J-Press Reveals: Some Of Our Best Hipsters Are Black
In the interest of full disclosure, there’s a few things we must tell you. When Jessica Pressler rang us up a month or so ago, and told us she was working on a piece about the phenom of “black hipsters,” we told her three things.
1.) There was no fucking way we were giving her a quote, because we recognized instantly that such a story would be ridiculed to high heaven ‚Äî if not because it hits a twin hot-button of race and the h-word, but because most American people’s brains are not hard-wired to talk about either with any sense of detachment whatsoever. Why? Because we are all stupid, stupid people when it comes to this shit.
2.) We thought it was “bipsters,” not “blipsters,” and we still stand by that. And…
3.) Here were some contacts, but that she should really consider maybe not doing this story.
But you know, part of loving someone means allowing them to go out into the world and allow them to write about black hipsters. So this morning, J-Press is feeling the full weight of what happens when you tell people who thought they weren’t commodities that sadly, they are, just like everybody else. There is no glory in this, no attribution when people finally burn off the snark and realize that hey, she’s kinda right, and certainly no relief, not now, maybe not ever. Take cover, young Jessica ‚Äî it’s going to take a nation of somethings to hold them back.
NYTimes: Blip Priests
Related: BCO: Grumble Grumble, I’m On A Messageboard
ColonelK: Grumble, Grumble, I’m Ugandan-American And It’s Totally OK For Me To Say “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger”
HerJazz: Grumble, Grumble, I’ve Got INDIE RAGE!
Previously: J-Press And The Sixth Borough: An Interview
January 29th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Oh dear God. Someone save her from herself and tell her to shut the fuck up already.
January 29th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Okay ahem “Writer Girl”? I’m sorry that your platform for progressive social discourse is limited to your journal and the comments sections of local gossip blogs, okay? But also, it is not my fault. Make an appointment with a therapist, get yourself some Chubby Hubby and watch a couple epis of “My So Called Life.” It’ll make you feel better.
January 29th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
1. will philebrity (please?) sponsor a letter-writing campaign (funniest letter, bitch-slappenest letter, etc)to stop, please stop, the terrible bullshitstorm that is pressler’s mouth?
2. jpress: your writergirl rebuttle says more about you than her?
January 29th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
But, JPress, why is it interesting or significant that middle class kids listen to middle class music even if they are black?
January 29th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
hey fat joey, any chance your knowledge that “such a story would be ridiculed to high heaven” had anything to do with the crow i fed you when you originally corralled artists into a racial display case? even so, amazingly, it looks like you’re still proud to claim coinage of the epithet. glad to see you’re finding warmth while wallowing in your bountied slop.
love,
mike
January 29th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
FYI, JPress, I also write for the New York Times.
January 29th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
lil jon doesnt rap about skateboarding. kelis is not really a hip hop artist. southern rappers are not dressing like punk rockers. hip hop is not in the midst of a rock-sampling trend.
aside from the factual errors this article is kind of insulting. is it supposed to be a surprise that black people listen to rock music? white people are far and away the largest consumers of rap, so why the presumption that there is a double standard?
weak.
January 29th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
OK, so some chick ruffles Jess’s feathers and she goes straight for the “I know I’m hotter than you” defense.
That’s something, alright. Note: Taking pride in the fact that you’re the most attractive female writer in the country’s fifth largest market is sort of like touting yourself the richest person in the projects.
I’d comment further but I think my work is done here. I will say this for Jessica Pressler: She does know how to get a reaction out of people.
January 29th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Am I racist if I think this article is an accurate and interesting piece of journalism?
January 30th, 2007 at 2:11 am
Baseball great Reggie Jackson once said, “Fans don’t boo nobodies.” I love how so many people thrash everything Pressler writes, and then rush out to read what she writes next. She wasn’t claiming the article was the definitive history of black people in rock music, nor did she claim it to be an authoritative tome on the future of the hipster culture (if such a thing exists). She simply wrote a short article (in the fucking Styles Section, for goodness sakes) about an interesting trend in modern music. And 100 people with 100 different agendas seem to have jumped on it and tried to use it to show off how culturally sensitive they are and how evil Jessica Pressler is. “Oh yeah, black people loved rock ten years ago and all of the Nirvana concerts were 50% black and 50% white and we all ate goodie gumdrops and were so happy in our mystical magical racial utopia of rock and roll until Jessica Pressler came along and pointed out what was sooooo obvious…” Calm down people. Get pissed about the state of our public schools or about 400 murders a year, but fucking relax about an entertainment article that points out that there are more black people listening to rock than there were ten years ago. In the meantime, keep hating on Pressler. As long as you keep reading everything she writes, I’m sure she won’t mind.
January 30th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Baseball great Reggie Jackson once said, “Fans don’t boo nobodies.” I find it interesting how so many people trash everything Pressler writes, then rush out to read what she writes next. She didn’t claim to write the authoritative text on blacks in rock ‘n’ roll, nor did she pen the great American tome on the future of hipster culture (if such a thing exists). She simply wrote a short article (in the Styles section, no less. You people are getting your panties in a bunch about an article in the fucking Styles section) about a recent trend in modern music. And then 100 people with 100 different agendas all hopped on it in an effort to show how knowledgeable and culturally sensitive they are (aw, gee whiz, you mean Elvis stole music from black artists??? Thank you for pointing that out, bloggers and message boarders, I had no idea!!!) Calm down. Get pissed about the state of our schools or about 400 murders a year, but don’t get pissed about an article that says, simply, that more black kids seem to be into rock and roll than there were 10 years ago. And keep hating on Pressler all you want. As long as you keep reading what she writes, I’m sure that she, and the people who sign her checks, won’t mind a bit.
January 30th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Fans boo baseball players when they suck. The NYT sunday paper generally has good writing. When you come across drivel you are disappointed. And you boo. At least you do if you are from Philly. Thats what we do when shit sucks. I think she’s capable. But Jesus this article was moronic. She forgot she wasn’t writing for phillymag or the Weakly.
January 30th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Jesus, saddoes, this is still going on? I only posted because Joey dared me to “respond to Maria Tessa in comments” and I thought he meant “writergirl” was she, since I wasn’t aware she had her own crazy-ass blog. Anyway that was probably dumb although if you know MT, well, you know my response made total sense. Anyway, “writergirl,” if it is true what you say, you should have a little more faith in the institution. Also you should have something better to do than comment on Philebrity. As I do. later.
January 30th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
In defense of the article…
I liked it, and I’m a blipster I guess. Yes is was soft and kind of obvious, but it was clearly written for a yuppie audience who wants to know “what the kids are doing.” Just check out the ads surrounding the article in the print version. I think the angry folks forget that they’re the cool kids, and they’ve seen the lone black kid at shows for years, and are probably friends with him or her- no biggie to them.
But to the blipster (really that’s a silly name), the article is quite relevant and touches on the tricky duality of black identity.
Crossing the strict color line is a big deal- it’s kind of equivalent to coming out of the closet- without the supportive community to rush into.
White kids wonder what you’re doing there, are downright hostile, or give you that weird NPRish diversity-hungry overly enthusiastic welcome.
To black folks it looks like you’re ashamed of yourself and your culture. Less like Uncle Tom and more like Larson’s “Passing.” So, there’s the guilt factor too.
People used to ask me why I didn’t date black guys. I was never because of any aversion to my culture, but because I was the only “blipster” in my town. Basquiats and Kara Walkers are like unicorns- even I stare when I see them.
When I’m out at a show and I see another black person (like the ubiquitous Kyle), the “hey” we exchange says all of this heavy emotional stuff in just a second. And it’s really awesome.
I saw a group of high school-aged black Goths the other day and almost shed a fucking tear. So yes, the blipster thing is a new- newly mainstream.
January 30th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Sorry maus, but the “hey” is just that, a greeting. I’m not saying its not nice to see other black folks at indie rock shows, but I think it takes away from one’s individual identity to dwell on it. I say hey because I’m a friendly person, not because you’re black like me. My main problem with the segregated scene stems from people’s socio-cultural laziness. I’m not any more interested in black folks who limit themselves to JUST listening to rock music than I am white folks who only dig bangin’ hip-hop and R&B. As for The Times article, white writers who have little to no contact with black people always risk missing the point. Not that a black writer would have necessarily done a better job. They just might have come from a slightly more informed place.
January 30th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
I’m just glad that I finally found a group to which I belong: yupster! Thanks Jessica! I like that one. :p
January 31st, 2007 at 9:56 am
Hey is “wanksta” still OK?