Post #984 by geishapants on Wed, Apr 24, 2002 9:58 AM

here is my fear and problem. its more than simply a paranoia to commercialism and big business. make money if you can! thats fine. my concern lies in the repeating of history. this culture was all but absolutely destroyed when its exposure was soo overdone and soo popularized, that it became the norm, the standard, the typical. right now, we are all underground again, the way we like it, the way we're comfortable. something as simple as shag's rising ego and popularity, i fear will quickly bring a flood of interest, that while yes, in the beginning will bring to market and make more accessable places to go and items to own that are harder to find now, but in the end, popular culture adopts your look, merely for the sake of keepin up. it will dilute the soul of it, just like it did in the sixties, when tiki and lounge became soo overdone, there was no choice but to roll your eyes. the balls rolling, and i dont really see how there is anyway to stop it. prepare to be diluted. ps- you can even get shag prints on your bank checks now. the excitement of shag and others like him, was that there was "something" new for a culture thats been tight net and low key for a long while. i too was in the "ever" hunt for stuff, granted. shit, the treasure hunt is the funnest part of it all. but i wasnt looking to stick my head out, or reveal the secret society. trader vic, was good, but then there was every trader tom, dick and hairy asshole. meet traiter shag. i wonder if he is even aware of what he's done.