Twee by Marc Spitz

Twee by Marc Spitz

New York Times, Spin, and Vanity Fair contributor Marc Spitz explores the first great cultural movement since Hip Hop: an old-fashioned and yet highly modern aesthetic that's embraced internationally by teens, twenty and thirty-somethings and even some Baby Boomers; creating hybrid generation known as Twee. Via exclusive interviews and years of research, Spitz traces Generation Twee's roots from the Post War 50s to its dominance in popular culture today. Vampire Weekend, Garden State, Miranda July, Belle and Sebastian, Wes Anderson, Mumblecore, McSweeney's, Morrissey, beards, artisanal pickles, food trucks, crocheted owls on Etsy, ukuleles, kittens and Zooey Deschanel-all are examples of a cultural aesthetic of calculated precocity known as Twee. In Twee, journalist and cultural observer Marc Spitz surveys the rising Twee movement in music, art, film, fashion, food and politics and examines the cross-pollinated generation that embodies it-from aging hipsters to nerd girls, indie snobs to idealistic industrialists. Spitz outlines the history of twee-the first strong, diverse, and wildly influential youth movement since Punk in the '70s and Hip Hop in the '80s-showing how awkward glamour and fierce independence has become part of the zeitgeist. Focusing on its origins and hallmarks, he charts the rise of this trend from its forefathers like Disney, Salinger, Plath, Seuss, Sendak, Blume and Jonathan Richman to its underground roots in the post-punk United Kingdom, through the late'80s and early '90s of K Records, Whit Stillman, Nirvana, Wes Anderson, Pitchfork, This American Life, and Belle and Sebastian, to the current (and sometimes polarizing) appeal of Girls, Arcade Fire, Rookie magazine, and hellogiggles.com. Revealing a movement defined by passionate fandom, bespoke tastes, a rebellious lack of irony or swagger, the championing of the underdog, and the vanquishing of bullies, Spitz uncovers the secrets of modern youth culture: how Twee became pervasive, why it has so many haters and where, in a post-Portlandia world, can it go from here?

Marc Spitz is the author of We Got the Neutron Bomb: The True Story of LA Punk (co-written with Brendan Mullen), How Soon Is Never: A Novel, David Bowie: A Biography, and Mick Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue. Spin, Rolling Stone, Maxim, Uncut, Nylon, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and the New York Times have all published his rock 'n' roll and popular culture writing. Marc Spitz writes a blog at marcspitz.com. Spitz is a New York City resident.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780062213044
ISBN 10	0062213040
Title	Twee
Author	Marc Spitz
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Year published	2014-07-03
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.