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Confounded

Dr. Mandrake skewers alleged local cultural heavyweight Found Magazine (of which we’ve always been a bit skeptical as well.) But don’t imagine that the Ann Arbor found-object craze ends with twee little scraps of paper. The Residential College is hosting a Found Instruments Concert Friday. What’s next, an A2 restaurant that serves found food? “Tonight’s special is from the dumpster in the alley by the blue lot on State…”

48 Responses to “Confounded”

I hope they clean the found instruments thoroughly before they try to play them.
posted by Jen on April 13th, 2005 at 11:57 am
Gasp. I didn’t know Found was from here. I saw the book & flipped through it once … that’s probably a better format, instead of a magazine. I think a magazine makes the whole concept a little too-too, if you follow. As aaio says: twee. I mean, do you look at the mag and think, “I want to subscribe to this”?

The whole “found” concept has a tinge of the condescending to it … kind of like Art Brut and Outsider Music … hipsters that like things that are so-bad-they’re-good. That’s one step away from pointing at retards, and sometimes it’s not even one step away. It’s standing right next to the retard and going “He’s a ‘genius’!” while making those quote things with your fingers.

People like that seem to be embarrassed to show actual enthusiasm for anything.
posted by mulligatawny on April 13th, 2005 at 12:17 pm
Mulli, I agree that it is condescending, and therefore perfectly suited to Ann Arbor.

They can’t show enthusiasm. For them that’s not cool. Situational irony, for them, that’s way cool. Best of all it is cheep and requires no talent.

My take is this: Those Who Can Do, Those Who Can’t Aggregate.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 13th, 2005 at 1:25 pm
By the way, as anyone taken a bite out of that insufferable romance columnist over at The Ann Arbor Paper?
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 13th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
True, the Rothbarts and their creation is pure Ann Arbour Youth, but that’s not really a bad thing to me. They are great pet rock salesmen / showmen for what it’s worth.
posted by Leighton on April 13th, 2005 at 2:08 pm
Mandrake would make a great romance columnist for the Ann Arbor Paper.
posted by Dave on April 13th, 2005 at 2:18 pm
Leighton,

Worth: bupkis.

A cheap, talentless, illegal thing, not necessarily bad, no.
posted by Alan Gutierrrez on April 13th, 2005 at 2:34 pm
Hell, if that Dr. Phil can make it big spouting bullshit advice about tough love, Dr. Mandrake could easily come up with some bullshit advice about easy lovin’. Although, admittedly, I am not a good one to take advice from since I get about as much action as the pope (what, with my charming personality and all…)
posted by DrMandrake on April 13th, 2005 at 2:50 pm
Monetary worth: Current Micheal Bolton levels.
posted by Leighton on April 13th, 2005 at 2:54 pm
Yes. I forgot. Ann Arbor is full of cutural whores.
posted by Alan Gutierrrez on April 13th, 2005 at 3:00 pm
I like Found Magazine, for the most part. It’s pretty entertaining, and pretty genius, really. I shoulda thought of it.

“Girl on Love” has gotta be the worst part of the AA Paper, though, hands-down.
posted by Brandon on April 13th, 2005 at 5:41 pm
I read the first part of that paper last night at Tio’s. I thought his article was pretty good. I forget his name…underground or something like that.

I saw something from Found once on the Onion and it was pretty hilarious, however an entire mag related to the genre might be a bit much.
posted by OFWinsurgent on April 13th, 2005 at 5:50 pm
I met the guy who founded Found. He’s pretty cool and thoroughly unpretentious.
posted by Ben on April 13th, 2005 at 7:57 pm
okay so, I haven’t thumbed through “Found” but the concept of found art, found sound, etc is not new and is not, as far as i am concerned about being condescending or demeaning. It is about how everyday objects can be beautiful and poignant. It is also a way that the last generation, or so, of artist have tried to shatter the prevailing concept of what art should be.
posted by yo mamma on April 14th, 2005 at 1:53 am
I don’t really agree …

Art Brut artists and Outsider Music musicians are categorized so by hipster geeks and other self styled experts. Art Brut is basically art created by insane people … literally, sometimes. The term now refers to isolated weirdo types who make their stuff for like 3 decades in their basement before somebody stumbles across it. I don’t think they really care whether people see their stuff, but outsider art dealers are right there, helping bring their message to the world. Or at least filling up their galleries. Or something.

Outsider music .. same thing. People decide that they have a song in them, and they spend their savings on renting studio time. Engineers usually steal/copy the stuff and then circulate it … and then Too Cool For School djs sample it, and then everyone falls all over each other to claim they heard of it first.

I don’t think anyone implied that this was new, and there’s nothing poignant about it. Since you mention everyday objects, you and I don’t seem to be talking about the same thing.
posted by mulligatawny on April 14th, 2005 at 8:27 am
Mulli

I don’t know if you read my blog entry, the one called Those who can do.

The poignent thing gets to me to. The use of orphaned works gets to me as well.

Besides, everyone’s doing it. I mean everyone.
posted by Alan Gutierrrez on April 14th, 2005 at 10:24 am
I know the Rothbarts, I went to school with the Rothbarts. Davy’s a good guy. I used to be really good friends with Peter, but we grew apart.
I have mixed feelings about Found. There can be some great stuff in there, things that either are or inadvertantly become great poetry, usually through lack of context. I can see echoes of situationism and surrealism that I like, and I think that the idea itself is interesting.
I disagree vehemently on the idea of outsider art being de facto hipster wank, though I’ll admit that can happen. For years, Howard Finster was the archetypical outsider artist, and I think that his work has a lot to offer, with definite strains of Paul Klee and whimsy (a word that I know makes me look pretentious, but I’m willing to own that). He was deliberately disengaged from the art establishment, and was still producing art of a high calibre. If you like Mark Maynard’s drawings, you should be thanking Finster.
The characterization of “outsider art” doesn’t come from hipsters any more than the characterization of folk art, and has just as much worth. To dismiss it all because some hipsters you don’t like have grafted onto it is just as retarded as liking something just because it’s outsider art. It’s a term that describes the origins, not the work.
And I think that often, we can see a lot in outsider work that shows us an interesting reinterpretation of the mainstream, at least with music. I mean, granted, Jandek’s pretty much worthless to my ears, and The Shaggs are only really captivating as a novelty act, but people like Wild Man Fischer are both great listens and “outside.” Same with Captain Beefheart.
But the reasons why I don’t generally like Found are twofold: First, I think that a lot of stuff in there is condescending, an ironic and snickering in-joke. The other reason is that a lot of it seems too “good” to be true, and I suspect a lot of it is faked by over-eager contributors. I think that it’s a great syndication feature, but I think a whole magazine is overkill.
posted by js on April 14th, 2005 at 10:50 am
I actually do like some outsider art … Henry Darger totally freaks me out. What’s interesting about the example you mention is that it brings up the raging debate about what’s Art Brut … I would classify Finster as folk art not outsider art. But hey. We could argue about shit like that for hours. Adolf Wolfli’s stuff sort of looks like Finster’s.

Outsider music, for the most part, is sort of a take-or-leave kind of thing because it is mostly, as you say, sort of a novelty … an ex had a Shaggs album, and I couldn’t stand to listen to it straight through.

One thing I do like that I heard through outsider-geek channels is industrial musicals from the 50s and 60s. Also, the Langley School music Project is pretty cool.

Whatever, though, js … You can certainly call me retarded … it wouldn’t be the first time I was called that. I don’t really find much in art brut or outsider music that really means a tremendous amount to me –to the extent that I feel like I must be missing something major in How Art Explains The World We Live In if I don’t check these artists out. I understand what you’re saying about a reinterpretation of the mainstream, but I think pretty much every artistic effort does that.
posted by mulligatawny on April 14th, 2005 at 11:48 am
If you make fun of hipsters, you’re automatically a hipster. Because you’re so much better than those elitists.
posted by Anonymous on April 14th, 2005 at 11:59 am
Bah, hipsters aren’t that bad. At least they have good taste.
posted by http://pastthecollegegrounds.blogspot.com on April 14th, 2005 at 2:55 pm
Oops, URL in the name box.
posted by Brandon on April 14th, 2005 at 2:56 pm
My friend and I decided we’re gonna be post-hipsters. By definition, more hipper than the hipsters.

Eh. I’ll second Brandon on their good taste. I’m probably borderline hipster in my music tastes, but then again, the speeddial on my car radio is set for NPR, WCBN, WDET, and an oldies station.
posted by Jen on April 14th, 2005 at 3:32 pm
www.hipstersareannoying.com
posted by peter on April 14th, 2005 at 4:19 pm
“Post-hipster” is pretty good. I was wondering when that was going to take hold. After the thoroughly pretentious (though really good!) Fiery Furnaces show last Tuesday I told a friend of mine we had represent with our “post-indy” vibes. If the Magic Stick had gone up in flames a la Great White all the pomade on the boys’ mop hairdos would have served as an effective fire retardant.

Is that making fun of hipsters? I don’t mean to, but sometimes I feel like a critical mass of horn rimmed glasses in any given room has been reached. And I enjoy Found Magazine and outsider “art” of all stripes and subgenres.
posted by Alexandra on April 14th, 2005 at 4:32 pm
Hipsters have good taste? Bah. Nothing tastes good in the company of hipsters. They suck the flavor out everything.
posted by Alan Gutierrez on April 14th, 2005 at 4:50 pm
Re: Found. Any thoughts about whether everything on there is real? I’ve been skeptical. Some of the stuff seems a little too perfect for it….
posted by Anonymous on April 14th, 2005 at 5:21 pm
Mulli- I’ll call you retarded some other time. Don’t worry.
I just think saying that you don’t like outsider art is similar to saying that you don’t like post-modern art. There’s not necessarily an aesthetic inherent to the term (though there are connotations, definitely). But we’re in a world of Venn diagrams now, where clear-cut definitions don’t really apply, at least in art terminology.

I had to write a bullshit paper for a Cultural Anthro class once, where I had to write about a subculture. I said that the defining characteristic of hipsterdom was the denial of being a hipster.

Anyway, we need some new words.
posted by js on April 14th, 2005 at 5:33 pm
Alexandra, I’ll second the greatness of Tuesday’s Fiery Furnaces show. Really great music. The one problem with the hipster live music scene is the lack of dancing or any sort of exaggerated movement. It’s the typical conundrum of dorks not wanting to look like dorks. In my opinion, a critical mass of horned-rim glasses is reached when the white boy nod is the only movement in effect. Since the show I’ve been dancing around my apartment non-stop listening to the EP. I wish I was more secure to shake my butt in the presence of hipsters.
posted by Eric on April 14th, 2005 at 5:59 pm
“The one problem with the hipster live music scene is the lack of dancing or any sort of exaggerated movement.”

Eric, I take it you’ve not been to The Bang!? Hipsters (whatever they are) dance, especially when drunk. More proof tonight.
posted by Brandon on April 14th, 2005 at 6:09 pm
Brandon - Lucky kid. If I didn’t have a 8 page paper I haven’t started… yeah, I’d be out there tonight.

It’s been way, way too long since a Bang, since I had to miss the last one. There’s definitely less dancing at a show-proper, but all you really have to do is get 2 friends to start something going between the three of you. That’s how I got through Dismemberment Plan and Q and not U shows - Christ, children, how can you not dance to some of that?

There are some bands, though, where dancing never should apply.

Anyhow, moral of the story: don’t worry about feeling insecure about dancing around hipsters. Lord knows that nobody really needs their approval.
posted by Jen on April 14th, 2005 at 6:42 pm
Actually, I’m not going. As I am similarly swamped (yet somehow keep checking this blog).

And most bands aren’t really all that dancable and head-nods are about as appopriate as it gets.
posted by Brandon on April 14th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
I guess there’s a time and place for everything. When at a live show you’re there to watch the band. When at a dance party you’re there to… well, dance. I went to the Bang
the first couple times but haven’t been back since. Actually, I kinda forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.

Jen, I’ll have to try to keep in mind your words of encouragement. Whenever I get the feeling to move at a concert I always think to myself, who cares? Or, do I care about them? Unfortunately, I’m still undecided about that. Well, unless I’m really drunk. Maybe if everyone took off their glasses.

Ditto on being swamped. I’ll wish Betty Marie Barnes happy birthday from here. I’ll be at work all night. I plan on checking back regularly.
posted by Eric on April 14th, 2005 at 7:37 pm
At least I need my glasses. Can’t legally drive without them, anymore.

Although if one more drunk person calls me Velma, some fightin’ is gonna break out.
posted by Jen on April 15th, 2005 at 2:33 am
Jen,

I probably saw you at the Dismemberment Plan’s last show. All of them are really nice guys. We’re actually preparing a commercial that will feature a D. Plan song…they were nice enough to agree to let us use their catalog for free. I’m still pissed that they broke up, but they broke up for a pretty neat reason….their drummer had had enough of the road, so he decided to go back to school. He is now pursuing a M.A. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland. Now THAT’S a hipster…

And for you dancey dorks, you are welcome to dance to either the D. Plan or the Fiery F. EP, both of which have been sitting happily in the jukebox for sometime now.
posted by todd on April 15th, 2005 at 9:15 am
You guys are so mean. It’s okay to find things. I’m sort of miffed, though, because I had this idea first many years ago before the internet when people still sent letters, and I was going to start a magazine like FOUND except it would be called MAILED TO ME. The reason is that I was living in this rent house and every six months or so a lovrelorn Mexican would write to his lost sweetheart these tender and desperate letters in Spanish, and when I had enough of them I was going to have that be the first issue, but it took too long to get it together and evidently the guy eventually got a clue, so FOUND stole my idea twenty years later.

Alan G: about the Girl on Love — from carefully reading her column it sounds like, yes, some people have taken bites out of her.
posted by DoughKnutKing on April 15th, 2005 at 9:47 am
Todd:

Don’t think the kids don’t appreciate the jukebox. It’s semi-legendary in my circle… well in that when we’re figuring out where to go for the night, it plays heavily into the debate.

I’ve met Travis a few times - he played sparklers with me and my friend when we saw him solo in DC on the 4th of July. Great kid. I have a ton of great band photography of them from the twentyhundred tims I’ve seen them… probably the best of the band photographs I’ve taken, and I have rolls of them.

Where would you play the commercial, by the way? Curiosity.
posted by Jen on April 15th, 2005 at 10:54 am
The jukebox is indeed one of Leopolds’ top draws. There’s even local stuff in there, which I greatly appreciate. No other jukebox in town comes close.

I’ve probably spent a few hundred dollars in that thing over the years, which is a little disturbing.
posted by Brandon on April 15th, 2005 at 11:58 am
You’d be amazed at how many people lecture me on how “You can’t have a jukebox without Van Morrison or the Doors or fill in generic band”. Not everyone is thrilled with the thing, but you can’t please everyone.

I can please myself, though, and the thing that I like most is that 30 of the CD’s in there right now have been released in the last 8 months. Some find the little reviews that I put in there annoying, but I can tell you that they increase the hits on new releases as they help to tell people what a band they have never heard before sounds like.

I’m a big fan of Proust, and I can say without reservation that it is a healthy thing to *experience new things* and to actually tie your memories to the times that you are living in. Nostalgia is overrated….particularly when there are so many great new CD’s out there.
posted by todd on April 15th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
I agree - Not only have I spent a significant amount of my income pouring your liquor down my alcoholic’s throat, Todd, but I pour quarters into that machine like it’s a fucking one arm bandit. Thank you for having the only sensible jukebox in Ann Arbor that doesn’t suck - if I hear Margaritaville or Johnny Cash one more time at Ashley’s or ABC, seriously, I am going to go Ted Bundy on whoever’s picking songs.

But whatever happened to the guy spinning disks on Mondays? He played some good stuff.
posted by DrMandrake on April 15th, 2005 at 12:41 pm
I haven’t been here very long, but I have experienced that jukebox too … it’s purty good … I was impressed.
posted by mulligatawny on April 15th, 2005 at 1:09 pm
Back in my day, nostalgia was NOT overrated.
posted by DoughKnutKing on April 15th, 2005 at 1:38 pm
Hey now… I like Cash.

It’s Stairway to Heaven that I can’t stand. Oh, and when kids get cute at the 8-Ball’s internet jutebox and play 30 straight minutes of hardcore.
posted by Jen on April 15th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
re: jukebox at leopold bros. - i love the fact that PiL is in the jukebox. I quite enjoy the selection said jukebox has to offer.

re: hipsters
can someone explain what a hipster is? All I’ve been able to deduce is that the hipster is a mythical creature somehow embodying a slew of negative characteristics, even contradictory ones, a quintessential “other.” From this thread I have learned that a “hipster” both enjoys dancing and abhors it, likes only trendy bands and also likes bands that are far too obscure for anyone to have ever heard of, and is both fashionable and anti-fashionable.

What is the closest distance that a hipster has to be in order for one to sniff him/her out? And do hipsters care about the negative press they get on the internet as much as people on the internet care about hipsters? I need answers.
posted by real big on April 15th, 2005 at 3:01 pm
Hipster is sort of a know-it-when-you-see-it phenomenon. Sometimes they are visible from a decent distance away, by clothing, whom they are congregating with, and where they are, as well as general posturing. They say that they don’t care what anyone thinks about them, but they invariably do. They will dance when it’s in a psuedo-ironic fashion (i.e. the Bang probably qualifies) but not to simply show their enjoyment of a band playing - that’s too mainstream.

They drink either PBR or very expensive microbrews, and nothing inbetween. They generally live to be a oxymoron.

Y’know, this’ll help to identify the hipsters walking in your midst:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/%7Enbommari/outofprint/hipsteridentity.html

(also, the kid will be happy that I’m linking to his comics twice in one month, I bet.) Sorry about the cut and paste, the html isn’t working for me right now for some reason.
posted by Jen on April 15th, 2005 at 3:06 pm
–a “hipster” both enjoys dancing and abhors it, likes only trendy bands and also likes bands that are far too obscure for anyone to have ever heard of, and is both fashionable and anti-fashionable.–

As you have already deduced, real big, hipsters thrive on irony.

They revel in it, and try desperately [yet, don’t] to physically embody any and all semblances of irony because, as they will smugly tell you, they are -so- postmodern.
posted by ISR jessica on April 15th, 2005 at 4:41 pm
See hipsters here.
posted by js on April 16th, 2005 at 10:54 am
Nice link, js. I always wondered what it was with all the Parliaments (and still do). Back when I regularly smoked (the 90s), the brand of choice was Marlboro Lights in a box. Do these preferences come in waves?

I do occasionally go for PBR, in the interests of full disclosure, but I tried my first Stroh’s at Old Town last weekend (they’re the same price), and that was marginally better. I’d still rather have Anchor Steam.

As for the Ann Arbor Paper, at least “Girl on Love” is funny (unintentionally, to be sure, but still entertaining). The film reviews of “cult classics” are generally annoying (in a decidedly “hipster” way), but the one on “Mac and Me” last month was pretty funny (intentionally this time).
posted by Lazaro on April 16th, 2005 at 11:07 am
Oh, that Mandrake!
posted by Dale on April 16th, 2005 at 11:59 am