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Goth

Specialty Definition: Goth

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Specialty Definition: Goth

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article is about the contemporary goth movement. For the Germanic tribes, see the Goths.

Goth is a modern popular subculture that gained visibility in the punk era in the 1970s. It is often associated with a particular style of music and a "uniform" that goes with it, typically all black with velvet and leather being two primary materials worn.

The term is often more easily defined by what it is not, rather than what it is. This, ironically enough, goes hand-in-black velvet glove with its nihilistic associations. The word is variously capitalized. Its uses are manifold; to describe something as 'goth' is to confer praise or derision, notoriety or obscurity, worth or dismissal, depending on one's opinion of the matter. Goth is a term tied closely to identity and personal expression, and as such leads to debate.

Some claim that goth is defined by androgyny, black clothes, black hair dye, death, darkness, depression, heavy makeup, horror (inspired by fiction and film), Nihilism, sensuality, silver jewellery or any number of other things. Others protest that these categories are stereotypical and generally cause more harm than good.

The word goth, as it relates to the modern subculture, is a neologism laid claim to by a number of famous figures associated with the goth movement [1].

The meaning and implications of the term have naturally evolved through the years, though it seems to have been used, at the time, to describe the new 1980s post-punk bands; bands which were close to the spirit of punk, but with a more despairing, introverted form of anger.

It is also debatable as to whether goth is really a subculture, since such a thing is characterised by unified beliefs and outlook, whereas goth is characterised by divergent beliefs and outlook. A large number of terms have developed to describe goth types (e.g. Perkygoth, Mopeygoth, Visigoth). Some say there have been many goth subcultures, throughout the West because the goth movement's beginnings can be traced to various countries and thus various cultures. In referring to goth as a whole it is easier to call it a movement, driven by gothic fashion and gothic rock, its members exhibiting a general taste for a dark, supernatural aesthetic.

Timeline of goth

Goth is widely proposed to have begun c. 1976 in Britain as an off-shoot of the Punk movement with the formation of Easy Cure (now simply The Cure) and Siouxsie and the Banshees with other bands such as Bauhaus, Sex Gang Children and Killing Joke following closely afterwards; but there are others that claim it began in the 1960s with The Velvet Underground. Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath are also worth acknowledging, since despite rarely being considered core components of goth music, they were key influences in the darker trend music began to and has continued to take up to the present day.

Others trace the goth movement to an indirect link with the beatnik movement of the 1950s. The beatniks also wore black and represented a counterculture movement, which may have influenced goth movement thinking.

Others that say the seeds were sown in the mid-19th century with the Gothic Revival and the morbid outlook of the Victorians (partly owing to the state of national mourning which developed in response to Prince Albert's death, and partly to the Victorians' general obsession with Christian funeral practices).

Others claim that goth had its beginnings in the gothic novel, the first of which is commonly agreed to have been Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764), or perhaps even earlier with the medieval gothic period.

The goth movement has certainly been going for a long time, and shows no sign of stopping. This owes much to its evolution, despite its dogged resistance to change and pervasive desire amongst its members to tie goth down to some core ideal or value-set.

Goth music

In the UK, the names most often mentioned would be The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Specimen, and Alien Sex Fiend. Each of these bands had much in common with the punk movement, though any similarity with punk was owed to the fact that that was the scene from which they were emerging, and were attempting (whether consciously or unconsciously) to leave behind. What is most notable about the core early '80s post punk bands is that, typical to their punk roots, they had a general distaste for labels, presumably seeing such things as anathema to creative expression [1]. In recent years, the tendency has swung almost entirely the other way, with many bands being quick to label themselves as goth.

From the late seventies onward, the Death Rock movement in Los Angeles, California was on the rise, with such bands as Gun Club, 45 Grave, Christian Death, Black Flag, and Penis Flytrap at the forefront. Nivek Ogre's Skinny Puppy (formed c. 1982) were also doing their "thing", quite apart from the Death Rock scene. Whilst all of these groups began as quite distinct from goth, they soon began to be equated with it, and are now recognised as strong early influences.

Goth was as much a European phenomenon as it was British or American. At the same time that The Cure and Christian Death were forming in those countries, in Germany (home to the largest modern gothic festival, the yearly Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig) were such dark bands as Xmal Deutschland, Die Krupps, and Der Mussolini. Belgium gave rise to Electronic Body Music (EBM) with influence from bands such as Kraftwerk and Front 242. Meanwhile, Amsterdam had Clan of Xymox.

Australia also deserves a mention, the emerging movement there characterised by Nick Cave's The Birthday Party.

Throughout the '80s, there was much cross-pollination between the European goth subcultures, the Death Rock movement, and the New Romantic (New Wave) movement. The rise in popularity of rock music in the mid-eighties, was mirrored by the rise of gothic rock, most notably in the form of the seminal goth rock bands, The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim and The Mission.

Goth music in the nineties

The nineties saw the development of goth music in a more electronic-industrial direction, with bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Project Pitchfork bringing a more processed edge to the goth music style. The largely German phenomenon of Darkwave also evolved, with Das Ich at the forefront.

With the arrival of Marilyn Manson (formerly Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids) the goth movement has became almost mainstream in popularity and has brought the "goth-not goth" debate to a head. This is perhaps most chiefly illustrated by the Columbine High Massacre, where the goth movement was blamed as being the corrupting influence behind the killings. This claim was based on the Trench Coat Mafia's tendency to wear makeup and dark clothing.

Many balk at the claim that Mansonites are goths. Indeed to say as much is to commit heresy in many gothic circles. Spooky Kids (as fans of the band have also been dubbed) are just not goth. Others say that with many Mansonites consistently identifying themselves as goths, they speak for the movement, however much some may wish to deny them a place.

Another, less mainstream side of Goth music is Goth metal, which combines medieval Gothic music with heavy Doom metal. Goth metal is often described as sounding like "Beauty and the Beast" because of the characteristic duets between operatic female vocals and male death metal vocals. Some of the key bands in this area are Paradise Lost, Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania and Lacuna Coil.

Goth, as a concept, continues to evolve and develop in the 21st century, recently embracing influences from rave culture and anime. Arguably the most famous and longest running Goth club in the world is the The Slimelight, currently based in a disused industrial complex in Islington, London.

See also: goth music, Gothic rock, Gothic fashion

External links

• ScatheWeb - a website on "Clubs, goth history & daft haircuts" - including an informative discussion of the origins of the term goth
• "Undead Undead Undead" - an Alternative Press (November 1994) article by Dave Thompson and Jo-Ann Greene, with retrospective quotes from early '80s post punk bands on the "goth" label
• The Slimelight club

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Goth."

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Gothic language

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The Gothic language (), the only known East Germanic language, is known to us by a translation of the Bible known as Codex Argenteus ("The Silver Bible") dating from the 4th century AD, of which some books survive. The translation was apparently done in the Balkans region by people in close contact with Greek Christian culture. The language used is Germanic but has major differences from other known Germanic languages.

It appears that the Gothic Bible was used by the Visigoths in Spain until circa 700 AD, and perhaps for a time in Italy, the Balkans and what is now the Ukraine.

Apart from the Bible, the only other Gothic document is a few pages of commentary on the Gospel of John. This document is usually called the "Skeireins".

In addition, there are numerous short fragments and Runic inscriptions that are known to be or suspected to be Gothic. Some scholars believe that these inscriptions are not at all Gothic (see Braune/Ebbinghaus "Gotische Grammatik" Tübingen 1981)

The Gothic Bible and Skeireins were written using a special alphabet. See Gothic alphabet.

The Gothic alphabet was probably created by bishop Ulfilas who also translated the Bible into the "razda" (language). Some scholars (e.g. Braune) claim that it was derived from the Greek alphabet only, while others maintain that there are some Gothic letters of runic or Latin origin.

There are very few references to the Gothic language in secondary sources after about 800 AD, so perhaps it was rarely used by that date. In evaluating medieval texts that mention the Goths, it must be noted that many writers used "Goths" to mean any Germanic people in eastern Europe, many of whom certainly did not use the Gothic language as known from the Gothic Bible. Some writers even referred to Slavic-speaking people as Goths.

There is also the case of the "Crimean Goths". A few fragments of their language dating to the 16th century exist today. Assuming those fragments are genuine, it appears to be a different language to the one used in the Gothic Bible (but is still certainly Germanic).

See Lord's Prayer for Gothic text.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gothic language."

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Gothic rock

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Historically, Gothic rock started as a subset of the punk movement; with groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure and Joy Division, bands that were contemporaries of such early punk bands as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Buzzcocks and Generation X in the UK in 1977 - 1979. While the latter bands focused on aggressive, outward focused rock, the early goth groups were more introverted and personal. Originally considered just another aspect of the punk rock/post punk explosion, Goth only began to be defined as a separate movement with the emergence of Bauhaus in 1979.

The Goth movement diverged from Punk in any number of ways, especially its influences. While punk was firmly focused on the here and now, elements of goth culture can be traced to much older literary movements such as Gothic horror, Romanticism, existential philosophy, and the political construct of nihilism. The culture draws creative individuals often very interested in a variety of academic, artistic, religious and scientific movements; few subcultures place as great a value on knowledge as the goth rock movement. The Goth movement is often more disinterested in social and political values than many other subcultures, focusing largely on personal beliefs and often disregarding wider culture; although like any generalization this does not always stand.

Key early bands

While Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure have retained their goth imagery throughout their careers, their music has strayed from the Gothic style. Siouxsie up to and including the Nocturne (1983) album is undeniably goth rock. After 1983, their output shifted to softer focus on Gothic themes. The Cure's contribution to the genre is centered around Faith, Seventeen Seconds and Pornography. This sound originated from the song "Three Imaginary Boys" on the first album (Three Imaginary Boys, 1979), which is generally considered closer to being a New Wave album.

Joy Division was a consistently Gothic band, though after the death of Ian Curtis, the group reformed as New Order and became a New Wave/disco group. Bauhaus is also a consistently Gothic band, strongly influenced by English glam rock, such as David Bowie and T. Rex. Some of the members of Bauhaus formed Tones on Tail after the disintegration of that group, releasing Gothic music influenced strongly by Pet Sounds-era The Beach Boys and psychedelia. Fans of Bauhaus & Daniel Ash should look into Jane's Addiction, a modern hard-rock band which utilizes aspects of Daniel Ash's guitar playing style, as played by guitarist Dave Navarro. A very good introduction to Jane's Addiction can be seen in the tragic movie, 'Gift'.

Early English Goth rock follows a standard Hard rock lineup, but often adds synths, or at least guitar effects that sound like synths. The front person strategy varies, because the music is more introspective than high energy Hard rock:

• Singer/front-person
• Guitar player
• Bass player
• Drummer
• Synth player

Goth rock is at its most basic level a combination of punk rock and new wave. Between 1979-1985 it was variously known as post-punk, alternative and new wave.

Lyrics are generally very poetic in nature, and follow melodies in the instrumentation of the song.

Guitar settings are the most notable influence to the overall musical style. Single coil pickups are important to achieve the correct sound, Fender Jazzmasters, Jaguars, & Mustangs fit the bill nicely. The guitar sound before processing ranges from clean, to warm overdrive with gain settings at approx 50%. Dynamics to this can include just turning all amp knobs to the right for chaotic amp-driven sounds found in some Bauhaus & Siouxsie material. For the most part, the combination of the following effects will give you this sound:

• Chorus
• Flange
• Analog Delay, occasional usage of tape delay, as well.
• Reverb from 0-75%

Bass is very warm and round sounding, and often uses chorus and/or flange effects.

Drums tend to be played by a human with an electronic kit, BPM ranges are from 80-150.

Synths usually have the above listed guitar attributes, and are generally based on a 'Strings' type of synth patch with a 25% attack rate. Invariably the synths are analog.

• Song composition utilizes the 1-4-5 scalular progressions that typify rock & roll music, but are often augmented or dimminished.
• Minor key themes are prevalent, but major keys are not shunned.
• Composition is usually guitar oriented, and follows surf music-like vertical scales, rather than blues-like horizontal scales.
• Focal points are often on the two semitonal increments of the particular scale.
• Various octave fingerings are often substituted for chords.
• Playing style is generally all downstrokes, to create the 'sound'.

This type of gothic rock requires a fairly capable musician, as it will often include modal scales in song construction. Additionally, finger picking & up/down arpeggiation of chords will be found in many verse parts.

Overall song construction is similar to Hard rock

• 1. an intro
• 2. verse
• 3. chorus
• 4. solo
• 5. chorus
• 6. verse
• 7. chorus
• 8. an ending

There is much room for variation, and repetition of verses & choruses.

Early Gary Numan material from Tubeway Army to The Pleasure Principle can be considered to be goth, although the image was new wave. The use of analog synths and subject matter were a definite influence on later goth bands. His imagery & fashion have influenced contemporary goth Cyberpunk fashion.

The band which has most influenced contemporary Goth music is The Sisters of Mercy, which is significantly different from the original sound of Gothic music. Stemming from these changes, a movement of Goth dance music was created.

Contemporary Goth music is generally sequenced, making heavy use of FM & digital synths. It is characterized by a crisp snare drum sample and a heavy bass drum sample. The auto-arpeggiate feature of modern synthesizers is used in often complex sounding multiple simultaneous arpeggiations. Vocals tend to be either spooky or lovelorn.

Many fans of early gothic rock are embracing Deathrock, as a return to the original values of the scene, in a deliberate avoidance of the cliche stereotypes which have come to be associated with the modern Goth scene.

Contemporary dance club goth evolved simultaneously with industrial music, and both use the same techniques and types of synthesis equipment. The main difference is that industrial is "harder" sounding, and goth is "softer" sounding. Modern goth has the evolutionary feel of new wave music or synth pop, while industrial is an evolution of synth pop and heavy metal music. The guitar is not used much in contemporatry goth, but is often used extensively (with a LOT of distortion) in industrial.

Another, less mainstream vision, of Goth music is Goth metal combining medieval Gothic music with heavy Doom metal. Goth metal often described as "beauty and the beast" because of the characteristic duests between Operaic female vocals and male death vocals. Some of the key bands in this area are Paradise Lost, Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania and Lacuna Coil.

See:

Fashion

• Gothic fashion
• Deathrock fashion
• Black metal fashion
• Punk fashion
• Cyberpunk fashion
• BDSM fashion

Related genres

• Deathrock
• Goth metal
• Post punk
• Black metal
• Punk
• Electroclash
• Industrial music

Equipment

• Music technology
• Music theory
• Drums
• Bass guitar
• Electric guitar
• Singer
• Synthesizer
• Musical keyboard

Bands

• Alien Sex Fiend
• Anax Imperator
• Black Tape for a Blue Girl
• Bauhaus
• Christian Death
• Clan of Xymox
• The Creatures
• Crime & the City Solution
• The Cure
• Dali's Car
• Dead Can Dance
• Fields of Aplomb
• Fields of the Nephilim
• Flesh for Lulu
• .45 grave
• Gene Loves Jezebel
• Icon
• Joy Division
• London After Midnight
• The Lords of the New Church
• Love and Rockets
• Miranda Sex Garden
• The Mission U.K
• Peter Murphy
• Red Scare
• Rosetta Stone
• Rozz Williams
• Sex for Lulu
• Sex Gang Children
• Siouxsie & the Banshees
• Specimen
• Switchblade Symphony
• The Sisters of Mercy
• Southern Death Cult
• Theatre of Tragedy
• Tones on Tail

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Gothic rock."

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Goths

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article is about the Germanic tribes. For the late 20th century youth subculture see Goth. Our only source for early Gothic history is Jordanes Getica - and this early information should be treated with the highest degree of caution.

The Goths were eastern Germanic tribes, who lived between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. They ultimately settled in the region of modern Ukraine and Belarus, apparently, but not for certain, arriving from the Baltic region. A united tribe until the third century, it was during that period that they split into the eastern Goths or Ostrogoths and the western Goths or Visigoths.

A force of Goths launched one of the first major "barbarian" invasions of the Roman Empire in 267. A year later, they suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Naissus and were driven back across the Danube River by 271. This group then settled on the other side of the Danube from Roman territory and established an independent kingdom centered on the abandoned Roman province of Dacia, as the Visigoths. In the meantime, the Goths still in the Ukraine established a vast and powerful kingdom along the Black Sea. This group became known as the Ostrogoths.

The Goths were briefly reunited under one crown in the early sixth century under the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great, who became regent of the Visigothic kingdom for nearly two decades.

The question of where the Goths came from is a major historical and philological puzzle. The earliest evidence for the Goths puts them in Poland in the 2nd-century AD, with a consequent rapid movement to the Black Sea area. Jordanes, a Romanized 6th century Goth, reported their origin according to Gothic tradition and legend to be in Scandza; Scandinavia - or at least that's how he is used to be interpreted.

It is a matter of dispute whether the Geats, a people living in the Geatish lands in Sweden, did satisfy this alleged connection. The word "Geats" (Anglo-Saxon Geatas) and the Swedish word "Götar" (East Norse Gøtar) both represent the expected outcome of proto-Germanic *Gauta-. This is different from the reconstructed root *Gut- which seems to be the origin of "Goth," which appears earliest in forms such as "Gutthones" in Greek ethnography. Philologists have reconstructed *Gut-þiuda, the "Gothic people," as a likely original form of the name. The reconstructed root *Gut- is identical to that of Gotland, an island in the Baltic Sea. There are interesting correspondences between Gothic and Gutnish (the Swedish dialect of Gotland) such as "lamb" being the generic name for sheep.

''See also: Gothic language, Gothic alphabet.

Compare Gothic architecture, which has no historical connection with the Goths

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Goths."

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Synonyms within Context: Goth

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Modern Usage: Goth

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Commercial Usage: Goth

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Digital Photo Gallery: Goth
 

"Goth Boy I" by Elisabeth Howe Commentary: "Wings, a pretty face and a bad attitude."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Usage Frequency: Goth

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Goth

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Expressions: Goth

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Goth

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Modern Translation: Goth

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Bible Trace: Goth

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Matched Bible Translations: Goth

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Derivations & Misspellings: Goth

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Rhyming with "Goth"

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Anagrams: Goth

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