I've started reading through some of the "RE/Search #6/7: Industrial Culture Handbook", and so far the images and the interviews and all the other shit is really excellent! Buuut, a lot of the interviews so far in the book, they get into a lot of violent (in a physical way) topics... and they are really descriptive about it... which makes me kind of sick to my stomach, as some of it is based in reality, and some of it is based on horror movies and such (neither of which I like, and matter of fact make me physically sick)... it is quite like watching a horror movie with the descriptions and such in the book... I love industrial music, and there are a lot of modern industrial bands that use imagery like that in their live performances and such... I will be honest, I usually skip out on a band that has quite graphic imagery... as I don't like violence, and I can't even stomach modern horror movies... I have a hard time with even some old black and white horror movies...
...I mean in a way it's not surprising that a lot of the pioneering bands used this kind of imagery in their performances and such... but also in another way, it is kind of surprising. The impression I'm getting from these interviews is that, the bands used a lot of imagery or even did physical acts to kind of shock people... to elicit certain reactions... or to really shake people out of the daily bullshit "be a drone" mentality, and to think for themselves and realize there are these control structures around us. I guess for the time, that's what it took to get people to notice and maybe think about things differently, and to really get a reaction in some way or another... or to influence people to choose a different path, or whatever...
...I'm just under halfway through the book... I pick this up in stints and read for a bit, then set it down... There is a lot of inspiration here... (other than the violent stuff)... and so far, this really does seem like an "Industrial Culture Handbook"... it kind of guides you to the ideas, visions, etc... that industrial music embodied at the time, who the pioneers of the scene are... what philosophies they follow... They even get into books, movies, discographies, and all that kind of stuff each band reads, watches, has written, etc...
...I would call this a guidebook/handbook, if you take all the ideas, philosophies, movie suggestions, etc... it guides you to the things that influenced the various artists within the book... granted, even if you read what they read, watched what they watched, you may not come to the same conclusions as they did, but it really gives you an idea of what they were thinking, and kinda how they came to the philosophies that they did!!
As I stated in my last blog, there is a lot of inspiration right now! Lot's of inspiring music conversations about all aspects of music production, music gear, all that kind of shit! This book is definitely adding to that inspiration! I will also say on that note, I am missing the live performances and such right now, and reading this book is definitely making me miss it more... I guess hopefully we have viable vaccine option here sooner than later... cause I would like to get back to attending industrial/goth events and shows (local and not local)... I'm missing the culture, I'm missing the conversations, I'm missing the dancing, the performing in my own act... miss seeing familiar faces in the scene... miss being around my kind!
Love you folks!
Your Canadian Goth/Rivethead,
Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records
P.S.: I'll update you folks again when I've gone through the book in it's entirety! Sooo much inspiration here!!
P.P.S.: Hey! We got a new album! Sign-up to our mailing list here and get a free download of our newest album "Darkness_Rise!"!!
