The Art of Darkness

The History of Goth

By: John Robb

Narrated by: John Robb

This is the first comprehensive history of goth music and culture. John Robb explores the origins and legacy of this enduring scene, which has its roots in the post-punk era. Featuring sound and original music, and read by the author in his distinctive narrative style, this is a truly atmospheric audiobook that takes you right into the heart of the history of goth.

Drawing on his own experience as a musician and journalist, Robb covers the style, the music and the clubs that spawned goth culture, alongside political and social conditions. Reaching back further into history, he examines key events and movements that frame the ideas of goth, from the fall of Rome to Lord Byron and the Romantic poets, European folk tales, Gothic art and the occult. Finally, he considers the current mainstream goth of Instagram influencers, film, literature and music.

The art of darkness features interviews with Andrew Eldritch, Killing Joke, Bauhaus, The Cult, The Banshees, The Damned, Einstürzende Neubauten, Johnny Marr, Trent Reznor, Adam Ant, Laibach, The Cure, Nick Cave and many more. It offers a first-hand account of being there at the gigs and clubs that made the scene happen.

©2023 John Robb (P)2023 Manchester University Press

Narration & Music between sections

this a very thorough dive into Goth, the music and culture that influenced goth and the musicians and celebrities who were influenced by the goth movement. This was obviously a subject that John Robb is very passionate about and he was in the thick of it as a member of the Membranes. Very fun and entertaining and a perfect read / listen for the Halloween season. The music between sections and the timbre of Johns voice makes it feel like an episode of Sammy Terry or Tales From the Crypt. Fantastic stuff

Un paseo histórico

John Robb se toma la enorme tarea de escribir la historia definitiva del movimiento musical Goth en el Reino Unido y, para ello, hace gala de un vasto conocimiento sobre la historia y los personajes clave de la década de los ochenta.
Robb nos transporta hasta los orígenes del término «gótico» durante la caída del Imperio Romano, pasando por la literatura del siglo XVIII, el cine de horror de los cincuenta, el Glam Rock y el Punk. Finalmente, dedica un tiempo considerable a hablar sobre las bandas, lugares y personajes clave de finales de los setenta y principios de los ochenta, para terminar analizando la influencia gótica en la época actual (donde resulta triste ver que hoy se reduce, muchas veces, a una estética comercial para obtener clicks en Instagram y TikTok).
Es curioso porque, evidentemente, existe una fascinación humana por la fuerza oscura detrás de lo gótico; y si bien el enfoque principal es el movimiento musical, cabe notar que la mayoría de los grupos que instigaron la causa se distanciaron de inmediato de la etiqueta.

En definitiva, The Art of Darkness es una lectura esencial para entender que lo gótico no es una moda pasajera, sino una corriente cultural profunda. Aunque hoy el algoritmo lo convierta en un simple filtro visual, el libro de Robb nos recuerda que su verdadero poder reside en la música, la rebeldía y esa búsqueda constante de belleza en las sombras

The authors delivery is fantastic

John Robb’s absolutely delicious voice gave this extensive topic a truly enthralling character and pace! Excellent

Listener Beware

By all accounts, this comprehensive account of all things Gothic looks like a wonderful time. I wish I could HEAR it.

This books reader has been so horribly engineered that he often disappears into the most minimal of environmental sound. He transitions from a guttural growl to a spitty sibilance so often that the one finds the words read virtually disappearing. Couple that with repeated mispronunciations (Nietzsche and Coppola..lol) , and the distractions add up to a frustrating experience.

Sadly I made this select from Amazon Music's "Audible" section, which does not seem to allow for returns. I lose but you don't have to.