So I have a copy of "Hip: The History" by John Leland sitting in my pajama lap. I'm only to page twenty nine because I'm cashed (although I just chewed some coffee beans and spat 'em out in the bathroom sink), have smoked several non-additive free cigarettes I got in a trade for buying a beatnik girl lunch in a small town. I'm wearing a tie-dyed shirt a friend got me at the Chicago Peace Fest that has a see-through alien face on it reading "we come in peace." I feel hip daddy-yo. The fun thing about this book is you can go to the index and find hipsters such as Chris Roc and Nathaniel Hawthorne but I don't see me. So what I want to know is why am I not in here? Leland told us not to feel bad if we weren't in the index, but I don't find this fair play on his part. I have my props John. I'm almost middle aged, I have suffered two meltdowns, and am almost on my third (my therapist is making me post this). I have a poetry chapbook my sister published.
I've done the Jack and Neal adventure three times but have never been to Truckee, so maybe that's why I'm not in there. I've partied with clowns in the Grateful Dead parking lot--the bowl had beads man. I've hung with street urchins sharing chewing gum with disorders not recognized by the DSMRIII who study diagrams of pool tables for fun. My running buddies include penniless poet wanna be popstars and bad asses who create glass collages and dream catchers made out of found string. Girls with no tattoos and Reeboks they bought at the local thrift shop. My boyfriend wears Carhartt and drives a Comet. My cellphone is two years old and still doesn't have a plan. John man. Reconsider. I got my props baby. I swear. Put me in the damn index. I'm a contender.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Neato, baby, you sure are a contender.
Fine review - patois-rich
2 - Eric Olsen
Jane, you're really funny, glad you got the tech stuff worked out - was it the cookies? Glad to dsee you back!
3 - DrPat
disorders not recognized by the DSMRIII
Wow! I'm in awe... Far as I'm concerned, you are in the index!
4 - jane ripley
yea, yea. Neato torpedo. I'd say thank you but I'm too busy with my kewl lessons and I'm channeling this Mingus CD rite now.
Thanks Eric. Yea, it was on my computer. Had to go into the other one to change my password. It's fun to be back.
BTW, Hunter S. Thompson is mentioned on page 178 of Leland's book.
5 - jane ripley
I'm only horsing around. I'd rather be in the DSMRIII index for sheer notoriety, but again, I thank you, and so does my other self. ;_)
6 - Eric Olsen
"other self" - uh oh, perhaps you need to come to terms with this
7 - Aaman
Or, as the Simpsons might put it after this week, your yin/yin needs to talk to your yang/yang
8 - Eric Olsen
I was disappointed there was no mention of lingams and yonis - surely Apu is conversant
9 - Aaman
Are the Simpsons cool? Shark doesn't think so
10 - j ripley
you all have totally lost me. Sorry, i was busy not flossing my teeth in front of guests coz someone told me it was a Beat thing to do.
BTW, politics are so not cool bre.