Rock of Pages: Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture

Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture, by Kaya Oakes, is a fantastic book. The title is a little deceptive, however. Rather than deal with “indie” as the accepted term of today “hipsters in skinny jeans,” horn rims, and mellow college rock, Oakes traces the culture of artists, writers, and musicians outside the mainstream from the sixties until present day.

There is a touch of holier-than-thou inherent in the book that I’m not too fond of. Much like the recent trend in punk documentaries is to present an aura of “you weren’t there, and it’s too late for you,” Oakes seems to lament anything that’s not 100% DIY.

Still, the idea that “indie” means “independent” is explored thoroughly in the pages of Slanted and Enchanted. The book mvoes from a brief history of the hippie break from the establishment to punk rock, and uses music ‘zines to talk about independent publishers. From there, Oakes moves to self-published comics, discussing R. Crumb at first, and moving on to Daniel Clowes and how comics like his Ghost World and others like Persepolis became feted films.

The chapter that explores an avenue that’s not received much attention outside the pages of Bust is “Hands On,” which goes in-depth on the topic of handmade goods. Etsy is held up as an example of how things can be both good (the ability to sell your handmade goods to a large audience) and bad (having to “click through two thousand images of totes until [you] find the perfect one”).

While the tone may at times be a bit preaching, Kaya Oakes has in Slanted and Enchanted a book that manages to explore all the facets of the way “independent” culture became “indie” and how it might go back there again. Exploring as she does all the facets of the independent world, Oakes has written a book that will provide a greater understanding to all that crack it open.

Read the introduction to Slanted and Enchanted. (PDF)