Ryan Chasse

Indie Now And Then

Scene: 1

Ryan:  Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome to the discussion room.  We are pleased to have five diverse music critics with us today discussing the topic of indie culture.  Would you all please give a warm welcoming to Michael Azerrad, Thomas Franks, Nitsuh Abebe, Kaya Oakes, and Alissa Quart!

(Enter Azerrad, Franks, Abebe, Oakes, and Quart)

Ryan: Welcome to the discussion room!

All Critics: Thank you for having us.

Ryan: So lets get this discussion started.  If you could all please go around and give our audience on one of your general views of indie culture.

Azerrad:  Of course, I’ll break the ice.  I view the topic of indie culture as an “anti-corporate” movement and this obscure weird genre of people who are committed to an artistic and political- economic autonomy.

Abebe:  While one can think like Azerrad, I see indie categorized into two versions.  The first version being called the “mainstream indie pop”, a type of music which is quite, sophisticated, and often polite.  The second version is a polar opposite being called “experimental indie”, whose music is very loud, rowdy and is party-oriented.

Oakes:  All of you all are so complex in your definitions of indie. All indie is, is a culture or community of people who share common interests.

Quart:  When I think of the indie culture, I feel the wall that has once separated the insiders and the outsider has broken down.  With rebels and minorities in todays society voices are able to move quickly in the modern mainstream.

Franks:  Last but not least, hahaha.  Indie is simple in my mind.  Indie is a culture that has abused the counterculture idea and it no longer works.  We do not live in an age of conformity.

Ryan:  Thanks you all for sharing your views on this uprising indie culture.  We are going to take a short break now, when we return we will delve into these critics mind to find the true answers about the indie culture.  Don't move we'll be right back.

(commercial)

Scene: 2

Ryan: Welcome back to the discussion room, if you are just joining us know we are so fortunate to have these five intelligent critics with us today discussing the indie music culture.  Now Michael Azerrad, do you feel that there was any driving factor behind the success of indie culture.

Azerrad:  Of course Ryan.  During my research, I discovered this emotion or saying that was very repetitive throughout numerous cultures I looked at.  This was the idea of D.I.Y.(do it yourself).  Hipster and punk bands rallied around this motivation to do it yourself, not let anybody hold you back and just start something new and move with it.  This saying showed the outsiders that you didn't have to be cool or talented to make good indie music, you just had to believe in yourself.

Oakes:  I can relate to Azerrad in some way.  Throughout my research I found that indie culture was much more than music.  Indie consists of film, creative writing, crafts, and fashion.  This indie culture was created around ideas that “outsider” pursued and created a new culture of their own.

Ryan:  Kaya Oakes, could you please highlight where indie culture stands in our modern society today?

Oakes:  Sure, know indie in our culture is present but a little hard to find in our society.  The emerging company Urban Outfitters have commodified the aspects of indie culture and are transforming it into a fashion and lifestyle trend.  Another company that has had success also is Etsy.  Etsy is an online store where their marketing is based around a indie lifestyle.  Both companies have had much success in their decision to brand their company with the indie culture.

Quart:  I can see where Oakes is confused on how and where to identify indie in our modern society, because of the struggles to characterize someone or something as “indie”.  Indie culture is a republic within a republic.  The initial wall that separated insiders and outsider has broken down.  With this wall of breakage this allows rebels and minorities voices to move much faster through the mainstream.  The internet plays a major contribution to the movement of the indie culture.

Oakes: Yes Quart, you are exactly correct.  The internet is a mix blessing for the indie culture.  In some ways this has risen indie bands to the extreme, but in other ways the internet has ruined or hurt other indie bands during the rise of the internet.  Indie survived.

Ryan: Ok thank you all for your insight, we will be right back to wrap up our discussion.  Don't move, well be quick.

(commercial)

Scene 3:

Ryan:  Welcome back ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the wrap up discussion during today’s show!  This will be our last topic for today, so lets get started.  We are going to go around the table and share where you think the indie culture will go in the future?

Quart:  Indie culture in the future is in total hands of the people who created it and who are currently apart of it.  Our modern society has blurred the lines between insiders and outsiders.  So who is indie?  That's the point.  You can be indie if you want you just need to believe in yourself.  Within the future, insiders and outsiders will continue to innovate and break down the wall that separates them more and more.

Oakes:  The future for indie culture is indefinite.  Current hipster are the consumers of indie culture who do not produce anything themselves.  Hipsters are cultural parasites.  This “hipster” indie culture can not continue due to the lack of innovation and desire in their work.  Hipsters consume without creating anything themselves.  If this continues the indie culture will never be as valuable and recognized than before.

Abebe:  Indie culture will continue growing into directions that indie people see it going in.  This culture will create new versions of music.  The new will become the old, and the old will become the new.  Music mainstreams will undergo rapid change and new genres will be invented by this indie culture just like they did with “mainstream indie-pop” and “experimental indie.”

Franks:  Continuing into the future, indie culture needs new and authentic forms of rebellion.  Indie can not rely on this fake rebellion strategy anymore because the counterculture idea no longer fits within this society.  We no longer live in an age of conformity and need news acts of rebellion going forward.

Azerrad:  Indie culture does not look good in my eyes.  Within our modern society major corporate labels has taken over the indie culture, and have taken away from the independent labels.  This will continue to happen due to the money and power these corporations have gained throughout the years.  Indie culture must join in an “anti- corporate” movement in order to save the indie culture in the future.

Ryan:  Can we please have a big round of applause for these five amazing critics that have shared with us today.

(applause)

Ryan:  I want to thank you all for joining us today on our topic of Indie culture.  That finishes our show for today in the discussion room!! Have a great day, and we will see you next week.  Goodbye!

(critics exit stage)

(Ryan exits stage)