Paul in actual blogging update frenzy.

“John as ever cannot distinguish between product and consumer. Much of Killing Joke’s audience were goths. Some of Coil’s audience were goths. None of Joy Division’s audience were goths, at least until the record was over. But Killing Joke weren’t goths. They were a speedfreak heavy metal band without the guitar solos and better taste. Neither were Coil or Joy Division goths. They both had a certain dark glamour, but they weren’t Sex Gang Children, or The Nephilim.”

This is a bollocks argument because we were talking about genres which very rarely emanate from the band itself, but are given to it by journalists, fans, the mysterious people who decide where things go in record racks, etc. (In fact, perhaps one of the many good things about dance music is that you don’t get any of that nonsense about “oh no we’re not really goths/shoegazers/industrial blah” – because you need to identify yourself as house/techno/drum and bass so DJs will buy your records – it’s all about function).

So anyway, it’s perfectly valid to call Killing Joke goths in my opinion but I will admit they had other things going on as well. I guess what we are talking about are gothic tendencies rather than “gothicness”. Which is why I used the word “elements” innit, fool!

“John is of course a closet goth and is deeply embarassed about it.”

It’s only closet because I got bored of wearing black clothes all the time, but I have no problem lining up with people who are into daaaaaaaaark music whether that be Coil or The Bug, or tech-step, or Killing Joke or spooky Lee Perry dubs or whatever. Or even some of the early Sisters of Mercy stuff like “Reptile House” or Bauhaus, but I haven’t listened to them for years now.

It’s only music and therefore liking it is nothing to be ashamed of, one would think.

It’s interesting that the banner ad at the top of Paul’s blog now looks like this, though: