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Out Of Print

Are you sick of shopping at American Apparel and Urban Outfitters? Do your local thrift stores have stained ill-fitting clothing instead of the hip vintagewear all your friends magically find? Show them up by shopping at Out Of Print, where your favorite book covers are printed on tee shirts and sweatshirts! The only thing cooler would be if you had thought of it first and silkscreened them on yourself.

LATFH (Look at these facebook Hipsters)

Indie job perks

I work at an independent bookstore. Now that may SEEM like the hippest job ever (beat only by working at an independent bookstore in Brooklyn), but I'm going to bust that myth. Perhaps it's because I spend my days on the phone with teachers and publishers...but on a daily basis, my job is anything but hip. In fact, I'd come to the conclusion that the only hip thing about my job is the hepcatmosphere created by the employees, their conversations filled with obscure music and movie references, talk of late night comedy and local vegetable and dairy farms, and many, many book discussions.

Yet yesterday I became aware of a job perk even more heptastic than my new urban outfitters oxfords. I get free book advances! Books written by great authors that still have grammatical mistakes in them! How crazy is that? And amongst the many books I schlepped home, the absolute best was a book of short stories. Shorts stories are my favorite kinds of stories, by the way. But not just any short stories, unpublished short stories by the late Kurt Vonnegut. The best part? The foreward is written by none other than the indie-beloved Dave Eggers. Be jealous. Or, be lucky enough to be my friend and I'll let you borrow it before the book's tentative release date in late January.

Molly Ringwald is such a fucking hipster

Just now I turned on the TV and decided to watch the Ringwald classic ("classic" is used loosely here) Pretty in Pink while waiting for Modern Family to start. Now I don't remember much about this movie except when Ringwald makes her own prom dress out of a few hideous pink dresses (how hip/DIY of her!), but I just HAPPENED to flip to the right channel (Women's Entertainment...) at the exact right moment. Molly is working in a store (record store, perhaps?) and in walks this preppy boy she's in love with, hereafter referred to as Chip because I can't remember his name.
Chip: I didn't like that album
Molly: What?
Chip: The record. I thought it was a little too..
Molly: Too hip, maybe.
Chip: Yeah, a little too hip.
Molly: Well..
Chip: Think you can recommend something else? A little less political?
And the conversation continues briefly to artists like Lionel Richie and Madonna, but look how hip Molly Ringwald is! She's so hip that she can say an album is "too hip" ironically. Plus, you should see some of her outfits. If only she weren't currently starring in "The Secret Lives of an American Teenager", it's really cramping her style.

Is this Real Life?

Just thought I'd share some news items I discovered on my bus ride this morning that made me wonder what planet I'm on:

An armless pianist won "China's Got Talent".  In other news, America is screwed.

Lil Wayne will be packaging his album "I am Not a Human Being" with Defjam's new Rapstar videogame, which will only be available at BestBuy.  I guess his jail time has reformed him into a sell-out.

Speaking of sell-outs, Florence and the Machine will perform tonight on "Dancing With the Stars". I guess her hep days are over, her hip days are done.

Marisa Miller is the NFL's newest spokesperson. That's not really that unbeliveable, more awesome.  Plus it gives me an excuse to post this.

Malaysia's Islamic opposition party are demanding that an Adam Lambert concert be cancelled for "promoting gay culture". He's not gay, he's just a hipster.

For all you WannaBiebers out there (I'm talking to you Magnus and Tom Brady), now you can be just like Justin with Biebs' new line of nailpolish.  Seriously?

Rolling Stone Magazine

Rolling Stone Magazine Sucks. Does anyone even read it anymore? I flipped through it the other day and thought I was reading a campaign ad for Obama. Jesus Christ on a Cross it was horrible. The mention of music has gone way way way down, not to mention rock music in general. The state of rock is in such disarray its depressing. I remember when being on the cover used to be a big deal. Now I think they raffle it off the third Sunday of every month at the local bingo hall. Its disheartening for a number of reasons. First, the number of quality bands out there is anemic. The ones that are still worth a spin either haven't come out with material in half a decade or simply aren't touring to reach their fans. I know Weezer is doing a tour playing their two greatest albums, Blue and Pinkerton from cover to cover in back to back nights. However when I went online to pick up tickets I found myself shortchanged when the total price per ticket ranged from 75 to 90 dollars. Thats a lotta beans and it only further distances the band from their audience of fans as many of them don't have the necessary currency to fork over. Maybe I'm nostalgic but perhaps rock music is not what it once was. The likes of MTV have cornered it in an alley and sodomized it, leaving it to walk among us in shame.

Vintage Hep Cats/Hipster of the Moment

VINTAGE!

Hipster of the Moment:

BLOSSOM DEARIE

Who: American Jazz Singe/Pianist; popular during Big Band/Bebop era

D.O.B.: April 28, 1924

How Hip is She:

The song says it all. She's always on the scene. She gets her kicks watching arty French flicks with her shades on (no doubt, they were the ubiquitous Ray Ban wayfarers). When it was hip to be hep she was hep.

Dearie, known for her uniquely girlish voice, was a fixture in the jazz scene of the 1960s. However, among today's hep cats, she's probably best known for her single "I Won't Dance" or for her contributions to School House Rock (like the song, "Unpack Your Adjectives"). While Dearie passed away in 2009, she was still performing live up until 2006. There's no doubt that she was one hip lady.

Being a Dickhead's HIP...

Courtesy of my V-neck wearing brother.

LATFH

"I ironically love irony"

 

Meet Jimi Heselden.  Jimi is a British millionaire worth an estimated £166 million.  In December of 2009, Jimi turned in some of his millions along with his fixie, to purchase Segway.  Well evidently, since his purchase of Segway, Jimi realized that while trying to be hip, he had actually gone mainstream with his nice suits and much more expensive two wheeled vehicles that were now being used by mall cops everywhere.  Apparently, this troubled Jimi very much.  The other night while he was sitting at home in his mansion, hating himself for making what turned out to be very unhip life choices, Jimi cracked opened a few PBRs, in an attempt to drown his sorrows, and to bring himself back to his hepcat days, before his love affair with Segways.  That night, Jimi hatched a drunken plan that could bring him back to all of his hipster glory.  He decided he would go out in the newest, freshest, hippest way possible.  The next morning, around 11:40 am on September 27, 2010, West Yorkshire Police recieved reports of a man falling thirty feet into the River Wharfe.  Jimi had woken up that morning and in a blaze of glory (or a daze of PBRs) drove his Segway straight off a cliff and became an instant legend.  Jimi Heselden, we (appathetically) salute you.  Your spirit will live on forever, here in the Hepcatmosphere.

What if Super Heroes were Hipsters?

How angry will he get when they go bankrupt?

Collegehumor.com came up with a pretty funny article depicting super heroes as hipsters.  Check it out here: "If Superheroes Were Hipsters"

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards Suck.

HIPSTER FIGHT!!! (Well, Kinda)

Earlier this week I posted a video of a no-holds  barred hipster brawl that was pretty much as violent as this fight.  Now I'd like to share with you a hipster throwdown that is even more hep than the skinny jean, tank-top clad slapfest that was "Gay Hipster Fight".

I'd like to introduce you to Hipster Boxing. Hipster boxing pulls hipsters' profile pictures from facebook and puts hipsters head-to-head in a battle to see who is the hepest cat.  The site provides you with two pictures and you simply pick who the bigger hipster is.  Yuo can also upload pictures of your own hipster friends and see how they fare.  Naturally, the participants don't care if they win or lose, and probably don't consider themselves hipsters to begin with, but definitely are (at least most of them, I'll get to this). 



Pick Me. (Or not.)



As Hipster Boxing explains it:

"Will the idyllic photo of Liam wearing an 80’s track suit in an open field be enough to dwarf Scarlet’s fake granny glasses, fem-mullet, and indifferent countenance (partially obscured by bangs)? How will Axel’s empty over-sized frames, flannel shirt, and acid-wash skinny jeans stack up to recent Williamsburg transplant, Ruby, and her ironic confederate flag tattoo?

In Hipster Boxing, we let you make the call."

 

Hipster Boxing does a good job giving the site a true hipster vibe, playing on hipsters' apathy by quoting each contestant with, "Oh. Yeah." or "Pick Me. (Or Not.)".  The one downfall of the site is some of the picutres used.  Many of the site's contestants are not hipsters at all, making some votes a lot easier than others.  The site can be pretty entertaining for a while, simply because you are perusing a collection of hipsters' profile pictures, which are always enjoyable, however, after a few minutes the pictures start to recycle, and you start to see that many of the pictures don't belong on a hipster site. Additionally, if you do enjoy the site, whatever you do, don't look at the Leaders section, that's where the site loses all credability as being hep.  Overall, it's a great premise, and while it may not be executed as well as it could be, it's still pretty deck.  Thank you, Hipster Boxing for finally providing a place where hipsters can duke it out without the embarassing youtube video documenting their lack of athletic ability/muscular systems/motor skills.

HIPSTER FIGHT!!!!

A few notes about this fight:
- Kid in the racerback tank-top was ready for his fight, defintely had the advantage going into this over the kid in flannel and the other guy wearing suspenders.  Everyone knows its much easier to throw over-hand slaps/punches with no sleeves. Unfortunately for him he hasn't had enough PBRs to make him man enough to pack any power behind those hammer slaps. 

- Loved the asian hipster getting in there and throwing a few punches with one hand while never letting go of his street meat.

- Clear winner of this fight was the hipster rocking the white button-down and bow-tie.  While everyone in this fight hasn't the slightest idea how to throw real punches, at least this guy was throwing kidney shots all over the place, not to mention he got a couple strong right hook slaps in on the racerback kid, and no one every really bothered going after him at all.

- Where was the guy who comes in at the 1:12 mark with the cut off jean jacket for this whole fight?  He looks like the one guy who might've been able to do some damage.

- I take that back, where was the shirtless guy with the vest and weird mohawk haircut the whole time? He had to be the best fighter there right? Warriors come out and play-yay!!

Who to follow and what to read

If you happen to have a twitter account(even though it's SO mainstream), you should follow "liberalartsgirl". With recent tweets like "I've been a socialist since middle school", "I just feel like they let in a lot of normal people this year", and "Um, this book club is members only. Sorry." every hepcat will be sure to relate.

Speaking of book clubs, several Hepcatmosphere contributors belong to one. Up next is "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay", by Michael Chabon. So to the millions of Hepcatmosphere followers, pick up a copy. That is, if you're not too busy going to Animal Collective shows or spending your parents' money at American Apparel.

Fashion Forward

While the beautiful, famous and fabulous are engrossed in New York Fashion Week, hep cats are embracing a more obscure fashion trend: Jortveralls.

Denim Shortall, $68, urbanoutfitters.com

You may think overalls are strictly reserved for farmers and field hands. No way, José! Overalls have the startling ability to occasionally break into mainstream culture. Noted overall fans include:

Andre 3000, rapper

The girl who played Alex Mack, The Secret World of Alex Mack

Mario and Luigi, Italian plumbers

If you're skeptical about trying this trend, rest assured that you're in good jortverall company. You can even make jortveralls last through the fall by wearing your favorite tights underneath a pair. Throw on some ankle boots and your fav cardigan and you're ready for Nylon street style!

Donde Esta Los HepZepatos?

In a new segment spearheaded by myself, the where abouts of hipsters in your local area is being highlighted so that you may dress to impress and head down to said territories and get deck. That being said, the first principality in this segment is Davis Sqaure in Somerville Massachusetts. This past friday I stepped off the Davis Sqaure T stop and while heading towards my interview, I found myself in a world unlike any other I had ever inhabited. The first thing one notices about Davis Sqaure is how it feels like you're really 30 odd years in the past based on the size, shape and decor of the buildings. As I sauntered down the street I noticed a multitude of coffee shops all in a half block radius of each other. The most inviting was a local shop by the name of "Diesel Cafe" populated with hard-cover book toting post-adolescents with one of the following; unkempt facial hair, Buddy Holly glasses, flannel shirts, shoes without socks and custom made shorts. In addition there was a gaggle of young ladies with their yoga mats in tote, advertising to everyone that they like to exercise. The interior of the cafe was decorated with ornaments that had no real business being wall decorations in a cafe, making it even more deck. It must be noted that this was the first cafe I had even been to with pool tables in the middle, two to be exact with red felt instead of the traditional green.

With time remaining until my interview, I decided to sample some of the local fare. With my diet restricted to mostly non-solid food I ordered a summer squash soup and a cup of joe. Let me just say this, the soup was neither here nor there, but the coffee was the strongest I have ever tasted. It took me about a half hour to down the 16 oz. cup and it made me wonder how these hipsters get such little done with so much caffine circulating through their system. The prices were less than flattering, but in a place such as this, one pays for atmosphere. Regardless, I had an nice visit to the area and became more self aware to where all the hipsters were hiding in my fair city. Until next time, caio.

Beer of the Week: Pabst Blue Ribbon

Hipster of the Moment

Editor's Note: These days, being hip is trendy. You can't walk down Bedford Ave without someone smacking you with their satchel (slung across their chest, of course) or their keffiyeh blowing in your face. Despite the ubiquity of hipsters in today's society, there are certain individuals whose star shines a little brighter, whose jeans are a little skinnier, whose facial hair is just a bit more ironic. They are the leaders of the hep cat pride; they are the Hipster of the Week.

(EDIT: Because the real world won't stop hasseling me, a weekly honoree is just not feasible. Instead, I will be posting recognized hipsters over undefined increments of time AKA whenever I feel like it. - XOXO Jade)

Spotlight on : Elaine Benes

Who: Fictional character/member of the Seinfeld entourage

D.O.B.: Unknown

How Hip is She:

Elaine Benes ruled the Upper West Side for nine years with everyone's favorite neurotic New Yorkers. Having once dated Jerry Seinfeld's character, Elaine spent most of the show as a serial dater. She worked as a writer/editor and had some killer dance moves.

Although Cosmo Kramer may have been a hipster doofus (and thus, the more obvious choice for Hipster of an Arbitrary Amount of Time), Elaine Benes is influencing today's fashion in ways no one could have ever seen coming. Her Urban-Amish look is not only gracing the UWS, it's spreading throughout Manhattan (though this time, it isn't as conservative). In fact, I was riding on the L train this weekend and saw a hep cat wearing a plaid minidress with penny loafers and socks. Florals, lace, and denim--things Elaine's stylist swore by--are all currently en vogue. Will this lead to more 90s trends coming back in style? We'll just have to wait and see.

Hear Ye Hear Ye, A Decree for All HepCats

Listen up ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; the time is now. It is now the time to do whatever it is you want in your respective lives because there may be a day right around the corner when you have to take a departure from your lifestyle. I say this because in the past week I had minor surgery (if you can even call it that), the only reason it was significant is because I was restricted to eating non-solid foods. As a result I came to the stark realization that upon recovery I needed to induldge my every food and drink fantasy that appealed to me. While I was lying there getting the work done, numbed up on novicaine I imagined what it would be like to have a procedure that was done that would render me unable to do some of the things I had been so accustomed to in my life. I decided then and there that it was only reasonable to not take anything for granted in my diet because there may come a day when it is taken away from me.

Now I understand this may not be relatable to most and incoherent to others, but if you can take away anything its that you shouldnt hold anything back. There will come a time in all of our lives when we cannot partake in certain indulgences and at that moment when we realize it, we are flooded with regrets of not doing so. As a result I condone and comission all those who read this to go where their mind takes them and not be subdued by the protocol of others or of society. Because unless it is something outrageous or catostrophic, people don't really give a shit and will go on about their business as you go about yours. As for what this article has to do with hipsters, I can only say that all I want to do is cut the legs off my jeans, buy a six pack of PBR, hop on my bycicle and pedal until I reach Davis Square to schmooze with my bretheren in all of our hipster glory. Amen.

Pre-historic hipsters

Classic.

Beer of the Week

Beer of the Week will be a recurring segment here at Hepcatmosphere.  Each week I'll introduce you to a new beer and give a bit of a review.

This week's Beer of the Week: Heineken

This video is all that needs to be said about this week's beer of the week:

Hipster Glasses

Indie Nation: For those who don't want to waste their time at a mainstream eyewear establishment that might not even sell black, thick-rimmed glasses. Or perhaps, for hipsters who dream of a life where vampires and humans can live as one. Maybe if American Apparel stopped trying to pass off lingerie as real clothing and focused more on functionality (like helping people see), they wouldn't be having this problem.

BREAKING NEWS

Hipsters across recently-gentrified urban neighborhoods are weeping tonight. It was reported today that American Apparel is nearing financial ruin. Apparently, being a lucrative business operation is too mainstream. Shares in the company have fallen nearly 66 per cent in the last year, and today alone, shares plummeted 13 per cent.

According to the New York Times Dealbook:

American Apparel reported in its quarterly report that it has received a subpoena from the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York regarding its switch to Marcum from Deloitte as its independent auditor.

The company is not only dubious with its hiring process (as noted in a previous Hipster of the Week post), it's equally suspect with it's accounting procedures. AA is also $91 million in debt. What does this mean for our favorite shop for leotards and flex-fleece hoodies? Well, it may not be long before your favorite deep-V is a hard-to-find vintage tee.

For financially-savvy hep cats, check out AA's performance today on the NYSE (courtesy of NY Times Dealbook):

Film Update

If you're true film-obsessed hep cat, then you should probably ignore this post since I'm sure you've been following these films on IMDB since, like, two years ago, before they were even "in development".

The Black Swan
Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder. About a rivalry at a ballet school with supposed supernatural elements, and directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler).

Daydream Nation
Named after the 1988 Sonic Youth album, starring Kat Dennings (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, 40 year old Virgin) and Josh Lucas. Michael Goldbach's directorial debut "has the hazy appearance of The Virgin Suicides with music from Beach House and Metric's Emily Haines".

Somewhere
Directed by Sofia Coppola (Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation), featuring music by the hipster-favorite Phoenix, starring Elle Fanning (mini Dakota) and Stephen Dorff.

The Social Network
Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), starring Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland) and Andrew Garfield, and shockingly not Brad Pitt. A dark representation of the creation of Facebook can already be sensed during the trailer, with Radiohead's "Creep" being covered by a choir.

More to Eat, Pray, Love

While I completely agree with Magnus' post about Julia Roberts' upcoming movie, I just had to mention one thing he missed that the truly heppest of cats will enjoy.  The trailer for Eat, Pray, Love actually uses Florence + the Machine's "Dog Days are Over" off of her album "Lungs".   

I've been hearing this track a lot lately and its pretty good.  Now, as far as I know, not too many people know of Florence + the Machine, yet her music is starting to appear in blockbuster movie trailers.  She may be on track to become what I like to call a "Magnetic Hero".  A Magnetic Hero is a relatively unknown band who explode due to their music being used in mainstream advertising, much in the way of Ed Sharpe's recent success, "Home".  This may better be described as The iPod Commercial Phenomenon, with examples such as Feist's "1234" or The Fratellis' "Flathead" coming to mind, but I'm sticking with Magnetic Heroes.

If you haven't heard Florence + the Machine yet, then here's the video for "Dog Days are Over" as you can see, she is one seriously dirty hipster.

The Future of Hipsters

Looks like we can all look forward to fresher hep cats in only eight short years.

Eat, Pray, Blah, Blah, Blah

Unless you've been avoiding television altogether for the past few weeks or you only watch public access channels, you're sure to be aware of the new Julia Roberts movie set to be released titled aptly Eat, Prey, Love. This movie is like a wet dream come true for most hipsters because it gives them something to identify with and justify their obtuse lifestyle. Hipsters and psuedo-Hipsters alike are going to be coming out of the woodwork on this one, telling everyone and anything that Julia Roberts decision to leave her conformist life behind and trek the globe, (namely India because its mysterious and most people don't really know what it's like aside from the Taj Mahal and the slums a la Slumdog Millionaire) is the most deck thing going. India itself is a land where hipsters can flock, only to return with the greatest souvinier of all, saying they've been there. I can almost hear people uttering "this movie speaks to me on so many levels" and "this is exactly what my life needs right now, a pilgrimage to new lands where I can continue to do nothing in a new time zone." Nothing against Julia Roberts or the crew associated with writing and directing this movie, but it is set to unleash a wave of hep cats young and old that will go on and on about how giving up ones career to walk the earth is one of the most noble things a person can do with themselves. Me, I'll take David Carridine and Kung-Fu re-runs any day of the week.

Vintage Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend Trailer from ezra on Vimeo.

Who knew they were filmmakers too? Back in 2005, when these hep cats were still at Columbia University, Ezra (the lead singer) made a film called "Vampire Weekend"; above is the trailer for said film. The film inspired the band most obviously through the name, but apparently it went even further than that. According to sources (wikipedia), "Ezra plays the main character, Walcott, who has to go to Cape Cod to tell the mayor that vampires are coming". So if you know anything about anything, you'll already have made the connection between the plot and the songs "Walcott" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" on Vampire Weekend's self-titled debut album. And if you're a true hep cat, you would've known about this 5 years ago, before the album was even released.

Hipsters: A History

The modern hipster is a direct descendant of the Roaring 20s era "flapper", individuals whom much like hipsters today adorned themselves with garments that did not congeal properly, while speaking in a vernacular that was both incoherent and irrelevant. Things that were noteworthy were deemed to be the bees knees/cats pyjamas, and my personal favorite, "That's so Jake." Alcohol was referred to by the unassuming title of "giggle water." These flappers moved nomadically from speakeasy to speakeasy, latching on long enough to be seen but never long enough to become a regular. The transition to the modern hipster of today has been seamless as they exhibit similar behavioral tendencies and instinctual patterns. Therefore, if history can teach us anything it is that not even Doc Brown and his delorian can save you from the scourge of dirty dirty hipsters that plague our fair cities.

Birthday of the Week

Happy Birthday Jade!! Here's to a girl that's so hip she gets Birthday e-mails from American Apparel.

Beer of the Week

Beer of the Week will be a recurring segment here at Hepcatmosphere.  Each week I'll introduce you to a new beer and give a bit of a review.

This week's Beer of the Week: Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844

What is Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844, you may ask?  It is the same PBR you know and love, poured out of its red, white and blue can into one of these fancy glass bottles you see above, shipped to China and sold for $44 USD per bottle.  Here's the NewYorker article about 1844.  One key quote from the Chinese advertisements:  

 

It’s not just Scotch that’s put into wooden casks. There’s also Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer 1844. 

Many world-famous spirits

Are matured in precious wooden casks

Scotch whisky, French brandy, Bordeaux wine…

They all spend long days inside wooden casks.

It also mentions that Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 should be served in a champagne flute.  Now, I'm pretty  sure the only thing you should be drinking out of a champagne flute is  a fine cheese drink, but that's beside the point.  The point is, I don't think I ever want to travel to China after reading this article.  One of the main reason's I love PBR so much is because I feel so hep when I'm drinking it and one of the major reasons PBR is so deck, is how cheap it is.  One of my good friends, Wrinkles, is fond of saying, "Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my PBR," yet, even he would never pay $44 for Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844.  That's why we live in America, $2 PBR TallBoys.  Afterall, we wouldn't want to be as mainstream as the 1.3 Billion people living in China, I mean way to be original.  

 

So pick up a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 this weekend, and enjoy not being from China (apologies to our faithful follower Chenchen).

Hipster of the Week

Spotlight on : Joanna Newsom

Who: Harpist, Pianist, Singer/Songwriter; Changeling (so says the New York Times); Second cousin (twice removed) of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

D.O.B.: January 18, 1982

How Hip is She:

This indie/folk starlet is critically acclaimed and just released her third studio album: Have One on Me. Her sound is one you could best describe as "acquired." Some people say her voice is ethereal and childlike; others say she sounds like an Appalachian hill person. Her instruments of choice are the piano (conventional), the harp (a bit unconventional), and the harpsichord (whoa, we're back in the court of Louis XVI! or maybe just at a BK basement party).

Recently, Newsom performed with Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold at Carnegie Hall. The highlight of the show? Their cover of Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow's "Picture."

Two whimsical and excessively erudite folksters covering a blue-collar lovesick ballad? The irony is almost too much to handle!

Where the Dirty Hipsters Are

This reminds me of a particular post from the blog "Stuff White People Like". Some of the posts on SWPL seem like they belong on "Stuff Hipsters Like", such as Post #127, Where the Wild Things Are. It begins by describing white people's unhappiness with the beloved book being translated onto the big screen. As I was reading the post aloud to a certain hipster friend of mine, she stated that the turning point for her was when she found out Spike Jonze would be directing. Before she even finished her sentence, I got to the sentence "concerns quickly turned into an opiate-like peace when they found out that the film is being directed by white person favorite Spike Jonze." This was too much for me, as she was falling right into the hands of the SWPL writers. Yet if you ask me, the average white person didn't get around to seeing the movie, whereas the average hep cat could charm (or bore) you with an hour long discussion. Perhaps it's time for Christian Lander (creator of SWLP, also a white person himself) to create the hipster spin-off blog, as this is the case with several other posts (i.e. #41 Indie Music, #50 Irony, #101 Being Offended).

Oh, and in case any of you were curious, I was listening to the infamous (strictly amongst hep cats) soundtrack of Karen O and the Kids as I wrote this.

Hey Wrinkles,

Wake up and start ranting!

LATFH

Doing just as I told them, picking up some 16oz cans of PBR

Short Film

So Jade sent me this piece and instead of posting it herself, she is too busy "redoing her resume".  I told her that who she is should speak for itself, and that she shouldn't need a piece of paper to do it for her; but I guess she's just really into conforming right now.

This is a beautiful expose on the hipster culture we love so dearly. Yourdictionary.com defines a hepcat as:

hep·cat (hep′kat′)
noun

Slang a jazz enthusiast

Only once in a long while does a film truly capture a culture's essence, quite like HondaAustralia does so masterfully in this piece.  Without further ado, I present:

How much Hipster can you pack in a Jazz?

Comic of the Month

Copyright: www.marriedtothesea.com, 6/7/2010

Why so hip?
Married to the Sea is known for their comics touching upon (aka mocking) human nature at its finest, and in this case, its hippest. If you don’t know Godspeed You! Black Emperor, their long, instrumental songs are known for being experimental, and you can’t get much more hip than that. In fact they are such hep cats that throughout their existence, they’ve changed around the placement of the “!” in their name*. This keeps us intrigued, and even more importantly, it dates their music. Yes, that guy wearing an American Apparel tank top and skinny jeans was actually saying “I listened to Godspeed You! Black Emperor back when they were Godspeed! You Black Emperor. That was before they sold out.” This comic's one flaw is that apparently the hep cats in Godspeed You! Black Emperor have already reunited. But don’t tell too many people or it won’t be cool anymore.

*This information about the moving “!” came from a professor of Philosophy (Philosophy of Contemporary Music, to be exact) at Villanova University. He can be seen at the Holy Grounds in Falvey Memorial Library by day, and rocking to Diplo (Philadelphia’s hippest DJ) by night. Most importantly, he is always sporting plaid sneakers and a fedora.

Beer of the Week

Beer of the Week will be a recurring segment here at Hepcatmosphere.  Each week I'll introduce you to a new beer and give a bit of a review.

This week's Beer of the Week: Pabst Blue Ribbon

 

Taste: Delicious.

Price: So Damn Cheap

Hepness:  PBR was making good beer before it was cool.  Where were all these microbreweries back in 1893 when Pabst was winning Blue Ribbons? 

That's our Beer of the Week, pick up some Pabst Blue Ribbon on the way out to your next Darty (day-party, for all you slightly less hep cats) and enjoy the nice weather.

Hipster of the Week

Editor's Note: These days, being hip is trendy. You can't walk down Bedford Ave without someone smacking you with their shoulder bag (slung across their chest, of course) or their keffiyeh blowing in your face. Despite the ubiquity of hipsters in today's society, there are certain individuals whose star shines a little brighter, whose jeans are a little skinnier, whose facial hair is just a bit more ironic. They are the leaders of the hep cat pride; they are the Hipster of the Week.

Spotlight on : Dov Charney

Who: Founder/CEO of American Apparel, generally disgusting human being

D.O.B.: January 31, 1969

How Hip is He:

Though Charney's company originated in Los Angeles, it is now a huge global presence. Bands like Vampire Weekend, Metric and Death Cab For Cutie have all used AA's basics to create their own band merchandise. In addition to its cotton knits, the company is known for its ecofriendly means of production and refusal to outsource labor. Charney himself is known for his aversion to Prop 8, uggos and treating women with respect. AA employees must meet impeccable beauty standards and the company has been targeted in numerous harassment lawsuits. While AA's sexually explicit ad campaigns might have tipped you off on Charney's true nature, recently released internal documents proved what we all suspected: he's just a dirty hipster. American Apparel's stock has gone down in recent months, but don't worry, Dov. Until the entirety of Brooklyn is gentrified, there will still be a market for V-necks and spandex.

Also, homeboy is from Montreal. In the ultimate ironic business move, this Canadian native started a company called American Apparel. Can't get hipper than that.

Yeah, I liked this post like two years ago, before we started this blog...

Welcome to Hepcatmosphere.  That is, welcome, if you are actually reading our blog.  Chances are you aren't.  There are thousands of blogs on the internet and the majority of them are being read by next to no one.  Well, here at Hepcatmosphere, we'd probably think its pretty deck that no one is reading our blog, after all, we wouldn't want to sell out and become too mainstream.

 Satchmo and some of his friends back when they were " really into basements".

This blog is going to be all about those hipsters and hep cats who listen to better music, drink better beer, have more style, smoke better cigarettes, have longer hair, blow better cocaine, wear tighter jeans, shave less, and drink better soy lattes at local coffee shops, than you do.  Because we do all of these things better than you and we know it, we want to help.  We'll let you know about any new music we're listening to, new spots we've discovered (or maybe just started going to after hearing about it), or any other new happenings we think you might want to know about.  We'll also have one contributor who will get on his soap box and try to force his opionons on you, (because his opinions are more correct than yours) don't be afraid though, he'll pass out soon.  Most importantly, and what many, if any, of you will come back for (opposed to hearing our shitty opinions on everything), is the fact that all along the way, we're going to be making fun of dirty, dirty hipsters like ourselves.  So, please make yourself comfortable in this hepcatmosphere, get a good latte and a cigarette, sit back and learn how to become a hipster.  And remember, if you enjoy this blog, you probably know about it way before anyone else; and in that case, you've already succeeded; and you sir are one hep cat.