Post-Colonial Theory and Indie Rock

I brushed off Vampire Weekend as a so-so, preppy band composed of Ivy-League kids of privilege devoid of depth. And I mean if you listen to a lot the lyrics on their debut, the constant references to designer clothes and elite travel spots can become a bit of an overload. However, I recently picked up a copy of Rolling Stone out of a pile that my sister leaves for me to read when I come back from school and I read a really interesting article about them that made me rethink all my previous assumptions.

"To some, the band members were indie-rock colonialists, plundering Third World styles for their own gain. But for Koenig, who studied the semiotics of post-colonial literature, concepts like purism and authenticity are as outdated as a land line. Everything is intertwined, he says, and "polar opposites don't exist." Start seeing the connections, and "the idea of fusion - of mixing things - seems less and less like a novelty, and more just the way the world works." (From R.S. mag, Feb 2010)

Ezra Koenig (the one in the yellow sweater):

"But around the time the band started, I became very interested in the connection between preppy American fashion and Victorian imperialism. For instance: Where does the word 'khaki' come from? It's Urdu. Where does 'seersucker' come from? Hindi-slash-Persian. Madras prints? They're from India. Blazers? They were a British naval uniform.

"Now obviously that's a very fucked up period," he continues. But there's something exciting about realizing that these clothes have come to represent WASPy Americans, the pinnacle of whiteness, actually have their roots in India or the non-Western world. They have this fascinating history flowing through them. Preppiness is this wide open thing."

I never knew about such a link between fashions and being a student of cultural theory, his words impressed me. It was also a mini-lesson that one shouldn't always take things at face value. I hope Ezra and the rest of the band members can talk more about their music and opinions like this, because it's fascinating!