HIPSTER RUNOFF

Photos via VICE

I am from a First World Country
But sometimes I wonder
if my alternative existence is 'contrived'
because I ultimately live in comfort/luxury
compared to other ppl in the rest of the world

Don't get me wrong
I'm not living in a multi-million dollar compound
Like Osama Bin Laden and his 'whore dungeon' of wives...
but I have a pretty good life

Often times, my alternative lifestyle
means 'understanding' that I am sacrificing mainstream First World luxuries
Baths, consumer fashion trends, paying for mainstream experiences like sporting events
Living in pre-gentrified areas in order 2 establish my roots in 'something real.'

Sometimes I wish I could be a true alt
a Third World Alt///////
Finding a way to be alternative
despite there being no obvious mainstream 2 rebel against
Except 4 a dictator/corrupt regime that rules my country

I sort of want 2 move
2 a foreign country
In Central/South America
Maybe even Africa, but it might be too 'easy' to be alt there
just because of my First World white man skin

but maybe Third World Alts aren't authentic at all
Maybe they are just adopting trends 3-8 years too late
and putting their weird 'ethnic' spin on it

Sometimes in America
I will see MexiAlts roaming around my local mall
in packs of 2-5
they will have pokemon haircuts
Weird sideburns
Look asexual
Wearing clothes from Hot Topic / Black Fly / Spencer's
supporting some weird band where some1 screams a lot
And I will say...
"WTF R U?"

R u a juggalo?
R u emo?
R u punk?
R u a wannabe-Japanese person?

Maybe they just live on 'the poor side of town'
And they are just attempting to be alt
except in a ghetto way...

But what if u didn't live on 'the poor side of town' in the First World?
What if u lived on the Poor Side of the World? [via the 3rd]


would my alternative identity be 'more authentic' in the Third World?
Or is every1 from the Third World 'kinda alt'?

If a Third World Alt moved to the first world, would they still be alt?
Or would they just be 'a crazy poor person'?

If a First World Alt moved 2 the Third World, would they still be alt?
Or just a 'rich looking phony'?

Maybe I like being a First World Alt
Maybe I like being VIP at sponsored events
Maybe I like that our First World has been able to turn events like SXSW into 'cash cows'
Creating jobs, opportunities, and a bright future for Alt

While First World alts are worried
That Alt is becoming mainstream
Maybe we should embrace our First World opportunities
2 monetize 'alt', and sustain 'alt.'
4evr & evr

****
R u happy to be a First World Alt, or would u rather be a Third World Alt?
What is the future of the MexiAlt?
Does 'alt' exist all ovr the world?
Do u h8 how 'hipster bashing' can be so Ethnocentric [via the White World], and we don't take the time to think abt some alts around the world are living differently?

Photos by Travis Egedy Picture Plane [myspace]

Hey look, it is the popular mexi alt screamo crunk wave band BROKENCYDE. Kinda miss them. Wish they could be integrated more into rave culture. Do yall remember when the popular 2k9 meme which was Brokencyyde's hit anthem "FREAXX" hit the internet? Every1 in the high level indie blogosphere was making fun of it, because it mashed up numerous low-end genres. Screamo, emo, crunk, hiphop, horrorcore, and anything else that the poor/uneducated/young/impressionable end up listening to. We all 'laughed at it' as we gawked at Brokencyde's interpretation of the world.

Many claimed that this was just a strategic internet meme, and there was no real band behind this brilliant anthem about 'getting freaky.' However, there is actually a Brokencyde, and they have a core group of fans who show up 2 their shows. Do yall know if there is a difference between 'emos' and 'scene juggalos' and 'nightmare before Christmas Teens' and 'Hot Topic bros'? Is there an official word for an African American emo / juggalo / scene person? Not sure what the deal with those neon troll feet is. Would probably just wear lace up converse shoes to 'get my dance on' without worrying about walking in puddles of water Fuzzle wuzzle feet Wonder if ur parents drop u off like that, or do u bring a lil bag with ur zany accessories to change into while ur waiting in line? Really miss the era of myspacers worth blogging about [via OMG WTF] Should I turn my Green Day tshirt into a bikini? Here's some more Brokencyde just so u can vibe out to some crunk haus while u read this post.

Looks sorta like an ethnic version of the Crystal Castles album cover. Scared of this mexi alt. Worried abt his eye balls / retinas READ MORE SCENE JUGGALO CONTENT

I saw this picture of the Jonas Brothers in Venezuela with a Group of Latin AmericAlts (who are closely related to Mexicalts). The picture sorta 'made my head explode' since there were so many consumer alt trends being implemented/utilized in this picture.

Swoopy Bangs.
Plaid. Stripes. V-necks.
Sunglasses.
Scarves.
Jeans of every colour/texture/style.
Lil jackets.
Remnants of the electro era mixed with an overall vibe of the purgatoryAlt.
Angry Mulatto Men in the Background.

I remember when I made a pie chart that attempting to break down the Altino Tribe of Humans.

I am not sure if 3rd World Alts/Mexicalts/Altinos/Latin Americalts are 'growing up' and catching on to new trends, or if they are sort of stuck with a tween-like perception of the alternative aesthetic. Wonder if the Altino in 10 years will look like the altbro circa 2k7.

Sometimes I sorta take for granted the mainstreamification of alternative trends. Like I never even take the time 2 genuinely appreciate it any more. The way I used to dress 1-20 years ago is being implemented by tweens and forever-young-post-tweens.

I made this graph in 2k8. How do yall think it has changed in the past year?

Just so weird how the 3rd worlders are such laggards when it comes to trend adoption. Do u know if they have Macbooks in those countries?
Worried about 2k10. What if I become a 'laggard' and some new form of human/blog/RSS feed is able to consume trends faster than me?
What if the chillwave genre was the last great moment where alts 'chewed up and spat out' a trend in record time? #the_glofi_movement
What if chillwave was just a 'consumer trend' and not an actual 'movement'?

worried abt 2012...

Previous Mexicalt Coverage
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/12/the-crowning-achievement-of-mexicaltsaltinos.html
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/11/part-of-the-altino-nvr-dies.html
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/11/all-i-ever-wanted-was-a-mexicalt-with-a-progressive-pokemon-haircut.html

Whenever I see a group of 2 or more alternative ppl with strong personal brands, I often ask myself, "What type of music would these ppl play if they were in a band 2gthr?" I am never sure if they are actually in a band, or if they even know how to play an instrument/GarageBand on a macbook. In today's world, we all 'want to be rock stars/blog house alt celebs.' It is important 2 ask important questions like, 'Who are these bros trying 2 b?' In the future, I will mimic an pre-existing personal/group brand to take my existence to the next level.

[via Deep City Dive]
These bros are in a band that sounds like
a) The Strokes
b) The Stooges
c) Mexicalts who just learned how 2 play guitar
d) Sonic Youth
e) Health
f) No Age
g) Enrique Iglesias
h) The Smiths
i) Brokencyde
j) At the Drive In
k) The Albert Hammond Jrs.
l) Fleetwood Macs
m) Cut Copies
n) a local altbag band who values their songs more than they should
o) Baggy and the AltBaguettes
p) Choose.Your.Own.Response

When u go out with ur closest network of friends, what band/posse do yall try 2 look like?

When I think of MexicAlts, I think of a lost group of peoples. I think of a group of minority alternatives who have trouble analyzing the modern tools of personal branding. I think of a brown skinned man who has not stepped in the sun in years, with his eyes torn out, standing in the middle of a mall. His hair is not of his natural colour. He may or may not be a cartoon character [via Anime]. He is able to forge his identity using 'alternative stores' within this mall. This results in the implementation of a Hot Topic-ish personal brand.

Mexicalts are not sure who they are. They are attached to who they were, and very interested in forging their future identity based upon who they were. This often leaves their personal brand with a very weird state. They are a walking pupu platter of what trends have been 'hot' in the past 5-10 years.

While this video has already gone viral in a 'wtfrotflmao' kind of way, I think it will live on forever as the meme/art that finally expressed who the Mexicalt people finally art. The song is a masterpiece, mixing genres in a way that shits down upon the golden era of rap+rock [Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, etc]. The video features all brands of Mexicalts, searching for an present identity without losing touch with 'who they were.' The music and their personal brands are beautiful, but u might only feel that way if are working on a thesis called 'The State of the Modern Mexican American (Born after 1985 [in the internet era])--MillenialMexis, Myspace, and a Shifting Cultural Zeitgeist | Throwing Away Previous Cultural Standards in an Effort to Fit In + Express Themselves.'

AltinosMexicalts consist of the following:

Is n e thing missing from 'what makes a Mexicalt?'

Do u know n e Mexicalts will ever reach 'authentic alt' status?
Or will they forever be in the late adopter/laggard group, targeted by alternative apparel companies who are looking for a brand loyal group of consumers?

Who do I want 2 b and how does my cultural background influence the person I am capable of being?
Will there ever be a Mexi President? ///////////////

HIPSTER RUNOFF has a significant following in Southern California and Mexico. A lot of AltMinorities email me saying "Carles...u always blog about blipsters & azns, but u fail to blog about MexiAlts, the fastest growing alternative minorities group in the Alternative Nation."

They're right. It's time to finally get serious about blogging about MexiAlts. MexiAlts are responsible for the sustainability of the Party Industry in Southern California. It's difficult to deny the presence of more MexiAlts than ever on popular party pix sites like thecobrasnake & redslurpeee.

MexiAlts are blessed with the ability to 'have a wide-eyed, entry level mindset' without 'gettin too self-aware'.  They will never 'become disenfranchised with the state of the scene.'  Instead, they will migrate to a new scene after it is established as a 'mainstream alt' norm. MexiAlts enjoy the consumer experience provided by their local mall, usually inundated with MainstreamAltish Trends.  Most MexiAlts are currently transitioning out of emo/PanicAtTheFallOutBoy/post-hardcore, and focusing on electro/bloghaus.

For example, these MexiAlts [via Mexico] have transitioned their PanicAtTheDiscEmo personal brands to a modernized ElectroAlt personal brand.

[photo by Deep City Dive]

The MexiAlt comes in many different formats.  I remember during HRO's myspacer worth blogging about era, many of the selected myspacers were the post-sexual androgynous MexiAlt type.  For example, here is HECTOR ECSTASY.

And who will forget ISAAC MEXICAN? He checks his myspace bulletins [via sidekick] at least once every 10 minutes.

MexiAlts usually don't make it on the guestlist. They are pure 'consumers' in the alternative economy, without many connections/aspirations to do more than stand on the sidelines of the alternative economy. When Southern Californian producers/promoters post myspace bulletins about having a show (equipped with an obnoxious flier), this is for the MexiAlt demographic. Myspace bulletins = usually the best way to reach them.

Female MexiAlts are proud of their American Apparel aesthetic in the way that an entryLevel Alt circa 2k6.3 would be proud of his/her personal brand's merger with the AA aesthetic.

It's always just important to remember that Alternative Minorities are more important to the ElectroCommunity than Alternative whites (tentatively called WHIPSTERS). MexiAlts, AltAzns, and Blipster are the people who are proud of the scene--proud enough to go see a DJ who is 'going to lay down a HARD set.' White people usually go to more 'traditional concerts' while AltMinorities aren't afraid to 'show up early to get a spot in the front' and then 'get sweatie'/grind on one another.

[Photo credits to RedSlurpee(a place for MexiAlts]

After dedicating significant coverage to blipsters and AZNs, it's time to honor one of the most important demographics in Altville--the MexiAlt.

What are MexiAlts all about, yall?  Do yall people in the Northern USA/Canada/Australia/Europe even know what a MexiAlt is?
Do u like this era of post-tolerance on HRO?