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“The Game of Likes” V. The Meaning of Hip

Nowadays it seems as if everyone is trying to portray their own unique look, which ironically makes these individuals look more identical than they realize. Hip can be described as a gateway into this continuous battle between social recognition and genuine individuality.

Week Eleven: Reevaluation of First “What is Hip?” Response

Looking back on my first write up of what I thought the definition of hip was I would have to say it was a lot stronger then than it is now. In the beginning of the semester the topic was fresh and new which allowed me to easily identify what hip was when it was introduced. However, now that we’ve spent months studying and reviewing the topics, my idea of hip has ventured and faded slightly. This does not imply that I no longer know what I think hip is, but rather the additional information presented and discussed throughout the classes have made me lose sight of the main idea; what exactly is hip? When I reread my original statement and explanation of what hip was, I offered a more firm and definite definition that had only understood hip from one line of perspective. While now, having been exposed to multiple examples and references that argue and describe hip from a variety of angles I sort of lost my standpoint in it all. Although, despite feeling as if I’ve veered off from truly uncovering what “hip” is referring back to my initial response definition definitely got the gears moving again in my head. I still strongly agree and support the claim I originally made, only difference I would say about my opinion on the question now would be that I would better be able to provide a more informative and educated reply to it. I also stand by my self-evaluation as to whether or not I believe I hip. I wouldn’t say I fell into the idea of hip that has been expanded upon in class, but in the context in which I described it I still verify that as being true. So all in all, I would say that my definition has not necessarily changed, but more along the lines of my knowledge and understanding of the topic and question has grown.

Host (Me): Hello and welcome back to “Indie Then & Now.” Today we are lucky to have well-known indie authors, Thomas Frank, Alissa Quart, Nitsuh Abebe, Michael Azzerad, and Kaya Oakes, talk about their views on the evolution of the indie culture from its origin to now. Everyone please give a warm round of applause for these folks!

*Audience burst into simultaneous applause*

*Authors all express their thanks for being on today’s show*

Host (Me): So Michael, starting off with the one of earliest phases of the indie culture, would you care to give us a general idea of the information you have acquired from this time period and incorporated in your piece “Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991”?

*Camera views switch and focus on Michael Azzerad as he begins to speak*

Michael Azzerad: Certainly! Throughout the 1980s, the indie countercultural scene was entirely underground. This in shorts, meant that big labels were ignoring big talent in small bands. These bands were genuinely gifted artists who poured everything they had into their music, not because they wanted to gain fame and glamour, but because it truly meant something to them to and to those who listened it to. Many artists during this time were focused on being the next big hit, getting their band to the top, and acquiring as much wealth as they could. This mindset lead to music of lesser quality and substance than the underground bands. These underground bands were responsible for everything; promoting their own music, starting labels, making and distributing their records, and scheduling tours for themselves. How I see it, the lime light was shined on the wrong crowd; big labels and bands were blinded by wealth that they were unable to realize the raw talent flourishing around them.

Host (Me): Did this mentality and way of disregarding underground artists’ progress into the 90s? Thomas, maybe you would like to contribute to this section in particular.

*Camera zooms out capturing both the host and Thomas Frank who contemplates the questions*

Thomas Frank: Well at this time the countercultural idea was embracing diversity amongst individuals and their lifestyles; living with the mindset of “whenever we see a rule, we must break it.” They started to care even less about what others thought of them, their music, their culture, and overall appearance and behavior. In 1991, a major change in the media viewpoint was made evident through the release of Nirvanas album, which had defined all odds by going mainstream. Following this bands rapid expansion, corporate America greedily jumped onto the “rock scene” bandwagon by endorsing chaos, anarchy, and turmoil. This bothered me greatly, because the original concept behind the rebel movement was tarnished and warped into yet another form of commercial propaganda.

Kaya Oakes: Thomas is right, in the race to incorporate the “indie” style company’s began to twist this counterculture idea into their own image. This was further expedited through the use of social media and the internet as a whole. With the help of online sources it became easier to distribute and advertise indie merchandise which caused company such as Urban Outfitters profits to increase at a tremendous rate. Society was practically being smothered by the idea of being indie.

Nitsuh Abebe: I second both Thomas and Kaya. Everything the true indie culture had stood for had been manipulated into a corporate marketing tactic. The 2000s version of indie was nothing but fluff. The indie music aspect was also affected and lacked authenticity. There was no truth or substance behind any of it. Indie at this point was dead. Everything endorsed as “indie” was merely a thoughtless construction from an industrial brand or company.

Alissa Quart: Actually I can’t say I completely agree with you all. You’re all talking about what’s gone mainstream and has been absorbed by the media and corporate America. You’re only acknowledging what the media wants you to see. While on the contrary, there are still many rebels who are continuing to hold their own movements. These individuals are still abiding by their own rules and disregarding the standards the society around them are subconsciously following.

Host (Me): That’s a very curious point you bring up Alissa! Could any of you tell us what the remaining indie crowd today has income with those of the 80s and 90s?

Michael Azzerad: For starters they truly believed that going mainstream would compromise the authenticity of their values and culture. They took pride in their countercultural beliefs and ideals. To them if the products and music they were putting out were not legitimate representations of how they felt it wasn’t worth it. As I mentioned before, individuals associated with the original countercultural movement ever genuinely passionate and devoted to their work. For example, the underground bands despite not being supported by big labels they were not deterred from single-handily promoting their own music. The same can be said for the remaining countercultural individuals today. They don’t mind being under the radar as long as their work maintain the significance they want it to. They don’t need fame or recognition because they still receive self-gratification from their efforts.

Thomas Frank: Exactly! Michael touched on a very good argument. These two groups, though present in two different decades are both driven by the same desire for individuality. These groups refuse to conform to the rules and expectations of the media, big businesses, and society as a whole. This is also what separates the real and fake indie followers. The fake ones do what their told or what their shown to be “indie.” The real ones do what they want which makes their actions all the more sincere.

Host (Me): Do these remaining countercultural individuals foreshadow a hopeful revival of the true indie culture?

Kaya Oakes: The idea of being “indie” has spread so rapidly cross America by both history itself, as well as through continuous influences today. However, with that being said the description of the indie culture has been changed so drastically over the past 20 years that the true meaning has been distorted. It is to almost be accepted that indie may not be able to completely revert back to its original roots, but instead remain a common affiliate to being trendy, fashionable, unique, and free spirited.

Thomas Frank: Kaya is right, there is too much potential behind the idea of indie and what it has been built up to represent. One thing that can be said for the future indie culture is that eventually the indie we once knew will be engulfed by the falsely constructed, mainstream version that the media is putting out to its consumers. Although, those remaining from the counterculture will not give up their devotion to true indie beliefs and lifestyles, which will only further fuel their efforts to preserve the little that is left of their culture.

Alissa Quart: Well actually I believe there may be some hope for the indie culture. The individuals of the counterculture, or outsiders they may be called, will most definitely keep promoting their lifestyle and choices whether or not they actually go mainstream. Their primary goal is sustain the foundation in which the indie values were built upon. For this reason they will not let their actions be discouraged or measured based on the level of attention they draw to themselves and their movements.

Host (Me): Those are some excellent outlooks on the future that lies ahead for the indie culture and the people who still stand firmly behind its authenticity. I appreciate being able to hear all of your opinions and thoughts on this matter and look forward to seeing what is yet to take place. Thank you all for joining us on the show today!

*Michael, Thomas, Alissa, Kaya, and Nitsuh all express their appreciation for being on the show*

Host (Me): Thank you also to the viewers that have toned in today for this week’s segment on the evolution of the indie scene/ countercultural movement. That’s all the time that we have today and we will see you next week on “Indie Then & Now”, I’m your host Toni Contini and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day.

Examples of Bohemian (Boho) Chic style inspired outfits

If you consider yourself as fashion conscious individual who always wants to be in style whenever you step out of your house and stand out from...

This article looks into bohemian chic interior decorating and how that applies to your home. Originally Bohemian was a lifestyle, back in the days of Oscar Wilde. In fact Oscar Wilde lived the Bohemian lifestyle. Today it has been revolutionised into a complete fashion and interior decorating style.

#boutiq

Boho Chic Boutique, LLC, Waterford

Author’s Reflection

In my opinion I had mixed feelings toward this assignment for a variety of reasons. I liked it for the fact that is wasn’t restrictive about what type of music video we had to choose in terms of genre, content, artist, exc. I appreciated the opportunity this assignment presented to gain a deeper understanding of song or video we may have been previously liked, as well as teach us how to apply our analytical skills to the video in a way that enabled us to identify key details and information. I also enjoyed being able to interpret the music video from a specific criteria, which in this case was the question of it being “hip” or not, because it provided better guidance as to which side the end result should support. However, a few things I didn’t particular care too much for was the actual process of finding a video that was substantial enough to be evaluated and deciphered. On top of that, a problem that I continuously faced was with every video I watched and considered it felt as if the notes I were taking in correspondence to the video were too obvious and insignificant which became frustrating. Another part of the project I wasn’t a fan of was having to reply to questions whose answers were either unclear or nonexistent. Aside from the project requirements, the task was relatively straightforward. I found it easier to tackle the project by first watching the video and jotting down quick bullets of anything I noticed, heard, or had trouble understanding, similar to what we did for the Grimes video. Once I had constructed a list of my initial observation, I watched the video a second time to look for any details I may have missed in my first viewing. I proceeded to watch the video at another eight times before feeling content that there was nothing major I had forgotten; then I started to describe the video exactly how I saw it. The format I decided to use was description, to lyric analysis, to connections between the lyrical and video meanings, explanation and supportive evidence about whether it is “hip” or not, then finished it off with my final thoughts and conclusion. This worked for me because after I described the video, it made more sense to look at the lyrics and pick those apart and start making small links between the lyrics and the video. In doing that I was able to start better understanding what exactly the video was trying to convey. Despite having a strategy that worked fairly well for me, I noticed myself struggling with wording my thoughts effectively, determining a general summary of the meaning I extracted from the lyrics, and giving myself enough time to actually work on the paper. I am horrible at time management which ended up playing a big factor in producing this paper. I had all the information right in front of me it was just getting myself to sit down and focus long enough to gather all my thoughts and ideas to start formulating a paper was where my problem lied. Granted, I feel I constructed a well-structured and devised paper that not only meets the requirements, but is informative and descriptive enough to be shared with an outside source.

hollywalsh-hpu-deactivated20160

Abbie Hoffman

Abbie Hoffman was born on November 30th, 1936, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Hoffman was an American political activist known for his involvement in media events. Also, he is known as the founder of the Youth International Party (Yippies) that was established in January 1968. Hoffman was active in the American civil rights movement. He then turned his attention to the protests of the Vietnam War and the American economic and political system. On August 24th, 1967, Hoffman led a group of activists into the gallery of the New York Stock Exchange to protest capitalism, the Vietnam War, and other crimes of the establishment. A couple of months later, Hoffman was in charge of a group that tried to levitate the Pentagon during the October March on Washington. Additionally, Hoffman was a key figure in some of the most important political trials during the time. He was one of the “Chicago Seven” activists accused of provoking riots at the Democratic National Convention. In the early 1970s, Hoffman was an acclaimed radical journalist and author. However, in 1974, he was charged with cocaine possession. In order to avoid trial, he underwent plastic surgery and lived underground as Barry Freed. He later surrendered to authorities in 1980. When released in 1982, he continued his life as a political activist. On April 12th, 1989, Hoffman was found dead in his apartment. He was a victim of bipolar disorder, and his death was ruled a suicide.

http://www.biography.com/people/abbie-hoffman-9341100#synopsis

http://www.pbs.org/opb/thesixties/topics/revolution/newsmakers_2.html

ptreevi

Charlie Parker

Charlie Christopher Parker was born on August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, Kansas. Parker was one of the most influential and prominent jazz musicians (saxophonists) in the 1940s. Parker enjoyed and loved playing the saxophone that, in 1935, he left school in order to pursue a music career. From 1935 to 1939, Parker worked at Kansas City and played the Missouri nightclub scene with local jazz and blue bands. Kansas City, at the time, was a lively center for African-American music, including jazz, blues, and gospel. In 1939, he worked as a professional musician and participated in jam sessions at New York City. After a year, Parker became a performer at a club in Chicago and decided to, permanently, move back to New York. In 1945, Parker along with two other jazz players, Gillespie and Monk, invented a new style of jazz, known as bebop. From 1947 to 1951, Parker performed in ensembles and soloed at clubs and radio stations. In 1949, Parker made his European debut at the Paris International Jazz Festival. In March of 1955, Parker made his last public performance at Birdland, a club being named in his honor in New York, a week before his death. Throughout his adult life, Parker was addicted to heroin and alchohol and had mental illness. In 1955, Parker suffered an ulcer attack and refused to go to the hospital. On March 12, 1955, Charlie Parker died in the New York City apartment of lobar pneumonia and the devastating effects of long-term substance abuse.

Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_parker_charlie.htm

http://www.biography.com/people/charlie-parker-9433413#heroin-addiction-and-death

http://www.cmgww.com/music/parker/about/biography.html

George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer. Clinton was one of the sole founders and creators of the psychedelic-glam-funk band, Parliament-Funkadelic or P-Funk. George Clinton was born July 22, 1941 in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Clinton worked in a barber shop when he decided to start a doo wop group called the Parliament; in the 1970s the band blew up. The style of the band was a combination of popular artists at the time such as Jimmy Hendrix, Sly ad the Family Stone, and James Brown. In 1982, Clinton began his pursuit of becoming a solo artist which he achieved with great success. Due to his prior experience in music producing, Clinton was able to double his involvement in the studio, Capital Records, where he eventually signed to, by producing other artists music as well as recording his own. Two of his most recognized hits being “Loopzilla” and “Atomic Dog”. In correlation to the time period in which George Clinton was at his prime, he was a total hippy. His style and personal expression went against social norms and allowed him to stand out, but also with the “hippy”, psychedelic, drug induced crowd.

Here is a link to one of his hit songs “Atomic Dog”.

Work Cited:

"Biography - George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic Official Website." George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic Official Website. Paris DJs & Ben Hito. Web. 13 Sept. 2015.

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