I'M ONE..... Pt.1

I have always had a passion for music from a young age. My questing nature has led to fairly eclectic tastes, and with that a wish to learn all about the various genres, scenes, and subcultures that have always been associated with music. My long standing ability to appreciate music from bygone eras has led to a fascination with the youth cults and tribes that once filled our isles. The current proliferation of bearded hipster types on our streets is a trend, but there are no common interests between the people who have adopted this look. The era of tribes would appear to be over in an increasingly connected world where every interest and influence can be accessed and discovered at the touch of a screen.

But...... look past the homogenization of the high street with its identical Starbucks and Costas, fashion outlets, and sportswear shops, and you will spot them. Old Punks, Rockers, Mods, Hippies, Goths...... people who adopted not just the music, but a way of life, a code, a set of beliefs and interests that they kept long after they ceased to be the current craze. And younger, newer members of these subcultures, taking the influences of the past and moving them into the future, adapting and adopting to keep their chosen lifestyle fresh.

Despite my love of music and everything associated with it, i have never really been part of a movement or a subculture. The last real tribes were during the Acid House era of the late 80's, and i was too young for that. Britpop was just a catch-all term for young bands playing guitar-based music influenced by great British bands from the sixties to the eighties. And though i absorbed all this music, there was no sense of belonging to anything.

In my early thirties i became a Goth, having discovered the subculture through a friend. Initially i felt a sense of belonging - the music, the gigs, the twice yearly Whitby Goth Weekender led me to meet new people, the clothes i wore identified me as part of something. The darker sensibilities of Goth tied in with my emotional state at the time: brooding, isolated, and a night owl to boot. I discovered some great music, which i still like. But after 3 years i began to lose interest, the initial thrill of being "different" having worn off, and the nagging feeling that i wasn't quite Goth enough to really belong. My eclectic tastes, and especially my love of Madness, 2-Tone, and Reggae-related music, didn't sit well with being a Goth. In addition to this, i had an interest in the Mod subculture, although i didn't know much about it beyond some of the fashions and bands like The Jam and The Who. I wasn't really aware that Mods still existed, certain not as an active scene that would appeal to anyone beyond older generations from its heyday or the late seventies revival. But as i began to discover more through the internet, my interest slowly grew. I began to distance myself from the world of Goth, and a new found confidence led me to my first real relationship in years. To be continued......

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