The Very First Hipsters Part Deux

Here is part 2 of berlinhipsterfestival2012's blog post on the original hipsters.

As we saw in the first part of this blog post the very first group of people to be called ‘hipsters’ were from the 1940s. And often they were identified by (perhaps identified with, rather) with an affinity to the jazz and bebop greats of the time and their lifestyle. The term hipster, itself, came from the word hepcat, which in turn is arguably of African descent, inspired by the Wolof language of Senegal (West Africa being the origin of most slaves to cross “The Middle passage” into the Americas).

“In Wolof, the verb "hipi" means "to open one's eyes." The American slang cat means a person, as in hep-cat or cool cat, and is similar to the Wolof kai used as a suffix following the verb.”

In a sense these roots only further strengthen the claim of the likes of Norman Mailer accusing these hipsters of, effectively, selling their race out. Perhaps selling their race out is a bit too strong a sentiment. It is, after all, generally understood that when Bing Crosby was called the first hip white person born in America it was supposed to be a compliment showing how cool he is. And all this during a time when black people were officially considered inferior (segregation, anyone?) and openly denigrated.

The attraction to the black music and dance is not hard to imagine as today we have the example of hip-hop. It is simply another case of history repeating itself, as history is wont to do. It also doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to understand that the new philosophies of racial diversity, exploratory sexual nature and drug habits hailing from the 40s would lead to the next era of hipsterdom that I want to touch on: HIPPIES!

PS On a somewhat unrelated-yet-related note we now have the perfect nickname for my partner in crime over here at the berlinhipsterfestival2012: Cool Cat!! Tell me Cat have people yet used it as a nickname for you?

The Very First Hipsters

This is the first art of my two-part blog entry on the first hipsters

When reading about the word hipster I was struck with how old the term was. Considering that today’s version of the term is used to describe people who effectively try a little too hard to be ahead of their time it is surprising that the first “hipsters” hail from the 1940s! You know when Hitler was such a threat that no one would imagine such a thing as Hipster Hitler!

Back then the word hipster, or hepcat, was used to define lovers of jazz music and the wider lifestyle associated with bebop legends of the time. Ultimately it comes from the slang word ‘hip’, which means to be ‘in the know’ or ‘fashionably current’. In other words being hip is heavily tied to awareness, which happens to be one of my favorite words. One look at the dictionary and it is easy to see why. What is not to revere from having knowledge, being conscious, cognizant, informed, alert, knowledgeable and sophisticated?

The hipsters from the 40s were known to adopt slang and dress styles of the aforementioned jazz players. They also possessed a more open mind with regards to race and sexual attitudes, in particular towards interracial lovemaking and homosexuality. In fact so much was this identity tied to black culture that Norman Mailer released a pamphlet in 1957 called “The White Negro”.

Tune in tomorrow for part two of my blog post on the original hipsters.

And We're Back!

Dear rabies and mentalmen.

As some of you may have noticed we took a week's hiatus. Part of the reason was that we were simply enjoying all Berlin had to offer now that summer is in the air and that festival vibe has descended upon us as we approach the half way point of 2012. We also had a public holiday which facilitated this break somewhat giving us ample time to observe Berlin hipsters up close as we conceptualize a festival to see out 2012 (because as most of you know the world is going to be over in a few months :p)!

On a more serious note we also had some qualms with Google as it appeared they were not indexing our blog and several friends had issues searching us. But now that we are officially, unofficially, categorically, metaphorically, physically, and metaphysically back in business i'd like to take the time to announce that we are working on bringing you an interview of the Hipster Death Squad. They make really great music and if you don't believe me you can check them out on:

http://hipsterdeathsquad.bandcamp.com/

Twitter: @HpstrDthSqd

And also don't forget that you can follow us on twitter too @berlinhipster12 as well as on www.facebook.com/2012berlinhipsterfestival

If you also have any questions that you would like me to ask Hipster Death Squad don't hesitate to contact me whichever way you see fit! Also i'd like to know which are your favorite songs. Other than that thank you for your patience and to reiterate: The berlinhipsterfestival2012 is back in business!!

Peace out

The Perfect Example of a Hipster

 As I mentioned in my previous blog spots, as well as in my comments, my mind is currently obsessed with the etymology of the word hipster and how it has entered into our collective mind and meant different things to different people at different times. And also looking at this change beyond just the mere word: has what we call a hipster today always existed? Interesting question. To understand how generally accepted connotations for words morph in the 4th dimension one need only think of the word ‘bad’. Michael Jackson’s song of the same name is the perfect example as it is generally understood, by children even, that by ‘bad’ he meant ‘good’, or something decidedly positive to aspire to.

In France they give the same connotation to the word ‘terrible’. A ‘terrible’ album in France is a 'great' album. A French friend of mine living in Berlin the word terrible in the French context when she speaks in English. I remember this one time when it to a misunderstanding with others (albeit not insurmountably so) not so clued up on French as the adulation in her tone of voice did not match the seemingly negative one-word-review of the concert we just witnessed.

It is my belief that the word hipster has also undergone such transformation. What I am currently less sure of is which way the wind has blown, as it were. What did it mean in the beginning? However, before going into the past of hipsterdom let’s begin by coming back to future. What does it mean to be a hipster now? I believe the video my co-conspirator Cat posted from Happy Endings is a great example. And also since a picture is worth a thousand words I have spotted a picture on buzzfeed of the arguably the most hipster dude you will ever (forever ever, forever ever?) come across. The hilarious caption says it all:

“Vintage threads, skinny jeans, a stack of vinyl at the ready, a portable turntable, oversized headphones, and a disinterested hipster girlfriend? That's it. Game over. He won.”

This is where we are today. In my next blog post I will go to where it all started… perhaps.

Introducing Myself (Abba)

It is only after reading my dear friend and partner in crime’s last post does it dawn on me that I never once introduced myself! How rude of me… tsk tsk. Perhaps that goes to show how immersed I am in the topic of hipsterdom, particularly as it concerns the city of Berlin. So without further ado here goes my wee introduction:

My name is Abba and I have been living in the uber-trendy and aforementioned city of Berlin for three and a half years now. As an expat here I have run into and befriended countless ‘hipsters’. Or in the very list I have encountered people that fit the stereotypical and ironic image that we have come to associate with the word hipster.

Very often these “hipsters” have come to be associated with the gentrification of Berlin. The same phenomenon that lead to a trend in left-wing anarchists burning the flash cars of those they viewed as encroaching on their home and driving prices sky high. Obviously this is not the fault of hipsters per se, or at least not solely.

To me the word hipster has become a meme to begs to be scratched because I feel like there are much larger factors at play here that demand closer inspection. Now I am not a hipster as I have never been referred to as one or classified myself as one. However I am pretty confident that there are a few things that I, my co-conspirator and even you can identify with.

Other aspects of hipsters will forever remain alien to me, but then again this perhaps of the journey to understanding where it is that I stand. As this blog progresses I hope for an understanding to develop in order to start work on a Berlin Hipster Festival 2012, or as we intend to brand it: berlinhipsterfestival2012. Yes with no spaces… just to be so with the times ;)

The begining of The Berlin Hipster Festival 2012 blog

Hello hipsters and hipster lovers (or not) out there.

With this first post we officially inaugurate our concerted efforts in analyzing, dissecting and understanding all things hipster-related. We must confess that the festival itself is still very nascent but it is our hope that through our research and with your help and contributions we can conceptualize the ideal festival and turn theory to practice by having an awesome time and a great party in the trendy city of Berlin.

According to many, Berlin is currently the de-facto hipster capital of the world. So naturally basing it here seems like the right fit. However the term hipster gets bandied about loosely and with so many connotations that not everyone who mentions the word hipster could possibly be inferring the same meaning. As such we shall also be delving deeper into the topic of hipsterdom and trying to define it.

We must admit to not being hipsters as the Twitterati and popular media seems to define them but more curious journalistic types that find the definition to be more blurry. After one look at it and it quickly becomes clear that a large number of people who would not consider themselves hipsters might very well be. One of the goals of this blog would be to provide a more substantial insight than a lot of the trivial, and sometimes vacuous, nature the subject of hipsters gets treated online.

 As for the nature of the festival it will be defined by our interaction with you. We hope you enjoy coming along with us for this journey in creating what will be a very fun event in a fun city.

Abba