Starbucks let me down
A few years ago I wrote this article about Pink Floyd, Starbucks, and my rage against the MAN. (Note: read at your own risk – generally people over 30 think it is great, people under 30 think I am being condescending, I am not – but if you are under 30 and offended, please don’t hate me.) My underlying message was that the ultimate anti-establishment statement is to join the establishment. Don’t fight the MAN, become the MAN. (If you think about it, you’ll agree. Every non-conformist radical grows his hair, gets his chin pierced, buys organic lemon juice – it takes a rugged individualist to vote republican, only use Microsoft products, etc).
As part of my job, I spend most afternoons sitting in coffee shops talking philosophy, art, G-d, the whole nine (Tzvi you are so pretentious) and I happen to love the atmosphere (especially the music – I particularly dig the seventies funk jams, art jazz – I even loved the Madonna tribute they were playing at the ERC near BU last week). A few weeks ago I was meeting people in Providence and we decided to meet at Starbucks. “Perfect,” I thought, “I love their coffee and I can make my pro-establishment anti-establishment statement.”
What a let down. While their coffee was good, I just couldn’t get into the pre-packaged, cookie-cutter hip-ness. The Ray Charles tribute CD was too contrived and the art on the walls was too perfect. You can’t legislate cool from a boardroom.
Now I am back to square one. I think my aesthetic sensibilities are in stark contrast to my conformist rebellion – anyone care to comment?
6 Comments Add your own
1. Tzvi | April 24th, 2006 at 10:56 pm
I forgot to mention - Peet’s Coffee is giving away free coffee every day in April from 1 - 3. I got one today and it was amazing.
2. Ross Peizer | April 25th, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Madonna’s greatest hits cd in the “Tzvi R C” - I was there!
Tzvi was singing the single “Lucky Star”: “Star-light, Star-bright.”
it was great.
I don’t drink coffee (I know, but Ross you’re from Seattle) so I can’t really comment. I’ll let you know how I did on the profile, my friend who proof read it said he was very interested in you, and I did a great profile. so we’ll see.
3. Ruth Gluckin | April 27th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
I love the article and I also love that you’re drinking coffee again….it just seems wrong for you not to….if you know what I mean. Your hippy healthy eating habits just have to have some edge to it. Anyway I happen to agree about what you said with the pretentious coffe shop stuff but I do enjoy sitting and watching people and I LOVED sitting in the sun outside that coffee shop the other day just chilling out with you and Yonah……there is definitely something aesthetically pleasing about these places but in moderation I think…..and I guess it depends on just how contrived it is. Some places are just cool…like the other coffee shop we saw next to the teashop…that exuded coolness….or was it the cool funky looking Rasta out front and the hippy family eating their croissants and coffee together that made it seem so cool? Oh who cares? Tzvi …enjoy the coffee and ignore the rest.
4. Ross Peizer | April 28th, 2006 at 9:54 am
A- on my profile of you! and an overall A- in the class! my 1st A in a college class! thanks for letting me write on you Tzvi,
5. Dan Lozovatsky | May 2nd, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Very True! I cannot wait to be the man!
6. Connor | June 16th, 2006 at 7:17 am
I once read an article that I can’t seem to remember the name of, possibly “Manufacturing Cool” that followed a team of researchers around trying to find the trendsetters who started new trends so that their company (I’m going to assume it was a clothing company) could capitalise on that information.
I don’t remember much of it, but what made me think of it was that in the article it said that cool is not something that you can create, cool can be anything, and if you try to tell someone what is cool they will generally reject that. Which is sort of what you seem to be getting at with this post.
On top of that, Starbucks is a bottom-up brand, which means that the corporation gives outlines to the basic structure and feel of the place, and ensures food and service quality, but the theory is that your personal idea of the brand is whatever you decide to make of it. This is opposed to, say, McDonalds, where they pretty much force their brand image down your throat.
If you think that the art is too perfect, try speaking to a manager about how you feel that it doesn’t fit. Maybe suggest a local artist that would be honoured to put some of their work up on the walls. Some of the managers will be cool about it, some will no, but if it’s supposed to be your brand anyways, you might as well give it a shot.
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