FIGHT CLUB: The Misunderstood Cult Classic
From Left to Right: Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) & "The Narrator" (Edward Norton)
Fight Club is one of those movies that everyone has supposedly seen but no one truly understands. Fight Club is one of those movies that people say they like just so they seem a little bit less mainstream or can say “Oh yeah, that part was cool.” Basic water-cooler talk. Or better yet: “The first rule of fight club is you don’t talk about fight club”, or something along those lines. When Fight Club came out, it was met by significant derision from critics, their main complaint being its unabashed display of the “virtues” of machismo and masculinity. Over the years, Fight Club has managed to age well as a film; more people have come around and have seen it as a movie that is more a critique on modern culture rather than a support of modern culture. Because of this, it has become a movie praised for its scathing critique on 21st century society and its incredible depth – for all the wrong reasons.
On a long enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
Edward Norton's character in Fight Club contemplates his shallow existence
The main themes that critics have managed to pick apart about Fight Club are its rejection of consumer culture, its support of underground ideas that may be detrimental to the mainstream status quo, and of course its embrace of masculinity in what is supposedly an overly feminine world. These themes are all nice but I believe that Fight Club runs a lot deeper than run-of-the-mill critiques about how 21st century society isn’t all that great. I believe the main theme of Fight Club is very elementary yet at the same time manages to avoid shallow surface “catch-all” critiques.
The main theme of Fight Club boils down to two characters: Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and “The Narrator” (Edward Norton). Norton’s character finds himself trapped within the labyrinthine 9-5 40+ hour work system that forms the basis for modern life. Tyler Durden gives “The Narrator” a way out of his shallow existence. One of the ways in which he does this is by literally blowing up the narrator’s comfortable residence and introducing him to a very spartan existence. An existence in which the the strongest survive and frustrations are hashed out in scrappy, brutal, no holds barred fights. Soon, the numbers of the fight club swell to massive proportions and look to Tyler Durden as their leader, as their messiah. Soon, the individuality of the members becomes compromised and the very thing which they wished to eliminate is what they have now become. However, the loss of identity and merging back into a collective consciousness is still not the main theme of Fight Club. In fact, far from it.
The ever brutal Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) looks on after a fight
Durden is everything that the Narrator wishes not to become and yet simultaneously wishes to do. Durden is stronger, more courageous (yet simultaneously cowardly), he has no regard for rules or societal conventions, and he is much more predatory. Durden is a good foil for “The Narrator” who is in his very nature, an asexual worker drone while Durden is the paragon of the stereotypical bad boy.
Durden, in his essential form is a neo-anarchist, one of the very people that “want to watch the world burn” as Michael Caine’s character in The Dark Knight says. Durden advocates for the the complete destruction of modern day society, at any means necessary. He does not hesitate to use others and brute force in order to achieve his ends. With this twisted form of neo-anarchism comes the espousal of old school ideas such as social darwinism. Durden envisions a society in which the strong survive and all those that cannot protect themselves or do not have the means to are cast aside to make way for a new world order. This is the way in which Durden wants to re-institute masculinity into a society in which he feels has been severely degraded by feminine values most evidently shown in the avoidance of pain. Durden’s complete disregard for laws, orders, rules, regulations, and the natural rights of man manifest themselves in Durden’s actions throughout the movie. Such examples are found in him blowing up “The Narrator’s” apartment with explosives and constantly deriding and emasculating “The Narrator” throughout the film.
Durden’s obsession with returning to a primal state of man by completely destroying, not replacing or rebelling against modern society is the main theme of the film. See if someone brings that up at your next Fight Club discussion.
I remember the first time I saw Fight Club. I thought it was a brutal critique on modern life, with an angle I did not expect a movie to take. It often makes me wonder if Tyler Durden was as misunderstood as this movie is and maybe he may be getting at something at the need to return to a somewhat more honest way of life. Or perhaps maybe the world is better off sugarcoating everything in a nice layer of cotton candy in order to undercut the harsh realities of the human condition.
Man, I see in Fight Club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables – slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won’t. We’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.
From Left to Right: Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) & Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). "The Narrator", Durden, and Singer are involved in a love triangle throughout the movie
- Scotia
FENDER REISSUE SHOP
Good evening. We would like to turn you on to one of our favorite websites, the Fender Reissue shop. These fine gentlemen specialize in selling old reissues of Fender Stratocasters, Telecasters, Precision Basses, and the occasional Fender odd instrument. Nothing beats the vintage Fenders, but these replicas are just at good at capturing the vibe and sound of the 60s. We wanted to turn you on to this for the guitar aficionados in our audience.
We at the Mid-Atlantic Lounge support the Fender Reissue Shop because of their enduring committment to finding old replica guitars and reselling them at a somewhat affordable price. They truly wish to keep the spirit of the Stratocaster alive with their efforts.
Here’s the link: http://www.fenderreissue.com
Cheers,
The Mid-Atlantic Lounge
downtime
Hello fans of the Mid-Atlantic Lounge. We apologize for the long delay between posts. We here have been busy with matters outside the Lounge. However, we will be returning to the Lounge during the summer months as that will be our primary job during the time. Stay tuned for more posts and updates from the Mid-Atlantic Lounge.
Thank you for your support,
The Mid-Atlantic Lounge
Norlin Quad at University of Colorado – Boulder. Every year on April 20th, thousands gather in the Quad on 4:20 pm and smoke marijuana. It is the only yearly open demonstration of illegal substance use. Last April 20th, a reported 10,000 persons were on the Quad. That number is expected to be higher this year.
It’s April 20th today. That means someone, somewhere is participating in a practice that goes back thousands of years: smoking weed. If you didn’t already know, today is unofficially National Marijuana Day where millions all across the globe are lighting up and breathing in. The date 4/20 comes from the police code 420 which is synonymous with weed. 4:20 pm was also the time a group of high school students would meet up together so they could smoke weed. With so many people smoking pot you would have thought it would be legal in the United States by now. So far, marijuana is decriminalized in 13 out of the 50 states.
Still, that brings up the question “why is an illegal drug slowly becoming decriminalized?” A valid question indeed. With a drug that has been the subject of so much controversy so much in the last century, it’s important to look at the culture behind the marijuana movement and it’s growing influence in mainstream American culture.
We at The Mid-Atlantic Lounge do not endorse or advocate marijuana use, but we believe the option should be available if one wishes. If you do choose to do so, stay safe and be aware of your surroundings.
So, in honor of 4/20, The Mid-Atlantic Lounge would like to present STONER CULTURE: The Relevance of Marijuana in American Society.
A Brief History of Marijuana Up To Prohibition
Flowering marijuana plant.
2700 B.C. ish - First reference to marijuana appears in Chinese manuscript.
900-1000 - Smoking marijuana becomes popular in the Middle East among Muslims who were forbidden to drink alcohol.
1545-1617 - English explorers arrive in Americas. Fascinated by the cannabis plant, they export it to England where it is used for a variety of purposes.
1700-1899 – Marijuana is used by thousands in America. George Washington grew marijuana alongside tobacco plants on his Mount Vernon Estate. In 1840, marijuana is then sold as a medicinal alternative. Soon after, thousands of smoking lounges open all over the United States. Marijuana use in Northeast becomes a legitimate subculture. At the time, marijuana is a luxury and is seen as a form of “high culture” reserved only for the elite or well-off.
1900-1930s – Marijuana use is now widespread more than ever before. The first drug regulation agency, the Food and Drug Administration is created. At this time, thousands of migrant workers from Mexico come into the Southern and Southwestern United States in search of job opportunities. These laborers work hard jobs and enjoy smoking marijuana at the end of a long day. However, a claim of Mexicans going crazy off of marijuana and attacking people provoked fear in the majority-white community to ban the possession of marijuana in El Paso, Texas.
1937 – After a long battle, Henry J. Anslinger with the help of William Randolph Hearst’s yellow journalism is able to coerce the American public that marijuana is a drug that will lead to the destruction of western civilization. Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 into law, making it illegal to possess, buy, or sell marijuana or any form of it’s derivatives.
Marijuana propaganda poster in 1935.
Marijuana Post Prohibition
With the Tax Act into law, Anslinger had effectively forced marijuana and it’s users into a pigeonhole. People who smoked weed as a daily activity were now required to keep the actions covert, lest they run into trouble down the line.
Marijuana has a unique status within American culture. It is one the most widely used drugs, one of the most “tolerable” drugs, and one of the most social drugs. Since marijuana has been made illegal, it has developed it’s own pseudo-underground culture that would have most likely not existed if it was not illegal. It is a subculture, a counterculture in a way, different from the ideals that mainstream America takes de facto.
“The Stoner”
The word “stoner” has taken on some very negative connotations in colloquial American English. It is meant for some person who loves nothing better but to numb their mind all day smoking weed. Portrayed as lazy, unmotivated, and apathetic, the stoner is seen as the bottom of the barrel in the pecking order of the American hierarchy. However, some marijuana users take pride in the word “stoner” with slogans such as “proud to be a stoner”. A stoner in marijuana culture is seen as a person who is passionate about marijuana and use, smokes regularly (but always not excessively) and advocates for it’s legalization, and wishes to educate others about the drug. Generally amicable people, stoners will include anyone in their circle who wishes to be in.
Clothing
Standard stoner clothing is light, accessible, ready-made, and easy on the environment. A typical outfit includes shirts, cargo shorts and/or jeans, and sandals or some type of sneaker shoe. Tie-die shirts are famous among the psychedelic type and general skatewear is famous among the young males. Some modern stoners wear clothing straight from hemp, the non-psychoactive part of the marijuana plant. These include beanies, bracelets, hats, socks, shoes, shirts, etc.
Entertainment
There have been many stoner forays into the world of entertainment, most notably in movies. The first stoner movies were that of Cheech and Chong, two friends who went on wild adventures featuring marijuana. The Cheech and Chong movies were mainly cult hits. Now, various well known mainstream movies are stoner movies, that such as Dazed and Confused, Half-Baked, Friday, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, and more recently, Pineapple Express. Stoners typically enjoy watching these movies, especially while intoxicated on marijuana. Outside of movies, some stoners enjoy playing video games and watching television, or just having a lazy day with their friends. Stoners have so many different methods of keeping themselves entertained, its impossible to pinpoint them all.
Seth Rogen (left) and James Franco (right) in Pineapple Express.
Ice Cube in Friday.
Politics
In the realm of politics, the stoner continues to make a presence. They advocate and push for legalization/decriminalization of marijuana and almost always discuss it’s use for medicinal purposes. Some stoners do this because they wish to get it legalized, others wish to justify their actions, others don’t really care. Marijuana legalization and decriminalization is an important issue in the United States to this day. Outside of marijuana issues, many stoners take a liberal slant and value that freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and just about any other freedom in the United States Constitution.
It is evidently clear the impact that a plant has made on American culture. Many people have tried and will continue to try marijuana especially due to it’s overwhelming hype. It was a once underground drug that is now brought to the mainstream and scrutinized by many. The debate whether marijuana should be legalized rages on, but whether or not someone tells them to, stoners will keep on smoking the plant they love so much.
The American Sneakerhead
“You can really tell a lot about a person through the shoes, so I always like to keep me a fresh pair” – Big Boi of Outkast
“Before maybe you’d have two or three pairs of sneakers. Now it’s nothing to have 20 or 30 pairs.” – James Jebbia, owner of Supreme on the new sneakerhead
Typical sneaker rack in a specialty store.
You see them everywhere. They come from all over. Los Angeles. Philadelphia. Baltimore. Houston. New York. They’re a relatively new breed of collector and they’re called “sneakerheads”. Sneakerheads spend their time and money on buying and selling shoes, some of which can command extremely high prices. The sneakerhead can range anywhere from a casual collector of shoes to an extremely die-hard fan insistent on buying kicks that are on limited runs. Either way, sneakerheads are all about style and fashion and they’ve got the shoes to show it.
Sneakerhead culture has it’s roots in many different media of entertainment. Art, hip-hop, basketball, and skateboard culture all influence the way that sneakers are made and sold. The sneakerhead movement began in the late ’70s to early ’80s. Rappers such as Run-DMC were one of the first musical acts to fuse music and sneaker fashion into one medium. Basketball players frequently displayed fresh and attractive looking shoes on the court. Skateboarders such as Paul Rodriguez are seen wearing shoes such as Nike SB Dunks during their runs in various competition. Artists have seen the potential of the shoe as a canvas and medium of expression and frequently customize shoes with their distinct styles.
Icons like Michael Jordan were seen wearing new shoes every game, which compelled a wave of people to buy the brand Air Jordan in the ’90s. Air Jordans are still seen today in many different variations and styles.
Popular rappers such as Run-DMC promoted sneakerhead culture with their love of shoes. They created a hit song in 1986 called “My Adidas” which extolled the virtues of shoes.
Sneakerhead culture waned quite a bit during the mid to late ’80s due to the recession that was flogging the economy. Now, even in the midst of another recession, sneakerhead culture is on the rise in terms of influence and market share. This is attributed to the technology of the internet, the rise in interest in underground art, rise in influence of skateboarding culture, and larger disposable income that many sneakerheads (mainly young males who live in or near urban cities) have.
Various stores have popped up all over the map that cater to the sneakerhead. In New York, stores such as Dave’s Quality Meat, Supreme, Clientele, and Alife Rivington Club, all of which have their distinct and separate identities. These stores base their identity off of catering to the relatively informed sneakerhead instead of the casual collector.
“It’s part of the New York way of life, L.A. is never going to understand the New York sneaker game. New York is not as trendy as the rest of America and the world. It’s authentic, part of the history and heritage of the New York culture.” – Udi Avshalomov, owner of Broadway Sneakers on why the sneaker scene in New York City is unlike anywhere else
Alife Rivington Club in New York City. The store exclusively sells sneakers and is meant to have a Harvard Club feel. There is no shop sign or indicator of shop location, which proves it is a store dedicated to sneaker aficionados and people who are immersed in sneaker culture. The store relies on it’s exclusive image to sell sneakers to customers.
In the sneakerhead culture, there is often a certain aesthetic to collecting a shoe that no one has. Supply and demand economics rule the world of sneaker collecting. Sneakers that are high in price and/or limited in number are in sneakerhead vernacular known as “heat” and can command some astronomical prices. Limited editions of shoes create a frenzy and it’s a mad-dash to see who can get them first. Hype about a shoe is created on various sneakerhead communities around the internet which propels fans to rush to their nearest specialty boutique. Sneaker companies such as Nike and Adidas purposefully create limited runs of shoes to create brand awareness and media attention. Sneakerheads don’t seem to mind though, this allure of owning a shoe which could one day become vintage is what it’s all about. Once a shoe is gone, it’s gone. They can be seen on sites such as EBay in several days late with high price tags, in some cases up to $2000 dollars or more.
In numerous recent polls, Nike time and time again is seen as the brand of choice by many sneakerheads.
However, it’s not all fun and games. Sometimes, this economic relationship can be dangerous. In long lines dedicated to acquiring a certain shoe, it can get quite volatile. Tensions can run high if the shipment of the shoe is late or very limited. On the night or day of a shoe being released, thieves and ill-intentioned individuals can run amok. In early 2005, a riot erupted over the Nike New York Pigeon Dunks at a store in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. New York City police were called in after a group of people tried to barge ahead of campers who had been waiting at the store for 48 hours.
“The kids knew we were getting the shoes. They knew more than we did. We were like, there’s gonna be a riot if we don’t get these shoes.” – Jon Roy on the Air Force One HTM release at his store, Rival
The classic Nike Air Force Ones. These shoes are available in literally over 1,000 different colorways, styles, and swatches and are one of the most popular and most recognizable sneaker brand names in the world.
With all the recent press of the sneaker culture with incidents such as these, there are many people who do not understand or want to understand the recent revival of collecting sneakers. Some think it is a waste of money, or some think that it is only for metrosexuals who are to pretentious about their appearance. Either way, sneakerheads don’t care they collect and will continue to collect as long as there is the supply. And oh yes, shoe companies such as Nike, Adidas, Vans, and others would be foolish to ignore this market which accounted for the nine percent rise of shoe sales over the past year.
For the American sneakerhead, collecting sneakers is just another hobby, similar to that of collecting baseball cards. Like any hobby, some stay and some last. Some people give up the collecting for good whether due to lack of interest, financial restraints, or some other reason. Nevertheless, there will always be another one picking up where one left off and that’s the beautiful thing about it.
Thievery Corporation – Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi
If you have not heard of Thievery Corporation, do yourself a favor and listen to one of their tracks. Infact, listen to Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi. This album is their first effort and mixes the very best in dub, reggae, ambient music, and of course lounge into one compilation. This is the perfect music to listen to while sitting and sipping on a martini while engaging in some light conversation.
We at the Mid-Atlantic Lounge support Thievery Corporation for the innovative approach to music and their commitment to delivering quality time and time again.
Support your local independent record store and stop by to buy this album.
Track Listing:
- A Warning (Dub)
- 2001 Spliff Odyssey
- Shaolin Satellite
- Transcendence
- Universal Highness
- Incident at Gate 7
- Manha
- Scene at the Open Air Market
- The Glass Bead Game
- Encounter in Bahia
- The Foundation
- Interlude
- The Oscillator
- Assault on Babylon
- 38.45 (A Thievery Number)
- One
The Mid-Atlantic Lounge
