Yet another interview for ethnography

I: What sort of music do you listen to?

B: I like to listen to metal core and post hard core but I also like alternative rock.

I: Any favorites?

B: My favorite band is My Chemical Romance but I also like Crown the Empire and Motionless in White.

I: What is you opinion on them?

B: They are good.

I: Could you tell me why you listen to them?

B: I like their lyrics. Lot of good lyrics. They go hard which I really like.

I: How did you first encounter such music in the first place?

B: I have a friend named Milly. She introduced me in middle school.

I: I see. What sort of interactions do you have with the music? Do you listen, make it, or go to a concert?

B: I don’t make music. I listen to it on cds and I have gone to an Amity Afliction concert recently.

I: What does that genre of music mean to you?

B: It really depends on the song or band. There is this one band: Rise Against. Yeah you know what I am talking about. Anyway, they are really political and righteous rage. Other stuff can be energizing or super stressing.

I: What does alternative music mean to you?

B: I guess it is just music that is not as popular or mainstream.

I: Any examples?

B: I don’t really know the names of the band.

I: Do you know the names of the songs?

B: No.

I: I see then. So what sort of associations do you have with ‘metal’ or ‘goth’ music.

B: For metal music, I feel like it is dad music because I listen to metal core which is more harder. I feel like metal is 80s dad music. Goth music is something like Susie and the Banshees, Akira which I do like. Smiths too! Love the Smiths. Also early 2000s Evanescence.

I: So why do those sort of thoughts come to mind?

B: I listen metal core so everything I hear metal; I would think of lame dad music because that is what my dad listens to when he was younger. For goth music, I followed a lot of goth which is what my friends would talk about.

I: How much experience would you say you have with the music?

B: Probably more than average.

I: give me your best description of what the genres sound like.

B: For metal, it is like when your dad think he is hardcore. It is really heavy on guitars and stuff but in a way I hate. The singers also have high voices for dudes. I don’t know any female bands but I do know a lot of female metal core bands though.

I: Where did you get the impression for the sounds anyway?

B: My dad.

I: How much do you know about the subcultures associated with it?

B: I know a good amount on the goth subculture because I was interested in it when I was younger. I still think it is badass hence my black nails. But metal… I guess I know about metal heads but they all have long hair and tank tops. That is what I usually think of.

I: Have you ever met anyone a part of these subcultures?

B: Probably Milly at the minimum. But no one other than her.

I: What is your opinion on the people who consider themselves a part of the culture?

B: I think it is chill. I mean, I love the goth subculture and goth music. I think that people who listen to metal… I think that they’re pretty normal but I will still judge them and say that they listen to dad music… But that is just joking. Mostly.

I: Do you think that the media has any impact on the image of the genres and subcultures?

B: Yeah. For sure. I seen a lot of things against goth and metal subcultures. There are also people who are against people who listen to my kind of music. A lot of media attention is like ‘oh no satanist’ ‘they listen to screaming’.

I: Why do you have that sort of image?

B: It is just from the posts online. It is also from my personal experience of people judging me just for listening to that music.

I: Why do you believe that any genre of music is capable of bringing many people together?

B: I think it is natural for human instinct to be like ‘you like that thing? I like that thing too! We have a connection’ Even if it is not a true connection, it is the same thing. Think of a Texan and New Yorker going to Europe and they are like ‘you’re american? I’m american too!’ Even though New York and Texas are nothing alike, there is still that sort of connection. It is the same with music.

I: What is you take on the media’s perception of the discussed music?

B: I don’t know much about proper media like news or anything. Basically, everyone who is loud about shit is like only ‘the music I like is good so you can all suck it’. That is why I think a lot of people hate on metal or goth. They are like ‘oh you listen to that? you’re a heartless bimbo’. I feel like there is a lot of negativity around that.

I: Do you believe that any of the discussed music has any relevance in today’s culture, society, musical and or otherwise?

B: I feel like every music genre has their own pool. Like any musician can be inspired by any genre even if they take it in a different way. There was an interview with HolZ like when she writes music, it starts out as a pop punk even though she is just a pop artist. There are always influences.

I: Anything else you’d like to say?

B: Nope.