"They owe it to the fans!"

I fucking hate that phrase. It's constantly used in the context of fans trying to coerce their favorite artists to produce more for them. "They owe it to the fans!" they cry. "We made them what they are, they owe us for that!"

It makes my blood boil, really. It's quite arrogant to assume that an artists solitary inspiration comes from the fans of their work and nowhere else. It's as if an artist just isn't an artist without fans. That's a pretty ballsy assumption.

A fine example: George Lucas and his legendary Star Wars franchise. It's a captivating set of stories, no doubt about it, and I am quite the fan. However, to assume that Lucas owes another movie to me, or the real Star Wars nerds, or the fanbase at large is totally asinine. The nerve; those movies are George Lucas's babies, not mine. That's like me saying "George, I loved your son. You OWE IT TO ME to have another, so get back in the sack and start humping!!"

On the same token, compare artwork that was done especially for the fans: Metallica's St. Anger is a shining example of what happens when artists force themselves to produce another piece of work "for the fans." And, let's face it, St. Anger was one piece of work.

Art comes from within, not from some ambiguous obligation to squeeze out one more turd into the toilet of fan-based entertainment.