(Please excuse the obtuse thread title but I couldn't resist the opportunity to use some intriguing acronyms...)
Stage 1: MYOPIC = Marking Your Own Person In Culture (nearsighted / shortsighted / narrow-minded)
Stage 2: MYOTIC = Marking Your Own Territory In Culture (excessive constriction of the pupil of the eye as a result of drugs, disease, or the like)
Stage 3: MYSTIC = Marking Your Surrounding Territory/Territories In Culture (involving or characterized by esoteric, otherworldly, or symbolic practices or content; (...) spiritually significant; ethereal.)
This thread is dedicated to the discussion of the culture of noise/industrial/PE etc, and how it presents itself in ADDITION to or BEYOND the music and artists. Specifically, I'm intrigued by merchandise, promotion, advertising, propaganda, signals/symbols, ephemera and other material/psychological aspects that help spread a project's name, ideas or message - both to those "in the know", as well as to potential outsiders. Are there means or methods that could only belong within this niche culture, or are we simply reusing tried and tested methods from larger cultures to help achieve this goal? Is the obscurity of a niche culture like PE by design (i.e. relative anonymity), or simply a result of not following rules that more prominent cultures thrive on?
I'll provide a simple example: an artist or project releases their latest album into the world. It's on CD, tape, vinyl or whatever format and it comes with visual artwork to house said format. Nothing too out of the ordinary so far. However, the customer also receives (unadvertised for argument's sake) a sheet of peelable stickers with the project's name or the album artwork printed on it, or a t-shirt with the project name or album artwork on it. It exists outside of the music, but still - it exists. One person receiving said extras might simply bin these useless trinklets as it serves no purpose other than as distraction. Another person might carefully file their stickers or t-shirt away alongside their album at home to form a private shrine or archive of sorts.
But, yet another person might put their stickers on their noise equipment or hi-fi, or play/attend a noise gig wearing the project's t-shirt to show support. And then, yet another person might decide to vandalise major cities by placing these stickers on prominent buildings/tourist attractions, or commit a very public crime whilst wearing their t-shirt in full view of the mainstream media. Same medium, different outcomes - subtle vs blatant, legal vs illegal, planned vs unplanned. Could the original project or its label have had these thoughts in mind when issuing these shirts and stickers out into the world?
Of course, there must be much more to noise and PE culture than stickers and t-shirts for spreading a message beyond the music or project (not that they are to be completely discounted methods!), so please feel free to list examples here - maybe consider what the intent and outcomes of such a project (and their audience) using such a medium is, and also what makes it unique to the "spirit" of noise/PE compared to another subculture? Whether it's the common or mass-manufactered (pins, totebags, hoodies, patches, posters/flyers, clothing lines), more limited/DIY efforts (fan clubs, graffiti, original artwork, handwritten letters, detritus from a recording session), audiovisual methods (non-official concerts/bootlegs, unedited recording samples/stems, radio shows/podcasts/social media etc), or even the truly bizarre or unusual (memes, cults, rituals, tattoos/body mod, naming your firstborn after a noise project etc), all are worthy of discussion.
And it goes without saying but imaginary, fantasy or future/speculative ideas are more than welcome too if that hasn't already been gathered! I do have to wonder what the perception of noise or PE will be like in the next 10-20 years. Will it be more of the same, still lurking in the underground (the MYOPIC or MYOTIC stage), or will it transcend into something completely different (the MYSTIC stage) than how it currently exists in the present?
