Steampunk
I do have a tendency to defend subcultures, even when I probably shouldn't. But for once I'd like to complain just a little bit about one.
For no good reason. Feel free to ignore this rant.
Steampunk: I love it. The concept that electricity gets skipped altogether and the information age starts at the same time as the industrial revolution. I love films like The Prestige and even Stardust. I love the Time Machine and the Difference Engine and I love Jules Verne, however Steampunk-cliched they've become (they were here first, guys!). There's even the amazing steampunky goodness of the Myst series (because heaven knows I don't play for the puzzles I can't solve). Back to the Future? Steampunk is certainly in the third film. I like airship fleets and hot air balloons and travelling circus wagons that run without horses. I love the idea of a wood-and-brass steam-powered computer (which would probably fill a room). I like looking at old machines. I take pictures of mechanical things.
It's amazing how much the victorians had developed, and yet how much more they could have done with a little bit of sci-fi. I love the victorian aesthetic. I always have. And to punk things up is always fun. Combine it with forward technology and you have steampunk.
And now for the crux of my problem with the steampunk subculture. I admit it's hard to embody technology in a fashion sense. Not so hard in a musical sense. Do modern styles with old instruments and perhaps something like a modern drum kit or some computerized noises. It's just old and 'acceptably' new.
Fashion, however...well. You can dress Victorian with punk sensibilities. If that's just not 'steamy' enough for you....well. How electrical do you normally dress? It's as simple as that. You have a pocket watch? Ok, so that's the victorian dealt with. Now where's the information age with that industrial? Don't get me wrong, I like cogs and gears as much as the next steampunk fan, but there's more to it than that. How about a pocket watch that can tell you the weather? Add a few more impressive-looking dials there.
While we're on the subject of cogs, can we please, as a subculture, acknowledge the existence of other concepts in jewelery? How about cameos? You could include some other machinery image in there, other than cogs or people. Or how about a person with some goggles? And keys....keys have their place. I like keys a lot. Again, overdone. How about some locks? Tell you what: raid a hardware store. I'm sure there's some fun stuff their that can be used. I mean, sure you'll look a bit like a rivethead, but coupled with the victorian stuff, if could be good! I mean we're talking victorian era with progressive engines, aren't we? And lace: there's always room for lace~ Just make it punky? Rip it, stain it, make it black. I don't care! Leather and lace together gives a sense of 'upperclass doing a lowerclass job'. It's an interesting idea. Perhaps with the coming of advanced technology, there's a slight levelling of the class system?
On that note, with improved travel, you'd see more foreign cultures influencing victorian fashion and culture to a greater extent. You could have a yukata with workman boots and a top hat. That'd be innovative.
I mentioned goggles. That's a thorn up there with cogs and keys. Not EVERYONE would be a mechanic, a scientist or a pilot. Or a pirate. I guess old wartime motorcycle goggles could work - the concept of having steam-powered bike or even the old 5-mile-an-hour engine cars converted to motorcycle format with added flying capability in every home appeals to me. How about bicycles that cycle themselves with gears and pistons? All what-ifs that could excuse goggles. But again, I emphasis, pilot and welding goggles are overdone. Can we move on and just use them occasionally?
I've gone on for long enough now. But really, that's all I want to say. I just want people to remember there's more to the subculture than music and fashion: it's literature. And that's hard to put across in everyday living. Calm down with the cogs and goggles; there's so much more!
For no good reason. Feel free to ignore this rant.
Steampunk: I love it. The concept that electricity gets skipped altogether and the information age starts at the same time as the industrial revolution. I love films like The Prestige and even Stardust. I love the Time Machine and the Difference Engine and I love Jules Verne, however Steampunk-cliched they've become (they were here first, guys!). There's even the amazing steampunky goodness of the Myst series (because heaven knows I don't play for the puzzles I can't solve). Back to the Future? Steampunk is certainly in the third film. I like airship fleets and hot air balloons and travelling circus wagons that run without horses. I love the idea of a wood-and-brass steam-powered computer (which would probably fill a room). I like looking at old machines. I take pictures of mechanical things.
It's amazing how much the victorians had developed, and yet how much more they could have done with a little bit of sci-fi. I love the victorian aesthetic. I always have. And to punk things up is always fun. Combine it with forward technology and you have steampunk.
And now for the crux of my problem with the steampunk subculture. I admit it's hard to embody technology in a fashion sense. Not so hard in a musical sense. Do modern styles with old instruments and perhaps something like a modern drum kit or some computerized noises. It's just old and 'acceptably' new.
Fashion, however...well. You can dress Victorian with punk sensibilities. If that's just not 'steamy' enough for you....well. How electrical do you normally dress? It's as simple as that. You have a pocket watch? Ok, so that's the victorian dealt with. Now where's the information age with that industrial? Don't get me wrong, I like cogs and gears as much as the next steampunk fan, but there's more to it than that. How about a pocket watch that can tell you the weather? Add a few more impressive-looking dials there.
While we're on the subject of cogs, can we please, as a subculture, acknowledge the existence of other concepts in jewelery? How about cameos? You could include some other machinery image in there, other than cogs or people. Or how about a person with some goggles? And keys....keys have their place. I like keys a lot. Again, overdone. How about some locks? Tell you what: raid a hardware store. I'm sure there's some fun stuff their that can be used. I mean, sure you'll look a bit like a rivethead, but coupled with the victorian stuff, if could be good! I mean we're talking victorian era with progressive engines, aren't we? And lace: there's always room for lace~ Just make it punky? Rip it, stain it, make it black. I don't care! Leather and lace together gives a sense of 'upperclass doing a lowerclass job'. It's an interesting idea. Perhaps with the coming of advanced technology, there's a slight levelling of the class system?
On that note, with improved travel, you'd see more foreign cultures influencing victorian fashion and culture to a greater extent. You could have a yukata with workman boots and a top hat. That'd be innovative.
I mentioned goggles. That's a thorn up there with cogs and keys. Not EVERYONE would be a mechanic, a scientist or a pilot. Or a pirate. I guess old wartime motorcycle goggles could work - the concept of having steam-powered bike or even the old 5-mile-an-hour engine cars converted to motorcycle format with added flying capability in every home appeals to me. How about bicycles that cycle themselves with gears and pistons? All what-ifs that could excuse goggles. But again, I emphasis, pilot and welding goggles are overdone. Can we move on and just use them occasionally?
I've gone on for long enough now. But really, that's all I want to say. I just want people to remember there's more to the subculture than music and fashion: it's literature. And that's hard to put across in everyday living. Calm down with the cogs and goggles; there's so much more!