I BLAME THIS ALL ON VICE MEDIA :)))))))
This is OG hipster Phil Collins.
From my time in New York people would love to give me the label HIPSTER.
I find it to be a knee jerk comment to anyone who maybe left of center.
The term has been a around for decades to describe anyone who seems to know about all cool things in music, fashion, art, etc. and started to become more relevant around in the early 2000s when a wave of indie rock music hit the scene and Urban Outfitters started popping up in every shopping mall.
Now I can admit I do some slightly "hip" things.
1) I drink pour-over coffee every morning and own a goose neck kettle. I LIKE GOOD COFFEE.
2) I have a record player and buy used vinyl. I LIKE MUSIC
3) I wear vintage style plastic frame glasses. I NEED TO SEE.
Yet, I don't see this as me being a hipster because....
1) I like to shower and don't like my hair greasy.
2) My knees are too sensitive to ride a fixed gear bike.
3) I could never get into LCD Sound system or Yeasayer.
4) I never had the desire to be squished on the L train during rush hour.
5) I'm unable to grow a mullet or a thick mustache.
THE MOST HIPSTER THING I'VE DONE?
Went to a screening for the anniversary of the mumble core film Funny Ha Ha at the NY Film Archives which featured a Q & A afterwards with the director moderated by Lena Dunham. I had to leave the Q & A when the hipster film students in the audience started asking insane highly detailed questions about the film.
HAVE I LIVED IN A HIPSTER NEIGHBORHOOD?
I've tried multiple times in New York, but failed. Now in LA, people assume I'm residing in Echo Park, Highland Park, or Silver Lake etc, sorry folks, BEV HILLS!
And people can hate on hipsters neighborhoods like Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint, Clinton Hill, etc. Guess what???? That's where all the good food, bars, and coffee shops are at!
Now back to me being labeled a hipster in New York. When people gave me that label/pejorative, I always saw it as narrow minded. The city is massive which centers around Manhattan and where most business is being done. So it's not surprising when someone who lives in Westchester Co, NY or Bergen County, NJ calls you a hipster when the likelihood of them going to the Brooklyn Flea or Brooklyn Steel on a weekend are pretty slim.
So when a co-worker, an acquaintance, or some rando person from South Florida would call me a hipster my response was this....
"Excuse me, have you ever hopped on the L train to the Morgan stop and taken in the scenery? Have you been on Franklin Ave in Greenpoint? And lastly have you ever been on the G train?"
If not then you haven't scene real hipster culture as they roll their own cigarettes in their worn out boots and distressed wrangler jeans with an ironic dad hat that doesn't fit fully on their greasy hair. Now that's authentic!!!!!!
No don't get the wrong impression, I think we need the hipsters in this world. They give us life, energy, fashion advice, and can get pretty darn creative.
Bottom line, think first before giving someone a label, have a conversation and find out their interests. Chances are you'll find out the true human side of them and won't need to assign a label at all.
Comments