Saturday, December 18, 2010

Closed For the Holidays

Readers, we're taking a long winter's break, but look for our musings on Twitter while the blog is away, and rest assured that Chip's New Year's resolution is to make even more boner jokes when we return, which is saying quite a lot, since he made a record number of boner jokes this year.

Happy hipster holidays! We hope your stocking is stuffed with PBR.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Weekend Cultural Guide

For children, old folks, and traditionalists, Liberty Hall offers up the annual Holiday Hoedown this evening. According to a piece in this week's Pitch, the Hoedown is traditionally the "rowdiest" of area holiday music events, but obviously the Pitch writers haven't attended in many years or they'd know that the event has morphed into a decidedly non-rowdy Hee Haw-like musical revue whose audience mainly consists of dancing children. The balcony, however, is still a fine place to drink beer and listen to some of Larryville and KC's best pickers and grinners. We'll be there.

For the hipper, the Rooftop Vigilantes Tour Kickoff is at the Replay. According to Lawrence.com, DJ's Zach and Seth from the Vigilantes will be holding court from 8:00-1:00 but, as with most information from L.com, we have our doubts as to its accuracy. Presumably, however, the band will be performing one of its patented 30-minutes gigs at some point (likely around 1:00 am).

For the hippest, the Vigilantes and Fourth of July are also playing a house party this weekend. It's posted publicly on Fourth of July's Twitter, so don't worry: we aren't sharing "secret" hipster information.

And for the artsy, the Percolator's annual benefit is at the Jackpot tonight, featuring performances by Danny Pound and Kirsten Paludan, who also happens to be profiled in this week's Style Scout: she "love[s] the return to lady-like fashion right now. Women are dressing less disheveled, more polished and sophisticated."

Is this true, or isn't it?

Thursday, December 16, 2010

This Week in Local Sports: Selby, Mario, Bubba, and Barbie / Important Hipster Article of the Week: "Brooklyn: The Brand"

You can't go outside in Larryville this week without hearing two words: Josh Selby. Yes, the highly-touted recruit is FINALLY slated to emerge from probation during Saturday's home game against USC and turn us from a great team into...possibly the best team that's ever played the sport of basketball (Good timing, too, since Mario Little, according to a Breaking News headline at this moment, was arrested last night for wreaking havoc along Ohio Street). Even the boys are excited about Selby's debut, and yesterday entered a contest to win tickets which required them to post a review of a local business in the LJ-World Marketplace. Read our review of the Replay here:

http://www2.ljworld.com/marketplace/businesses/replay-lounge/

But Selby isn't the only news of note this week in the world of local sports. Tulsa's Bubba Cunningham will (almost certainly) soon replace former AD Lew Perkins. Based on our Southern heritage, we mistakenly believed that all Bubbas were portly gentleman rarely seen without a big dip of Skoal, but this Bubba looks like a respectable fellow and we wish him well. If someone asks if you want to borrow some exercise equipment, just say no, Bubba!

And in holiday sports news, the KU basketball team found time in their busy schedule this week for a little Christmas shopping. Enjoy that Barbie, Markieff!




















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We love articles about hipsterism, especially Brooklyn hipsterism, and this past Sunday's NY-Times offered a piece called "Brooklyn: The Brand," which explores how "Brooklyn hip" is expanding into Manhattan with the recent opening of a new bar called The Brooklyneer:

"This new bar is dedicated to all things Brooklyn, particularly, the menu declares, the borough’s 'newly-emerging food artisans.' There are Brooklyn hot dogs and Brooklyn pickles and Brooklyn whiskey. You can order toast points spread with Boerum Hill-made ricotta and Carroll Gardens-jarred jam, slam oyster shooters with Greenpoint-brewed kombucha."

Naturally, true Brooklyn hipsters are worried about the co-opting of their hipness, while others, such as the managing editor of Brooklyn Based, celebrate such expansion as inevitable and positive:

"Some of the country’s top movements start in Brooklyn, N.Y...trends soon to be sweeping the nation.” Among those trends: “gourmet canning” and “the art of urban farming.”

Here's our personal favorite line from the article:

"There is a $9 chocolate bar produced exclusively for Cool Hunting by the Mast Brothers of Williamsburg, whose preindustrial production techniques and picturesque beards have been celebrated by numerous enthusiasts." (picture below)

Why does no one ever celebrate our picturesque beards?

And could the Captain please make a field trip to The Brooklyneer, slam a few oyster shooters with Greenpoint-brewed kombucha, and report back to us in a new column?

Read the full piece here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/dining/15brooklyn.html

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Ask Tweetnastyy: The Debut of Larryville's Hottest Advice Column! !

Our Twitter-buddy Tweetnastyy's recent guest column proved so popular that we felt compelled to offer her a recurring gig...as an advice columnist. In the debut of "Ask Tweetnastyy," she takes on such important topics as cuddling, farting, hooking up, and indulging in polyamorous relationships. Listen and learn, and send future questions to our comments sections or directly to Nastyy at her e-mail address below. Enjoy!

Dear Nastyy: What's the proper way to cuddle with a new squeeze?


Glad you asked! I like that this question indicates there are different ways to cuddle a new squeeze than how you would cuddle an "old squeeze". After a while, you find out what they like and are able to talk openly about what feels good, or where their old people joints/muscles hurt. For a movie, or an upright sitting situation, nothing beats the comfy nuzzle. I'm going to speak in terms of how I do things. I'm progressive and everything but my experience is mostly me (a girl) cuddling boys. Apply your gender specifics accordingly, you crazy horny children. Just rest your dainty little lady-head on his shoulder while he wraps his meaty man-gun around your shoulder. If that gets old, just bone down ASAP. You probably don't have much hope if you can't even be comfortable in each other's arms for short periods of time so it's best to just have one last sweaty hurrah and part ways. If you find yourself in a lay-down snuggle conundrum, spooning is WHERE IT'S AT. Don't gasp now, but I'm a pretty good little spoon. There's the ever-present dilemma of where to put the arm on which you decide to lie. I curl it around my head like a pillow. Figure I've got a good hour before my shit falls asleep and by then I'll probably be on my back anyway.


Gonna two-parter this answer because someone asked me how I stifled my farts with a new suitor. (I have since gradually introduced said suitor to my special brand of gasoline and things are still going well.) Somehow you must mentally change the way your insides work. That is the only way I can explain it. You have to will your guts to just chill the fuck out until release is acceptable. If you HAVE to do this, somehow you will. Just convince yourself you will die if you fart. You just might (of embarrassment).



Dear Nastyy: Do you have any tips for hip guys/gals for meeting people in Lawrence?


Well, for casual hook-ups, you can't really go wrong in the bar scene. Do you guys know how horny drunk young people are in Lawrence? Like, waaaay horny! You can take advantage of this, and it's affordable. Usually, you can just show up at the Replay at 2am and scoop up a stumbling ball of lust. No cover, no risky drink purchases, just sweet sweet hottie harvest. If you're looking for something more than a one-night stand, I say just stick with part one and eventually you'll wake up next to someone and won't be inclined to gnaw your own arm off. Keep them around. Make (or buy) them breakfast. Get their phone number. But like, actually keep it and use it. Someone's gonna like the way you work it. No diggity.




Dear Nastyy: Why do so many people frown upon polyamorous relationships?


Excellent question. I read up a little on polygamy because I was uneducated on the subject. It turns out there's more to polyamory than just fucking around. I don't really understand how people still "frown upon" what others do privately, especially polyamory (especially in Lawrence). Everyone's fucking. Who are we kidding? Why should your desire to sleep with new people hinder your chances of being in a healthy relationship? People are uptight, even in Lawrence. They're going to be skeptical of anything they don't understand or haven't practiced themselves. I say if you're happy, and your partners are happy, who cares what other people think? This is kind of obvious, but really. Anyone who is not okay with it has every right to decide it's not for them and back out. No one's in the dark when it comes to polyamorous relationships and honesty is the best policy. To be honest, the thought of polyamory just wears me out.




Hope I helped one OR ALL of you. Please feel free to send all your burning questions, love letters, and nudes, to asknastyy@gmail.com!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The LC's Best of 2010 Continues (Local Edition) / An LC Teaser Trailer

Lawrence.com is bringing back its "Best of Lawrence" awards this year, but we aren't fully satisfied with their categories and nominees (HOW did the Tap Room get left out of the "Best Place for a Date" category?). So this week we offer a few choices of our own. Feel free to submit alternate categories and winners in our comments section, and we might just print them on the main page if they make us laugh and/or give us a boner.

Most terrifying local moment: April 14 started out like any other. You were all hanging out on the Free State patio, enjoying a peaceful, sunny afternoon, when your beer-fueled reveries were shattered by the rude arrival of Larryville's most-feared hobo, a man known only as Horse Shit, who attacked the brewery with a railroad spike before being heroically subdued by one Mr. Craig Hoffman. Thanks again, Craig. You win our Hero of the Year award!















Most important local scenester event: Sure, October's GarageFest may have been the hipster event of the year, but the "you had to be there" moment of the year was easily Janelle Monae's triumphant "homecoming" show at Liberty Hall. If you weren't there, it's a miracle we still associate with you at all.


Hottest local blogger: The boys lobbied hard to win this award themselves, but let's face facts. This category belongs to (newly-blonde) Katy Seibel over at Kansas Couture. Go visit her blog and see if you agree:

http://www.kansascouture.com/

Best new restaurant: No, we're not going with Esquina or the Burger Stand at the Casbah or 715 (when did those open anyway). We're going with Oh Boy Chicken. The boys have been wanting a downtown fried chicken joint for years now, and their dreams have finally become a (delicious) reality.

Chip: "The irony that Oh Boy replaced the 10th Street Vegetarian Bistro is almost as delicious as the chicken. In fact, the only problem I have with Oh Boy is that their chicken is gluten-free, and I tend to like extra gluten in my chicken."














You should follow Oh Boy on Twitter (since they don't seem to have an actual website):

http://twitter.com/OhBoyChicken


Best addition to the local scene: This one is easy. Larryville's Final Fridays Art Walk has done a great service by providing us a monthly opportunity to talk pompously about art not just in the expected locations but in a multitude of venues. Our only wish is for the event to get just a little...weirder. Come on, Larryville!

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Readers, we're very excited about a new column slated to debut soon at the LC in which everyone's favorite new guest columnist, Tweetnastyy, will answer your questions about Larryville life and love (and lust and boners and all manner of sexual escapades). We encourage you to submit potential questions in our comments section and, if you're lucky, maybe they'll be selected for "Ask Tweetnastyy!"

Monday, December 13, 2010

The LC's "Best of 2010" Series Begins! / Holiday Gift Guide

Readers, we won't bore you with a bunch of Top Ten lists, but we can't resist a chance to zero in on a few of the things we found most hip, most fascinating, and most boner-inducing this past year.

Book of the Year: The choice is obvious. Franzen's Freedom provided a sobering tour of the modern moment that (a) left us very concerned about mountaintop removal and (b) provided us with a new euphemism for boner that we'll no doubt be using for years to come: "protruding pencil of tenderness."

Song of the Year: We could join the rest of the blogosphere and proclaim the genius of Kanye here, but we won't. The song that moved us most this year is the "LC Theme Song", in which the mysterious local hipster-pimp Sugar Dick, backed by the estimable Leotards, "toasts" (reggae-style) the local establishments that help to keep us hip. Please download from our sidebar and add to your end-of-the-year mixtapes.

Runner-up: Transmittens' We Disappear. Now that our twee friends have moved on to bigger, less twee projects with Seapony, this may well be your last chance to hear them at their bleepy and bloopy best. Don't miss it:

http://transmittens.bandcamp.com/album/we-disappear

Film of the Year: Admittedly, we haven't actually seen Black Swan yet, due to the fact that Hollywood believes Middle America is composed entirely of rubes who won't even consider seeing a film about ballet. But we think it's safe to assume that any movie containing a Natalie Portman/Mila Kunis love scene is surely the year's best. It's certainly made our pencils protrude with tenderness, if you catch our meaning.

Chip: "Wait. This is a movie about ballet?"

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Sure, local establishments such as Free State, the Replay, and Quintons offer T-shirts that make nice gifts, but why can't these venues get a little more original. Take KC's Knuckleheads, for example, which is selling thongs that read "Take me to Knuckleheads for some blues." Why can't the Replay sell a thong with a PBR can on it, possibly containing a pulltab?

Order your blues thongs here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Take-Me-Knuckleheads-Some-Blues-Thong/260479547185?pt=US_Women_s_Panties&hash=item3ca5ca7731

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sunday Scenester Pick and a Visit to Foodspotting!

Readers, it was so frigid and windy last night that even the hippest of local hipsters stayed home, drinking PBR by a roaring fire. Sadly, we even missed Santacon and can only offer you this LJ-World picture, which looks sufficiently jolly to us. Santas, if you're reading, identify yourselves:










If you're like us, you're probably getting cabin fever by now and will want to venture out this evening. Your choices are limited, but we recommend the Replay (naturally), where an Omaha folk collective of 10+ members called Midwest Dilemma will take the stage (can 10+ members FIT on the stage at the Replay? that alone is reason to attend). Their album, Timelines & Tragedies, is a concept piece (containing 20+ players, with a woodwing and string section) which "explores the journey of [lead singer] Lamoureux’s ancestors from days of French Canadian fur trading to his present day life in Omaha. Along the way, notes of the Vietnam War and his parents’ generation highlight the tale" (www.blogcritics.org).

If you're not intrigued yet (Chip: "History is still boring even when it's sung."), note that a solo Art Dodge is opening the show, and nothing says winter in Larryville like an evening of whiskey and basking in the glow of pinball machines as they reflect off Dodge's beard.


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We're huge fans of www.foodspotting.com, where intrepid foodspotters from across the globe post photos of their meals, and we often check in to see what's been spotted in Larryville (mostly gourmet burgers). Our recent visit to the site uncovered this startling photo, of the Jolly Green Giant chowing down on palaak paneer at India Palace. Identify that Giant and win a beer. Ho ho ho!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Hero of the Week: David Booth / Spot That NEON Scenester!

As you've no doubt heard, KU alumni David Booth paid a (perfectly reasonable) $4.3 million dollars yesterday at a Sotheby's auction to secure for KU an original copy of Naismith's 13 rules of basketball (a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Lincoln went for slightly less).

The rules will be displayed in an as-yet-to-be-decided place at the university.

Exciting news, yet a few essential items of KU basketball memorabilia are yet to be secured. We particularly hope the university can obtain the knife from Giddens' legendary Moon Bar knife fight and the mysterious, never-released "evidence" from the Collins-pulls-his-cock-out-on-the-elevator incident.

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A. Rusc.n has outdone herself with the "Party Pics" from Thursday's final night of NEON. Go to Lawrence.com to check out all of them, but we offer a few of them here for your consideration. As always, identity the scenester and win a beer from the LC! Click to enlarge the photos.

Is this scenester dancing, or is she raising her hand to solve a problem in math class?

















Chip: "This chick is about to get topless!"















The robot is never not hip. And is that a Rolling Rock can? We are pleased to see cans of High Life and Rolling Rock appearing more frequently on the scene.
















A scenester in a nice sweater flashes a gang sign. We aren't afraid. And his girlfriend seems appropriately embarrassed.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Weekend Guide to Larryville Culture: Drunken Santas, Art, Rock and Roll

If you're like us, you've waited your whole life to witness a horde of drunken Santas chugging PBRs in tandem at the Replay Lounge. Tomorrow, that time has come. Larryville's first annual Santacon kicks off at 1:30 at the Sandbar. They'll be at the Replay at 3:30. Click the link in our sidebar for a full schedule. See you tomorrow in your Santa suit!

Chip: "I'm going to invite A LOT of ladies to sit on Santa's lap."

But that's not the only event of interest this weekend. If you're like us, you jump at any opportunity to hang out in Stan Herd's studio/performance space, and tonight at 8:00 an "electro-accoustic performance art group" called Postcommodity will perform a piece called "Your New Age Dream Contains More Blood Than You Imagined."
Admission is free. We were sold as soon as we read this line from L.com:

"The performance itself incorporates amplified deer antlers...".

And after Saturday's Santa spree, you may want to relax with some tunes from our Twitter-buddies Noise FM and Cowboy Indian Bear, who are headlining the Noise For Toys benefit at the Bottleneck to raise money for Douglas County Toys for Tots. The event will feature an "ugly Christmas sweater" contest. Chip won the contest last year, without even knowing there WAS a contest. See you at the show.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Stop Day Eve / Scenester Pick of the Day: NEON Comes To An End

Stop Day Eve may not mean much to our scenester and townie readers, but we'd be remiss not to mention one of Larryville's most tradionally debaucherous evenings for KU students, in which local scholars take a much-deserved break from their studies before finals to get well and truly hammered. Here are three facts you may not know:

1) More people get laid on Stop Day Eve in Larryville than on any other day except Halloween (which easily wins due to the inspiration of all the slutty costumes).

2) More Jager shots are poured today than any other day.

3) Richard once spotted a drunken sorostitute lying on her back in the rain like a turtle (Chip: "A sexy turtle") along Ohio Street one Stop Day Eve. Our friend Dr. C tried to help her, but she was beyond help. However, we're pretty sure she didn't drown. Yes, we've told this story many times before, but you may have forgotten about it.

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It will be a bittersweet evening for scenesters as Larryville's longest-running dance party, NEON, comes to an end after nine years and various locations. See you on the dancefloor at the Jackpot!

You can read a piece on the history of NEON and tonight's grand finale at Lawrence.com, which contains passages such as this:

" [DJ's] Morales and Cruz have seen it all over the years: people stealing money out of the bar’s cash register, couples having sex in the middle of the dancefloor and four (four!) wedding proposals."

Chip: "Sadly, I can't claim to have had full-on sex on the dancefloor at NEON, but I HAVE had my boner out on several occasions, for various reasons."

Read the story here:

http://www.lawrence.com/news/2010/dec/08/stop-music-neon-dance-party-comes-close/

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Checking in With Larryville's Transmittens (Who Are Now Called Seapony and Live in Seattle) / Also: The Boys Discover Whipahol

It seems like only yesterday that Larryville was enjoying the delightful toy instruments and Casio bleeps of our twee heroes, Transmittens, but the joys they brought us were fleeting, and we have now discovered that they have moved to Seattle, evolved into the three-member group Seapony, and apparently begun to play surf guitar!

They've even made Pitchfork's Playlist:

"The band's named Seapony, the song's called "Dreaming", the single's cover art is a picture of a girl in ocean water, and the label that's putting it out doubles as a Tumblr blog."

Check out Seapony's Bandcamp at the address below to hear three songs (their 7', Dreaming, is sold out, as it should be). We think you'll find the adorableness and catchiness remain. Stay gold, Seapony, and come play at the Replay for us as soon as you can!

http://seapony.bandcamp.com/

And recall the fond days of Larryville cow clouds and sparklemittens here:

http://transmittens.bandcamp.com/




















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They've taken away our FourLoko, but lately we've discovered something almost as ridiculous. It's called Whipahol--multi-flavored, alcohol-infused whipped cream in a can--and it's currently available at a liquor store near you (Chip: "Until the guvmint takes it away from us!").

To compete with 715's "Butchery Dinner" this weekend, the boys are hosting a special "Whipahol Meal" in which all dishes will be prepared using the delicious topping. Chip's dish is rumored to be chicken-fried steak, slathered with gravy and topped with Whipahol, whereas Richard is simply squirting Whipahol into half-empty cans of PBR to make a tasty beverage.

Visit the official website here:

http://www.whippedlightning.com/

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Local Foodie Events of the Week / More Film Criticism

Kra.se's Burger Stand and Esquina aren't the only local establishments helping to make Larryville an important foodie destination. There's also 715, which is hosting a "Butchery Dinner" this Sunday evening: "The private dinner, which still has a limited number of reservations, will include a session in which the Italian-trained Beard will demonstrate how he butchers a whole hog each week for the restaurant’s use in the hand-created pork products that pepper many of its entrees" (LJ-World).

Richard: "Sounds fun, but I'd prefer they were hosting a rabbit-butchering seminar/dinner."

Our vegetarian readers: "We agree, simply because we suspect that a lot fewer people would order the rabbit ravioli dish if they saw the cute fluffy bunnies being needlessly slaughtered for their dining pleasure."

Chip: "I dined at 715 recently and found my portion of lasagna to be distressingly small. True story."

For those who like their food/entertainment options a little less high-falutin' (and a little more hipster) than a private dinner, we recommend the Jackpot's second annual chili-cookoff tonight at 7:00, accompanied by "rock Djs playing deep dish blues" (L.com). Our guess is that the secret ingredient of almost every single pot of hipster chili is either PBR or Hamm's.

And in other food-related news, word arrived today that Old Chicago will be abruptly closing on Friday.

Our foodie readers: "This would be a great opportunity for Kra.se to expand his gourmet empire far enough to reach the fucking Philistines who dine along Iowa Street."

Our Westside readers: "Please let it be replaced by a Red Lobster or Olive Garden."

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When the boys occasionally see romantic comedies, it's almost always in an effort to get laid, but they found a surprising amount to enjoy in the new Jake Gyllenhaal/Anne Hathaway film Love and Other Drugs, namely the fact that Hathaway is extremely naked throughout much of the film. But just how great of a match are Gyllenhaal and Hathaway. Let's turn to the New Yorker's David Denby to find out:

"...what [the film] delivers at its core is as indelible as (and a lot more explicit than) the work of such legendary teams as Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn."

Exactly right, Denby. When we saw the scene where Gyllenhaal experiences a raging Viagra-boner and his wacky brother keeps accidentally slapping him on his boner, we thought to ourselves that we were witnessing nothing less than the rebirth of an 'indelible' leading man in the manner of Gable, Tracy, or (we might add) Cary Grant.

Chip: "I also like the scene where Gyllenhaal and Hathaway make a sex tape and the wacky brother gets caught jerking off to the sex tape!"

Monday, December 6, 2010

Gifts for the Hipster On Your List / Film Criticism of the Day

As the holiday season approaches, we'll be offering occasional advice on what to get the hipster on your list who isn't satisfied with the perennial case of PBR. Today's choices:

1) Dave Eggers' new book of animal sketches, titled It Is Right To Draw Their Fur: "Most of these works are of unusual mammals, most often accompanied by slogans with ancient, heroic, or just plain odd overtones" (McSweeneys).

Here's an example:











Chip: "I rarely tire of looking at beavers."

2) Children's shoes designed by the members of Animal Collective: "the band has teamed up with the apparel company Keep to create a line of shoes. Proceeds from sales go to the Socorro Island Conservation Fund...and each shoe pre-order comes with a cassette of previously unreleased music" (Pitchfork).


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We're big fans of Soft Skull Press (after all, they published our friend King Tosser's book: Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists). Now they're releasing a series called Deep Focus, four books of film criticism. In the first book of the series, novelist Jonathan Lethem tackles John Carpenter's They Live:

"At first, this seems like a parody of postmodern ideological criticism, with its mania for reducing all culture to a codified system of consensual oppression (indeed, Lethem quotes long passages from an admiring essay on “They Live” by the ­Marxist-Lacanian critic Slavoj Zizek). But Lethem excels...Lethem may deconstruct “They Live,” but he does not destroy it" (New York Times).

Chip: "Well, he destroyed it for me. I don't want to think about Lacan. I just want to hear Rowdy Roddy Piper say 'I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum.'"

Go here to enjoy one of the greatest lines ever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp_K8prLfso

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Boys Read Three Books For (and About) Hipsters

A recent piece in the Washington Post offers three tips for books about hipsters.

The first (and likely best) has already been spotlighted on this blog in recent weeks: What Was the Hipster? A Sociological Investigation by Mark Grief.

The second, which we're only just learning about, also looks intriguing: Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide by Brett McCracken. According to the Post's summary, McCracken "believes that Christian hipsters at "wannabe hip churches" led by pastors with spiky hair who talk about the latest episode of "Mad Men" in their sermons are increasingly getting their inspiration from pop culture rather than scripture, shifting the emphasis from God to consumption and image."

We wonder if McCracken is aware that Larryville's own Plymouth Congregational is currently selling T-shirts printed with the phrase "We put the hip in worship" (along with a guitar)?

Richard: "I keep waiting for a special 'PBR service' but no luck yet. At least there's Theology on Tap, though it would be hipper if held at the TapRoom instead of Henry's."

And finally there's Stuff Hipsters Hate: A Field Guide to the Passionate Opinions of the Indifferent, by Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz.

Do hipsters hate books about hipsters? We suspect they do.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Unhip Event of the Weekend: Jason Mraz Visits KU

Late yesterday afternoon word started spreading via social media outlets that popular, unhip crooner Jason Mraz would be performing an unscheduled, unpromoted-in-advance gig at the Kansas Union. The show ended up attracting a few hundred students (and a few townie fans) while hipsters, presumably, clustered somewhere far away, complaining about the state of American music.

Chip: "I collect Mraz on vinyl, and I totally got him to sign my copy of Waiting For My Rocket To Come!"

We leave you today with the LJ-World musings of Alceste, who enjoys referring to himself in the third-person:

Alceste says:

"The sheer fact it was a live show done in a throw down moment made it a very enjoyable musical interlude and brought "class" to Lawrence....something this town has not had music wise since before the Bottleneck became the bottleneck.......over priced, super hyped shows by the Grade C likes of "Kelly Hunt" or "Blued Riddims", blah, blah, blah. "Kansas Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"....hahahahahahahahah....that's some funny stuff!!! Even Mike Finnigan knew when the getting was good.....

Add to the fact this 33 year old can actually play and not take himself oh so ever seriously was a wonderful 2 hours of good time music.....

Alceste just has a way of being at the right place at the right time despite being Alceste. There was no Lied Center Blue Haired elite to wade through; every person watching was just "chill" and those that missed this....those that were not there.....they're just square.....a good time was had by ALL......Alceste even had time to, quick like a bunny, go get a taper DvD....YouTube it shall not be....I promised his "people" it was for my private use only and they took pity on this ancient old person. Way cool.....unlike oh so many: $1.00 discount for the Aged to go to Lied? $0.00 discount for Lawrence "Community" Theatre? jokesters....the lot...."

Friday, December 3, 2010

Weekend Scenester Guide / Also: King Tosser Interviews Rooftop Vigilantes in PopMatters

Here are our picks for your weekend scenester itinerary:

Start your Friday evening at the Holiday Sip and Shop in the Alton Ballroom of Pachamama's (6:00-10:00) where local artists (such as our Twitter-buddies @BARRR and Patrick Giroux) will be selling their wares in a beer-fueled atmosphere.

Chip: "I hope I don't get so drunk that I accidentally purchase some art."

End your evening at the Replay (of course) where Mammoth Life, everybody's favorite local costumed indie-rockers, will offer up some new material, which you can download for free at the address below. ML has recently downsized from an eight-piece scenester collective to a duo, but we suspect they are still adorable.

http://www.examiner.com/indie-rock-music-in-seattle/mammoth-life-releases-sneak-peak-to-upcoming-album

And in between these events, make sure to stop by the Free State Glass Company's annual Christmas party (which we THINK is tonight). Oh, is that a scenester secret? Sorry for revealing it, but all of our readers are easily hip enough to attend.

Don't get too hammered, however, because you need to be up and around for Saturday's Old Fashioned Christmas Parade at 11:00 tomorrow.

Chip: "You might expect us to say something cynical about this event, but we're not going to. The horses are beautiful!"

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Larryville is making a splash in PopMatters today with the publication of our friend King Tosser's piece on garage rock, the recent Garage Fest, and the Rooftop Vigilantes, who make for great interview subjects as revealed in these excerpts:

"I’m glad we played first so we could get to drinking and enjoy the rest of the festival."

"Collectively, we change our clothes about every 2.7 days."

"Quiet bands are weenies."


"We aim for the cheapest, fastest way of getting it done, of getting it to that level where it sounds shitty but no shittier, just this clean but no cleaner, and with a just-out-of-tune cool."

Read "Bullshit Detectors! The Garage Is an Outside Place, and a Place for Outsiders" at this address:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/133481-bullshit-detectors-garage-rock-then-and-now/P0

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Checking In With Style Scout and the Rangelife Records Best-of-the-Year List

When you are picking up your Rustic Italian Round down at Wheatfields, do you ever wonder what's on the mind of the man who bakes your beloved bread? Today's Style Scout has answers.

Willie Stein describes his style as that of "a pretentious French intellectual who got Freaky Friday-ed into the body of a teenage grind-core fan who sometimes takes on a third identity as a pro-cyclist." He'd like to see more "well-read Leftists" in town (Chip: "Go to the Pig, Willie!") and would like to see less "fake haute-cuisine downtown that [manages] to trick people into thinking that spending more money equals better food." (is that a potshot at Mr. Krause?). Stein's fashion influences are "Inspector Clouseau, David Vincent from Morbid Angel, and Mario Cipollini."

Nicely Scouted, Style Scout. Now how about a look into the hopes and dreams of the man who fries our Wednesday night Wheatfields chicken?



















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For three years running, the folks at Rangelife Records have been delighting us with year-end picks of their favorite songs. #3 among this year's picks is from Zaguar, who considers the Seams remix of "You" by Gold Panda:

"The sleight of hand he does with the weaving rhythms between 2:40 and 3:20 is the freshest and most fun electronic music got in 2010."

Zaguar must have forgotten that the Transmittens We Disappear, with its lovely bleeps and bloops, was released earlier this year. Otherwise, great choice!

Go here to check out the Rangelife picks (and send in submissions of your own):

http://beforeourheartsexplode.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/favorite-songs-of-2010-3/

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Free Local CD of the Week / Spot That Scenester / Is It Art, or Isn't It? (Miami Edition!)

According to L.com, the two fellows pictured below (is the photo ironic?) are quite likely to approach you in the street bearing gifts during the holiday season.

Chip: "My first inclination is to run."

Relax, Chip, those adorable be-sweatered gents (Sam Billen and Josh Atkinson) just want to give you their Christmas album, titled A Word of Encouragement. Billen claims his contributions to the albums are influenced in part by "Shugo Tokumaru (who he describes as “kind of a Japanese Sufjan Stevens”)."

You can read the full article and stream a song on L.com, but hopefully you'll be receiving a hand-delivered copy of your very own.




















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If you're a scenester, you almost certainly spent Thanksgiving evening at the Jackpot listening to cover bands take on Bikini Kill, Minor Threat, Nirvana, and Jawbreaker. A. Rusc.n was there, and we're especially fond of the following photo. Are they scenesters, or are they...zombies? As always, spot the scenester and win a free beer from the LC (click to enlarge).

















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Thanks to Final Fridays, Larryville is getting artsier by the month, but nothing yet compares to Art Basel Miami Beach, the center of the art world this week, an event described by the NY-Times as a "bacchanal disguised as the Western Hemisphere’s most prestigious art fair."

Hopefully our Miami friend Beth will bask in the artsiness and report back to us, especially on this food-related art event:

"To score their meal, guests must squeeze through a jagged hole in the courtyard wall and wander through an overgrown field to an empty house. There, they will find a buffet installation: thousands of bowls and pedestals of porridge, brown sugar, raisins and milk. It’ll be the hottest brunch spot in town" (NY-Times).

Is it art, or isn't it?

Chip: "Anything this dumb is almost certainly art."

Richard: "Agreed."