I was going to name this entry "Image" but I think being the label gets more specific. We all know image has been constantly used to promote just about everything we buy as anyone who has taken 2 minutes of an advertising class can tell you, or anyone who has watched a half hour of television knows.
This entry focuses on how music 'lovers' do their best to ensure that no one confuses them with another person. They buy into the idea of the image that goes along with whatever the hell they are listening to.
God forbid you call a punker a hipster or vice versa although some people get off on such things. We all know a person who dresses the label. I'm sure someone will give you some bullshit line about 'lifestyle'. Is it really a lifestyle? Sounds like just a style to me, in the most superficial sense of the word.
The movie SLC Punk repeated a common logic that some have come to realize as shown in the film when Matthew Lillard's character 'Stevo' is talking to Summer Phoenix and she says to him "That's not rebellion. That's fashion." regarding his rebellious attitude that also requires him to dye his hair, and dress the way he does. We have also seen this jab sprawled on shirts and other paraphernalia that reads "Passion not fashion". It's quite true, you don't need to wear that lame ass studded belt, or put on that shirt you just bought at the show of the band you just heard for the first that same day. You don't need to have a swooping haircut fit for Hitler youth, in fact when I see such group photos fitting that profile I immediately know the band is going to suck balls and sure enough, they do!
I met a kid who dressed the label, he was one of the nicest people I have ever met and I couldn't understand why he chose to look like a carbon copy. It was his 'lifestyle' choice I guess. So I began talking to him about music because he made it abundantly clear what type of music he listened to by his appearance. Turns out he liked some god awful shit! He liked some notable acts as well but for the most part he embraced everything shitty about heavy music today. He fell for the same crap that has been reproduced over and over, and like the monotonous and unoriginal tunes he enjoyed, he himself was a living breathing example of it. It was unfortunate, and while I'm not about to go asking the guy to change his appearance, it still makes me wonder how people can easily allow themselves to become something they will get over in a matter of months.
"It's just a phase" comes to mind.
High school had to be the finest example as it usually is of this type of stereotypical grouping. One year, this group of students was into Korn, Rage Against The Machine, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, more or less they were into a lot of garbage they considered "heavy". They made sure to get the chain wallet, army surplus clothing, wear the big ass jeans, ball chain necklaces, you name it (basically what every Ozzfest attendee still wears proudly). The following year they come in and their tastes have changed. No more are they the angst ridden jackasses you once knew, now they like Phish, Widespread Panic, Government Mule, Grateful Dead, Disco Biscuits and so on. With these new tastes they decided to develop all of a sudden, they also had to make sure they had all the right attire to promote their change of interest with their hemp necklaces, tie dye shirts, patchwork pants and stoner lazy talk duuuuuude, I'm just so high all the time I don't even know brooo.
One last example and then I'll move on. A kid a few years younger than me introduced me to some decent punk and hardcore bands, he was politically aware and of course he made sure to dress the part of a punker. 5 years later I run into him, his hair is long and dreaded, and his attire is that of your typical Phishead hippy jackass. Gone are the days of Leftover Crack and the Cro-Mags. He is over that, now he is in love with good vibes.
Here is where it goes beyond just dressing the part, these are people who are always ready to transform into whatever they think others think they need to do in order to fit the profile. Sure High School might be a poor example but I have seen this behavior outside of that immature unfocused element. Music may be a factor for this change but it is merely an afterthought because these kids are too focused on making sure everyone knows who they are while they can't even decide what they want to be. I believe the term most commonly used to describe people who put up false fronts such as these are called posers.
While that term is played out and had its insulting uses drained, it still applies and speaks volumes when used correctly about those who do not give a shit about something so valuable and wonderful as music, all they care about is being the label and anything less highly questions their projected status. This narcissistic behavior is appalling and these people fail to realize how easy it is to see that they are full of shit and terrible tastes.
It's important to know that I'm not bashing people who wear what they wear and I'm not talking about getting made fun of because you dress a certain way, I'm talking about giving into the image for the sole purpose of superficiality. This idea that people carry out time and time again gives way to the obvious fact that they are just trying to hard to prove their love for the type of music when all you need is to know that what you love is what matters, not how people will perceive you as. Again, I'm not going after folks who wear what they wear, I'm simply pointing out that a trend is a trend. Instead, they will attempt to justify their actions as a 'lifestyle' choice and when this runs it's course, what will they cling to next?
If you're comfortable with a label, then so be it. Just don't get pissed off when people "Don't get you" there's nothing to get, you decided to fall into the factory line. However we all know these ingrates know what they are doing and their bullshit is simply an immature ploy to hide how insecure and empty they really are as human beings.
Getting back to the direct relation this all has to the music. If you like a style of music then by all means, explore it to the furthest extent. However, if you are choosing to like a style of music to associate yourself with the aesthetics affiliated with it, then please, shoot yourself in the brain. The music world is already full of blatant uninspired scum, choosing shallowness over the genuine love for something so incredibly life fulfilling as music is disgusting. Remember this when you are spending too much time in front of the mirror trying to get your hair placed perfectly adjacent to the tilt of your flat brimmed hat.
You may be thinking "Yes I know all of this" or "C'mon man we know these kids are all silly assholes" and my response is: "of course!" and "indeed!" But the fact that it keeps happening is what makes the commentary timeless. When I go to shows, which is rarely these days and for good reason, I see the music I love plagued with moronic sheep. These sheep are no better than you're clueless propaganda digesting common folk. As long as they are rearing their ugly heads around the music we enjoy, then I will bitch about their presence while hoping that one day, they stop being such tools. Or the day when they all decide to carpool to the last Bleeding Through show (which I pray is soon), mascara aplenty, and get into the most brilliant fiery wreck this world has ever seen. Here's hoping.
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