This... is beautiful.

FAREWELL TO CBGB's
by Jason Flores-Williams

Ed.’s note: The following talk was delivered at the closing-night party for CBGB’s Gallery, on Saturday, September 30th.

I want to honor this sacred hall of resistance by rallying the troops against the gentrifying herd turning NYC into a corporate theme park. But there are no troops to rally. And if there were troops, we’d have to attack ourselves. Because when you get past the hipster packaging, we’re just yuppies without the cash.

Going to Burning Man, masturbating to anime, reading ’zines and voting Democrat doesn’t make you different from Todd, Ashley and their future banker in the baby stroller. Looking radical but being apathetic makes you a poseur. Doing art for commerce makes you a sellout. And acting smug and pretentious about cultural bullshit makes you an asshole.

( Hipsters are to gentrification what fluffers are to the porn biz... )

from http://www.brooklynrail.org/2006-10/express/farewell-to-cbgbs, via newyorkers