Professional Hipsters

Tonight I left my corporate shadow behind; as I headed downtown with a friend to become what I know will deem a professional hipster. What's a professional hipster you might ask? Well it might seem like a rare breed to see in action in the Memphis area. Truth be told a sighting might not be that far off if you go to the right venue 'round town.

But let's breakdown what the definition of Professional Hipster might be:

Professional: can be either a person in a profession (certain types of skilled work requiring formal training/education) or in sports (a sportsman/sportwoman doing sports for payment).

Hipsters: are typically associated most closely with a love of "alternative" art and performance, particularly music. They are commonly perceived to be devout fans of indie or independent rock and/or independent film. Hipsters may also enjoy or create DIY crafts, and enjoy any or all forms of fine art including conceptual or performance art. Contemporary hipsters are sometimes associated with leftist or liberal social and political views, a general appreciation of intellectual pursuits, and an ironic appreciation of lowbrow or lower class culture and subculture.

In this case the Professional Hipsters group consisted of 1 Pilot, 1 Manager, 1 Fundraiser, 1 Beat Writer, 1 School Administrator, 1 Engineer, 1 Ad Man and sprinkling of Marketing Gurus (like me) for good measure. Once you've got a core team of professional hipsters established you just need to appoint a social chair to dictate the events for the night. Toss in some Alt-rock music, adult libations and downtown locale to the schedule and you're good to go!

Ok, I wish I could take credit for outing, but I was just a participant. The truth is the man (in this instance WOMAN) behind the plan was my co-worker Janet from Janet's Planet on WEVL 89.9.

She's like the Encyclopedia of Music and the Yellow Pages all rolled into one. She's definitely a professional hipster and was able to gather an eclectic group of us to catch the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. It was a killer show and I recommend you give them a spin if you get a chance.


It was an evening full of professional hipsters gearing up for a weekend of River Arts Fest and Voodoo Musicfest 2007 in New Orleans. Hopefully you can find something to entice you palate for this weekend...