My Beef with Indie Kids

Tonight I had a dinner conversation with some friends regarding what it means to be an “indie” kid.  Now I am sure you can search and find a plethora of different descriptions on the web.  But I am not here to define what it means to be an indie kid, I am here to tell you about the problem I have with these people and the high-minded views they have of themselves.  You see, I take issue with people who think since something has become “mainstream” it no longer holds the same quality.  Whether it is music, film, or any other artistic expression, the idea of something being solely “indie” doesn’t exist.  I also have a problem with these people believing that by them being indie, they are not “mainstream.” They may not be what you see on television every day, but I assure you, these people are a set cultural group within our society.  This means they represent a collection of values that are apparent based on behavioral and cosmetic traits.  I also assure you companies and manufactures directly market products and services to these people.  As an MBA student, if a company can market something towards you, you’re not that “indie”.

Here’s my beef with indie kids.  They go around acting like they are some bleeping paragon of knowledge when it comes to good music, and whenever a band they once loved becomes popular, they instantly attack it for going mainstream, and they boast to all of the new fans about how, “well, I listened to them before they were big!” Great, that’s awesome, and in my opinion, in regards to music, nothing could be a better compliment then to have someone you discovered before they were big become popular.  That’s basically saying you have great taste in music, and rather than acting like a turncoat, appreciate the compliment.     

On top of this, they cease to see the big picture.  If it wasn’t for advancements in technology, we wouldn’t be able to have so many micro-cultures of music.  Thanks to the web and social media sites, and the wealth of our nation, any Joe Schmo can afford a guitar, start a band, get some recording equipment, and start a web page.  And you know what; sometimes you find some great bands this way.  But most of the time these people are simply living within the paradigm of what others believe to be creative, and they try to channel that same spirit.  This isn’t being creative, this is being redundant.  Still, every once in a while you get a spark of uniqueness to mix in with the monotony, and you end up with something novel for a change.  Once this happens the “indie” kids pounce on the delicious piece of meaty music awesomeness like a vegan suffering from willpower depletion. Watch out !

So let’s imagine you have this new band.  They played a show for one of those bigger named artists, and you liked them.  It turns out that they aren’t that popular, but they have an amazing sound!  So like anyone who enjoys something, you tend to tell people about it. All of the sudden, more people are listening to them, and one day you find their music video playing on MTV! For some reason this strange thing happens; the people that originally listened to them and supported them get upset whenever they become successful.  Now not everyone turns their back, but many do.  And when this transpires, they do it with an air of snobbery that is so rude, egregious, and stupid; you sometimes just want to punch them in the face.

Okay, I get it, their sound changed.  Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to listen to the same sound from the same band for some unknown number of years.  I like it when a band experiments. Sure you have winners and losers, but part of being an artist, and hell, a human in general, is growing.  Your perception on the world tends to change with this process, and what influences an artist more than their perception of the world?  There have been many bands that I have loved who have become extremely successful, and good for them! Isn’t that what we should want for everyone? They risk a hell of a lot by pursuing such a lifestyle, an existence that doesn’t have any soft cushions to fall back onto if you don’t make it.   So if this ever happens to one of your artists, even if their music begins to suck, be happy.  Because they are able to make a living by following their dreams, something we all want.  And if you ever meet an “indie” kid who says Mumford and Sons are no longer good because they are too mainstream, while he or she slowly inhales a hit from a self-rolled cigarette, do me a favor and punch them in the face.  By doing so, you made the world a better place.

Thanks,

Mark


PS - I do not actually condone any of the violence mentioned in this post.