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cultural identity issue

IMPERFECT

music fashion

PART PART

Young people are also able to gain material to construct their identities from listening to music and especially when they pay close attention to the lyrics of songs.

A young person is able to find a certain line of a song which completely sums up how they feel, and this can go towards making them feel more secure in themselves.

Disco Rave pp: 16-20

Neds and “ned culture” are

associated with violence,

particularly in poorer housing

schemes constructed on the

periphery of towns and cities

in the post-war era.

Gothic Beats pp: 7-10

In the late 90s, “cybergoth”

became very popular,

essentially a mix of gothstyle

vocals.

Indie Rock pp: 11-15

Many embrace both meanings

of the word, believing that the

asthetics of the genre and

its means of production are

deeply interwined in the indie

culture.

cultural identity issue cultural identity issue

IN THE LATE 90s, “CYBERGOTH” BECAME VERY POPULAR, ESSENTIALLY A MIX OF GOTH-STYLE VOCALS.


The first goth music grew out of punk, and some of

the early bands were very lively, characterised by tribal

drumming. Things changed in the mid-eighties, mainly

due to the rise of the Sisters of Mercy, probably the most

well-known goth band. The Sisters were characterised

by deep vocals, simple yet prominent basslines, and

simple drum machine rhythms. Unfortunately they

came to typify the “Goth Sound” and too many later

bands followed their example.

Later on, there was some crossover with the Industrial

scene, and a lot of bands now use electronic sounds

as well as the archetypal guitar/bass/drum machine/

vocals and style.

In the late 90s, “cybergoth” became very popular,

essentially a mix of goth-style vocals with a dancey

backing. Whether this is a subgenre of goth, a

subgenre of industrial, or a mixture of both is a vexed

question, but overall the scene seems to lean more

towards the industrial side of things.There is also

a fair bit of “ambient” goth, characterised by subtle

instrumentation and haunting female vocals.

Lyrically, goth tends to be on the doomy side- dark

lyrics and a doomy sound are fairly typical of most (but

not all) goth these days.

The early goths looked similar to punks, except that

the predominant colours were black for hair & clothing

(with the occasional outburst of white, red or purple)

and silver for jewellery. Thus they had ripped clothing,

and even mohicans, though the “Goth Mohican” was

usually black and much wider than the punk version

(shaved at the sides only). They also tended to spout

a lot of fishnet (more usually on the arms for men)

and had a distinctive style of makeup, with very white

faces and lots of black eyeliner (for both men and

women). Hair was usually dyed black, crimped and

backcombed in punk.

At first the hair was usually fairly short for men,

backcombed up, but by the mid-to-late eighties

long black hair became fashionable and it’s now

more usual to see hair long & down than shaved at

the sides & spiked up. Makeup remains an integral

part of the look, but clothing has diversified so that

some now wear clothes influenced by 18th or early

19th century styles whilst others wear PVC, leather

& fishnet. (crushed velvet tends to be another goth

favourite). And some of them wear both, though not

usually at the same time. Black and white remain the

predominant colours, with red or purple still making

an appearance.

This is probably the hardest question any goth could try

and answer, one may as well ask ‘what is society?’ as it

has so many facets it defies any definitive explanation

in this culture.

Goth in its simplest form, is a subculture. A group

of people who feel comfortable within each others

company. There is no specific thing that defines what

you need to do or be to fit into the goth scene (except of

course the implied black clothing). People in the goth

scene all have different musical tastes, follow different

religions, have different occupations, hobbies, and

fashion sense.

Why do people become goths?

Most goths become goths because they have been

spurned by ‘normal’ society because the way they

want to live their lives does not fit in with how most

people are told to live theirs. Goths are free thinkers,

people who do not accept the moral rules of society

because they’re told ‘This is just how it is’ or ‘This is

what God says!’. Rather goths tend to listen to what

you have to say, and make up their own mind. This

kind of free thinking and rejection of dogma earns

only rejection in todays society.

However because of this rejection from ‘normal’

society, goths have banded together to associate

with other free thinkers. This has a beneficial effect

on both the individual and society as a whole. For

the individual they have a sense of belonging,

and friends they can associate with. For society

it removes one more misfit filled with rage from

society’s streets.

This of course is not the case for all goths. Many

goths today are goths for a variety of other reasons.

They like the music, or the clubs are better, they

have goth friends and joined in with them, or they

just like staying up late nights and goths are the

only ones awake to talk to.

The gothic stereotype

Many stereotypes of goths exist these days. It

seems everyone has their own way to define ‘what

is goth’. From the stereotypes based on clothing to

music right up to the stereotypes of all goths being

satanists or part of some kind of cult. Categorically,

all of these are false.

The goth scene is just as widely varied as society in general.

There are many different professions represented in the

scene, from highly skilled professionals like doctors and

lawyers, to tradesman, to technically minded people to

clerical workers. Many different musical tastes exist (and

not all of them goth, there is a HUGE 80’s following

in the goth scene for some reason). The fashion varies

vastly from goth to goth from the traditional flowing

victorian style garments to the buckled and studded style

regalia (also called industrial style, which is often closely

related with goths.

This is the simplest part of the page. Go check out our

Community section over on the left, and use it to find


out whats going on in your local area.

Goths tend to be accepting and open

minded. Just turn up to a club or event

wearing all black and your already in

the goth scene. You’ll pick it up as you

go along (just a hint though, lay off

the vampire comments!).

The gothic sense of humour is highly

developed, and often leans toward

the satirical. Quietly laughing at the

more idiotic and less tolerant factions

of society that seem to think yelling

out of cars at us makes them cooler.

Goths have learned to laugh at

themselves and see society in a much

different light. They have had to, and

it is a trait most would not give up.

Goths have for the most part (not

unanimously of course, but mostly)

dropped all forms of prejudice. Noone

is afraid within the goth scene to come

out as being gay, and noone has to

hide their religion for fear of scorn

from their peers or zealots wanting

to convert them from the arms of

Satan. In fact because of these facts

(and the general lack of prejudice)

the goth scene has a large proportion

of gays/bisexuals, and followers of

non-mainstream religions and views.

This of course is the most important

aspect of gothdom, and why most

goths became goths in the first place,

tolerance.Ah, but this is the beauty of

goths. Most subjects that are taboo in

‘normal’ society are freely discussed

and debated about. Death, religion,

magic, mysticism, and many other

topics that are only roached carefully

outside of the gothic community. Most

goths have realised that fear is only

a reaction instilled in us by dogmatic

propaganda, and once you realise

there is nothing to fear from the topic,

whats to stop you discussing it?

Goths often revel in the fear given to

them by society as a whole. Often the

behavior exhibited by society to them

based on society’s perception of them

from stereotypes, rumour, etc are a

constant source of entertainment.

Of course, most of the rumours are

totally unfounded, goths are people

like everyone else, however when

you already have a reputation, going

for the shock factor is often far too

tempting to see how much society at

large is willing to believe (or deduce)

with only a little encouragement. GOTHS OFTEN REVEL IN THE FEAR GIVEN TO THEM BY SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.


MANY EMBRACE BOTH MEANINGS OF THE WORD, BELIEVING THAT THE AESTHETICS OF THE GENRE AND ITS MEANS OF PRODUCTION ARE DEEPLY INTERTWINED.


Indie rock is a sub-genre of alternative rock that

originated in the United Kingdom and the United

States in the 1980s. The meaning of the term “indie

rock” is contested today by many musicians, fans and

commentators. Most use the term “indie” to describe any

rock music produced by artists working within the network

of independent record labels and underground music

venues that emerged in the United States and elsewhere

in 1980s and 1990s. Others see indie rock as a distinct

genre of rock music with a specific artistic aesthetic, and

care less about the context in which it is made. Many

embrace both meanings of the word, believing that the

aesthetics of the genre and its means of production are

deeply intertwined.

Indie rock artists are known for placing a premium

on maintaining complete control of their music and

careers, releasing albums on independent record

labels and relying on touring, word-of-mouth, airplay

on independent or college radio stations and, in recent

years, the Internet for promotion. However, in the 2000s

many acts with a musical style identified as “indie” signed

to major record labels or their subsidiaries, and began

promoting themselves through more traditional media

outlets. This has led to a further blurring in the meaning

of the term.

So have you heard? Indie rock is the choice of a new

generation! Allegedly! Don’t let the exclamation points

fool you into thinking I’m being sarcastic! Just try selling

iPods or straight-leg jeans without knowing what fresh-

faced guitar band is the hip new thing; just try telegraphing

to audiences that a character on your television show is

quite special and interesting. Stephenie Meyer, author

of Twilight, not often accused of lacking insight into the

hearts of America’s young, just told the world what her

favorite records were this summer-- Grizzly Bear and

Animal Collective among them. (Do you think that’s

awesome, or does it make you want to listen to nothing

but rap mixtapes and noise?) I just read an article by

a pretty likeable 57-year- old who’d decided indie rock

was really interesting, that older people should check it

out, and that Wilco were probably its godfathers. It’s not

just music, either. I don’t know quite when it happened,

but at some point a certain vague strain of “indie”

dropped its last vestiges of seeming weird and became

a commonplace-- sort of like in Britain, where “indie”

has long been synonymous with the normal guitar bands

people find fashionable.


First, you have to get the clothes.

Seeing as you are probably not willing

to throw out your entire wardrobe and

purchase a new one, it might take a

couple months to transition into this

style of clothing. To start out, filter

through your wardrobe and remove

all sweaters, shirts, and sweatpants

with gigantic brand names sewn into

the front. This will make you look like

a walking billboard advertisement,

which is the exact opposite of indie.

So go on, throw them out. Even better,

give them to Goodwill. It is best that you

avoid all brand name stores such as

Roxy, Quicksilver, American Apparel for

America and Superdry, New Look, etc

for Britain. Wear Topshop clothes and

accessories and other boutiques. Also,

get rid of Uggs or Emus. Now, visit your

local thrift store. Some of the best indie

t-shirts and vintage pieces can be found

in these types of shops.

Tops: Vintage band t-shirts, Cardigans,

Sweaters, Knitted jumpers (cable knits

are good) and rugby shirts Bottoms:

Skinny jeans in gray, navy or dull

colours like mustard or olive,Chords in

any color, Neutral skirts with fine details,

Bright leggings or tights, chinos, high

waisted shorts Dresses: Vintage floral

with a peter pan collar, nipped in at

the waist, no sleeves dresses (you know

the ones I mean) are VERY indie. Lace

dresses in cream

Shoes: Old Converse, Chuck Taylors or

Hightops of any kind, Quirky flats, knee-

high boots, comfy slippers for around

the house.Accessories: Pearl or stud

earrings, vintage/different necklaces,

Aviator Sunglasses or Wayfairers,

Buddy Holly glasses, many bracelets

or things to wear around the wrist

such as coloured lace, woolly tights,

knee length socks, hair accessories like

flowers, big glasses and leather purses/

wallets. Outerwear: Trench coats, Shell

suits, Peacoats, Shooting jackets, Duffle

coats. Old who’d decided indie rock

was really interesting, that older people

should check it out, and that Wilco were

probably its godfathers. (That makes

more sense than you’d think.) And it’s

not like charts mean what they used to,

but still: they’re home to the Shins (#2

record), Wilco (three records in the top

10), Arcade Fire (17 weeks), Interpol (24

weeks), and Death Cab for Cutie, who

went to #1-- as in, knocking off Neil

Diamond and being replaced at the

top by 3 Doors Down, that #1-- without

even much changing their sound from

a decade ago. Toward the end of the

1990s the Flaming Lips were the kinds

of weirdos who released an album you

had to play on four different stereos at

once, and now they get considered for

Oklahoma’s state song and soundtrack

moving funeral scenes in Mandy Moore

movies. Let’s not even start on movies:

Natalie Portman said the Shins would

change your life, and she was in the

film Star Wars.

TOPS BOTTOMS SHOES

F I R S T YOU HAVE T O G E T THE INDIE CLOTHESTO WEAR


NEDS AND “NED CULTURE” ARE ASSOCIATED WITH VIOLENCE, PARTICULARLY IN POORER HOUSING SCHEMES CONSTRUCTED ON THE PERIPHERY OF TOWNS OR CITIES IN THE POST-WAR ERA.


Neds and “ned culture” are associated with violence,

particularly in poorer housing schemes constructed on

the periphery of towns or cities in the post-war era. These

lack the social facilities of city centres where former

working-class areas have been redeveloped, and gangs

of bored youths hang around isolated areas drinking

and taking drugs. They are likely to carry knives as part

of a culture of violence leading to Scotland having a

higher murder rate than England, though gun crime is

rare and the murder rate is significantly lower than that

in the United States. slang terms are to “chib”, stab with

a knife or sharp weapon, and “a square go” meaning a

fair fight between two individuals.

One folk etymology for Ned is that it stands for “Non-

Educated Delinquent,” a backronym which arose long

after the word “ned” came into use. In 2003, the Scottish

Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane tabled a question to the

Scottish Parliament condemning use of the word “ned”,

which she said was degrading and insulting to young

people as it stood for non-educated delinquent.

A study using ethnography as a methodology of linguistic

research found working-class adolescent males in a high

school in the south side of Glasgow deploying a number

of distinct social identities: as well as those identified as

“neds” by themselves and others, pupils were grouped as

“alternatives” (sometimes called “Goths” or “Moshers”)

who enjoyed rock music and wore black clothes, “sports”

who enjoyed football and rugby and wore trainers and

sports clothing, and “schoolies” who generally did not

play sports but played musical instruments. Unlike other

groups, the “neds” socialised in the street rather than

being engaged in the school culture. Each group had

a characteristic way of speaking, and used this to create

social identity. Those in the “ned” category, for example,

lowered tones in words such as “cat”, and extended the

vowels. This in itself was insufficient to identify someone

as being a “ned”, consideration of clothing and social

activities was also needed. Both the “neds” and the

“sports” had an attitude of enjoying engaging in physical

violence, while the “schoolies” avoided violence, but

antisocial behaviour was often only carried out by a

small minority of adolescents, and many in the study

distanced themselves from the stereotypes. The “ned”

group were just as concerned about violence and crime

as the others.

UNLIKE OTHER GROUPS, THE“NEDS” SOCIALISED IN THE STREET RATHER THAN BEING ENGAGED IN THE

S C H O O L


The BBC reports that Glasgow’s

tourist chiefs have hit out at a guide to

Glasgow which claims the city remains

blighted by violence, deprivation and

unhealthy lifestyles.

Although this is all perfectly true,

tourist chiefs are said to be dismayed

that after years of successfully telling

bare faced lies in order to attract

poor tourists to the city and it’s

surrounding slums, that all their hard

work has been outdone by this more

‘realistic’ report. The guide warns

visitors to expect poor weather (true),

sectarianism (true) and alcohol and

drug abuse in its deprived suburbs

(true), all of which are likely to put

tourists off coming to the city. They also

comment on the traditional Glasgow

lifestyle, with its high consumption of

alcohol, tobacco, fried food, sugar

and salt, is notoriously the least

healthy in Europe.

The tourism chiefs hit back claiming

that Glasgow is now “one of the

world’s leading tourist cities” (false).

I’m sure London, New York, Paris,

sectarianism. You can almost be sure

that you’ll see a deprived suburb. You

can be certain that you’ll need to eat

some terribly unhealthy food. You

can be certain that you’ll find a pub

that you like. You might even enjoy

it. But you probably won’t experience

any world class cultural activities and

you can be 100% certain that you’ll

experience the scourge of the neds.

So if you don’t like the sound of that

kind of thing, Glasgow probably isn’t

for you. Simple.

Barcelona, Berlin…(100 more)…

Manchester etc. are quaking in their

boots because of neds.

But one thing that both the tourist

chiefs and the Thomas cook guide

to Glasgow have in common is that

neither of them give any mention

to the most important and relevant

menace facing tourists in Glasgow…

the common ned. Both bodies fail to

acknowledge that these loathsome

creatures will actively attempt to ruin

any tourist trip to the city. While tourists

may easily avoid the sectarianism,

alcohol and drug abuse and the

deprived suburbs, they have little to

no chance of avoiding the neds. Well,

that and the crap weather.

So tourists, don’t listen to the Glasgow

tourist chiefs and don’t listen to the

Thomas Cook guide to Glasgow.

Listen to this…if you come to Glasgow

you can almost be sure the weather

will be rubbish. You can almost be

sure that you’ll see a poor person with

a drug or alcohol abuse problem. It’s

less likely that you’ll experience any

cultural identity issue

IMPERFECT

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