Sorry to rant here, but did anyone else read the ‘Grup’ gruppy, grupster article in New York Magazine?

(Just in case for those of you not in the know, Grup = Grown Up Hipsters)

I read it. And it got on my nerves. Not sure why. Maybe because I live in Williamsburg. I listen to Bloc Party. And I take the L train to work every morning. But just because of that, I don’t think I would qualify as a Yindie, Yupster or a Grup.

I work long, long hours, take few vacations, don’t even hang out with enough musicans, but most of all, cringe at the thought of wanting to look or act like someone else.

This article just reminded me of everything I am against.

First the name-dropping of bands: Franz Ferdinand, New Pornographers, Death Cab for Cutie and Sufjan himself. Big deal. Music is music. Some are better than others (to the listener anyways), but because you go to the shows and listen to the music, it should not automatically make anyone an authority on being cool or hip or whatever it’s called lately.

And the spending of $400 on torn up jeans just to look like someone else down the block wearing the same torn up jeans? I don’t get it.

Uggh. Cry Me a River.

I thought New York was about creativity, individuality, even rebellion and non-conformity. My old vision of hip NY was of people living on the fringes of society, not accepting the status quo and creating something unique out of this urban maze of a city.

Really, it’s not about the music or the clothes or the hangouts that bothers me.

It’s the need to be defined and labeled, to feel accepted and belong in a society, so much to the point where ingenuity, inspiration and originality seems to be lacking.

I just want to go back to the days when being cool was cool. I don’t know. Call me an outcast, a rebel or simply old-fashioned, but please don’t call me a Grup.