Photo via stereogum
In this picture, u see Edward Droste (lead singer of the band Grizzly Bear), along with a series of bros on a screen. Even though this chill session was happening in real life, Ed Droste also facilitated this same relationship on the internet with thousands of followers on the popular social networking site ‘twitter.com.’ Over the past year, @EdwardDroste became one of the most beloved alternative celebrities on twitter.
It made me sad to learn that Edward Droste committed suicide. Not in real life, but on the internet, by deactivating his twitter account. Even though he had thousands of followers ready 2 listen to his every word, he decided that being an alternative celebrity schmoozing with ‘the common man’ was not worth it.
I wonder what ‘put him over the top.’ Wonder if too many fans tweeted vicious things @ him. Or if too many music bloggers and music criticism bros gushed @ him. Wonder if he got @ed too many ‘put me on the guest lists.’ Wonder if he got tired of the popular music blog pitchfork ‘exploiting’ his tweets for meme-able content.
It’s kinda weird reading that now… It makes me wonder what went wrong in his metaphorical digipet/gigapet.
I’ll never forget the time @EdwardDroste twitpic-ed a sweet picture with Feist on a meaningful rollercoaster, then ‘tons of music blogs meme-d that shit.’
Wondering if the people that he was supposed to be connecting with/sharing life with were ultimately the same ppl who forced him to metaphorically ‘off himself.’
Worried that if Edward Droste isn’t there to ‘officially endorse’ buzzbands, many of the world’s top music bloggers won’t know what they are supposed 2 like. Have heard that Neon Indian only got ‘mainstream indie’ acceptance’ after Ed Droste endorsed the buzzband on his twitter.
Sometimes I wonder what I’d be like if I could be a twitter celeb. I feel like I would mainly tweet about ‘cool shit I was doing’ (including cool places/buying cool shit) but also make sure to have a lot of conversations with other famous/interesting people.
I remember 1 time I made a post saying that Miley Cyrus and tweens are ‘too immature’ for the internet+social media+ twitter, since they aren’t socially developed/ready 2 handle real life… Sorta wondering if high level alternative celebs are ‘too mature’ for twitter.
Is it better for indie/alt celebs to have excessive internet presences, or should they just have an ‘epic album’ every year that ’speaks 4 itself’? Wondering if indie fans are ‘more annoying’ than mainstream tween fans. Wondering if the mp3blogosphere is ‘too intense’ for a relevant indie artist to live in for more than 2 months.
Edward Droste (1982-2009)
a Eulogy
Edward Droste, creator and CEO of the popular indie band Grizzly Bear, committed suicide in November of 2009. He is survived by Victoria Legrand, lead singer of the band Beach House. She has vowed to avenge his death by claiming Pitchfork’s album of the year in 2010. Ed has three surviving bandmates, Daniel Rossen, Chris Bear, and Chris Taylor. They have decided to dissolve Grizzly Bear, and continue performing as ‘The Department of Eagles.’ In 10-20 years, they will consider using a CGI replacement EDro to make ‘mad bank’ on the reunion circuit. Edward was always known to throw down a solid meme, and was one of the initial supporters of the chillwave movement. In 2 short months, Edward would have found out that Grizzly Bear’s 2009 album Veckatimest was controversially voted the #1 album of the year after a voter fraud scandal in the Pitchfork offices.
What alt celeb internet-user would yall be most sad abt committing eSuicide?
Which alt celeb should get on the twitter 2 share his/her memes?
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33 Comments
first yall
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LITTLE WAYNE IS DA BEST.
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third!
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i think it is bc i stopped following him last week.
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is following ashton kutcher still alt?
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There is life after killing yourself on Twitter. It is much more beautiful. Your time will be spent doing something meaningful.
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I BLAME JERKSTORE!
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lol @ 7th grader getting suspended for skinny jeans.
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//////////Reply by mesquite, texas
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
@jvac, It not very funny to live in Mesquite
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//////////Reply by kbiz
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
@mesquite, texas, I got sent home for this too in 9th grade. Fox didn’t come to my house so I could walk around with my shirt tucked in.
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//////////Reply by jvac
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
@mesquite, texas, maybe u should move?
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//////////Reply by HOMOSAPIEN_FUCK
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
@jvac, Dem Skinnies R pretty gangster actchewly.
//////////Reply by Al X
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 12:59 am
@jvac, anyone agree maybe we’d be better off if the south was its own country?
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fuck twitter
new anco ep leak!!
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MISS U @EDWARDDROSTE
RIP
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let me tell yall something: miley cyrus is hot.
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Twitter is a weak/lame fad that people will be making fun of in a year and a half.
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//////////Reply by jjj
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
@Lord B, *now.
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That guy is so butt-assed ugly that he ought to be allowed any kind of internet leeway just to make up for it. I can’t feel good about myself if I fail to cut someone that homely some slack.
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//////////Reply by bb
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
@dax jax, FUCK YOU
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edward isnt ugly! he’s unique… miley cyrus is so hot i cant take it. whew. and yes, twitter will be one of the funnier stories of this era years from now.
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@relevant post
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so bored of this chill season can’t wait for 2k10
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//////////Reply by eyepatch
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 12:55 am
@Gainesvillain, 2k10 blog haus revival ya’ll!
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//////////Reply by Tommy the Salami
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 1:35 am
@eyepatch, blog hau5 won’t be the same as before. I’m thinking a reemergence of Daft Punk style bangin’ funky house, utilizing 70s disco and funk samples, as opposed to the current 80s electro funk fad.
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Got whiplash on the Cyclone..
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Thank you Carles, for bringing back the vintage Miley Cyrus twitpic meme. Even though I saved that pic to my hard drive many blog moons/eons ago, it is nice to see the next gen of HRO enjoying some of the classic memes. E. Droste probably realized he was living in a myownprison-creed-world and was just another slave against the machine. He now enjoys the kind of freedom captured in his famous coney island cyclone twitpic.
Don’t like the video for the video “Two Weks” by G.bears. Reminded me too much of being alone after school playing with a shareware version of Kai’s Power Goo. Only true technalts will get that ref.
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//////////Reply by kbiz
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
@1000freeipods, ‘technalt’ is a shitty portmanteau.
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//////////Reply by 1000freeipods
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 1:34 am
@kbiz, i miss basebALTS.
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Would yall say Edward is a ‘twitter quitter?’
Or would yall say he is ‘2 Legit 2 Twit?’
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wow just realized that is miley cyrcuse. thought it was just some random tween. feel more relevant. i think the seinyall ad has subliminally affected my enjoyment of seinyall
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heard celebrity twitter accts ‘die in threes’
made a bet in my ‘office pool’ that the next celeb twitterer 2 go is gonna be ezzie koeny
“evry single day, evry time i pray, i’ll be missin’ y’all”
–puff daddy and the family (via sting {subvia american spirituals})
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//////////Reply by b4hc
//////////Posted November 19th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
@hey anony anony, c u at the crossroads
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Memes are so 2k6-2k9. ready for post-meme world. ready for 2k10.
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//////////Reply by Friend
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 7:09 am
@jjj,
your comment made me laugh but your blog made me cry.
you are an emotional rollercoaster.
if we were reviewing rollercoasters on this site, you’d probably get an 8.1/10.0
best new rollercoaster award.
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//////////Reply by 1000freeipods
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
@jjj, feel like life is really sad sometimes. even more sad than hornitos ads. don’t wanna get polio. i like your writing.
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i bet the design bro who made the HORNITOS AD,
Reads this site + Maxim+ The Cobras.
I Bet he tweets about his “Long ass day using flash and
shit and Missing the bus”.
We must always remember the importance of the
DesignBro/never forget.
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//////////Reply by 1000freeipods
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 1:42 am
@HOMOSAPIEN_FUCK, Yes. I agree with your comment.
I just don’t understand why Hornitos stays around/how they infused their brand on the page 4ever. Remember the vintage Gossip “Music for Men.” pop up? Never got to see the Heavy Cross vid. Think I missed the fucking boat. Tegan and Sara pop-up also. These were good memes. They left us. They did their best.
Hornitos is still chilling hard on this webpage. Maybe we will wake up on April’s 1st and see a giant Hornitos bottle .gif and no carles posts.
Have no idea “What you are hiding.” hornys. Want u to go away, but will miss u in 2k11 when i live in a retirement hotel in altlanta. No one will get my hornys refs.
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//////////Reply by jjj
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
@1000freeipods,
Hornitos Project Mischieve
Join a fearless group committed to pranking and joking as one—both online and in bars. Become a fan and get ready to take part in synchronized antics that will have your facebook friends talking.
This is Hornitos Project Mischieve.
Can alt community survive blatant consumerism or will it be win-win as alts embrace their overlords with perfect irony?
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//////////Reply by jjj
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
@myself, also… when will hro blog about how hro has become commercialized as it becomes more popular/mnstrm? more meta plz.
stop hatin on hornitos ad ya’ll, grizz bear blog has it too! carles gotta eat 2! doritos and sparkz dont grow on tress! =P
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//////////Reply by Al X
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 1:02 am
@eyepatch, yeah cause sparks is deaddddd. FOUR LOKO ya’ll. enlighten yourself and add 12% gravity!
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The Hornitos ad is really annoying, but I understand the need to make money. I will really really miss Edward Droste on Twitter. This is my first time reading Hipster Runoff. I feel wild about that.
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oh yeah. I googled “edward droste deletes twitter” because I was so sad. O__o
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I deleted my facebook and now I only post on hro using my real name. lol wut
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//////////Reply by Myth
//////////Posted November 20th, 2009 at 6:13 am
@grant golland,
RIP twitter/facebook/myspace/tumblr/lookbook
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The eulogy at the end made me crack up, especially the bit about voter fraud and p4k.
good job Carles.
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I just found myself in the picture–can’t believe I made Hipster Runoff!
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//////////Reply by brobro
//////////Posted November 21st, 2009 at 12:11 am
@JJ, Are you Edward Droste?
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sound the authentic alarm!
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2010 will be all about the offline movement
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//////////Reply by alisha
//////////Posted November 21st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
RT @FutureMan @hipsterrunoff
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Robin Pecknold did the same thing a while back.
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funny, interesting
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