If you've ever asked yourself "what might have become of (insert artist who once enjoyed some renown but is now nowhere to be seen)", the most likely place to find them is the Cameo site, a veritable graveyard of former relics. A sad and dreary place, where white dwarfs that no longer adorn the firmament dedicate themselves to recording personalized messages for just a handful of dollars.
What is Cameo?
Cameo was a hard blow to my morale. It hurt me directly in my existentialism. Right there, next to that piece of nihilism that I haven't been able to eradicate despite my best efforts. I really shouldn't. At first glance it's a straightforward service that aims to be the intermediary between famous people and their fans. A platform where those with some renown can sign up to sell personalized messages (recorded with their smartphones) to whoever is willing to pay for them. It's not much different from what you see at comic expositions, film, and other nerdy things, where there's a special place for a group of creators to set up their little tables hoping to sell a photo or autograph.
An Existential Blow
But, like I said, it caught me off guard, suffering from uncertainty. Because the question is... if these guys, who at another time had everything, were recognized worldwide, who earned in a week what most of us didn't earn in a year, today have to sell greeting messages over the phone for money that usually averages $150, what's left for the rest of us mortals?
Having so many of these characters, all together, with their prices visible as if they were part of a second-hand market, adding to that their evident desperation to generate income based on what they once were, caused me a lot of pity... and fear. Because there's really nothing wrong with the service Cameo provides. It's an interesting and even recommendable platform. But it did confront me with my deepest fears, with the trivial, with the frivolous, with the insubstantial and, above all, with how disposable we all are. Forced to beg for coins and attention as our light fades, if we ever even shone.
Final Thoughts
Whatever. Don't listen to me. If you want a personalized greeting from one of the Cameo stars, go to the official site and leave some money. You have athletes, YouTubers, influencers, actors, directors, etc. Not all of them are that famous either, but there are quite a few. Ideal for unexpected gifts or to show off to your friends.
Official site: Cameo
