Satanism Today - An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore and Popular ...

98 Goth Subculture
Siouxie Sioux, lead singer/songwriter with the legendary Goth group Siouxie and the Banshees, 1980 (Lynn
Goldsmith/CORBIS)
Goth Subculture
Goths are associated with Satanism in the minds
of many outside observers. In mid-1999, this
subculture became the focus of negative media
attention because of a tenuous connection
between Goths and the two students who carried
out the Columbine High School attack.
The Gothic subculture grew out of the New
Wave music movement of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Other influences were certain novels, films, comics,
and role-playing games. There is little connection
with traditional Gothic literature, with the exception
of the original Dracula story. Despite their association,
Gothic music is distinct from heavy metal
music. Although Satan is regularly mentioned in
Gothic circles, he is not a central symbol.
Certain musical groups like Black Sabbath and
Alice Cooper were Gothic music’s immediate
precursors. Early Goth-related groups were the
British groups, the Damned and Joy Division.
Although the latter group was not exclusively
Gothic, it was to leave a distinct influence on
Gothic music. The first use of the term Goth in its
present meaning was on a BBC (British
Broadcasting Commission) TV program. Anthony
H. Wilson, manager of Joy Division, described the
band as Gothic compared with mainstream
popular music. The name stuck.
Another early Goth was the English singer
Suzie Sioux, “Siouxsie” (founder of Siouxsie and
the Banshees). Sioux, originally a punk
performer, was partially responsible for the influence
of Aleister Crowley on the Goth subculture
through her friendship with Temple of Psychick
Youth founder Genesis P-Orridge. It remained
for Bauhaus, however, to define Gothic music,
which was booming in the early 1980s. This
explosion in turn gave birth to new Gothic
groups, such as the Misfits, Dark Theater, and the
Sisters of Mercy. By the end of the decade, the
subculture had spread across the industrialized
world. Specialized magazines emerged and non-
Goth groups such as Kiss and Iron Maiden
produced albums with Gothic themes.