Goth
“The style is black, the attitude is dark and the social scene is buzzing.” - uk.people.gothic
On a wet Auckland afternoon, students filter into a lecture theatre in the University of Auckland Clock Tower to the wailing guitars, pulsing drums and droning vocals of The Sisters of Mercy.
Dr Bruce Cohen is here to lecture his year two undergraduate sociology students on the Goth subculture.
Slightly built and youthful looking for his 40 years, he stands by the computer in faded black jeans, a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt and black socks sans shoes.
“So what is Goth?” asks Bruce (or as he says in his Essex accent - ‘Goff’).
The students give their impressions of a scene that is easily recognised by the wider public, but not fully understood.
The original Emos, romantic, Satanists, feminine, sexual, androgynous, vampires, black, poser, Victorian. So many ideas of what is Goth, so many stereotypes and some truth behind these answers.
They are a group of people you recognise, but don’t know much about.
“I think you get this idea that I was kind of picked on at school, I was a loner, these kinds of things unfortunately lead you to Columbine and the idiots they are writing about in the press,” he says.
“I had this research that had been done on Goths and whether they were more likely to commit suicide.
“The interesting thing they found from the study was that Goths were more integrated - particularly through the community they got from other Goths. They are actually less likely than the normal population to commit suicide.”
***
It is 10 o’clock on a Friday morning in the Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh.
Lucy Perry, 25, a drug safety scientist, is getting ready for a weekend of work as her company is in the middle of a health and safety audit.
Lucy moved to Melbourne in January from her home in West Auckland after several years in the UK.
Today being a casual Friday, it’s a chance for Lucy to slip into something a little more her - albeit in a slightly subdued fashion.
Her dead straight candy-apple-red hair is pulled back into a sensible pony tail.
Black pants that lace up at the back, a black singlet and trench-cardy, chipped black nail polish, black sneakers and a spider necklace complete the look.
“I dress to make myself happy,” she says.
“As much as I want to be me I have to be respectful to my work - we’re not all Goth.”
Her company has a corporate dress code, but she has fun with it. While minimising make up and jewellery for meetings, her ‘dark side’ is never far away as she adds the odd buckle or skull to her ensemble.
“I’m good at my job. Work comes first.”
But come the weekend, all bets are off.
“If it’s offensive out of work, that’s not my problem.”
Lucy doesn’t like to label herself as Goth, but can understand how others do.
For Lucy, her appearance and lifestyle are all about self-expression.
“You wear what you are. Some people’s personalities are not in the happy ‘yay’ disposition.”
From the abundant Goth scene in Europe to the much smaller collection of people down-under, Lucy is often the ‘Lone Goth’.
“It’s usually me as the token around open minded people.”
Other than attracting the odd stare and questions from strangers, Lucy finds people are generally accepting of her look.
“I’ll be friendly enough, but if they react negatively I can’t be bothered. I’m better off not having narrow minded people in my life.”
The clichéd representation of Goth in film and TV is a particular annoyance for Lucy.
“NCIS anyone? Yeah I’m in the science industry, that doesn’t mean I’m some annoying perky Goth - Abby’s not real!
“If people choose to remain ignorant to what makes me 'me' and base their opinions on a TV programme then I’m not going to waste my time.”
Lucy says the biggest challenge she has faced as a Goth is being judged by employers.
She says she has been turned down for jobs in the past because of the way she dresses, despite being qualified and interviewing well.
“I guess I was very lucky my current position was by phone interview and they took me on what I could offer the company.”
Lucy now considers herself a Goth for life.
“I think I have reached a point where I’m happy with myself. It’s no longer a phase.
“My parents have accepted me as I am. I know they worried when I went out into the world about the things I’m into stopping me from getting jobs and flats etc. I feel the overall dark alternative scene is my home now.”
***
“Goth is classic, spectacular subculture,” says Bruce.
The origins of the term ‘Goth’ are fairly well known. From the third to fifth centuries the Teutonic people came from the area that is now Germany. They were known as Ostrogoth and Visigoth and settled in regions across the Roman Empire.
The Goths were viewed by the organised Romans as uncivilised barbarians. Bruce describes the opening battle scene in the movie Gladiator as a good indication of what these people were like.
“I don't quite know how Goth came from the idea of the people to the architecture”
Gothic buildings, like Notre Dame in Paris, are known for their “dark but glorious over-the-top-ness”.
Gargoyles adorned many a Gothic cathedral and were meant to keep away evil spirits.
"It's not the idea that this is the palace of Satan," says Bruce.
The Victorian era made a strong impression on today’s Goths both visually and through its fiction.
Dark and romantic authors like Stoker and Shelley hold important place for Goths, as does the corseted, lacy and extravagant dress of the era. This is where the common misconception of Goths being Vampires comes from.
But Goth as we know it is a more recent development.
Bruce describes Goth as an off shoot of the Punk and New Romantic moments of the late 1970s in the UK.
These modern trends mixed with the classical ideas of Goth to create what we see today.
“Goth art and architecture are still significant; members often revere medieval music, Romantic poetry as well as the fine arts as much as they do the current styles.”
Music is one of the distinctive features of Goth.
The original Goth music had a distinctive sound described by the researcher Dunja Brill as “echoing guitars, slow repetitive drums and wailing vocals fused into a hazy sound”.
"Some people say it’s more style than substance, more style than music, but those people are just ridiculous and wrong," says Bruce laughing.
The lyrics revolve round the dark recesses of the human soul, death, suffering and destruction, unfulfilled romance and isolation. And don’t forget the songs about ancient rituals and vampires.
The theatrical performance of associated artists and bands helped to put the Goth look on the map with its pale makeup and dramatic costume and stage performance.
But does music make the Goth?
“Not entirely,” says Bruce. “But shared musical taste is a defining aspect of the Gothic subculture.”
From the mid 1990s the varying musical tastes of Goths’ fractured the scene into subgroups like Metal-Goths, Electro-Goths and Lolita Goths
With the fragmentation in the music the style and aesthetic has become an increasing important connection in the scene.
“As we know with subcultures, they get so popular, commodified and big that they get fragmented and split”
“Goth for life or Goth for a day. I consider myself kind of a part-time Goth, as you can see I don’t really dress as a Goth, apart from the t-shirt, but I like some of the music.”
The dark, Goth aesthetic is seen throughout popular culture and the media especially in film and with the current Twilight phenomenon.
“Goth sells now,” says Bruce. “It’s an interesting thing just how commodified this subculture has become.”
It can be expensive to be a Goth. Clothing, CDs, makeup, hair care, and concert tickets make it hard to be both poor and Goth.
“Goth is everywhere. If we discount hip-hop, it’s one of the most successful subcultures that has been commodified.”
The draw for many to the Goth scene is the sense of friendship and belonging.
“There’s a commonality a sense of identity. They’re actually very friendly people.
“My friend once said to me that Goth is a four letter word - he’s not much of a fan of Goth.”
“Goths are really nice people. Goths are people too, let’s not forget that.”
***
Kevin Bélanger-Taylor, 26, is a database services assistant in Wellington.
His black leather bag, coat and gloves are strewn across his desk after a wet trip into the office.
Dressed in black suit pants, a black shirt, a black tie and red waistcoat Kevin wears an assortment of rings and necklaces, a lip spike, bridge piercing as well as 12mm flesh hoops.
“My clothes during the week tend towards the ‘Corporate Goth’ end of the spectrum,” says Kevin.
“Initially, I was unable to wear piercings at work, but have found with my last few jobs after enough time employers often loosen up and I can work them back into my everyday appearance without complaint”
Kevin says his current ‘day job’ in IT pays his bills and nothing more. His real passion is writing for Goth culture magazine Nocturne. He gets to attend events, interview musicians and review albums and movies that appeal to the scene.
“I’m a big supporter of trying to improve the scene in any way possible.”
Kevin describes Goth as a culture that revolves around music and an appreciation of all that is dark, atypical beauty that those in the subculture can appreciate.
“That’s fairly simplified of course.”
Kevin says he fits into the Goth scene to a degree. He was drawn to the kinship in aesthetics and shared viewpoints.
He began as a ‘metalhead’ out of a passion for the music, but this evolved as he disliked the metal scene and culture.
“I’d always brushed against the Goth scene in my more metal days due to my sense of vanity - I didn’t look like your typical metalhead. I can relate to many Goths and find myself sharing similar viewpoints much of the time.
“This led me into meeting a number of Goths, usually while all of us had consumed a vast quantity of alcohol and eventually I started being invited to parties at the local Goth flat after I moved to Wellington. Eventually, I ended up moving in there myself.”
He says it’s amusing to be labelled Goth as most people who give him that title don’t really know what they’re calling him
“I find myself uncomfortable being put into a category that is often associated with pretension and elitism, but most subcultures are to some degree or another.”
Like many 20-somethings, Facebook provides the easiest link to keeping in touch with friends.
“I meet lots of new people online as well as at gigs, though they’re not very common events in Wellington at the moment.
The internet has had an immense impact on Kevin’s connection to the community.
“It has ensured if someone wants to organise a group of people, it’s not very hard to do at short notice,” says Kevin.
“I think it’s a good thing as it brings a notoriously recluse subculture into more contact with like-minded people. The more people involved, the more events, gigs and music produced and the more the scene flourishes.”
Though the number of Goth or Metal events seems to be few and far between, Kevin tries to attend as many of the local gigs as possible.
“If I like the band then I’m happy to go out and support them and there are a few acts that I keep my eye on to see where they go from around the North Island such as the Mercy Cage or Crash-scan.
“There aren’t many other events around here beyond parties, the odd picnic or gatherings for movies.”
Since moving to Wellington he has found the general population accepting of his subculture and appearance.
“When I lived in Dunedin I was often abused from passing cars, I had things thrown at me and was assaulted on a couple of occasions.”
“I still have to keep an eye out when walking alone at night depending on where I am, but I generally feel fairly comfortable.”
***
In the University’s graduate café, Bruce says his interest in Goth was sparked by his love of the music.
“In the Goth scene I’m probably known as a sad old Goth now,” he laughs.
As a sociologist though there are limited research options with Goth.
“It’s not like Goths are quite political”, he says, rolling a cigarette. “They aren’t disagreeing with the way society is set up, this might be one of the problems - it’s not a traditional subculture.
“It’s just about being individual, and they look exactly the same - there’s conformity there. Goths are pretty nice, sensible people. Nobody saying this is outrageous we can’t really wear what we want in day to day society - they’re not manning the barricades. It’s really kind of aesthetic, synthetic and stylistic, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
The subculture has expanded from being a youthful experimentation into a lifelong identity.
“The obvious route to go as a Goth is to get a job in which you can dress how you want, you can do all the stuff you are interested in still and also maintain a good lifestyle.”
“They’re a bunch of conformists basically,” he laughs.
On a wet Auckland afternoon, students filter into a lecture theatre in the University of Auckland Clock Tower to the wailing guitars, pulsing drums and droning vocals of The Sisters of Mercy.
Dr Bruce Cohen is here to lecture his year two undergraduate sociology students on the Goth subculture.
Slightly built and youthful looking for his 40 years, he stands by the computer in faded black jeans, a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt and black socks sans shoes.
“So what is Goth?” asks Bruce (or as he says in his Essex accent - ‘Goff’).
The students give their impressions of a scene that is easily recognised by the wider public, but not fully understood.
The original Emos, romantic, Satanists, feminine, sexual, androgynous, vampires, black, poser, Victorian. So many ideas of what is Goth, so many stereotypes and some truth behind these answers.
They are a group of people you recognise, but don’t know much about.
“I think you get this idea that I was kind of picked on at school, I was a loner, these kinds of things unfortunately lead you to Columbine and the idiots they are writing about in the press,” he says.
“I had this research that had been done on Goths and whether they were more likely to commit suicide.
“The interesting thing they found from the study was that Goths were more integrated - particularly through the community they got from other Goths. They are actually less likely than the normal population to commit suicide.”
***
It is 10 o’clock on a Friday morning in the Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh.
Lucy Perry, 25, a drug safety scientist, is getting ready for a weekend of work as her company is in the middle of a health and safety audit.
Lucy moved to Melbourne in January from her home in West Auckland after several years in the UK.
Today being a casual Friday, it’s a chance for Lucy to slip into something a little more her - albeit in a slightly subdued fashion.
Her dead straight candy-apple-red hair is pulled back into a sensible pony tail.
Black pants that lace up at the back, a black singlet and trench-cardy, chipped black nail polish, black sneakers and a spider necklace complete the look.
“I dress to make myself happy,” she says.
“As much as I want to be me I have to be respectful to my work - we’re not all Goth.”
Her company has a corporate dress code, but she has fun with it. While minimising make up and jewellery for meetings, her ‘dark side’ is never far away as she adds the odd buckle or skull to her ensemble.
“I’m good at my job. Work comes first.”
But come the weekend, all bets are off.
“If it’s offensive out of work, that’s not my problem.”
Lucy doesn’t like to label herself as Goth, but can understand how others do.
For Lucy, her appearance and lifestyle are all about self-expression.
“You wear what you are. Some people’s personalities are not in the happy ‘yay’ disposition.”
From the abundant Goth scene in Europe to the much smaller collection of people down-under, Lucy is often the ‘Lone Goth’.
“It’s usually me as the token around open minded people.”
Other than attracting the odd stare and questions from strangers, Lucy finds people are generally accepting of her look.
“I’ll be friendly enough, but if they react negatively I can’t be bothered. I’m better off not having narrow minded people in my life.”
The clichéd representation of Goth in film and TV is a particular annoyance for Lucy.
“NCIS anyone? Yeah I’m in the science industry, that doesn’t mean I’m some annoying perky Goth - Abby’s not real!
“If people choose to remain ignorant to what makes me 'me' and base their opinions on a TV programme then I’m not going to waste my time.”
Lucy says the biggest challenge she has faced as a Goth is being judged by employers.
She says she has been turned down for jobs in the past because of the way she dresses, despite being qualified and interviewing well.
“I guess I was very lucky my current position was by phone interview and they took me on what I could offer the company.”
Lucy now considers herself a Goth for life.
“I think I have reached a point where I’m happy with myself. It’s no longer a phase.
“My parents have accepted me as I am. I know they worried when I went out into the world about the things I’m into stopping me from getting jobs and flats etc. I feel the overall dark alternative scene is my home now.”
***
“Goth is classic, spectacular subculture,” says Bruce.
The origins of the term ‘Goth’ are fairly well known. From the third to fifth centuries the Teutonic people came from the area that is now Germany. They were known as Ostrogoth and Visigoth and settled in regions across the Roman Empire.
The Goths were viewed by the organised Romans as uncivilised barbarians. Bruce describes the opening battle scene in the movie Gladiator as a good indication of what these people were like.
“I don't quite know how Goth came from the idea of the people to the architecture”
Gothic buildings, like Notre Dame in Paris, are known for their “dark but glorious over-the-top-ness”.
Gargoyles adorned many a Gothic cathedral and were meant to keep away evil spirits.
"It's not the idea that this is the palace of Satan," says Bruce.
The Victorian era made a strong impression on today’s Goths both visually and through its fiction.
Dark and romantic authors like Stoker and Shelley hold important place for Goths, as does the corseted, lacy and extravagant dress of the era. This is where the common misconception of Goths being Vampires comes from.
But Goth as we know it is a more recent development.
Bruce describes Goth as an off shoot of the Punk and New Romantic moments of the late 1970s in the UK.
These modern trends mixed with the classical ideas of Goth to create what we see today.
“Goth art and architecture are still significant; members often revere medieval music, Romantic poetry as well as the fine arts as much as they do the current styles.”
Music is one of the distinctive features of Goth.
The original Goth music had a distinctive sound described by the researcher Dunja Brill as “echoing guitars, slow repetitive drums and wailing vocals fused into a hazy sound”.
"Some people say it’s more style than substance, more style than music, but those people are just ridiculous and wrong," says Bruce laughing.
The lyrics revolve round the dark recesses of the human soul, death, suffering and destruction, unfulfilled romance and isolation. And don’t forget the songs about ancient rituals and vampires.
The theatrical performance of associated artists and bands helped to put the Goth look on the map with its pale makeup and dramatic costume and stage performance.
But does music make the Goth?
“Not entirely,” says Bruce. “But shared musical taste is a defining aspect of the Gothic subculture.”
From the mid 1990s the varying musical tastes of Goths’ fractured the scene into subgroups like Metal-Goths, Electro-Goths and Lolita Goths
With the fragmentation in the music the style and aesthetic has become an increasing important connection in the scene.
“As we know with subcultures, they get so popular, commodified and big that they get fragmented and split”
“Goth for life or Goth for a day. I consider myself kind of a part-time Goth, as you can see I don’t really dress as a Goth, apart from the t-shirt, but I like some of the music.”
The dark, Goth aesthetic is seen throughout popular culture and the media especially in film and with the current Twilight phenomenon.
“Goth sells now,” says Bruce. “It’s an interesting thing just how commodified this subculture has become.”
It can be expensive to be a Goth. Clothing, CDs, makeup, hair care, and concert tickets make it hard to be both poor and Goth.
“Goth is everywhere. If we discount hip-hop, it’s one of the most successful subcultures that has been commodified.”
The draw for many to the Goth scene is the sense of friendship and belonging.
“There’s a commonality a sense of identity. They’re actually very friendly people.
“My friend once said to me that Goth is a four letter word - he’s not much of a fan of Goth.”
“Goths are really nice people. Goths are people too, let’s not forget that.”
***
Kevin Bélanger-Taylor, 26, is a database services assistant in Wellington.
His black leather bag, coat and gloves are strewn across his desk after a wet trip into the office.
Dressed in black suit pants, a black shirt, a black tie and red waistcoat Kevin wears an assortment of rings and necklaces, a lip spike, bridge piercing as well as 12mm flesh hoops.
“My clothes during the week tend towards the ‘Corporate Goth’ end of the spectrum,” says Kevin.
“Initially, I was unable to wear piercings at work, but have found with my last few jobs after enough time employers often loosen up and I can work them back into my everyday appearance without complaint”
Kevin says his current ‘day job’ in IT pays his bills and nothing more. His real passion is writing for Goth culture magazine Nocturne. He gets to attend events, interview musicians and review albums and movies that appeal to the scene.
“I’m a big supporter of trying to improve the scene in any way possible.”
Kevin describes Goth as a culture that revolves around music and an appreciation of all that is dark, atypical beauty that those in the subculture can appreciate.
“That’s fairly simplified of course.”
Kevin says he fits into the Goth scene to a degree. He was drawn to the kinship in aesthetics and shared viewpoints.
He began as a ‘metalhead’ out of a passion for the music, but this evolved as he disliked the metal scene and culture.
“I’d always brushed against the Goth scene in my more metal days due to my sense of vanity - I didn’t look like your typical metalhead. I can relate to many Goths and find myself sharing similar viewpoints much of the time.
“This led me into meeting a number of Goths, usually while all of us had consumed a vast quantity of alcohol and eventually I started being invited to parties at the local Goth flat after I moved to Wellington. Eventually, I ended up moving in there myself.”
He says it’s amusing to be labelled Goth as most people who give him that title don’t really know what they’re calling him
“I find myself uncomfortable being put into a category that is often associated with pretension and elitism, but most subcultures are to some degree or another.”
Like many 20-somethings, Facebook provides the easiest link to keeping in touch with friends.
“I meet lots of new people online as well as at gigs, though they’re not very common events in Wellington at the moment.
The internet has had an immense impact on Kevin’s connection to the community.
“It has ensured if someone wants to organise a group of people, it’s not very hard to do at short notice,” says Kevin.
“I think it’s a good thing as it brings a notoriously recluse subculture into more contact with like-minded people. The more people involved, the more events, gigs and music produced and the more the scene flourishes.”
Though the number of Goth or Metal events seems to be few and far between, Kevin tries to attend as many of the local gigs as possible.
“If I like the band then I’m happy to go out and support them and there are a few acts that I keep my eye on to see where they go from around the North Island such as the Mercy Cage or Crash-scan.
“There aren’t many other events around here beyond parties, the odd picnic or gatherings for movies.”
Since moving to Wellington he has found the general population accepting of his subculture and appearance.
“When I lived in Dunedin I was often abused from passing cars, I had things thrown at me and was assaulted on a couple of occasions.”
“I still have to keep an eye out when walking alone at night depending on where I am, but I generally feel fairly comfortable.”
***
In the University’s graduate café, Bruce says his interest in Goth was sparked by his love of the music.
“In the Goth scene I’m probably known as a sad old Goth now,” he laughs.
As a sociologist though there are limited research options with Goth.
“It’s not like Goths are quite political”, he says, rolling a cigarette. “They aren’t disagreeing with the way society is set up, this might be one of the problems - it’s not a traditional subculture.
“It’s just about being individual, and they look exactly the same - there’s conformity there. Goths are pretty nice, sensible people. Nobody saying this is outrageous we can’t really wear what we want in day to day society - they’re not manning the barricades. It’s really kind of aesthetic, synthetic and stylistic, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
The subculture has expanded from being a youthful experimentation into a lifelong identity.
“The obvious route to go as a Goth is to get a job in which you can dress how you want, you can do all the stuff you are interested in still and also maintain a good lifestyle.”
“They’re a bunch of conformists basically,” he laughs.