Dimensions
140 x 181 x 22mm
Vampire Weekend, Garden State, Miranda July, Belle and Sebastian, Wes Anderson, Mumblecore, McSweeney's, Morrissey, beards, artisanal pickles, food trucks, crocheted owls on Etsy, ukuleles, kittens, and Zooey Deschanel-all are examples of a cultural aesthetic of calculated precocity known as Twee.
In TWEE (its title borrowed from a beloved Neutral Milk Hotel song) journalist and cultural observer Marc Spitz surveys the rising Twee movement in music, art, film, fashion, food, and politics and examines the cross-pollinated generation that embodies it-from aging hipsters to nerd girls, indie snobs to idealistic industrialists. Spitz outlines the history of twee-the first strong, diverse, and wildly influential youth movement since Punk in the 70s and Hip Hop in the 80s-showing how awkward glamour and fierce independence has become part of the zeitgeist.
Focusing on its origins and hallmarks, Spitz charts the rise of this trend from its forefathers like Disney, Salinger, Plath, Seuss, Sendak, Blume, and Jonathan Richman, to its underground roots in the post-punk United Kingdom, through the late 80s and early 90s of K Records, Whit Stillman, Nirvana, Wes Anderson, Pitchfork, This American Life, and Belle and Sebastian, to the current (and sometimes polarizing) appeal of Girls, Arcade Fire, Rookie magazine, and hellogiggles.com. Revealing a movement defined by passionate fandom, bespoke tastes, a rebellious lack of irony or swagger, the championing of the underdog, and the vanquishing of bullies, Spitz uncovers the secrets of modern youth culture: how Twee became pervasive, why it has so many haters, and where, in a post-Portlandia world, can it go from here?
