I will admit, I don't listen to Nelly Furtado.
Probably, I should. She is the beloved daughter of the Azores. Or, the "Pre-trendy" Azores, anyway
And she visits, and thus lends some kind of "hipness" (or cultural relevance) to all those wanna-be kids who lust after the glam-party-scene.
Okay, I have to include most of the article, because it is so weird. I have never seen it marketed as "hip", although my cousins there are some of the coolest people I know. This is not a throwaway issue. There are Art and Music festivals (mostly oriented toward European hipsters).
But if an American wants to go over and "appropriate", then by all means, turn it into Paris Hilton's paradise for the sake of tourist dollars. (NOT!)
Nelly Furtado traveled to the pre-trendy destination of the Azores while on break in between tours and award shows. The Azores, nine Portuguese islands, traditionally known for a year-round Spring climate, sea cliffs, cove beaches, fishing villages and ancient palaces, may now be known as the birthplace of Furtado’s album, “Whoa Nelly!” The Grammy winner’s homepage reads, “It was summertime and I was in the Azores hanging around the small village my parents are from, I was looking out on this very rural setting, on a road going up a hill. There was an old man coming down the hill with a pitchfork on his shoulder. He was wearing gum boats, work pants and a Coca-Cola t-shirt, I saw that and thought ‘That’s my album!’”
And the old man in the Coca Cola shirt is her "album"? Can they explain please? (For instance, is it insulting? Is it just some guy who got an American hand-me-down? Is he a rich guy who is just taking care of his backyard?)
Probably, I should. She is the beloved daughter of the Azores. Or, the "Pre-trendy" Azores, anyway
And she visits, and thus lends some kind of "hipness" (or cultural relevance) to all those wanna-be kids who lust after the glam-party-scene.
Okay, I have to include most of the article, because it is so weird. I have never seen it marketed as "hip", although my cousins there are some of the coolest people I know. This is not a throwaway issue. There are Art and Music festivals (mostly oriented toward European hipsters).
But if an American wants to go over and "appropriate", then by all means, turn it into Paris Hilton's paradise for the sake of tourist dollars. (NOT!)
Nelly Furtado traveled to the pre-trendy destination of the Azores while on break in between tours and award shows. The Azores, nine Portuguese islands, traditionally known for a year-round Spring climate, sea cliffs, cove beaches, fishing villages and ancient palaces, may now be known as the birthplace of Furtado’s album, “Whoa Nelly!” The Grammy winner’s homepage reads, “It was summertime and I was in the Azores hanging around the small village my parents are from, I was looking out on this very rural setting, on a road going up a hill. There was an old man coming down the hill with a pitchfork on his shoulder. He was wearing gum boats, work pants and a Coca-Cola t-shirt, I saw that and thought ‘That’s my album!’”
And the old man in the Coca Cola shirt is her "album"? Can they explain please? (For instance, is it insulting? Is it just some guy who got an American hand-me-down? Is he a rich guy who is just taking care of his backyard?)
Synthesizing old and new is a process Europe is quite familiar with. From London’s warehouse parties, and dance-hall churches to Spain’s Ibiza, many of Europe’s music scenes have set the stage for America’s pop-culture junky travelers. However, the Azores, an emerging tourist destination, are rarely associated with these already passé scenes. However, Furtado’s observation is what most people see while traveling through the Azores, a fusion of ancient and modern, old and new, without candy raver glow sticks, trance bass lines, and Louis Vuitton bags cluttering the panorama.
Note "America's pop culture junky travelers" (are those junkies on vacation?) And I'm so out of touch, I will admit I don't know what some of this stuff is (candy raver glow sticks?)
Among the diverse surroundings, travelers will not find five-story clubs with P-Diddy and Paris Hilton sipping Crystal, but they will find a rich culture that stands on its own. A destination that you don’t have to cram your rucksack full of your Saturday night outfits, but with cool traveling clothes to accent the established by the sea watering holes. So, while a visitor may stand on a cobblestone street overlooking looking the ocean, watching a local woman hang out her laundry, it is possible to hear modern day music bumping away in the background from a local coffee shop, or some young guys 12 inch kickers. And it may just be Nelly Furtado’s music, influenced by her own Azorean descent and experience."
It is possible to watch the locals doing laundry AND see some guys/some guy's 12 inch kicks. This means it's like visiting your relatives and their awkward laundry rituals, but still run into other wanna be partiers fuming to cool music in formerly quiet cafes. What a vacationer's paradise! (NOT!)
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