a little help (research)

[medusa]

Hi there i was wondering if any of you had the time to fill out this questionnaire for my a-level english coursework, any responses would be greatly appreciated

Questionnaire

Name:

Age Group (please circle):
Under 15 15-18 18-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41+

Are you (circle as many as apple):
A musician a DJ a fan of ‘Goth’ music involved in the music industry

What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?





What themes do you associate with the genre?





Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?








Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?




What do you think influences the genre? E.g. politics, other genres, history etc





How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?





Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):
More Less No change

Why do you think this is?



What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?




How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?











Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):
Bauhaus
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Alien Sex Fiend
Cradle of Filth
Type O Negative
Mortiis
Uninvited Guest



Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

[the_ink_bleeds_faster]

As I read the first sentence, I noticed that this is an english asignment. So are you asking for people to answer those or what?

[Minyaliel]

Ah whatever... I've got some spare time. Here we go...

Name: Minyaliel (net name - I don't make my name public on the internet)

Age Group (please circle):
18-20

Are you (circle as many as apple):
A musician, a fan of ‘Goth’ music

What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?
They need to be good and make sense. Or be abstract, like the lyrics on Siouxsie & the Banshees' "Kaleidoscope" CD. And please, no shallow lyrics like you find in hitlist pop songs. It gets boring in the long run.


What themes do you associate with the genre?
Dark, perhaps morbid themes; love songs, historical themes, zombie/ vampire/ whatever undead or "nasty" (read: interesting) creatures folklore and modern culture may have come up with, stuff like that. Often, these are spiced up with this strange humour often understood amongst gothics.


Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?
Of course they have changed; everything needs to change in order not to stagnate and die. In the 70's and 80's the texts seem to have been pretty much about anything dark/ surrealistic/ abstract/ morbid, sometimes also about sex and/ or BDSM, while the new generation of gothics in the 90's focused more on the romantic aspect of goth, involving quite a lot more emotional lyrics, love songs or songs about destruction or death. At least, that's how it seems to me; I didn't get into the scene until well past the new millennia, but I've listened to a lot of the old stuff. From gloomy punk- inspired to lace- draped romantics, kind of... I still haven't met a female goth who doesn't own or at least wants a corset or corset top.


Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?

Yes - for instance, if you look at "Bela Lugosi's Dead", the lyrics are very experimental, sometimes seeming to be rather random, in an abstract way. Now, some of the newer gothic music often has more poetry- style lyrics (take Black Tape for a Blue Girl's songs as an example).


What do you think influences the genre? E.g. politics, other genres, history etc

History, dark aestethics and the mystery of what's hiding over in that dark corner and goes BOO! in the middle of the night *laughs*


How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?

That's a hard question. I mean, the term "goth music" is more or less a big umbrella definition of many different genres; you have the lyrical/ melancholic darkwave music, or EBM, the more punkish gothic rock ("old- school goth"), or genres like gothabilly, dark cabaret and the so- called "goth metal"... Often, there's not much other similarity than a general "dark" feel. It's a whole alternative world of music, which has everything covered, from music to relax to or to dance to. And a lot of gothic songs quickly become very annoying ear worms, like it or not. I'd prefer a gothic song playing itself in my head again and again to any mainstream pop song. It doesn't make you go insane, usually, like the Numa Numa song or the Schnappi song would. Anyway, I'm going off topic. It's an alternate universe... that's the only way I can describe gothic music.

Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):
More Less No change

Depends on what you define as gothic music. The mainstream music business has tried to earn big bucks on gothic music, but they've never really succeeded in recording any real gothic music because gothic music is an underground style and is not really possible to recreate in the shallowness of hitlist music today.

Why do you think this is?

Huh? Don't understand what you're asking about here...

What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?

To please the ear...? I listen to goth music because I like it, just as I wouldn't hesitate to put a track by any "mainstream" artist/ band in my playlist if I like the song. I believe the main purpose of any music would be to "give" the listener something, if you see what I mean.


How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?

I don't think there is an average - is there? - and if it is, then I've missed it. But most goths do tend to be creative, intelligent and have often seen life for better or worse. Most goths do see that you can't just sugarcoat life and expect it to live up to your expectations all the time.

Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):
Bauhaus
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Alien Sex Fiend
Cradle of Filth (I've heard a song by them which I despised)
Type O Negative (don't like them either)

[Don't Look Behind You]

I am actually no fan of questionaires and ususally don't answer them, since I am thinking of becoming a sociologist myself. But I guess I'll answer this one, if it will help you.

Questionnaire

Name:

Morgana (I won't give the rest: this is the internet, after all)

Age Group (please circle):

15-18

Are you (circle as many as apple):

a fan of ‘Goth’ music

What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?

well, nothing special actually. the lyrics have to be something the author thought about and that the listener would think about too. In other words, something that was not writen to add some words to a melody and earn money. A real gothic song has a thought or a feeling captured in it.
I also like these absurd kind of lyrics where one is never sure what is meant but still gets some picture in the mind.
Also, I like the melody to be beautiful and the music itself to be real music and not just some sounds put together. And the addition of midieval touches can never get old.


What themes do you associate with the genre?

well first of all, gothic means for me - thought. Thinking about every occurance in life and really trying to see what is and not what one wants to see. Deep thought then always brings one to seek for beauty in those things that society has regected as disgusting and dark. What's appropriate and what's not has been decided by society and since one cannot quite fit into its norms, one is obliged to have a look at what is it that has been regected and why? And is it really disgusting. Beauty, after all, is an extremely relative definition, just like anything else.
So the first theme I assiciate with gothic is thinking and searching for what is behind those norms that have been created by society. And this then leads one automatically to be attached to morbid, dark and mythological themes like vampires etc.


Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?

I must admit, I do not know much of the history of the gothic subculture. I would say everything changes over time, to be able to fit the time. I suppose the "creepy" themes that are so common to the gothic culture were in the begining much softer and then, as the old things were not longer new and shocking, one went further down. Just like horror movies. What before was considered absolutely terrifying is now laughed at. So I suppose those areas of the "dark side of life" that soon became old and didn't offer any new thoughts were replaced by something else. I can't offer any examples, since the above was only a supposition, but Dracula, for example, I believe some more sex has been added to this image during the last few decades. So before, just looking into the world of an "evil" was shocking and appreciated and now showing this "evil" also capable of love and even desirable is more interesting...and even this idea I believe is getting old.
Errm, yeah. I don't know if the above made much sence but it was a rather long answer for someone who has no idea...I tend to do that.

Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?

Well, it depends on what you mean by language. If you mean in literature and songs, I would say yes, becuase the slang and expressions change with each generation and, gothic or not, are brought into both songs and books. Otherwise, I suppose just like was mentioned above, more poetic and ala-middleage language has become popular lately due to the fashion of romantic themes. I don't know if this has been the case before, so actually, I am quite clueless here as well. All I can say is, I do believe it changed just like anything else changes.


What do you think influences the genre? E.g. politics, other genres, history etc

History and mythology as number one influence, clearly. Otherwise, nothing really. or everything a little bit. Just like any modern person gets influences from the surroundings so does a culture.
But politics, I would say, do not influence the gothic culture. Although goths may, like anyone, discuss politics, I believe it is the main difference between goths and punks that goths don't go out there and try to change the world. They prefure sitting back and watching what all this will come to. Or atleast, this is what my experience has shown me.



How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?

Well, since I have never been any good in music-genre classifications I will just say that, number one, gothic music has to have some dark theme to it ( be it mythological characters, confused thoughts of a madman or a darkly romantic theme). That is the factor that holds gothic music in a group, after which it can be classified into matal, rock, progressive and whatnot. As long as it really has thougthfull and dark lyrics it is gothic.
So that's where the debates start, becuase this factor could be fulfilled by almost any genre.


Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):

More

Why do you think this is?

It has become popular all of the sudden to scream ones emotions out and to be an outcast. And this was a great opprotunity to make money on the gothic image.
But, of course, nothing in the media is real, so there is no gothic music being played on mTV or Viva or whatever.
The gothic stereatype has be so drastically altered by the media to make it more appealing that all those bands out there that are profiting from this image are very far indeed from making gothic music.
I think real gothic music can be only underground because it is only underground that real music of any kind can be made. As I already said, in the media nothing is real, it's only about making as many millions as possible by being a fake rolemodel.

What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?

World domination!!!
Jeesh, no, it's just like any music...the musicians make music for themselves becuase it helps them express themselves and fulfill their creative urge...and it appeals to those who are like them. No more, no less.


How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?

Now it depends on what kind of goth fan you mean. Do you mean the "goth" fan that has been formed by the media or a normal goth?
The normal goth is probably goth his whole life long and can be any gender and of social background, but possibly more are from the lower classes with a difficult family situation.
And the "goth fan" is a pickle-face teenager that listens to manson or emo becuase that is so gothhhhh, believes he is a warrior of satan, comes really from any social layer, but possibly more again from the lower and more difficult ones and can be any gender becuase lately unisex has become a fashion.
How has this changed over time? Well, I believe there were much less of these pickle-faced satanist teenagers becuase there was less of this stereotpe shit in the media and the goths came more from higher social levels becuase goth wasn't about screaming to the world about how terrible your life is. (I read somewhere that the goth-movement started with children of wealthy families that wanted an other life as the one planned for them by their parents.)
Otherwise, in gender and age, I don't think there could have been much change. The only change over time is that this whole stereotype evolved.

Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):
Bauhaus
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Alien Sex Fiend
Cradle of Filth
Type O Negative (only heard the name, thought)
Mortiis
Uninvited Guest



Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

You're welcome

[transformingfate]

In the name of helping with schoolwork...

Questionnaire

Name: Ashley Shaw

Age Group (please circle):
Under 15 15-18 18-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41+

15-18!

Are you (circle as many as apple):
A musician a DJ a fan of ‘Goth’ music involved in the music industry

A fan of goth music

What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?

I expect the lyrics to be well-thought-out, meaningful, well-written, and to have something relating to the culture. The vocals should convey what the lyrics are about clearly and emotionally. I also expect the music itself to be beautiful, well-played, and have feeling to it.


What themes do you associate with the genre?

Ususally things that follow a certain train of thought and the ability to see beauty in darker things. From there, one travels into darkness, blood, death, etc. I like music with fantasy themes as well.


Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?

Yes, they've changed as the goth culture has evolved. It's gone from more punk style to more romanticism.



Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?

From what I listen to, the language has changed in the same way the themes have.

What do you think influences the genre? E.g. politics, other genres, history etc

History, myth and fantasy, general themes of thought.


How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?

That is a difficult question, especially due to the nature of the amount of controversy over what is considered "goth" music. I would describe goth music as anything following the themes of the gothic culture without crossing into the punk or emo genre, and fitting the forms proper gothic music should take. And I don't care who you are, Marilyn Manson isn't goth and never will be.



Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):
More Less No change

More

Why do you think this is?

It's become more "popular" to dress in black, listen to gothic music types, and in general show a "FUCK YOU!" face to the world. Not saying that this is gothic. Just saying it's more popular.


What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?

I don't know about for other people...But music is my drug.


How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?

Honestly, I haven't much experience in this area. I was sheltered and don't personally know many Goths.


Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):
Bauhaus
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Alien Sex Fiend
Cradle of Filth
Type O Negative
Mortiis
Uninvited Guest


Bauhaus
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Mortiis
Cradle of Filth

[medusa]

you lovely lovely people thank you

[Delkaetre]

Name:

Age Group (please circle):
Under 15 15-18 18-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41+

Are you (circle as many as apple):
A musician a DJ a fan of ‘Goth’ music involved in the music industry

What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?
Variable... anything from zombies to romance to politics. Darker or more obscure references than you'd find in pop/R'n'B etc are pretty much a constant.

What themes do you associate with the genre?
Morbid humour, dark themes (bats, skulls, black, cobwebs), tongue-in-cheek humour, over the top dress sense, deliberate pretension, historic interest (Egyptian symbols, Victoriana, 1920's burlesque/flapper fashions, medieval costume), high literacy, deliberate obscurity.
Yes, some of them are more traits than themes...

Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?
Yes. Goth began as a post-punk movement. Just a darker side to pop music, the new Romantics with more eyeliner and a little more aggression- all hairspray, eyeliner and pointy boots. It has since expanded to include new forms of music (industrial/cyber), new and old fashions of clothing encompassing everything from around the 12th century onwards to the wildly futuristic. It's become a much bigger genre, and has thus formed into factions (Trad Goth, Spooky Kids, Cyber Goth, 'Fantasy' Goth- LARP, medieval, etc) to represent all the old and new.

Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?
It's now more openly acknowledged as 'goth', whereas the earlier bands didn't recognise themselves as such for some time. New terms have evolved to take in the change in subculture. Terms such as those listed above and more have come about to describe the fashions- Cyber Goth, Babybat, Spookykid, Trad Goth, Rivethead... New musical terms have turned up as well- Darkwave, EBM, Deathrock, Horrorpunk, etc all define themselves differently, but are all accepted as part of the modern goth culture. Without any loss of original language, the modern language of the subculture has built up on itself to create a wider and more varied vocabulary.

What do you think influences the genre? E.g. politics, other genres, history etc
Politics of all forms are accepted into goth, and then pretty much ignored- it's almost unique in that it has no distinct lines in anything. Communists and Facists are both common in goth culture, along with those with lesser alignments and no political interest. Leftist tendencies are common, as goth is a very accepting culture of almost all possible alignments. If you're interested in goth, then your religion, gender, sexual tendencies, etc don't matter. Historically, goths pay more attention than most to the origins of the name- the architecture and literature defined as goth get plenty of study, and goths often enjoy the study of history in general as well as specifically 'gothic' pursuit. Goths also have more tendency to know the roots of their subculture than others (with the possible exception of punks).

How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?
Extremely varied, but a little darker in all things than any other form of music.

Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):
More Less No change N/A

Why do you think this is?
It's no longer the same music as it was- the original goth music was pop music, thus technically more commercial than the subculture it is today. But because of the increase in popularity of distinctly gothic music, it has become commercial in an extremely directed way- it's a very difficult question to answer, since it's now both more and less commercial.

What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?
Enjoyment and creativity. The artists wouldn't make the music unless they enjoyed it and the fans enjoyed it- like all music, it's there for listening to. But it also acts as definition- people can define themselves by their choice of artists. The music can act as a great release of emotions for both listener and artist, and all music can be important for this reason.

How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?
Age- anything from 15 to mid-50s seems to be possible, though the majority of 'serious' goths are aged 18-30.
Social Background- any, though with a tendency towards a good education and sometimes higher rates of troubled home environment. Goth is a wonderful escape, as the communities are often tight knit and ready to support anyone having trouble at home.
Gender- any, since male, female, trans, straight, gay, bi, etc are all accepted. A goth can be anyone from anywhere, as long as they embrace the music and mentality.
It has changed over time- goth was originally a smaller post-punk movement, made up of rebellious young people who weren't quite so loudly, violently rebellious as the punks. It's now pretty much anyone who knows what they're talking about when they say 'goth'.

Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):
Bauhaus
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Alien Sex Fiend
Cradle of Filth
Type O Negative
Mortiis
Uninvited Guest
(Familiar with all, but marked preference for Bauhaus, Siouxie, ASF and Uninvited Guest.)

[Godslayer Jillian]

I generally don't like this questionnaires, but, what the hell, it's been a while.
Questionnaire

Name: Call me Ishmael

Age Group:
17

Are you (circle as many as apple):
Fan of goth music (notice I said Goth, not gothic. You'll understand the difference further down.)

What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?
I expect either a satire of contemporary social problems, a tongue-in-cheek song (Your Best Nightmare is my anthem) a love-song (never get old), a reference to a deep reverence of religion, a short story being sang, or most importantly, something fancy that you can pretend you understand.

What themes do you associate with the genre?
There's the clichés: Darkness, Love, Death (in a non-suicidal tendency), Medieval, Egyptian, Nordic, Biblical, and Celtic references.
I'm not particularly fond of vampyres. Anyone that read Dracula can see that vampyres are more closely related to werewolves than men. Dracula was ugly; he even had hair in his palms (...O_o). It was his human nature, polished by centuries of living, which made him elegant and sensuous.
Plus, it was not Stoker who gave elegance to vampyres. It was Bela Lugosi.
Other ingredients include sarcasm, philosophy, and there's some Pillsbury dough somewhere in the mix (maybe in the white make-up)


Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?
I have never met in person a goth that was there since the beginning of the movement, but I do know at first it was about music. Then there came the fashion. Goths were nothing much more than punks without the violence and bigger hair.
Whoever set the path for goths to be about literature is my idol.
I feel Goth is becoming more elegant and diverse without losing its edge of uniqueness (despite the Hot Topic generation)

Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?
As Minyaliel already said: Early goth was very experimental. Now, music is more "artsy". Many songs have deeper meanings (e.g. many if not most of Siouxie's)
Also, in literature, the new "gothic novels" are very descriptive and linguistical, although they're too simple for my taste; too little symbolism.
Thankfully enough, gothic literature doesn't mean Goth literature. I'm sure most goths will agree that the Victorian, Romantic, and Elizabethan styles are better than the "gothic novels".

What do you think influences the genre?
Society.
Everything else is derived from it.

How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?
Music that both scares my preppy friends but is not considered goth by Spooky Kids.
Gothic music has relatively mellow tones, a singer that always seems to sound far away or behind a curtain for some reason (or is it just me?) lyrics that can be both funny and sad in different intervals.
The lyrics are important, but we cannot ignore the music in itself. Beethoven used to say that there are some revelations that can only be known by music. That's why I love purely instrumental music.

Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):
"Gothic" music has become much more popular. "Goth" music has not changed, and if it has increased, it's for the better.
I like to draw a difference between these two:
"Gothic" is an adjective. In this sense, it is quite right to label HIM and Evanescence as gothic rock in the same place as Lacrimosa.
"Goth" is a noun. It's a title. "Goth" is something a band earns because of their ideas. Many goth bands can be gothic rock (e.g. Lacrimosa) but not all gothic rock is really Goth.

Why do you think this is?
I think I've answered this question above.

What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?
What is the purpose of music?

How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?
I believe in the "You do not become goth. You are born goth."
Of course, I'm not saying we drank blood instead of formula when we were babies; but just as only so many people are born with high IQ, only so many people are born with enough amounts of curiosity, love for the unknown, fear of mediocruty, open-mindedness, et cetera, necessary for a goth. Just as with the IQ, there ARE some things that can make you acquire these qualities, but that means that a person cannot just say "OK, from now on, I'm a goth."
Social background is important only in the way a person tries to enter the culture: It can be a person that suffered in its childhood and just connected with the nihilistic, depressed, dark side of life; it can be a rich kid that just wants to be different; it can be a suburban kid that "doesn't conform himself". But at the end, only the ones that enjoy the elegant manners of this "dark side" can really be called goth.

Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):
Bauhaus: check
Siouxsie and the Banshees: double check
Alien Sex Fiend: check
Cradle of Filth: check
Type O Negative: indifferent check
Mortiis: check
Uninvited Guest: check, but not MP3 material

P.S. You missed Fields of the Nephilim and Sisters of Mercy.
P.P.S. Who likes Echo and the Bunnymen?

[Slap Your Love]

Oh joy! A questionaire.

Name: Slap Your Love

Age Group

15-18.

Are you (circle as many as apply:

A musician, a fan of ‘Goth’ music, involved in the music industry.

1) What do you expect from the lyrics of a ‘Goth’ song?

This Varies. From Life to Death, love. Romance, Many emotions: From Depression and Hate to Joy. Very meaningful lyrics, not just thrown together about sex and drugs as you find in other generes. Over all a beautiful theme and intake from the song. Influences of the roots of the gothic subculture.

2) What themes do you associate with the genre?

Alot is stated above aswell as here. Love, Death, Vampyres,
Medieval, Victorian, Egyptain, and even Roman Themes I'd say.
Religion is sometimes a strong theme. Pleasure of the Body. Despair, Depression.

3) Do you think these themes have changed over time? If yes, how have they changed?

Yes, everything changes. People change. Views on what is "gothic" change with new kids. Alot of these Kindergoths have forgotten the roots of the culture and no respect for the founding fathers. I agree with Jillian above goths were nothing but punks without the violence and bigger hair. =] Fashion seems to change everything in people's views.
4) Do you think that the language of the genre has changed over time? If yes in what ways has it changed?

Yes, well just recently this whole cyber-goth culture has turned up. Changing from the mellow lyrical styles ect. of old gothic music now to even popular dance hits. It amazes me.

5) What do you think influences the genre? E.g. politics, other genres, history etc

Punk ofcourse was the influence. Everything influences each other.
I suppose even politics although how I much I hate it.

6) How would you describe ‘Goth’ music?

I think my answers to question one and two answer this.

7) Do you think ‘Goth’ music has become more or less commercial over time (please circle):

More Commerical. Although some people still view being "Gothic" as taboo. It's not new to most people anymore. It's not as "underground" to say, and with stores like Hot Topic kids try and dress gothic all the time now while most of them have no clue of the Gothic subculture. So people assume these kids as Goths cause they look similar sometimes. So being gothic is viewed by alot of people as a trend and a phase a kid goes through, and this is wrong. Kindergoths/spookies/Mallgoths do not need to be mistaken for goths.

8) Why do you think this is?

I stated above.

9) What do you think are the purposes of ‘Goth’ music?

This is an insane question.

10) How would you describe the average ‘Goth’ fan in terms of age, social background, gender etc? Has this changed over time?

I agree with Jillian again above "You do not become goth, you are born goth." I have also answered this question in parts of other previous questions.

11) Which of these bands are you familiar with (please circle):

Bauhaus: Very Familiar.
Siouxsie and the Banshees: Very Familiar.
Alien Sex Fiend: Very Familiar.
Cradle of Filth: Familiar.
Type O Negative: Familiar.
Mortiis: Familiar
Uninvited Guest: Familiar.