Indie rock words

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Where did that cute, oh-so-indie way of spelling "your" and "you're" come from? You know, "yr".
I'm probably wasting my time asking, but there's no reason why I shouldn't ask.

― Nowell, Sunday, 22 August 2004 08:52 (twenty-one years ago)

The first place I saw it in an indie context was Sonic Youth albums: Kill Yr Idols, Expressway to Yr Skull, etc.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 22 August 2004 09:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Didn't Bis do it on their earlier releases as well? Kill yr boyfriend, and that. SY were also behind spelling 'because' as 'cuz' rather than 'cos', for me.

Taking sides: 'yr' vs 'ur'

― cis (cis), Sunday, 22 August 2004 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

It's only the indie rock bands who do it, as you know.

Bikini Kill (and now, Le Tigre) were always doing the "yr" and "cuz" thing.
I wonder why.
Actually, I don't.
I mean, it's like, why not?

― Nowell, Sunday, 22 August 2004 09:58 (twenty-one years ago)

It goes back farther than that, as my 60 yr old American Lit prof used to write that way in his comments, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't into indie rock. I think it's more of a Beat thing, but I'm sure I've seen it in works from earlier in the century.

― Vic Funk, Sunday, 22 August 2004 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"Pack Yr Ermines" is a chapter of Soft Machine if I remember rightly.

― Gribowitz (Lynskey), Sunday, 22 August 2004 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess all the indie rockers picked it up. It really seems to be an indie thing nowadays.

― Nowell, Sunday, 22 August 2004 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

x-post
Nope. That's Chapter 2 of Nova Express. "So Pack Your Ermines", not "yr". I've got it right here...

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 22 August 2004 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/killyourtv/

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 22 August 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

This is a guess, but I think it comes from Kerouac. Check out "selected poems" and they are RIFE with uses of "yr". Seems like a plausible origin for the tic. That said, he might have copped it from typical contractions in telegrams or something. I think Byron Coley is to blame for its 90s proliferation.

best

Drew

― Drew Daniel, Sunday, 22 August 2004 21:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Whoa, Drew Daniel from Matmos??

― jaymc, Sunday, 22 August 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

the e-mail checks out...so if it really is Drew from Matmos, welcome to the fold, brother!

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 22 August 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.movieforum.com/movies/titles/battlefieldearth/images/yor.gif

― joseph pot (STINKOR™), Sunday, 22 August 2004 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm gonna say Gertrude Stein, or e.e. cummings. Maybe Joyce. Typographical tricksiness goes back far. These are just guesses though.

― willie strunk, Sunday, 22 August 2004 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I think this was discussed before, Lee and Thurston supposedly started using it in the style of Beat poets. I started using it in the style of Sonic Youth.

Emulate Yr Idols...

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 23 August 2004 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I blame Wobbly for turning me onto to ILM. It is a dangerous time-and-attention-sucking vortex. And yet I can't stop . . . help!

Back to the thread, I just hope that all this web contraction crap (sk8er boi, lol, IMHO, etc.) doesn't have the same cultural resonance in the future that "yr" does to us 30-something aging hipsters now. But you just know it's going to. Ouch.

Big 10-4,

Drew

― Drew Daniel, Monday, 23 August 2004 04:30 (twenty-one years ago)

l8er d00d

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Monday, 23 August 2004 04:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I've cracked Thurston's hipster code!
http://sffa.com/yr/yr2.gif

― joseph pot (STINKOR™), Monday, 23 August 2004 22:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Talking about Sonic Youth the funnest was playing PS2 game Silent Hill. In part of the game you walk into a hospital that is completely blood spattered. You walk up to the front desk and there's a visitors registry with three names entered. Moore, Gordon, Renaldo. There was a PTV reference in the game somewhere also.

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

As already mentioned, I believe Byron Coley is the main culprit in the popularization of "yr". And it can mean (at least) three different words: Your, you're or year. The dropped vowels is key. (Coley also used "bk" [book] quite frequently.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 05:39 (twenty-one years ago)

SY were also behind spelling 'because' as 'cuz' rather than 'cos', for me.

I've been curious about this for awhile: Is it mostly English folk who use "cos" for "because"? Myself, I've always used "'cause" (With the apostrophe.)

(Congratulate me, somebody: I said "English" rather than "British"! Last week, this wouldn't have been the case, but now I know better.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 05:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I use yr a lot, I always associate it with sometime regular Andrew L but I know he likes the beats.

I also like ppl which in this context I picked up off either Sterling or Mark S.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:28 (twenty-one years ago)

yew phreeks!
It's shorthand, from when people used pens. It's a very common contraction, probably even in the Magna Carta, morons.

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:33 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread was started by a 15 year old girl who we are all humoring, Huckster.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)

egg on my face, sorry.

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I figured if I'd started blabbing on about shorthand I'd get one of those one word-What?-posts.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I always use "cuz" for "because." My guess is that "cos" is English, because the first time I saw it was in Phil Collins and Elton John sheet music as a child.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 06:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I blame Wobbly for turning me onto to ILM. It is a dangerous time-and-attention-sucking vortex. And yet I can't stop . . . help!

Yes, Wobbly has a way of getting things done.

― dleone (dleone), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 11:34 (twenty-one years ago)

But Jaymc, how are we supposed to know if you're saying "because" or addressing your mother's brother's son?

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Because I'm not close with any of my cousins.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

How am I supposed to know that? In the future, please be considerate and a) put the seat down b) chew with yr mth clsd c) at least use "b'cos"

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Pop: "Gonna"
Indie: "Wanna"

― briania (briania), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

― dleone (dleone), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I know I picked up the w/ thing from reading too much FE.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

What?

― John Ashcroft, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Frank Erlinghetti

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't remember where I got this, but I've always thought that "yr" = "your" and "yer" = "you're."

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

So where does The Damned's "Stab Yor Back" fit into any of this?

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"Yor" is clearly the punkrock spelling. As is "Wot."

― briania (briania), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"i said captain" ..
soz. couldn't resist.
didn't Slade use a lot of this stuff-n-nonsense ?

― mark e (mark e), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

What about "Hotel Yorba"?

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I am almost sure I used 'yr' as an abbreviation when I was a small kid. I have no idea where I got it from, but it wasn't Sonic Youth.

― Alba (Alba), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait, shouldn't the punk spelling be "Yer?" Interesting how genres diverge on this particular word. "Yr" = indie. "Ya" = hip hop.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.insane.nu/kult/yor2.jpg

― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

"Yo'" = minstrelsy. Kill yo' idols.

― briania (briania), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 16:44 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't think that there should be a person named frank erlenghetti if there's also a
lawerence ferlinghetti... it somehow seems impossible. also though, what would make
a person think that you could say:

>>I know I picked up the w/ thing from reading too much FE.

-- NickB (nic...), August 24th, 2004.

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I picked up 'yr' from 'catcher in the rye'.

― cºzen (Cozen), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm... strange... wouldn't post the end of my message... the rest was...

and expect anyone to get the reference? unless i am missing something (which is likely)

― firstworldman (firstworldman), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

catcher in yr eye?

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Boogie in Yr Butt

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

bron-yr-aur?

― bron my fuckin aur bitch!, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

This type of thing is quite common in the more personal writings (letters, journals, etc.) of literary bohemian types, certainly as early as Ezra Pound.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

"Honor Yr Parents"
God, 1024 BC

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Luv yr neighbor

- Jebus

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

It's no biggie really.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

n th ftr thr wll b n vwls, mthrfckr.

― briania (briania), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

vwls r fr pssys nw

― hck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

wrd

― briania (briania), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Ovder time, English spelling has grown more, not less, rigid; so as you go further back, I think you'll see more and more examples of abbreviations used for convenience.

But maybe this is sumthing that the interweb will reverse. ;)

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"Honor Yr Parents"
--YWH, 1024 BC

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

(You miss'd yr chance to do it right.)

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

R_S _TM

xpst

― Hck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.oto.ru/images/30Aethyr-enochian_AMBZ.gif

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

what if your favorite band was OOIOO?

― wetmink (wetmink), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Then you'd have bigger things to worry about.

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Then you'd probably be posting oversized images and writing chaotically in all caps.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"Yor" is clearly the punkrock spelling. As is "Wot."

Pink Floyd had a song called "Wot's...Uh The Deal" long before there were any punk albums.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

But the Sex Pistols were Pink Floyd fans. I learned that right here.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Right here on this thread?

― Huck, Tuesday, 24 August 2004 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm an autodidact.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

is that another one of those indie rock words?

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

xtrmntr

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

first time I heard that word:
SPIN: Who is Vic Chesnutt?
Vic Chesnutt: Vic Chesnutt is...an autodidactically pretentious writer of pseudo-symbolic, text-centered dirge-ballads, who performs them himself in nighttime venues throughout the Western whitey world, singing in a distinctive but ever decreasingly gruff and folksy voice.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 24 August 2004 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I met him about a week or two years ago. He didn't use "autodidactically", he used "hi, there".

― Huck, Wednesday, 25 August 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

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