The Thousands

Hipsterdom is so subjective. In a world where one person’s trend-setter is another person’s vagrant, how do we make sense of it all? Traversing those rocky slopes and more, Brisbane author Matt Granfield’s quest is simple, to discover himself. HipsterMattic is an anecdotal reflection on his journey to become ‘The Ultimate Hipster’.

Matt thinks taking on the exaggerated characteristics of a ‘hipster’ and becoming a caricature of himself is some sort of path to ultimate self expression and oh, he’s also trying to impress a lady. Cliche, yes, but nonetheless a time-proven start to a good story.

Earnest (if not a little obnoxious) and splattered with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, Matt’s take on the hipster is refreshingly, well, hip. With chapters like Trixie the Fixie, I Drink So Much Coffee I Get High and Vegetarianism, he touches on everything we’ve come to associate with the ‘h’ word. It has kind of been done to death but it’s still fun to read about the things we love to hate. Like any good humour, it takes social truths and spins them into a charming tale of endless hope and hopeless defeat.

The finale is pretty good too. He doesn’t wake to find it was all a dream, and there is no lightbulb moment, but instead Matt slowly becomes privy to the reality check we all saw coming, “you’re not a fucking hipster.” I don’t care what you are though, Matt, you’re smart and kinda funny.