English 1103 blog

Looking back at my first assessment of “what is hip”, I really had to laugh at how ignorant I was of hip. I was simply guessing that it meant to be cool or trendy, and what a narrow, uninformed view I had! I did not realize that hip is so much more complex than dressing or acting certain ways. Even more, there is an entire subculture from which the idea evolved.

I have never studied counterculture. Before this class, I wasn’t even aware of its existence or its prominence and importance in history. Counterculture played a huge part in shaping generations of people through its rebellion. It has been extremely intriguing to examine the ideology of this culture and apply it to present topics. Now, I see counterculture’s influence everywhere: music, clothing, cities, and much more.

My view of hipsters has somewhat changed. My original perception was that they wear square framed glasses, bowties, suspenders, and skinny jeans, and they ride bikes and play odd music. I now understand why they dress and act like they do: they want to be different from the mainstream. Presently, I think it is really sad that they have become the target of large corporations and are now being co-opted by them.

Returning to my opinions about hip, I first thought hip had a positive connotation. Now, I’m not completely sure what to think. I feel as if some people really dislike how counterculture has impacted today’s generations. Others have positive remarks. So, hip can have mixed connotations.

I did have one correct opinion about hip, though. I realized that what is hip is constantly changing, or as John Leland says, it has a rapid rate of turnover. What is hip today might not be hip tomorrow. People are always changing their minds about what they like and don’t like. I think it is perplexing that everyone somehow knows what hip is, but it’s so hard to define. In future assignments, it would be interesting to analyze how everyone is able to recognize hip trends yet no one really knows what hip means…or do they?

Host: Hello! Thank you for tuning into “Indie Then and Now” where I interview indie authors about the transformation of indie culture from its earliest stages to the present. Today our guests are Michael Azzerad, Thomas Frank, Nitsuh Abebe, Kaya Oakes, and Alissa Quart.

First, I would like to ask everyone to give a brief description of the portion of indie culture you have studied and written about. Michael, since your piece was written about the 1980s, let’s start with you.

Azzerad: The countercultural movement was primarily underground during the 1980s because, in my opinion, great bands were not being signed to major labels. The buzz was all about corporate rock and living large. The underground bands had to do everything themselves: start labels, tour, make records. What really mattered to these indie bands was the quality of their music and how much importance they gave it, not how many records they sold.

Host: So a whole movement existed before the 1990s… Thomas, can you tell us what happened as the 1990s ensued?

Frank: Conformity was strongly detested by the rebels. They embraced individual lifestyles in which they questioned all the rules and just did whatever the hell they wanted. The release of Nirvana’s album in 1991, the turn of generations and the logic of the market were three factors that caused the countercultural idea to begin to seep into corporate America. Businesses, record labels, advertisements, and television stations began to endorse rebellion and disorder. But this was not okay with me because cultural dissent was no longer different from the culture it was supposed to be subverting. 

Abebe: I agree with you, Thomas. Everything had become associated with indie. It was commonplace. By the 2000s, indie was fake. Its authenticity was gone. No one was really sure what it meant to be indie. Even the indie music couldn’t identify with one genre.

Oakes: I can add more to that. I’d say that indie had been branded by corporate culture and repackaged as an aesthetic. And as the Internet and social media have evolved, the ability to network and sell indie products has shot through the roof. However, with that advantage also came a detriment. Indie art forms could easily become overexposed and co-opted by the mainstream. 

Host: Hmmm..Long gone is the real indie culture, right? What do you say Alissa?

Quart: Not necessarily. There are still rebels living outside of the mainstream, and their movements are sometimes successful, sometimes not. The rebels start their own paths when every mainstream or corporate institution begins to fail them. The rebels have to fall back on their own intelligence, and I think we can all learn from their new ways of life.

Host: Interesting…could you give us an example of a successful rebel in today’s culture?

Quart: A prime example would be the Occupy Wall Street movement. Although there were physical protests, the movement made a bigger impact on the frame of “insiders” and “outsiders.” The “occupiers” were the outsiders. The rebels—the outsiders—were trying to sell ideas and values rather than material things. And they were successful because people agreed with their protests and, of course, any kind of rebellion is going to attract people. 

Host: That’s definitely true. Michael, can you tell us why indie rock was so attractive to the counterculturalists during the 1980s?

Azzerad: I think what drew a lot of those people to the underground scene was the fact that it believed mainstream stuff wasn’t the best. The underground’s independence of mind and determination gave people an alternative to the mainstream conformism. Music was a major area in which the counterculture’s discontent with corporate culture was revealed. By making their own tours and labels, the bands were rebelling against the major labels as a way of rebelling against the system in general.

Host: Was rebelling against the major labels the only way the counterculture showed its discontent?

Azzerad: No, not at all. The counterculture made an effort to incorporate that theme of rebellion into their jobs, what they bought, and basically any part of their lives. The Minutement called it “jamming econo.” It was about upholding your own values and being in charge of your own life.

Host: It sounds like they were very serious about their rebellion. Music does seem to be important to the history of indie culture, though. Can anyone else explain how indie music might have changed over the years?

Frank: Yeah. As Nirvana hit the top charts in the early 1990s, alternative rock was becoming popular everywhere. Everyone wanted to be a part of the alternative, and not just the music. It was a lifestyle.

Abebe: And at the start of the 2000s, indie music was quaint and thoughtful. It wasn’t disruptive; it was something your parents might listen to. After a while though, people got bored with the quiet and niceness of the music. Thus, a fresh and rowdy alternative music came about. Hip hop, dance punk, electro—indie music encompassed all types of genres.

Host: That must have infuriated the true counterculturalists, right?

Abebe: Oh yes. I can still see a lot of tension between the mainstream and the underground. A tension that started a long time ago is the punk-versus-wavers tension. The punks, who enjoyed hardcore music, were quite different from the wavers, who appreciated stylish pop music. Although these two types were combined under the indie umbrella, that tension to produce two different kinds of music still stands out today.

Host: Does anyone else have an example of something, besides music, in the current century that might have also infuriated the underground?

Oakes: Sure. Urban Outfitters is one retail store that has overstepped its bounds. It has made the indie subculture’s style into a corporate money-maker. The original indie clothes were often purchased at thrift stores or yard sales; they weren’t outrageously expensive. Yet, Urban Outfitters copied the style to portray difference and rebellion.

Host: That would certainly harm the authenticity of indie culture…Now, what can be said of the future of indie? 

Frank: People are so drawn in by the culture’s promise of finding something new and fresh and free. I think indie culture will continue to be ahead of everyone. Unfortunately, as technology accelerates the ability to disseminate the culture’s progression, the culture will be rapidly overtaken by the mainstream, as we have seen. Counterculture is going to be hostile about it. It is going to be a struggle to maintain any kind of dissidence.

 Oakes: I think indie culture is still important in America, even though the culture has lost much of its meaning. The idea of creative independence is appealing to people; it does make a difference in the way people think. As Thomas said, indie is always ahead of the mainstream. Even though independence is cliché, someone is reimagining it. That is how it stays independent.

Host: So there are mixed emotions about the future of indie, but Alissa seemed to have a positive outlook. Can you give us a little more insight into why you think that?

Quart: We can all learn from the current rebels. They are the outsiders—dreamers, rebels, amateurs. They are creating “identities more authentic than those offered by the mainstream society”, and “they push up against the constraints that society places upon them.” These rebels have strength because they willingly oppose society before it fails them, and they are prepared to survive without the help of corporations.

Host: Well I guess we will see! And that’s all the time we have today! Thank you all for tuning into “Indie Then and Now”! Be sure to check out these authors’ books to learn more about the history and the future of counterculture! See you next time!

Works Cited

Abebe, Nitsuh. "The Decade in Indie." Best Music Writing 2010. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo ;, 2010. Web.

Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Rock Underground 1981-1991. Boston: Little, Brown, 2001. 3-11. Web.

Frank, Thomas. "Why Johnny Can't Dissent, Alternative to What." Commodify Your Dissent: Salvos from the Baffler. New York: Norton, 1997. Web.

Oakes, Kaya. "Branded: The Big Indie Crossover." Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture. New York: Henry Holt, 2009. Web.

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