Does Music Play a Central Role in the Goth Scene - Term Paper Example

Does music play a central role in the Goth scene? Table of Contents I. Introduction 3 II. On Whether Music Plays a Central Role in the Goth Scene 3 A. The Goth Scene, Key Features and Components 3 B. The Role of Music in the Goth Scene 5 Bibliography 9 I. Introduction This paper explores the role that music plays in the Goth scene, whether music plays a central or peripheral role. The Urban Dictionary defines goth as “Someone who likes the darker side of things. They [sic] usually listen to death metal and goth music” (Urban Dictionary 2014). The music site Mp3.com meanwhile associates goth with certain artifacts and music tied to the goth scene: “Goth refers to music or items associated with the goth subculture, gothic rock, post-punk, deathrock and some darkwave” (CBS Interactive 2012). These definitions imply a close affinity between goth and music (Williams 2006). Elsewhere goth is described in terms of an identity that is counter-culture and goes against the grain of popular society. It chooses deliberately to be unpopular and to go its own way in terms of self-development, fashion, music, and other key lifestyle aspects, including the choice of friends and activities (Urban Dictionary 2014; Williams 2006). Meanwhile, from the point of view of the rest of society, goth, the goth scene, and goth subculture tend towards the fringe and dark side of things. This is the case in fashion and in elements of popular culture such as music. That said, the mainstream seems to have mixed reactions towards Goth, with many seeing goth as a benign and a valid way for teenagers and disaffected youth to define themselves and their group (Gold and Cuda 1999). II. On Whether Music Plays a Central Role in the Goth Scene A. The Goth Scene, Key Features and Components While simple definitions abound, modern day contexts for Goth and the Goth scene seem to indicate that Goth identity and the elements of Goth are fluid and are continuously evolving. There is the assertion in Daniel and Desantis (2013) that Goth as a movement of counterculture owes its staying power to the lasting appeal of its aesthetic, which is not death but persistent non-death. Goth seems to thrive by going against the mainstream. The emphasis is ongoing against what mainstream society prescribes in terms of activities, what to do, and fashion, what to wear, among other things. Moodiness and an inclination towards the dark and lonely side of things is a pervasive emotional atmosphere. This moodiness is what outside society sees from the outside looking in. As subculture, meanwhile, Goth has within it elements relating to the free expression of sexuality, defining artifacts and features that include certain fashion and musical preferences as described above (Daniel and Desantis 2013; Fereday n.d.; Wilkins 2004; Hodkinson 2005; Tumblr 2014; Smith 1997). Music too comes up inevitably in discussions of Goth, as a key element of Goth in any serious academic discussion on the topic. This music is characterized as being fringe, postmodernist, counterculture, and part of a cult genre. Again and again certain acts stand out as being representative of the Goth scene, some coming out of the woodwork in the late 80s and all the way to the 90s: The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, SlipKnot, Nirvana, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Christian Death, Bauhaus, Hollow Hills, Joy Division, Alien Sex Fiend, Christian Death, and Play Dead, Sex Gang Children, Gloria Mundi, Ausgang and 45 Grave, among many others (Jackson 2006, pp. 177-185; DiBlasi 2013, pp. 501-503; Attinello et al. 2010, pp. 177-180; Bibby 2007, pp. 233-241; Mueller 2008; Reesman 1999). Tumblr and Google images of the goth scene show some fundamental elements and features being prominent in the way Goth people preset themselves to the world. Women wear pale makeup and dark lipstick and eye shades in the main, wearing black clothing and in many instances wearing seductive clothing showing skin and bosom. Some look like vampires and the motif in some of the images are decidedly dark. Face piercings, shaved heads and punk hairstyles, are also present. The women, while portraying darkness and sexuality, are decidedly young and otherwise healthy and very attractive. The men wear black clothes and makeup (Tumblr 2014; Google 2014). In music, as will be further discussed later, the Goth scene is identified by certain defining genres and acts. Part of that evolution too is the emergence of the Internet as a new venue for the expression of the subculture via the tools of social networking, including blogs and social media, where the goth scene has spilled over into in new and surprising ways. Elsewhere we see too that many elements of popular culture have come to see music as a vital element of the Goth scene. Portrayals of dark elements of popular culture such as vampires are depicted in terms of goth visual and musical cues (Daniel and Desantis 2013; Fereday n.d.; Wilkins 2004; Hodkinson 2005; Smith 1997; Jackson 2006, pp. 177-185; DiBlasi 2013, pp. 501-50). B. The Role of Music in the Goth Scene The literature seems to be unanimous in its assessment of the centrality of music in the Goth scene, from the way Goth is defined as having an intrinsic relationship with certain musical genres and musical acts, as has been partly discussed earlier. There is a genre in particular that is named for the subculture, in Goth music. The birth of the subculture itself, moreover, is tuned in to certain forms of music that were the rage for the youth in the late 1970s and the 1980s, with the music from the likes of the Cure and Bauhaus leading the way in defining the looks and the musical tastes and sensibilities, not to mention the public attitudes and the outward displays of participation in the subculture, that had the band members and the prominent musicians of the time as role models. In other words, from the literature that has so far been examined, it is clear that music plays a vital and very central role in the Goth scene, as defining the scene and identifying those who are insiders and outsiders to the scene, from its earliest years all the way to the present. Taking a step back too, we find from the literature that in most instances of subculture formation in the west, music and fashion are among the primary elements by which members and adherents try to define the subculture and what it stands for. This is affirmed in the case of goth (Daniel and Desantis 2013; Fereday n.d.; Wilkins 2004; Hodkinson 2005; Smith 1997; Williams 2006). Goth does play a central role in the Goth scene, to the extent that the literature does not seem to differentiate between Goth as a subculture from goth the music genre. American popular culture regards goth and goth rock as a valid musical genre distinct from other forms of rock for instance (DiBlasi 2013, pp. 501-503). In music magazines devoted to serious music fans dating back to the late 1990s moreover, goth is seen as synonymous with goth music and the birth and development of the goth scene is described in terms of the birth and growth of the goth music genre from its roots in England in the late 1970s (Reesman 1999, pp. 48-50). Academic discussions of the role of goth music to define the identity of the subculture both within in and from the outside looking in also stress just how important goth music is to the goth scene, which acts almost as a representative of its core sensibilities ((Jackson 2006, pp. 177-185). Discussions on the way goth musicians represent goth styles and sensibilities with regard to fashion and to the use of goth props, including accessories and makeup, also imply that goth music embodied the very soul of the goth scene (Bibby 2007, pp. 233-241). Elsewhere too we see that academic discussions on goth music see the music genre as embodying the most important influences of the goth scene, from its social and cultural roots in Britain in the 1970s and the economic and cultural conditions of the time, to horror movie classics, to expressionism school films, to so-called Gothic lit, punk and glam rock (Mueller 2008). Where the literature tells us of the way music defines subcultures, it is evident in the discussion here that in the case of the Goth scene not only is music central to the scene, but also that the genre and its relationship with the goth scene. Bauhaus and its single “Bella Lugosi’s Dead” for instance is recognized as having defined goth music as we know it today. The topic is a key element in goth, the underground and vampires, and the electrifying guitar riffs and the haunting lyrics and vocals, as well as the upbeat tempo and incorporation of deep bass guitar into it, are hallmarks of goth music. On the other hand we also see that from the time of the release of that single in 1979 many other artists have taken up the cudgels and evolved goth music in various ways. The time period from 1979 to 1982 saw The Cure and Joy Division, with its single “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, take the cue from Bauhaus and release songs that extend the initial Bauhaus influence and internalize them. For instance, in the Joy Division single, it is noted that the intense externalized energy that characterized the goth music of Bauhaus was internalized and used to evoke intense personal emotions, such as depression. This early experimentation would then turn into a full flowering of various different approaches to goth in the ensuing decade. During this time period The Cure would release cuts that would become mainstays of the goth scene and champion the genre among those coming of age during this time period. Where Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” focused on a key element of the goth scene, vampires and the undead, The Cure at this time would branch out into a wide array of topics and into a musical style of its own. An example of this is the 1986 album “Standing on a Beach”. Here, in singles such as “Killing an Arab”, “”Charlotte Sometimes”, “In Between Days”, and “Close to Me”, The Cure would experiment with less depressive and sometimes overtly optimistic pieces that would on the surface go against the grain of early Bauhaus influences, but are decidedly goth by virtue of their being taken up as banner music pieces by the goth scene from the time of its release to the present. Two years prior to this, Sisters of Mercy would also be instrumental in defining new branches for goth music with the launch of its album “First and Last Always” to critical acclaim. Then in 1989, another band would burst into the goth scene in Nine Inch Nails and its groundbreaking album “Pretty Hate Machine”. These groundbreaking works would define further experimentations by underground and popular bands in Europe all the way to the late 1990’s, lumped together under the name darkwave. Its chief proponents would include Depeche Mode and Gary Numan. Marilyn Manson would morph goth music into its own image with such hits as “Portrait of an American Family” and “Antichrist Superstar”. The past decade or so meanwhile has seen groundbreaking acts represent the new age of goth including Evanescence, with the album “Fallen” released in 2003, among others (Smith 1997; Williams 2006; The Cure 2009; The Cure 1986; Jef With One F 2011; Bauhaus 1979; Evanescence 2003). Bibliography Attinello, P., Halfyard, J. and Knights, V. (eds). (2010). Punks, Geeks and Goths. Music, Sound and Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Bauhaus (1979). Bela Lugosi’s Dead. YouTube. [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRJfIPiJGY [Accessed 7 March 2014] Bibby, M. (2007). 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[Online] Available from: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.fereday/macs01.htm [Accessed 24 February 2014] Gold, M. and Cuda, H. (1999). Gothic Subculture Not to Blame for Violence, Its Adherents Say. Los Angeles Times. [Online] Available from: http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/22/news/mn-29941 [Accessed 24 February 2014] Google (2014). Goth-Google Search. Google Images. Online] Available from: images.google.com [Accessed 24 February 2014] Hodkinson, P. (2005). Insider Research in the Study of Youth Cultures. Journal of Youth Studies 8 (2). [Online] Available from: http://www.paulhodkinson.co.uk/publications/hodkinsonjys.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2014] Jackson, K. (2006). Gothic music and the decadent individual. The Resisting Muse: Popular Music and Social Protest- Peddie, I. (ed). Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Jef With One F (2011). The Seven Ages of Goth. Houston Press Blogs. 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Tumblr.com. [Online] Available from: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/goth-subculture [Accessed 24 February 2014] Urban Dictionary (2014). Goth. UrbanDictionary.com [Online] Available from: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=goth [Accessed 24 February 2014] Wilkins, A. (2004). “So Full of Myself as Chick”: Goth Women, Sexual Independence, and Gender Egalitarianism. Gender & Society 18 (3). [Online] Available from: http://www.brown.uk.com/poly/wilkins.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2014] Williams, JP (2006). Authentic Identities- Straightedge Subculture, Music and the Internet. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 35 (2). [Online] Available from: http://www.ensani.ir/storage/Files/20110209171352-%D9%87%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AA%20%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C%20%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%B1.pdf [Accessed 24 February 2014] Read More