probably a stupid question....

[Chris Rapier]

On 6/9/06, Jeremy David <epistemology at gmail.com> wrote:
> If I recall correctly, the first band to self-apply the term "Gothic"
> to their own rock music in an interview was Siouxie and the Banshees.
> However, the first band to be called "Gothic" by a music reporter was
> Bauhaus.

The actual origins of the word are somewhat... suspect.
The story I always heard was that it was a snarky commetn about Joy
Division (1976-1980) . The reporter, from NME, was using the term
'Gothic' in its more traditional sense in an attempt to describe the
music as being simultaneosly pretentious, bland, plodding, and
monotonous. It ended up being an appropriate term because of the close
linking the music eventually formed with some aspects of gothic
literature.

Other stories indicate that the management of Joy Division used the
word in 1979 to differentiate their style from the pop music of that
time.

Other say that it was about Bauhaus but i tend to discount that as Joy
Division predates Bauhaus and released their first single in 1978. Had
a Peel Session in March of '79 predating the release of Bela Lugosi by
some months. And Ian was also on the cover of NME in early '79.

Even other say that Siouxie Sioux and the Banshees were using that
term to describe themselves before then. All in all its a confusing
question whose answer really doesn't matter all that much.