The phenomenon that is the Hipster is a slippery creature to pin down and define. A 2009 Time magazine article took a pretty good stab at it: “Take your grandmother’s sweater and Bob Dylan’s Wayfarers, add jean shorts, Converse All-Stars and a can of Pabst and bam — hipster.” Ever wonder why it seems so slanderous to call someone hipster? Do you have a good handle on where the name comes from? ChinaShop goes back—way back—digging up the origins of the cultural phenomenon that is “The Hipster.”
I get really brave when I’m on vacation, especially in other countries. As soon as I step off the plane, I get hit with this euphoric sense of unadulterated adventure. I have to try everything – experience everything. I mean I might never be back in that country again in my lifetime so I enter this mental realm of: ‘it’s now or never’ and get hit with this dose of ‘you must attempt this.’
I’ve gone in cages with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. I’ve rappelled down 200-foot cliffs over waterfalls in Argentina and I’ve swum in piranha and anaconda infested waters in the Amazon River. I pretty much lose my sense of danger when I travel and my vacations consist of stories that make my parents cringe upon my return. So when my Thailand tour guide asked me if I wanted to stop at this place called Tiger Kingdom on the way to Chiang Mai, my answer was of course yes.
I don’t have a TV, I rarely get out and admittedly, I’ve never been to a book reading… but it was quite special getting my listener’s cherry popped Wednesday night by one of ChinaShop’s own Teresa Jusino as she read some of her work at The Talking Stick in Venice.
Teresa, a talented New York based writer and activist from Queens, is in Los Angeles for a limited time in support of her contribution to the recently published book Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon By the Women Who Love Them.
As ChinaShop’s assistant editor, 2010 has been quite an exciting year for me. I’ve had the privilege of seeing nearly every post that has come through our back end and onto your screen, each day discovering something new and exciting that I’d not known existed. The following are 5 post that blew me away and knocked my socks off in 2010.
2010 was a great year! A plethora of music, festivals, exotic art, discovering new bands, overcoming hatred of public transit, behind-the-scenes tours of freak shows and hanging out with 3-legged creatures, and meeting lots of great folks along the way. Check out the year’s highlights as seen by ChinaShop contributor Nicole Pajer after the jump.
The best of the new (Porcupine Tree, Devin Townsend), a bit of the old (Killing Joke, Faith No More)…2010 was more than anything a return to form for artists of yore. Here’s the top 10 groundbreaking artists of the past year (or so)… as seen by ChinaShop Contributor Jeff Nau.
Pantozzi cosplays as a Red Lantern
Geeks know how to mobilize. Contrary to what you might think, they don’t just mobilize to save failing television shows. Sometimes, they use their vast social networking skills to mobilize for good. Sometimes, they mobilize to change the world. I hope to regularly spotlight those geeky activists here at ChinaShop to show the world what I already know; that the Geek Community is made up of some of the most caring and heroic people on the planet!
ChinaShop would like to welcome its newest contributor Amanda Boyd to the team! Despite the (frequent) misconception that’s she English, Amanda Boyd was indeed, to quote The Boss, “born in the USA” – New Jersey, in fact. Her love of music comes from her efforts to recover from the childhood trauma of being denied a pet llama; she was given a pair of headphones and a complete Beatles collection. It worked. She currently works for Red Bull and resides in the hipster capital of the world, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
When you get together with out-of-town friends, it best be memorable. This is precisely why I decided to join my usually remote comrades Gala, Nubby, Amy, Kevin, and Danielle at Disneyland. It had been years since my previous visit, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew there would be rides and crowds, but would I still have fun after the initial shock of color and people wore off? I wasn’t the only one wondering – I’m pretty sure I heard Gala exclaim “I can’t believe you’re at Disneyland!” at least three times. Even as a worldly maestro of advanced years I enjoyed myself, whether it was making myself dizzy on the teacup ride, marveling at the thousands of attendees, trying on very special hats, scarfing junk food, bustin’ a move at the night-time PG rave at neighboring California Adventure Park, or destroying gift shop displays with bubble gun warfare. Sure, there’s a somewhat incongruous captain Jack Sparrow inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride now, but I sort of enjoyed him. And speaking of captains, Captain Eo is back, and the new[ish] Tower of Terror ride is a tribute to The Twilight Zone, which I adore. Though I don’t see myself buying a pair of sequined mouse ears or being a season pass holder, I’m looking forward to the next time. With so many bloggers in our midst, cameras were present and plenty. Proof of adventurefuns, below!
Every city has it’s hipster sector, but not all hipster sectors are created equal. New York’s Williamsburg neighborhood in Brooklyn stands apart not only because of its density, span, and tastemaking power, but also its considerable cultural diversity. A breeding ground for bands and artists of all stripes since the 70s, Williamsburg is home to numerous theaters, cafes, art spaces and concert venues. Local and [often] imported bohemia thrives alongside multiple ethnic clusters, often inspiring snarky dismissal by other NYC residents. Clearly, if you like fun, this neighborhood is not to be missed.