Lackadaisical Listeners?

Way back when I interviewed Ethan Kennedy for the podcast, a part of our conversation that didn't make it onto the podcast revolved around the lackluster listeners that tend to attend shows in Austin. Ethan said that, although he is completely confident in what he is doing, when audiences stand like statues at his performances, arms folded and eyes somewhat dead, it can be very difficult to put out the appropriate energy at shows.

As I have attended myriad shows in the city (we're talking easily over 200), I can definitely sympathize. I don't want to go on a tirade about the way people ought to consume music (and neither did Ethan; he was emphatic about people experiencing music in their own unique way), but allow me to editorialize briefly about the folks that put on their stony faces before each show, for show. I don't want to generalize, but I do often see this as a distinct characteristic of the "hipster" culture.

In trying to puzzle out a reason for this detachment, I propose that it has a lot to do with the modern middle-to-upper-class working environment. Aligning music and so-called "white collar" jobs? I know, it's crazy, but hear me out. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate in September was 9.8%, and Texas' was 8.2%. Texas' rate has been rising sharply since 2008, and I believe this has jaded many young people.

In addition, it seems that the phenomenon of multiple jobs within a lifetime could also be a cause of the disenchantment of the young. This, I cannot base on vast facts; instead, I'm basing my theory on numerous occurrences recounted to me by my friends who have recently entered the workforce after graduation. For example, one of my good friends works at a firm that recently laid off a 65-year-old family man who was two years away from retirement, seemingly as a tactic to frustrate another worker into leaving the company. Even if there were solid reasons behind the firing (reasons cited were that he was unable to "keep up" with technological developments, though my friend said she had actually received tech help from the man on numerous occasions), this is still an incredibly frustrating and disheartening situation.

I have to wonder whether this has pushed young people into a habit of not putting stock into anything, including bands. In other words, perhaps this shaky environment has made us fear getting too close to any one thing, because we are bred with the knowledge that it could be snatched away from us. So music lovers go to shows, but keep their distance because of a general sense of disloyalty.

Perhaps this is a stretch, but I think it could definitely be one explanation for the preponderance of Pierres filling music venues around town. What are YOUR theories? Let's hear 'em!