Everyone has their favorite celebrity and a band they can’t get enough of. For some of us, this is two different people or sets of people. For others, it is one glorious person. For me, and other people who share my passion, that band is Panic! at the Disco, and the glorious celebrity we love is Brendon Urie.
Though there are many out there who enjoy the multi-talented band, not everyone is interested in little things. It’s not really common knowledge what Brendon’s dog’s names are or when he and his wife got married. There are just some things that only a Panic! the super fan really understands. Here I have provided a few things that all of us who fall in this category know.
1. You’re a Sinner and you are proud.
For those of you that think this is a little intense, let me explain. Every fandom has a name for those of us who belong to it. For the Panic! fandom, we are called sinners. This has been a back and forth argument amongst fans for a long time. The original thought was that we were sinners because of their first single, “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies,” and that may still be true, but also, Brendon once referred to us that way.
It was once debated that we might be called “Bagels,” but this is untrue. The reasoning behind this name was that Ryan Ross, a former band member, loved bagels. With the release of “Death of A Bachelor,” Panic!’s new single “Hallelujah” written for and about this beautiful fandom as told by Brendon himself on the band's website, we are without a doubt called Sinners.
2. You know the little things about Brendon.
And it should probably be considered stalking. But he’s famous so it's okay, right? You know that he broke his nose when he was 10 and can no longer breath out of one nostril. You know that he didn't play sports as a kid and that he was never athletic. You know he has no religious affiliation and that he cares so deeply about his dogs, Penny Lane and Bogart. You also know how much he loves his fans, which just makes him that much more lovable.
3. You know his given name, as well as his nickname.
We call him Beebo. Why? Great question and the explanation doesn't make any sense. Fans came up with this because of Brendon’s Middle name, Boyd, which is really not smart. Brendon once acknowledge the nickname, pointing out his name is, in fact, Brendon, so the nickname should really be Breebo, but it is just not. We call him Beebo and we love to do it.
4. You realized Brendon was telling us a story through lyrics and you realized it a long time ago.
It started when we realized Brendon wasn’t ever going to have the same sound. On “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,” Brendon released a song called “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage.” In this song, Brendon sings two very important lyrics. The first is “I’m the narrator and this is just the prologue.” In this lyric, Brendon aims to let us know that he will be around for a very long time.
He goes on to say “swear to shake it up if you swear to listen.” This lyric is a promise to never remain exactly the same, to always “shake it up” so that the fans always have something new to listen to. To this day, Brendon has kept this beautiful promise and not one album has been the same as the last. Though “Vices and Virtues” are pretty similar to “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die,” the albums have different sounds.
5. You know the members of the band, new and old, and their stories.
For the first album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,” Panic! at the Disco was comprised of four members. These original members of the band are Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. Many don’t actually know about Brent Wilson. He wasn't the best guy ever and he caused some trouble for the other band mates. He was promptly asked to leave the band.
Brent was then replaced by Jon Walker. “Pretty Odd” is when Jon first joined the band. After “Pretty Odd,” things went south with the band, Ryan left the band, taking Jon with him. This left Spencer and Brendon as the band's sole members for the album, “Vices and Virtues.” After “Vices and Virtues,” Spencer had a drug addiction. He stayed on for “Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die,” but then left to seek help in rehabilitation. Dallon Weekes joined the band for this album. He didn't NOT record for “Death of a Bachelor” because he had already signed his own recording contract. Brendon is currently the soul member of the band.
There are so many stories that belong to this band and the fandom that loves it so much. As many things that I have listed here, there are still many more things that the fandom understands. Sinners are always made to feel welcome and they understand how much of an experience being a Panic! the fan is. So stand up, Sinner, sing Hallelujah, and be merry.
