What’s hipper than indie culture? Discussing whether or not indie culture still exists, of course.
In his essay for The Millions, “T.V. Party Tonight!,” Patrick Brown wonders about the reoccurring dichotomy between mainstream and alternative. In contrast to publishing consultant Richard Nash, who offers: “indie doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s dead,” Brown argues that a defined alternative to the mainstream culture still thrives, even if the line between indie and pop does look a bit blurrier.
This can be seen in the way we receive movies, music, and art more than how they are produced. Brown sees artists as having way more opportunities to self publish and promote than ever before.
But the consumption of certain songs or T.V. shows, for example, reveals how focused the nation is on eating up the same few subjects. Lesser known–and potentially more high-brow–programming and artists still see weak turnouts and less media. The much-anticipated premier of Mad Men, for example, yielded only 2.8 million viewers in contrast to the rerun of Two and a Half Men, which drew 6 million more. Phew. We were worried that Mad Men had become too banal.
Brown concludes by urging us to focus on what art we admire rather than what art we deem indie.
