But at the same time, if you're going to consider yourself to be a part of a subculture . . . or at least try to relate to an individual of said subculture . . . it's important to know where they're coming from. Most of my friends are Goths, death-rockers and the like, 30 year olds and what not still obsessing about the days of Shadow Project, Christian Death, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dead Can Dance, Joy Division, and what have you. I personally hate gothic music in general, though Siouxsie and the Banshees have some pretty groovy songs. But whenever someone approaches one of them, proclaiming to be "gothic" because of acts like Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, or whoever, they get extremely annoyed.

I can actually sympathize with that. I myself am a subculture whore when it comes to metal. I listen to progressive black metal, satanic black metal, death metal, pagan metal, viking metal, battle metal, sludgecore, etc. etc. etc. So, when someone sees me banging my head, and they ask "What are you listening to?" And I reply "Nocte Obducta!" And then they ask "What's that?" And then I reply "Black metal." And then they say "Cool! I like black metal! I like Dimmu Borgir!" I don't really have any response to that . . . I mean, to say you like a style I like, but you like the popular side of it, and really and truthfully only one band in that genre . . . well, it's not like we're going to have much to converse about.

At the same time, I like jazz music. But I wouldn't consider myself a jazz-head (is that what they're called?). Anywho, if I meet someone who's really into jazz, rather than trying to connect with them, I ask what they like, who they listen to, etc. Because I honestly don't much about jazz. I listen to Tom Waits, Ray Charles and Bernadette Seacrest. So I don't go around jazz peeps and spout off about it like I know what's going on in that scene.

But, in the end, I think music is so fucking spread out right now that it doesn't matter if you're a subgenre-whore, a poser, or just a critic. Because no two people are going to have the exact same taste in music. You might have a few bands in common, but eventually one of you is going to lean this way, while the other leans that way.