riviersonderend

Twee nuwe boeke het verskyn oor die Goth-kultuur: Contemporary Gothic deur Catherine Spooner (Reaktion Books), en Goth: Undead Subculture, Lauren M.E. Goodlad and Michael Bibby (Duke University Press):

As both books point out, there’s nothing new about goth culture, which goes back — well — to the Goths, the Germanic tribe that was dissed by mainstream culture (i.e., the Romans) as uncivilized and barbaric. The term was later applied to a style of medieval architecture by critics who regarded it as similarly uncultured, and subsequently to a late-18th- and early-19th-century style of literature dwelling on death and the supernatural. The modern goth movement emerged from the Batcave, a popular London nightclub, and as punk faded away, goth developed from an aberrant offshoot into a subculture of its own. Today the influence of the original goth bandsFields of the Nephilim, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, Bauhaus — can be heard in the dominant bass lines and gloomy lyrics of bands like Mephisto Walz, London After Midnight, the Birthday Massacre, and Android Lust.

Die Goth-subkultuur word dikwels verkeerd verstaan:

Although they may look scary, goths tend to be unusually tolerant and peace loving. It’s a truism that, despite their fringe status, rejection of social norms, and interest in death, most of those who dress in goth styles tend to be shy and withdrawn, though not necessarily depressed. Anyone can be a goth; you don’t need to run in a pack (goths are traditionally loners). And, as teenage subcultures go, it’s unusually quiet and friendly. Goths are generally hygienic; their piercings are clean and discreet; they don’t stick dirty safety pins through their noses or ride around on motorbikes spitting and swearing.

Goth’s consistent popularity does not mean, as some curmudgeons assume, that young people today are becoming increasingly nihilistic and alienated. Anyone who feels that way doesn’t understand the essence of goth, which is really all about self-acceptance, self-expression, and creativity. Taking for granted the misery of the human condition, goth turns depression into an aesthetic, a semi-ironic pose — a perfect style for the awkward and self-conscious. Pale makeup, for both sexes, perfectly conceals bad complexions; goth clothing tends to cover, rather than display. And although its dark style was originally taken up as a backlash to the colorful disco music of the 70s, it may, in the end, be goth’s most successful feature. After all, who doesn’t look good in black?

Gotiese argitektuur:

Standbeeld van Joan of Arc in Notre Dame katedraal.