Now that I've recovered from my anger at the sexist canoeist, I thought I'd ponder a bit (as per Middlebrow's request) on what it means to be "assertively unhip."
To begin, I don't mean the self-conscious unhipness of trucker hats and re-sale shops. If you're trying that hard to be "unhip" you are definitely seeking the "hip" label. And you could say the same thing about me--that by asserting my unhipness I am hoping for hip. Instead of being counter-hegemonic against the pressures of hipness, I am just trying to fit in (which isn't really too hip, so I've made my point.) When I was a kid, I decided to give myself the middle name "crazy cat" which I'm pretty sure I intended as a derivative of hep cat. The truth is I've always just been a geeky girl trying to make peace with herself.
You could argue, as Clint did, that by mentioning both my love for American Idol and the Smiths in the same posting, I am asserting hipness (in that counter-hegemonic way). However, while in some circles my obsession with the Smiths earns me points, in others it makes me just as dorky as watching American Idol does. And oddly, the only folks I've seen in recent years wearing Smiths t-shirts are twenty-somethings wearing trucker hats. A couple of years ago, I went to a Johnny Marr concert. The crowd was divided between 20-something hipsters and 30-somethings like me. So, I guess I could be hip if I were still in my twenties, but it's just sort of sad that I'm still listening to the music I loved in high school. I'm like those middle-aged folks still hollering out for "Freebird."
Speaking of hipness (or the lack of) has anyone read Leland's Hip: A History? I've only heard a couple of interviews with him on NPR, so I don't know much about the book or its merits. Most of the reviews on Amazon are positive, but I love this bit: "But I can see Leland pitching this book to the suits at HarperCollins: 'See, the book is HIP. Instead of acknowledgments, it's got 'Shout-outs,' see? That's from rap. I may be 45 but I can Talk to the Young, a Target Market!'" If anyone has read it, I'd love to hear what you think.
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3 comments:
Play Freebird, man!
The term "counter-hegemonic" is way hip.
For some reason I am in one sentence mode today. It is annoying. It sounds like Andy Rooney. Now that's unhip.
Ultimately I've found that concerts are like that. I went to one this weekend and felt far too old for the crowd even though the band members are pretty much my age (or just a bit younger). I have been watching them for a good solid 15 years now, but the crowd they attract are the twenty-somethings. I had to laugh at the fashions, as I always do. I've never been into any scene and am probably the worse for wear, as it were.
Hmm.
Here's how unhip I am: the very word reminds me of a great old Tower of Power song, "What is Hip?" ("can you tell me, if you think you know" [horn burst])
Uh, I think having been a Smiths fan makes it A-U-T-O matic (Prince reference--I'm trying too hard, clearly).
I agree with Clint about concerts. There are people I would love to see, but the venue actively repels people my age. I mean, like, there's a force field.
Nice to see your blog.
The question is: can one be self consciously unhip? Isn't reflexivity intrinsically hip?
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