Thursday, August 09, 2007

"rockstar"

The created concept of a rockstar is all the rage!

This fad is inescapable. From TV, to rap songs, to middle American style, everybody wants to party like a rockstar... at just dress like one.

First of all, I will call it what it is "faux rockstar." This style may have some roots in White/rockstar stereotypes but it is obviously unrelated to any real rock aesthetic except for the ones that are now a result of the fad itself.

The poster-girl (or pinup girl, if you will) of this style has got to be Kat Von D. She has tack zapper skills but what matters most in her new TV show is style. I am so sick of looking at her hyping up LA, the home of faux rockstar, dressed in a Motley Crew costume.

The king money maker of the fad is Don Ed Hardy. His clothing line saturates celebrities. I must admit, however, if someone is gonna cash in on this shit, at least Hardy is as legit as they come and a nice dude.

As those two illustrate, tattoos are an integral part of the rockstar fad. Although I don't see too many rappers or moms getting traditional American tattoos, I do see them rocking derivative styles on their clothing. Why rappers like Juelz Santana love this shit so damn much is beyond me. I think they are trying to break some mold of the overly-played rap thug while still adopting an expensive style based on a form of perceived thuggish-ness.

The pinnacle (thus far) may be The Shop Boyz' big hit "Party Like A Rockstar." The popular song and video of these future one-hit wonders is completely based, not on any real rock sound or aesthetic, but on painfully naive caricatures.

With the cache the term 'rockstar' now has, it is only natural that Rockstar Energy Drink parlay it into sales. Now, a drink whose owner and affiliates hate people of color and immigrants can get their logo alongside hip hop parties or Steve Aoki.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This machine kills hipsters.

Fond memories of Steve with "Yellow Peril" scrawled on his stomach while screaming for immigrant rights at the pickle patch. Benihana anyone?

8:00 PM  

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