Emo, Punk (v2).

Whilst I hate to admit it emo is linked in someway to the original punk rock. Being a fan of punk music myself I get a little nervous when people link the two, but I thought I'd tackle representations of emo, and emo representations of film as a small challenge. This is partly because I thought that 'emo' music, and its representations needed some more discussion, even though 'emo' culture hasn’t been covered too much on film since this manifestation of punk rock has been fairly recent. I thought I'd take another look at it from the perspective of 'emo' representations of films rather than films which interpret emo culture or emo music since (with the exceptions of Spiderman 3) these are probably few and far between.

The representations I can come up with are mainly inter-textual, Blink 182 (OK, maybe not emo? I beg to differ) refer to "live like jack and sally" in their song "I Miss You", and that they could "have Halloween on Christmas", referring to the Tim Burton film The Nightmare before Christmas. Many emo kids (*chuckle*) cite this and The Crow as being their favorite movies, and numerous song reference both films. This is mainly due the shared mood of both films and the mood of emo (and goth music), but I also think it is explained as a recent musical culture trying to find a historical reference point, or way to be more than just a fad in a changing media culture.

On the other hand though, the media is more and more beginning to depict emo in film and television content. The latest Spiderman is rumored to feature an emo Peter Parker, complete with eyeliner and the fringe. Awesome.

…& then there are My Chemical Romance fans

In the wake of today’s lecture about punk, I decided to see what My Chemical Romance was all about. They have been described as alternative rock, emo, pop punk, post-hardcore and more relevantly punk revival (wikipedia). I read that following the release of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, the band’s fanbase grew considerably. But due to this increased amount of new fans, some of the band’s old fans felt that the band had sold out, and the new MCR fans were poseurs.

The "Three Cheers for Revenge" Album Cover




The "Welcome to the Black Parade" Album Cover

Now this to me ironic. In true punk fashion, MCR is an antiestablish-mentarianist (a word so long that it seems as entertaining as a debate about global warming) band. Their appearance (on their second album) consists of them wearing B&W suits (a rebellious pursuit against individuality), & their logo carries with it elements linking it to that of the Sex Pistols. Therefore, with these visual aesthetics & signs, it can be endured that this band is this era’s answer to punk. Now, I ask you, what right do old MCR fans have over new MCR fans (by ‘fans’ I mean ardent fans; fans who dress the same way as the band & purchase all the band’s paraphernalia)? Punk is not about a hierarchy, it is about making a statement; its about freedom; its about expressing one’s rebellious side…..albeit in a conformist sort of way. So since MCR only began attracting fans in mid 2003, the band is in retrospect, not at all old. Furthermore, the average age of their concert goer’s are aged between 14 & 25-so with the younger people, one could argue that they are simply looking for acceptance, as such an age group is plagued by social insecurities. This would harmonise with a teenager’s natural tendency to become withdrawn & rebel against certain elements of their surrounding environments. Alternatively, these youngsters become fans as it simply seems like the thing to do at the time, without understanding what it really is all about…..Or finally, because they just like their music. Whatever the case may be, its so hypocritical of these so called people who have been fans to disrepute newer fans, as the reason they joined was identical to why the newbies joined. I’m getting myself confused, but I guess that’s what happens when one tries to place a structure around something like punk mentality, which is so rebellious & aggressive that people who follow it are in constant conflict with one another.

-Ryan