MOG

Exactly! If we spent to much time looking for it, trying to achieve it and define it, we will end up in lameville. Cool is in the eye of the beholder! The minute we stop trying to be cool, we become genuinely cool. Go fig :) You just reminded me of an older post of mine about music cool.

You are the coolest strawberry I've ever met, lady :)

Plenty of cool people in here..present company included. Of course, I gave up caring years ago and gave up trying in high school. I'm an only child, who moved a lot as a kid, so for awhile I wanted to do things to fit in. Then at some point a switch went off in my brain, and I no longer gave a darn..I guess it was all those 70's group sessions where they told us to be ourselves.

What is cool? Smoking? No. Skinny jeans? No. Bangs? Nah. Drugs? YES, I SAY! Getting drunk? Long as you're still sober enough to fuck. Starving to be too skinny? No, but pigging out on a meatball sub in front of someone that starves herself to be skinny, then complaining that no matter how much you eat, you can't seem to gain a pound...THAT'S cool. Having 523532 CDs? Ummm...no. 523532 mp3's? Hell yeah! Knowing indie bands that haven’t been created yet? Fuck indie bands. :p Fucking around? Only if you're fucking with the best. ;)

And how much do you sacrifice to be cool? Your health? Die young and leave a good looking (and cool) corpse. Your money? It's just money. Make it rain on them hoes! Your nerdy friends? Kill them. Bury them. Destroy all evidence that they existed. Your natural hair colour? What's cooler than black? Your dignity? What is this thing "dignity" you speak of?

Any other questions?

Troy Maximus Powers I Authority on all things cool

oh shit! If I was at home I would post a picture of myself when I was trying to be cool and failing. If I remember and have time, I will post it here when I get home tonight. You will laugh your ass off.

I gave up trying to be cool a long time ago. Being a sarcastic asshole fits my style so much more.

Cody, why thanks :) Needless to say, I feel the same about you guys. The moment you stopped trying, you achieved coolness, ah ye :) 70’s group sessions, eh? Darn, no fair, I missed those.

Troy, I KNEW you'd come here and do your thing. That's one of the reasons I love ya (not your Thing, your thing). We both agree, if I remember a post of yours correctly, that something is cool if you do it for your fun, for you and not to be cool.

Mike, I will be waiting for that picture. Oh yes, I will. Sarcastic PWNS cool on anygiven day, if you ask me...

If you have to ask what it means for someone to be cool, you're most probably either definitely not cool or else a word nerd. (The two don't have to exclude one another!) Along the lines of what Anna said, I'd say the key to coolness is self-confidence and not defining yourself by what others think. For a cultural-historical analysis, I can also recommend Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude by Dick Pountain and David Robins (Reaktion Books, 2000). Despite Troy, skinny jeans are cool. :P

First off, love the song, great choice for an indie anthem. Second, I think it's common to teenager-hood to try to be "cool", however that gets defined. At least, I know that I did. What you said above was perfect: When we stop trying to be cool, we become cool. Self-confidence is the essence of cool.

Ha. I forgot about this one I had on my myspace site.

I am the cool person on the left. (1991ish) Check out those rolled jeans! I was chick magnet back in those days. I needed a hot chick fly swatter to keep all the babes away.

Wow, stone-washed and acid-washed jeans. THOSE were cool!

Troy. The stonewashed part was cool but it was the tight roll at the bottom that sealed the deal for coolness. Did you not roll your pants back in the early 90s? Hell, I am from Superior, Wisconsin and we were about 3 years behind the times fashion wise so if you ever did roll your pants it was maybe in 1988 or so.

Marigold: Nah, the white kids did the cuff rolling. We wore ours inside out or backwards. Depending on if you listened to ABC or Kriss Kross.

If you were really, cool, you of course had a jean jacket that matched your jeans exactly.

If you were superiorly cool, you had a friend who could draw well put Bart Simpson and your name written in graffiti on them.

Anna: I'm so hurt that you like my thing, but not my THING. Expect your myspace page to be bombarded with penis pictures in the very near future.

I was going to say that that was me in 1987, but there you are.

...Not my favorite of Dandy Warhols songs, but I am spending Halloween night watching the band...I think they are excellent live and I never miss a chance to see them.

Dale and Pekka, well said about confidence. I couldn't agree more.

Dale, the problem is that some people carry on looong after high school, sigh.

Pekka, "for a cultural-historical analysis", you are such a cool nerd :) Skinny jeans are not cool. They are HOT.

Mike! No, you didn't! Oh man ahahahhaha so awesome :) Damn I'm trying to find stupid ones of mine, I will do my best. Some people still roll their pants like that! It's a CRIME.

Troy, I always liked that song! I was cool enough to have a boyfriend that graffitti-ed my name at my school for every one to see. That would have made me prom queen, if we had proms, that is. "Expect your myspace page to be bombarded with penis pictures in the very near future" I'm better at manipulation that I thought I was.... /evil laugh

Troy. LOL. I had black roomates when I was in the military in the early 90s and I totally remember that now. Everything you said I totally remember. LOL What about the squered off fro with the little notches cut out? (i am sure there was a name for that style of hair cut that I do not remember)

We neee pictures people! Dale you must have an old pic floating around, Troy...you too. Lets see some coolness!

Dude, I already posted my senior picture at Multiply. Oh fine, here you all go, for your entertainment:

Mark, they always disappoint me live, but it only happens when they come here. They seem to be playing fine in other countries. What can I say? Have a spooky time! My favourite one is Get Off!

I was not a hippie, those patterns were in fashion once!

Don't bother asking me if I knew a single Yankees player. I didn't and I don't.

That is an Adidas hoodie 3 sizes larger than mine, a Prodigy T-shirt 2 sizes larger than mine, and skateboard pants 45 sizes larger than mine. Don't bother asking me if used to skateboard. I didn't. But I was going out with skaters at the time.

Is that a hot pink tie around your neck or are you just happy to see me? (and yes, my hair is dyed black at the end)

Actually, I do not have a single photo of myself in the height of my coolness. Thank GOD. We just weren't shutter-bugs back then. As opposed to the digital camera age. I have photos of every weekend of my life for the past 3 years.

Most definitely, you were cool if you had the high top fade. Even cooler than that was the gumby (instead of a flat top, you had a slope down to one side). Even cooler than THAT, you had multiple "steps". I think the more steps, the higher your coolness factor.

Wow, I should really bring that style back. That would kick ass!

My age in the pics is 15, 17, 18, 21.

I'd bang the 21 year old Anna. The hot pink on black is sexy.

And that is the only Anna that you would have been banged legally haha

Dale. Love the hair.

Anna. Ha. Love the pink tie. Nice touch. It accents your red armband so well. (is that a red armband?) I am really confused on what is on your head on the one picture. What does it say?

Troy. I remember my roomates being bummed because they were not allowed to have "different" haircuts in the military as the military wanted us to all look the same and not have any individuality. Some guys would still buck the system though. It would just involve a haircut soon after any stylish changes had been made.

(yes, it is) :D That is a New York Yankees hat...worn back to forth...

Dale....I just saw that...how come I don't remember this picture! New desktop wallpaper! (till Troy sends me those pics, that is)

Oh, poor little Anna was drowning under all those clothes! Look at the size of those jeans! I know that's the style in some places, but not very flattering, no?

Of course they were not flattering. You could fit 3 Annas under them! But I was hanging out with skaterboys at the time. It was cool. SNORT.

^{SILENCE! I kill you...}

Eeep! You threaten me? OK, that's it! You asked for it!

I don’t need to tell you that I liked that song when it came out, do I…ahhahahha This post developed into a gigantic can of worms. I wore ties one year BEFORE her BTW (not sure yet if this is something I should be proud of, but still). I was too old at 2002 to dress like that (bummer! :P).

It must be a Greek thing. I saw them play in Prague (or Bohemia as they call it) and they were great.

[picturing a young Anna rocking out to "Skater Boy".] Baby, say it ain't so!

original message went something like this

{picturing a young Anna rocking out to "Skater Boy".} Baby, say it ain't so!

kool=PIMP yeah-ah this is the day i INVENTED kool al gore was nowhere to be found

now i'm the most unkoolest cat in the universe cuz kool is so passe'

if it don't RAWK smoke it

Your post brings up good questions. And also makes me think of this song:

(it takes a minute for the video to start)

Oh dear, Anna. We seem to have gone through the same exact "cool stages".

To paraphrase: The Uncool do what they can, the Cool do what they must.

Rather...the uncool do what they can do. The cool do whatever the fuck they want. ;)

"skinny jeans, bangs, getting drunk, having 523532 CDs, knowing indie bands that haven’t been created yet" yep, that sounds like the epitome of cool to me ;-) maybe through in a cool accent to seal it though...

Troy........it's from my Dark Ages....long before I met you, baby, long before I met you :)

sommer face! Wow, I had forgotten about that Cake song, I love it! Yup, it hits the nail to the head. Thanks for reminding me of it!

Scotch and Troy, yup! Like Cartman from South Park always says, I. Do. What. I. Want.

Da pimpy in da cool house, wooo hooo! I thought that we are supposed to be smoking it when it _does_ rawk ;)

Bree hahahaha How awesome are we, seriously.

Joxy, those are hot. H- o- t. Listen to the elder (did I really type that?).

AnnA, Just remember the wind is cool and the wind blowsssss!!!!!!!!! LOL

Troy - hehe But then I couldn't really paraphrase. ;)

For the record, I think you're cool, Troy. But I might be uncool...

I thought you weren't allowed to say things like that for another three months ;-p

Personally, I am far more interested in being "groovy."

amen, i hate people like that.

i know so many!

anna, you speak the TRUTH.

(and i love the dandies!)

we do not even have a word in spanish to define cool, that probably make us very uncool. i have no idea at what i am saying but i always thought there is cool-hip, which i dont really care about and just cool, which i dont know what it is but i recognize when i see it. my 2 cents (of euro).

I'm pretty sure to be really cool, you have to spell it with a "k."

Never seen that vid for TDW song before niece, it's SO over the top! Love the dancing needles, nice touch there, heh! I do believe that song was written for Anton Newcombe the frontman for The Brian Jonestown Massacre as an insult since Courtney has had an ongoing love/hate relationship w/him(which was documented in the rockumentary 'Dig!').

GREAT POST ANNA-BEAN!

Though, I feel It's inappropriate to make fun of people who have lost themselves in the pursuit of culture, even one's self . What a rough place to be in!

After living in Japan, nothing seems to shock me, as far as for one's choice in attire is concerned. But, I've yet to see goldfish in platform shoes in real life..

Um, yeah. I'm so cool I'm not even gonna say anything.

Well, except that if I had 523532 CDs I wouldn't be very cool because all I would be doing would be staring at those cd's trying to decide what to listen to. Oh, and that I'm totally _not_ cool enough to hang around all you cool Moggers, it seems.

Cool? I'll tell you what's cool. I've been rocking that Dandys jam for the past week. Like over and over. Don't know why. I just have. And then, completely independent of me, Anna posts the vid. That's so cool!

Great post!!

"knowing indie bands that haven’t been created yet" LOL!

Oh I remember when scousers with in fashion I thought I was really cool wearing them. Looking back though I don't think they looked that good lol!

Playing a keyboard while looking bored...that's not cool. Playing a keyboard with one hand and banging a tambourine with the other while looking bored...that's way cool.

Oh, Zia! I wuv you. Put down your tambourine. See me! Feel me! Touch me! Please don't make me wait outside the stage door. (F.Y.I., a recurring dream I have...)