I found this on CNN and it was a little weird for several reasons. First was seeing the word “indie” in the headline and next was them explaining what it takes to be “indie”. You be the judge…..Check it out!
Stuff from CNN
Fashion
The dichotomy of dressing cool while avoiding looking like every common hipster on the block can drive the indie scenester insane. Thrift stores such as Beacon’s Closet in Brooklyn, New York, offer an economical solution. Dig through vintage racks for all your corduroy, vintage T-shirts and Adidas tracksuit needs.
Eyewear
Nerdy chic remains the look of choice when it comes to indie eyewear. Dark-rimmed glasses continue to dominate indie movie theatres, bookstores, record stores and rock shows across the land. Think science teacher or librarian. These days, dark frames come in red, green, blue and many more colors. Ladies can diversify the look with cat-eyes style frames.
Films
You must know your indie films so you’ll have something to discuss with your friends over drinks at the local bingo or trivia night at your neighborhood bar. A good starting point would be: “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” by Quentin Tarnatino (pictured), “Rushmore,” “Donnie Darko,” “The Usual Suspects,” “Memento,” “Pi,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Run Lola Run” and “Hotel Rwanda.”
Get informed
No one is born knowing what the essentials are in music, literature and film. Lucky for us, in the age of the Internet, the right information is at everyone’s fingertips, and can be retrieved in a matter of seconds. KEXP.org, a radio station based in Seattle, Washington, streams music online. Pitchforkmedia.com also caters heavily to the indie genre in the daily music news and reviews it provides.
Books
Have you ever encountered the bookish indie guy who takes a book into a bar with him to avoid conversations with commoners? Maybe you don’t want to be that guy, but it might not be a bad idea to brush up on your reading. Key online spots for independent literature are McSweeneys and The Believer. Some good authors to know for name-dropping purposes are David Sedaris (pictured), David Eggers and Jonathan Lethem.
Leisure
How do cool indie cats spend their days and nights away from the grind? If you’re lucky enough to live in the right city, you can catch rock documentaries on bands like Mission of Burma and the Pixies. Otherwise, theaters like the IFC Center in New York and Landmark theaters in most other areas cater to indie filmgoers. If you can swing a few days off at the right time, festivals such as Coachella in Indio, California, and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, are a must.
Music
Music ranks very highly in importance for most people in the indie scene. If you tell someone you like Radiohead (pictured), be sure to mention that you think “The Bends” constitutes their best work. After all, no one knew who they were back then. Some other bands you should know are The Smiths, Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., Spoon, Belle and Sebastian and TV On The Radio — for starters.
see, thinking for yourself is as easy as following directions – thanks CNN! just think how the movement will spread when everyone takes this advice!