Lunch Report - Monday, May 9, 2011

Bagels, Etc.
If you want to teach your kids tolerance and open-mindedness, skip the lectures and introduce them to food from other cultures. After all, the way to all our hearts (young or old) is through our stomachs. I was born in Montreal’s Mile-End district, a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood that saw an influx of Greek immigrant families like ours in the 1960s. Our family business (which folded after four years) was next door to St. Viateur Bagel, a legendary shop that still makes them the old-fashioned way: the hand-rolled bagels are boiled in honey water, then fired in a wood burning oven.

Fresh bagels were an integral part of my childhood. My mom would send me next door with a handful of coins to get piping hot snacks for all of us. She would also give us dimes to spend at Benny’s, the corner store two doors down run by a kindly old Jewish man who never failed to amaze us because he loved kids and therefore understood what six-year-old boys wanted to buy. Benny sold an assortment of penny candy, as well as joy buzzers, whoopee cushions and all the other gadgets, gizmos and novelties that were advertised in the pages of comic books (which he also stocked). His store looked and smelled like heaven. We found happiness sandwiched between the bagel shop and the convenience store. What could we want.

After we moved out of the neighbourhood, my cab driving father would often come home, weary after an all-night shift, with a freshly-baked dozen in a bag, and we’d have bagels with our juice and cereal before walking to school. Although we didn’t realize it at the time, growing up in Mile End—with its bagel shops and kindly neighbours—we learned to value people who are nothing like us and to appreciate the way that their respective cultures can enrich our lives.

Today’s lunch of toasted bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and a side of sweet pickles, is feeding my inner child.


Of Legacies and iPods
My first memory of G&L guitars is the Leo Fender ad on the back page of Guitar Player magazine in the 1980s. That image of a bespectacled craftsman sitting behind a dozen or so instruments and leaning his elbow on a headstock made quite an impression on me. While other manufacturers’ ads simply touted the features of their instruments or urged us to buy guitars endorsed by famous players, that early G&L ad asked guitarists to stake their hopes and dreams on the reputation of the man who designed the Stratocaster. Even as a beginner, I’d already learned the difference between pre- and post-CBS Fenders, but the G&L ad said to me: somebody put their heart into those guitars, they were more than wood, metal and wiring slapped together in a factory.

In a time before celebrity CEOs like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Victor Kiam (I liked it so much, I bought the company), Leo Fender branded his business by presenting himself as its main selling point and as its guarantor of quality. Like Steve Jobs of Apple, Fender was all about designing killer products and refining them. Like Steve Jobs he took a niche product and made it mainstream. And like Steve Jobs, he left the company he founded, and it was destroyed by the bean counters.

Apple went from popularizing home computers in the 1970s to being a niche manufacturer with Macs in the 80s-90s to being the world’s leading brand in the first decade of the 21st century, thanks to iPods and iPhones. When Apple slumped, the company brought back Jobs, his design savvy and his larger than life personality to save it. Fender Guitars never went back to the source, but G&L ended up being the lab for the crazy dreamer that gave us the Strat, the Tele and the P-Bass. However, unlike Apple of the 80s, G&L never moved past a niche market. (Which is not a bad thing, given the current reality of guitar manufacturing in the United States.)

This brings me back to that initial ad. When I was looking for a new guitar late last year, I saw an S-500 in a local guitar shop. It had already been sold, but seeing it triggered a memory of that old Leo Fender ad. I went online to discover more about the brand, which led me to this site and elsewhere. A few weeks later, on New Year’s Eve, I saw a Legacy in that same shop and ended up buying it after playing it and subsequently confirming its value and quality on guitarsbyleo.com and other online forums. However, the fact remains that my initial impulse to purchase was triggered by a memory of that ad from the 1980s, which led me past a sea of Fenders and Gibsons straight to that G&L.

In advertising this is called top-of-mind awareness. The ultimate goal of any campaign is to have “people think of you first to fulfill their product or service needs.” The fact that G&L achieved this with me 30 years after the fact is a testament to a launch strategy that emphasized the reputation of the company founder rather than relying on the celebrity endorsements we so often see from other companies. (Seriously, do you really believe XXX guitarist plays XXX second-tier brand on stage or in the studio?) Of course, as is the case with Apple, G&L backed up the promise of that ad with an exceptional product. But I have to admit to myself that, as indifferent as I am to most advertising, that back page of Guitar Player sparked the seed that became a sale.

What sparked the seed that led you buy your first G&L? Did the ads influence your decision at all? Or did you "discover" G&L instruments after playing them?

Fauxhemians and Fauxlgas
Over the weekend, there were dozens of Jane’s Walks held in cities across North America and around the world. Inspired by Toronto urbanist Jane Jacobs, these walks are neighbourhood tours that encourage sustainable, walkable cities and allow citizens to discover the secret (or not so-secret) histories of where they live, work and play. I took part in a guided walk of Toronto’s Ossington Avenue strip, which has been transformed into a hipster hub in recent years.

For those of you who haven’t encountered this particular subculture, a Hipster is a slang term that first appeared in the 1940s, and was revived in the 2000s and 2010s to describe types of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in indie rock, independent film, magazines such as Vice and Clash, and websites like Pitchfork Media In earlier contexts (2000s), hipsters were also referred to as scenesters. (I borrowed this definition from Wikipedia).
Although I embrace the counterculture values espoused by hipsters, I am somewhat dismayed at the commercialization and codification of the hipster aesthetic. To put it mildly, hipsters dress really badly, on purpose and as a joke. They wear dated fashions and skinny jeans that most people would cast aside. They love the fashions the rest of us leave behind on the shelves of Sally Ann Thrift Stores and Value Village locations. Currently, they favour tacky glasses from the 1980s with ridiculous fluorescent flourishes. Girls sport scarves. Boys sport beards. They hang out at bars that have no names. It’s all good clean fun, as long as it doesn’t get too serious.

I like to call hipsters fauxhemians. Unlike real bohemians hipsters are not poor. They spend a fortune on their clothes and various hipster paraphernalia. One of the iconic hipster accessories is the Holga, a cheap plastic film camera from China that is famous for light leaks (i.e. when light seeps into the camera elsewhere than from the lens, causing parts of the film to overexpose). You probably had something like a Holga when you were a kid, a toy camera that looks a lot like a real camera and which takes real film, but you probably never used it, other than to pretend you were Clark Kent or Lois Lane. The thing is, Holgas cost a pretty penny. A base model Holga goes for 30 dollars online, but double that if you buy it from a hipster-friendly boutique. To complicate things, Holgas use medium format 120mm film, which costs about 8 bucks a roll (12 or 16 pictures) and even more to develop. However, expired film, which costs a lot less and can be highly unstable is much more desirable to hipsters adds to the DIY unpredictability and lo-fi quality of Holga shots.

Did I mention that hipsters don’t take photographs? They take lomographs, so named after Lomo, the company that popularized lo-fidelity toy cameras like the Holga. The aesthetic is so popular that there are Lomography boutiques around the world, and even an iPhone app called Hipstamatic, which simulates the hipster/Lomo aesthetic.

Below are some Fauxlgas, digital photographs that I’ve altered to look like they were taken with a Holga or such a similar camera. Think of these pictures as being created with the equivalent of modeling amplifiers and pedals, with the notable difference that the modeling technology costs significantly more than the product it emulates. It takes a 700 dollar iPhone to simulate this type of picture with the Hipstamatic app. In my case, I used a Canon digital SLR and post-processed them in Adobe Lightroom on a Mac tower. I used thousands of dollars of equipment to make my pictures look like they were taken with a two-dollar camera that sells for thirty. Appropriately, these are images of hipsters.

What is your take on hipsters, scenesters, fauxhemians, subcultures, and musical subgenres you may have encountered? In our digital age, is it possible for a subculture (even a small one like our merry band of G&L enthusiasts) to survive and thrive without being co-opted by commercial forces and becoming as codified as the mainstream?

I bought my first G&L when a used L-1000 bass was traded in at the small music shop at which I taught bass lessons. I had seen L-2000s at Washington Music previously, but that L-1000 bass was the first of its type that I ever played and it blew me away.
I put the bass on layaway and it is still in my collection. I remember the G&L ads too but I was already sold on Leo Fender's creations and I really wanted that L!K.


Fauxhemians?- The just sound like rich kids with too much money and no imagination. I don't know of any in the Washington D.C area but I probably wouldn't take the time to notice them if they are here.
Lomographs?- Just over-expose your film in a cheap camera that is not cheap and you are hip! Sounds like another waste of money that these folks think makes them special.
This just sounds like another cliquish group that will wear on the nerves of the participants after a couple of years. I wouldn't place this community (GbL) in the same category as these fashion sensitive types.

G&L will live on because great instruments last lifetimes. This is very different from fads.

What sparked the seed that led you buy your first G&L?
Mid/late 80's I was shopping for a new guitar and not having much luck finding anything. Finally hit a small Mom-n-pop store where the salesman recommended I try G&L. I knew of the Musicman line but wasn't too familiar with G&L's. The store had a couple G&L's hanging on the rack that were ok but didn't thrill me. I think there was an Invader and and maybe an SC3? Its been a long time but I remember a sickle headstock. Then the salesman let me try out his Broadcaster. I was blown away! They had stopped making Broadcasters at that point so I look a chance and ordered an ASAT Special. Best decision I ever made.


Hipster-schmipster
I suppose a lot of the hipster, etc scene is just some form of fashion. In a few years lots of the current hipsters while look back with dread and/or amusement at the clothes they used to wear. But if there is a buck to be made big business will try to get in on the action where ever they can.

Earplugs
I've been wearing ear plugs for some years now. Wish I had started earlier. Remember kids, hearing loss and tinnitus are no fun. I tried 5-6 different types from the cheapo foam plugs to some of the more moderately priced musicians type plugs to find some that were comfortable and provided the desired amount of sound reduction.

Jeff

Repoman:

The hipsters who are in on the joke are already laughing at the way they look. It's supposedly part of the appeal of the lifestyle, though sadly you are right, there is a buck to be made off these people and entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes are exploiting the trend: stores that sell hipster-like clothing are popping up in the suburbs to confer instant cool upon kids. So big business is milking it. Though surprisingly, I'm finding that the younger hipsters (late teens, early twenties) are breaking the mold and choosing their own alternative looks with a lot more creativity than their elders.

With respect to tinnitus, we now know that it is a neurological rather than a physiological disorder and that it only gets worse with time whether there's precipitated hearing loss or not, and we all naturally lose high frequencies as we age. The mechanism of tinnitus is such that the brain tries to replace the lost frequencies with some kind of noise, hence the ringing. Therapies are being rolled out that take advantage of neuroplasticity to minimize the severity of tinnitus by training the brain to ignore it.

Bassman:

With respect to overexposing film in an ordinary camera, that's not quite how it works. Simply setting your camera to over-expose won't work, as the results will be even all around. I actually own a secondhand Holga and I've got a freezer of expired film, and I have to say, doing "Lomography" the old-fashioned way is a lot of fun and has a certain aesthetic appeal. But once upon a time, those of us who used Holgas were few and far in between, and we were mostly photographers who were trying to free up our creativity by ceding control to such a lousy camera. Also there are war correspondents and humanitarian photographers who take Holgas into embattled places like Afghanistan because the cameras require no power and are of no interest to thieves (though in such cases, they use lots of electrical tape to seal the body to prevent light leaks).

The G&L subculture, like any other subculture, is subject to market conditions. Imagine that Led Zeppelin reformed and toured this summer, but that Jimmy Page renounced his onstage Les Pauls and replaced them with 2 modified 2005 ASATs. You can bet your house on G&L being swamped with orders for exact reproductions. To meet such demand, there would be two options: 1) Produce them cheaply overseas and flood the market or 2) Raise the price to astronomical levels to curb demand to ensure that G&L stays at its current production capacity. Players like you and I, who purchase them as work tools and every day instruments would walk away from a $15,000 ASAT but hundreds of Jimmy Page fan boys would line up for years for an exact copy even at that price. As for the reasonably priced ASATs, they would most likely be bought out by relickers and collectors, and even those would see a price increase. Of course, the purists would want pre-C&C pre-PLEK units and G&L would have to modify production methods to keep up with what people wanted. How long would it then take for the Chinese knock-offs to hit North American shores. Soon after that, you'd be worried about buying a used G&L for fear that it might not be the real deal (just as is the case with faux-Fenders these days). G&L guitars and basses may last a lifetime, but if an iconic player (or the current flavour of the week) were to suddenly start using them, G&L could be come a fad, and that would mean the end (at least temporarily) of an affordable new and used instrument market.

CGT, I didn't even know what a bagel looked like until probably 20 years ago. I was raised in northern Minnesota and you would not find one when I was a kid. I do like them but limit my carbs so they are not high on my list. I had a turkey pastrami on pumpernickel sandwich today with pickles and horseradish mustard, very tasty.

My first G&L was brought home unplayed, but the body wood (Swamp Ash) and workmanship was impeccable. Hearing it was a bonus.

Not into hipsters, but there were a lot of hippies in my day. They are now old hippies and suffer from the same ills as the rest of us. My idea of hipster is someone holding and playing a beautiful G&L.

I have not worn ear protection and am wearing hearing aids now. My loss is mid frequency and only a slight loss. The aids really fix it for now but it will not get better over time as all my age related dysfunctions seem to be doing. However, every day is a great day and life is good. My daughter just started playing in her church band last weekend. I knew that she could cut it although she was unsure. We all start somewhere!

If the G&L market goes crazy, I will just have to live with it! Thanks for stepping up this week. -- Darwin

Darwin:

I'm a bit of a hippie myself. As I write this, I'm listening to the Grateful Dead performing Dark Star on Halloween Night 1971. It's a gorgeous jam, and Jerry Garcia is one my favourite players. He's got tone and attitude to spare and if I had as much talent as he has in his pinkie, I'd be a happy camper.

I think you've grasped the core of being a hipster. It means being different and following an artistic path. I'm glad to hear that your daughter is playing too. It's wonderful that talent runs in the family.

Awesome Lunch report, unfortunately being in the other half of the dominion I don't see as much real bagel shops like you describe but now I have a hankering for one indeed. I have actually been a mac user for the last 2 years so your comparison between G&L and Apple seems to be spot on to me as when I was looking for a new laptop to do everything I needed (and some things I didn't need yet) I started paying attention to A friend of mines macbook and realized that yes, an Apple mac can do that and that it wasn't all marketing B.S. like some certain other products I had bought in the past, it was sorta the same with G&L for me. I had heard of ASATs on TDPRI but still held a little bias myself and when going into a local shop that carried G&Ls and asking for the price of a regular ASAT classic and upon hearing it y first though was "harumph I could buy an American standard for that" and preceded to save the coin for just that when while researching pickups on youtube (for an American standard at the time I was looking at replacing the pickups and the bridge and the tuners...) I happened to hear an ASAT classic, it was the sound I was looking for then I found a few videos by our very own Loobster and discovered that an ASAT special would be more up my ally and best of all everything that I would look to replace on a Fender (as I saw them as weak points for me) were strengths on a G&L. so I researched and I saved and I lurked here and then one late night I saw a vid from Pro Guitar Shop and thought "yeah that's the ASAT for me" so a early morning email later and here I am almost 3 months later waiting for my little slice of G&L heaven to show up on my door. Also as I have an intense interest in history Leos story fascinates me and G&Ls refinements feel like Leos final gifts to the world of guitars and basses. I don;t know much more about hipsters other then I like there style and indie music as it seems to be an extension of the do it yourself attitude that was in folk and punk but the whole corporate attitude of using obsolete tech as an extension of fashion annoys me a bit. looks like I might have gone on more then I thought I would... anywho looking forward to tomorrows lunch report.

G&L, I tried because Leo made them, never saw an add, I don't read guitar magazines. All I knew was Leo made these and they were his last hoorah, so they must be worth trying.

I wear ear protection when tracking, and often jamming, definitely in a band setting but personal practice USUALLY is less than ear bothering volume, sometimes I wear them with that too though.

Hipsters - I hate them, and I am a pretty easy going guy. They have ruined concert experiences by talking constantly during the act, their own brand of music (which opened for the act) was the most terrible non musical trash I have ever heard (and I play and have a fancy for experimental). It was all gimmick and mouth sounds ina mic... The main act was Yann Tiersen (french composer), who as I said, many chatted through regardless (very good band though, extremely impressive, 6 guys, all different parts, tight as hell).

It is a culture of pretending, which is why I hate it. The want to strike off and be different, by all acting the same, they want to discard high tech, while updating their facebook. The idea that the attempt is more important, and that mediocrity is greater than expertise (especially in terms of their music/art) is ridiculous. Trying to play guitar is not something you do infront of a crowd and get applause, neither is feedbacking/maxing your mic cool (they seemed the think it was though). To me it is a counterculture obsessed with irony so far they do not realize how ironic their persona is.

Don't get me started on Hipsters - Melbourne is teeming with them. The obsession with fashion is the thing that irks me. I find it hard to respect a man who buys expensive moisturizer and magazines telling him what to wear or what Johhny Depp wore to the Cannes Film Festival.... Men in skinny jeans is plain bad (I've always been too, lets say, 'powerful' to fit skinny jeans...). They're almost as bad as those skater guys (they're worse than hipsters, IMO) you see with half off their arse hanging out the back out their jeans.

And you forgot about the 'fixie' - the highly customizable fixed gear bicycle that is the favoured mode of transport of the hipster. At around $1200 they are a complete rip-off.

Totally agree with you on the 'food leads to acceptance' thing. There was some controversy here last year about racism towards the Indian and Sri Lankan communities. How can anyone hate the cultures that gave us curry!?!? Fools! I can't abide racism. It's just plain ugly. I haven't had any Jewish food but do plan on making a trip to Melbourne's Jewish sector to find out what the fuss is with bagels.

It's hard to find fresh cooked bagels where I live, so my kids are yet to have the pleasure of trying one. Like Jamie, I plan on visiting Carlisle St., Balaklava to see what all the fuss is about. We have plenty of Chinese dumpling joints and sushi restaurants out our way, complete with surly oriental service . We love international food in our house. My wife is of south Indian descent so we have no choice! I agree that food is a fantastic window into other cultures and it encourages us to broaden our minds (and tastes).

The comparison between G&L and Apple gave me a bit of a laugh. I think I actually muttered 'Lord I hope not' out loud. I used Macs for about 10 years through my years at university and found them far less reliable/compatible than the hype had me believe. Contrary to popular mythology Apples DO crash. That cute little ticking time bomb graphic is etched into my sub-conscious. And my wife's iPod stopped working about 1 day out of warranty. Apple stuff does LOOK lovely though. Along with S@ny products, Apple are a brand I now actively avoid. Once burned, twice shy I suppose. OTOH G&L walk the walk and don't spend so much time on the talk, which is how it should be .

Hipsters also give me a good laugh. I work near a university and a good chunk of the students there are into hipster chic. In true Monty Python tradition 'they are all individuals'. It's funny seeing them all lined up in the cafeteria at lunch time scrolling away on their iPhones in their tight jeans, swept hair and ballet shoes. I can't say I was any better at that age - checked shirts, torn jeans and grunge aesthetic were all 'in' - it's just that I understand the irony of mass individualism now. What an awkward, awkward age the late teens/ early 20's are. So glad to be a 40-something drone now

@Philby: I've had the opposite experience with Apples. I've been a loyal user since 1987. Sure, Apples crash, but not as often and in nearly 25 years, I think I've had three viruses and lost six files. Apple's customer service has been second-to-none for me. I've had machines blow up to be replaced years after the warranty expired, warranties extended, and I was even given a free Bose SoundDock and a $100 credit for an iPod that was lost in shipping (on top of a refund for the original unit). Now I don't pretend that the company is perfect, but Apple has always acknowledged mistakes that were made and I really appreciate that. As for compatibility, that's more of a Microsoft issue than anything else. I've had nothing but issues with Microsoft products no matter what platform I was using. I've had PCs that required rebooting every three hours because of Microsoft Word memory leaks, disappearing control panels and preference panes, viruses, crashes and any other problem you could name. Save for a single Dell that I used briefly in the late 1990s, every Windows box I've ever encountered has been a nightmare. And don't get me started on what garbage Dell now churns out. It took six weeks and 15 hours on the phone in February to try to get a replacement for a monitor that arrived with a defective panel. In the end, I had to cancel the order and go out and buy an NEC monitor in the middle of nowhere because Dell wouldn't guarantee a replacement date within less than a month unless they first refunded the monitor (which I'd bought at a $100 discount) and then sold me a new one at full price (which would arrive in 7-10 business days). Needless to say I am never doing business with Dell again.

@Philby & Blarg: If you complete your quests for bagels, would you kindly snap and upload a shot, I'd love to see what the Australian variant looks like.

@Blarg: Fixies drive me crazy. I used to cycle 60km a day/six days a week and I cannot fathom the idea of a fixed gear bike, especially as a commuting vehicle. Now, my fixie would make a hipster weep. I've got a 1927 Glider, which was the house brand for Eaton's, a Canadian department store, and was manufactured in England by Raleigh. A neighbour threw it out. I brought it home, washed and oiled it and it runs like a charm. Oh, did I mention it's a girl's bike? Oh, the IRONY.

@sirmyghin Talking at shows is not a hipster thing: it's a crass priliviged douchebag thing! I had to endure a forty-something foursome who were sitting behind me and planning their Vegas vacation during a Jon Anderson acoustic set. When I asked them to kindly do so from the comfort of their homes rather than during the low-volume set, they freaked out, got louder and started yelling into my ear between numbers.

As for the not trying approach to art, it's not a hipster thing but an extension of the conceptual art movement, wherein the quality of the artist statement and the intellectual effort behind the work is more important than the work itself. I agree that it's supremely lazy and that it makes for really bad art and music, but it predates the hipsters by decades.

In general, I find that my musical taste often intersects with that of hipsters, so I don't mind them. I find they add a colourful element to the landscape. Plus, the ones who do get it, are really fun to be around. I also find that I have more in common with hipsters than with some friends my age who haven't evolved a whit of taste since high school and still listen to the same bands and sport the same haircuts. Plus, at least here in Toronto, the hipster bars host some of the best bluegrass jams in the city, so I have to give them props for keeping that scene alive.

Bagels are an interesting thing and a good shop is hard to come by anymore. Most are glorified donut shops, hey I have had my share of a jalapeno version every know and then but is that a true bagel? Saw a show on PBS about making bagels and what different folks think a real bagel is. The kind you mentioned sound excellent. What is your opinion...toasted or not? Flavored or not?

Those ads with Leo were the best. Remind me of the Wendy's ads with Dave Thomas, two believer's in their product and history to back it up.

Hipsters now and then are a funny bunch. Fashion is fashion and many will play it until money runs out or new fashion comes along. A good time had by all.

Another Jerry Garcia / Dead fan here Early 70's had some incredible shows, 100's of boots to re-live shows.

Great start to the week.

What sparked the seed that led you buy your first G&L? Did the ads influence your decision at all? Or did you "discover" G&L instruments after playing them?

I knew about the brand but was unaware what the 'G' and 'L' signified. But that orange ASAT Classic, the first G&L I ever played (and didn't buy), and the Cherryburst Legacy Special, the first G&L I ever bought, did it for me. No ad needed, the product spoke loud and clear for itself. So I would put my experience under "discovered".

It is amazing how much people spend to achieve a certain look. Jeans that are pre-torn and more expensive than the 'whole' version, accessories, modifications to body part either by make-up, piercings, and/or tattoos. I just have never been in that category. And although what is popular changes over time, appearance has always been important for younger generations. As such, the whole phenomenon is nothing new, just how it manifests itself. Not that I do not spend a lot of money; just on different things (CD's, books, restaurants, and something called GAS).

I voted for 'not using ear plugs'. But that is not the whole story. In my 2 x 90W stereo rig I use 2 THD Hot Plates to lower the volume and use different settings depending on the venue. At home, I always use the 'dial' setting (-16dB) and turn it down to an acceptable level so I don't have ringing ears after playing a couple of hours. My Express 5:25 I constantly have on the 5W setting and the master is agian tunred up such that the character of the amp comes through but at an acceptable level. It is funny to realize that my 'loudest' amp is my 15W Subway Blues because that one needs to be cranked up to create some breaking up.

- Jos

Cool.

I begin virtually every day with a decent bagel. There is one place within 34 miles of me that makes them right, and that place just happens to be a mile and a half down the road. I could live on a bagel a day and water. But I'm no purist. For example, I think they freeze great if you're going to toast them eventually, and toast them I do. Then I go and put whatever I want I on top. I like ham and havarti as much as creamed chease and lox, so I'm going straight to hell I'm certain. I'm partial to smoked trout. And liverwurst. I also like Olivio better than butter, so sue me!

BTW, my kids school is like the United Nations so I have an appreciation of the value of diversity. It's cool until my kid comes home bruised with more teeth in his hands than remain in his mouth. Kidding!!!!

Honestly, I wish I had checked in earlier today because you put a lot of thought and effort in, and I'm not worthy or able at this hour. My bad.

I will say that I think Leo's other middle name was "Steve," and that there isn't a day that I'm not glad my wife bought 100 shares of Apple in 1986, which was only a year or two after I first got into her pants. These events obviously are not connected.

Neither is the fact that I discovered G&L entirely by accident, in a fortuitous incident involving too much beer and eBay. Nice start and L'chiam! - ed

First G&L: It's a bass....a couple of weeks ago. Plugged it in at the music store....played it for about an hour and bought it. It had just come in that day.

Hipsters eat out of dumpsters in Lincoln, NE. There's a song there waiting to be discovered, yes?

Bar band plays too loud at rehearsal and every where else. So the plugs are always in. Praise band? No.

I like ham and havarti as much as creamed chease and lox, so I'm going straight to hell I'm certain. I'm partial to smoked trout. And liverwurst. I also like Olivio better than butter, so sue me!

You crack me up Ed. Talk about living life on the edge.

@Klokker - Do not plug that sucker in unless you intend to buy it because you will end up buying it. That is what inevitably happens when you chance upon a G&L. As for Hipsters Eat Out of Dumpsters, it would indeed make a great song. Write it! Then find a hipster to shoot some abstract video to go with it. I hear they will work for Pabst Blue Ribbon.

@Zapco - Actually, my other half puts liverwurst on bagels and I absolutely LOVE Olivio, it reminds me of childhood as olive-oil margarines were a staple in Greek households. BTW, I'm still kicking myself for not buying Apple shares when they were ten dollars a shot, especially as I was working for a stock broker that summer to pay for my university tuition. P.S. You are totally worthy.

@yowhatsshakin I remember pre-torn jeans from the first time around and also how my mother would freak out if there was so much as a worn patch on mine and take me to buy new ones. She'd also get upset because I'd take my father's sportscoats after he was done with them. When he was driving he'd roll down the window and lean his elbow against the door frame and the elbows would wear down and fray. Those oversize tweeds became the uniform of my late teens. I'd festoon the lapels with rock band pins wear them over an oversize button down shirt and jeans and a pair of sneakers (My look was mash-up of preppy, Elvis Costello, David Byrne and a homeless man.) One time a woman in her seventies asked if I was too poor to buy decent clothes. She was shocked when I told her I wore the ripped oversized jacket on purpose.

I love your rig. My current experiment for noise control is using Amplitube 3 with headphones to get massive tube sounds without the volume and without hurting my ears.

@Sam Glad to see a fellow Deadhead here, although I'm more of a casual fan. Have you checked out archive.org? There are hundreds of Dead Shows available for streaming and download, including the 1984 Halloween show with Ken Kesey's rant/eulogy for Bill Graham and his son, which is, strangely enough, the first Dead boot I ever got. I'd forgotten about Dave Thomas. He was another fixture of that era.

With respect to toasting or freezing your bagels, if they weren't fresh out of the oven when you bought them, go ahead and toast them. If you get them piping hot at the shop, eat them right away or within the next hour or so for maximum chewiness. After that, toasted is fine. I used to buy day-olds (which were often only minutes old and were thus labelled because they were were irregular) and freeze them because they only came in bags of eighteen.

Thanks to all who took part today. And thank you for your kind words.

I will say that I think Leo's other middle name was "Steve," and that there isn't a day that I'm not glad my wife bought 100 shares of Apple in 1986, which was only a year or two after I first got into her pants. These events obviously are not connected.

That's classic Ed right there.


I make my own Olivio by mixing together good butter and good olive oil. Tastes much nicer than the bought stuff. I mix olive oil into the peanut butter jar too - makes it go on toast easier and taste even better.

Although we didn’t realize it at the time, growing up in Mile End—with its bagel shops and kindly neighbours—we learned to value people who are nothing like us and to appreciate the way that their respective cultures can enrich our lives.

You learned through proximity, which is how most everyone gets anything. In your instance, it worked out rather well.

However, unlike Apple of the 80s, G&L never moved past a niche market.

In the last 20 years, Apple hasn't lead by being technically superior. They certainly haven't led by being cost effective. Since Jobs came back, they have been the large scale boutique of systems.

In systems terms, Leo Fender is Woz. Leo Fender was never able to (in market terms) replace his earlier designs at Fender. Did he? Absolutely. An L-1000 smokes a P-Bass, as does a 2nd generation SB-1. The L-2000 does things a Jazz Bass could never dream of. But in the market? Nope.

My ears are what lead me to my first s-500, and i hope to have them in decent shape when i am older.... i have sat through the process of getting properly molded musician's plugs and i won't go to a concert without them. I really don't understand the need for the soundman to rip everyones heads off through the mains! I tend to use them less when i am rehearsing and playing with the band, they do change the whole feel on stage - it is something that i know i just need to get used to.

Doing as much teaching as i do, i hear just about every sub-genre on a weekly basis, but it seems to be really rare that anything new resonates with me. Long gone are the days of having only Metal, Punk, Pop, and Rock! there must be 100 names for all the genres now! I just can't seem to find a new one i like

Great Start.....
Scott

Love bagels, but don't eat them very often. I like the jalapeno and cheddar bagel at panera bread, especially in a breakfast sandwich!

My first G&L was a recommendation combined with a bad experience with a cheapie fender strat. I ordered one and have never looked back.

I sold my apple shares at $240, figuring the run had to be over. Goes to show, what do I know. After investing in the stock market for over 25 years, I have learned, that I know nothing about the stock market.

Once, at least 10-15 years ago, my wife and I were in San Francisco and we decided to go to Haight/Asbury just to see what it is now and what we found was a couple of drugged out people, half naked, screaming, out of their minds, being arrested while a bunch of yuppies with their starbucks, watched in horror. So much for the old hippie scene, lol.

until recently, i struggled playing well on 25.5 scale guitars and getting tones i liked out of single coils...then i stumbled on a new AmStd Strat that was easy for me to play...since it was $100 off, i bought it immediately...the first time i played it live, the audience really took notice and i started getting new compliments on my playing and tone...this led to buying another Strat (AmDlx) and soon after, i started a Tele hunt...that led to a new AmStd Tele which was also easy to play...it was different for me but i soon found a voice with it...so, i started looking for another...was sure it'd be an AmDlx but after trying 3 of them, they didn't do it for me...so i started looking for a really good Tele style...i had realized that i preferred wider necks (PRS wide in particular)...i bought a Baja Tele for a very good price even though it's neck was narrow...hoped that it's thickness and profile would kind of negate that and was happy to discover that it did (haven't really figured out why yet)...thus, i started opening up to other things...that's when i saw my ASAT Classic S for sale and bought it, without ever having tried a G&L...the buzz on them on forums had always been very good and i'd read that their neck profiles also made them feel and play wider...
i love it...every pup position sounds great and i get a lot of tonal colors that i love...playability and feel is great...i'll have to wait a while for my next G&L...

never heard of hipsters, fixies, or any of that stuff...i've never paid any attention to fashion or trends...so little in fact, that i usually only find out about them long after their demise...marketing, advertising, fashions, trends don't work on me...i recognize them as attempts to reel in my money...i buy most of my clothes at Thrift stores...and no, not because that became somewhat trendy at one time, but because it's cheap, lol...
i've always been a Windows guy...and have only had 3 viruses and no lost files in 24 years...not bad since most viruses are made for windows platforms and software...i currently have a Dell desktop and laptop, and use my 8.5 year old Sony VAIO to play guitar thru...no problems with any of it aside from the normal computer problems we all get...
i've never bought stock...never made more than lower middle income...have gone broke and had to start my life over from scratch 4 times...

Might be you are dealing with a little bit of an older crowd, but crass priviledged douchebag sums up every hipster I have had the unfortunate event of meeting. 99% of them fall into studying liberal arts at a university, or not working, while complaining about how unfair society is instead of trying something useful. As far as the conceptual art movement goes, I have not seen it embraced aside from this bunch (at least not so vehemently), but it is not surprising the idea isn't theirs .

Where you at in Toronto, I am kicking it up in Hamilton

@sirmyghin Talking at shows is not a hipster thing: it's a crass priliviged douchebag thing! I had to endure a forty-something foursome who were sitting behind me and planning their Vegas vacation during a Jon Anderson acoustic set. When I asked them to kindly do so from the comfort of their homes rather than during the low-volume set, they freaked out, got louder and started yelling into my ear between numbers.

As for the not trying approach to art, it's not a hipster thing but an extension of the conceptual art movement, wherein the quality of the artist statement and the intellectual effort behind the work is more important than the work itself. I agree that it's supremely lazy and that it makes for really bad art and music, but it predates the hipsters by decades.

In general, I find that my musical taste often intersects with that of hipsters, so I don't mind them. I find they add a colourful element to the landscape. Plus, the ones who do get it, are really fun to be around. I also find that I have more in common with hipsters than with some friends my age who haven't evolved a whit of taste since high school and still listen to the same bands and sport the same haircuts. Plus, at least here in Toronto, the hipster bars host some of the best bluegrass jams in the city, so I have to give them props for keeping that scene alive.