Is Andrew Eldritch a good role model?

[Original GS]

Them clogs; remember the NMA formation stomping team going full-on one night at a gig. Sounded like a genuine attempt to break through the floor.

AE influence? Well, mid-80s, the curtains in the rented house were permanently closed, a la Village Place, but the speed habit was more John Cooper-Clarke than AE.

[abridged]

I remember reading an interview with in which he was asked about being an influence on all the new (then) gothic bands. He said that you can't blame Jesus for the Mormons or something similar...

[copper]

There is something I find highly admirable about his stubbornness.

Let’s also not forget that when AE broke through, pop-culture was quite vacuous. He was one of the first to achieve mainstream success (relatively speaking) while showing that intelligence could be reconciled with cool.

I would add to that his rants against that record company exec, who refused to listen to black artists on their label. This was around 1991 and the industry climate was very different from today.

[CamilleDeville]

I certainly appreciate his fascinating songs and admire him for being the captain of his own ship and doing his own style, and having the tenacity to figure things out all on his own and way to go for not doing what every other band was doing at the time, especially thanks for not wearing makeup like a lot of men were who really shouldn’t have. But I guess I take issue with how some people think that things he chose to put in his songs or things he has said are to be emulated and studied. I don’t feel a need to dissect all the lyrics, sometimes they are just utter nonsense. Can’t we just enjoy singing along and not have to find some deep meaning in them? I think I read some post on here someone brought up his reference to Marx and Engels, and they had clearly chosen to focus on that. He also mentioned God and angels, hello? and he lists the King James Bible as one of the finest, and he isn’t wrong, I’ve read half of it. So my point is, he is to be admired certainly for his intellect & talents, but be smart enough to know who YOU want to be in life and what influence/difference YOU are making. And keep in mind a lot of musicians write songs under the influence of something lol. They’re songs, they’re not doctrines to live by. And he’s human, with faults. I’ve seen comments on YouTube of people worshipping him like he’s some dark lord of the underworld. Good grief. Appreciate his contribution to music sure, but for goodness sake “get a life” as he has said. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to win friends with this post, and I am A okay with that.

[Quiff Boy]

I certainly appreciate his fascinating songs and admire him for being the captain of his own ship and doing his own style, and having the tenacity to figure things out all on his own and way to go for not doing what every other band was doing at the time, especially thanks for not wearing makeup like a lot of men were who really shouldn’t have. But I guess I take issue with how some people think that things he chose to put in his songs or things he has said are to be emulated and studied. I don’t feel a need to dissect all the lyrics, sometimes they are just utter nonsense. Can’t we just enjoy singing along and not have to find some deep meaning in them? I think I read some post on here someone brought up his reference to Marx and Engels, and they had clearly chosen to focus on that. He also mentioned God and angels, hello? and he lists the King James Bible as one of the finest, and he isn’t wrong, I’ve read half of it. So my point is, he is to be admired certainly for his intellect & talents, but be smart enough to know who YOU want to be in life and what influence/difference YOU are making. And keep in mind a lot of musicians write songs under the influence of something lol. They’re songs, they’re not doctrines to live by. And he’s human, with faults. I’ve seen comments on YouTube of people worshipping him like he’s some dark lord of the underworld. Good grief. Appreciate his contribution to music sure, but for goodness sake “get a life” as he has said. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to win friends with this post, and I am A okay with that.

[Swinnow]

As a wise woman said....

[Quiff Boy]

To paraphrase Andrew himself:

He’s a small man, and
He smells funny

[Swinnow]

Bloody patchouli oil

[Quiff Boy]

He'd buy patchouli if it wasn't for the money

[DJElectricDaddy]

As a wise woman said....

This genuinely cheered me right up. Well played

[Swinnow]

He'd buy patchouli if it wasn't for the money

He could always take back what he paid for another motherplucker in a motorcade

[DJElectricDaddy]

I don’t think Sigue Sigue woulda rejected anyone judging by the way they looked in the posters I had/ still have. I guess I was probably watching the Brady bunch as a kid or The Osmonds (my mom got into the Mormon church for several years). Aight, I do wonder what the heck kind of clogs you could possibly have been referring to

@CamilleDeville You asked. So here ya go.

1986 on the way to see The Damned at Finsbury Park


1987 at a college party (apologies for the TShirt)


1988 my first bike but still goth tendencies


1990 in Haardvijk in Holland for Dutch TT, full on crusty biker by this stage, no goth tendencies

[Quiff Boy]

heh, great pics

love that spiky barnet.