I’m a fan of glam rock. Now, I’m sure most of you associate
glam rock with David Bowie and bisexual (or gay) men. If you don’t know about
the genre, please go listen to some glam rock bands.
Glam rock isn’t really a music genre. I mean, I guess it
kind of is. But really, it’s an attitude associated with a sort of pop/rock
music. Not just an attitude, but also a subject matter, and more important than
anything, how you present yourself. Glitter is an important aspect of that
presentation.
Glam rock is about being over-the-top. It’s about not just
letting your freak flag fly, but taking it a step further. Glam rock enjoys
creativity, and out-of-this-world topics. If you listen to the music, you’ll
find there’s a huge emphasis on extraterrestrial worlds and life (i.e. Ziggy
Startdust and the Spiders from Mars).
Glam rock thrills in the ability to push people beyond their
comfort zone. It engages young people, who are naturally all about discovering
themselves and their world. It does not cater to those who are only concerned
with fitting in or the status quo. Glam rock is also nothing if not
superficial.
If you examine present/recent music, you’ll find that there
is, once again, an emphasis on being out-of-this world, being over-the-top, and
ridiculous amounts of glitter. However, this genre is dominated by women, not
men, and is incredibly popular in the US, not the UK. This is what I like to
call glam nouveau.
I wouldn’t consider “glam nouveau” a revival of glam rock,
but it certainly has similarities. It pushes the status quo. It’s very
attractive to the younger generations. It’s not afraid to talk about sex, and
the artists tend to be bisexual, or at least don’t have a clearly defined
sexuality. And it is all about being over-the-top and having ridiculous amounts
of glitter. And I love it.
Artists I would consider glam nouveau? The obvious one, Lady
Gaga. But a couple others I would consider part of the genre are Ke$ha and Katy
Perry. Like I said, dominated by women. I’m sure there are others, just not
that I can think of at the moment. These three are the ones who brought me to
coin a name for a genre based on their music.
If you have any opinions on the subject, I’d love to hear
your point of view. I love discussing culture and music and fashion, all of which both glam rock and glam nouveau encompass.
