Comments | colmunson: Why I Loathe (and Adore) Steampunk

colmunson

Why I Loathe (and Adore) Steampunk

Jan 21, 2008 16:51

I don't really update my site, "Odd Mix" much. Been too busy with other stuff. But anyway, this rant will be there. Read it here now if you care to. Some of you will recognize parts of it from recent posts.

As my voracious readers will recall, I recently ran into this blog entry: ( Read more... )

victorian, steampunk

Comments 23

ootwoods January 22 2008, 21:06:56 UTC

THat's why I'm much more a fan of "Raygun Gothic".. Sky Captain, Rocketeer, the Chrysler Building.. it's not over-played and done to death, and it's easy to be true to the "look" without resorting to silliness and hot-glue.

colmunson January 23 2008, 16:11:17 UTC

Give it time and it will be overdone at some convention or other. ;)

But I hear ya. Pulp SF and fantasy is a ton o fun and the aesthetics of the jazz age that went into it are awesome. I think more people are interested in it than once were - for the same reasons I cite steam taking over form cyber. I guess "Dieselpunk" is sorta related. I think less of the goth kids will get into Raygun Gothic because it is not quite as easy to make ooky (mad scientists not withstanding). it has an inherent optimism to it.

So many thoughts... bunnyjadwiga January 22 2008, 21:53:40 UTC

But, well... I'm a research geek, and I'm just not into trends, so what do I know. Not having access to a dedicated costumer, I've pretty much given up on costume-stuff aka cosplay. It's kind of sad that hanging around with costumers will do that. More thoughts on my own LJ if I ever get my head together.

Re: So many thoughts... colmunson January 23 2008, 16:14:31 UTC

You and I both rather qualify as "standing on the banks". You are a solid SF genre reader and veer to the more cerebral side of those stories, I think. My post is just railing against triviality. I find it interesting to observe, generally, and only really annoying when I am feeling like a hardcore history nut elitist snob. :)

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colmunson January 23 2008, 17:35:55 UTC

I love that icon. My wife just read that new novel - the Adventures of Lord Darcey, Gentleman" or whatever it was called. Seems it is good stuff if you're a fan.

These are all excellent point.

Thank you.

mostly because of two ends of the spectrum: the self-referencing fashion end that is neither creative nor interesting, and the equally as boring attitude of people who tout it as a "lifestyle" or "subculture" and decry others for experimenting with it on a less permanent basis. I don't really feel steampunk qualifies as a subculture I think attempts to qualify it as such border on the ridiculous. Neat literary and film genre? Yes. Fascinating, disturbing and thought-provoking ideas and concepts? Yes. Neat fashion when not done atrociously? Yes. As cohesive as a subculture? No.I agree. Creatives must always be allowed to experiment with things. The essence of creativity is to combine two previously unlinked things, as they taught me in school. You need material. Wisdom comes with knowing when to let go and forge a new path ( ... )

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colmunson January 23 2008, 20:18:38 UTC

Abney Park doesn't qualify as a whole genre of steampunk music, hehe. ;)

Yeah. I _want_ to like them and also Vernian Process, but the musicality just isn't there for me. Great look for the act though. Now Rasputina could wear whatever they like and I'd still love their music. *swoon* indeed.

There's an important difference between loving the idea of something and the actualization of it, don't you agree?

Oh heck yeah. But I can't fault artists for trying. Well...I can, but I shouldn't. ;)

formulaic aesthetic...you get the picture.

Yeah. Same human behaviors, different dress-up. As mom used to say, "Life's too short to dance with ugly women."

I'm not the sort of person who dislikes something simply because it's grown in popularity, but rather, without flattering myself too much, by the time it's become very very popular I'm usually looking to the next thing.

I'd like to say me too, but to an extent I do tend to like things a lot less after they become popular, because they change. That said, once something goes mainstream, at ( ... )

Thread 6

fredchook January 22 2008, 22:55:42 UTC

Steampunk used to be right up my alley, of course, but... sigh ( ... )

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fredchook January 23 2008, 00:17:02 UTC

Oo, good idea! Hmmmmm...

(that's another point - big gothy frock coats and corset tops don't GO with the engineer look. They'd get scuffed, and those things are expensive! Where are the sack coats, norfolk suits, and, indeed, safari coats?)

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Thread 21

postconditional January 26 2008, 03:34:34 UTC

I like gears. I have a pocket watch with exposed gears. I'm looking at acquiring a wrist watch with exposed gears, but I think that the display of (non-functional) gears for display's sake is cheap.

I view it along the same lines as the sort of fashions that were once marketed towards 14 year old girls, now sold to women - cheap make-up, cheap jewelry, *bling*, and grrlee-stuff.

Then again, my attraction to things both gothic and steam has been and always will be the potential for style and elegance - not this regurgitated punk look.

Yet that plastic cheapness will always be there in any "trend", somehow lessening its value as perceived by outsiders and ensuring that people will remember the style as "that weird fad"

Thus blue jeans and t-shirts will dominate for the next hundred years. :)

postconditional January 26 2008, 04:22:48 UTC

Sorry for being particular, but it's the pop masses of bad taste that keep the money flowing so that those with better sensibilities can enjoy their own eccentricities.