I never heard the term hipster thrown around in the 80's. So like the OG question, its flawed to think that the same animal existed then/now.
The animal existed, it's just that that name wasn't being used
at the risk of ripping off that vice mag guy's opinion: yes. Reading too much into fads of the youth is a practice for, well, old people (like, Hall & Oates old!)... Cool boss trendy hip hep whatever come on it's just kids trying to be kids, and not adults.
This post has reminded me that I'm old as hell, as I got the "M-E-T-H-O-D Man" reference instantly...and now, kids probably think of Method Man as the dad on some old web-sitcom or something I have no idea...
but: the "I'm old and I know it" schtick is almost as insufferable as the "good old days" one, so I'll shut up.
but see other people are saying that H&A were cool in 82. Didn't you say that earlier yourself? That they look dorky haha funny now but in 82 that was the shit?
What I'm saying is that despite the fact that they were two visually/comically mismatched white guys singing two-part soul harmony--not a "cool" aesthetic, even back in '82--their sound was deep-ish and well-liked, and that is why they were considered cool. (I know, Gary, that you're old enough that I don't have to remind you that shit was different in the 80s: if people liked your sound well enough, then your look became acceptable. Check out a Journey video sometime; it was entirely possible back then to be a cool band without being composed of any cool individuals.) In contrast, a lot of people initially disliked Kanye's emo/Euro/auto-tuned sound, but they came along for the ride anyway because his whole aesthetic has that Kanye Kool???.
Put another way: I don't think the fact that both acts are half-corny/half-cool makes them alike. The particular distribution of corny and cool matters in this case. (Jesus, what an awful sentence to have to type.)
Put yet another way: Hall & Oates are noteworthy because of stuff like "She's Gone," whereas stuff like "Heartless" is noteworthy because of Kanye. It's a little distinction, but it's important.
Even if my HIP peers were into other things and didnt have H&O in their walkman, that doesnt mean they would leave the dancefloor once Maneater came on. I dont think they were dismissed by 80's Hipsters at all. Hip Youngsters is the term. Not 30 year old Rockists still stuck in the late 70's. Of course none of my peers were talmbout goin to see them live. Or rippin out the posters in Teen Beat like Duran Duran, or talmbout Meat Is Murder. Talking Heads was POP. The Hip kids followed the underground shit as well as the POP shit. It was MTV time.
In the 60s and in grunge it was important that rock stars dress like their fans.
In the 80s rock stars wore goffy clothes, B52s, Prince, Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Michael Jackson, Pointer Sisters, Bon Jovi... Only obsessive fans tried to dress like them.
Even if my HIP peers were into other things and didnt have H&O in their walkman, that doesnt mean they would leave the dancefloor once Maneater came on. I dont think they were dismissed by 80's Hipsters at all. Hip Youngsters is the term. Not 30 year old Rockists still stuck in the late 70's. Of course none of my peers were talmbout goin to see them live. Or rippin out the posters in Teen Beat like Duran Duran, or talmbout Meat Is Murder. Talking Heads was POP. The Hip kids followed the underground shit as well as the POP shit. It was MTV time.
I suppose you have a point and I am revealing my own bias I guess. I was in my teens in the early 80's, but all I listened to was hip-hop or punk music. I pretty much always thought that all the people on MTV were doofuses, except for maybe Prince.
Talking Heads wasn't pop music though, not like H&O, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Culture Club and stuff like that. They only had 1 Top Ten single in their entire career, and they weren't played on mainstream radio at the time. They were def a rockist/critics fave though.
Even if my HIP peers were into other things and didnt have H&O in their walkman, that doesnt mean they would leave the dancefloor once Maneater came on. I dont think they were dismissed by 80's Hipsters at all. Hip Youngsters is the term. Not 30 year old Rockists still stuck in the late 70's. Of course none of my peers were talmbout goin to see them live. Or rippin out the posters in Teen Beat like Duran Duran, or talmbout Meat Is Murder. Talking Heads was POP. The Hip kids followed the underground shit as well as the POP shit. It was MTV time.
I suppose you have a point and I am revealing my own bias I guess. I was in my teens in the early 80's, but all I listened to was hip-hop or punk music. I pretty much always thought that all the people on MTV were doofuses, except for maybe Prince.
Talking Heads wasn't pop music though, not like H&O, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Culture Club and stuff like that. They only had 1 Top Ten single in their entire career, and they weren't played on mainstream radio at the time. They were def a rockist/critics fave though.
Once In A Lifetime wasnt on Pop Radio? Or just College Radio?
Even if my HIP peers were into other things and didnt have H&O in their walkman, that doesnt mean they would leave the dancefloor once Maneater came on. I dont think they were dismissed by 80's Hipsters at all. Hip Youngsters is the term. Not 30 year old Rockists still stuck in the late 70's. Of course none of my peers were talmbout goin to see them live. Or rippin out the posters in Teen Beat like Duran Duran, or talmbout Meat Is Murder. Talking Heads was POP. The Hip kids followed the underground shit as well as the POP shit. It was MTV time.
I suppose you have a point and I am revealing my own bias I guess. I was in my teens in the early 80's, but all I listened to was hip-hop or punk music. I pretty much always thought that all the people on MTV were doofuses, except for maybe Prince.
Talking Heads wasn't pop music though, not like H&O, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Culture Club and stuff like that. They only had 1 Top Ten single in their entire career, and they weren't played on mainstream radio at the time. They were def a rockist/critics fave though.
dude-are you saying you didn't like Michael Jackson?
Even if my HIP peers were into other things and didnt have H&O in their walkman, that doesnt mean they would leave the dancefloor once Maneater came on. I dont think they were dismissed by 80's Hipsters at all. Hip Youngsters is the term. Not 30 year old Rockists still stuck in the late 70's. Of course none of my peers were talmbout goin to see them live. Or rippin out the posters in Teen Beat like Duran Duran, or talmbout Meat Is Murder. Talking Heads was POP. The Hip kids followed the underground shit as well as the POP shit. It was MTV time.
I suppose you have a point and I am revealing my own bias I guess. I was in my teens in the early 80's, but all I listened to was hip-hop or punk music. I pretty much always thought that all the people on MTV were doofuses, except for maybe Prince.
Talking Heads wasn't pop music though, not like H&O, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Culture Club and stuff like that. They only had 1 Top Ten single in their entire career, and they weren't played on mainstream radio at the time. They were def a rockist/critics fave though.
Once In A Lifetime wasnt on Pop Radio? Or just College Radio?
In the winter of 1980-81, the FM rock stations where I live had that song in HEAVY rotation...and the winter before that, it was "Life During Wartime." For a band as defiantly uncommercial as Talking Heads, the mainstream caught up with them fairly quickly.
Comments
at the risk of ripping off that vice mag guy's opinion: yes. Reading too much into fads of the youth is a practice for, well, old people (like, Hall & Oates old!)... Cool boss trendy hip hep whatever come on it's just kids trying to be kids, and not adults.
This post has reminded me that I'm old as hell, as I got the "M-E-T-H-O-D Man" reference instantly...and now, kids probably think of Method Man as the dad on some old web-sitcom or something I have no idea...
but: the "I'm old and I know it" schtick is almost as insufferable as the "good old days" one, so I'll shut up.
Maroon 5.
Put another way: I don't think the fact that both acts are half-corny/half-cool makes them alike. The particular distribution of corny and cool matters in this case. (Jesus, what an awful sentence to have to type.)
Put yet another way: Hall & Oates are noteworthy because of stuff like "She's Gone," whereas stuff like "Heartless" is noteworthy because of Kanye. It's a little distinction, but it's important.
In the 80s rock stars wore goffy clothes, B52s, Prince, Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Michael Jackson, Pointer Sisters, Bon Jovi...
Only obsessive fans tried to dress like them.
Mostly. I did have a skinny tie with piano keys.
I suppose you have a point and I am revealing my own bias I guess. I was in my teens in the early 80's, but all I listened to was hip-hop or punk music. I pretty much always thought that all the people on MTV were doofuses, except for maybe Prince.
Talking Heads wasn't pop music though, not like H&O, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar, Culture Club and stuff like that. They only had 1 Top Ten single in their entire career, and they weren't played on mainstream radio at the time. They were def a rockist/critics fave though.
speaking of i private messaged you about your lowrider mix. plaese hit me back!
Once In A Lifetime wasnt on Pop Radio? Or just College Radio?
dude-are you saying you didn't like Michael Jackson?
In the winter of 1980-81, the FM rock stations where I live had that song in HEAVY rotation...and the winter before that, it was "Life During Wartime." For a band as defiantly uncommercial as Talking Heads, the mainstream caught up with them fairly quickly.
Daryl Hall endorsed
EDIT: Didn't realise that this happened in 2008
:lattepass: