Cartoon Sunday: Pitchfork TV's History Lesson About The Goth Sub-culture

How's it going lurkers? While checking messages and working on today's blog last night, I noticed that MTV Classic was showing music videos by 2 pioneers of Goth Rock!

Not only did the network play a classic music video by The Cure, but also Peter Murphy from Bauhaus! Out of shock, I almost dropped 1/2 my Turkey Sub Sandwich.

MTV Classic airing The Cure's music videos is something to be expected. Now, a music video by the lead singer of Bauhaus? That is something exceedingly rare. 

NEVER in all my years have I ever seen MTV air a music video by Bauhaus, much less a music video by Peter Murphy himself. Hell, I've watched VH-1 Classic (now turned MTV Classic) air Joy Division's music video for "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

Playing music videos by Peter Murphy and Bauhaus? Never. 

Well, you could argue that it really all depends on MY timing of turning on music channels. However, MTV has a long-time history of blacklisting certain singers, rappers, groups, and bands. This especially applies to excluding minorities talented in music.

Several months ago, I was surprised to discover that MTV used to blacklist music videos by talented black men such as Michael Jackson and Prince. Originally, founders of the network ONLY wanted to air Rock music videos and music that was close to Rock.

Michael Jackson had to actually strong arm MTV into playing music videos made by people of color. This especially applies to his music video, "Thriller." Michael threatened to tell the media about MTV discriminating against he, Prince, and other talented minorities.

Michael Jackson also let MTV know that a lot of time, money, and talent went into making "Thriller."

After the network finally premiered "Thriller," the music video instantly became the classic that it is today. Once I learned this surprising news, I really started viewing MTV a lot differently than I have throughout my life. 

Since the time of growing up during the 1980's and '90s, I have been use to watching a wide variety of music videos from different genres and sub-genres. After learning how biased, closed-minded, and bigoted the people in charge of MTV's programming were and still are, since the launching of it, I lost MORE respect for the network. It is amazing how MTV started as a network wanting to pander to ONLY  White America.

Today this exact same network now wants to act like self-righteous, civil rights activists and pander mostly to the black audience like it is suddenly BET with non-stop SJW propaganda.

Therefore, if MTV blacklisted music icons such as Michael Jackson AND Prince 35-36 years ago, the network will SURELY exclude anyone, who doesn't fit their branding at the moment. This really is a perfect example of MTV NOT wanting to play music videos made by certain artists for a CERTAIN group(s) of people.

The pioneers of Goth Rock may not be people of color, but I can tell you without a doubt, that I don't recall of ever seeing a Bauhaus music video. Goth fans were just lucky to see The Cure because Goth Music is extremely niche.

On a much lighter note, I thought I would share this satirical animation for Cartoon Sunday. 

Pitchfork TV made an informative yet satirical cartoon about the history of Goth Music and the Goth Sub-culture. If you have never heard of Pitchfork.com, it was founded on New Year's Day 1996 and is supposedly considered 1 of the most popular online music resources. 

Pitchfork.com publishes daily reviews, features, interviews, and real-time music news coverage of Indie Rock, Hip-Hop, Electronica, Pop, Metal, and Experimental Music.

As I watched Pitchfork's history lesson about Goth Music and the Goth Sub-culture, I laughed. There are a few song samples from The Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and Ministry featured in the cartoon.

In addition, there are illustrations of some of these Goth bands' albums and of The Crow film. 

Then, there are jokes about who and what can be considered "Goth." When they said that Kanye West could be considered "Goth," I definitely laughed.

That particular scene is basically mocking hipsters. Everyone knows how much of posers they are, when it comes to any and everything.

Anyway, here is Pitchfork TV's history lesson about Goth Music and the Goth Sub-culture.

Pitchfork TV: "A Brief History of Goth" (2016)

Song Saturday: London After Midnight's (LAM's) Psycho Magnet Block

How's it going lurkers? To help get into the Halloween Spirit 1 montth early, I have some London After Midnight (LAM) for you.

I have been listening to London After Midnight for nearly 10 years and was originally exposed to the "project" via LAUNCHcast. I could give you the origin of LAUNCH.com, but that's a topic for another time.

London After Midnight is a Goth Rock/Industrial Electro "project," which has existed for MANY  years. The "project" originated in 1988 and is fronted by Sean Brennan.

LAM has an international cult following and has toured with Green Day, The Cure, Rammstein, Soft Cell, and HIM.

Speaking of HIM, the band considers London After Midnight to be a musical influence. LAM's most notable album is Psycho Magnet. Their 2nd album surprisingly released on my 14th birthday in 1996, which was also my Golden Birthday (Damn, I feel old!).

However, Psycho Magnet was re-released TWICE  in 2003 and 2008 with bonus tracks. My favorite re-released track is "The Bondage Song (Unchained Mix)."

London After Midnight currently has a total of 4 albums and 1 EP.

Violent Acts Of Beauty is the latest album by the Goth Rock band. It was released in America, during fall 2007.  

Originally, Violent Acts Of Beauty was supposed to have been released during the spring or summer 2007. During that same year, vocalist Sean Brennan criticized current mainstream music, the overall music scene, and MySpace users. In 2007, Brennan ranted:

"All the [music] counter-cultures that existed have been corrupted; especially Goth and Punk, they're gone, they don't exist anymore. The kids [of today] care more about their MySpace pages, their image...and bullshit vanity."

Even though MySpace is NOT  as popular as it was YEARS ago, Sean Brennan's statement still holds true for today's biggest attention whores; Extremely vapid and attention-seeking Millennials on social media.

I personally know parents my age, who believe they can still party like they are still teenagers YET they barely raise their own crumb snatchers.

Brennan's comment especially applies to more recent social media site users, as well as the Goth and Punk sub-cultures. Nowadays, people use being a social outcast as "trendy." It's really sickening.

Those pretentious assholes were NEVER ostracized and did NOT take shit for their eccentricities, throughout their youth. They're ONLY embracing certain sub-cultures to put on a facade because they want to seem "cool."

It is pure bullshit at its finest. Don't even get me started on those fucking hipsters! Those posers wear glasses without real lenses in them! 

Meanwhile, some of those same privileged, "wanksta" ass, brats are buried in a gajillion tattoos and body piercings, as they scavenge for plants as their food and act like "political activists." They believe they are being "trendy," too! 

People of that ilk are so delusional, that I seriously feel humiliation for them. To make it worse, both younger Millennials and Generation Z's entertainment, ESPECIALLY their music, have been politicized and dumbed down for them.

As the days progress, I am convinced there is no hope for the human race. Rather than publishing a long rant, I will let you listen to these songs from London After Midnight's album, Psycho Magnet.

1) LAM "Psycho Magnet" Psycho Magnet (1996)

2) LAM "Kiss" Psycho Magnet (1996)

3) LAM "Shatter [All My Dead Friends]" Psycho Magnet (1996)

4) LAM "The Bondage Song [Unchained Mix]" Psycho Magnet (2003)

5) LAM "Carry On... Screaming [Ruins]" Psycho Magnet (1996)