Why do Vampire Weekend dislike being called Ivy Leaguers?

musicismylife78

The perception from day 1 has been that they are privileged wealthy ivy leaguers. The press for Contra made it clear, that the band vehemently opposed that notion, with one quote standing out as representative, "just because we enjoy wearing boat shoes and collared shirts doesnt make us wealthy. What are others thoughts on this? Doesnt the band need to look in the mirror literally, in order to judge the people who really brought on this supposed misconception? Or are they victims here?


I found this sort of puzzling for a variety of reasons.

1-the band went to Columbia, by definition an Ivy league school. Ivy League schools are also by definition more expensive than regular universities. Further, the image of those who attend Ivy League schools has always been that they are rich, priviliged and dress in the same ways that VW dress.

2 In almost every press photo I have ever seen, they dress in the ways i described. The boat shoes, collared shirts. They dress nice and fancy. Prim and Proper.

3. They describe their sound as Upper West Side Soweto. Upper West Side is obviously a place known for its wealthy residents.

4. They pepper their lyrics with references to Sloan Kettering, Cape Cod, Oxford, Wellfleet, Provincetown, Hyannisport, Louis Vuitton, Darjeeling, Cambridge

5. some of the songs sound frankly for the wealthy, or what wealthy people would listen to. M79 has that very prim and proper. Those violins suggest wealth.

What are others thoughts on this? Doesnt the band need to look in the mirror literally, in order to judge the people who really brought on this supposed misconception? Or are they victims here?

FenwayFaithful

First of all, I love boat shoes. I wear them all summer long. They are comfy and look great with anything.

As far as VW goes, I think they are at a pivotal point in their careers. They could stick with their image and embrace it, or completely change their image. I think they have found themselves a niche and they gotta milk it. However, bands with a gimmick like this fade away if they don't roll with the punches. Look at our boys, U2 or even Radiohead, they made it for the long haul because they adapted and changed their style and image. Did people think Pearl Jam would be making a record like Binaural ten years earlier? Did people think Radiohead would be making Kid A ten years earlier? Now, I'm not trying to compare VW to the aforementioned bands, just trying to make a point. I think both VW records are really solid and well constructed.

They're reluctant to embrace the image. They are not the victims. Just a couple smart dorky kids trying to break out of their awkward phases.

Drop1The0Leash

FenwayFaithful wrote:

First of all, I love boat shoes. I wear them all summer long. They are comfy and look great with anything.

I love boat shoes as well but for some reason I find this hilarious!!!

Benzor

boat shoes are fucking awesome

FenwayFaithful

Where is the "Official I love wearing boat shoes" thread on AET?

Sawyer

all i know is their new album is phenomenal

jr19

for real? this is decent stuff? i just cant get myself to try it.

JOEJOEJOE

They are the Hot Hot Heat of the Ivy league!

FenwayFaithful

jr19 wrote:

for real? this is decent stuff? i just cant get myself to try it.

Yeah, definitely worth a few listens. Play the first record a few times before moving on to Contra.

Kilgore_Trout

this has to be the most annoying critically acclaimed "indie" band ever

pretentious, nasaly, unoriginal... and TERRIBLE live

aspoonfulweighsaton

Yeah I don't get it and I've tried really hard. I think the track with the auto-tune on the new album sealed the deal for me.

theserialthrilla

i got the album this weekend....i played it 3 or 4 times now...just cant get into it...to me it sounds like it sould of been made 15 years ago or longer ..nothing new almost throw together...but it might grow on me...i didnt have the last album but was told this one was great...still waiting for the greatness to find me.


desk shoes rock/.ive got a few pairs..

intodeep

I have both ablums and it does not really click with me. I can understand why some would like it though as it is not "bad" music. Just not something that works for me.

As for their image question I don't know much about it sorry

iamsam_pj

aspoonfulweighsaton wrote:

Yeah I don't get it and I've tried really hard. I think the track with the auto-tune on the new album sealed the deal for me.

i think if you listen to the side project that the drummer did with the lead singer of ra ra riot, discovery, that song will make a lot more sense in the progression of vampire weekends sound...even if you still can't get into it. the band pulled some of the sounds and effects from that album (discovery - lp) onto "contra". i think it's a great marriage of sounds b/t their first album and this side project.

MillValleyHigh

musicismylife78 wrote:

The perception from day 1 has been that they are privileged wealthy ivy leaguers. The press for Contra made it clear, that the band vehemently opposed that notion, with one quote standing out as representative, "just because we enjoy wearing boat shoes and collared shirts doesnt make us wealthy. What are others thoughts on this? Doesnt the band need to look in the mirror literally, in order to judge the people who really brought on this supposed misconception? Or are they victims here?


I found this sort of puzzling for a variety of reasons.

1-the band went to Columbia, by definition an Ivy league school. Ivy League schools are also by definition more expensive than regular universities. Further, the image of those who attend Ivy League schools has always been that they are rich, priviliged and dress in the same ways that VW dress.

2 In almost every press photo I have ever seen, they dress in the ways i described. The boat shoes, collared shirts. They dress nice and fancy. Prim and Proper.

3. They describe their sound as Upper West Side Soweto. Upper West Side is obviously a place known for its wealthy residents.

4. They pepper their lyrics with references to Sloan Kettering, Cape Cod, Oxford, Wellfleet, Provincetown, Hyannisport, Louis Vuitton, Darjeeling, Cambridge

5. some of the songs sound frankly for the wealthy, or what wealthy people would listen to. M79 has that very prim and proper. Those violins suggest wealth.

What are others thoughts on this? Doesnt the band need to look in the mirror literally, in order to judge the people who really brought on this supposed misconception? Or are they victims here?

Atease says it's sorry and it wants you back.

dpmay

man i had their first album kind of early on, and liked it for awhile, and then one day it just hit me that I FUCKING HATE THIS SHIT. i dunno. never liked 'em since. haven't heard the new record.

South of Seattle

I think the new album is boring compared the 1st album. The only songs I like so far are Horchata and Contra. The album just drags on and meanders and doesn't have the catchiness of the 1st record.

jr19

saw this band on snl last week and it was terrible. to me anyway.

toodee

musicismylife78 wrote:

The perception from day 1 has been that they are privileged wealthy ivy leaguers...

...What are others thoughts on this? Doesnt the band need to look in the mirror literally, in order to judge the people who really brought on this supposed misconception? Or are they victims here?

Sorry for editing your post, I was worried both of our posts together would out-do War and Peace

I'm not a fan of this band, but I'm going to make a bold statement and say they are victims here.

Some people listen to them and hear the wealth oozing out of every note; I hear them and think they are yet another quirky indie band that the hipsters have picked up on.

Okay, so they've got a privileged background, more privileged than a rock band from (for example) Seattle but rock music is full of privilleged kids who were rarely (if ever) attacked for their privileged backgrounds.

Two examples that come to my mind are Joe Strummer (son of a British diplomat and a former student of an English private boarding school) and Julian Casablancas (son of Elite Model Management founder, John Casablancas and a former student of Institut Le Rosey, possibly the most prestigious school in the world).

Fact is, the rock world has ignored the prestige of other musicians, it just so happens people have noticed VW's privileged background, and their shoes, apparently

South of Seattle

toodee wrote:

musicismylife78 wrote:

The perception from day 1 has been that they are privileged wealthy ivy leaguers...

...What are others thoughts on this? Doesnt the band need to look in the mirror literally, in order to judge the people who really brought on this supposed misconception? Or are they victims here?

Okay, so they've got a privileged background, more privileged than a rock band from (for example) Seattle

You mean more privileged than Private School Gossard?

dcfaithful

Maybe they just think that their image is not as important as the music they write, and they want people to focus on what really matters?

Perhaps they are Ivy Leaguers, but they don't feel it's necessary to say: "Oh yes, we're all wealthy, educated, upper-class." and would rather keep things less complicated by denying it?

Plus, can they really say it's a surprise? Like you said...unfortunately they do fit the image of the accusations.