Forward Thinking: Lionised by Lambs

Adam Lambert. Photo / Supplied

Adam Lambert fans call themselves "Global Lambs", or "Glambs" for short.

I found this while exploring their online forums this week, after fans accused me of being a bigoted homophobe.

Some one hundred or so people flung cyber punches at me for calling their idol of the moment, Adam Lambert, a fruit loop.

The ex-American Idol contestant played to a sold-out, happily squealing crowd at Henderson's Trusts Stadium on Sunday night, but much of the feedback came from the Northern Hemisphere after the review was linked to a global fansite.

Emailers informed me I was ruining the reputation of New Zealand, called me a series of words that are banned from this website and suggested I would be better off covering the bed bug epidemic.

I now find myself in the odd position of sympathising with Paul Henry. And indeed some of the respondents have compared me to him.

One more complimentary reader asked how it felt to be so clever. After such a barrage, I, like Henry, feel obliged to respond to these people.

Firstly, just for the record, I have many gay friends, attend the odd gay rave and idolise many gay artists.

I should also explain that while fruit loop might mean "homosexual strip" in parts of America, it doesn't all the way down here in New Zealand.

In these parts, it is a more endearing term used liberally by old people to politely describe someone who is what Americans might call, a bit off-the-wall. We also eat Froot Loops, which is a fun, colourful, sugar-laden breakfast cereal popular with children.

Just last week Kyle Sandilands used "fruit loop" to described a contest on the Australian X-Factor .

In his summary of Altiyan's performance he said: "So you're up there crying on the big screen saying I've never said anything constructive. OK, here we go, you are a true rock star. The thing that I bash you about is you're a fruit loop. But most rock stars are fruit loops and that was sensational."

I imagine Sandilands' opinions earn him his fair share of hate mail each week. But he's paid the big bucks for it. Televised talent quests like the X-Factor and Idol ask viewers to vote for their favourite contestant, and because of their involvement in the judging process they end up feeling some sort of ownership for the winner, or in Lambert's case, the runner-up.

American viewers voted with their thumbs to keep Lambert in American Idol, and then people all around the world watched him on YouTube, liked him on Facebook, declared their love for him on Twitter and bought his CDs and merchandise. He has a great, resounding voice, but Lambert is now rich and famous and playing sellout shows in West Auckland because of his fans, and because of the internet. And his fans will continue to fight for him, especially when they don't need to pick up the phone or lick a stamp.

This week's feedback was just one example of the liberating and mobilising nature of the internet. Only they liberated and mobilised against me which is a frightening feeling.

As an active net user with a Facebook account (and a Twitter profile, though I'm not sure I remember the password), I know how fun it is to show your support at the click of a mouse - "vote no to homophobic Beanie Man at Big Day Out" but "please bring Grizzly Bear to New Zealand" (we lost the latter).

Clearly it was all that American hatemail that made me muse on the internet's ability to swiftly move a bunch of like-minded passionate typists into battle - and the way it allows people like "Shane B" to write "bigoted fool" and "say something nice otherwise don't say anything at all!" which rather contradicts itself.

I haven't heard directly from Lambert possibly because he's too busy at work. But in an interview last year he said: "I am weird. I'm nice. But I'm weird. Maybe eccentric is a better word. I'll pick that label."

And for the sake of America's Glambs - and my own sanity - next time I will too.