Acceptance in the Social Scene

The social scene generally uses this criteria to evaluate whether someone is a Goth. The most important
aspects of "true gothness" are 2, 3 and 4 below.
1. Frequenting Goth haunts -- Regularly visiting places Goths frequent is the easiest and most
superficial way to become accepted. This includes gothic clubs, coffee shops, thrift stores, fetish
stores, independent music stores, etc. If there are no specific gothic nights at a club, Goths may
be found at fetish, 80's, or industrial theme nights. Frequenting gothic places may give someone
exposure to the culture, but not necessarily acceptance.

2. Dressing gothic -- Goths initially identify other Goths by appearance. See common
culture under fashion. The appearance indicates the potential for common interests. However, it
often takes further investigation to determine whether or not the person is gothic. The way a
person dresses alone does not automatically make him or her a Goth. For some people, the
image of being gothic is shed as easily as taking off those gothic clothes.

3. Possessing the gothic mentality/personality -- This indicates whether a person is gothic

internally as opposed to merely looking gothic externally. For people with the gothic personality,
their involvement is not merely a rebellious phase, but part of their inner self. Those likely to
become interested in Goth and remain involved in it will usually possess most of the following
characteristics and traits beforehand: individualistic, reflective, artistic, creative, introspective,
emotionally focused and driven, sensitive, non-violent, moody. They are likely to have a distaste
for authority, possess above average intelligence, and be social misfits. Most are interested in the
beautiful, the mysterious and the supernatural.

4. Listening to gothic (and related) music -- This includes the depth of music knowledge and
level of dedication. See Relevant Music Classifications. It also includes familiarity with other
media such as books and movies; however, these count to a lesser extend and do not qualify
alone. The music plays different roles to different people. Some people enjoy Gothic only for its
social or aesthetic aspects and never seek to listen to more than the most popular and wellknown of Goth bands. True dedication to gothic culture is often displayed in one's span of music
knowledge. Musical preference is advertised through band t-shirts, stickers, or mouthing the
words to songs at a club.

5. Knowing key gothic people -- Acceptance by the well-known members of the social group is
often automatic grounds for being considered Goth no matter the length of time in the scene, how
extreme the person looks, or musical preference.

HISTORY OF THE GOTHIC SUBCULTURE

by Alicia Porter Smith

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The date of origin is usually placed in 1979 when Bauhaus released the song "Bela Lugosi's Dead."
The band originally intended the song to be tongue-in-cheek; however, many young fans latched
onto this mysterious, eerie sound as inspiration for the budding gothic subculture. The first
generation of the gothic movement emerged mostly in the UK in the late seventies and early eighties
as a splinter from the punk movement. Punk music was breathing its last breath as this gloomy,
introspective mutation gained momentum. Bands like The Damned, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and the
Banshees characterize the first generation. These bands were called Gothic later on, but most did
not consider themselves Gothic at the time. There is a great deal of uncertainty about who coined
the term "gothic" and how it got attached to this dark music. The British music press seems to be
most responsible for making the label stick.
In the early 1980s, the gothic movement thrived with bands like the Sisters of Mercy at the forefront.
However, by the mid to late 1980s, the movement was waning. In the late eighties and early
nineties, a new, second generation of gothic bands emerged to breathe new life into the scene. They
distinguished themselves by being the first to regularly call themselves Gothic. Examples would
include The Shroud, Rosetta Stone, and London After Midnight. This time period is when the US
Goth movement grew significantly, and Gothic became recognized as a distinct subculture. Through
this period, gothic music and culture grew and branched out into various subsets, pushing the
boundaries of what had previously been considered gothic.
Recently, widespread mainstream interest in the gothic subculture is apparent. Many gothic cultural
quirks have filtered into mainstream culture, such as an interest in the supernatural and dark
aesthetics. Historically, a dark leaning is prevalent towards the end of a century. That leaning has
been more pronounced due to the close of a millennium.
As the second generation now ages into their mid to late 20's, they usually become less interested in
participating in the gothic social scene. A distinct third generation emerged in the late 90's to shape
the future progression of the gothic movement. The third generation represents an explosion in the
number of people referring to themselves as gothic. Many of them have learned about gothic culture
because of the present widespread commercial availability. The huge popularity of "shock rock" act
Marilyn Manson has thrown the spotlight onto this subculture. Marilyn Manson is far more similar to
the heavy metal theatricality of Alice Cooper than the mysterious desolation of Bauhaus. Many
Goths wish to disassociate themselves from the younger, over-ardent followers of Manson who
seem to dress and act like him purely for rebellious shock value. The term often used for these
youths is "spooky kids."
First and second generation Goths look suspiciously upon the new generation, doubting their
authenticity and disliking the exposure they give to a subculture which would prefer to remain
underground. The new generation is not presently well received by their elders, but time may prove
otherwise. It would be difficult to predict what the future holds for the Gothic movement. After over 20
years, it continues to change, grow, mutate and adapt, making it one of the longest surviving youth
subcultures in existence.

Taken from alt.gothic.FAQ [My comments included in red.]

The term "Goth" was used by Ian Astbury [front man of The Cult -- first called the Southern Death
Cult when formed in 1981] who described Andi Sex Gang [of Sex Gang Children] as a "gothic pixie."
It was popularized by the UK music magazines New Musical Express (NME) and Sounds and was
used to describe a class of music. For some people that music became the basis for a "way of life".
They brought their own backgrounds and interests along and a subculture was formed. It took for
itself the name Gothic.
NME and Sounds reputedly took the term Gothic from Siouxsie Sioux (of the Banshees) who used it
to describe the new direction for her band. However the earliest significant usage of the term (as
applied to music) was by Anthony H. Wilson who was overcome by a rare moment of lucidity on a
1978 BBC TV program when he described Joy Division as Gothic compared to the pop mainstream.
Perhaps Joy Division (whom he was managing) are not what we now think of as Goth, but it is
possible that they are at the source of the term. Bauhaus was labeled as Gothic as early as 1979
when they released Bela Lugosi's Dead. [Read the lyrics to "Bela Lugosi's Dead" below.]
The pop journalists were quick to latch onto the term and they applied it in a nasty sort of
pigeonholing way to a number of bands that were around in the early 80's -- most of which did not
sound much like the Banshees (or anyone else for that matter). The journalists were more
concerned with looks. The (Southern Death) Cult was foremost amongst these bands. Like the
Banshees, they wore a lot of black and silver and had extreme black hair. The Sisters of Mercy were
also labeled gothic. When they split, Wayne Hussey founded the Mission, and they [the
Mission] carried the label with them, despite being different musically. Finally, The Fields of the
Nephilim appeared. They (perhaps) consciously and deliberately got themselves labeled Gothic
despite looking and sounding quite different from what had previously been labeled Goth.
The fans of bands like the Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees liked to dress
up in a lot of black. The music they liked was something of a backlash against the colorful disco
music of the seventies. The Banshees were a punk band before they mellowed. Punk was breathing
its last breath as Gothdom gathered speed, so one could claim Gothdom grew out of punk. The
music of Joy Division, the Sisters and Bauhaus was angst-ridden, but all their hatred was turned
inward. The music was typified by introspective lyrics. Many of the new Goth followers were
introspective too. Some were a bit confused by the label and started to think that the label Goth was
in some way connected with the Victorian Gothic revival and Gothic horror. Because enough of them
thought that, it eventually became true. [Why would anyone use the term gothic to describe this new
angst-filled, mysterious, introspective music? It is because this music created a mood reminiscent of
the Victorian era Gothic writers. There is no other applicable usage of the term. Its original
descriptive intentions were obviously meant to refer to the Victorian-related definition of gothic.]
NME and Sounds were not oblivious to this and produced many hilarious articles poking fun at the
Goths amongst their readers. They said that being Goth was about sitting around in circles on the
floor of pubs (bars) smoking a lot and talking about being a bat. Some readers get angry at this list.
Luckily, most Goths have a good enough sense of humor to laugh at themselves once in a while.
The first generation Goths complain that second and third generation Goths often seem to think that

Gothdom is about wearing the blackest black, with a lot of silver jewelry and looking as thin and pale
as possible. In common with their older brethren, they avoid the crass commercialism of mainstream
rock and gather together to share their woes. They read Bram Stoker and Anne Rice and talk about
being vampires. They read H.P. Lovecraft and talk about the end of the world. The sounds that were
described as Gothic were appearing in other countries besides the UK in the late seventies, but I
have yet to see any evidence that they were using the word... Today Goth is about music, literature,
art and clothes. [Many will argue that it is also a mind set. See Critical Analysis for more.]

From Gothic in the Early Days: as remembered by Jonathan Grey featured in issue 6 of a zine
called The Web
In observing the newest generation of Goths as they make their shadowy way through life, I have
been struck by the fact that the origins of Goth may have been lost in the mists of time. Speaking as
one who was a part of the original divine madness, I'd like to present my view of the Beginning.
Gothic, at least, British and German Gothic, didn't begin in the late seventies with Bauhaus, et al.
Rather, it originated in the mid-seventies, with groups like Ultravox, Gary Numan, and (of course)
The Damned. They dark visions of these early bands filled many a young mind with thoughts of
deviance and corruption. The first generation were not, as some seem to think, so many depressive
whiners. Of course there was a certain tragic beauty to our music and actions, but anyone who
participated in the Batcave's dark celebrations could not possibly view us in the same light as
the doom and gloom crowd. The early Goths kept more to the spirit of historical and literary Gothic...

Comments by Robert Smith of The Cure in an interview featured in the Fall 1992 issue #19
of Propaganda magazine
"It's like it happened yesterday," he sighs. "I felt a special camaraderie with certain bands
like [Siouxsie and] the Banshees and Joy Division. The first crop of punk bands [like the Sex Pistols]
had faded from the scene, and a new crop came up 'round '79 and '80, who were much darker and
moodier -- less anarchic. Bands like Joy Division, us [The Cure], Gang of Four, Echo and the
Bunnymen. The only early punk bands who survived were the ones able to make that transition, like
Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Damned..."

Bela Lugosi's Dead: A song released in 1979 on the Small Wonder label by the band Bauhaus.
The lyrics are:
White on white
translucent black capes
back on the rack.
Bela Lugosi's dead.
The bats have left the bell tower,

the victims have been bled,

red velvet lines the black box.
Bela Lugosi's dead.
Undead Undead Undead.
The virginal brides
file past his tomb,
strewn with time's dead flowers,
bereft in deathly bloom,
alone in a darkened room
the count.
Bela Lugosi's dead.
Undead Undead Undead.
Oh Bela, Bela's undead.