Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bonnaroo / Whatevs Is 'Bonnaroo' the Most Hippie Word Ever Created? [Linguistic Challenge]
Posted by Steve Haruch on Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 9:12 AM
I was talking to a friend last night whose response to Bonnaroo is that he's going to Chicago for a week, starting tomorrow. Let's just say he's not a fan. Sure, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, David Byrne, St. Vincent--all artists he really likes--are playing this year, and the festival has clearly grown beyond its jam-band beginnings. But my friend hates anything even remotely hippie. You could call him prejudiced, and he'd be fine with that. The real problem with Bonnaroo, I think, is the name. He'll never get past it. Even if The Beatles came back from the dead and the entire festival took place under a gigantic, air-conditioned dome, he would not go, because he could not attend anything called "Bonnaroo."
But what's in a name? Would that which we call "Bonnaroo" by any other name be just as hippie? Or is it the name that makes an otherwise catholic festival seem singularly hempified? I think my friend would lean toward the latter. He said he was talking with his wife yesterday, trying to make up a word that sounds more hippie than "Bonnaroo." Basically, they couldn't do it.
Creamers, the challenge is on!
Comments (55)
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The weird thing is, Burning Man is an infinitely more awesome name, but is about 1000x times more hippie. They're like, naked and talking about the solstice and shit.
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.
wow. just when i don't think d-bag elitism couldnt get any dumber. way to go cream.
can we get another Jeff post instead?
Good, I don't want that cunt there anyway. More room for me to RAGE!
Leaving for Knoxville in a few then back here to head to BonnaROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Hipsters, stay home and partake in your weekly circle jerks. TIA
Bonnaroo vs Lollapalooza? Aren't both fairly "hippie" in nature; one just seems to evoke more of a dirty granola hippie while the other incites images of glow-sticks and patchy pants.
nothing worse than a closet racist. if you're gonna hate, do it openly, i say. good for your bitch friend for walking the walk and fighting the good fight.
i'll be there for the 6th year in a row, and we won't miss him.
I call it "Euphoriafest"! What's the problem with hippies anyway? I bet that guy loves Nascar races. I'm tired of people knocking Bonnaroo, especially if you've never been!! The "hippies" are what makes it so fun, where else can you get 80,000 people together without ANY hostility whatso ever?? It's the best vibe you'll ever experience and I'm heading out tomorrow for my 6th year there!!!
BROTHERHOOD
?
sorry I just didn't see anything about them in this post and I got confused as to why you published it ?
Yes, I would have to sorta agree with Bobbi -- laughing hippies does make the whole thing quite fun.
@Steve H.
you misunderstand, i was commending him for not being a closet racist. better to skip bonnaroo than to go there and then brood about being surrounded by dirty H-words
Oh, I guess I see what you mean there. I got confused because I don't think of hippies as a "race."
I wonder how many people are going to die at this year's Bonnaroo? I bet at least two. They probably won't be hippies, those cats can handle their drugs.
Anyone who calls their weed by a brand name, uses the word "Jah" in a sentance without irony, refuses to use at least the George Carlin-recommended minimum standard of hygiene, adopts the trappings of african/jamaican/non-anglo culture beyond the casual interest level, has a trust fund but regularly masquerades as a gypsy, participates in 'earth conscious new age meditative higher awareness' activities which usually involve retail spending, and/or can name more than 5 Phish songs.
Nothing inherantly wrong with this culture. They're a harmless bunch and they can be alot of fun. Bonnaroo is great fun and the person you're quoting does indeed sound like a little bitch. This is a very 'cream' thread.
The fatal events usually center around the combination of speed/heat/dehydration. But it should be noted that any time you get 100,000 plus people together, its statistically reasonable that you'll lose a few.
Even if The Beatles came back from the dead and the entire festival took place under a gigantic, air-conditioned dome, he would not go
This is what it would take for me to go. Or a Led Zeppelin reunion. Or hold it in April.
Brah'
The guy in the cube beside me is singing Kung Foo Fighting by Carl Douglas.
I rather be hanging with a bunch of patchouli glazed hippies.
The name of the festival comes from Dr. John's album, Destively Bonnnaroo
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gzfuxqr5ldae
The festival organizers (no, I don't work for them) created a festival for music fans, which it has become. Your friend sounds like a major douche and a reverse-snob. Doesn't he know that being a hipster is outmoded?
Even beloved local music scenester Janet Timmons played Phish's "Bounce Around The Room" on Out The Other this week.
The word "heady" takes the cake for me.
I dare anyone to count how many times they hear that word at Bonnaroo this year. Your head will explode before the weekend is over.
I believe the name comes from Dr. John's album "Desitively Bonnaroo" which is a phat slab of n'awlins fonk. The Meters are the backing band and it's produced by Allen Toussaint (who's on the bill at this year's 'roo). And the word is New Orleans slang for having a really great time. No hippie origins whatsoever really, unlike the actual connection between the origins of "hipster" and "hippie".
And anyone who blows off such a kick-ass line-up of amazing music just because of who else may be attending is not the kind of person I want to associate with at such a magical event as Bonnaroo. See you there hippies and hipsters!
Doyle is my hero.
That guy just came in here and cleaned this scene out.
I vote Doyle becomes a writer for this blog.
He actually has the 'credentials' for adding the 'cred' we're trying to give bands on this cynical cyberspace.
"fluffhead" is the winner.... not because of the post, just for the hippie-est word.
All I can come up with is "shroom-roni-za" which is more of a food than an event, but it definitely signals hippie...
"mellow"
or
"trippin balls"
always makes me giggle when you hear people of any persuasion say these words, but especially a hippie. Can't say I am one for the hippies. Truthfully they drive me bonkers, however, it's a good lineup. And letting people brew in their own moral and ethical superiority is always fun to watch.
I am severely disappointed in the Nashville Scene’s coverage of and articles related to Bonnaroo. Do you guys have any clue what this festival is or what it is about? Ridiculous. Please stick to what Nashville knows best, pop-country poser music.
This site is a huge FAIL!
The Bonnaroo coverage here has sucked. One thing Bonnaroo requires is a positive attitude, and an open mind. Negative talk from whiners who poo poo everything and complain endlessly gets fuckin old. Have your own festival - call it misery fest. Hell, if you get the Smiths to play it, I'll even show up , and stare at my shoes, like everyone else.
Wooo-hoooo! I mean, uh, boohoo, poo poo, I'm bored, this sucks, everything is lame, no one understands...
The Bonnaroo coverage here has sucked. One thing Bonnaroo requires is a positive attitude
Thank you for that.
For real. What I can't figure out is how you guys managed to peg David Byrne's stage and all of the African musicians that NEVER play Nashville under the hippie banner in your article (citing, naturally, Femi Kuti - ahh familiarity). And then there's this thing saying that Goose Creek Symphony was jam before jam was a genre. You ever hear of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and all those other cats whose late night "jamz" were captured on bootleg recordings back in the 40s? Miles Davis was part of that crew too. Ever hear "Kind of Blue"? He reduced that shit to one scale and ten minutes of riveting listening, not to mention what he'd put out in the following 15 years. Where's Jack? Jack? Can you reign this kids in, please?
Go do your homework. Or move to Brooklyn, where people are even more tolerant.
Here's a hippie linguistic for you: Mellow out, maaaaan.
Wow. What a tremendously dickish comment. Jack actually wrote the hippie/jam bit, and the Goose Creek write-up was by someone who doesn't write for the Cream. So, maybe redirect your bile? I dunno. Whatever.
Burrito - Do you really know anybody with a trust fund? The trust fund thing is so tired. Never in my life have I met someone with a trust fund. Let it go.
can i declare loney the winner with the 'za' reference? a genuine laugh out loud at that one. haven't heard that since college. when i was a hippie.
I'm not a fan of 'broseph' and 'brah'. and i've never really liked 'no worries' which is ubiquitous now and beyond the hippie camp. honestly guys, the worst hippie talk can't be as bad as referring to South by Southwest as 'southby'. Everyone please stop.
andrew j.: you dated a hippie once.
'thank you anna': if you're gonna play the 'i know jack silverman' card, then please post with your real fucking name. thanks for clearing up everyone's music misconceptions, btw. you see, if you posted with your real name, then it would be easier for me to cite my source when i'm discussing the origins of 'jamming' with my hipster friends.
now i'm gonna wait for 'anna' to tell me what guitarist i'm pathetically ripping off, and what my 'natural' guitar tone is. i really, really need to know this...
"You Enjoy Myself"
"Lengthwise > Maze"
"Mike's Song > Weekapaug Groove"
"Colonel Forbin's Ascent > Fly, Famous Mockingbird"
"Harry Hood"
"Guelah Papyrus"
"Gumbo"
7 of my favorite Phish songs. And I even like the studio versions. Except the "Harry Hood" from the time they won a battle of the bands and got free studio time in Boston - it was all out of tune and really just sucked.
Public masturbation ending... now. Us Phish fans are as big commodity fetishists as anyone... got a CD of Trey's high school band Space Antelope around here somewhere... and the tape he made in his folks' basement while he was kicked out of school for a semester...
Seriously, just go and enjoy it. A huge variety of music to sample at will, a nice crowd, and no responsibilities besides your own safety and consideration of others.
I've known quite a few of them, headache. The stereotype is very much a reality, haves masquerading as have-nots. I wish I had their problem.
Are you refering to Gamehenge, goose?
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