On my walk home from work, I pass the Paramount Theater. It's one of those big, old time theaters that present five day runs of the most trite and consumer friendly musicals touring (read Mama Mia!). They occasionally also hold concerts there. We won tickets to see Bright Eyes at the Paramount when we first moved here and were so broke we couldn't afford cheese.
I wasn't thrilled with Bright Eyes, but did get to see the wonderful Jesse Sykes, so there.
Anyway, last night at the Paramount, there was Tool. When I type Tool, I would hope that you here it in a big, manly, growling voice - TOOL! I saw the fans floating up from downtown before I saw the marquee, and wondered what alterna-metal band was playing as I was awash with 21-35 year old men in black T-shirts, black shorts, strangely trimmed facial hair and so many baseball caps...
I became annoyed by the obviousness of the uniform, but tried to quell it a bit. We all do it for the most part, we all wear something that makes us easily identifiable. Many of us make it easy to define where we stand socially by the articles of clothing we chose to cover ourselves with.
Indy fanboys? Uniform. Hip hoppers? Uniform. People trying to not wear a uniform? Uniform. Punk rockers? Serious fucking uniform.
I've always found it hideously ironic that punks, who want to shake up the system so bad, have the strictest code when it comes to what they wear. If you don't have the right jacket or accessories, then you ain't a real punk. Shit yeah, anarchy! Except in the haphazard shops that handily sell you your rebellion.
And this in turn reminds me of one of my favorite stories that Biffy told me: One of her teachers was in England during the initial tidal wave of punk and witnessed a group of them - done up in their painted mohawks and anarchy, A in a circle, leather jackets - waiting patiently for the WALK sign at the crosswalk.
I'm not sure what my point is, except that I tend to get frustrated when people try to make a point with their fashion, it seems like an easy way, not a lot of thought involved. Oh, and that I also love a little gem of a lyric by Frank Black, "I don't conform, I wear a different uniform".
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7 comments:
"However, a person who dresses like a punk and listens to punk music may simply be conforming to the punk movement, and is not truly a punk, for punk is a state of mind."
Bill, I love your posts. They are not unsimilar to latter Simpsons episodes, where the first 10 minutes just serves as a completely random way to seamlessly serve up the second half.
That said, I agree with your fashion bits. There is an interesting sample in a Mos Def song which relates 4 black dudes sitting in a car late at night with no one else around, discussing how they aren't going to let the "man" keep them down anymore... while their car idles, waiting for the red light to turn.
Whatever.
Oh yeah and while we are on the topic... hippies are stupid. I just wanted to get that in there. I recently watched Festival Express and I understand now why so many people were into that movement back in the day, but you know what? they had a purpose... they were fighting for something... they were trying to make a change. Hippies today... they are just another isle at the local Wal*mart. Just like everything else.
eat your words kc!
hippies today stand for all kinds of things:
dave matthews.
phish.
patchouli.
birkenstocks.
that crystal that serves as a natural deodorant.
Oh Mandy... please, let you be kidding...
did you happen to catch my hipster post? funny how in some alternate universe we were on the same brain yesterday.
p.s. amen to hippies being stupid.
muahahaha.
You know... it is rather pathetic that the only group that actually stands for something tangible these days, are the Republicans...
...too bad what they stand for is corruption and greed.
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