Hipster Bashing

This is from one of the coolest articles (or collection of articles, there are parts 1, 2, 4 & 5 too) I have ever read, way better than crap like the Hipster Handbook (seriously, I've never heard anyone say 'deck', ever) - this is my favourite bit -

"..hipsters make no pretense to divisions on principle, to forming
intellectual or artistic camps; at any given moment it is the same books,
records, films that are judged au courant by all, leading to the curious
spectacle of an "alternative" culture more unanimous than the mainstream it
ostensibly opposes."

It's like the symbols of hipster-ness (bands, books, films, clothes, places to hang out) = exclusivity, but exclusivity outside of group consensus just = being a 'freak'. The contradiction inherent within hipsterness would then be that they are afraid of becoming the very thing they outwardly aspire to be, hmm.

I don't actually have a problem with the existence of hipsters/trendies or whatever, they add some much needed colour to the urban fauna of our cities, but it's best when they're low in numbers. I don't know whether to blame the internet, Top Shop or Kate Moss, but the numbers have increased dramatically over the past year and are now reaching critical mass, where every suburban middle class kid is sporting emo hair, skinny jeans and a vintage dress (the latter is mainly just girls). None of these faux-indie kids sport the geeky/saddo nature of the indie kids of years gone by, they're just horrible little slags and braying lads dressed in the soft woolen skin of indie-dom.

Anyway, hipsters seem to be getting it at the moment what with this and this and this (although that last one isn't anywhere near as funny as the first two. Who the hell is Charles Bukowski? Oh wait, I'm on the internet, I know who he is now) and it's about damn time.

So, onto the music, hmmm, not sure what to post. My Last FM chart isn't looking too bad this week, so how about Cat5 - Stretch & Bend, a song I haven't seen on a single other blog which makes a change. And Ms John Soda - No One a song I've seen on many blogs, but I'm sure another won't hurt and finally to keep the geek contingent happy Megadeth - Holy Wars... the Punishment Due (this IS their best song ever).

Buy Cat5 - Stretch & Bend (it took me fricking ages to track this one down)

Buy Ms John Soda - Notes and the Like

Buy Megadeth - Rust in Peace

Postscript: yes, I did go to a Flash Mob, but only once. I'm not a hipster, honest, I hate Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and if they're not cool anymore, well that just proves my point.