Marc Spitz – författare

New York Times, Spin, and Vanity Fair contributor Marc Spitz explores the first great cultural movement since Hip Hop: an old-fashioned and yet highly modern aesthetic that's embraced internationally by teens, twenty and thirty-somethings and even some Baby Boomers; creating hybrid generation known as Twee. Via exclusive interviews and years of research, Spitz traces Generation Twee's roots from the Post War 50s to its dominance in popular culture today. Vampire Weekend, Garden State, Miranda July, Belle and Sebastian, Wes Anderson, Mumblecore, McSweeney's, Morrissey, beards, artisanal pickles, food trucks, crocheted owls on Etsy, ukuleles, kittens and Zooey Deschanel-all are examples of a cultural aesthetic of calculated precocity known as Twee. In Twee, journalist and cultural observer Marc Spitz surveys the rising Twee movement in music, art, film, fashion, food and politics and examines the cross-pollinated generation that embodies it-from aging hipsters to nerd girls, indie snobs to idealistic industrialists.Spitz outlines the history of twee-the first strong, diverse, and wildly influential youth movement since Punk in the '70s and Hip Hop in the '80s-showing how awkward glamour and fierce independence has become part of the zeitgeist. Focusing on its origins and hallmarks, he charts the rise of this trend from its forefathers like Disney, Salinger, Plath, Seuss, Sendak, Blume and Jonathan Richman to its underground roots in the post-punk United Kingdom, through the late'80s and early '90s of K Records, Whit Stillman, Nirvana, Wes Anderson, Pitchfork, This American Life, and Belle and Sebastian, to the current (and sometimes polarizing) appeal of Girls, Arcade Fire, Rookie magazine, and hellogiggles.com. Revealing a movement defined by passionate fandom, bespoke tastes, a rebellious lack of irony or swagger, the championing of the underdog, and the vanquishing of bullies, Spitz uncovers the secrets of modern youth culture: how Twee became pervasive, why it has so many haters and where, in a post-Portlandia world, can it go from here?

In 1994 punk rock trio Green Day were on top of the world with DOOKIE, their massive hit album. They were loud, fast, bratty, pissed off, hopeless, truthful, drunk, maybe high, and somehow, absolutely massive. It was glorious. But by 2004, the hoopla seemed to be over. The band were still respected by up-and-coming bands, but their album sales were down. And then, in October 04, came a new album, AMERICAN IDIOT. A furious and impassioned reaction against American politics - and in particular George W. Bush - AMERICAN IDIOT spoke directly to millions of people around the globe. Once again Green Day were reaching legions of disaffected teenagers as well as millions of older fans.Few bands achieve Green Day's early success, and even fewer come back for an even more explosive second act. Highly respected rock journalist Marc Spitz has interviewed the band many times, and has won their respect. His book will be the definitive history of the band, charting their transformation from snotty-nosed mall rats into the ultimate punk rock protest band - The Clash for the 21st century.