A Question About EMO

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

(arising from discussion on http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/)

Goths of whatever stripe tend to have a web of cultural reference points/shared interests which are not primarily musical i.e. Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman, Giger I guess for the techno-goth bods, etc. (I can think of plenty of things that *I* wd consider 'typically goth' but which more knowledgeable types might scoff at)

ANYWAY what are the non-musical cultural touchstones for Emo kids? Books, comix, films, TV, designers or styles, not really fashion cos that's fairly obvious/apparent...

Comments

[mippy.livejournal.com]

Also MANGA. I did my hanging out in comix places a few years before emo, but manga's gotta be there, surely? And probably hentai, too. Also Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. And DEFO Blue Monday, if they've come across it.

I was going to say Sandman but that's more GOTH. Also, St Swithin's Day by Grant Morrisson (one of my favourite pieces of writing in any medium) is actually v.emo when I come to think about it: boy leaves job at Sainsbury's thinking he might assassinate Thatcher, steals Rimbaud book from Foyles (which he later throws over a bridge, saying 'Well, don't want them to think I'm queer...actually, perhaps I am'), dances in a graveyard to There She Goes, goes to Winchester and wonders why everything looks so very clean, sits in a cafe thinking about his ex and has an imaginary conversation with a girl, then writes Neurotic Boy Outsider on his forehead in the loos at Euston before seeking out Maggie.