Kristen: Hello!, and welcome to today’s very exciting show, All Things Hip, where we talk about only hip things! You picked the right day to tune in because we have five guests joining us to discuss a very interesting topic; indie culture! What is indie culture you might ask? Well I’ll let the experts take the wheel answering these questions. Please help me welcome Nitsuh Abebe, Kaya Oakes, Michael Azerrad, Thomas Frank and Alissa Quart!
*The crowd stands and claps as the guests walk in from the doors in the back. The guests all sit down on an oversized couch with the host siting in a chair angled towards both the audience and the guests.*
Kristen: Thank you all for joining me today. We’ll begin with a question everyone is dying to know. What is indie culture? How would you characterize it?
Frank: Indie is the countercultural idea. You see “The Establishment demands homogeneity; we revolt by embracing diverse, individual lifestyles.” “Whenever we see a rule, we must break it.” At least, this was how it used to be.
Quart: If I may add, “sometimes rebel’s attempts fail.” “The line between the outsider and the establishment seems to shift by the day.”
Azerrad: May I jump in you two?
Azerrad: When I think of indie I think of the American indie rock. You know, the underground stuff of the 80’s. These indie bands, many of them considered punk rockers, always carried a DIY vibe. “Musicians asserted their right to create without outside meddling, and how strongly they did so became key to their credibility.” To go along with what you were saying about rebellion,Thomas, “If punk was rebellious and DIY was rebellious, then doing it yourself was punk.”
Abebe: But indie music isn't limited to just punk rock, “alternative rock became very popular, very suddenly”. “Back in the 1980s, for instance, there was a major difference between hardcore punks and what kids in my hometown would continue to refer to as “wavers,” as in new wave… But by the end of the 80s, as it happened, there had emerged this crop of bands that seemed to resolve some of that punks-versus-wavers tension, bring together parts of both camps- a little thrash/trash/noise and a little arty/stylish/pop.”
*Oakes shuffles around in her chair*
Kristen: You look like you have something to say Oakes. Do you agree with what has been said so far?
Oakes: I agree, we’ve just talked a lot about music. I would like to highlight something different. I would just like to say that “Nowhere is the evidence of indie’s gradual transition from off-the-radar subculture to fashion and lifestyle trend clearer than in the success of a retail chain that has exploited indie music and bluntly borrowed from crafting and DIY styles”
Kristen: Alright, well some interesting points have definitely been made, but by the looks on the audiences faces, I believe everyone might be even more confused than before. When we come back we’ll take a question from the audience!
*The crowd claps as the talk show resumes*
Kristen: Welcome back! Just before the break we talked to five writers and discussed indie culture. Now it’s time to take a question from the audience!
Audience member: Hi! So I think the idea of indie music is very fascinating! Could you explain how the music is DIY
Azerrad: Indie music was once underground music. There was music on the major record labels, but then there were bands that did it themselves and started their own independent record labels. They produced their music without much interference from the big labels, so they had more say over their product. “Fanzines, underground and college radio stations, local cable access shows. mom-and-pop record stores, independent distributors and record labels, tip sheets, nightclubs and alternative booking agents…” were some of the ways of distributing the music. All in all, it was a very do it yourself way to go.
Quarts: I agree Azerrrad, it was very common for these ideas of indie culture to be spread by word of mouth.
Oakes: However, today it is much easier to distribute music. “Today the dissemination of music and art moves at a faster pace than ever before!” A few decades ago, indie musicians showcased their music through word of mouth. Today, the internet makes sharing music much easier and faster which has made a huge difference for independent artists today.
Frank: The band Nirvana seems to be the shift between indie music being considered underground to somewhat mainstream. Nirvana suddenly exploded, and suddenly indie wasn't so much DIY anymore. There are still exceptions of course.
Abebe: I wouldn't say indie suddenly exploded and became mainstream… I think it was a very slow process; a very DIY process.
Kristen: Alright folks, we have time for one more question. How would you describe indie music?
Azerrad: Well as we were just talking about, indie music is basically underground music. I also consider punk rock to be indie because it was all about taking control. I also believe that indie music has its own unique aesthetics.
Frank: Don’t forget “grunge” and “alternative rock!” Punk is not the only style that can be considered indie.
Abebe: There are actually many different ways to characterize indie music! One kind of indie music is soft, psychedelic, pretty, polite and mainstream, while another type of indie is loud, rowdy and trashy. Indie should not be limited to saying its simple punk or alternative rock.
Oakes: It appears that indie culture is constantly changing. Each time it changes, it emerges as something new. I think the same thing can be said about music. We cannot define indie music as sounding a particular way because it is constantly changing as well.
Quarts: Indie culture seems to be the outsider. They think differently about the world and I think the same thing can be said about indie music. I’m going to put it real simple. Indie music is the outsider, it is different from any other form of music. This real difference from any other form makes it indie.
Kristen: Well thats all the time we have for today! Lets all give a big round of applause for our guests!
*Crowd stands and gives applause*
Kristen: See you next time!
