Back in the 90's it felt like you really had to invest in your lifestyle, so you needed to defend your choices (usually to your parents) and earn what you had (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively). When somebody meandered into your way of life who didn't take the same amount of crap as you for it, you felt compelled to make them earn it.
The cynic in me almost feels like authenticity is in the minority today. Gen Z is chasing the content engagement, weird gatekeepers are like “nice Nirvana shirt on your baby, can it name 3 songs?”, and the rest of us don't really want to get caught up with either, so we wear Legionnaires and don't worry about it.
P.S. The “he used to do surgery, for girls in the eighties” part of this really screwed with my head. It's so weird thinking that a “That 70's Show” style show launching today would be about kids during Y2K.
Yeah I think we're almost stuck in a limbo. As I grew older, I came to hate the notion of "selling out" especially when I was in a band and would've given anything to sell out just so we didn't have to slog our way through the trenches of a DIY touring life for years on end. The Legionnaire will save us all.
I definitely agree with feeling stuck in limbo. It feels like we have more access to media & knowledge than at any point in history and we're paralyzed by the endless choices. There's no curation so it's endless dabbling. Some pick tiktok trends for clout, some get lost down rabbit holes of auto-play suggestions, others try to monetize algorithms.
It's hard to be a poser or sell something out when you don't stand for something. I guess that's where I've softened on calling out posers & sellouts as I've gotten older and realized how hard it is to find real happiness. Whatever it takes to give you joy, pick something and go with it.
I could try to write something insightful in response to this but in the end i just think I’ll let this sit with me a bit. I have such conflicted experiences related to authenticity, culture, and the whole poser idea that I really didn’t expect to think about today.
Anyways thanks for sharing this. I really enjoyed reading it.
1. Unpopular but correct opinion The Bends is the best Radiohead album.
2. I believe I read where Fake Plastic Trees was ad libbed and no real meaning.
3. 90's authenticity was top tier. Selling out mattered. I wish it still did.
4. Live music does hit that way. I saw the Foo Fighters at Jazz Fest a month ago. I mean they are incredibly likable as a band, but I don't know that I'm more than a cursory fan. There I was, crying to Walk. WTF.
I think sentimental wise, The Bends is my favorite but overall I still love OK Computer more. I was talking to a friend about being a poser and he brought up this girl in our youth group who we just straight up would never budge on becoming friends with, simply because she was a poser at some point.
Hilarious that we were both posers cursed by Kmart. Fortunately, our children won't have to fear those dreaded clothes--there's only six Kmarts left, and I'm not anywhere near one.
Back in the 90's it felt like you really had to invest in your lifestyle, so you needed to defend your choices (usually to your parents) and earn what you had (sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively). When somebody meandered into your way of life who didn't take the same amount of crap as you for it, you felt compelled to make them earn it.
The cynic in me almost feels like authenticity is in the minority today. Gen Z is chasing the content engagement, weird gatekeepers are like “nice Nirvana shirt on your baby, can it name 3 songs?”, and the rest of us don't really want to get caught up with either, so we wear Legionnaires and don't worry about it.
P.S. The “he used to do surgery, for girls in the eighties” part of this really screwed with my head. It's so weird thinking that a “That 70's Show” style show launching today would be about kids during Y2K.
Yeah I think we're almost stuck in a limbo. As I grew older, I came to hate the notion of "selling out" especially when I was in a band and would've given anything to sell out just so we didn't have to slog our way through the trenches of a DIY touring life for years on end. The Legionnaire will save us all.
I definitely agree with feeling stuck in limbo. It feels like we have more access to media & knowledge than at any point in history and we're paralyzed by the endless choices. There's no curation so it's endless dabbling. Some pick tiktok trends for clout, some get lost down rabbit holes of auto-play suggestions, others try to monetize algorithms.
It's hard to be a poser or sell something out when you don't stand for something. I guess that's where I've softened on calling out posers & sellouts as I've gotten older and realized how hard it is to find real happiness. Whatever it takes to give you joy, pick something and go with it.
So I related to almost all of this of course.
This week's post was basically tailored for you, whether I meant to or not.
We did once walk around NYC together looking for Holden's old haunts.
I could try to write something insightful in response to this but in the end i just think I’ll let this sit with me a bit. I have such conflicted experiences related to authenticity, culture, and the whole poser idea that I really didn’t expect to think about today.
Anyways thanks for sharing this. I really enjoyed reading it.
1. Unpopular but correct opinion The Bends is the best Radiohead album.
2. I believe I read where Fake Plastic Trees was ad libbed and no real meaning.
3. 90's authenticity was top tier. Selling out mattered. I wish it still did.
4. Live music does hit that way. I saw the Foo Fighters at Jazz Fest a month ago. I mean they are incredibly likable as a band, but I don't know that I'm more than a cursory fan. There I was, crying to Walk. WTF.
I think sentimental wise, The Bends is my favorite but overall I still love OK Computer more. I was talking to a friend about being a poser and he brought up this girl in our youth group who we just straight up would never budge on becoming friends with, simply because she was a poser at some point.
To be fair, I missed the entry point to Kid A and OK Computer. Like a song here and there but never all in.
That chick is still a poser.
Hilarious that we were both posers cursed by Kmart. Fortunately, our children won't have to fear those dreaded clothes--there's only six Kmarts left, and I'm not anywhere near one.
https://crisdeca.substack.com/p/a-poser-learns-a-hard-and-painful
And don't worry, Holden was also a bit of a phony. He's one of my favorite characters and I love the book, but he is also a phony.