I grew up on hip hop and gothic, post-punk, new wave, darkwave, industrial, etcetera… I dressed the aesthetic of Goth, went to clubs, I was even the frontman in a Goth/industrial music project D-Lux for a decade, releasing 5 albums and a single. As I got older, I toned down my aesthetic quite a bit, I still dress in primarily black, I’m still 35% covered in tattoos (though I haven’t gotten inked in over 15 years), but the makeup, the crazy cool clothing, the piercings, those went away. I became a dad, a goth dad, but a dad nonetheless, and I also took on more professional roles in life, becoming the associate director at Beyond Barriers and a professional artist.
Now, I live a fully Jewish life but have not abandoned my music tastes nor my primarily black attire, I just express myself more professionally, and dare I say everyday goth. Being a Jew and goth are not mutually exclusive, the two fit together quite nicely, and in fact, I am a part of a large goth and metal Jewish group on Facebook. Some of my favorite artists are;
The cure, the Empire Hideous, The Wake, Type o Negative, HIM, VV-Ville Valo, Siouxie and the banshees, switchblade symphony, Marilyn Manson, NIN, Ministry, Christian Death, Nick Cave and the bad seeds, the 69 eyes, Blutengle, my life with the thrill kill kult, etcetera…
I enjoy most sub-genres of goth, such as goth-metal and gothic black metal, and will give just about any goth-infused music a chance. I listen to a lot of music, Klezmer, traditional Jewish tunes, metal, classical, hair metal, classic rock, opera, chamber, hip hop, and the like, but I always return to gothic music. So why do I like Goth music so much?
I like the darker audible aesthetic, the vocal styles, and the lyrical content which is mostly about emotion, relationships, loss, life, society… I love the overall danceability of it, the rhythms, and the overall artistry of the music. Judaism and choosing a Jewish life, even at its most orthodox, does not mean that one has to give up what and who they are entirely and gothic music and aesthetics are a part of who I am. I am a Jew and I am a goth, both of which make up a large part of who I am!