Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth - Cathi Unsworth
SPOOKY RECOMMENDATION
This new book traces the history of goth (primarily in the UK, with some detours into Australia and the US) against the backdrop of the social history of the Thatcher years, intertwining the history of Marc Almond and Soft Cell with that of the HIV epidemic and Section 28, recalling the roots of the Sisters of Mercy in the more politically-committed scene that gave the world Gang of Four and the Mekons, or the story of the miners' union running through the whole narrative
One of the things I liked about this book was also that it incorporates a lot of bands that aren't really considered goth per se, from The Mob to the Cardiacs. I don't really see it with the Cardiacs, but I love the idea of thinking of The Mob as a goth band - I had always seen them as "depressive anarchopunk" - they're one of my favorite bands, and there is definitely a certain something there that's kind of gothy
One weakness I'd say is that, in its zeal to present goth as a sort of resistance to Thatcherism, it avoids exploring neofolk, because that would trouble the narrative. And while not all neofolk is fascist (Legendary Pink Dots are lefties), a lot of the founding bands either are (Di6, Sol Invictus) or flirted with certain fascist ideas at one point, even if they later abandoned them (C93). A lot of bands that are very very close to this scene but just outside of it, such as the Lemon Kittens, Nurse With Wound, or Theatre of Hate, are profiled here, so the avoidance feels intentional. And sure, I can understand why someone would not want to profile Death in June out of personal distate or to not give them oxygen, but it is still part of the story of goth, the subculture has its dark side and it's worth acknowledging
At the end of the day, a music book is worth reading if it gets you to revisit records you haven't listened to in a while and hear them with new ears, or turn you on to new music. And I had never really gotten into New Model Army before, and now I love them
@bookstodon@julieofthespirits might be chairing a talk / discussion / q&a on DIY culture which includes members of The Mob so I’ll ask them about their Goth credentials! Might have to put this book on my Christmas list too
One thing I really respect about them is that they've stayed true to those ideals, when I saw them some years back they played at a seafood place after hours. All the other bands from that time are snobs who insist on Real Venues
@julieofthespirits@bookstodon it might be, I’ll check. Mark from The Mob is good friends with one of REEL and I think they’ve been together in various bands over the years… I think in some earlyish iterations of The Mob too… and I totally agree, few bands from the time kept it fully DIY & experimental but the Mob & their circle are all still going with very little compromise - quite typical of West Country artists to be honest! We do it weird down here
@julieofthespirits@bookstodon something ironic and apropos about shying away from the dark side of goth. i know what you mean, but its funny to look at the chain of events that led to the sentence "the [goth] subculture has its dark side"
@jake2@bookstodon I did not have the pun in mind but right after I wrote it I tried to see if I could make it even more of a dad joke (without success)
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