FYI NZmusic regulars, the whole serial killer metal thing was probably done best of all by chicago band macabre, who've been around for over a decade and a half.
my favourite is "vampire of dusseldorf"
on their old website (circa 1996 or so) there was a photo of the band visiting john wayne gacy in prison.
now that's commitment!
well shit how am i going to stir if you're going to remain perfectly rational? :)
woooo! i'd rather be johnny depp but i thought we were only on the breakfast club thing, johnny and anthony michael were both in edward scissorhands though so it's only one degree away!
i'd say it has more to do with the fact this argument has raged for decades with no resolution
oh yeah, i didn't say i necessarily believe in it either btw ;) but i do like to try and understand something before i badmouth it *cough*
forgot to add - punk as a genre was formed by many different bands with different opinions and different messages, but they used a common style. now how can you define that? it's a way to describe the way they play their instruments and that's about it. to wax romantic about the integrity of early punk vs the commercialisation of modern punk is kind of silly, you can't compare them, since one existed for a reason, and the other exists because the other existed.
punk is the section you go to to find rancid. or green day. or the punk bands. anything else was made up by the media and isn't really important. listen to the messages of the individual artists and you might find you're not so reliant on genre to appreciate good music.
you can spend a lifetime intellectualising and arguing about what 'punk' means, but you've got to ask yourself, is it really important? the message gets lost as soon as you try to define or label it. there is no "once and for all" because everyone has a take on it.
if you want to truly understand it you need to look outside of the subculture itself and start looking at human nature, rebellion has been a staple of our behaviour since the dawn of time, and as soon as anything becomes popularised there will be someone out there that disagrees and decides to rebel.
jazz was rebellion, blues, punk, rock, it's all revolution, whatever came before it fueled that. so, in being the subculture they are, punks are really no different to hippies, the ideology may be different, but the fact they are there suggests that what punk "is", is a response to a time and a place. the fact it has in some form made a resurgence would suggest that it's pretty widely accessable, and it's true, angry or frustrated teenagers are dime a dozen, they lap it up. and if it's not punk, it's rap, or metal, or another angry subculture.
punk is a response. the themes in punk are not unique, they cross over into other genres, and come from human nature ... the themes in punk have been around longer than we can even historically remember.
not that i'm saying punk is bad, or good, or anything, it's just another part of the self-perpetuating human comedy. good on ya if you like it. the messages that come from the different bands are going to reflect the personal opinions of the artist. one song might be political, another song social.
what is punk
what is rap
what is metal
what is vaudeville
what is goth
what is swing
keywords and catchphrases.
you think it's bullshit because you expect answers from it. the answers should come from you, the horoscope should act as a tool or a guide, it should raise questions rather than give answers. it's like having a black rock and a white rock in your pocket, white meaning yes, black meaning no. you think it's bullshit because you've been trained to. congrats, you're yet another product of popularised subculture and skepticism, enjoy your gen-x labels, perhaps one day you can close your eyes to everything.
you wouldn't necessarily go to a priest practicing christianity *and* islam now would you? (although come to think, it could solve a lot of problems) you could also say the same of i ching. i'm not questioning the validity of tarot, i'm questioning the validity of "psychics" who give tarot readings and do horoscopes, for money.
oh and just so you all know, my mum has been an astrologer for longer than my entire life, so i'm not just being a mr know it all, i actually have a clue about this.
that's right, jeez, can't post href's, sorry kids, it's been awhile
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Astrology isn't meant to be used as the be all and end all of telling the future.
Astrologers chart out the astrological positions of the planets, then interpret the alignments. each planet has different qualities and are more representative than literal.
If you were planning a big trip, for instance, you might check your horoscope to see if the planets are aligned in favour of travel - if there is negative energy in the world, or the region you're planning to go to, you need to be mindful of that, but negative things manifest themselves in many ways.
If your stars suggest there is going to be illness, you might just have a flu, or you may contract a terminal illness - astrology is a guide, if you are forewarned of possible dangers then you can proceed more cautiously.
If your chart says there is money on the horizon it could suggest the powers that be are in favour of you applying for a job, or that you should keep your eyes open for other financial opportunities.
Anyway, in case you haven't got the point, there are no absolute specifics in astrology, to oversimplify, if your horoscope suggests that you should go outside, you can still choose to stay inside. It doesn't mean that any of the things predicted in astrology will come true, because there is still the human element and the fact we have a choice. An astrologer cannot tell you your dog's name, or your favourite colour.
As for legitimacy, it is up to the wisdom of the astrologer themselves to determine what sort of advice you may need, and up to you to make up your own mind on how to apply it (and who to listen to).
It's not a very good idea to read too much into the horoscopes you get from newspapers or websites, each of those readings are either invented by an editor or producer, with no basis in genuine astrology, or not specific enough to your own situation, these are generalised and condensed for all the members of your star sign and may be completely inaccurate if you are born near a cusp date, where you would also have other influences from the previous or next star sign. In short, the horoscope for Taurus today in the Herald cannot possibly contain every piece of advice that the reading may have to offer for every single person born in May.
If you're genuinely interested in astrology i suggest you find an astrologer to do your chart specifically for you, they will take into account your date and time of birth and your place of birth, which are both important if you want a more accurate reading. Avoid astrologers that also claim to be psychics or have a vested interest in soothsaying devices such as tarot, because these people generally haven't studied the art of astrology in depth, they have spread themselves too thin and just tacked astrologer on the end because that's something more mainstream that the general public can believe. Go to a dedicated astrologer. Naturally, the ones that do it for love rather than money tend to be better and more insightful, so it is really hard to find a good one.
Also remember that astrology is independant of religion, and has been used by priests, kings, and heathens alike. A lot of old gothic cathedrals have large circular stained glass windows called "rose windows" that are commonly seperated into 12 segments, often representing the signs of the zodiac. Alternatively (or in addition) they may contain paintings or motifs representing the stars - eg this cathedral in France. there is no good or evil in astrology, only potential influences which may affect the behaviour of people. Astrology, while not entirely understood, is not a supernatural magic hocus pocus psychic thing, it requires years of study to learn and has been around in relatively popular use for thousands of years. It is a system developed over a very long time based on the observations and research of a lot of people, there are several different variants and methods, and an incredible amount of possible applications.
Mass culture has damaged its integrity, but skeptics are generally just unwilling to take what they can from it within their own limits, or just ignorant of the true intention of the craft. It's easy not to believe in something when the public facing side of it is just a fraudulent fortune telling gimmick.
were you a c-section?