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mulletmunson · 2 years

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shook me all night long ( munson )

author's note: had a rather intrusive thought in the middle of my shift today n couldn't let it go. like i know that ac/dc was very well known globally in the 80s but i feel like aus kinda took it to the next level? like there is undoubtably not an australian that grew up in that decade that doesn't know every word to every song. n say that reader has moved from aus to hawkins to live with extended family and they're a metal head like eddie and introduces him to ac/dc? ( edit: i was high when i wrote this and it took me days to edit omg )

the reader lives in the trailer next to eddie's and they end up exchanging cassettes from time to time.

warnings: 18+! MDNI! strong language, smut ( eddie x gender neutral reader ), oral ( m!receiving ), use of y/n - i think it's like two or three times idk, eddie just straight up being whipped for the reader it's kinda cute

word count: 4.2k

moving to hawkins, indiana at the beginning of your senior year wasn't the first thing on your to do list but you didn't end up with much of a choice. your uncle had received the opportunity of a life time and as your legal guardian ( even though your 18th birthday was merely a month away ) you were involuntarily dragged along with him and your aunt. you didn't necessarily hate the town. it was a weird place. mall fires and stories of a lab killing a teenage girl. nothing seemed like it at all fit. like the town was a puzzle with several, very important, pieces missing. regardless of all this, you couldn't help but be drawn in. like the darkest parts of hawkins were begging you to explore them.

maybe that's also what drew you to your obnoxiously loud neighbour and his impeccable taste in music. eddie munson, who you'd seen around school leading his D&D club through the halls, was exactly the kind of person that would have your mother rolling in her grave if she ever saw you around him. she'd never taken a liking to the way you expressed yourself, all dark clothes and sterling silver, loud music blaring through your cassette player at all hours of the day. and so, in typical fashion, you'd left your worn out judas priest cassette on his doorstep one morning ( along with a return address ) in hopes to spark up some sort of conversation. it was returned two days later with a red circle around the sixth track, a note sticking out of the casing. this one was my favourite was scribbled across the lined paper in red marker. "eat me alive, huh?" you mumbled and flipped the cassette in the air as you moved into the trailer, laughing to yourself.

the day after your tape was returned you almost crushed one under your foot as you left for school that morning. looking down you spotted 'theatre of pain' sitting right by your toe. you'd heard theatre of pain in passing some time last year. a few songs were played on the radio. motley crue wasn't, however, a band that you pictured eddie actually listening to. the makeup and glam-rock sound didn't really seem to be his type of vibe. you were proved wrong again on that regard though when the next week he left a def leppard tape at your door.

even though these exchanges were small and quite insignificant, you felt like you were learning a lot more about eddie through the tapes and the notes he left with them. always circling his favourite song on the back of your tape in the same red marker. the note always flirty. you also felt like you were opening yourself up a little more as well. you never really had anyone to share your music taste with. your dad had died when you were ten after he introduced you to rock music so you'd never really felt good about sharing what it meant to you with anyone else. it was your thing that you cherished because of him. that was obviously until you moved to the trailer park and the loud music blasting from the house next door made you feel at ease. safe in a way that you hadn't in a long time.

the exchanges went on for a while. each of you leaving longer notes which lead to exchanging glances in the hallways. on a dreary sunday night, perhaps two or so weeks after the judas priest tape was left, you decided to take a risky step and leave your all time favourite cassette on eddie’s porch in hopes that he’d find it and listen to it before school the next day. the sticky note you stuck to the cover of the who made who album simply read this one is my favourite of all time. treat her with respect please x. you knew that ac/dc was renowned throughout the world but there was a high likelihood that a small town like hawkins hadn’t heard much of them. it was a shot in the dark, their sound being something that felt so central to australia, but it was a step that you were willing to take if it meant it brought you closer to eddie.

so here you sat, alone at your lunch table with your walkman by your side as it played the ozzy tape that eddie had left you a few days ago. you were watching his table, seeing dustin and mike laugh at something that gareth must of said. eddie was normally there by now, ranting about one thing or another in his typical exaggerated way. but he wasn’t. frowning to yourself, you pulled your headphones off your ears and began to collect your things. he obviously wasn’t coming in today. perhaps you’d catch him tomorrow.

you were pushing yourself out of your seat when you felt a hand on your shoulder and suddenly you were shoved back down into the chair. a small yelp escaped your lips as your ass hit the hard plastic. whipping your head around, you locked eyes with eddie as he pulled out the chair beside you and practically slammed your ac/dc tape on the table. “how have i never heard of these guys!” he exclaimed, shuffling the seat closer to you in the process. “never?” you asked, a little surprised. you already knew that it was a risky move but you never would have thought that he’d never heard of them. “not even on the radio?” eddie looked at you, raising his eyebrow. “sweetheart, do i look like i listen to the radio?” you melted a little at the pet name. “i have more of their stuff back home if you want to come over after school?” you tried really hard to not sound too excited at the idea of eddie being in your house, in your room. he grinned at you, teeth nipping at his bottom lip in the process. if there was a god, you knew he was testing you.

“sounds like fun” he said and you reached for your tape. he snatched it up before you could wrap your fingers around it. “i think i’ll hold onto this for a little bit longer, thank you.” and with that he was up and moving towards his table, the boys all eyeing you as eddie walked towards them.

–

you sat on your couch, arm resting on the back as you stared out the window. you’d sped home so that you’d get to the trailer park before eddie, hoping that your uncle's motorcycle he let you ride to school on the odd occasion, would beat his old van. you had. and you also had time to change clothes, find every ac/dc cassette you owned and sort them by release date. school was let out 30 minutes ago and he still wasn’t home. you were starting to regret even asking him over. sighing to yourself you moved away from the window and headed towards the speaker on the kitchen counter. your aunt and uncle wouldn’t be home from work until later that evening. it was like that most days of the week, which meant you had time to yourself with your music for a few hours.

you slipped the led zeppelin tape into the player and grinned when whole lotta love started blasting through the speakers. you swayed your hips slightly to the music as you moved through the kitchen. as the chorus swelled and the music grew louder, you didn’t hear eddie enter. didn’t hear him throw himself down on the couch and like he lived there, arms spread over the back of the seat and head cocked to the side as he watched you move through the small kitchen. he smiled to himself, resisting the urge to pinch his thigh to remind himself that he’s not dreaming. that he’s actually here. he’d been hoping that the little flirtations that had been going on between you for the past month were not entirely one-sided. that there was a chance you might be interested in him as well.

he’d never met anyone like you. foul mouthed and unapologetic. you’d caught his eye the moment that you walked into the lunch hall. you’d dressed almost exactly like he was, given you were wearing a very cropped metallica shirt and not a hellfire one and your worn leather jacket looked like it was going to fall apart with each movement. and then you’d been the one to make the first move. he’d be lying if he said he didn’t listen to the tape over and over again because he knew that you had. because it was yours. he waited patiently each time he returned your tape with one of his. dreaming of your handwriting on the yellow sticky notes you always used. even when he wasn’t waiting for something to appear on his front porch he was thinking of you. of the way you power walked through the halls, never stopping to let anyone look at you a second time. he admired it. admired you.

you spun on your heel and jumped, a small yelp escaping your lips when you spotted eddie lounging on the couch. “eddie!” you shouted, throwing the juice box you were holding at him. it hit him square in the chest and he let out a soft laugh. “sorry, i didn’t mean to scare you” he said, leaning forward on the couch and resting his elbows on his knees. his dark eyes were locked on you, dragging down the line of your waist and the curve of your ass. you felt hot all of a sudden, watching him watch you. you averted your eyes and cleared your throat, moving towards the coffee table in the middle of the living room and kneeling in front of it. it was the only thing that was separating you from him but with the way he was leaning over it to get closer to you, it wasn’t that much of a distance. “these are all of their records so far. the earlier five were recorded with their original lead Bon. he passed away in the early 80s and the band then found Brian and have since released four other albums. he was the only vocalist they could find that was the closest to Bon’s sound.” you looked up from the tapes to see eddie grinning at you.

“sorry i’m rambling” you muttered, sitting back on your heels and watching as he looked over the tapes laid out on the table. “it’s cute. i like that you’re so invested in this” he said, tucking his hair behind his ears. “it’s pretty much the background of my childhood. i heard it every day. dad loved it and so does my uncle. they’ve been a part of my life since the day i was born pretty much.” eddie smiled and reached into the pocket of his leather jacket, pulling out the tape you gave him. “which one was your favourite?” you asked, reaching over to take it from him and sliding it in line with the others. he chuckled and flipped the tape over to show you the red circle around you shook me all night long and you chuckled to yourself. “what’s with you and the songs filled with the most innuendos munson?” you said, taking the tape off the counter and getting up, moving towards the speaker on your kitchen counter. “they’re always the best ones sweetheart. the ones that hype me up the most” he said and you could hear the smirk in his voice. there was a part of you, deep down, that was hoping he would be choosing those songs to send you some sort of message.

you placed the cassette in the player and skipped to the track that eddie had circled. you spun, a flutter of butterflies in your stomach as you faced the metal head on your couch. “that was the only reason?” you asked, sauntering over to the coffee table and perching on the end of it. you heard brian's voice play throughout the room, the lyrics to the song egging you on as you leant a little towards eddie. a shit eating grin spread across his face and you couldn’t help the goosebumps that arose on your skin at the sight. “what exactly are you implying here y/n?” he asked, his tongue darting out to swipe across his bottom lip. you bit your own, the sudden intrusive thought of what his tongue would feel like on yours passed through your head. you wanted to know what he tasted like. what he would feel like when he pressed his weight on you. how his hands would feel on your skin. “i don’t know. were you implying something when you chose those songs?” she told me to come but i was already there. eddie smirked at you as that line played through the trailer. “maybe i was, maybe i wasn’t. did you want me to be?” he asked, leaning even closer to you, your faces mere inches apart.

all confidence left your body. you thought you had control of the situation, inviting him over with the full intent to instigate something. yet here you sat, nerves running wild as you tried to think of something to say to eddie. “i, uh- uhm, i don’t know” you stumbled over your words, not being able to look away from his face but trying so hard to do so. his large, brown eyes kept staring into yours and you couldn’t stop from staring right back. “sweetheart, if you want something from me, all you have to do is ask” he said as he scooted towards you, reaching out a hand to place it on your exposed thigh. his calloused hand continued to slide up your leg and began toying with the hem of your shorts. goosebumps riddled your skin as his fingers rubbed circles up and down your leg. you hummed to yourself and moved sideways so that you were sitting on the table directly in front of eddie. he reached his other hand up to your other thigh and tugged, trying to pull you closer to him.

“so?” he asked. you could barely even think about a response let alone make one but you opened your mouth anyway and the words fell out. “wanna taste you.” eddie chuckled, leaning in further. “yeah? which part of me?” made a meal outta me, and come back for more. “a-all of you” you said, eyes darting down to his lips and slowly grazing over the rest of his body. drinking in the veins of his hands and the way his skinny jeans hugged his lower half perfectly.

he let out a low, animalistic grunt and tugged you off the coffee table until you were planted in his lap. my mind was aching and we were making it. his head was tilted back to look up at you, lips ghosting over each other as you lowered yourself into his lap fully. eddie hummed and moved his hands from your thighs to wrap them around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest. the thin material of the basketball shorts you were wearing did nothing to hide how turned on the both of you were. you whined a little at the feeling of him underneath you, grinding down ever so slightly and pulling a simultaneous whimper out of the both of you. “been hard since i got here honey. thought of bein’ alone with you tonight got me so riled up. could barely hold myself together on the way here.” eddie was mumbling into your skin as he pressed his face into your neck, dragging his nose along your jaw to breathe you in. his lips brushed against your throat and you gasped, arching into him at the sensation.

it felt pathetic really, that a touch so soft and innocent had you melting into a puddle on his lap. you could feel him smiling against your skin as you tangled your fingers in his hair and pulled. his head jolted back and he looked up at you with a sly smirk before leaning forward and pressing a harsh kiss to your lips. it was hot. all teeth and tongue as your spit mingles together. the grinding of your hips had become more consistent as eddie slid his hands over your ass to guide your movements.

you had to pull away to breathe and as you did so eddie immediately moved to suck at the soft skin just under your jaw. you were panting, trying so hard to catch your breath whilst he was doing everything to take it away. you shifted in his lap and felt his cock press right into your groin. eddie let out a low moan into your skin and you felt his teeth nip at you ever so slightly. “eds.” the word came out airy, like a whisper. “want to– need to–” you couldn’t form a sentence. weren’t exactly sure how to word it really. you wanted him in your mouth so bad but you didn’t know how to ask. eddie was humming along to the song, shocked that all of this had happened so quickly and it was still playing in the background.

you moved your body away from his carefully, sliding back on his legs so you were sitting over his knees. a worried look crossed the boys face as his hands slid to the tops of your thighs. “are you okay? do you want to stop? what’s wrong?” he asked, brows furrowed together in a mixture of confusion and concern. you smiled at him and did your best to slide of his lap and onto the floor in front of him. you managed, without falling backwards into the coffee table and making a fool of yourself in such a heated moment. kneeling between his spread legs, you looked up to meet his gaze. “y/n. you–” he was cut off by his sharp intake of breath when you dragged your hands up the front of his jeans. “said i wanted to taste all of you eds. meant it too” you spoke softly, eyes flicking down to where your hands were placed just above the waistband of his jeans – fingertips gliding softly at the skin of his stomach just under his shirt.

he was breathing heavy now, eyes locked on you as you dragged your nails across his skin. eddie sucked in a breath and you smiled a little. the power you were holding over him in this moment had your nerves vibrating, your whole body fizzing with excitement. you hadn’t had any control of the situation from the moment that eddie walked in the door, but now that you were on your knees in front of him and touching him with such delicacy – all the ropes were in your hands. you moved your hands down his pants, slowly popping open the button and dragging the zipper down. eddie lifted his hips with your movements, trying to get some sort of friction from your hands. “sweetheart. if you want something from me, all you have to do is ask” you said, mimicking his words from earlier. eddie laughed lightly but it was soon cut off by a hiss through his teeth as you snapped the waistband of his exposed boxers against his hip. “i need you to tell me eds. need to hear it in words.” "fuck," he breathes unsteadily and you can see how tense he is as he tries to restrain himself. the muscles at the line of his hips spasming as he tries not to buck up into your touch. "need you to touch me, sweetheart," he almost whimpers. "need to feel that mouth of yours, please." the please has you drooling. the knowledge that he’s begging you for it. that he wants it as badly as you do has every part of your body hot.

you grip the waistband of both his jeans and his boxers and tug, eddie lifts his hips as you do, although it takes almost all your strength to pull them down to even his knees. his cock lay heavy on his thigh, the tip almost purple from straining against his tight jeans. you couldn’t help but stare, running your hands up his bare thighs and causing his hips to jump. “it’s so pretty, eddie” you whisper as you reached for him, taking him in your hand and squeezing lightly. “sweetheart” he grunted out, shuffling forward a little more so he was perched on the end of the couch. he hunched over you, long curls falling to the sides of his face. they seemed to envelop you, caging you off from the rest of the world. you smiled up at him and pressed a swift kiss to his swollen lips before bending down again and taking him into your mouth. you hummed around him as the salty taste of precum landed on your tongue and eddie moaned loud at the feeling. you looked up to see his head thrown back, slender neck on display.

slowly you began to suction and hollow out your cheeks, taking him in little by little, your hand working at the space you couldn’t fit in your mouth, pumping back and forth. you were already gagging a little around him as he hit the back of your throat, but you didn’t care. the weight of him heavy on your tongue and the lewd sounds he was letting out as you bobbed up and down were making it all the more worth it. “huh-, god, fuuck…” eddie had placed his hands on the back of your head, gently pushing you further down his cock as your spit dribbled onto his crotch, dampening the unruly curls at his base. he was trying so hard to open his eyes to look down at you and when he finally managed to do so, he found you already staring intently up at him. your mouth full of him, lips swollen and cheeks red as you worked your mouth down him. “so fucking good, sweetheart, you’re so fucking good. been thinking about this from the moment i saw you. been jacking off to the thought of you since you arrived.” you hummed around him at the thought of that, arousal growing more intense as you reached down to touch yourself through your shorts, hoping for some sort of relief.

he shudders, his chest moving up and down in rhythm with your head and hand. “you touching yourself honey? getting off to the feeling of me in your mouth yeah? so dirty. so, so-” he’s rambling and bucking up into your mouth, practically fucking your throat at this point. all you can do is nod at his words, tears spilling from the corners of your eyes as they mix with everything else that had spread across your cheeks. your moans were blissful vibrations around his throbbing cock which only made his own louder. “o-oh, shit, you feel so fucking amazing, so fucking good….shit, baby, you’re so fucking good - god i fuckin’ love this.” his hands make you go faster, choking you more on his dick as your nose begins to rub against the matted curls at his base, his musky scent filling your nose. your gags were going straight to his head and it spurs him on even more.

he was rambling uncontrobbly now, words spilling out of his mouth as frequently as the delicious moans, “holy shit, sweetheart, y-yeah, hmm, fuck just like that,” he’s muttering for you to go faster, thumb wiping away at your tears as he whines, keening loudly as he feels his release quickly about to come, “yeah baby, fuck! shit, you’re doing amazing. taking me so well. oh god, I’m gonna cum. you’re gonna make me cum honey…is it okay if i- fuck - if i cum? please, fuck, y-you okay with that?” you’re trying your best to nod, humming around him to indicate that it’s okay. that you want it.

it’s what sends him over the edge in the end. hot, white spurts of cum running down your throat as he pushes your head down, your salvia covering your own hand as you try your best to swallow everything that he has to offer. eddie stopped writhing and you noticed the muscles in his stomach unclench as his breathing slowed again. “holy fucking shit” he said, pushing his hair away from his forehead as you pulled your mouth off him with a wet pop. you let go of his now, softening cock and reached to wipe the dribble from the side of your mouth. eddie beat you to it, catching your spit and a little of his own cum onto his thumb. he stared deeply into your eyes as he put his thumb to his own lips and sucked it clean.

blushing heavy, you stood up and rubbed at your achy knees as eddie shucked his boxers back up over his lower half. the tape moved well into the next song by now and the loud guitar filled your ears as you and eddie stared at each other in silence. his hands were on your thighs, pushing up under your shorts tentatively, as if to ask if it was okay. like you didn’t just have his cock in your mouth. like you weren’t touching yourself whilst doing so. “think it’s your turn now sweetheart.”

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson smut #joseph quinn #joseph quinn smut #i heart eddie munson #and his mullet lemme pull on it please #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x gn!reader #eddie my beloved #eddie x you #eddie x y/n #upside down #stranger things 4 #st4 #strangerthings

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benitez-film · 7 months

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Genre Research

My chosen track

Although the track I have chosen could fit a multitude of genres, American Sports is primarily synth or glam rock. It is a unique avenue for the band (Arctic Monkeys) as it strays from their typical indie or alternative sound, as tranquility base uses various inspirations from around the 70s or 80s. Although the song remains subtle in its genre influences, clear parallels can be seen between glam rock and their album, of which I have chosen to research. In addition, I utilised glam rock as a general inspiration for the look of my music video, and even the costume of my lead actor taking subtle inspiration from the 70s genre.

Origins

The origins of glam rock stem from the 1970’s, of which artists drew from classic rock and roll form the 50’s, into science fiction, and melded into specific fashions and playing with gender roles. Arguably the most popular leader of the glam rock genre was David Bowie, but the genre is said to have begun in 1971, with T.Rex’s lead singer Marc Bolan performing Hot Love in glitter and satins, and is said to begin the movement. Glam rock was massively influential, with typically younger adults swapping gender roles, with men wearing glitter and makeup and women wearing more masculine clothing. This more experimental style mainly targeted young adults at the time, with its extension from the art rock in the late 60’s paying a large part in what came to be glam rock.

Fashion

Fashion was a huge part of glam rock, arguably more notable than its music. Loud, bright colours and glitter along with men wearing effeminate clothing became the norm, with artists playing to this as subtly or extreme as they wanted. It seemed to be largely influenced from 1930’s Hollywood glamour, with aspects of Victorian symbolist styles and cabaret theatrics even attributing to the extremely unique and flamboyant style. Gender ambiguity is a large aspect of glam rock, glorifying decadence and the very simple aspects of early pop music that preceded it.

Communities

Due to David Bowie’s leadership of the glam rock movement and his development into the Ziggy Stardust persona, the fashion and music of the time can be largely accredited to the UK. This is because Bowie’s music, along with popular bands such as the Rolling Stones, Queen or Rod Stewart, arguably led to highly successful and popular fashion trends throughout the UK as they were mainly British acts, leading to them dominating other pop culture movements occurring at the time. Due to its origins and popularity arising in the 70’s, glam rock typically spread through performance and fashion trends, of which many people and artists take influence from now, most notably Harry Styles, who’s fashion is largely attributed to Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and continues to inspire younger audiences.

TV and Film

A large inspiration for the widely popular “Rocky Horror Picture Show”, glam rock has been so influential in all aspects of media. A multitude of documentary’s have been made surrounding certain glam rock artists that were released in the mid 70’s, including, but not limited to, David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust and the piers from Mars: The Motion Picture” and “Gary Glitter’s Remember Me This Way”. “Velvet Goldmine”, released in 1998, is yet another film that delves into the life of fictional glam rock artist Brian Slade.

Radio and TV stations

Although the genre experienced a steady decline in the latter half of the 70’s, David Bowie and other pioneers of the genre still have their music in circulation, even after their death. Although it remains a very niche market, artists such as Harry Styles still keep the fashion aspect of glam rock alive, as well as artists still performing such as the Rolling Stones are keeping certain aspects of the genre in circulation.

Night clubs

Clubs and bars do keep certain glam rock artists and 70’s songs for certain events, with certain bars (particularly in the UK where the movement was mainly seen) playing glam rock purely to keep the music alive, although it is becoming more and more rare. Most of these bars and clubs are self proclaimed tribute bars, even containing limited memorabilia to pay homage to the late artists that have helped to create such a long standing genre of music, and immensely influential part in fashion.

Activities and Lifestyle

The genre mainly describes a flamboyant lifestyle, whilst relying heavily on the creativity of an artist, with it primarily expressed through clothing and performance and showmanship. It also is a very fun genre to play around with as an artist, with many singers seemingly leading very playful and explorative music videos or live shows.

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livsunit2fashionportfolio · 5 months

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The 70s

The Glam Rock Movement

Glam rock was a musical movement that began in the early 1970s and celebrated the idea of the rock star and concert. Often covered with glitter, male musicians took the stage in women’s fashion and makeup. They also adopted theatrical personas and mounted glamorous musical productions inspired by space-futurism. Included flamboyant, boldly coloured clothing.

Marc Bolan was the frontman and lead singer of the band T-Rex, in 1971 they appeared on Top Of The Pops in which Marc sprinkled glitter tears under his eyes. In other appearances on the show or in concert he would embellish his image with makeup and feather boas. Elements of this look were adopted by thousands who would develop their own style with tinsel, satin, velvet and rouge when attending concerts, discos and youth clubs.

David Bowie was also another famous face of the Glam Rock movement.

youtube

This is a music video for Marc Bolan and T-Rex’s song ‘20th Century Boy’

Disco

The disco boom really began in the late 1970s, in 1975 disco began to take off and in 1976 disco hits began appearing on Billboard top ten list. When “Saturday Night Fever” premiered in December of 1977, disco was already extremely popular but the movie took the genre to another level.

Some 1970s disco icons include: Donna Summer, John Travolta, The Bee Gees, ABBA, Cher, Jackson 5

Fashion

Glam Rock and Disco movements heavily effected the fashion in the 1970s, with items of clothing such as pantsuits, bell bottoms, platform boots. It also had an impact on fabrics used for garments as things such as chiffon, satin, spandex, velvet and other luxury fabrics became wildly popular due to Glam Rock Fashion icons.

Due to the hippie movement of the 1960s the early 1970s still had some elements of ‘hippie clothing’ which styles such as batik, crochet and knitted clothing was still popular. However this didn’t last for long due to the quickly growing popularity of Glam Rock fashion.

Television and Film

The Little House on the Prairie, Bewitched etc were very popular television shows in the 1970s. Children’s cartoons such as Scooby Doo was released in the 70s.

Movies such as Grease and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and more were released in the 1970s

Grease is a musical which has John Travolta playing Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton John playing Sandy Olsson. The movie is set in 1959 and most of the fashion is based on fashion from the 1950s.

youtube

This is the trailer for the 1978 musical Grease.

Harvard Referencing:

chanteleigh. (2008). Marc Bolan 20th Century Boy ACOUSTIC VERSION. [Online]. YouTube. Last Updated: 1 November 2008. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtm8PO4vmqc [Accessed 15 December 2023].

MovieTrailerMonkey. (2012). Grease (1978) - Trailer. [Online]. YouTube. Last Updated: 15 April 2012. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNhZNp9GXb8 [Accessed 15 December 2023].

#Youtube

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mollytatlisu · 11 months

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Gothic rock

Music was a huge factor in the development of the goth subculture, with it paving the way for other gothic elements such as fashion, clubs and culture to evolve. As goth emerged from late 70s post - punk, its style of gothic rock originally took inspiration from the punk underground music scene, until the early 80s when its dynamic changed and the two were viewed as being seperate. It became distinguished from punk due to its darker sounds and technical features such as use of mostly minor or bass chords and reverb, as explained in unknown (unknown). Aswell as this its melancholy, poetic exploration of themes such as tragedy, dark romanticism and sadness that are influenced by 19th century gothic literature, really reinforce why it was coined gothic rock.

The band that was considered to have kickstarted gothic rock was Bauhaus, with their 10 minute long 1979 single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” ; whose booming sound was the catalyst that drove other gothic rock bands, which they produced just 6 weeks after the formation of their group. This single epitomises so many gothic elements even through the title alone. Bela Lugosi rose to fame with his 1927 portrayal of Count Dracula, a famous novel / film that was imperative in gothic literature, fuelling the association of the supernatural, vampires particularly, with goth. Not to mention Bauhaus performed this song at the beginning of movie “The Hunger” starring David Bowie, another catalyst that advanced the goth movement with his rise to stardom in the glam rock period being detrimental to the growth of goth. The erotic vampire thriller explores queer and supernatural themes, which created its cult following and lead to it being labelled a “classic piece of goth art” Roberts (2017).

As for other bands that helped shape the aesthetics and musical properties of gothic rock, the major ones are Siouxsie Sioux and her band the Banshees, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy and Joy Division; all of these encompassing the same moody, atmospheric aesthetics and sound of Bauhaus. The Banshees especially helped define what a gothic look was, which had them become a significant influence on 80s goth fashion as you can see by their dark colour choices and their exaggerated hair and makeup. The Cure, who actually opened for The Banshees on their Join Hands tour had several influential albums such as “17 seconds” that were considered dark yet encompassed an emotional element fans could identify with Unknown (2020). This is particularly present in the album “pornography”. At the time of writing this Robert Smith the lead singer and songwriter in The Cure was at a low point, with his intentions of this fourth album being to “make the ultimate f**k off record and then sign off” he admits in Jeff Apter’s Never Enough: The Story Of The Cure Peacock (2023); hence, the album is ominous and intense.

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soft--queen · 4 years

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10 LGBT+ classic rock stars that aren't Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, or Elton John

Pete Townshend

Pete is best known as the tall, short tempered energetic guitarist and writer of almost all of the songs by The Who. He was the member who came up with their trademark move of smashing the instruments at the end of each show, and became a voice for youth at the time with one of their many hits 'Talkin 'Bout My Generation.' He came out in his memoir as well as an interview in 1989, saying he was bisexual, and also said he identified as both a woman and a man, saying: "I know how if feels to be a woman because I am a woman, and I won't be classified as just a man."

Debbie Harry

Lead singer and writer for the band Blondie, she's a bisexual woman well known for her colourful taste in fashion and unmistakable voice. Her musical career started out in the punk genre but she is best known for writing and singing some of the most popular new wave songs including Heart of Glass, Call Me, and One Way or Another.

Janis Joplin

Often cited as the face of American blues, folk, soul and rock, Janis Joplin is WLW and had numerous relationships with men and women in her life. She was famed for her distinctive husky voice and powerful and captivating stage presence that left audiences stunned.

Dave Davies

The guitarist in 60s British invasion group The Kinks revealed he was bisexual in his autobiography in 1997. The more outgoing of the Davies brothers in the band, of which he had a difficult and fiery relationship with, Dave also experimented with makeup and women's clothing in the 60s and 70s. Many people claim his riffs were the very earliest beginnings of heavy metal.

Sir Ray Davies

Ray Davies wrote and sung most of The Kink's songs, including their most successful song Lola, which is about a transgender woman. Although quieter and more laid back than his brother, he does not have a quiet tongue either. His endless brotherly quarrels with Dave continue to this day, although they live next door to one another. He is MLM.

Kim Deal

As well as playing Bass for the late 80s indie rock band The Pixies and fronting the 90s band The Breeders, Kim Deal has studied and worked in cellular biology. She has said that she is asexual and also identifies as a feminist. Kim Deal has a unique philosophy in recording music, in that she uses no modern means of production such as digital recording, computers, and auto tuning.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Recognised as the inventor of rock and roll, Tharpe was a pioneer for combining blues and gospel to create a unique sound partnered with her electric guitar as early as the late 30s. She is WLW. Her relationship with Marie Knight became a controversial topic when it was discovered by the public, especially from her religious background.

Rob Halford

Singer and songwriter of the popular heavy metal band Judas Priest, Rob was initially uneasy about coming out as gay due to heavy metal's often homophobic following, but was surprised when he was overwhelmingly supported. He now calls himself the 'stately homo of heavy metal' and speaks openly about the ongoing struggles that LGBT+ people face.

Marc Bolan

In 1971, a tiny 5"4 Marc Boland performed in his band T-Rex on Top Of The Pops wearing glitter under his eyes. This is widely recognised as the starting point of the glam rock movement. He had relationships with men and women in his life, and came out as bisexual in 1975. He was Jewish and he became a style icon of the 70s for his corkscrew hair, colourful fashion and whimsical happy-go-lucky attitude.

Lou Reed

Lou Reed's infamously dry humour and deadpan voice set him apart from other rock stars of his time. As a child his parents put him in a mental hospital and he was given electric shock therapy to try and 'cure' his interest in men. He grew in popularity in the 60s as The Velvet Underground's lead singer and guitarist and went on to have a successful solo career, where he frequently wrote and sung about LGBT people. Reed is MLM and also Jewish!

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passionate-reply · 3 years

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In this installment of Great Albums, we’re back to talking about albums nobody’s ever heard of! You might not know who Zaine Griff is, but you’ve probably heard of a guy called Hans Zimmer, and Zimmer is the real mastermind of this record: a masterpiece of New Romantic synth-pop made long before he made his name composing for the big screen! Not to mention contributions from Ultravox’s Warren Cann, YMO’s Yukihiro Takahashi, and even Kate Bush. Find out all about it by watching this video, or reading the full transcript below the break!

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today’s installment is going to feature an album that is most definitely towards the obscure side--but, like most of the more obscure artists and albums I’ve talked about, I think this one is every bit as good as the classics. Zaine Griff’s Figures is not only a forgotten album that I think deserves more acclaim, but also an album that, in many ways, feels like it could have been a huge success in its own time.

Zaine Griff grew up in New Zealand, and moved to Great Britain in the 1970s in the hopes of pursuing a career in music. His debut LP, 1980’s Ashes & Diamonds, would mark him as one of the many artists straddling the musical landscape in the aftermath of glam, in the long shadow of David Bowie. With keen visual panache, a suave way of slurring when he sang, and the requisite killer cheekbones, Griff fit in perfectly with the so-called “New Romantics,” as stylish and sophisticated as Visage, Ultravox, or Japan.

Music: “Ashes & Diamonds”

The real turning point in Griff’s career was his being “discovered,” so to speak, by Hans Zimmer and Warren Cann. Cann had already become a figure of some renown, as the percussionist for the aforementioned Ultravox. Despite his tremendous fame today, Zimmer actually had much less to show for himself at this point, aside from a somewhat dodgy stint in the Buggles. While geniuses in their own ways, neither of them were necessarily natural frontmen, and Zaine Griff seemed like the perfect missing piece to fit into their pop ambitions.

Even setting aside Zimmer and Cann, Figures is actually full of recognizable talent, and I think it may have the single most stacked list of album credits I’ve ever seen in my life! You’ll also hear contributions from Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Yukihiro Takahashi, backing vocals from Linda Jardim, who was also the soprano on the Buggles’ famous “Video Killed the Radio Star,” and a guest appearance by none other than Kate Bush. That’s really a lot of clout going around, which is one of the reasons I’m so surprised this album went nowhere. Anyway, that aside, the most dominant sonic footprint on display here is certainly that of Hans Zimmer. Zimmer is credited with producing the album, and his dynamic, expressive, perhaps “cinematic” work with digital synthesisers is surely the driving force behind Figures’s sound.

Music: “Fahrenheit 451”

It’s easy to imagine “Fahrenheit 451” is the thumping theme to some delightfully 80s adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic novel. Its theme of lustful but dangerous romance is a constant throughout the album, most notably on tracks like “Hot” and the haunting closer, “The Beating of Wings.” The song’s tense and dramatic mood is well bolstered by those soaring synths, courtesy of the Fairlight CMI. One of the most distinctive sounds of mid-80s synth-pop, the soft, breathy tones of the Fairlight hadn’t yet reached full saturation when Figures was made--Zimmer was an early adopter of this particular musical revolution. You might be surprised to learn that “Fahrenheit 451” only saw minor distribution as a single, exclusively for the French and Belgian markets. I think that sort of mismanagement on behalf of Polydor really shafted this album. Its lead single was actually its title track.

Music: “Figures”

The title track of Figures isn’t the worst song I’ve ever heard, but I do think it just might be the worst song on this album. With a strident, stabbing synth riff and a somewhat sparse and anemic soundstage, the title track is not particularly exciting, and also not particularly representative of what the rest of the album sounds like, with no indication of the lush and vibrant textures that dominate tracks like “Fahrenheit 451.” It also has less lyrics than the other tracks, and offers Griff little opportunity to demonstrate his pipes. Thematically, though, its imagery of wispy and mysterious personas, flitting in and out of substance in a world where appearance and identity are trifling and ephemeral, is something that resonates strongly with the album as a whole, as one might surmise from its title also being used for the album. “The Vanishing Men,” another song that easily feels like a better single than “Figures,” handles the same sort of subject in a more playful and upbeat manner.

Music: “The Vanishing Men”

The titular “vanishing men” are quite clearly the life of the party here, and in the world of this track, the insignificance of true identity is portrayed as an invitation to experiment and have fun with it--though not without a slight hint of danger as well. Perhaps it’s a good metaphor for the curated aestheticism of the New Romantic movement, decried by some as “style over substance.” New Romanticism really didn’t have much time left by the time *Figures* came out, being so strongly associated with trends in fashion that were on their way out by this point. Even Ultravox would find themselves pivoting towards more of a pop rock-oriented sound for their final classic lineup LP, 1984’s Lament. I can’t help but think that the changing landscape of musical trends is part of the poor reception of Figures, which is such a consummate New Romantic album, which basks in the full flush of the movement’s prior penetration into the mainstream. As stated above, “The Vanishing Men” is all about the glamour of mutable identity, but other tracks on the album seem to assign this theme a bit more weight, as in “The Stranger.”

Music: “The Stranger”

The titular character of “The Stranger” is described as “a stranger to himself,” but also “no stranger to anyone else.” This track seems to be more focused on the negative aspects of fashionable persona-play: losing the dignity and security of a true form, the people around you seeing through your charades, and becoming trapped in an existence defined by arbitrariness and artificiality. I’d also be remiss not to mention this track’s winsome pentatonic synth riff, which helps create a mercurial and ambiguous mood. It might be interpreted as a nod towards the rampant Orientalism of New Romantic music, which ran with the early 80s verve for all things Asian, and wasn’t shy about appropriating “Asiatic” musical motives like pentatonic scales to evoke mystery and wonder. Griff and friends’ use of such here is relatively subtle, though, and perhaps a bit more tactful than how many of their contemporaries approached other musical ideas associated with the East.

The unforgettable cover of Figures is as dramatic and infused with capital-R Romantic sentiment as the music contained within. Above the text relating the artist and title, which uses a V for a U for a touch of the classical, we see Griff splayed dramatically in a pond of lilies. With sharp makeup that emphasizes his lips, and a diaphanous, blousy top that turns translucent in the water, he seems to be the perfect tragic hero of some lost work of Shakespeare’s--complete with another flower stylishly pinned to his chest. As I mentioned before, Figures is an album that rides the wave of New Romanticism particularly hard, and I think its cover is yet another symptom of those sensibilities.

Speaking of Shakespeare, I can’t help but want to compare this image with a famous painting of one of Shakespeare’s best-known characters: Ophelia, by Sir John Everett Millais. Painted in the early 1850s, Millais’s Ophelia depicts the moment where Ophelia, driven mad by Hamlet’s romantic rejection of her, drowns herself in a river. It’s exactly the kind of story of wild, passionate, and doomed love portrayed on tracks like “Fahrenheit 451.” Ophelia is also associated strongly with flowers in the text, and features in a particularly memorable scene where she doles out various symbolic blossoms to members of the royal court. Besides the affinity of subject matter, even the composition of Millais’s work resembles the cover of Figures, contrasting its subject’s pale skin with the dark and murky natural surrounds, and emphasizing the drapery of their wettened attire. Ophelia is often considered the definitive masterpiece of the short-lived art movement, the “Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood,” who, as their name implies, sought to recapture the intuitive, colourful, and emotive power of art created prior to the High Renaissance. Not unlike New Romanticism, the Pre-Raphaelite movement would crumble after only a few years, but not without leaving behind a trail of masterpieces that would continue to inspire future artists and admirers, far removed from their own time.

After the release of Figures, Zaine Griff remained involved with Hans Zimmer and Warren Cann, and, as the supergroup “Helden,” they embarked on an even more ambitious musical opus together: Spies, a sort of synth-pop oratorio about immortal Nazi super-spies falling in love in a futuristic dystopia. Spies is about as out-there as it sounds, and brings the flamboyant musical excess of Figures into a suitably theatrical setting. It’s also got nearly as star-studded of a cast as Figures, featuring not only Zimmer, Cann, and Jardim again, but also Eddie Maelov of Eddie & Sunshine as a mad scientist, and the enigmatic French electro-cabaret chanteuse Ronny, in the role of a super-computer with a sultry female voice. Griff portrays one of the titular immortal spies, known only as “The Stranger”--which, of course, begs comparison to the track of the same name on Figures, and prompts the question, to what extent was Spies already in the works when *Figures* was being written and recorded?

Music: “The Ball”

We all know the rest of the story for Hans Zimmer, who began working with music for film in the mid-1980s, such as the queer cult classic My Beautiful Laundrette. But Zaine Griff obviously never became a household name. Despite being finished in 1983, Spies never got to see an official release, as it was a bit too out there for a label to take a chance on at the time, and it would probably be lost media today if it weren’t for a vinyl bootleg that’s thankfully fairly easy to find online. Griff decided to retire from music shortly after this, and recounts a story of having walked past an extremely talented street musician, and having a sort of epiphany about just how hard it was to make it in music. After all, if a true virtuoso could end up busking on the street, how fair and rewarding could the industry possibly be? Disillusioned with the world of pop, Griff returned to his native New Zealand and got a day job as a golf instructor. More recently, though, he’s also released several new solo albums in the 2010s, surprisingly enough, and attempted to push forward into some very contemporary-sounding pop rock. The world is, of course, a very different place nowadays than it was in the 20th Century, and particularly in the world of music distribution, so perhaps it makes sense that our brave new world has room in it for someone like Zaine Griff to return.

My overall favourite track on Figures is probably “Time Stands Still,” which I think is perhaps the most accessible, pop-friendly track to be had on the album, and the one I would’ve released as the lead single had I worked for Polydor. With a big hook and simple, repetitive lyrics, it’s a true pop song through and through--though, if an artist releases a commercial-sounding album in the woods, and nobody is around to buy it, is it still really “pop?” Anyway, I also love this track’s delightful outro, imitating a skipping record to represent a freeze in the flow of time...though I admit it’s a lot less harrowing to hear when listening digitally! That’s all I have for today--thanks for listening.

Music: “Time Stands Still”

#music #great albums #album review #album reviews #zaine griff #new romantic #ultravox #warren cann #hans zimmer

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mikeycalowuniportfolio · 3 years

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THE EVOLUTION OF YOUTH CULTURE IN BRITAIN THROUGH THE DECADES

For this essay, I am wanting to explore youth culture and its development through the decades from the 1950’s to present day. I will be researching the changes in attitudes, hobbies, fashion and music taste and how interestingly despite all these changes the rebellious nature of youth has been a common theme throughout.

As my project is all centred around documentary photography I thought it would be necessary to write the essay on the origins and adaptation of youth culture, and further more the photographers, images and figures that defined and expressed the culture from decade to decade.

After world war 2, as the world celebrated peace and finally a new age of prosperity, the dawn of a new age also came with a new phenomenon “youth culture”. The first notable group being dubbed the “Teddy boys”. The reason for this name being that the long, draped jackets were similar to the jackets worn in the Edwardian age, hence the abbreviated use of “Teddy”.

Their influences came from multiple different sources, with America booming at the time in all notable aspects, along came their influence of Rock and Roll, A new type of music which angered and contradicted the traditional values so many of the parents of these young people would have had. Typically, the Teddy Boy was found amongst the working class Cockneys of London; these working class people wanting their own substitute for the High end suits worn by the wealthy from Savile Row. However the American influence was greatly more noticeable, the style being worn by American teenagers which was made popular by the infamous yet incredibly cool gangsters of Chicago.

The gangster influence being so prominent in the way the Teddy Boy dressed ultimately had a negative impact, with the British media portraying the Teddy Boy in a negative, thuggish manner. Despite the Teddy Boy not being around for too long, it was the first time young people expressed how they felt and what they liked, and went against the systematic traditional values which had been held in Britain for so long and reflected a new, refreshing wave of individuality.

This swiftly lead on to the ‘Swinging 60’s’, the children of the baby boom came with a whole new wave of liberalism, experimentation and self expression. In just one decade London changed from the bleak, conservative city which was left after world war two into the capital of the world, freedom and hope.

The parents of the teenagers in the 60’s had spent their youth amongst war and wanted their children to have what they had missed out on- the chance to think and do as they please. The biggest, most defining aspects of the 60’s was music, with bands like the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who taking the world by storm, In particular the Beatles, the world’s first Superbad group with hysterical teenage girls all around the world obsessed with their music and the artists themselves, this was the first of its kind and was dubbed “Beatle Mania”.

With the fan culture around celebrities really taking hold in youth society, along came a new wave in photography, in particular David Bailey, the most famous photographer of his generation. His work defined the decade and I find it very interesting how his work helps pause history in time, and allows the viewer of the image to really get a feel for the attitude of the 60’s (as seen on the picture in the right, Mick Jagger a 60’s icon shot by Bailey.) The 60’s also saw new fashion with people wearing brighter colours, longer hair, and shorter skirts.

The fashion was heavily inspired by members of the Beatles, and the girls images based off the English models Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy, who would be seen all over magazines such as Vogue. The idolisation of these figures however also bought a lot of new types of experimentation, with the psychedelic era starting to emerge. More and more people were starting to experiment with drugs such as LSD and Magic mushroom as their idols were doing so publicly; this new drug revolution was something which had never been seen before. All in all England’s 1966 world cup win was almost polysemic in as much as it represents a high point in British sporting and cultural prowess; a decade really defined by the Brits all around the world.

Glam Rock was the first new subculture that followed into the 70’s, with teenagers still massively influenced by the big mainstream artists such as David Bowie and bands like T-Rex. Bowie especially, introduced a new style of music, art, fashion and thinking to his fans which opened up to the youth of Britain, new conversations on gender and the right to challenge traditional conventions.

Fashion became even more experimental and individual than the decade before, with teenagers wearing platform shoes, tinsel, velvet, satin and rouge. Glam Rock, however, was more than just the way people dressed and the artists they listened to. It was a huge stepping-stone into the modern way of thinking in terms of acceptance and stereotyping.

David Bowie, arguably the best known artist in the world during this time, and more particularly his character Ziggy Stardust, completely challenged the traditional view of masculinity. He also came out as gay during an interview, a subject which was a massive taboo at the time. The fact that David Bowie and Elton John, the two biggest stars throughout the 70’s, decided to come out to the world became instrumental to the nation's new attitudes and attitudes towards gay rights.

The new forward way of thinking which came with Glam Rock also created a new sub-culture in Britain; Punk. The Punk culture is one of the most recognisable in British history, they came with Mohawks, fashion with safety pins and full negative attitudes towards the status quo and what was thought to be ‘normal’.

Fashion-wise, punk was born in the shop SEX in London owned by McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, which is also where bands at the forefront of the new wave such as the Sex Pistols (in particular the lead singer Johnny Rotten) used to shop.

The point of the punk movement is one which is up for interpretation, but the main aspects seemed to be protest, imagination and fun. The movement swept through the suburbs and cities all over the country. The Sex Pistols, the first punk band of its kind, were a bunch of traditionally ugly, foul mouthed and uncensored young men; they represented a type of celebrity which had not really been seen in Britain up to this point.

This is also a reason for their meteoric rise to the top; they appeared to the youth in Britain at the time, as a bunch of normal, angry lads who gave a voice to the masses during a time of economic and general gloom which the 70’s brought amongst the working class.

The fact they were using their voice, dressing how they liked, making aggressive new music regardless of what repercussions could come their way, inspired the youth of Britain to take a similar approach and to do and say what they thought, dress how they wanted and do as they pleased.

The 80’s was a decade portrayed to the mass media as a colourful and happy decade, and this is true amongst the wealthy. However, when you scratch beneath the surface for the working class, especially the northern towns plagued by Thatcherism and the Falklands War, the 80’s was a miserable decade filled with anger and resentment. From this emerged new youth sub cultures.

An example of this are the football casuals. Football Hooliganism or “casuals” as they are known, came to the fore in the 70’s but really took flight in the 80’s. To put things bluntly, it was a bunch of young men going to the football at the weekend and fighting opposition teams’ fans the result of the fight sometimes being more important than the result of the match.

The fashion favoured by these young men were high-end designer brands such as Fred Perry, Stone Island and Sergio Tacchini. These brands were almost seen as casual uniform and was a way of identifying them in every day life as well as on a match day. Interestingly, these brands are still some of the most sought after brands today and you will still see especially Stone Island, being worn at football games today.

The reason for these violent acts on a match day is fundamentally a result of Thatcherism. Young men with no work and who were angry at the people in power felt that fighting and football was their release from the depressing world that they lived in, it acted as a distraction and also gave a purpose to their lives.

Thatcherism also bought along other subcultures including the rise of the Goths. Goth is a music style, a fashion style and a lifestyle all to do with dark and depressing themes. This is interesting as their thoughts and feelings heavily reflected that of the general public at the time, with huge unrest and anger felt towards the Conservative government in charge.

The general fashion style of a goth in the 80’s would have been dyed black hair, makeup for men as well as women and Mohawks. The origin of the Goth comes from the punk phase of the 70’s but with a more depressing undertone. Goths are one of most prominent and long-serving youth subcultures left, with Goths still being recognisable and active even in the present day.

In 1990’s Britain a huge change was on the horizon. From the technological revolution, to the new labour prime minister in Tony Blair, the 90’s was a very exciting time to be alive.

With Thatcherism plaguing the northern cities and towns especially, it was only right that “Madchester” was born. Manchester was a city which completely blew up in this decade, whether it was football, music or fashion the city really ruled the country throughout. Rave culture was sweeping the nation, with young people going out to illegal raves all around the country and listening to new House and electronic music. MDMA or ecstasy started to really take a hold of the youth at these raves at the time, but the raves were more than getting high and listening to music, they were an expression of freedom which many of these young people had not known in the decade before.

Artistically, the decade thrived, with films like Trainspotting, music artists like Oasis and Blur ruling the Brit Pop world, and a new abstract style of art with artists like Banksy and Damien Hurst being the biggest of the decade.

These new styles were so refreshing and cool to the public and therefore all highly inspired the youth. Fashion changed with young people sporting curtain haircuts, baggy jeans, baggy t-shirts, hoodies and even on occasions round sunglasses and bucket hats. The style was actually created for the ravers as a way of keeping comfortable on the dance floor, but became so popular it ended up being adopted by all.

Brit Pop and especially Oasis, were highly influential to the youth at the time. Oasis were idolised for their refreshing normality, you could find a Noel and Liam Gallagher in most pubs across England and their pure lad-like behaviour made them so easy to connect with and relate to. The fact they broke rules and laws and didn’t act as they were supposed to in interviews, made the mainstream media try and paint them in a negative light, however this would ultimately backfire and make them even more popular amongst the young.

In 1997, With Tony Blair becoming the new prime minister and the whole country adapting to a new socialist parliament, people were excited about a time of change. This communicated itself to the youth, as they felt it was time to make a change for things they believed in too. There were more and more protests from young people, a whole new dress sense, a new music style and a new “do what you want” attitude. The effect of the decade can still be felt even now, as the 90’s is still fashionable with people dressing in 90’s fashion and still listening to its music over twenty years later.

By the 2000’s youth culture was once again seen in an extremely negative light in the media and to Downing Street. Hoodies, tracksuits and baseball caps came into fashion, similar to the American rapper style from the 90’s. People dressing in this way, started to bring connotations of violence which was being portrayed by the mass media. This even ultimately resulted in shopping centres banning people who dressed like this in order to to combat crime rates.

The 2000’s also saw the rise of Grime, an underground UK rap with roots in jungle and Drum and Bass. It was a predominately black, London scene with artists like Skepta, Giggs and Dizzee Rascal breaking through the ranks. These rappers and this new sound began to inspire the young inner city children and Grime was born. The lyrics contained graphic descriptions of violence and drug dealing, talking about the lifestyles these artists were living, which some believed to be a reason for increase in violence within the cities. As Grime gained greater influence amongst the teens of the country, so did the music itself reaching the mainstream by the end of the decade.

The 2000’s also saw the rise of “teenage angst”. This was the rise of Emo, and with it came black clothes, skinny jeans, multicoloured hair and lots of chains and spikes. The influence came from American Grunge through Nirvana and Kurt Cobain from the 90’s, but it also had ties to the Goths of the 80’s and 70’s Punk. Music Artists like “Panic! at the Disco” were heavily influential on British teens; the genre was one which mainly connected to the introverts and the people who found it hard to connect with the “normal” teenagers of their age.

The 2000’s also saw the first iPhone being sold to the world. This is arguably one of the biggest things to have ever happened in the history of youth culture. This new way of communicating has since become the main way in which teenagers communicate with their friends and a new way to share media, allowing the young to become more creative and share their ideas and creations to a mass media.

Towards the end of the decade, the love affair with youtube started, with young people watching other young people make videos, creating a platform to make some richer and more famous than traditional TV and Film stars, for example Justin Bieber, who was discovered via YouTube, would become one of the most famous artists on the planet.

This then progressed to the 2010’s, where this only accelerated, with technology and YouTube especially becoming one of the biggest influence on youth culture in Britain. A new wave of music was coming through dubbed UK Drill, which had routes in Grime and also took inspiration, of course, from Chicago Drill. This new type of music was much more violent than its predecessor, Grime, and is a style used predominately by UK gangs. However, as has happened so many times before, the hugely negative exposure in the media and to the people in power merely resulted in the music becoming more and more popular and thus more influential to youth, almost a new way to rebel.

The associated London/Jamaican slang was soon adopted by people of all ethnicities and classes; tracksuits became the mainstream fashion and a new brutish demeanour emulated the rappers of the Drill genre. By the end of the decade, Drill had become the mainstream music with rappers taking top 1 spot on the UK top 10 Billboard.

As a new decade has just dawned, it is impossible to say what the new latest cultural phenomenon will be. However it is clear to see what a huge influence music has had throughout the different of phases of the last 70 years, as well as underlining the urge to rebel.

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k00244461 · 3 years

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Research: David Bowie / Ziggy Stardust

David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was a leading figure in the music industry and is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, with his music and stagecraft having a significant impact on popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver, and released eleven number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone placed him among its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and named him the "Greatest Rock Star Ever" following his death in 2016.

Ziggy Stardust

Ziggy Stardust is a fictional character created by David Bowie, and was Bowie's alter ego during 1972 and 1973. Ziggy Stardust is an androgynous rock star who came before an impending apocalyptic disaster. After accumulating a large following of fans and being worshipped as a messiah, Ziggy eventually dies as a victim of his own fame and excess. The character was meant to symbolise an over-the-top, sexually liberated rock star and serve as a commentary on a society in which celebrities are worshipped. Influences for the character were English singer Vince Taylor, Texan musician the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Japanese kabuki theatre, and Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, who designed many of Bowie's costumes as Ziggy Stardust.

Ziggy Stardust's exuberant fashion made the character and Bowie himself staples in the glam rock repertoire well into the 1970s, defining what the genre would become. The success of the character and its iconic look flung Bowie into international superstardom.

Ziggy Stardust's look and message of youth liberation are now representative of one of Bowie’s most memorable eras. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars became Bowie’s second most popular album in terms of record sales.

As Ziggy Stardust, Bowie had a bright red mullet. Long and slender, Ziggy was dressed in glamorous outfits often with flared legs and shoulders, and an open chest. On the cover of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Bowie appeared a green suit of his own design, made by his tailor friend Freddie Burretti and local seamstress Sue Frost. Produced in a geometric-patterned fabric, the bomber jacket and matching cuffed trousers were worn with knee-high, lace-up boots designed by Stan Miller. Bowie's costumes for early concerts were white satin trousers with a flock-patterned jacket, and a multi-coloured jumpsuit. The character had pale skin, described by Bowie as a “snow-white tan”. Bowie shaved off his eyebrows in late 1972, adding to Ziggy's alien visage.On Ziggy's forehead was a gold "astral sphere" suggested by make-up artist Pierre La Roche. By the end of the Ziggy Stardust period in 1973, Bowie would spend at least two hours before each concert to have his makeup done. According to La Roche, for his last few English concerts, Bowie painted tiny lightning streaks on his cheek and upper leg.

I, like others, was really drawn to Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era, and I was really inspired by his style. I think that his style is something Harry wouldn't shy away from playing with, so I will be using Ziggy Stardust and David Bowie as inspiration for my six look lineup.

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deadly-cipher · 4 years

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Dear Alternative Community Gatekeepers, Stop

Alternative is not a label which you can give to one 'group' of people. alternatives are non conformists who have no social group. you cant recognise an alternative person by what they wear or look like, so dont try to. they dont all wear the same clothes (like moshers, chavs, goths, indies or any other group of people who try to be individual but all seem to like the same stuff, wear the same clothes and only listen to music which their friends like). alternative people enjoy listening to whatever the hell they like, because they dont just like one type of music, they may just enjoy music on a whole, or it may just depend what kind of a mood they are in to what kind of music they listen too at that time. although this term is based around mysic it also applys to clothes as i said above many groups try to all wear the same stuff in order to fit in, alternatives wear whatever they like, if its designer, and they like it, they will wear it. if its got the name of a band on, and they like it, they will wear it. if there is a song which is by slipnot, and they like it, they will listen to it. if there is a song, which is by eminem, they will listen too it. Punk is not about a certain hair colour, style, or music, although music does take a large part in most punks lives. Punk is about liking what you like, being yourself, saying what you think and FUCK ALL THE REST. You don't need a two foot high red mohawk to be a punk, although that is wicked cool. You don't need sleeves, a backpiece, or any tattoos at all to be punk. You don't need a Misfits, Casualties, Sex Pistols or any band like that jacket to be punk. You don't need anything to be punk except for awareness, self respect, respect for others and an open mind. A Goth is someone who sees beauty in the dark side of life. Today's society is focused on negating darkness because it is associated with evil. Think about it - in almost every fairy tale, who is the antagonist? The brunette. Who is the protagonist? The blonde. Dark is evil, evil is bad, and therefore we should wipe all trace of it from our lives. Unfortunately, that's simply not possible. No matter how hard society tries, people still die. Day turns into night. Love becomes loss. It's a fact of life. So while everyone else is denying an entire half of life, the Goths embrace ALL of life, good and bad. Goths understand that the best and most lasting joy is tinged with a little sadness, and that all love is bittersweet. Goths understand that not everybody has to be happy 24/7, and that the way to succeed is not by pretending you are. Sunlit skies are beautiful, yes, but so are dark cloudy ones. What is white without black? What is a rose without thorns? Thus, by embracing the shadows as well as the sun, Goths are, in many cases, actually more emotionally healthy than those in mainstream society. Emo is an emotional person. They are not depressed all the time and some are acually very happy at times. They do smile, they don't sit in a corner crying all day. Some are actually quite popular and laugh and joke around lots. NB: Emo does not mean the person cuts themselves, they might but that is not why they're emo. The word "scene" coves a large spectrum throughout recent history, but its most modern definition is used to describe certian subcultures and movements. The most notoriously famous and targeted is the alternative music scene, or more specifically, branches of the alternative music scene such as hardcore, indie, fashoionxcore, etc. A breed of scenesters (people on the scene) has begun to come to the forefront. These scenesters are usually very music-savvy and loyal to a few specific genres (typically hardcore, metal, indie, retro, 80's new wave, classic rock, etc. to name a few), of which they dress to exemplify. It is hard to pin down a style for a scene male or female, considering the trends amongst them vary from coast to coast, and certian fads come in and out within their ranks. Typically, though, many scene kids will have facial piercings, tattoos, and longer hair. It is not unusual to see teased hair with long bangs on males, or short fauxhawks (a mohawk without the sides shaved, a fashion-friendly version) on females. It is almost a throwback to the revolution of Britian's glam era, very androgynous and fresh. Scenesters take a lot of pride in their overall image, and often they appreciate shock value. Oftentimes they are thrifty, employing their abilities as bargian-hunters and do-it-yourself gurus to do something unique with their style. Large vintage sunglasses, retro patterns, tight jeans, classic metal/band tees, plastic jewelry, and heavy eye makeup are just some of the incorperations into scene style for either sex. This style and showmanship is at its height during shows (concerts), where often scene kids will meet their friends and size up strangers who visit their turf. There indeed is competition among scenesters...sometimes friendly, sometimes not. Shows are in fact not just concerts, but often a means of socialization for those on the scene. Those people who partake in scene lifestyle often choose to date/socialize only with those like them, which can cause bitterness or rejection to outsiders. The music scene is often associated with other areas that scenesters are interested in, which is liekely, art, photography, creative writing, poetry, tattoos & piercings, civil rights, animal rights, etc. Many scene kids have strong beliefs about these things and consider those who do not to be "posers." They feel that their scene style is not only a fashion statement, but an all-encompassing lifestyle. Many scene kids incorperate their future plans into their lifestyle, going into careers such as journalism, photography, artistry, piercing, tattooing, working for magazines, being musicians, hairstylists, running venues and/or coffee shops, etc. This tends to cause scene kids to congregate, visit, or even move to big cities to find opportunities to meet other scenesters, find jobs that suit them, or to live where they have a plethora of activities that they enjoy readily at their disposal. Recently internet revolutions like myspace.com have provided a new means for the ideas of scene culture to be spead, for scenesters to find new friends, bands, and activities. Scensters design stylish and graphic profile pages to both draw attention to themselves and to find others like them, and many people have joined up with the scene fad due to internet advertising. The downside of many scene atmospheres is that some scene kids tend to develop a superior mentality. Some who are especially popular and affluent can make it harder for the younger, yet-aspiring scenesters to join in with the subculture. This is not always the case, however. Different areas breed different demographics of scene kids. Perhaps part of their attitude comes from the problem that scenesters have begun to feel threatened about their culture being jeopardized because of a sort of trickle down effect. The internet is permitting easy access for anyone who would want to don scene-esque style and jump right in to a culture that scenesters feel they have built from the ground up and developed into a complex lifestyle. However, this lends many to get caught up in popularity contests in local areas as well as on the world wide web. Unfortunately, this can also lead to rifts in scenes. Groups of hardcore scenesters start "crews," often characterized by fierce brotherhood to the point of violence against others who are unlike them or who are in other crews. The scene is dividing amongst itself, due to purists who feel the scene is about music only, and those who have taken the scene fashion to be almost, if not equally, as important as the music itself. Some of the fashionable scenesters stick to their musical roots, but often due to the aforementioned trickle-down effect, there are people joining the scene who are not interested in the music, but are only in it for the attention. Thus, the scene will continue to divide. Whether they will admit it or not, kids interested in this lifestyle of excitement, concerts, body modification, fashion, and overall alluringly unusual aesthetics will continually be labeled as "scene." They chose an alternative path because they wanted to find acceptance elsewhere. Now, they face a community just like any other: one of all different types of people, who have different opinions and standards. It has its pros and cons, ups and downs, just like any lifestyle does. A metalhead is somebody who loves heavy metal. Don't always have the "look". And it's not even necessary to listen to just the classic metal bands, you can listen to the subgenres. You just have to appreciate the genre as a whole. The term: Short for independent rock. In terms of music it would be independent of major labels/mainstream stuff. History: grew out from 60s garage, 70s punk, and 80s post punk it started in the mid 80s as alternative/college radio music. Once nirvana hit big the alternative genre split: the popular side was just alternative(Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, No Doubt, etc.) and the other half that wasn't mainstream(by choice or not) became indie rock(Pavement, Sebadoh, Built To Spill, etc). Some bands have signed to major labels but are still considered indie(Modest Mouse, etc.). Go figure. Sound: In the begining indie sounded like alternative(because it was) but it grew more experimental and weird. In Britain indie has more of a typical sound like Radiohead, Muse, etc. rather than a definition based on 'the scene.' The scene: if you really think all indie kids do is try to be cooler than other people then... well.. you're mostly right.

#alt #alternative #alternative community #gatekeeping #gatekeeper #alternative community gatekeepers #alt gatekeeping #alt gatekeeper #punk #goth #emo #scene #indie #metalhead #stop gatekeeping

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freewalkerstudio · 3 years

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I find the intersections of cultures interesting, specifically the intersections of cultures we are born into and the cultures in which we choose to participate. These chosen cultures may speak to us on many levels, be they emotional, intellectual or even subconscious. We may not know why we are drawn to something but we feel an innate pull to be involved. The free will of humans leads to the most interesting combinations of birth and chosen cultures, which furthers the breadth of manifested identities in the world. Because of my own life experience, I decided to investigate other people of color who choose to be artists and identify as alternative, goth or punk.

During this project I had the privilege to meet, photograph and interview some stellar human beings. People who are unafraid and unapologetic about their artistic choices in this world. I am so inspired by each and every one of you. Thank you for being you and giving me a glimpse into your world.

Ashley - “I just do what I think is fun!”

I met Ashley Norman at school, I remember the day well. She had on a really bright outfit and her makeup was weird and fun. She had drawn wispy lines around her eyes in white eyeliner, like an abstract Picasso portrait – each eye different than the other. I thought it was so unique and I was impressed by her call to push her style in a different direction than her peers. When I met back up with Ashley recently, I asked her, what was her inspiration and the pull to identify as an alternative artist? She said only this: “I just do what I think is fun!” Ashley said she is also inspired by her diverse background. For her, being Black, Korean and Dominican gives her much to pull from historically and artistically.

Selena - “I think the hardest part was me finding my tribe, my kindred spirits. You can’t always spot someone who is alternative all the time, just by looking at them. Sometimes it’s highly internalized and you would never know.”

Selena is an illustrator, whose artwork is centered around themes of alchemy and the occult. She expressed that her drawings of demon girls with detached limbs, reflected her inner feelings of being disconnected from her identity sometimes. I asked her when she started to identify as alternative and for her it was in middle school when she realized that music was so important to her but that she felt little connection to Rap and Hip Hop. “It’s kinda like, when you’re Black, you kinda assume that you’re supposed to like these things, and you kinda do, but…it doesn’t feel like it clicks. Whereas for me rock and alternative music clicked for me, I was more able to relate to the subjects in the songs. I was 14, rap music was not helping me cope with what I’m going through. With Rock, we are talking about anger, feelings, things I could better connect with. From there on out I wore all black and listened to My Chemical Romance.”

Roxas - “It’s totally 100% possible to thrive and be yourself.”

Roxas Timmons was my classmate at LaGuardia in the photo program. I remember the first day I saw them and thinking how committed they were to their style. As I got to know Roxas over the past two years, I have learned of their interesting origin story growing up in the conservative Midwest. Roxas likes to be fluid in their identity and although they mostly identify as goth, they also enjoy dressing as a clown, a ghost, punk, alternative and anything in between. They talked a lot about how music and fashion influences their photography, which is primarily driven by self-portraits. They recounted how they started dressing alternative little by little in high school and after graduating, fully went for it. “I meet a lot of people who always say to me ‘I wish I could dress like that’. I want people to know that they can. They can have a successful career and make their way in the world dressing like this.”

Jacqs - “The art that I give to the world is my self expression. Serving looks.“

Much like many of the people I interviewed for this project, Jacqueline Chavois is a total stranger to me. Stumbling across her Instagram account, I was immediately struck by her incredible style and the collections in her house, where she regularly photographs herself. I asked her about her split tongue and why she would choose to make such a drastic choice of body modification. “I feel like it connects me to my African ancestry because the body modifications – these painful rites of passage, I feel that my African ancestors were doing that. It annoys me when it’s seen as only a White thing. Definitely has indigenous, African, tribal roots.”

Shola - “The aesthetic I want to give off is to live that best version of myself and let it be reflected in the work that I do.”

Shola Aurora is a first generation Nigerian singer-songwriter, born and raised in New York City. He performs an hybrid of rock, metal, and industrial goth music. He is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, having traveled to Japan several times. Anime, video games and Japanese fashion are all major inspirations and play out in his artistic choices. I interviewed him in Saint Marks Place, an area where he was able to truly express himself as a young man growing into his identity. Shola talked about how he came to his own style by being exposed to Visual K, a Japanese branch of glam metal. “Visual K showed me that performing is more than just getting up there and singing a song, you can create a world or an experience. It inspired me to live the best version of myself that I could. It left my mind open in terms of what I was interested in doing. As someone who grew up in Brooklyn in the hood, as a black male, the idea of doing feminine things or wearing makeup is unheard of. It took a lot of personal growth for me to break through to that side of myself.”

Xero - “Everyone needs a little bit of fantasy.”

Xero Gravity is a 24 year old biracial Black/Jewish cosplayer and digital content creator who centers herself around diversity and inclusion in the horror and sci-fi realms. I asked her to speak about why these genres are so important to her. “I feel horror is the best lens through which to look at society’s fears as a whole. What people are scared of at a certain time says a lot about what people are going through. When you look at the history of horror, it doesn’t really look good for Black and Brown people like us. We have a very complicated history with the horror genre. I always bring the discussion of horror and Blackness back to Birth of a Nation, the first feature film. It features a white woman in ‘peril’ being hunted by a white man in blackface. Woodrow Wilson screened this in the White House and endorsed it as factually correct. At the end the ‘black man” is hunted down and killed by the KKK, putting the KKK in a favorable light. No one talks about how this is the scariest film ever if you’re a Black person.”

Uny - “My art is fashion. My art is clothes, my art is expression. The way I dress is a total expression of the way I view my world through my lens.”

Unyquee Loretta Ortiz is a seamstress and cosplayer who identifies as Black and Latinx. Born and raised in the Bronx, she spoke about how her heritage plays into her stylistic choices. “I often wear a lot of African prints because I want to be connected to Africa in the best way that I can do it. I was raised around my Latinx culture so I go out of my way to make my Black heritage more visual. A lot of people don’t look at me and see Latinx because my skin isn’t as fair or olive, but I feel very connected to that side of myself because I grew up around it. Sometimes I think people tend to push that aside and want it to not be there because of how I look.”

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randomvarious · 4 years

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Specimen - “Hex” Monsters of Goth Song recorded in 1985. Compilation released in 1997. Goth Rock

Although goth's beginnings are said to be rooted in northern England and Belfast, the city of London is where it really started to find its footing. Home to Soho’s Batcave, a weekly club night inaugurated in 1982 that eventually moved to Leicester Square, it served as a haven for all types of weirdos and social outcasts. It’s also known to have nurtured the careers of some of goth’s brightest stars who went on to achieve mainstream success. There was the punkiness of Siouxsie Sioux, the alternative pop rockiness of Robert Smith and Nick Cave, the macabre and campy cabaret of Marc Almond, the fierce independence of Alien Sex Fiend, and goth’s founding fathers, Bauhaus.

But not to be forgotten is the guy who ran the Batcave, Olli Wisdom, the frontman for a group called Specimen. Specimen was the Batcave's house band. They never made it big like any of the names in the prior paragraph, but they were a hugely important group to goth's success, because, without the Batcave, who knows if goth music and goth culture ever become the least bit trendy in London?

Two quotes that together form an outline of Specimen's overall vibe...First from Ian Astbury of The Cult:

...they were very dark, but they were as much German as they were The Addams Family. They were like a Death Bowie.

And from a writeup that was on the now-defunct website, About.com:

Specimen's music had all the great aspects of Goth; dark, moody, but it was also hard edged, and as stated on one of their promo albums, "while Kiss and Motley Crue make complete idiots for themselves for beer and broads, at least Specimen does it with fashion and flair." YES!

Which is to say two things, really. One, Specimen has the wherewithal to understand just how ridiculous of a band they are. They're camp and everyone knows it, which makes them way cooler than bands like Kiss and Motley Crue, who have millions of fans (normies, if you will) that somehow embarrassingly adore them unironically. Specimen are doing the same type of thing as they are, but in a totally unserious and over-the-top way.

Two, Specimen played a huge role in developing the look of goth, from its fashion, to its hair, to its makeup, which really could be considered to be almost more important than the music itself. London, as it turns out, didn't actually birth that many successful goth bands, but the Batcave became the most popular haunt to witness the genre's biggest stars either hang out or perform. It was spectacle; a place to see outrageous people look outrageous and do outrageous things and a fun place for nonconformists to make memories. The Batcave ended up foundational to goth's ultimate spread as a culture, yes, but a huge part of it, much like the punk rock that preceded it, was the look, which Specimen was largely responsible for starting. Another reason why this band is so important.

During Specimen's original run, they never released a full LP. Instead they released five singles and a mini-album between '83 and '86. It would actually take a reunion to finally release their debut album in 2007. But with their penultimate single from that original run, they released a 7-inch as well as a 12-inch called Sharp Teeth, and featured on its b-side is a song called "Hex". Then, in 1994, an unused alternate mix of the song appeared on Cleopatra Records' In Goth Daze compilation. And then in 1997, that same mix appeared on the Dressed to Kill label's Monsters of Goth triple-disc comp.

This mix is pure, danceable synthpoppy goth rock. It's got a little bit of honking guitar glam in its choruses, like a little tease for a radio DJ, but the rest of it is enough to satisfyingly scare those same DJs away. Again, like punk, this music was a rejection of convention. It was different for the sake of being different. If joviality was what normal was, then these people wanted the opposite. They derived pleasure from darkness and mixed that with guitar rock irony. And with all of that in mind, that's what this song delivers: a winding and sloppy tune with a hint of pop-rock that has atmospherically Transylvanian string synths, theatrically creepy lead vocals, a drum machine beat, and bass work that's all over the place. It's the equivalent of putting a sign on a door that says something like "Normies: Keep Out".

Rare mid-80s goth rock that checks all the boxes, courtesy of this underappreciated and indispensable band.

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itsizzymccormac · 4 years

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Throughout British history we have seen the rise and fall of many sub-cultures, taking an alternative look onto fashion music and art, these being influences fro many designers. Inspired by the concept of aestheticism looking into freedom and individuality I want to look at different groups that subverted ‘normal’ fashions of the 20th century.

In the 1920s one of the subcultures was Flappers and Dandies. The word Flapper is taken from 1630s English meaning prostitute but by. The 1890s was also used for meaning a teenage girl. From my research, the name Flapper was coined as it referred to birds spreading its wings and learning to fly. Their style consisted of skirts above the knew ( which was shocking for the period) short bobbed hair. Unlike aestheticism it had a did rooted social rebellion and also took into excessive drinking, smoking, driving automobiles and casual sex, which previously had been dismissed and frowned upon. For women, I think this is quite empowering considering a lot of the subcultures I have read into are mainly male-led.

Along with the Flappers, we saw Dandies which were predominately men. Dandyism is much more closely linked to aestheticism, perhaps as they had less to rebel, focusing on elaborate clothing, embracing a more feminism side taking care the way they dress.

After the war, in the 1950s Teddy Boys or more well known as ‘Teds” became popular, inspired by Edwardian Fashion given to young officer that had been removed from the services. The group was made of middle class working young boys, which revolutionary and set the tone of British subcultures to follow. Teddy boys dress followed fashions of baggy suits like the American Zoot suits and coiffed hairstyles.

Developing at the same time were the Mods from the Modernist movement, which was heavily influenced by Italian fashion and music culture. Musicians such as The Who showcase the strong aesthetic. Popular dress from this subculture are Harrington Jackets, parkers and Oxford shirts.

In the 60s′s there was the rise of many alternative cultures, such as skinheads, influenced by ska music and on the opposite end of the spectrum hippies, with completely contrasting styles. Skinheads took inspiration from the Jamaican rude boy, supposedly ‘menacing’ looking, however, this look was adopted by the racist movement of the 70′s, therefore, has a bad connotation. On the other hand, hippies exuded bright colours and bold colours in an ideal to remove them from social construct and spread a message of love and peace. Also during the 1960s, we saw the rise of The beetles one of the most iconic British bands and the use of recreational drugs such as LSD and marijuana. Traits of hippie attire include flamboyant flares, psychedelic prints and coloured shades.

In stark contrast, the 1970s bought around the punk revolution started in the heart of London with designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. These looks had never been seen before, creating something affordable and available to people. It was an incredibly powerful youth movement who used creativity to speak their mind and create an aesthetic that spoke for its self. Punks were very political and had such beliefs as anti-authoritarianism and do-it-yourself. I think the ethos draws parallels with the aesthetic movement however this was much more politically focused. Similar, but not to be confused with is the Gothic Subculture, totally recreating the gothic genre which was around in the 1800s and Victorian Era. Most people see this genre as wearing all black but is more evaluative of a repressed teenage rebellion, wearing dark Neo-victorian styled clothing as a revolt towards the preppy perfect American Dream lifestyle.

Towards the end of the 1900s, we saw subcultures such as New Romantics headed by popular artists such as David Bowie, seeing lots of punks transforming their style with an androgynous and sexual liberated style. Looks made up of heavy makeup on both men and women and almost theatrical outfits form classical and glam rock references.

Looking into these alternative subcultures has given me a better idea of rebellion and non-conformity, which usually has risen from younger generations. I think I would like to pinpoint some of these groups to reference and compare to the movement of the feminist movement of the 1880s. It's interesting to see how when researching most of these groups were mostly male lead, perhaps this is something I could research further.

DANDIES AND FLAPPERS. 2020. What Are Dandies And Flappers. [online] Available at: <https://dandiesandflappers.weebly.com/what-are-dandies-and-flappers.html> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Dandy. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandy> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Flapper. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flapper> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mods And Rockers. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mods_and_rockers> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Punk Subculture. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_subculture> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

Historic UK. 2020. The 1960S, The Decade That Shook Britain. [online] Available at: <https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-1960s-The-Decade-that-Shook-Britain/> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

Huck Magazine. 2020. The Teddy Boys: Britain’S Original Teenage Rebels. [online] Available at: <https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/photography-2/teddy-boys-britains-original-teenage-subculture/> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

the Guardian. 2020. The 10 Best British Youth Cultures. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2011/jul/10/10-best-british-youth-cultures> [Accessed 12 March 2020].

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benmic98-blog · 4 years

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LAST MINUTE INSPO FROM A SNEAK PEEK INTO CELEBRITY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES 2019

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet, Give Me Something Good to Eat! Soon there will Halloween parties in full swing, pumpkins lining the streets and masses of trick or treaters on a serious scrape to secure as many sweets as possible at midnight. It’s that time of the year when you fancy channeling your inner Rihanna or Halsey or any fictional a character like Shrek or Lego Batman or any celebrity to create a spotlight-stealing look. Many choose to pay homage to their idols this spooktacular season and as the season has already kicked started with a bang, you might be at the hunt for a last-minute Halloween costume inspiration from the A-list set, spending hours to create the iconic looks this Halloween, all hail to the early festivities that have begun with our stars flaunting their Halloween looks setting the bar high again this year leaving behind costume inspiration for many. If you are a die-hard Halsey fan like me, plenty of choices to channel your Halsey are open; from Met Gala, Victoria Secret’s fashion show to American Music Awards and New York Fashion week Halsey could be your go-to Halsey costume for the Halloween party.

From Cruella de Vil to the tooth fairy you might have experimented with all kinds of looks from spooky to sweet all your life and this year what will be your spin this year is giving you serious trouble. Just Eat, Drink & Be Scary.

2018 didn’t fail to disappoint the celebrity high bar for Halloween costumes with some of the most outrageous, funny and confusing costumes, from the barely recognizable (Rita Ora as Post Malone, anyone?) to the downright uncanny, one can recreate the previous year’s head-turners as this Halloween's spooky and glamorous ensemble with DIY. From the most hyped costumes from the last year Halloween that took Instagram and twitters with amaze and gaze was the Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, and Silas Randall Timberlake as Lego Batman characters, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, the great Kardashians always making up to the highlights with fancy yet controversial stories, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, and Khloe Kardashian as Victoria's Secret Angels, Heidi Klum as Princess Fiona from Shrek, the millionaire whose Insta stories are always extravagant and stays at the top of social media hype, Kylie Jenner as Barbie and Beyoncé as Toni Braxton. When we talk about the most spine-chilling Halloween outfits we can’t just get over Heidi Klum's remarkable Jessica Rabbit in 2015 (which took nine hours of groundwork to complete the prosthetics), or Lady Gaga as a terrifying Edward Scissorhands in 2017 and the list goes on and on, for Halloween is the most sought social event in the celebrity calendar where their costume ideas are mandatory to prove as the crowd-pleasers.

Among the early Halloween feels, Dance with the Stars take the lead in giving us those creepy looks by going full zombie during Halloween night on Monday with a spooky opening number set to Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy. With the insane moves and crazy costumes donned with dreadful makeup to turn the ballroom floor into a creepier zombie world, the stars and the professional dancers are giving me chills down the spine.

https://youtu.be/h8ZYLlNZEMw

Some creepy costume inspirations are ready to be added to the Halloween mood board from the early Halloween festivity in Los Angeles hosted by Rande Gerber and George Clooney, the annual Casamigos the party had the starry guest list who donned their crazy costumes as the homage to classical idols or recreated the looks from their past events. All of this flooded twitter and their Instagram before the arrival of the big day. The social-media worthy clobber for the annual Casamigos party is listed below.

HALSEY: MARILYN MANSON

Halsey deserves all the applaud and the limelight, biased? Probably yes but the fandom of Halsey provokes such instinct in me and if I were to hand over the best celebrity costume award, Its Halsey and Halsey every time, every year and every event. Halsey this year didn't fail to disappoint and channeled inner goth rocker Marilyn Manson while she announces her relationship with actor Evan Peters on the Halloween bash in Los Angeles. Fiery redhead and a latex leotard was Halsey in the complete Halloween Spirit, spooktacularly-sexy.

Halsey and Evan Peter are giving us some real relationship goals or they chose to confirm their love by costume coordination, Polka dots giving nostalgia of the '70s. They donned the look at starry American Horror Story 100th Episode Celebration kicked off in California.

KYLIE JENNER – FLAUNTS HALLOWEEN LOOK AS MADONNA

Black is always a killer and Kylie Jenner totally slayed the look with blood-stained red lipstick and blondes to create the Madonna look in a now-iconic kiss at the 2003 VMAs. The makeup-mogul paid homage to the pop culture by pairing with her friend Stassie Karanikolaou to recreate Britney Spear. How cool is that?

Like mother is the daughter, all glammed up in the Jenner’s met gala ensemble look. Stormi Webster was a miniature version of Kylie at the Met Gala, with the same lavender dress and purple hair. She totally was a little cute fella.

HEIDI KLUM – TOOK THE RED CARPET WITH GLITZ AND GLLITTERZ

Her spectacular look made me utter “All that Glitters is just Gold!” The model dipped in glitter dazzled like a neon firework with green and other neon-colored glitters sprayed generously. That would be an understatement though as both husband and wife took the theme of fireworks to take Instagram like always to satiate the fandom every Halloween. But this is not the finale to the Halloween spook; a lot of creative prosthetics has been put to pull off this year’s costume for her iconic party.

DEMI LOVATO - MARIE ANTOINETTE

In round 1, Demi was shining in the ensemble by her glam team, Etienne Ortega and Paul Norton. She is the crown-winner just in round 1, the slayer has dressed like French aristocrat Marie Antoinette with a low-cleavage corseted frock, taking us back to the 18th century. The star-studded eyes with heavily-powered makeup and a high-bun is worth the applaud.

The second round brought forward the clown look of the singer, red-nosed and ginger head with complementing fierce red lens and pom-pom frock is another slayer and winner.

JESSICA BIEL - SARTORIAL TRIBUTE TO THE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE NYSNC DAYS

When Jessica Biel dared to confess on air that she knows nothing about NSYNC songs, this is what it turned out as Jessica's costume for Halloween. In a metallic boiler suit with a curly wig and '90s sunglasses, Jessica paid homage to his husband's boy-band days.

UK celebs have been hitting hard to get into the game and giving tough competition to their US counterparts with hilarious costumes for the big day. The KISS Haunted House Party was another peak-into a place for getting costume inspo. Many of the stars that were performing in the KISS Haunted House Party took the stage with some incredible costumes; Four of diamonds rocked the recreation look of Bratz dolls with their infamous big eyes and face paint to complete the look. The Joker look was much expected after the acclaimed success of the movie, Cetinay was all Joker ready in red suit and clown painted face. Latex seemed more of a trend this Halloween in the celebs, after Hasley, Henderson was seen in black and orange latex with devil horns and blood dripping from the eyes, orange glitter blood to be specific.

Get your Halloween party shoes on and get running with the last minute DIY costume ideas. Slay the look completely. Happy Haunting!

Author’s Bio:

A well-versed business-writer with an immense passion for innovation and technology. I am a trend enthusiast and like to explore trending practices in various industries. I have written a detailed review of the Exede rural high-speed internet for its major overhaul in the satellite.

I like to write and talk about fun & entertainment and how technology is evolving our lives in the most amazing ways. Mainly, little things such as the internet and smartphones are the center of my attention.

#holloween #2019 Events #hollywood celebrities #haunting nights

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aurinofthewild · 7 years

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Aurin Glam Tour

(( Asper Synthstar is the property of @awkwardtimezone! Myym Trugale is my baby! ))

Myym sat down at the table with his client, tail neatly wrapped around the chair's leg as he casually leaned on an elbow, hand curled under his chin. Coy smile already trained to his face, he was listening intently with delicate ears swiveled forward. His gown screamed high class and rich, as did his bracelets and rings that shimmered against his unblemished blue skin. Light blue hair that always had the perfect wind swept look was done up in a cute pompadour that framed bright sapphire eyes. He was blue from ear tip to tail tip, and that was the allure.

The bar scene was bustling behind him, as his focus was meant to be on the man chatting him up as he waited out his time. However, an itch at the back of his mind kept him in a slightly less pleasant mood, as this was some sort of mission rather than a pleasure boat cruise. Sadly, when the Blackhoods come to you with a request, it is very unwise to tell them no, and when your friend asks you for a solid you do him the solid. So here he was, schmoozing at a concert hall--or the remnants of one--while he awaited the arrival of the rock legend. The small device he wore, the lapel for working the stage, kept recording as he all but ignored the man trying desperately to get his chron number.

Movement from the side and a very scruffy mess of hair bouncing into view gave Myym pause as he held up a hand to his table mate. He gave a slight awkward laugh and slid down from his chair gliding over to Asper with the full grace of a dancer. Stopping the other, he held his hands out with the indignation of a person trying to avoid the blame for a head-on collision. Myym huffed. Torn shirt, missing sleeves and the entire sides of the top, ripped pants, and an assortment of rather sharp accents made Asper look like a complete hooligan.

Asper took a moment to look over Myym with a charming smirk that morphed into a deep frown when he realized it was just Myym. He snorted. "What...are you wearing?"

Myym let out a soft gasp and then grit his teeth to calm himself. "How about a full outfit, for starters. You look like you fought a pair of scissors and lost-- Are those...spikes?"

"Dude, it's called fashion."

"It's called--I don't think you understand what you've been asked to do! Look, Blackhoods or not, we are singers, not agents!" Myym was trying not to yell, but his whispers occasionally squeaked.

"Just set me up on stage. I've got this..." Asper gave Myym a winning smile and finger guns.

"You've got this..." Flat toned and defeated, Myym placed a hand to his face.

"Yeah... I've got this."

Myym stared hard at Asper as he debated on the likelihood of escaping this job, but put a hand to his temple and sighed heavily. Brushing past him, his tail tip thrashed behind him as he moved to the stage. Breathe, things were going to be okay. Asper was at least briefed on the Blackhoods plan, he was sure of it. Why else would he be so cool, calm, and collected. Stepping up to the mic, he did the best introduction he could for the other Aurin as he gave way for their glamorous entrance.

Smoke rose and the silhouette strutting into view before Asper claimed center stage, giving the crowd a winning smile. Lights flashed, and the stage was set for an amazing show as the hall lights dimmed and spectators raced to the stage. Myym huffed and found himself a nice spot off to the side of the stage in a corner, but realized too quickly that he was just below a speaker as the music started to play. Flattening his ears against his hair, he watched as young female and male humans, aurin, draken, and all other manner of space riff raff flocked to the Glam Rock Aurin's performance.

The soft entrance was something that Myym was not expecting at all, as Asper sang sweetly into the mic. His emotion played the crowd as the pre-recorded background vocals seemed to rise and fall eerily perfect. The lyrics were familiar, but Myym couldn't quite place it as Asper continued through the intro. It was clear this boy had some serious vocal control and training. There was a reason that he had the fans in an uproar, and Myym was starting to realize that he made a mistake with his previous worry.

"Open your eyes.. Look up to the skies and see..." Myym let his ears swivel and he relaxed as he listened to the lyrics. They were something else, and definitely not what he expected out of either the Blackhoods or Asper. Then again, he knew the other's ability to really lead a crowd and it always impressed Myym. "Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me... Too me."

"Mama.. Just killed a man... Put a gun against his head." Myym perked his ears up at that, and furrowed his brow. This was a bit more forward than what he was expecting. He thought the silent code was much more silent than this. Puzzling over the situation, he moved to lean against the back wall to watch. The good news was at least Asper was a good stage act. Settling back and watching as the performing aurin shimmered in the mist with glitter and stage makeup covering his face and arms, the blue aurin admired Asper's voice.

Myym took stock of his surroundings as he listened to the song. The walls were all lined with plants, something he really had to appreciate from this broken venue. The acoustics were amazing as well, not something he was expecting when he'd taken the invitation to this little underground rock concert. It seemed that they were expecting to have various musically-inclined guests and had thought to arrange things to really bring out the stage. The over abundance of red clashed with his aesthetic, but then it was only a minor complaint.

"...Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth." The sudden vocals hit him in the heart as Asper let his singing rise to the emotional occasion. The crowd was singing along, so this wasn't a new song. Myym was right in his vague recognition. Some Exile propaganda, though he was really moved at how Asper sold the lyrics, "Mama! Ooooh oooooh. I don't wanna die... Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all..."

Asper took hold of the mic stand as the guitar riffs played out and he followed them in a perfect air guitar. Myym was in awe at his performance, that was until movement caught his attention. People were moving and it wasn't clear what their intention was, nor their allegiance. Zoning in, they slowly made advances towards a specific table and it dawned on him just what Asper's singing was directing. He looked back to the stage as the guitar solo was over and Asper was back to singing. Blissfully unaware.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man..." Myym gasped softly as the lyrics were too clear and he knew it was time to find a place to hide. The song itself was reaching a peak that seemed to draw in his breath to soft short gasps as his heart was racing for what seemed like no reason. Eyes wide, he moved as quickly as he could manage without raising attention to his location as he sank to a table next to the stage, opposite of the now-obvious target of the moving silent figures. Myym kept it together, barely.

Was this a hit? Were Asper and Myym now hitmen for the Blackhoods? He couldn’t let this stain his reputation, he was just starting to get his singing career in place! What sort of jobs were they starting to take, and why was he trying to drag Myym into the fray? There were so many questions as Myym tried to make his hiding spot smaller and less accessible for when shit hit the fan. They were singers, not hitmen. Maybe he was just overreacting. Maybe the guy was just not paying his tab, and the bouncers were coming to collect.

The music hit a strange section that had Myym looking over to Asper as he started a chorus with several voice recordings. They were clearly arguing with each other on stage as Asper simply dictated each entrance with a open hand, a pointed finger, or a clenched fist. He was really getting into this role and Myym had to give him props for the emotion! Though it quickly escalated as the figures were finally in position and the music hit the peak Myym had been expecting…

There was a dramatic guitar riff and Asper rang out over the mic after some expert air guitar. "So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?! So you think you can love me and leave me to die?!"

The gun fire rang over the music and the screaming quickly drew the attention of the guards that had been quite entertained by the blond Aurin on stage! It was quick as all hell broke loose within the small venue. There was running, screaming, over-turned tables, more gunshots, and suddenly Myym was hoisted from his hiding spot under the table. It wasn't until he was being carried away that he even realized he'd been one of the loudest screaming from the gun fire. Taking another deep breath, he belted out yet another loud and dramatic scream still being carted off to Weave knew where.

Crying, that was something Myym hadn't done in a while. He was a sobbing mess in Asper's arms as the male did his best to carry off the damsel in distress. Bridal style, Myym was leaning back as he dramatically tossed his hair at the predicament and did nothing to help Asper from almost dropping him twice. He was being kidnapped. Goodbye, world. I guess that trip to Lopp Springs was never going to happen!

There was yelling, but it took a bit for the sobbing queen to get a handle on himself and listen to Asper’s pleading. "Can you run? You're really heavy!"

Myym was horrified. He was on a strict diet, and these heels were custom-made. There was no way he was running in these shoes! Quickly grabbing his heels and slipping them off, he was expertly dropped to his feet which were already willing to run alongside Asper. Ears flat back, he hoisted up the hem of his dress and ran along screaming as they rounded the hallway. The blond aurin sent shots down the corridor they had just come from with a quick duck and yelp as shots were quickly returned. Myym hadn't signed up for any of this. He was already rehearsing the very angry letter he'd be writing to the manager.

A gunshot whizzed past bringing Myym back to the present which kick started another round of sobbing and screaming from the both of them. The two aurin collided around a corner and almost ran up the side with their speed. Asper pointed ahead trying to scream louder than Myym's screeching, "If we can just make the docking bay...! Can't you run any faster?!"

Up ahead was freedom. So close, but slowly fading. The door to the docking bay was closing, and Myym saw his life flashing before his eyes. It was a good life, filled with a lot of good parties and good food. He had missed out on that loaded hotdog, and he wished that he had eaten more hamburgers. There was that one time he missed the chance to get that fabulous looking ring. He didn’t want to die. There was too much good food, expensive drink, and Ryska crossed his mind as his heart dropped. This was it, he could see the golden light as it sped him faster towards his end. He could feel death wrapping their arms around his waist and carrying him away.

The sudden snap back to reality had Myym tumbling head over heels as he smashed into the elevator wall. Asper was panting, but otherwise seemed just fine. He was already working on punching in code to his datachron, getting the ship set so they could escape. "Dude, I don't think I've ever pulled someone along before! That was rad!"

Asper did a little victory dance near Myym’s head as the two were transported to the ship via elevator pulley. “Man Maza’am owes me bigtime for this… I thought it would be an easy job, right? Go in, sing, leave with fans. No one told me about the shootings! I was pretty amazing though…”

Myym was crumpled on the floor, his blue Angora tail fluffed up three times its normal size. Turned out Asper really had no idea. At least they were both still alive.

Spellslingers...

#asper synthstar #myym trugale

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jackwindsor96 · 5 years

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MD4314 Is Rock music dead

Academic article by Jack Windsor

s1809136

Contents

Gene Simmons “Rock music is finally dead” .p1

The roots of rock .p2

Black sabbath .p3

Statistics of most listened to genre globally .p4

The next generation .p5

Evolving bands .p6

Old town road and battle with the country charts .p7

Marty Schwartz “where did the bands go?” .p8

Conclusion .p9

References .p10

Back in 2014 Gene Simmons the Bassist of late 70’s to late 80’s glam rock band KISS declared “Rock is finally dead” meaning that it’s pointless to learn an instrument like a guitar because it is impossible to get famous playing one.

Gene Simmons had also stated “Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered” this statement was taken out of context as he then later explained that a 15 year old kid wanted to make a success as a rockstar but then realising that opportunity has passed meaning he believes it was “piracy” that had led records to decrease in sales giving new artists and talent that given opportunity to make as big as it used to be.

With angry responses by equally large names in the genre to Gene he was shunned off by the rock community out of context due to the media. With big names such as AC/DC frontman Brian johnson on a SiriusXM QnA he stated “never listen to man who never wears makeup” to then later stating “rock music always comes back it’s like a phoenix” the words Brian johnson used makes it sound like its always been a topic all record labels have said but in fact the genre itself comes back when it’s least expected.

Since the early 50’s rock music has been on of the most dominant genres in the world. And throughout the decades it has evolved and split into a very large catalogue of subgenres the question that is being asked in music industry is, is rock music dead?

Like most music genres that have been dominating the charts have all originated from african american music for example “Chuck berry” with rock and roll an evolved art from originating from Blues and Hip hop with “NWA” along with “TUPAC” and at this time popular music was heavily biased towards having white artists being the musical face to society. The result of this white artists were stealing music such as Elvis with “hound dog” when the original vocalist was in fact “Big Mama Thornton”(1952) A song Elvis fans claimed he wrote which had (“Sold around 3 million copies” (Telegraph article, Michael Chilton, 23rd AUG 2011)) showing at the time the oppression black musicians faced in the 50’s until a revolutionary decade 1960 where Black and White musicians were both playing music on mainstream media. Jimmy hendrix renowned to be the greatest guitarist to have ever lived became a revolution to the music industry and given rock music its loud and raw cry out to society that for many generations had given rock music the opportunity to let the people speak out. And Jimmy Hendrix had also leveled out the playing field between colour of skin and ownership to songs with one of his best hit “all along the watchtower” and original song written and performed by (Bob dylan recorded 1967) then later (released in 1968)(bobdylan.com/song/all along the watchtower)

In 1969 Black sabbath a band originating from birmingham became one of the very first heavy metal bands in the world with revolutionary lyrics discussing the corruption of the government and how oppressed society really was for example the title hit “war-pigs” on the studio album “paranoid” sold over 5 million copies worldwide and with the 2009 remastered version on spotify has collected 76,747,987 streams alone with black sabbath at 6.060 million monthly listeners they are one of rock histories most prized artists.

Rock music is still very dominant on social media with such sites as Youtube, Spotify, Tidal and Apple music.

According to Spotify with their insights page Statistics show Sub genre from traditional rock “Metal” is the most dominant with rock music being fifth largest fan base globally from 2015 to 2019 showing that the fan base are more loyal consumers than pop music and various genres.

about the LGBT expressing themselves it was also the era of Punk,Metal and big hair Glam rock bands.Punk as a genre and style was and still is about anarchy, antidisestablishmentarianism and rattling the sabre with the higher power. For example “The Sex Pistols”With such a large variety of rock music genres it’s very difficult to declare the artform is “dead” especially with statistics showing the opposite.

The new generation of rock artists for example Royal Blood and Don Bronco are under the category of mainstream alternative rock with royal blood being one of the worlds most recognised bands in the UK as they have had two appearances in the charts in the past five years the rock duo have made a success.For ever since technology has been heavily used in music the Rock genre have been struggling to use it to their advantage to stay on top of the charts and have been praying for new younger artists to appear and steal the spotlight back but with a great amount of new artists that are following and exploiting new trends on all platforms of media it has evolved into a more competitive game. Royal Blood as a duo act the front man Mike Kerr plays a bass guitar but uses a unique sound that is classified according to Mike himself that gives the band its claim to fame.

Like all musicians to become famous you have to play the game and have your own sound that grabs the attention of the consumer and to have a particular style.

Style over substance in rock music was really popular back in the 70’s and 80’s as it was the era of expression where LGBT communities were quieter but started to gain the courage to express themselves through colourful clothing and cross-dressing with parades and going to the underground clubs with Disco as it was a safe passage. But in the 70’s and 80’s it wasn’t just mocking the monastery and politics with the hit single “God save the Queen” that had been banned from release in the UK the band had embraced the rebellious attitude with the public display of spitting and wearing tight skinny jeans with enormous Mohawks dyed bright fluorescent pink for example took the US and UK by storm and became a fashion and attitude display and a culture within itself. Punk has now quietened down on the mainstream side with only a handful artists for example the Duo Slaves embracing punk as a sound with crunch guitar tones and punk style vocals but with only a fraction of what it used to be at its prime. It’s different as to how it used to be with more labels wanting to promote more tracks without the need to print an explicit warning sticker on the front cover.

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes still produce a mixture of subgenres from their older albums being heavier and more heavy punk to now with their last album “modern ruin” is lighter with more melodic and catchy pop/rock artform.

Many bands like Frank carter have evolved their music to appeal more than just to the younger consumer but outside of the age bracket. For example the “Linkin Park” made their debut in the early noughties with the all new NU metal subgenre displaying the mixture of Dj’s screaming vocals and drop D guitaring with Rap lyrics for verses the band made a huge success and through every album they had constant shifts between genre with experimental instrumentals to acoustic albums and collaborations with Jay Z.Bands are now doing this because they either struggle to continue with their own sound with the new technology they test out and produce music with or else it is the desire to build up a fanbase in the early parts of their career and to get themselves in the charts as soon as possible by following the trending sound.

Country Rock has always been a large part in the US music industry it originated from Folk and Blues and Traditional rock and roll and has become a genre that has had its own separate fan base but it’s only recent that one track has now reached the Billboard global 100.

Lil Nas x is currently at the global charts with the song “old town road” at number 1 on the “Billboard hot 100” a song that was primarily aimed towards the VideoGame Red dead redemption the song is a crossover genre of country and hip-hop.

When this song first hit the charts the American country charts had refused to accept this song as the genre Country due to claims by “Sony’s columbia records on the hot country songs charts” thus striking dispute whether it belonged there in the first place. With the song originally being at number 19 in the charts the song was taken down due to several reasons “including trap beats, a lack of country airplay, no involvement by Sony Music Nashville” (billboard.com article Country or not?’Old Town Road’ 9/4/2019 By Melinda Newman)

Billy Ray Cyrus took LIL Nas x under his wing and produced a remix version of his hit song this resulting in the song hitting number one globally and reentered in the hot country song charts. Is this because of Billy ray Cyrus’s reputation and respect in country that this song was allowed or was it for other reasons e.g “ethnicity” or “popularity”?

Rock music has changed in many ways but has changed with the trending music there is no point in sticking with the same sound as the consumers will move on to a different genre and sound will lead to the genres extinction.

A statement from Marty schwartz a popular youtuber among rock guitarists with over 1.3 million subscribers proved that Rock music is dead but not the genre entirely, the reasons are behind “the evolution of technology being its down fall” and then further describes in his video that “rock music has fallen under the same path as jazz” this refers to the popularity of jazz in the 40’s to late 50’s where jazz music was the popular music of that time but had then become less entertaining to the youth with new exciting genres being introduced.

Marty then finally concludes to “where did all the bands go?” to then answer “ nowhere they are still playing and creating music” this being said a genre itself can never die out if there are musicians still playing the art form.

“Rock music has just moved on from the mainstream” which to its benefit will not have to deal with the marketing it did back in the early days as new bands can self promote and distribute music

There are many bands that still perform at the top of the food chain and many up and coming talent soon to join them.

From statistics and big names in the industry Rock will continue to flourish not with the charts and popular music but will develop, create new subgenres, push boundaries and inspire new talent.

References

. (Rock and Roll: a social history

Author:Paul Friedlander

Chapter 2 the roots of rock and roll page.16 published in 1996 in the United States)

. (Gene Simmons:’Rock is Finally Dead. It was murdered’

September 7,2014

Rollingstone.com online article by Daniel Kreps

https:/www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/gene-simmons-rock-is-finally-dead-it-was-murdered-97121/amp/

. https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/all-along-the-watchtower/

.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/dog-10-facts-about-Elvis-presleys-hit-song.html

Author : Michael Chilton

Published : 23rd AUG 2011

. https://insights.spotify.com/us/2015/04/02/loyalest-music-fans-by-genre/

Author: Glenn Mcdonald

.https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-interview-new-album-836393/amp/

Online article Lil nas x :inside the rise of a Hip-hop cowboy May 20,2019.

. Author: MartyzMusic

https://youtu.be/Mz0nCngjjh0

Video title: where did all the bands go?

Published 12th May 2019

. Brian johnson Sirius XM interview

https://youtu.be/SPFW0WVuh2o

Published: 2 Dec 2014

Author: SiriusXM

. Mimi Schippers

Title: Rockin’ Out of the Box

Published Rutgers University Press, New brunswick, New jersey

2002

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