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I’ve been writing the Gothic Battle Royale posts for Gothtriggers, so I haven’t been posting here as often lately (and I’ve been working extra hours at the job I actually get paid for).

But, I still check my inbox everyday if you want to send me more Goth confessions!

The actual tumblr Gothconfessions is a safe place to vent anonymously without being judged or attacked, but if you confess to me you get the added bonus of being both judged and attacked!

Also working on a new misadventures chat thingy, hope to have it out in a week.

I love classical music!  I think much Romantic Era, Baroque, and even more modern symphonic music is Gothic (not Gothic Rock, obviously, just Gothy-type music). Mendelssohn and Chopin both have a sublime melancholy. Debussy is lush, gorgeous, and introspective. Bach, come on! His toccatas! All his organ music is the stuff of Gothy wet dreams. How many Goth bands and horror movies have covered or sampled Toccata en Fugue in D minor alone? I think the Russians bring the same gravity, darkness, and bold emotion to their music as they famously did with their literature, ie Prokofiev (listen to Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet), Tchaikovsky, and crazy ol’ Stravinsky.  Mozart was kind of the Robert Smith of Classical music (NO ONE calls him that), as his seemed either manic or depressed at times. Don Giovani, namely the final overture; “The Commendatore Scene” is pretty morose, even a little horrifying (in a good way ;p), and his unfinished Requiem in D Minor is in turns heart-breaking, and terrifying but always beautiful. Lacrimosa, should be familiar to most Goths.  But, of course, then there is the Edgar Allen Poe of Classical music: (NO ONE calls him that) Beethoven.  Bach is so skilled, Mozart so talented, Debussy so beautiful, but Beethoven makes your feelings his bitch. Moonlight Sonata seems to redeem despair  but nearly stops your heart in the process. His 7th Symphony, especially Opus 92, is the very sound of heartache. Even Ode to Joy only gives you that feeling of elation because of the struggle that finally gives way. It’s so intensely bittersweet it can leave you broken… you know, in a good way. I barely touched on Opera with Don Giovanni. It’s all killing, ghosts, murder, unrequited love, homicide, and other tragedies. So, now you have me confused. I think that music is extremely Gothic, but I still think you have to like Gothic Rock, Death Rock, Positive Punk, etc as well to be a Goth.  The Cure and the Banshees are a great start! I bet if you explore more Gothic music (maybe Ethereal? have you tried Dead Can Dance yet?) you will find even more Goth music you like.  You’re an interesting person with depth who cares about dark, Romantic music; it sounds like you are a part of this community!  Keep searching for music you like and enjoy! Do more things that make you feel good (and don’t hurt you or others, of course) and don’t be too hard on yourself.
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I love classical music!  I think much Romantic Era, Baroque, and even more modern symphonic music is Gothic (not Gothic Rock, obviously, just Gothy-type music). Mendelssohn and Chopin both have a sublime melancholy. Debussy is lush, gorgeous, and introspective. Bach, come on! His toccatas! All his organ music is the stuff of Gothy wet dreams. How many Goth bands and horror movies have covered or sampled Toccata en Fugue in D minor alone? I think the Russians bring the same gravity, darkness, and bold emotion to their music as they famously did with their literature, ie Prokofiev (listen to Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet), Tchaikovsky, and crazy ol’ Stravinsky.  Mozart was kind of the Robert Smith of Classical music (NO ONE calls him that), as his seemed either manic or depressed at times. Don Giovani, namely the final overture; “The Commendatore Scene” is pretty morose, even a little horrifying (in a good way ;p), and his unfinished Requiem in D Minor is in turns heart-breaking, and terrifying but always beautiful. Lacrimosa, should be familiar to most Goths.  But, of course, then there is the Edgar Allen Poe of Classical music: (NO ONE calls him that) Beethoven.  Bach is so skilled, Mozart so talented, Debussy so beautiful, but Beethoven makes your feelings his bitch. Moonlight Sonata seems to redeem despair  but nearly stops your heart in the process. His 7th Symphony, especially Opus 92, is the very sound of heartache. Even Ode to Joy only gives you that feeling of elation because of the struggle that finally gives way. It’s so intensely bittersweet it can leave you broken… you know, in a good way. I barely touched on Opera with Don Giovanni. It’s all killing, ghosts, murder, unrequited love, homicide, and other tragedies. So, now you have me confused. I think that music is extremely Gothic, but I still think you have to like Gothic Rock, Death Rock, Positive Punk, etc as well to be a Goth.  The Cure and the Banshees are a great start! I bet if you explore more Gothic music (maybe Ethereal? have you tried Dead Can Dance yet?) you will find even more Goth music you like.  You’re an interesting person with depth who cares about dark, Romantic music; it sounds like you are a part of this community!  Keep searching for music you like and enjoy! Do more things that make you feel good (and don’t hurt you or others, of course) and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Zoom

I love classical music! 

I think much Romantic Era, Baroque, and even more modern symphonic music is Gothic (not Gothic Rock, obviously, just Gothy-type music). Mendelssohn and Chopin both have a sublime melancholy. Debussy is lush, gorgeous, and introspective. Bach, come on! His toccatas! All his organ music is the stuff of Gothy wet dreams. How many Goth bands and horror movies have covered or sampled Toccata en Fugue in D minor alone?

I think the Russians bring the same gravity, darkness, and bold emotion to their music as they famously did with their literature, ie Prokofiev (listen to Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet), Tchaikovsky, and crazy ol’ Stravinsky. 

Mozart was kind of the Robert Smith of Classical music (NO ONE calls him that), as his seemed either manic or depressed at times. Don Giovani, namely the final overture; “The Commendatore Scene” is pretty morose, even a little horrifying (in a good way ;p), and his unfinished Requiem in D Minor is in turns heart-breaking, and terrifying but always beautiful. Lacrimosa, should be familiar to most Goths. 

But, of course, then there is the Edgar Allen Poe of Classical music: (NO ONE calls him that) Beethoven. 

Bach is so skilled, Mozart so talented, Debussy so beautiful, but Beethoven makes your feelings his bitch.

Moonlight Sonata seems to redeem despair  but nearly stops your heart in the process. His 7th Symphony, especially Opus 92, is the very sound of heartache. Even Ode to Joy only gives you that feeling of elation because of the struggle that finally gives way. It’s so intensely bittersweet it can leave you broken… you know, in a good way.

I barely touched on Opera with Don Giovanni. It’s all killing, ghosts, murder, unrequited love, homicide, and other tragedies.

So, now you have me confused.

I think that music is extremely Gothic, but I still think you have to like Gothic Rock, Death Rock, Positive Punk, etc as well to be a Goth. 

The Cure and the Banshees are a great start! I bet if you explore more Gothic music (maybe Ethereal? have you tried Dead Can Dance yet?) you will find even more Goth music you like. 

You’re an interesting person with depth who cares about dark, Romantic music; it sounds like you are a part of this community!  Keep searching for music you like and enjoy! Do more things that make you feel good (and don’t hurt you or others, of course) and don’t be too hard on yourself.

Important Black Artists for Goths part 2

Rock N’ Roll

  • Chuck Berry- THIS DUDE IS PUNK ROCK YA PHONIES!! He and James Brown didn’t just perform THEY EXERCISED DEMONS! You wonder how they come out alive. So many punks, protopunks, and rock musicians have cited him as an influence I don’t know where to start. 
  • Screamin’ Jay Hawkins- If you check out just one artist I’ve listed if has got to be this man. HE IS GOTHIC. More Gothic than most “Goth” bands. Just listen to “I hear voices” or watch his famous “I put a spell on you”  MOTHERFUCKER COMES OUT OF A CASKET DEATH OPENS! Oh and he wrote that song in 1956, Alice Cooper, when you were 8 years old. JUST SKIM OVER HIS TRACKLISTING OR LOOK AT HIS PHOTOS!! I’m sorry, but this is it. Check and mate, racist exclusionary Goths (who probably won’t read this) THE DAY IS MINE!
  • Little Richard I cannot explain these three people’s importance
  • Aretha Franklin to Rock n Roll. Anyone who doesn’t get that 
  • James Brown needs to start music all over.
  • Jimi Hendrix -It’s hard to know what to say after Screamin Jay. But how can anyone listen to Hendrix’s rendition of The Starbangled Banner- made to ‘sound like’ the Vietnam War and not be struck by what an avante garde genius he was? To me the precedent for later Death Rock is abundantly clear. Also, if you honestly dig a genre who’s cornerstone is distorted guitars, be thankful for this man. 

Punk

  • Don Letts -  Don Letts is most famous for being Punk’s official documentarian. He directed The Punk Rock Movie in 1977, the only documentary to show The Sex Pistols, Clash, and other UK Punk bands. He directed over 300 music videos, he produced the Slits and worked with the Clash. He was also in Big Audio Dynamite. Goths might be most interested to know he was the DJ at London’s first Punk club, The Roxy, where people like Dave Vanian, Siouxsie Sioux, Robert Smith, and Gary Numan would meet and collaborate.
  • Bad Brains- AfroPunk Hardcore band
  • Jean Beauviour- Played bass/synth for the Plasmatics and collaborated with the Ramones
  • Poly Styrene - singer/frontwoman for X Ray Specs
  • DH Peligro- Drummer for the Dead Kennedys
  • Rick Royale- Drummer for Reagan Youth
  • Aaron Smith- drummed for Romeo Void
  • Pat Smear - The Germs
  • The Specials - Prominent “two tone” (mixed race) punk band
  • The English Beat- Prominent Two-Tone band

Goth

  • Andy Anderson - drummer for The Cure 1983-1984
  • Pat Smear - bassist for 45 Grave, Nina Hagen (he’s been in a lot of bands)
  • Mikey Craig - Bassist for Southern Death Cult (and later Culture Club)
  • And yet again, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

If you missed it, here is Part 1.

Well, I don’t take the whole Elder Goth thing too seriously, believe it or not, but, to me, it means an adult who is in love with and informed about the scene. By “adult” I generally think of someone in their 30s or older. I think you have to at least be over 25. Still, this isn’t to say young people can’t … be Goth enough. Annnnnd I just died a little inside. I think you can know your history, your literature, film, and music and just about any age. When you’re over 25, it just means it’s not a phase. Part of growing up is trying out different cultures, lifestyles, group of friends, jobs, etc and a lot of it won’t work out. That’s ok, it’s part of growing and you learn from it. I try not bully baby bats for that reason (also I see baby bats as potential minions to draw into my cult-of-sorts). Anyhow, it sounds like you cannot possibly be even a baby bat; you graduated to Goth sometime ago. [fun fact: this post can be used as an ipecac!] Seriously, it sounds like you’re just a smart person. When you’re intelligent you keep digging deeper into subjects you’re passionate about, and as it unfolds before you, all the things you don’t know start appearing on the horizons, making you feel (ironically) more ignorant than before. Don’t be hard on yourself; enjoy it and appreciate your intellectual curiosity and drive!
Zoom

Well, I don’t take the whole Elder Goth thing too seriously, believe it or not, but, to me, it means an adult who is in love with and informed about the scene. By “adult” I generally think of someone in their 30s or older. I think you have to at least be over 25.

Still, this isn’t to say young people can’t … be Goth enough. Annnnnd I just died a little inside. I think you can know your history, your literature, film, and music and just about any age.

When you’re over 25, it just means it’s not a phase. Part of growing up is trying out different cultures, lifestyles, group of friends, jobs, etc and a lot of it won’t work out. That’s ok, it’s part of growing and you learn from it. I try not bully baby bats for that reason (also I see baby bats as potential minions to draw into my cult-of-sorts).

Anyhow, it sounds like you cannot possibly be even a baby bat; you graduated to Goth sometime ago. [fun fact: this post can be used as an ipecac!]

Seriously, it sounds like you’re just a smart person. When you’re intelligent you keep digging deeper into subjects you’re passionate about, and as it unfolds before you, all the things you don’t know start appearing on the horizons, making you feel (ironically) more ignorant than before.

Don’t be hard on yourself; enjoy it and appreciate your intellectual curiosity and drive!

Important Black Artists for Goths part 1

I had to rewrite this twice because I am so damn long-winded. Like me vs. Proust, Kevin Smith, who can stop writing first?! So, I decided to try to make this a list as close to chronological order as I can. 

If it’s too long, at least you can skim through or read the tags for now.

Read More

Can you be Black and Goth?

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I think it’s absolute bullshit.

There are just three things I want to say about it now.

However, I plan to do a follow up post because some people (mostly one blog) have been popularizing bigotry in the community, largely through lazy low brow racist jokes. Before I start, I have to say; “lazy low-brow racist joke” is as fucking far from Goth as you can get. I will call Richard Simmons Gothic before someone who mongers that shit any fucking day.

First, there truly is a community here for you! It may not seem that way because the stupidest people are always the loudest (and, honestly, you’re often impacted more by something hurtful than something kind or innocuous.) If you haven’t already, please check out blacksheepgoths right now. My post will wait here for you, which is nice about blogging. [LIST OF MORE LINKS AT BOTTOM]

Secondly, the Goth counterculture has nothing to do with race. Or ethnicity, or where you were born, who you date, who you sleep with, if you sleep with anyone, how well you see, how often you floss, if you use plastic bags at the grocery store or bring your own, and a whole lot of other shit. It’s not the Klan, the Nation of Islam, the Boyscouts, etc. meaning it is not an organized institution founded with the explicit purpose of uniting people of the same race, religion, gender, etc. to murder those people’s perceived enemies, defend that people’s rights, or make many heterosexual knots with those people.

It’s not an institution, it’s not even organized. It’s more religiously diverse than any other counter culture I can think of, it stretches around the globe, and here’s the central thing IT WAS FOUNDED WITH THE INTENT TO CREATE AND ENJOY MUSIC. Sure, the fashion, literature, poetry, philosophy and humor are all essential parts of the scene, which all contribute to it’s essence, but the foundation is the music. This leads me to my last point for this post.

There wouldn’t be Gothic Rock without Black people. I wish I could just say, DON LETTS and the proverbial light would turn on for everyone* but there is much more work to be done, I SERIOUSLY CAN’T JUST SAY “PUNK” you guys; what were the biggest influences on Punk music?! Rock and Roll, Delta Blues, and Reggae!! (Glam of the Velvet underground variety, and Celtic folk I happily grant you!)

You know, I don’t actually look down on most people who can’t automatically list some important Black musicians for the Goth culture because it’s so often overlooked it would be unreasonable of me to do so. I don’t think it’s even out of hate or bias for 95% of people, we don’t know enough about our QUEER history for fuck’s sake (WHICH IS NEARLY ALL OF IT!!!).

Nope, I need to stop yelling.

Gothic music so esoteric to begin with, to get back into the best parts of the story doesn’t happen overnight, but for now let me at least link you this excellent article with the promise I’ll get off my damn soapbox and be more cool about this when I do my follow up. 

(Do I need to make a whole other rant for Latinos, because they are such an enormous part of the scene now and also largely left out?)

*not “everyone” that’s patronizing many of you could school me I’m sure

Further (better) reading:

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