Steven Nicholas Smith asked strangers off the street in Philadelphia to finish the sentence ‘I Am’. He decided to delve deeper into some of the answers further, creating not only written poems but a visual metaphor of the responses. It’s a simple concept but makes for an engaging and warm video about what’s on the mind of our fellow men and women.
Alright, I just saw this posted at Cpluv and figured I had better put it up. This is a quick shot-in-the-arm documentary from Shawn Bannon. It is a fascinating little morsel of culture to be sure. I am kind of ambivalent about the entire hipster culture scene though. I always have been. I have always kind of ridden the fringes of different social groups and have done the same with hipsterdom. Some of my friends tease me that I am hipster, but I have always thought otherwise. I have a very regular fulltime job, a mortage and a wife. I will probably have some kids soon too. I came from a very working class family, and I have never been given anything in my life. Ever. I have worked for everything I have and continue to do so. I have no privileged upbringing to rebel against. So sometimes I feel a bit like the everyman and I don’t exactly live the Jack Kerouac Bohemian lifestyle, if you catch my drift. I am not saying that every hipster was raised on the east coast and is rebelling against Oxford roots either.
So what is your take on this? Are we seeing a genuine rise of a new kind of hippy that is truly outside the circle and championing an alternative lifestyle that expunges the slavery of the American dream? Or is this just a bunch of privileged white kids who had it good and have decided they are too cool for school (and will later transform into fashion-conscious yuppies)?
Like I said, I am ambivalent and just not sure what I think. A part of me thinks this is really cool and would love to get in there with them and ride through the tunnels screaming like a banshee and another part of me just wants to call BS on the whole scene. Most of my friends could be described as hipsters, and I know a big part of my audience is. And I am not saying that the L.A. bike scene is the typical hipster scene either. I think it is a little bit of something different. Again, ambivalence.
Leave a comment and tell me how you feel. I am genuinely curious. Cool or not?
Don and Ryan Clark, the co-founders of Asterik Studio and the masterminds behind Invisible Creature also perform – for those of you non metal heads – in a hugely successful and innovative band named Demon Hunter. The band recruited young photographer and videographer Cale Glendening to join them on the road and produce what looks to be a breathtaking 3-dvd documentary about Demon Hunter, called 45 Days. You can view the trailer here.
