hipsters, unite!

Call yourself a hipster or not, I am sure that you’ve partaken in some sort of fashion, beer, music, what-have-you. We’ve all done it. It’s hard not to when you see it everywhere. This is a good attempt at decoding some of this nonsense.

When we see hipsters everywhere we know them, and can pick our their type. There’s no need to pick them out of a crowd, for they are the crowd. I’ve had many conversations about who and where they’ve come from and what we can compare them to in our past. Because, let’s face it. That’s what we do. We look at something in our lives and take a look at history and try to explain it through something familiar to us. It’s how we function, usually.

At first you could say they are comparative to the hippie. But the hippie fought for something right? Peace…..free love….weed. They were fighting for something then, being constructive and demanding. It wasn’t something everyone else made fun of. It was envied and thought of as new. Then I thought, maybe they could be like the Beats- people who have an intellectualism going for themselves. Then I remembered that hipsters aren’t too intellectual and just wear a same brand of strange clothes like the beats did. Then this article (see above link) was presented to me, and it makes perfect sense.

“An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning. Not only is it unsustainable, it is suicidal. While previous youth movements have challenged the dysfunction and decadence of their elders, today we have the “hipster” – a youth subculture that mirrors the doomed shallowness of mainstream society.”

When you see another Christmas sweater, or go into Urban Outfitters thinking it’s going to be a good choice (when it’s not) or when you move to Brooklyn to take photos with your fish eye and go see Best Coast, think again. What’s really going on here?

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radio meets video

Check out this lovely new thing from the nytimes.

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

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eww

Here is another reason to hate, or just contemplate, Lady Gaga. I know she’s well educated- Tisch school at NYU and all- but that doesn’t make me like her more. My sister loves her as does my brother-in-law. That makes me hate her even more because they are two of the smartest people I know. I don’t get the fad. But when I saw this article this AM on one of the greatest blogs, I figured I’d share it. I’ve never seen the telephone video. I’ve had it described to me and almost reenacted by said sister, but I have no desire to watch it.

Many artists of the past have changes their appearances just for shock value, and for stranger reasons (ahhem Michael Jackson- its almost the one year anny. of his death-weird!) but that doesn’t make her more like great artists of the past. Or does it? I mean Madonna did it. (Maybe in future decades Gaga will bring us religion crazes too?) I know Lady Gaga can make a great pop song that ya’ll enjoy while dancing in whatever club you go dancing in- but her crazy behavior should make you think a little more than usual, right? I don’t get the face hiding and the Kermit the Frog dress and I don’t get that crazy look in her eye. Maybe someone can explain it one day.

Until then, whose in??

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books-

I had this weird feeling yesterday. When I realized, now what? Both of my parents tell me that its normal. We graduated three weeks ago and we aren’t (really) expected to have a job by now. Kudos to those who do.

I’ve been reading. Now, as I plan not to go on to graduate school (anytime soon) I can read whatever I want. Since we graduated I’ve read three books, one of which was To Kill A Mockingbird. Something I was supposed to read in 9th grade for Mrs. Stass, but never finished. Its the first novel I’ve read in over a year and I thought I would read Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye too, but got through ten pages of Holden’s whining and couldn’t take it any more, just like the times before. Since my birthday passed and usually all I receive is books, that’s all I’m doing now. THANKFULLY (and finally) I’ve discovered David Foster Wallace and I am taking my time with one of his collections of essays, Consider the Lobster. (Riley- check it out.) I’m also blown away by this book Angeline gave me called Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. He’s the guy who wrote Everything is Illuminated- which I’ve never read. Foer’s writing is excellent and the subject matter discusses food and the idea of eating animals- I just read the section where he makes a perfectly normal case of why eating dogs should be accepted in America and would fix some serious problems- is interesting to everyone. Because everyone loves food and everyone eats food. So this concerns you. I’m also part way through a book called Closing Time, about a guy who grew up in the Philadelphia housing projects in the early 60s. I’ve never seen a vocabulary like this, it made me feel bad about myself and I had to put it down for a while. His writing structure is also overwhelming. Not to mention the subject matter is heavy.

So why am I telling you all of this? Well let me just way one more thing. I am interested in Infinite Jest the 900+ page novel by David Foster Wallace. I’m going to go hand out in Borders today and read it, see if I can do it. (If anyone wants to book-club it with me, lets talk.) I think I can do it, but then again, its also a novel. And we all know how I feel about fiction. I can handle To Kill A Mockingbird because it’s excellent. And probably one of the only classics I’ll ever truly love. In fact, he’s a story about how wonderful it is and why maybe you should get a 50th anniversary copy of it yourself and read a good story, again, or maybe for the first time. It’s just a suggestion.

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I saw Conan O’Brien in Atlantic City with my dad. Everyone seems to be talking about Reggie Watts, his opening act, but I’m not sure why. All he does is curse. Granted he is a wonderful voice chameleon, but there was no content in his act. Sure he plays (or played?) with Soulive but that doesn’t make him great. I had never seen Conan’s Walker Texas Ranger clip reel thing-y. I’ve also never seen my dad laugh as hard as when Haley Joel Osment told some old folks that he has AIDS. Conan was incredibly funny as was his writer Damon Cole who did stand up. But I wish O’Brien wouldn’t complain, they DID give him $32 Million Dollars. Some people have things to say about it. They also said this. I look forward to the TBS show coming soon (fall?) because I like Conan, but I do agree, he needs new material.

I have one on my fridge. 10 bucks!

Everyone should be outraged at the new Sex and the City movie. In addition to the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker is still not remotely attractive, its full of let downs. I saw the first one- it was decent (and always on HBO, just like I presume the second will be) but I can’t bring myself to spend over two hours watching this movie. Absurdities are going on! Abu Dhabi is a city where women can’t show their faces because of shame, meanwhile these four already rich women go there, no doubt to help promote Western to Eastern commerce (meanwhile it was shot in Morocco), and flaunt their bodies. They should be spending their $10 million costume budget to build a school for women or a hospital for rape victims. I’m sure you have not heard of this book. My mother and sister Kyle are both reading it. The stories mom shares with me are disturbing- even to a true crime and devout nonfiction reader. People say that it wouldn’t be famous just for Sheryl WuDunn’s name. Nicholas Kristof (the awesome NYTimes columnist and WuDunn’s partner) helped it get to where it is now. Let me just rant a bit…. Women are still being killed every day and murdered and raped, in our own country (I don’t want to even talk about the rest of the world.) All it takes is that fact my mother taught me when I was in junior high school: 1 in 4 women in their life will be raped. Lesson: BE FUCKING SAFE. Okay, I’m done.

see what i mean....

It’s the 50th anniversary of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. (Truman Capote’s best friend. Some say he wrote it….I love a good unknown fact.) I was supposed to read it, according to Mrs. Stass’ 9th grade English class, but never finished it. I just watched the movie. We all know the conversation about it in Almost Famous in the opening scenes (I should really re-watch that movie. It’s been almost six months- too long.) I’m a chapter in. My dad had a Borders coupon and I now have a beautiful hardback copy of it. One of many summer projects: tackle fiction and novels. Only the good ones: Catcher in the Rye (something I’ve never been able to get through, I just could never stand it) and The Great Gatsby. Read it in 10th grade with no appreciation. Other goals: get down to the bottom of high school teachers assigning books for shit-head high school kids who have no concept of time, history, culture and have no appreciation for the literature forced on them.

Comedy Central bought syndication rights to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Monday nights, for two hours-I think. Hilarity ensues. Also, I FINALLY read Russell Brand’s memoir, My Booky Wook. It took me probably no more than a day. Who’s in? I know, he’s a strange bird. But he’s been through a lot. Brand can actually write and I’ve always been fascinated by him.

Most: it’s Ithaca Festival. If you’re here, let’s stuff our faces. If not- shame. I got all excited to see Jon Hilton play bass in his band on the commons last night with Kelley, only to find out he’s in CA doing god knows what. Unknown hits from the Birds and b-side Beatles songs would be better with the self-deprecating Hilton. Either way I still knew all the words while straight Ithaca-festers followed Terkel’s advice, my favorite line of the day, “Take off…or tighten up your Tevas!” Ladies and Gentlemen, that is EXACTLY what happened. I wish I had a photo.

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it’s a bagel day.

First of all. Thank you notdrugs for inspiring me to fall in love with THE BLACK KEYS. They are smart, rock really hard and like all things weird in my life, they are two incredibly sexy men. They’re playing Philadelphia July 30th. Who’s in?

Also there is a lot going on. We graduated. The oil spill is destroying our planet and not helping the fact that something is terribly wrong with the world, physically (I suppose emotionally too.) Add on all the hurricanes and abnormalities. I’ve been saying that something is not right with the world for a long time. This just proves it.

And if you weren’t nervous about the new military planes developed that can track footprints from the sky and tell you their origin, try this on for size.

The world makes me sick. Pay attention, because I know that you aren’t. A lot of wrong and weird is happening: oil, the number one MLB pick is 17 (he can’t even buy cigarettes yet!) meanwhile M.I.A. is being featured in the Sunday New York Times Magazine. James Cameron offered (and was turned down) help for filming the deep sea atrocity going on in the gulf. But in the end, my least favorite thing about the world is plain and simple- Obama promised us he would end the war and he hasn’t yet.

Drunk Girls, I realized, is more than you think. James Murphy has something to say. Drunk Girls know that love is an astronaut/It comes back, but it’s never the same. I never heard them before this record, but I like it. Sometimes if you pay attention there’s more to life than, well, life. Also, if you haven’t started doing this yet, I recommend it.

The Saturday night before graduation my sisters, brother-in-law, co-brother-in-law, Morgan and myself made it out to Korova (which yes, is moving down State Street to avoid the college crowd, but is not moving until August.) My brother-in-law’s life long best friend arrived and greeted me in saying “welcome to unemployment!” So far it’s been nice. I’ve been on three job interviews in three days in three very different cities. I am unemployed yes, so I should find more time to do this here blog.

Pay attention already
. What else could you possibly be doing?

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checker boards and smarty pants

...just the 3D entrance way.

...just the 3D entrance!

Well, I had an awesome weekend. My roommate and I actually made it to Manhattan to see the Tim Burton exhibit. Let me tell you, it was INCREDIBLE. Inspiring for someone (or anyone) who loves unconventional art. Thought provoking- you see it so crowded and it makes you wonder why people are drawn to this weirdness? I think it’s the fame. But then people of all kind show up. We were in line between two families whose primary language was almost unidentifiable. Everyone loves it! Go see it. The art on display is FREAKY- let me tell you, it really does creep and crawl, splatter and gurgle on the pages and it’s completely bizarre. Online, it says their tickets are sold out. But if you get there when the museum opens at 10:30a and wait in line, you get in, no issue. Plus student tickets are 12 dollars!

In addition to that. Mary found this and sent it to me. I think it’s wild and you should probably take a look at it. Ithaca is a town of smarty pants, and this just exemplifies it to no end. I’m sure none of these things actually happen. But it would be quite funny if it did.

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movies, photographs

This is really damn cool. Simple, beautiful photographs of performers and stars we’ve loved over and over this year. The Oscars are coming up, with co-hosts (an unusual idea and I think one of the first, or only time they’re doing this) Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin…how can you lose?! Sunday March 7th –next Sunday!!

Check out today’s New York Times Magazine, its the feature.

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website love

You should be reading this website, or at least bookmark it or acknowledge it.  It has lots of band’s information and zebra print- two things I can definitely appreciate.

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oscars and vampires

My apologies to all! It has been over a week and I have not contributed anything. My life has been taken captive by…wait for it….HOMEWORK. Woah. Yes, I know. I’ve actually been doing it- mostly. There is a lot of schedule setting and laying down to get life in order the first couple of weeks in the semester, but now I think we’ve all found our swing. Last Monday when they announced the Ocsars I meant to publish this.

I had the privilege of seeing Precious. It is a not a feel good- but if you can handle such a heavy subject I recommend it. The acting is so strong and the story propels itself, you will not be disappointed. Also I saw Avatar for the second time with a friend who hadn’t seen it yet. And I will say after all the glory and press and hubub – it lost its shock and awe to me. My friend was glad to see it, and said despite its ‘orgasmic’ visuals, it was an old story. The first time I saw it was a couple days after it had been released and my dad practically dragged me to it- neither of us had ANY idea what it was about. I can say it is award worthy, but not necessarily Best Picture material. On a side note: if you have not seen The Hurt Locker, do so now. Also something that I didn’t know James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow (director of the Hurt Locker) are now divorced. I think it adds a little something interesting to the Best Director race, and Best Picture race.

To keep up with the Ocsars, feel free to bookmark this. It is the Times’ blog on the Awards Season.

The Hurt Locker

If you are looking for a little something, I just stumbled upon this. It is a retrospective of Vampires in film. Note that the only one that looks out of place is the crazy hunky one from Twilight (which I have still never seen or read any of, and I am not ashamed to admit I am curious and wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the first movie one day- just the first.)

Now I know you are thinking that I must have a deal with the Times (I wish!!) because I am always posting and blogging about their sites and information. Indeed I don’t. It my favorite site and news source that I read the most and trust the most. So be it.

If you are looking for more Olympic fun- there is a great photo essay in the Sunday Times Magazine. Check it out.

Now, go enjoy the Super Bowl!

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