Source: Micahmedia at en.wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
(Posh Goth) - The whole gothic subculture is entirely subjective and largely dependent on generational memberships: elder goths who grew up on post-punk bands like Siouxsie Sioux or Bauhaus tend to turn their noses up at baby bats like me who grew up on Type O Negative and Marilyn Manson. Commit yourself to any Facebook group dedicated to "the goth" and you will find yourself lost in a sea of mindless bantering among its members arguing over what is goth and what is not. Who knew inclusion into this elite membership came with so many rules and red tape?
As a young, impressionable teen in the 90's, I was initially drawn to the dark side because of its apparent disregard for any and all rules. Flying your freak flag was heavily embraced, and encouragement to just "be yourself" was drilled into my young and malleable mind. Non-conformity was the gold standard and I was instantly hooked.
Fast forward to 2019 as I approach my 40's, and the scene is VASTLY different. There is so much division, elitism, and all-out pettiness that is permeating throughout our once inclusive little community. What gives?
Well I'm about to blow this pop-stand and commit a grave sin by making a very bold statement: PRINCE WAS GOTH.
Did you just hear that? That was the sound of thousands of goths around the world exploding into tiny bats.
Why was Prince goth, you ask? Here are 5 reasons why, and I DARE you to change my mind:
5 Reasons Why Prince Was Goth
5. Prince was flamboyant AF and he couldn’t care less what anyone thought of him. He had an extravagant style that would send any goth on a run for their money. Lace? Check. Eyeliner? Check. Fishnets? Check. Bowtie tops with ruffled sleeves? CHECKMATE.
4. His ever constant usage of paisley and florals in his imagery throughout the years was very reminiscent of 19th century Victorian goth. In fact, there is a rare triple-DVD set where he just went for the full-on goth effect:
Source: https://www.musicvideoresource.com/product/prince-the-npg-live-at-auditorium-stravinski-in-montreux-switzerland-july-13th-14th-and-15th-2013-3-dvd-set/
3. Prince was a musical virtuoso who was a skilled multi-instrumentalist. He wrote his first song when he was 7 YEARS OLD. He was frequently seen during live performances playing the neck of his guitar on one hand, and hitting the keys of his keyboard with the other. Each instrument, each hand was playing a different melody. You know who else was like that? MOZART was like that, and I think we can all agree that Mozart had some goth in him.
2. It was rumored he was a notorious night owl that holed himself up in his recording studio night after night, surrounded only by the light of the candles he burned as he recorded his masterpieces. Pretty vampiric if you ask me...
1. Let's throw it back to 1989's Batman, shall we? Prince was THE SOUNDTRACK. The entire soundtrack WAS PRINCE.
BATMAN. PRINCE. THE END.
3 comments
Batman n prince soo obvious but I never noticed it. 🙇🏼♀️
Playing in a Prince and Sisters tribute – i can confirm that whilst there is no conclusive proof of this – its a fact :)
He was definitely goth-adjacent & liked by goths in the 80s. Never considered a mainstream goth but I dunno, maybe influenced by the same things that we liked? He had a thing for purple, as did we, but musically he owed more to funk & disco than goth rock.