The Story Behind the ‘Essential Guide to Emo Culture’ 10 Years Later

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Apr 10, 2017.

  1. Melody Bot Apr 10, 2017
    Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    Rabab Al-Sharif looks at the story behind the book, Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide To Emo Culture, as it turns ten:


    “A lot of people, mostly critics and Pitchfork disciples, were quick to write off emo as a passing trend. They thought it was a gateway music that would provide an adequately angsty soundtrack to your teen years. Then, after puberty passed, you’d throw away the eyeliner, hide the flat irons, and try to forget whether mics were for singing or for swinging,” Simon says.
    ​

    I’ve known Leslie Simon for a long time now and I can’t believe it’s been ten years since this book came out. What a trip down memory lane. I can see my copy sitting on the bookshelf from where I write this.

    Sidebar: Why is loading one page on AltPress.com over 16 MB? That website is a mess.

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  2. Junction183 Apr 10, 2017
    Junction183

    Newbie

    I should probably read this book. Part of me resents defining emo culture with clichés (i.e. eyeliner, skinny jeans, etc.)
     
  3. GEM37 Apr 10, 2017
    GEM37

    She haunts the roads

    Nothing Feels Good was my emo history book of choice in high school.
     
  4. ConArdist Apr 11, 2017
    ConArdist

    Subgenres Should Die

    Just bought this lol! I love our scene, because I've been immersed in it for 15 years and am still trying to nail down exactly what "emo", "post-hardcore" and "screamo" are. Maybe trying to pin down a band like Underoath is useless.
     
  5. rxbandit89 Apr 11, 2017
    rxbandit89

    probably over-caffeinated. Supporter

    Same here! Wish I could find my copy. The index of that book provided me a very thorough roadmap to explore.
     
  6. skogsraet Apr 11, 2017
    skogsraet

    Trusted Supporter

    I read this when it came out! It was pretty funny even to me as a preteen emo
     
  7. ConArdist Apr 11, 2017
    ConArdist

    Subgenres Should Die

    Kinda related, Aaron Gillespie was talking to my friend and I, and told us that he still doesn't really know what Underoath is. I wish I could've exactly quoted him. Underoath is the epitome of a band that is more than a band. UO's music from DTGL on is almost above criticism, as the music is a movement. And while defining screamo and post-hardcore can be an elusive task, Underoath is one of the most united fronts in all of music.
     
  8. ConArdist Apr 11, 2017
    ConArdist

    Subgenres Should Die

    Sorry, chorus is wonderful for knowledge. Last thing, what is our scene? I've been overthinking this all night, couldn't sleep. Kinda freaked out, realizing how hard it is to pigeonhole emo/screamo/metalcore/hardcore/post-hardcore/emocore. I'm OCD, and was a scenester for half my life. Now having a crisis of conscience! Help, chorus.fm. So...the scene is music that has a strong following not yet fully mainstream, somewhat right? Once a band from our scene becomes big(Billy Talent, Blink, Green Day, Paramore, post-2015 Bring Me the Horizon)do they still remain IN the scene? And what must constitute a band being in our scene besides a cult following? Because Adele, the Killers, The Black Keys, Gorillaz, and on and on are indeed in the music scene, but not part of "the scene".
    And of course, Wikipedia thinks scene is Blood on the Dance Floor, Jeffree Star, Breathe Carolina and ugly-ass hair. That is not the scene. That is called a horrorshow. And finally CFM friends, what bands straddle our scene? Foo Fighters? Queens of the Stone Age? Maybe genres are dead and I'm overthinking w/ stupid questions. Weird, I haven't really thought hard about this until age 28. Please get a discussion going, we have the best community!;-)
     
  9. rxbandit89 Apr 11, 2017
    rxbandit89

    probably over-caffeinated. Supporter

    I can't speak for everyone here, and I certainly haven't poked my head into every single thread that exists on this site, but I do have to say that the things I like about this particular community (or scene?) the most are that it seems we A) all have a shared love and reverence for music, which evolved from some common tastes way back when, but B) aren't anchored wholly to those old tastes anymore, or even having music as the central topic of discussion. Basically, we all have some common ground here, but aren't restricted to it and aren't restrictive with it.

    I mostly view that old topic of "who is more punk" or whatever as a training ground for being able to discuss music (or anything, really) in more complicated and fulfilling contexts. We all had that conversation with a certain amount of our own egos/cred/coolness at stake. That's really the only reason for that sort of line-in-the-sand conversation. And there was/is value in that, but I like that this community goes beyond it. Because we're all old and shit.
     
  10. ConArdist Apr 11, 2017
    ConArdist

    Subgenres Should Die

    Haha chorus is like a retirement home for scenesters.:blush:Thanks for your reply, I had to sleep on this. So it's like we all shared a common ancestry, and then split off into different names if that analogy works. It's very interesting that some bands embrace labels, whereas others dismiss them entirely. Like Underoath says "we're a rock band". Sure okay, but they're no mere alt-rock.
    Last though, it's complex! I see people like to claim "genres are dead". Very true in some cases. But in reality, not the case. Jay-Z is in a different genre than, say, RX Bandits to steal your name. So labels/genres have to exist. Ha I just love your "old" comment!:crylaugh:Caught the American Nightmare tour and my ears were bleeding by the end of the night. Not from the music, rather young girls screaming thru all of BMTH's set.[​IMG]