Cultivating an Alternative Mode of Existence: an Ethnography of the Musical Activities and Lives of Taipei’s Veteran Indie Rockers

• Main Authors: Martin Chouinard, 許馬談
• Other Authors: Hsueh-cheng Yen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/55946776419003044244

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 人類學研究所 === 101 === This thesis is an ethnographic account of the musical activities of Taipei’s veteran indie rock musicians. Following a description of these activities in their historical and urban context, I first show how the involvement of local veteran rockers in the difficult world of music is not primarily motivated by aspirations to mainstream success, fame and wealth. I then move on to look into the socio-cultural backgrounds and life trajectories of local veteran rockers so as to better understand the sense of these musical experiences and the role of music in their lives. Relying on several years of participant observation in the local indie rock scene and a series of formal interviews with performers, I propose that Taipei’s veteran indie rockers seek to cultivate an alternative mode of existence that enables them to disengage from the harsh daily realities of ordinary high school students and white-collar workers (shangban zu) in Taipei. This interpretation suggests that the commitment of local rockers to music and their bands can positively be understood as a form of socio-cultural resistance. It also highlights the paramount role of the musical activities in the non-conformist approach to life of veteran indie rockers, as their involvement in the local scene offers them means and social loci to find flexible sources of revenue and enjoy powerful sensory experiences, social connectedness, and a sense of self-identity.