when he was asked to write liner notes for Aerosmiths first album. He saw the group perform at Boston University, where he was treated to a passionate display of vintage street-band rock and roll. The students danced, the band jammed, and the cynical critic was won over. Hed found a band of young punks that the music estab- lishment would initially hate but would eventually have to accept because Aerosmith was its own audience. Aerosmith became the voice of the mills and the malls-working class suburban kids who had grown up on English rock.2 The     bandmates resembled the English musicians enough in sound and appearance to appeal to the fans of the Rolling Stones, yet they understood American kids and their way of life. Today, their music continues to reach the mills and the malls and well beyond, appeal- ing to Americas working class as well as the hoards of white-collar types who grew up on classic rock. They have fans spanning the ages of 12 to 70-from the teens who support their latest musical endeavors to the grandparents who include "Dream On" and "Sweet Emotion" on their personal favorites lists. As Aerosmith demonstrates, brands are more likely to capture angel fans when they well represent the audience they are targeting. This was true for Apple computer. Positioned as the computer of choice among antiestablishment, nonconformist types, Apple coun- tered the traditional suit and white shirt image of the market leader, IBM. Even its most famous television ad, which aired during the Super Bowl, showed a woman heaving a javelin at large-screen images of Big Brother, literally shattering the traditional image of computing. Apples angel fans were quirky by nature. So was Apple, in its interface and attitude. Many of these fans became graphic designers, creative directors, and advertising executives, and Apple retained their loyalty with an evolved positioning that stayed connected to that group. Both were still quirky, just more grown up. Apple continued its off-the- beaten-path positioning by bringing out a line of brightly colored computers in 1998, which delighted its fans and allowed them to express their individuality and pride in being different.     eBay Angels   Both Aerosmiths and Apples angel fans invested time and energy in supporting their passion, and in turn, claimed partial responsibility for its success-and thats what happened at eBay, as well. Call them fanatical, innovative, or just plain weird, eBays angel fans, known as the eBay Army, are a faithful bunch who live and breathe eBay, so much so that 5,500 of them showed up at the first company conven- tion, held in June 2002.3 There they met people they had traded with online, got autographs from CEO and idol Meg Whitman, and com- muned with other devoted eBay fans, telling stories of their virgin     eBay trades and staking their own claims on the overall success of the company. But not all was sweetness and light at the convention. As the com- pany