Maniacs Unite

Bacon Mania has dominated the culinary universe for many years and the salty meat can be found in everything from sodas to massage oils, donuts to jelly beans. Here are some of the other manias that have taken over the world… for better or worse!

Beatlemania

When the Beatles first came over to North America, hysteria was common, especially among female fans, many of whom fainted upon seeing or hearing the Fab Four. The band was already popular in Germany and their homeland of the United Kingdom, but upon crossing the pond, things blew up beyond control. Amazingly, the group stopped doing live performances in 1966, because the frenzy of screaming fans made it impossible to have good shows. Other acts that have enjoyed varying degrees of mania, include Latin boy band Menudo (Menudomania), female superstars the Spice Girls (Spicemania), and Canadian “bad boy” Justin Bieber (Biebermania).

Lisztomania

One of the original mainstream manias (dating back to 1841), centered around composer Franz Liszt. It’s hard to believe that in the subdued realm of classical music, there would be such fervor for one performer. I have to admit that judging by illustrations of the dude, he was a decently looking guy and his talent seems to have spoken for itself, as well. During his most popular years, Liszt’s performances were said to cause feelings of “mystical ecstasy”. Folks would even fight over the man’s discarded handkerchiefs and gloves. Worst of all, some obsessive fans tried to get a lock of Liszt’s hair or the remains of his coffee, to drink themselves.

Hulkamania/Wrestle Mania

The Rock N’ Wrestling connection in the 1980’s gave birth to two different manias that still exist to this day, 30 years later. On the shoulders of Hulk Hogan, the then World Wrestling Federation decided to break away from the sport’s territorial traditions and launch themselves as the first national wrestling promotion. Hogan’s immense popularity was later dubbed Hulkamania, with his many fans given the title of Hulkamaniacs. As part of their move into the mainstream, owner Vince McMahon created the mega event WrestleMania, which has gone on to become the Super Bowl of wrestling and recently celebrated its 31^st incarnation.

Pottermania

We’ve discussed on this site before that the Sip Advisor isn’t much of a reader, so I really can’t understand the fixation behind a series of books… especially ones geared towards children, but obsessed over by grown adults (I guess the suggested age on the books of young adult was completely ignored). This mania includes everything from the writing of fan fiction to participating in role-playing games, and everything in between. The general public is not alone from enjoying the series, as Barack Obama, Stephen King, Keira Knightley, and others have all claimed to be fans of the works. Since Pottermania, we have also seen fads involving vampires, followed by zombies. What will be next?

Trudeaumania

Us Canadians don’t get very passionate about much (hockey, beer, and poutine being obvious exceptions), so the fact that a politician of all people was able to drum up such a craze over his entry into the national leadership race, is absolutely flabbergasting to the Sip Advisor. Pierre Trudeau certainly isn’t the only head of a nation to gain a cult following of sorts. His charisma, charm, and struggle to change the status quo all came about during an interesting time in history… yes, the turbulent 1960s! Not surprisingly, Trudeaumania began to wane when the Prime Minister of Canada married in 1971. Today, Trudeau’s son Justin is working towards leading the same country his father did.

Flavour Revolution: Bakon L’Orange

• 1.5 oz Bakon Vodka
• 0.25 oz Frangelico
• 0.25 oz Grand Marnier
• Splash of Vanilla
• Dash of Orange Bitters
• Garnish with a Bacon Strip

Of course, there’s also some of my favourite manias, such as megalomania, kleptomania, and maniamania (yes, this is actually a thing!). My actual preferred mania is the Toy Story Midway Mania attraction at Disneyland’s California Adventure park. If you’ve never been on the ride, you must give it a try. The line-up is always worth it!