you are not alone. it's christmastime.

in deed my first funky funky christmas.

That was strange. Christmas in Korea and I went to two punkshows, drank several beers and then Club Spot bought pizza and more beer for everyone after Vassline finished a great last gig. the only Christmas spirit I got in to was the 25th when I had glögg for breakfast. But then I had noodles for lunch. Today it started to snow and I met an abandoned (already?) snowman with the text "you are not alone" on his little bellie. And Lonesummer keeps blowin my mind. Tomorrow I will leave the dorm.

an abandoned snowman.

GOD JUL

I miss julmust, I miss köttbullarna, I dont miss Kalle Anka, I miss the stress when we have to leave from moms place to dads place (or vice versa), I miss how Lucas never gives me a christmas gift, I miss the way sebastian eat his food for hours, I miss the way mom decorate the christmas tree, I dont miss all the candy and I dont miss santa claus, I miss sleeping in my ten year old little sisters bed the day before christmas, I miss how Lucas and Sebastian always end up in a fight, I REALLY miss hanging out in moms kitchen, I miss how Sebastian is such a besserwisser, I miss telling my grandparents about my life and I miss listen to grandfathers stories from when he was young and I miss having a smoke with him on the porch too, I miss dads enthusiasm when it's time to decorate the Christmas tree and I miss Lucas lack of enthusiasm when it is time to decorate the Christmas tree, I miss my moms new curtains, tablecloth, paintings, plates, candlestick, rug, bedding and outfit, and i miss the new colors on the wall or maybe a new wallpaper, I miss that my family has grown to encompass so many people, and I definitely miss the smell, but if I try hard, I can smell my Swedish Christmas all the way here! I love you all. God Jul.

Lucas and Sebastian.

my new friend Verv likes black metal.

I have a new friend. His name is Verv.

Verv has a band called Brothers of the hole (!).

Verv writes beautiful texts about why he dig underground music in the fanzine Broke in Korea. Verv likes black metal.

I am ready for some black metal now.

First tips from the coach blew my mind, love at first sight. An experimental black metal/ambient band called Lonesummer.

oh so thats why the world got so boring lately.

And now i know why the world got so fucked up boring lately.
Because the mainstream society used to get their influences from the kinda exciting subcultures. But today we are left with the least exciting "subculture" ever, contributing with nothing new that is genuine and authentic. So the whole mainstream society gets boring and since everything moves so rapidly these days, it is even hard to tell who is influencing who, the mainstream society or the SO CALLED (I would argue hipsterism is not even a subculture) subculture. Ending up with everyone being mainstream without questioning it because they think they are unique and alternative. FUCK.

There are however people who stands out of this. These are the people that the world will turn to when everyone gets to bored. But it will maybe be to late. Because they are digging their own grave. They are wiping out everything that is true and original. Latest example is ZARA opening up in Hongdae, Seoul. Hongdae is an area characterized by its many small shops and expressions through art, music and fashion you can glimpse on the street.

ZARA opening up in Hongdae. makes me wanna scream.

or cry. or both.

ZARA in an area full of this.

fucking hipster you stole my fashion.

So seriously Seoul, I'm interesting, but I am not that interesting (in fact I am but you could not now that).
As soon as I leave my home area Wangsimni, these street style magazines with their snapshots comes up to me and tells me that they like my style and that they want to take a picture of me and then I have to write down what I am wearing at the moment.
These are the reasons why this keeps happening:
1. There are to many Street Style Magazines. And there are too many Street Style Magazines because there are too many hipsters. Yes, the Street style magazine was born and raised by the hipster.
2. Every hipster dress the same, therefore I seem so interesting.
3. I probably seem more interesting then I am (but again I am but you don't now that), because I am the only foreigner who knows how to dress well in a country full of lousy dressed Americans.

However, since every hipster dresses the same they do not appear in these magazines that much because they are simply not interesting. So the people that do appear, are actually pretty inspiring. The problem is, that for a not well-trained eye some confusion might occur and people might mistake me (and others) for being a hipster. I feel that some people think that your hipster level is in some attributes. Yes it is true that there are some (many) hipsterish attributes, but just because I also like to take pictures and I like to get dressed in the morning doesn't make me a hipster. No, your hipster level is in that thing called head and to which extent you also manage to use it for critical thinking.

I made a mistake. There are no hipsters at Club Answer. I went there the other day and all I could see was ugly foreigners. The music was bad too. The lasers were kinda neat though.

What are hipsters good for anyway?

ZABCULTURAL PARTY.

The hipsters didn't show up at the Zabcultural Party that was held last weekend of November. But why would they? The hipster business is flourishing! They gather every night down at Club Mass and Club Answer! Why would they drag their asses to an unknown place downtown Hongdae?

The Zabcultural Party visitors where mainly the same ol' punks you can spot around the park every weekend. Same ol' reliable punks looking at each other not quite sure about what to do during a two hour dj-set 4 o clock friday morning waiting to see The Swindlers perform for the fifth weekend in a row.

But seriously, do we need hipsters at all..? Aren't hipsters and punks incompatible?

All pics are shot by Hospital Photograph, more pics from Zabcultural Party you can find here.