The 27 Club

Context:

B first heard about this urban legend when she was in high school during her forensics class. They had done projects on celebrity deaths and the urban legend became a discussion topic.

The context of this piece was during a movie when one of the well-known “members” of the 27 club had a song used in the film.

Text:

B: “The 27 club creeped me out at first when we first started talking about it during forensics. I mean I don’t really like English songs like that so I never really knew about the club at first until they brought it up in the presentation. I would of thought it was just a coincidence you know? But I feel like its weird that so many celebrities joined the club. I remember it being like a mysterious death type of thing. I know it was a bunch of famous people that died from stuff like OD’ing or alcohol poisoning, but they all died at 27. I remember being shocked that they died so young, I think that’s why I remembered about the club.  It was people like Cobain and that one Wine something girl.

Me: “You mean Amy Whinehouse?”

B: “Yeah that’s her name. I think I remember some people saying they thought they made some kind of devil pact or something to get famous so that’s why they all died at 27.”

Analysis:

I found this interview really interesting because the urban legend of the 27 club had become a cultural phenomenon with a big following in recent times. I think it was interesting to see how someone like B, who by her own admission recognizes her lack of experience with English-speaking musicians or members of the club, would know about this urban legend. It’s also interesting to see how fast an urban legend can gain traction in the media. I think B’s knowledge of the urban legend goes to show how lore is constantly being spread to different types of people. I also think its interesting how the cultural phenomenon evolved into this urban legend as more and more celebrities are joining the list of 27 club members.