A Field Guide to the Urban Hipster

A Field Guide to the Urban Hipster
A Field Guide to the Urban Hipster
2003Josh Aiello ∙ 224 pgs

This is actually a pretty clever book. Set up almost as a scientific journal (but not really), the author purports to have done field studies on the different types of hipsters in their natural habitats. While I’m not sure why or how skinheads, metal heads or hippies are in any way hip, I’ll go with it out in this context. I’ve always wondered what the market is for these kinds of books–whatever their genre is called–as they really are nothing more than coffee table book filler. I’m not going to recommend that my friends pick up the Josh Aiello book or anything, but I suppose I’ll bring something funny that I read in it up in conversation. Plus, they help pass the time when you’re, well, passing the time (if you know what I mean). In case any of you out there are curious, Mr. Hipster found himself to be somewhere between an “ex-frat apologist” and an “alternaboy” (but quickly becoming a man). I didn’t actually need to take the “what species of Hipster are you?” quiz to figure this out–as I’m painfully self-aware–but you can take the quiz here and find out if you’re a dirty stinky hippie, an alpha female or a video ho.