How to Speak Hip
Encyclopedia
How to Speak Hip was a comedy album by Del Close
and John Brent, released by Mercury Records
in 1959. The album is designed as a satire of language-learning records, where the secret language of the 'hipster' is treated as a foreign language. Part of the joke, however, is that it actually does a good job of describing the Beat Generation
/Beatnik
sub-culture: Basic concepts such as "cool" and "uncool" are taught, as well as vocabulary building ("dig", "dig it", "dig yourself, baby", "dig the chick", "dig the cat", "What a drag!").
Social notes are presented as for many language courses, and later in the album, the teacher (Close) is taken on field trips into the secret life of the hipster (Brent). However, the hipster rebels against participating in the teaching tool, leading to a humorously compromised teaching style.
During the 1950s, as people became conscious of the Beat Generation
phenomena, amid fears of juvenile delinquency, there was an increased urgency to understand the language spoken by the new youth culture.
The album came with a booklet expanding on the concepts discussed in the album, providing a supplementary reading list, and so on.
The album was illustrated in a style of line drawing popular throughout the 50s (similar to the early commercial work of Andy Warhol). The woodcut
s used as illustrations on the LP were stolen from Del's Chicago
apartment in the 1980s.
can be heard fondly mentioning this album in the box set The Pet Sounds Sessions
during the highlights of the recording sessions of the album on "Hang on to your Ego" take 2 on Pet Sounds
; a full working title for the album's track "Let's Go Away For Awhile
" was "Let's Go Away For Awhile (And Then We'll Have World Peace)," the parenthetical being an allusion to the album.
Loop Guru
sampled from the album in its 2006 release Elderberry Shiftglass, as did Hans Dulfer
on his album Big Boy
.
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
and John Brent, released by Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1959. The album is designed as a satire of language-learning records, where the secret language of the 'hipster' is treated as a foreign language. Part of the joke, however, is that it actually does a good job of describing the Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
/Beatnik
Beatnik
Beatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
sub-culture: Basic concepts such as "cool" and "uncool" are taught, as well as vocabulary building ("dig", "dig it", "dig yourself, baby", "dig the chick", "dig the cat", "What a drag!").
Social notes are presented as for many language courses, and later in the album, the teacher (Close) is taken on field trips into the secret life of the hipster (Brent). However, the hipster rebels against participating in the teaching tool, leading to a humorously compromised teaching style.
Context
A obsession with hipster slang had been prevalent in the mainstream culture since the late-30s/1940s when jazz music became a popular form. Cab Calloway released a recording of a song called the "Hepsters Dictionary" in 1938 (along with a published booklet). In the film The Song of the Thin Man from (1947) the "straight" Nick and Nora have trouble following the jargon of the jazz musicians in the story.During the 1950s, as people became conscious of the Beat Generation
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
phenomena, amid fears of juvenile delinquency, there was an increased urgency to understand the language spoken by the new youth culture.
Description
The track listing:- Introduction
- Basic Hip
- Vocabulary Building
- The Loose Wig
- The Riff
- The Hang Up
- Put On, Put Down, Come On, Come Down, Bring Down
- Cool
- Uncool
- Field Trip No1
- Field Trip No2 (contains an excerpt of 'We Free KingsWe Free KingsWe Free Kings is a 1961 LP by jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk. It sees the group working through a set of bluesy post-bop numbers, including a highly regarded version of Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice"...
' by Rahsaan Roland KirkRahsaan Roland KirkRahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
) - Field Trip No3
- Summary
The album came with a booklet expanding on the concepts discussed in the album, providing a supplementary reading list, and so on.
The album was illustrated in a style of line drawing popular throughout the 50s (similar to the early commercial work of Andy Warhol). The woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s used as illustrations on the LP were stolen from Del's Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
apartment in the 1980s.
Influences
Brian WilsonBrian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
can be heard fondly mentioning this album in the box set The Pet Sounds Sessions
The Pet Sounds Sessions
The Pet Sounds Sessions is a 4-CD boxed set released in 1997 which compiles tracks from The Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds, and its recording sessions. The album is included in its entirety in its original mono mix, as well as a stereo mix...
during the highlights of the recording sessions of the album on "Hang on to your Ego" take 2 on Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band The Beach Boys, released May 16, 1966, on Capitol Records. It has since been recognized as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960s, including songs such as "Wouldn't...
; a full working title for the album's track "Let's Go Away For Awhile
Let's Go Away for Awhile
"Let's Go Away for Awhile" is an instrumental by the American rock band The Beach Boys, from their 1966 album Pet Sounds. It is the sixth track on the album.-Information:...
" was "Let's Go Away For Awhile (And Then We'll Have World Peace)," the parenthetical being an allusion to the album.
Loop Guru
Loop Guru
Loop Guru is a worldbeat group consisting of bassist/guitarist Salman Gita and programmer Jamuud . They first met around 1980 and initially played together in The Transmitters and released their debut single as Loop Guru, Shrine, in 1992...
sampled from the album in its 2006 release Elderberry Shiftglass, as did Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer
Hans Dulfer is a Dutch jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone.Hans Dulfer was born on 28 May 1940 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He began at age 17 and has been referred to as "Big boy" because of his album of the same name. At the end of the sixties he and Herbert Noord founded a quartet that...
on his album Big Boy
Big Boy
The name Big Boy has been applied to:* Big Boy , an American restaurant chain* Union Pacific Big Boy, a class of steam locomotives* Big Boy , Puerto Rican hip hop/reggaeton artist...
.