| Contempt New York City |
Conceived in 1998 by a loosely-knit gaggle of Goths, Contempt is one of New York's longest-running Gothic/Industrial events. The venues and the dates have changed over the years, but the name and the core idea have remained. Contempt was founded as an alternative to New York's infamous Scene Politics and General Bullshite. In a city filled with egos and ruled by greed, Contempt is a nonprofit group effort, a free-form cooperative which welcomes input from party-goers. This month's incarnation of Contempt is being held at Twirl, a club which has become home to several events left high and dry after the legendary Mother closed its doors. (Those of you who haven't yet heard of Mother are invited to check out http://www.mothernyc.com and see for yourself what the fuss was all about). For most of its history Contempt was held at Mother; since then it has moved between Twirl and the Frying Pan, a boat moored off the Chelsea Piers. For those of you who don't live in New York, a history lesson is in order. Cabaret licenses were first introduced during the Harlem Renaissance 1920s, in an effort to keep amorous Negroes from getting too chummy with the White women. Nobody enforced them for decades, until Mayor Rudy Giuliani came along. Without an expensive and difficult to acquire cabaret license, a New York bar can be shut down if three or more of its patrons are moving rhythmically at any one time. Absolution, another popular Goth night, was forced to close after police raided CBGB's Gallery. Fortunately, Twirl has a cabaret license, so we can stomp, jerk around and screw in imaginary light bulbs to our heart's content without fear. The cover charge is reasonable, $7 or $5 with flyer or printed email invite. Like many other New York Goth events, Contempt is nonprofit: unlike those events, the folks in charge set it up that way. $20 or $30 covers are not unheard of in New York; Contempt keeps their door charge low by avoiding comps and guest lists and by relying on volunteer help. It helps take some of the sting out of Twirl's drink prices ($6.00 for a Red Bull?! $4.00 for a bottle of water?!?). Dress codes have been the subject of innumerable flame wars and arguments, particularly in New York. Events without dress codes all too often are overrun with fratboys who have heard that Sexy Deth Chix put out; events with dress codes shut out people coming to the club from work, etc. Since its inception Contempt has had a "no dress code" policy. I still note that a lot of people have turned out dressed to the nines; there are nearly as many creative and sexy outfits here as at "velvet rope" events like ZenWarp or Click & Drag. The founders of Contempt, and many of the regulars, are "old school" Goths. There's plenty of eyeliner, velvet and PVC... and not a lot of "Hey, dude, Halloween's over." Unlike most New York clubs, Contempt's DJs not only take requests -- they encourage them! Ideally, this would mean you'd hear lots of talented but lesser-known artists, interesting obscure tracks, and homegrown music promoted by friends. Sometimes this happens; other times you get the usual requests for And One, Covenant, VNV Nation, etc.. Still, the mix is never boring... and if you don't like it, you can always bring your own CDs next month. Twirl is set up for comfort; there are lots of large, soft couches around, particularly in the basement area. DJ Puzzleboy is spinning a "chill lounge" set, throwing a lot of trip-hop and ambient music into the mix. It sounds great, and it reminds me just how much "Gothic" music has changed over the past few years. Industrial has influenced/blended with Psytrance and Detroit Techno, while Goth incorporated synthpop and 80s nostalgia, and now illbient and world music. Some purists bitch about the Good Old Days; to me, all this merging-and-blending suggests that the genre remains alive and vital. For three years now Contempt has managed to keep up an "old timer's club" without sliding into "the Contempt clique." It remains one of the most popular, comfortable, and accessible events in New York's Goth scene. If you're visiting New York and get a chance, you should definitely check out Contempt. Official Contempt Website |