confessional
September 18, 2008 2:13 PM Subscribe
You'll dance to anything by the Communards.
You'll dance to anything by Book of Love.
You'll dance to anything by The Smiths.
You'll dance to anything by Depeche Mode.
You'll dance to anything by Public Image Limited.
You'll dance to anything by Naked Truth.
You'll dance to anything by any bunch of stupid Europeans who come over here with their big hairdos bent on taking OUR money instead of giving your cash, where it belongs, to a decent American artist like myself!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:18 PM on September 18, 2008 [10 favorites]
You'll dance to anything by Book of Love.
You'll dance to anything by The Smiths.
You'll dance to anything by Depeche Mode.
You'll dance to anything by Public Image Limited.
You'll dance to anything by Naked Truth.
You'll dance to anything by any bunch of stupid Europeans who come over here with their big hairdos bent on taking OUR money instead of giving your cash, where it belongs, to a decent American artist like myself!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:18 PM on September 18, 2008 [10 favorites]
undead, undead, undead...
posted by Heretic at 2:19 PM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by Heretic at 2:19 PM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites]
Tell that to Sophie Lancaster. RIP.
posted by gene_machine at 2:20 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by gene_machine at 2:20 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
You can usually confuse it for a while by showing it something else that calls itself goth, then slip away while it's frothing at the mouth with outrage.
posted by Artw at 2:21 PM on September 18, 2008 [8 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:21 PM on September 18, 2008 [8 favorites]
You just can't kill it.
The Berbers would disagree.
posted by quin at 2:22 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
The Berbers would disagree.
posted by quin at 2:22 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Your "just" link has a big picture of a vagina in it, might want to warn people about that.
posted by puke & cry at 2:26 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by puke & cry at 2:26 PM on September 18, 2008
I always thought he said,
"You'll dance to anything by Depeche Commode"
hmm.
posted by Dr-Baa at 2:29 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
"You'll dance to anything by Depeche Commode"
hmm.
posted by Dr-Baa at 2:29 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
You can dance, if you want to.
posted by Artw at 2:30 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 2:30 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
You just can't kill it.
True. I find, however, that it's amazingly easy to ignore. :)
posted by Malor at 2:31 PM on September 18, 2008
True. I find, however, that it's amazingly easy to ignore. :)
posted by Malor at 2:31 PM on September 18, 2008
I'll bet half of them can't sing any of the words to "This Corrosion."
posted by subbes at 2:31 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by subbes at 2:31 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
You know, you could have built a decent post by investigating some of the people mentioned in the NYT piece. Instead, you chose a WP link, a fluff article from 2006, a Flickr search, a lame website about Christian Goths, and a crappy not-actually-a-video from YouTube. It's not like this is a timely subject, and it's not like there's not a metric ass ton of Goth stuff online. Why not make an effort to collect some interesting stuff, or at the very least just post the NYT article by itself. Propping it up with a bunch of uninteresting links that any bozo could dig up in two seconds is lazy posting.
posted by oneirodynia at 2:34 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by oneirodynia at 2:34 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
I'll bet half of them can't sing any of the words to "This Corrosion."
Hey now, hey now now, that's a bit harsh.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:36 PM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites]
Hey now, hey now now, that's a bit harsh.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:36 PM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites]
Why not make an effort to collect some interesting stuff, or at the very least just post the NYT article by itself.
Yeah, whatever, square. I'm gonna go hang out at the mall.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:37 PM on September 18, 2008
Yeah, whatever, square. I'm gonna go hang out at the mall.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:37 PM on September 18, 2008
This Corrosion!!! Man I LOVE Lambchop!
posted by eyeballkid at 2:38 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by eyeballkid at 2:38 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
Goth was BORN dead.
And yes, it's not going away, and for good reason. It's still got appeal to people.
posted by evilangela at 2:41 PM on September 18, 2008
And yes, it's not going away, and for good reason. It's still got appeal to people.
posted by evilangela at 2:41 PM on September 18, 2008
Goth's not dead
It just deserves to die
When it becomes another stale cartoon
A close-minded, self-centered social club
Ideas don't matter, it's who you know
If the music's gotten boring
It's because of the people
Who want everyone to sound the same
Who drive bright people out
Of our so-called scene
'Til all that's left Is just a meaningless fad
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:43 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
It just deserves to die
When it becomes another stale cartoon
A close-minded, self-centered social club
Ideas don't matter, it's who you know
If the music's gotten boring
It's because of the people
Who want everyone to sound the same
Who drive bright people out
Of our so-called scene
'Til all that's left Is just a meaningless fad
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:43 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
Mr. [Nocturne] Midnight takes exception. “Emos tend to take themselves far too seriously,” he said.
I suppose it's kinda fitting here, the pot calling the kettle black.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:47 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
I suppose it's kinda fitting here, the pot calling the kettle black.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:47 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
♩
Oooh, oooh.
I know I'm unloveable
You don't have to tell me
For message received
Loud and clear
Message received
I don't have much in my life
But take it - it's yours
I wear Black on the outside
'Cause Black is how I feel on the inside
♬♩
posted by boo_radley at 2:50 PM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites]
Oooh, oooh.
I know I'm unloveable
You don't have to tell me
For message received
Loud and clear
Message received
I don't have much in my life
But take it - it's yours
I wear Black on the outside
'Cause Black is how I feel on the inside
♬♩
posted by boo_radley at 2:50 PM on September 18, 2008 [4 favorites]
I wasn't in the goth scene growing up, but I always respected them for two reasons: one, in the pre-Amazon 80s, the goths knew where to go and who to talk to in order to find hard-to-get music and two, they tolerated a lot of bullying in my high school but met it with either humor or indifference.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:52 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:52 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
cheer up, boo_radley - there are brighter sides to life, and i should know because i've seen them (but not very often).
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:53 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:53 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
also, what ever happened to the Communards?
posted by boo_radley at 2:54 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by boo_radley at 2:54 PM on September 18, 2008
Well, when should punk have reasonably been over...1982, at the latest? Maybe 1985? This stuff hangs on. Eventually you get old enough to realize it was a meaningless fad to begin with, and whatever you liked about it -- any such "it," I mean -- is pretty much whatever you brought to the table anyway. It's context, not content.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:55 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:55 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
found posted on PsyNews.org
"letter to a major label"
Major Label
Hollywood, CA
To Whom it May Concern,
As a corporate scumbag motherfucker you are eager to buttfuck the latest trends for all they are worth – am I right. Research has shown a dramatic increase in teenage suicides in the past few years. Now you are probably wondering how to exploit this sad news. I have just the answer. Enclosed you will find my demo cd filled with dark music from hell (Minneapolis).
It is the future soundtrack for the suicidal set. This will be playing on the stereo when the police find the bodies and it will be cash in your pocket without the need to deal with a demanding consumer in the future!
Now I know that you have no taste of your own, so bare with me. This is what every goth/emo kid will buy and play as they slit their wrists. It comes from a true tortured artist (me) who has slaved away in obscurity for years with nothing more then downloads from mp3.com to show for it. When you inevitably treat me like shit and scam me I will feel like nothing has changed.
So there you have it. The perfect partnership. I'll sign my soul away to you and you will make millions.
Signed,
Music Lover (fool)
posted by longsleeves at 2:58 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
"letter to a major label"
Major Label
Hollywood, CA
To Whom it May Concern,
As a corporate scumbag motherfucker you are eager to buttfuck the latest trends for all they are worth – am I right. Research has shown a dramatic increase in teenage suicides in the past few years. Now you are probably wondering how to exploit this sad news. I have just the answer. Enclosed you will find my demo cd filled with dark music from hell (Minneapolis).
It is the future soundtrack for the suicidal set. This will be playing on the stereo when the police find the bodies and it will be cash in your pocket without the need to deal with a demanding consumer in the future!
Now I know that you have no taste of your own, so bare with me. This is what every goth/emo kid will buy and play as they slit their wrists. It comes from a true tortured artist (me) who has slaved away in obscurity for years with nothing more then downloads from mp3.com to show for it. When you inevitably treat me like shit and scam me I will feel like nothing has changed.
So there you have it. The perfect partnership. I'll sign my soul away to you and you will make millions.
Signed,
Music Lover (fool)
posted by longsleeves at 2:58 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Your "just" link has a big picture of a vagina in it, might want to warn people about that...
...in case they don't click on it, like I didn't. Thanks for the tip dude!
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:59 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
...in case they don't click on it, like I didn't. Thanks for the tip dude!
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:59 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
That Cintra Wilson article in the NYT reads like a monologue to her editor-- it's as though she's standing at the boss's desk, explaining, in stream of consciousness fashion, why writing an article on goth in September of 2008 would be really, really boring, and, sure, she was *there* way back when-- she was into it, don't get her wrong-- it was great, she loved it, *all* her friends loved it, but, um, it's been a few years, and, really, isn't there something else she can write about?
Or, wait, maybe she can get her cousin who just enrolled at Brown to submit a short piece... on Emo, maybe?
That's sort of dead too, by now.
Would that be okay, instead?
posted by darth_tedious at 3:00 PM on September 18, 2008
Or, wait, maybe she can get her cousin who just enrolled at Brown to submit a short piece... on Emo, maybe?
That's sort of dead too, by now.
Would that be okay, instead?
posted by darth_tedious at 3:00 PM on September 18, 2008
Yeah, whatever, square. I'm gonna go hang out at the mall.
Since when do goths talk like Arthur Fonzarelli?
posted by oneirodynia at 3:00 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Since when do goths talk like Arthur Fonzarelli?
posted by oneirodynia at 3:00 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
It is the future soundtrack for the suicidal set.
Oh that's great, why not just get them a calendar as well.
posted by Artw at 3:02 PM on September 18, 2008
Oh that's great, why not just get them a calendar as well.
posted by Artw at 3:02 PM on September 18, 2008
Here's what I learned from the article:
1. There's a cool show up at FIT. The curator also has a
fancy new book for sale.
2. Oh, and by the way, the writer was goth before you.
posted by pernoctalian at 3:03 PM on September 18, 2008
1. There's a cool show up at FIT. The curator also has a
fancy new book for sale.
2. Oh, and by the way, the writer was goth before you.
posted by pernoctalian at 3:03 PM on September 18, 2008
You know, the world really needs an all-female vegan goth-punk band. They could call themselves Soy Division.
posted by Artw at 3:04 PM on September 18, 2008 [11 favorites]
posted by Artw at 3:04 PM on September 18, 2008 [11 favorites]
Ah, yet another article whose author clearly took the time to understand a subculture before writing about it. That's why I love the mainstream media.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:05 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:05 PM on September 18, 2008
whatever you liked about it -- any such "it," I mean -- is pretty much whatever you brought to the table anyway.
Very well said, but I'd have to add that there were also heaps of pale-skinned, dark-haired beauties - extravagantly made up & dressed in fetishy corsetry & footwear - who brought quite a bit to the table as well.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:06 PM on September 18, 2008 [5 favorites]
Very well said, but I'd have to add that there were also heaps of pale-skinned, dark-haired beauties - extravagantly made up & dressed in fetishy corsetry & footwear - who brought quite a bit to the table as well.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:06 PM on September 18, 2008 [5 favorites]
“No one really judges each other,” she continued. “It doesn’t matter if you are tall, short, black, white, heavy, thin. Goth can fit everyone! I think it is a great way to bond with others who are different and who are just like you at the same time! Because we are wearing black most the time we are EZ to find!”
I could probably leave that quote by itself and not add my two cents.
However....
First off, I'd say that Goths are probably among the most judgmental and petty people I've ever been forced to deal with.
And secondly, kids these days need to stop communicating by using the same spelling you find on consumer products. EZ? Tonite? l8r? You're not even saving time! I'm all for descriptive grammar, but stop making yourself look dumb. It's like in the mid 90s when people typed the word "kewl" in place of cool. Why? Do people think I'm square because I still type out full sentences?
I proofread an application letter the other day and not only did the applicant continue to spell the word corps as core, but actually used the word "ur" instead of your/you're. Seriously?
So in conclusion get off of my lawn, and I know that since I posted a comment defending conventional spelling that I committed multiple mistakes.
posted by Telf at 3:14 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
I could probably leave that quote by itself and not add my two cents.
However....
First off, I'd say that Goths are probably among the most judgmental and petty people I've ever been forced to deal with.
And secondly, kids these days need to stop communicating by using the same spelling you find on consumer products. EZ? Tonite? l8r? You're not even saving time! I'm all for descriptive grammar, but stop making yourself look dumb. It's like in the mid 90s when people typed the word "kewl" in place of cool. Why? Do people think I'm square because I still type out full sentences?
I proofread an application letter the other day and not only did the applicant continue to spell the word corps as core, but actually used the word "ur" instead of your/you're. Seriously?
So in conclusion get off of my lawn, and I know that since I posted a comment defending conventional spelling that I committed multiple mistakes.
posted by Telf at 3:14 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
Very well said, but I'd have to add that there were also heaps of pale-skinned, dark-haired beauties - extravagantly made up & dressed in fetishy corsetry & footwear - who brought quite a bit to the table as well.
Eh, wash their faces and unwrap 'em and they're really just like other girls.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:21 PM on September 18, 2008
Eh, wash their faces and unwrap 'em and they're really just like other girls.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:21 PM on September 18, 2008
The nytimes article was moderately interesting but so, so shallow. The rest, not so great. But fuck it, I like goths or at the very least I've not met a goth I didn't like yet.
Eventually you get old enough to realize it was a meaningless fad to begin with, and whatever you liked about it -- any such "it," I mean -- is pretty much whatever you brought to the table anyway. It's context, not content.
Though I agree with the latter sentiment, it doesn't mean one 'grows out of it'. I still like lots of things I liked as a teenager/kid. My life has changed and so have I so I guess, in your words, I've re-contextualised my likes. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss 'fads' embraced in youth as meaningless. A lot of that stuff helps define what kind of person you grow up to be. See this rather awesome 'goth confessional' post in AskMe.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:23 PM on September 18, 2008
Eventually you get old enough to realize it was a meaningless fad to begin with, and whatever you liked about it -- any such "it," I mean -- is pretty much whatever you brought to the table anyway. It's context, not content.
Though I agree with the latter sentiment, it doesn't mean one 'grows out of it'. I still like lots of things I liked as a teenager/kid. My life has changed and so have I so I guess, in your words, I've re-contextualised my likes. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss 'fads' embraced in youth as meaningless. A lot of that stuff helps define what kind of person you grow up to be. See this rather awesome 'goth confessional' post in AskMe.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:23 PM on September 18, 2008
“No one really judges each other,” she continued.
Bullshit. Goth is the most judgemental, cliquey, bitchy, backstabby subculture around.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:35 PM on September 18, 2008
Bullshit. Goth is the most judgemental, cliquey, bitchy, backstabby subculture around.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:35 PM on September 18, 2008
Bullshit. Goth is the most judgemental, cliquey, bitchy, backstabby subculture around.
Being an immature asshole makes you judgmental, cliquey, bitchy and backstabby, not what subculture you affiliate with. Metafilter included.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:48 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Being an immature asshole makes you judgmental, cliquey, bitchy and backstabby, not what subculture you affiliate with. Metafilter included.
posted by slimepuppy at 3:48 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
I was amused by the fact that almost half of their quotes came from around Edmonton, AB. Hah.
posted by vernondalhart at 3:56 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by vernondalhart at 3:56 PM on September 18, 2008
2. Oh, and by the way, the writer was goth before you.
No she wasn't.
posted by dersins at 4:04 PM on September 18, 2008
No she wasn't.
posted by dersins at 4:04 PM on September 18, 2008
My older sister was a goth. At the time, I never understood it to be anything more than wearing a lot of black, vaguely connected to The Crow, and listening to music that involved a lot of wailing. As is, two of her close friends went on to achieve international success as a goth band, and were two really nice guys.
posted by Atreides at 4:05 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by Atreides at 4:05 PM on September 18, 2008
I really despair of the NYTs "Style" section. Either they "discover" something a decade or so after anyone could possibly care (steampunk, Hello Kitty vibrators), or they present you with something so arcane and idiotic ("slow design") that you want to scream. Perhaps the NYTs should just admit that it will never be on the cutting edge of style.
On the other hand, I laughed when they announced that pubic hair was extinct, but that was before I realized the mileage one could get from the topic on Metafilter.
posted by acrasis at 4:16 PM on September 18, 2008
On the other hand, I laughed when they announced that pubic hair was extinct, but that was before I realized the mileage one could get from the topic on Metafilter.
posted by acrasis at 4:16 PM on September 18, 2008
Eh, wash their faces and unwrap 'em and they're really just like other girls.
Well, that's the point of fashion, isn't it? You can be plain or beautiful, but add an appealing style to the mix & you'll be a cut above what you'd be washed & unwrapped. But, at the end of the day, all cats are grey, as Fat Bob sang.
Also, an esprit d'escalier moment:
I'll bet half of them can't sing any of the words to "This Corrosion."
Yeh, you could go up to them & say "hey now, hey now now, sing This Corrosion to me" and get nothing but blank stares.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:24 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Well, that's the point of fashion, isn't it? You can be plain or beautiful, but add an appealing style to the mix & you'll be a cut above what you'd be washed & unwrapped. But, at the end of the day, all cats are grey, as Fat Bob sang.
Also, an esprit d'escalier moment:
I'll bet half of them can't sing any of the words to "This Corrosion."
Yeh, you could go up to them & say "hey now, hey now now, sing This Corrosion to me" and get nothing but blank stares.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:24 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
I remember when we called goth "death rock" and the bands that played it "hair bands" because of their big hair.
Kinda like Q: "hey wanna go see Bauhaus?" A: " Fuck that hair band!"
Nevertheless "goth" was synonymous with "club" in Chicago in the 80's and as a jobless despicable punker I could never understand how any off those clowns could afford their outfits.
In retrospect the words "trust fund" and "poser" seem pretty apt.
posted by Max Power at 4:27 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
Kinda like Q: "hey wanna go see Bauhaus?" A: " Fuck that hair band!"
Nevertheless "goth" was synonymous with "club" in Chicago in the 80's and as a jobless despicable punker I could never understand how any off those clowns could afford their outfits.
In retrospect the words "trust fund" and "poser" seem pretty apt.
posted by Max Power at 4:27 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
So what's this Suicide Girls website I keep hearing about?
posted by Artw at 4:32 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by Artw at 4:32 PM on September 18, 2008
Goth. You just can't kill it.
Then you're just not trying hard enough.
posted by jonmc at 4:39 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Then you're just not trying hard enough.
posted by jonmc at 4:39 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
How appropriate that this post wallows in its own suckiness.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 4:39 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by solipsophistocracy at 4:39 PM on September 18, 2008
the world really needs an all-female vegan goth-punk band
Man... You and I have radically different values for 'needs'.
Goth got boring when it turned into disco. Depeche Mode was goth like Britney is rock.
posted by lumpenprole at 4:51 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Man... You and I have radically different values for 'needs'.
Goth got boring when it turned into disco. Depeche Mode was goth like Britney is rock.
posted by lumpenprole at 4:51 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
They could call themselves Soy Division.
I remember their hit song:
When the sprouts are cooked hard
And the beano is low
And the tofu rides high
the emissions will flow
And we're frying bean curd,
baking soy proties
We love, love food that makes us fart again...
posted by jonmc at 4:59 PM on September 18, 2008 [5 favorites]
I remember their hit song:
When the sprouts are cooked hard
And the beano is low
And the tofu rides high
the emissions will flow
And we're frying bean curd,
baking soy proties
We love, love food that makes us fart again...
posted by jonmc at 4:59 PM on September 18, 2008 [5 favorites]
I could never understand how any off those clowns could afford their outfits.
In retrospect the words "trust fund" and "poser" seem pretty apt.
I can't comment on the Chicago scene, but in Sydney at the time, most people put together their own wardrobes from whatever they could find at garage sales, second-hand clothings stores & the like, often doing their own modifications, like dyeing & sewing. Probably the most expensive item I owned was a pair of leather trousers that I picked up for around $50 - cheaper than any pair of brand name jeans.
But the scene was a lot punkier then, and actually included a number of people who were (or at least dressed up as) punks. There were no stores where you could buy readymade off-the-rack outfits, and no eBay either, so it was very much DIY. These days, there are at least six stores within walking distance of my place, where all the emos, goths & metalheads can buy their corsets & leather & pvc & accessories, and I can't help thinking what lame-assed twats they all are, forking out all that cash instead of getting a bit creative & making their own clothes.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:04 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
In retrospect the words "trust fund" and "poser" seem pretty apt.
I can't comment on the Chicago scene, but in Sydney at the time, most people put together their own wardrobes from whatever they could find at garage sales, second-hand clothings stores & the like, often doing their own modifications, like dyeing & sewing. Probably the most expensive item I owned was a pair of leather trousers that I picked up for around $50 - cheaper than any pair of brand name jeans.
But the scene was a lot punkier then, and actually included a number of people who were (or at least dressed up as) punks. There were no stores where you could buy readymade off-the-rack outfits, and no eBay either, so it was very much DIY. These days, there are at least six stores within walking distance of my place, where all the emos, goths & metalheads can buy their corsets & leather & pvc & accessories, and I can't help thinking what lame-assed twats they all are, forking out all that cash instead of getting a bit creative & making their own clothes.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:04 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]
Very few pictures or links about the males of the species in your links. Lots of Goth chicks, but not a lot of Goth dudes...
posted by Chuffy at 5:28 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by Chuffy at 5:28 PM on September 18, 2008
I could never understand how any off those clowns could afford their outfits.
Like, duh. Shoplifting. Gawwwd ... don't be so corporate.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:32 PM on September 18, 2008
Like, duh. Shoplifting. Gawwwd ... don't be so corporate.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:32 PM on September 18, 2008
I never wore lipstick, or made my own clothes. Pretty much all of my clothes came off the rack, mostly at department stores.
I don't have any piercings, or tattoos.
But I've seen Bowie, Bauhaus, The Damned, The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees live - The Damned's Phantasmagoria album is about as Goth as that band ever got...that's a punk band.
I guess, in a nutshell, that you can be Goth, but not be Goth. Or maybe not...
Wearing penny loafers to a Metallica concert, or shorts and a tiedye shirt to go see Bauhaus is fun. I like to mock the individualists that look like every other individualist...or something. I enjoyed the 90's when I could walk into a Rave wearing khakis and a dress shirt.
posted by Chuffy at 5:47 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
I don't have any piercings, or tattoos.
But I've seen Bowie, Bauhaus, The Damned, The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees live - The Damned's Phantasmagoria album is about as Goth as that band ever got...that's a punk band.
I guess, in a nutshell, that you can be Goth, but not be Goth. Or maybe not...
Wearing penny loafers to a Metallica concert, or shorts and a tiedye shirt to go see Bauhaus is fun. I like to mock the individualists that look like every other individualist...or something. I enjoyed the 90's when I could walk into a Rave wearing khakis and a dress shirt.
posted by Chuffy at 5:47 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
Like, duh. Shoplifting.
Shoplifters of the world, unite and take over!
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:02 PM on September 18, 2008
Shoplifters of the world, unite and take over!
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:02 PM on September 18, 2008
Oh. My. Goth.
posted by piratebowling at 7:36 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by piratebowling at 7:36 PM on September 18, 2008
I was a goth, kinda. For me it started and ended with the biggest goth festival, the Wave & Gothic Treffen in Leipzig. It was kinda amazing when the whole city was invaded by tens of thousands of goths, and from the cable-cars to the pedestrian areas all you could see was people in black-drag. There were renaissance-fairs, concerts in churches, concerts in and around the Völkerschlachtdemal - which is about the coolest location for a goth concert ever - and just about everything you could wish for as a young fan like me.
I was more into industrial/powernoise/ebm. Unfortunatly that scene especially was popular with the new-right culture warriors who saw and took their chance to infiltrate a politically passive and apathetic subculture which had no real resistance to offer. Of course that's a contentious issue. But I think it was always a lazy argument to just claim you're apolitical, tolerate nazi symbols on shirts and pendants on your concerts, and then attack the ones that criticize this as bad-mouthing, intolerant red-Fascists.
I guess it was really naive to be shocked when I saw an awful lot of nazis in the crowd celebrating a band like Feindflug...
posted by kolophon at 7:47 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
I was more into industrial/powernoise/ebm. Unfortunatly that scene especially was popular with the new-right culture warriors who saw and took their chance to infiltrate a politically passive and apathetic subculture which had no real resistance to offer. Of course that's a contentious issue. But I think it was always a lazy argument to just claim you're apolitical, tolerate nazi symbols on shirts and pendants on your concerts, and then attack the ones that criticize this as bad-mouthing, intolerant red-Fascists.
I guess it was really naive to be shocked when I saw an awful lot of nazis in the crowd celebrating a band like Feindflug...
posted by kolophon at 7:47 PM on September 18, 2008 [1 favorite]
I can't help that I'm pale, but fuck a bunch of Hot Topic cheaply made bullshit. I will NEVER get over that... it's like KBToys for suicidal teens. There was a time when looking like that was work, and even so, I never... ugh. I just wore a lot of black.
Yes, that's me typing that, for serious.
There are a lot of attractive, morbidly fascinating things in the world that draw the attention of that crowd (Edward Gorey, Victorian corsetry, vinyl fetish clothing, Siouxsie and/or The Glove, Strawberry Switchblade, fishnets everyday, for example)... but I agree, as a neo-post-cyberpunk-whatever-the-fuck-I-am, even I have to draw the line a little towards the "let's not get pulled over for no reason/act depressed in public for attention/hide obesity in an ill-fitting crushed velvet corset/look like an asshole at Six Flags sweating off clown makeup in the summer" side.
Sorry for those who take this harshly... I'll meet you in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery for my stoning and metaphorical expulsion from the pack now.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:10 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
Yes, that's me typing that, for serious.
There are a lot of attractive, morbidly fascinating things in the world that draw the attention of that crowd (Edward Gorey, Victorian corsetry, vinyl fetish clothing, Siouxsie and/or The Glove, Strawberry Switchblade, fishnets everyday, for example)... but I agree, as a neo-post-cyberpunk-whatever-the-fuck-I-am, even I have to draw the line a little towards the "let's not get pulled over for no reason/act depressed in public for attention/hide obesity in an ill-fitting crushed velvet corset/look like an asshole at Six Flags sweating off clown makeup in the summer" side.
Sorry for those who take this harshly... I'll meet you in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery for my stoning and metaphorical expulsion from the pack now.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:10 PM on September 18, 2008 [2 favorites]
*Wonders how many Mefites are reformed goths*
posted by sleep_walker at 9:28 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by sleep_walker at 9:28 PM on September 18, 2008
Stop, UbuRovias, my favoriting finger is getting tired!
posted by pinky at 9:37 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by pinky at 9:37 PM on September 18, 2008
The most interesting developments in the "Goth" subculture have little to do with Anne Rice and/or heroin. Japanese and Latino co-option of Catholic symbology for indie-pop culture means dire, dingy clubs with a thick coat of matte-black paint will be very interesting places to be for quite some time, aging Gen-X'ers or no.
To be honest, Goth has been with us ever since Mt. Vesuvius erupted, and combined with unresolved plague paranoia to torment the dreams of artists, poets and various aesthetes, and Goth will be there when we're gumming our oatmeal, glowering at the whippersnappers with three-dee animated tattoos of Bela Lugosi.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:27 PM on September 18, 2008
To be honest, Goth has been with us ever since Mt. Vesuvius erupted, and combined with unresolved plague paranoia to torment the dreams of artists, poets and various aesthetes, and Goth will be there when we're gumming our oatmeal, glowering at the whippersnappers with three-dee animated tattoos of Bela Lugosi.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:27 PM on September 18, 2008
Goths used to be backstabby and elitist, but goth is basically just a hugs club for losers nowadays. Seriously, the whole aesthetic has shifted. It´s no longer really a musical thing - more an excuse for clumsy dressups in an atmosphere of earnest non-judgement. Just digusting.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 11:30 PM on September 18, 2008
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 11:30 PM on September 18, 2008
I'm always facinated by these international discussions of a particular subculture. I'm an Aussie goth, and UbuRovias' recollections remind me a lot of the scene here, both when I was younger and how it is now. It is, up here at least in Brissie, a very tightly knit incestuous little family. We gossip and bitch and backstab, but fuck with one of us and you fuck with all of us. The only clubs I've ever been to and felt safe to drink have been goth clubs, because odds are on at least one person in the room knows you and is keeping half an eye on you, even if only to check out your boots.
As for the reformed goths in the crowd - remember, nothing says goth like denying it till your face explodes.
posted by Jilder at 12:19 AM on September 19, 2008
As for the reformed goths in the crowd - remember, nothing says goth like denying it till your face explodes.
posted by Jilder at 12:19 AM on September 19, 2008
More kids than I thought find the "Goth" idea interesting and desirable in ways I never imagined. My 11yr old thinks it's all about the clothes and hair refusing to listen to the music or read the books that shaped the art/fashion we understand as Goth. We can talk all we want, but the next generation apparently will take what they want and make do with less. I'll keep my fingers crossed that they will wise up and research at some point. Then again it seems like kids now have more options to play and comfortably act out then I did when I was growing up. Sure I want to say screw the corporate marketing in creating the odd and previously obscure as acceptable mass culture. But really is that a bad thing? When everyone should play dress-up everyday and be whoever they want.
Couldn't this be the start of the break down of business class attire???
posted by emypocu at 12:22 AM on September 19, 2008
Couldn't this be the start of the break down of business class attire???
posted by emypocu at 12:22 AM on September 19, 2008
"an excuse for clumsy dressups in an atmosphere of earnest non-judgement."
and
"nothing says goth like denying it till your face explodes."
The super satisfying snark that metafilter is known for!
a++
posted by thedaniel at 12:45 AM on September 19, 2008
and
"nothing says goth like denying it till your face explodes."
The super satisfying snark that metafilter is known for!
a++
posted by thedaniel at 12:45 AM on September 19, 2008
Jilder, I´m also in Brisbane. Have you been to Faith or one of its metastasized offshoots in the last decade? A complete shambles. ¨Yeah, hi ´Neo´, that´s a great trenchcoat. No, I´m a little tired, think I´ll sit out the Rocky Horror megamix.¨
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 12:59 AM on September 19, 2008
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 12:59 AM on September 19, 2008
From the article:
Goth was a fashion response to doing infrequent laundry
That says more about her than it does about Goth.
posted by mr. strange at 2:05 AM on September 19, 2008
Goth was a fashion response to doing infrequent laundry
That says more about her than it does about Goth.
posted by mr. strange at 2:05 AM on September 19, 2008
So what's this Suicide Girls website I keep hearing about?
I've been on the internet a few years now and I've never heard of that! Is it some kind of mental health group therapy thing? Are they okay? Doing good work? Maybe I could arrange to send them a little donation...
*enters web address*
Oh.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.
*five minutes later*
Hey, I never knew it was possible to get over naked girlies so quickly! It would be interesting to see the figures, however, on how many Lady Bic razors that website gets through collectively in a single week.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:50 AM on September 19, 2008
I've been on the internet a few years now and I've never heard of that! Is it some kind of mental health group therapy thing? Are they okay? Doing good work? Maybe I could arrange to send them a little donation...
*enters web address*
Oh.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.
*five minutes later*
Hey, I never knew it was possible to get over naked girlies so quickly! It would be interesting to see the figures, however, on how many Lady Bic razors that website gets through collectively in a single week.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:50 AM on September 19, 2008
Yeah, I've been to Faith. Quite a few times. I do find Richard's playlist a bit repetitive (i.e, he only has one). While I don't regularly attend any more, I'd hardly call Faith a "hugs club for losers". Some of the cattiest snarkery I've seen has happened at Faith.
Generally I prefer Facination St Ball and Excom, since the music there appeals to my tastes more. There's an Excom on tomorrow night, actually, if you're interested. Much more olde schoole style.
posted by Jilder at 3:05 AM on September 19, 2008
Generally I prefer Facination St Ball and Excom, since the music there appeals to my tastes more. There's an Excom on tomorrow night, actually, if you're interested. Much more olde schoole style.
posted by Jilder at 3:05 AM on September 19, 2008
*five minutes later*
Hey, I never knew it was possible to get over naked girlies so quickly!
can i interest you in some nasal delivery technology that can help you with that?
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:03 AM on September 19, 2008
Hey, I never knew it was possible to get over naked girlies so quickly!
can i interest you in some nasal delivery technology that can help you with that?
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:03 AM on September 19, 2008
hey Jilder - my army of flying monkeys are watching you.
*listens to the Sisters of Mercy in honour of this thread*
Baby buy an anaconda baby buy a thing to wear
She go walking she go crawling she go sliding through the air
She go talking warm and fashion she go talking debonair
But see her face turn to a mask and passion turn to she don't care
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:55 AM on September 19, 2008
*listens to the Sisters of Mercy in honour of this thread*
Baby buy an anaconda baby buy a thing to wear
She go walking she go crawling she go sliding through the air
She go talking warm and fashion she go talking debonair
But see her face turn to a mask and passion turn to she don't care
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:55 AM on September 19, 2008
I was in Montreal recently and overjoyed to find Goths still out and about. Also Bikers and Ravers and Hippies! It was like finding a Coelacanth ... Island Of the Lost Subcultures.
Also, that FIT show is awesome.
posted by The Whelk at 8:26 AM on September 19, 2008
Also, that FIT show is awesome.
posted by The Whelk at 8:26 AM on September 19, 2008
I'll bet half of them can't sing any of the words to "This Corrosion."
It's kind of funny to think that the Sisters haven't even released an album in some of these kids' lifetimes. And all the best stuff is what, 25 years old now?
But Andrew keeps on plugging away with the live show, and I'll be going to see them here in L.A. in a couple of months. Some of the newer, unreleased songs are pretty decent, but man, he's really butchering some of the old songs these days. If you still have fond memories of the way Anaconda or Temple of Love used to sound, you might want to skip the concert.
posted by malocchio at 10:02 AM on September 19, 2008
It's kind of funny to think that the Sisters haven't even released an album in some of these kids' lifetimes. And all the best stuff is what, 25 years old now?
But Andrew keeps on plugging away with the live show, and I'll be going to see them here in L.A. in a couple of months. Some of the newer, unreleased songs are pretty decent, but man, he's really butchering some of the old songs these days. If you still have fond memories of the way Anaconda or Temple of Love used to sound, you might want to skip the concert.
posted by malocchio at 10:02 AM on September 19, 2008
Jilder, I didn't deny it... I just don't dress like this anymore.
well maybe every once in a while, I still have some vinyl in the closet that ain't records
I bet the scene where you live is a magnitude of 10 cooler than where I am.
Black hair? Check. Red lipstick? Check. Joy Division, Siouxsie, The Cure, The Glove and Coil on my ipod DAILY? yep. Section 25, "Looking from a Hilltop", favorite song ever? CHECK.
All things in moderation, that's all.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:01 PM on September 19, 2008
well maybe every once in a while, I still have some vinyl in the closet that ain't records
I bet the scene where you live is a magnitude of 10 cooler than where I am.
Black hair? Check. Red lipstick? Check. Joy Division, Siouxsie, The Cure, The Glove and Coil on my ipod DAILY? yep. Section 25, "Looking from a Hilltop", favorite song ever? CHECK.
All things in moderation, that's all.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:01 PM on September 19, 2008
I'll bet half of them can't sing any of the words to "This Corrosion."
♪♬ Hey now, hey brown cow... come rub the lotion on me! ♪♬
I will admit to going to Death Guild with my girlfriend every now and then. We're like two ships passing in the night - she brushes away cobwebs and does her interpretive dance of the falling leaves whereas I just drink wine and wait for something more stompy. (parental advisory: explicit lyrics)
posted by argh at 7:18 PM on September 19, 2008
♪♬ Hey now, hey brown cow... come rub the lotion on me! ♪♬
I will admit to going to Death Guild with my girlfriend every now and then. We're like two ships passing in the night - she brushes away cobwebs and does her interpretive dance of the falling leaves whereas I just drink wine and wait for something more stompy. (parental advisory: explicit lyrics)
posted by argh at 7:18 PM on September 19, 2008
There's an Excom on tomorrow night, actually, if you're interested.
I was gonna, but, man, Tabu? The Valley? The venue sucks, the booze is too expensive and I only go to the Valley when I want to get vomited on and then knifed.
But yeah, the theme thing for Faith (Lovecats, Pure, Molotov, etc.) doesn't really work for me. Richard's a good guy and even though it's a trusted formula and they're all danceable, it's basically the same playlist. It was kinda fun on Saturday night though, from what I can remember.
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:19 PM on September 21, 2008
I was gonna, but, man, Tabu? The Valley? The venue sucks, the booze is too expensive and I only go to the Valley when I want to get vomited on and then knifed.
But yeah, the theme thing for Faith (Lovecats, Pure, Molotov, etc.) doesn't really work for me. Richard's a good guy and even though it's a trusted formula and they're all danceable, it's basically the same playlist. It was kinda fun on Saturday night though, from what I can remember.
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:19 PM on September 21, 2008
I kind of have a radio show on WIUX on Wednesday nights at 10pm Eastern that plays goth, industrial, synthpop, punk, etc.
(Now that this post is off the front page.)
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:48 PM on September 21, 2008
(Now that this post is off the front page.)
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:48 PM on September 21, 2008
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posted by Ironmouth at 2:15 PM on September 18, 2008 [3 favorites]