Joyce? Only by an unfair degree of "backwards projecting," which is unfair. Pynchon? Perhaps, but by saying so you might only be enabling the guy's once-upon-a boho self-regard.
But really: How could Kubrick be considered a hipster? His films are the epitome of tight-assed whiteness. For instance, the way he cast his leads in about 90% of his films. And so deeply, unrepentantly Europhilic (which is very much an anomaly among the descendants of American Jewish immigrants).
I guess the "anti-hipster" qualification is often a case of "people who for some reason haven't been utterly commodified/stereotyped". That's not to imply all of the above were "decent sorts". Just an interesting thought experiment a la Wayne's.
Dr. Strangelove is very much of the 50s/60s Mad magazine/'sick' humour vibe. Spartacus may be the kinkiest, commiest blockbuster ever made. 2001 & Clockwork Orange were generation-pandering Nietszchian drug-wanks. As for Lolita - Nabakov AND Peter Sellers are prime candidates for Godfather of Hipsterdom. His love/hate relationship to Euro-uptightness is very hipster IMO. Libertarian anarchy with a fetish for authoritarianism? Hipsterama!
OK I suppose Pynchon is/was a hipster (albeit with big generational differences to our current crop ie. nowhere near as childish) but Joyce still manages to rise above 'Heritage Ireland' blarney. He's not quite 'Shakespeared' yet.
"people who for some reason haven't been utterly commodified/stereotyped"
Yeah I'd certainly like to think Jimmy J escapes. However, in academic circles Joyceans are famous for being fucking mental and cultish. I'm a recovering Joycean mesel! There's also all that Bloomsday stuff, and this new Cats of Copenhagen thing released in deluxe hipster-friendly format for 4 million quid a pop or whatever. I guess we're talking more geek-chic than hipsterism here.
6 comments:
Pound only avoids being a hipster cos he was insane.
Interesting how you position the 'folkish' in opposition to 'hipster' though. Does this make Joyce, Kubrick and Pynchon hipsters?
Allusion not assertion damn you Kasper!
And I would say yes to all three of those guys, wouldn't you? Although Joyce is firmly in the retrospective commodity category - more's the pity.
Mr. Kasper...
Joyce? Only by an unfair degree of "backwards projecting," which is unfair. Pynchon? Perhaps, but by saying so you might only be enabling the guy's once-upon-a boho self-regard.
But really: How could Kubrick be considered a hipster? His films are the epitome of tight-assed whiteness. For instance, the way he cast his leads in about 90% of his films. And so deeply, unrepentantly Europhilic (which is very much an anomaly among the descendants of American Jewish immigrants).
I guess the "anti-hipster" qualification is often a case of "people who for some reason haven't been utterly commodified/stereotyped". That's not to imply all of the above were "decent sorts". Just an interesting thought experiment a la Wayne's.
Dr. Strangelove is very much of the 50s/60s Mad magazine/'sick' humour vibe. Spartacus may be the kinkiest, commiest blockbuster ever made. 2001 & Clockwork Orange were generation-pandering Nietszchian drug-wanks. As for Lolita - Nabakov AND Peter Sellers are prime candidates for Godfather of Hipsterdom. His love/hate relationship to Euro-uptightness is very hipster IMO. Libertarian anarchy with a fetish for authoritarianism? Hipsterama!
OK I suppose Pynchon is/was a hipster (albeit with big generational differences to our current crop ie. nowhere near as childish) but Joyce still manages to rise above 'Heritage Ireland' blarney. He's not quite 'Shakespeared' yet.
"people who for some reason haven't been utterly commodified/stereotyped"
Hmm- I'll have to answer that with a song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VnwL4-Ghn0
Yeah I'd certainly like to think Jimmy J escapes. However, in academic circles Joyceans are famous for being fucking mental and cultish. I'm a recovering Joycean mesel! There's also all that Bloomsday stuff, and this new Cats of Copenhagen thing released in deluxe hipster-friendly format for 4 million quid a pop or whatever. I guess we're talking more geek-chic than hipsterism here.
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