[Vyvian Blackthorne]

Good goth...Goth, since the beginning of its foundation, has shown parts of our aesthetic is fashion driven. How? Well, New Romantic artists such as Adam and The Ants' fashion clearly showed something that was utterly different from punk. The Cramps were not considered Gothabilly for nothing. Of course, it's really the themes of the music that matters. However, the fashion sense in our subculture's music is a credited part of its asesthetics prescence.

Going to give one important example: Joy Divison influenced goth with themes of their music. Unforutanetly, they dressed like geeky High School Boys and with other bands in their legion, considered post-punk. I think that, because of Bauhaus' entrance, goth is quickly notified offically with the way one dresses. If Division had been clad in Black with other accessories, they would break the boundries of post-punk and automatically be considered goth. Or at least, by the majority. For our subculture deeply is not always judged how one person is dressed.

Goth is proven something within, not something out. But it should be notified, as mentioned, that part of our subcultures' foundation was based on the attire. In the starting of this, Siouxsie and the Banshees helped baked the gothic cake. Siouxsie dressed in Fetish wear similar to Sid Vicious, clad in black and torn fishnets. Fishnets perhaps was inherited from punk, though our subculture has adopted it as a nessecary style. Aside from this, you must admit that Siouxsie and the Banshees themes were not as Anti-Establishment in the punkrock movement as The Clash and the Sex Pistols. Their lyrics differed later on, with their themes of death and nilhillistic philosophies. Thus, they're considered a goth band anyway.

Goth, our culture's fashion do as mentioned again, notify someone involved in our movement. Though we must remember with music: not all bands clad in black are gothic rock. The Misfits, for instance, were horror-themed punkrock for a reason. The only real way to classify them with their drum, bass, and vocal-thrasing sounds. Yet their attire seemed to grow from the Goth/Deathrock movement. TSOL is another band like the Misfits, though they're surprisngly closer to goth then any other horrorpunk band, a realtivly new style in the LA underground scene. Their sound is described as gothic punk (by the band, source their website) and their style of dress was per say more goth compared to other punk bands.

Goth legends themselves, Specimen, are a product that deeply show that our movement's big appeal is fashion. Yet their is also a parody of fashion and sexuality itself with such an influential goth band: the fact they purposely overused make-up and Fetishware though still showed passion and involvment in their style. Speaking of which, does anyone think it's wrong to call Specimen a HorrorPunk band? On a fansite it says they're only Goth in 'Retrospect'-though Horrorpunk is CLEARLY a product of America, and not of the Batcave. Deathrock British style, but not Horror-Punk.

Good goth...Goth's bearing on fashion is a 50/50 if you ask lil 'ol gothic me. Why? There is enough history in our counterculture to prove that fashion made goth differ from pop and the mainstream. Goth's modern asethetic appeal lies within fashion; but it does not entirely make-up our subculture. In short, I would like to say that our subculture should foremost be judged with the passion of goth, though we shouldn't ignore the fashion. Plus, I can't leave my house without something on my face or nails.

Goth Forever
Goth Forever
Goth Forever