Gramsci was very interested in hegemony and the idea of "subculture." He saw subculture as very important because of the way it ruptured and created an interference in the natural. It is very interesting to see how a subculture can become mainstream. A famous example of this is Che Guevara, a Marxist revolutionary who played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution. Many of us have seen and recognize his face because this subcultural image has been mass produced to the point where it has become a sign for the counter culture. You are able to walk into the mall and see his face on a t-shirt, yet many have no idea who he was and what he represents; we just see the shirt as a symbol of popular culture. Stores like Hot Topic have banked on the popular belief that the clothing they sell is part of the subculture, yet by simply being in retail chain such as this one, doesn't that make these clothes mainstream?
After attending class, this idea of the "recuperation of the subculture" reminded me of the movie, "Pirate Radio." Its about a group of rogue DJs in 1960's Britain who took it upon themselves to put rock n' roll on the radio waves after the British government banned it. To do so, they took a ship off shore and made it into a floating pirate radio station. These DJs were mass producing the subculture of rock n' roll, helping to make it into mainstream music in Britain.
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