Friday, April 2, 2010

HIPSTER RUNOFF

HIPSTER RUNOFF

Riot Breaks Out At an American Apparel Rummage Sale in London

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 10:58 AM PDT

Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=374872184661


liquidates excess inventory of unwanted styles and sizes at branded rummage sales and flea markets. Many Am Appy fans / buyers go to these sales looking for ‘good deals’ but end up scavenging like animals for a few scraps of decent clothing.

At a ‘Rummage Sale’ in London, several thousand alts got ’shafted’ because a riot broke out. I am not sure if this was really a ‘riot’ but maybe just a bunch of cranky people, a few bros going crazy, riot squad beating up a few people, then a bunch of other alts tweeting + youtubing it. Do u think they were ‘pissed off’ about not getting sweet deals?

2 many alts

not enough deals / capacity

From the event facebook page:

!!!!!!!!!WE’VE BEEN TEMPORARILY SHUT DOWN BY THE POLICE. We’re trying to get this reopened for you as soon as possible. Stayed tuned to this page or Twitter for updates. They are concerned about the crowd outside the venue for the time being so if you can disperse, please do. Thank you. We know you’re excited and won’t let you down!!!!!!!!!

Update II: AALNDN10 gets you 15% off our UK webstore for the next 10 days! (redeem code at checkout) We’re figuring this out. Thank you for your patience so far.

UPDATE III: The police have closed our London Rummage Sale for today to ensure everyone’s safety. We’re doing all we can to stay open for the wknd and will let you know. To everyone who has waited so patiently: Please Take 25% OFF anything in our UK site (use code LNDNRMG25) or print this for 25% off at our UK retail shops… (exp 1 wk, not valid w/ other offers). We’re going to make this up to everyone. Thank you!


Was this a ‘real riot’?
Are ‘hipsters’ from the United Kingdom more violent than American alts?
Do u think they were pissed because they still felt like the clothes were still ‘overpriced’?

Is London a hot bed of alternative angst?
Do cops / mainstreamers ‘get’ why an Am Appy Rummage sale is a great opportunity to get great clothes on the cheap?
Should I have made this headline “Hipsters riot over in London” for more hits?
Did ’stage’ this for marketing purposes?

Is April Fool’s Day on the Internet better than a regular day on the internet?

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 10:13 AM PDT


Every day I go 2 work at my office desk job, and waste 70-90% of the day reading blogs and websites. These websites construct my reality, even moreso than real people and events in my life. It’s great to read them and be connected to events that are happening every where and no where at the same time. I like feeling like I am a part of some sort of ‘movement’ that is led by a website.

But every now and then, I get bored reading the same websites. Maybe I can’t blame the websites; sometimes there is just no content to ’spin’, so blogs have no memes to blog about, and must post unbuzzworthy bands + mediocre memes + irrelevant news ‘bits’ + unfunny viral videos starring moderately famous ppl.

April Fool’s Day seems like the ultimate solution to creating a more compelling internet. It eliminates days where there is nothing ‘bloggable’, so you can create stories + frame an engaging hyper-reality. Semi-plausible and implausible stories mashing up interesting humans, concepts, memes, and search terms seem more interesting than 95% of ‘real stuff’ that happens.

This April Fool’s Day I considered blogging about

  • Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel sex tape
  • Ben Gibbard sex addiction
  • Terrorist back pack bombed a Neon Indian Green Label Sound showcase
  • the band GIRLS committed suicide with their cults
  • Steve Aoki gets engaged
  • Panda Bear calls Avey Tare a ‘little bitch’
  • Pitchfork Media purchases HRO / GVB / the hype machine
  • The creator of the hype machine gets sent to jail
  • Justin Bieber raped by Ellen DeGeneres
  • Uffie ‘tweets’ a nude picture of herself
  • MGMT gets a 0.0 from Pitchfork Media
  • James Murphy joins Grizzly Bear
  • Edward Droste launches chillwave project
  • Deakin spills ‘the dirt’ on the growing rift between AnCo and Panda Bear
  • Obama was assassinated
  • The Postal Service releases a new album
  • Tiger Woods is HIV positive
  • Balloon Boy sex tape
  • Apple makes an iPhone
  • McDonalds merges with Chili’s

April Fool’s Day seems like a great day for websites. Maybe it is the internet’s Super Bowl. Who can create the most ‘buzz’ about a prank / plausible story / something that ‘genuinely makes ppl confused.’ Which website can change the form and function of their website to ‘disorient’ their tribe of followers? Who is ‘creative’ enough to fool their users with class + legitimately ‘cleverness.’

April Fool’s Day may or may not have been created by God to occur on the internet. Wonder if April Fool’s Day is more or less ‘real’ than a regular day on the internet. Wonder why we ‘trust’ websites. Are blogs supposed 2 be authentic news sources, or are blogs more like bros who ‘have a personality.’ Some1 who we are cool with a little bit of silliness.

They say that ‘anything can happen’ on ‘any given day’ but I feel like April Fool’s Day is a day where interesting stuff happens. Unless ur site is ‘gay’ then u do a ‘gay prank’ or something.

Should all websites be required to ‘pull a prank’?
Do websites have a social responsibility to ‘play a joke’ on their readers?
Is the internet the ultimate breeding ground for perception altering pranks?
Which websites had ‘good’ / ‘gay’ pranks?
Do some websites ‘try too hard’ to form a viral meme on April Fool’s Day?
Do u ever get bored on the internet?
Is April Fool’s Day the most interesting day on the internet or the most annoying day on the internet?

PAPERMAG names Chaz Bundick of Toro Y Moi one of the Most Beautiful People of 2010

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 08:05 AM PDT

Link: http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=3563


I have never even heard of PAPERMAG, but maybe this gimmick was a good idea so that more people would find out about their magazine and/or website. They basically just declared a bunch of people to be ‘beautiful.’ This is a great strategy for any magazine or website that wants to get a lot of clicks / impressions. They basically just have to gather a list of 25-100 people, then call them some sort of glorifying adjective. If they pick a wide enough range of famous people, they can get blog buzz from different genres of outlets, and theoretically increase their ‘reach.’

They named popular chillwave artist of Toro Y Moi to be one of the most beautiful people in the entire world.
Is on of the most beautiful alternative celebrities on the planet?
Is he the ‘finest’ indie bro on the planet?
Is a blipster, or is he ‘too chill’?

Other notable moderately alt or famous celebs include

David Karp, the creator and CEO of TUMBLR

Is he beautiful on the inside/outside/or both?

AJ English, a model + LA Socialite

Is he beautiful on the inside/outside/or both?

Adam Lambert, the flamer from American Idol

Is he beautiful on the inside/outside/or both?

The band GIRLS from San Francisco

Are GIRLS beautiful on the inside/outside/or both?

Anna Kendrick, some girl who is trying to be more than a supporting actress in the Twilight series

Alt author Zachary German

Have u heard of these people?
Do u think they are beautiful?
What makes some1 beautiful: the way they look or the way they are on the inside?
Is People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People the only list of beautiful people that counts?
Who is the most beautiful chillwave artist?

Did Green Label Sound buy too many Neon Indian ads on alt websites?

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 06:35 AM PDT


I have been browsing the alt internet, and noticed a lot of ads for Neon Indian’s single “Sleep Paralysist.” It seems like Mountain Dew / has a ‘huge’ advertising budget, taking over 2 of the largest music sites in the world, and Stereogum.

Wonder if any1 got ‘tricked’ and thought the banner ad was part of Pitchfork content.

Just trying to read a blog but Neon Indian bro keeps looking at me, telling me to download his single even though I already downloaded it on the day it came out.

Is Neon Indian a tier 1 alt band? Does Neon Indian really need branding / exposure on music blogs since they basically depend on him to create bloggable memes?
Does it make sense to take out huge advertisements on sites that will already blog about your product?
I am all about overexposure and creating memes / getting attention for your personal brand, but u can’t help but wonder if this was like ‘paying rent on a house that you already own’ or some equivalent analogy.
Is a blog blogging about your project in their content stream better than any banner advertisements?
Should they have focused on mainstream gossip and tech blogs to reach new markets of fans?

Is the future of internet music?
If you owned a soda pop company and ur soda pop company started a record label, how would u advertise?
What is the point of banner ads on websites: to get people to click, to ‘brand’ or to just annoy readers?
Will there be a backlash against Mountain Dew / Neon Indian?
Should Mountain Dew just give more money 2 Neon Indian Bro for ‘making art’ instead of making ‘huge’ advertising purchases?

Conspiracy Theory: Why did Will.I.Am stop by the Twitter HQ Offices?

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 06:05 AM PDT

Link: http://sfist.com/2010/04/01/look_whos_visiting_the_twitter_offi.php


On April 1, 2010, the popular Black Eyed Peas singer and producer Will.I.Am stopped by the Offices. is a popular social media network where tweens microblog about what movies + television they are watching and what crappy music they listen to. Justin Bieber, Haiti, and the Black Eyed Peas are popular trending topics on .

Why did Will I Am stop by the offices?
a) to try 2 get to embed his new album on their blog website
b) to pay to ‘rig’ trending topics
c) to bro down and talk about technology
d) to learn more about cloud computing + social media
e) 2 sell Fergie as a ’sex slave’
f) 2 teach how to write hit songs
g) 2 see if he could start some sort of ‘myspace music’ for
h) 2 try to buy some stock
i) to teach how 2 make money
j) to get more ‘tech’ ’silicon valley’ fans instead of just minorities + tweens
k) choose.ur.own.response

Is Will.I.Am still a robot / hologram?

Do u think he still supports Obama even though the war is over?

Are the Black Eyed Peas the most important band in the world?
Is ‘pulling something shady’?
Does Will.I.Am ‘try 2 hard’ 2 be ‘relevant’ / ‘in touch with modern society’?
Is “Boom Boom Pow” the greatest song written since Michael Jackson’s prime?
Is “I’ve Gotta Feeling” the greatest song ever written?