Tame Impala frontman announces he will no longer sign autographs due to ‘aggressive’ collectors
Australian musician Kevin Parker will also no longer take photos with fans at hotels and airports, claiming ‘autograph hounds’ using children to gain access
Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker has announced he will no longer sign autographs, citing “aggressive” professional collectors who he claimed had used children in order to get his signature.
The 40-year-old Australian musician, who is currently on tour in North America, shared a series of Instagram Stories on Monday to explain the decision.
“Hey guys quick PSA to say due to the rise of aggressive autograph hounds I won’t be signing anything or doing photos out the front of hotels or at airports at all anymore, so if you happen to catch me please don’t be offended if I say no,” he wrote.
“I wasn’t that passionate about it before but they’ve started using kids which I think is all kinds of wrong. Love you guys.”
Parker also said he would no longer meet with fans in the parking lot after shows “for the time being” after being warned of “the obvious security risk”.
He said that while he had previously met with fans in Europe after his shows, “the numbers were getting out of control and we don’t have the security to manage it … so my team has asked me not to. So please have the best time at the shows and get home safe!”
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Parker is not the only celebrity to institute a rule against signing autographs. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr announced in 2008 that he would no longer accept fan mail or sign any items, citing his frustration at seeing the items ending up for sale online.
Singer Billie Eilish similarly stopped signing autographs in 2019 after she “realized all anyone did was sell everything that I signed, so I stopped doing that”. She said fans would get angry: “They wait outside for you and then immediately they don’t get what they want and they boo you, and fucking curse at you. I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m 17’.”
Comedian and actor Steve Martin has long handed out a business card that reads: “This certifies that you have had a personal encounter with me and you found me warm, polite, intelligent, and funny.”
Star Trek actor William Shatner will not sign an autograph or take a picture in public and reserves signatures for convention appearances and charitable organisations, writing on social media in 2018: “I sign autographs constantly for charities and other organizations. I’m just not going to take autograph or photo requests in public because one leads to 50 which leads to hundreds which I don’t have time for.”
And Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston no longer signs autographs outside organised events. “After 18 years of signing everything for fans, I’m retiring,” he said in 2018, but left the door open for selfies.
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