producers of Story Corps on NPR, because they make me cry once a week, and I don't EVER cry.

I wrote a letter (email) to your dear friend, Rebecca, from GGC about 8 months ago. At the time I was following her blog for about 5 or 6 months and was totally hooked. I gushed about her writing style and how I was a measly college student who wanted to be a writer but wasn't sure which route to take. I rambled on (kind of like I'm doing now) about how I was stuck interning at a Devil-wears-Prada-type magazine researching waterproof mascara and self-tanning lotions and she reassured me that all writers have to put in their time. She actually wrote a much longer email complete with tips and suggestions, which I took to heart and saved. I was so thankful, but have yet to send out another OMG I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN email.

I wrote a letter to Owen Nolan last week. I didn't send it to him (because I wouldn't know where to send it), but I did send it to the "Letters to the Editor" section of the Calgary Flames website. It was picked as the "Letter of the Week" last week, and it's still up as part of what looks like a Year-End letters page.

Wow, now I feel so negligent of those whom I appreciate. I've never written a fan letter, and like someone else said, I would feel a little ridiculous doing so, at least in theory. I guess I'd be more inclined to write one to someone who I think needed to hear it (i.e. wasn't super famous and could easily disappear from public view). It'd be nice to get a response, but I wouldn't expect one from anyone, really.

I'm tempted to write one very much like yours to Henry Winkler or any other random star who might have some time to reply, just to see what I get back. Maybe I should end it with "P.S. I'm 26" to make sure I get a good, patronizing, and confused reply, instead of a standard child response.

P.S. Ayyyyyy!

I wrote a letter to Mike Tyson when he was at the height of his boxing career and married to Robin Givens. I had to have been like, 10 years old. We lived in NJ at the time, same as Iron Mike, and I thought, "I bet he'll invite me over for dinner!" Yeah, what did I know. I got an 8x10 autographed glossy which I promptly lost. Still, I have the memory *sniff, sniff*.

New Kids On The Block. I don't want to relive the embarrassment of that.

Now, besides the comments I leave on the few blogs I read, I haven't sent out any more fan mail.

I comment a lot on blogs that I admire so I guess that could count as fan mail. I wrote an email to Crystal at "Boobs Injury and Dr. Pepper" and one to Kristie at "Not Quite What I Had Planned" and when they sent me an email back it seriously made my day. I think that is what I love about the Internet- you have such immediate access to someone you admire. I know that sounds kind of stalkery but that isn't how I intend it. I like that I can leave you a comment and tell you how much I love the Caddyshack references and the fart jokes and while you may not write me back or respond, it still feels nice that I can express my admiration to you.

The last fanmail I wrote was back when I was 7 or 8 and I wrote to Lindsay Wagner, The Bionic Woman. I loved her and wanted to be a part of her fan club. They sent me all their info and I was ecstatic. I joined the club and received some swag, which contained an 8x10 glossy of The Bionic Woman. With cleavage. My 7 year old self was horrified that she would show her "bosoms", and I wrote my second letter and canceled my membership. If you don't have principles, you don't have anything was apparently my motto back in 1978.

I've written two fan letters in my entire life.
The first was in 1987 when I wrote to Patrick Swayze to declare my undying love for him. I got a form letter back inviting me to pay $25 a year to be in the Patrick Swayze fan club. That was a lot of allowance, and I was trying to save up for a new cassette player.

The second one was less than six months ago - I wrote an impassioned letter to Martha Stewart to let her know that I worship the ground she walks on, and to please send me an autographed picture so that I can build a shrine in my kitchen. I got something from the corporate office saying I had to send in a self-addressed, stamped envelope to a different address to get it. My first thought was, I KNOW she has a ton of envelopes, I've seen pictures of her stationary wardrobe! The content of the letter is here: http://karenanderik.com/?p=130

You know, I've been thinking about writing a fan letter to the mermaid on the Starbucks cup for the longest time but lacked the inspiration... until today.

Thank you, Danny.

And while we're at it, I think you rock. But I tell you that regularly.

And as a fellow blogger, nothing means more to me than having people comment on my posts - disagreeing or relating - because it means whatever I wrote struck them in some sort of way. Even if it's to defend their side of the Jennifer Aniston/Angelina Jolie debate.

I wrote a letter to someone whose blog is linked to yours. She wrote me back within a couple of hours. I was shocked, but in a nice way.

I wrote a fan letter to Andy Gibb assuring him that, unlike his other enraged fans, I supported his relationship with Victoria Principal if it made him happy.

Secretly I was hoping he would fall in love with my sensitivity and maturity and dump that hag for me.

He did not.

It is alarming me that I've never sent a fan letter. I wrote a short story about the day I married John Taylor of Duran Duran on a Caribbean island and thankfully didn't send it to him, as even minimum-security prison would be upsetting. I think I'm reading at Cringe soon and I can't seem to find it, which is bothering me because you know, why go to your grave hiding the really pathetic stuff?

I'm adding the book to my list.

I tried to read "Spook" but I got bored. Maybe I'll pick it up again.
The last time I wrote a fan letter it was probably to you. I've never sent one to a non-blogger, but I love to write fan letters to other bloggers.

I wrote a fan letter when I was twelve, to someone who is one of my favourite bloggers today: Wil Wheaton. Yes, I got a PERSONAL reply back. PERSONAL if you consider a typewritten, photocopied on yellow paper, blurb PERSONAL. Which I totally did.

If I were to write a fan letter today it would probably be to Ree, The Pioneer Woman. About a month ago, after making Pioneer Woman appies and Pioneer Woman carrot cake and talking incessantly about Pioneer Woman all damned day, my sixteen year-old daughter declared that I must have a girl crush on Pioneer Woman. Yeah...probably just a little one.

I write comments on other people's blog posts when I feel I have something relevant to say, but I've never written a gushy fan letter.

I composed a few to Wil Wheaton in my head as a 12 year old - I had a huge crush on him. That crush was the beginning of a life-long obsession with geeky boys. :D

I've written letters to Stephen Baldwin (after I met him in my store circa BioDome) and to Rebecca at GCC. I've been trying to form one to send to Joe Satriani to beg him to play for my husband's birthday. I don't think it's going to happen but one can hope yes?

I comment on my fave bloggers' pages such as DGM and Dooce but I never expect anything back cause hello? You guys are the cat's meow.

Rawr!

I wrote a letter to Stephen Bishop ("On and On...and On") after I dreamed about his song "My Clarinet". This was just two years ago.

I got that record for my 16th birthday, and it's obscure songs hung around in my head forever. When they resurfaced in my dreams, I thought I ought to let him know that he'd made an impact.

And he wrote back. Not much, but he did.

And I was as excited as a 16 year old girl....

I wrote a fan letter to Def Leppard when I was 14. Other than that, no fan letters however, I do "stalk" the Phelps Twins (Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter). I met them at the last DragonCon and will meet them again in three weeks (THREE WEEKS???? SQUEEEEE!!!!!) at FloridaSuperCon.

I've never written one, but I read Stiff and I can't wait to read Bonk. I think Mary Roach is friggin awesome.

I've never written a fan letter before. I have thought about sending one to Paul McCartney a number of times but I've never gone through with it.

I have a feeling that it would end up on a giant, anonymous pile of other fan letters on some remote south Pacific island. At best it might be read by some secretary or someone else who's job it is to sift through all the mail I'm sure he gets.

You know I don't think I've ever written a fan letter although I do try to give feedback both positive and negative in other area. Maybe it's my anti-celebrity gene at work. I dunno. Perhaps I should start writing fan mail.

Dear Danny,
Your blog rocks. You make me laugh, you make my husband laugh. I love the way you write. Please keep writing and I promise I won't place any images of you on my nightstand (because that would seem weird and I suspect my husband would be offended).

Regards
A Fan

Now I'm off to check the library for May Roach. Love a good author recommendation and who can go past bonking ladybirds?

Never wrote a fan letter, really. I do consider commenting on blogs a kind of fan mail though. Hey I'm your fan!!! I won't start stalking you, I promise...

I LOVE Mary Roach! Am kicking myself because I missed her author appearance here (Miami) because I was in Ft. Lauderdale that night. "Stiff" is one of my favorite books, and I can't wait to get ahold of "Bonk." Did you know she also wrote another one? "Spook": etc (I forget). I want that one, too.

If I were going to write a fan letter, I would probably write to a book author. My mother was one, and I know she appreciates each and every letter she ever got.

I have never written a fan letter but if I did, it would definitely be to Mary Roach. I'm loyal to any author that makes me run to the potty so as not to pee my pants while reading his/her book.

three words - RHINESTONE COWBOY, BABEEEEEE!!!

I still remember you running down the street to tell me the headshot came. Boy, was I nerdy.

Now? You. Benj. My friends who are each and every one of them strong, creative, inspiring people.

I just read your twitter, and I had to say I'm so sorry. I really hope you find a new job soon.

I'm a twit, too, and I'm really sorry, too. How redundant. But I'm sure you'll hear it a lot because there are a lot of fans of yours out there.

Hang in there, Danny. You deserve better anyway.

I'd write one to Jane Goodall. She's such an amazing person and has led such an inspirational life.

I once tried to write a fan letter to Mireille from the PBS show "French In Action." I wanted to thank her for the sweaters she always wore, but then I remembered I couldn't speak a word of French.

Never stopped me from watching that show, though.

Ayyyyyy.

I almost wrote a letter to Al Gore after the 2000 election debacle. I wanted to tell him that he totally should have won and that he would always be "President of my Heart." But I didn't. I didn't want to make him feel worse than I figured he already did, especially after he went up on the mountain and grew the beard and whatnot.