By Lindsay Gibb
The “I” word.
When the word “w00t” is declared the word of the year by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the top Hollywood movies are just glossed-up carbon copies of independents and one-time major label artists are breaking away from their contracts to go it alone, it becomes pretty clear that independent culture has hit the mainstream.
Mainstream culture hanging its tag on indie cred is nothing new. It’s been happening since before the word “indie” entered the lexicon of the general public and was added to the dictionary. The underground has just been too fast for them, typically moving on to something new well before the general public has caught wind of the last thing. Even the word “indie,” when added to the dictionary, is defined as referring to companies without corporate affiliation. Most of the time these so-called “indies” are still multi-million dollar companies that produce films or music that appear in multiplexes and stadiums alongside those from majors. The word is a marketing tool for commercial interests (we’ve even been accused of “branding” it in the letter to the editor this issue), and therefore it lacks fertile meaning. Again, is this new? No. It was co-opted years ago.
When you talk about an indie band it refers to a sound, not necessarily a band without a label. An indie movie has a certain aesthetic (usually characterized by quirkiness and storyline over special effects) but is often backed by a major studio that hides behind its “indie” counterpart, such as Fox Searchlight or Focus Features.
Unfortunately, news of the word’s use in the underground isn’t much better. It’s abused here too. Admittedly by us in our overuse of it, but also by those who use it as an excuse for laziness. “That’s not very indie,” I’ve heard people say in response to a request to be proactive and get something done. If calling someone out on their inability to follow through is only characteristic of corporations, how the hell are we supposed to get anything done around here? This is mostly frustrating because independent creators are some of the most pro-active people around. You have to be self-motivated to create an entire zine, movie, CD or line of change purses on your own.
So is that it then? Is “indie” only useful to companies who want it to mask their true nature and individuals who need it to hide their laziness? I don’t think so. Just because it’s been stolen and misused doesn’t mean it should be handed over without a fight. It’s not the only word, and by all means not the most important one, to describe counter cultures and the objects created out of them, but it’s still useful. We don’t use it to mask laziness–though we sometimes use it because we can’t think of a better alternative. It sits up there on our cover this issue because it fit the meaning, not because it’s a necessary part of any branding strategy. Plain and simple, indie is still short for independent and that’s what Broken Pencil is about; independent culture. Plus, it may still be a good few years until spell check recognizes it, and if it can hide from spell check….