Subculture: rockers. A sign of rockers. Rockers-girls

Who are the rockers? There are many of them, but the essence of the concept remains a mystery for most people. Initially, this word was used to refer to the youth movement in the United States in the fifties of the twentieth century. The characteristic attributes of these guys was a kind of clothes of dark tones and, of course, motorcycles - bikes.

These people allowed themselves to "dissect" them into the streets to the horror of passers-by. They initially opposed themselves to fashion, popular commercial currents and their peers who preferred to move around the city scooter. This is what unites rockers from the very beginning, and only after a certain time there was a musical direction - rock. Representatives were early Presley, Chuck Berry, Jane Vincent and others. Initially, the rockers were like out of fashion, outside the generally accepted standards and format. First of all, it was expressed in a fast ride on motorcycles - about 160 km / h. It is easy to imagine the horror of the honorable and sedate inhabitants of cities and suburbs.

How did the rockers originally dress and dress?

Clothes rockers can be very different, but it is necessarily practical and convenient. In particular, leather jackets are equipped with strips, studs and rivets that pursue not only decorative purposes. They protect motorcyclists from small debris and wind on the road. Spikes and stripes are clearly visible on the night track, which protects against collisions. Given all of the above, it is easy to understand why representatives of the subculture of rockers wear leather pants or jeans.

They are simply comfortable and do not hamper the movements, which is very important on the road. In addition, in shorts or other clothes to be on a motorcycle for a long time is almost impossible, but meanwhile the rocker's motorcycle was and is for him almost the most important means of transportation. Naturally, the body should be well protected from debris and damage during driving.

Rock music has been and will be the subject of controversy. But this is just the case when the truth in the dispute is not born, and can not be born. The reason is, first of all, in hanging labels and clichés. Clear boundary between the enemies of rock and those who are "a real rocker". The main theme of the articles devoted to this musical trend is the age-old battle with pop music, or pop music. The youth subculture "rockers" is often quite aggressive in relation to the variety singers.

Hairstyle

A special mention deserves the hairstyle of rockers. If before the popular version was a la Elvis, now everything is much more interesting. Hairstyle can be almost anything, most importantly, that it reflects the individuality of a person. Nevertheless, in the post-Soviet space, you can often see a rocker with long hair gathered in a tight tail. This also serves a practical purpose.

Collected hair does not interfere with the ride and besides, the hairstyle can always understand which direction of music the person prefers. If you see a rocker with loose hair, then, most likely, he will not sit down in the near future. If one can put it this way, loose hair is an indicator that a person is among his own, in a comfortable environment. Yes, there are fans who want to ride with their hair loose, but in that case there will always be a helmet or bandana on their head. It helps to maintain the rockers' hairdresses in relative order. The fact that rockers ride without a helmet is a myth. During the show or demonstration thoroughfare, the motor club - yes. At other times, the head will either have a helmet, or at least glasses from the wind. Thus, the hairstyle of rockers is something on which it is always possible to learn the representatives of this subculture.

Characteristic features of rock

Although rockers appeared as a phenomenon in the fifties of the twentieth century, the direction "rock music" arose in the 60s, that is, somewhat later. The main features of these guys were riding on motorcycles and hearing rock'n'roll. Later, the influence of this musical trend weakened. What was in the Soviet Union? Despite everything, the rocker movement penetrated here.

But it took on new forms, changed under the influence of the surrounding reality. If in Britain a rocker is a hooligan who cuts on a motorcycle, then in the USSR it was, more likely, a thoughtful thinker. Why did this happen? The thing is that even then, and now a motorcycle of this class - "Harley" - students could not afford, so the key consolidating point for rockers in the Soviet and post-Soviet space was music. Different groups picked up the banner of rockers. Little by little the music became heavier, the bands became bigger and bigger. Over time, bikers have created a separate subculture, which also has certain features. Now rockers, in general, are considered adherents of a certain musical direction, while bikers are associated only with motorcycles.

What is it - the music of rockers?

The peculiarity of the music of this subculture is that it has many subspecies, types and genres. Naturally, all people are different, so now rock collectively called all the heavy music, as well as music, in the texts of which there is a deep meaning. So, punk rock, folk-rock, industrial rock, Russian rock and other directions are singled out.

In particular, the most famous Russian rockers are Alisa and their leader V. Kinchev, Aria and V. Kipelov, Nautilus and Yu. Butusov, DDT and Y. Shevchuk. Even the names of these musicians now signify a whole era, they have become a symbol and a synonym for Russian rock. They are replaced by younger teams - "Bi2", "Spleen", "Prince" and others. Despite the fact that the musical direction "metal" is somewhat different from the classical rock, nevertheless, in the environment of rockers it is also popular. This is also a kind of heavy music with beautiful and meaningful lyrics, but here more pronounced guitar and keyboard parts. Whatever it was, in order to better understand the fans of heavy music, one must plunge into what this subculture consists of. Rockers, contrary to popular belief, are not hooligans, not rowdy, not drunkards. As everywhere, everything depends on the individual. Performers of pop music drink and abuse drugs as well as rockers. But at the same time, the latter will give odds to anyone in terms of unity, a sense of brotherhood and comradeship.

"Goat" - a symbol of Satanists?

Often, seeing at concerts "goat", people of the older generation think that they are ministers of some kind of Satanic cult. In fact, this sign of rockers - raised index finger and little finger - rather a gesture of guard, protective. He was originally used to greet his and labeled the letter "u" schematically - the first in the English word "unity", or "unity". That is, this gesture is analogous to Churchill's gesture at the time. Do not confuse the sign of rockers with almost identical in pacifists, when the thumb does not press against the folded middle and nameless, but is set aside.

This sign means "love", since the forefinger and thumb form a figure similar to the English letter L, the first in the word Love. "Goat", which is swinging rockers at concerts, serves as a symbol of recognition and approval of the band's songs. In addition, it shows how many people in the hall feel that others are part of their circle of friends. Paradox, but the communication of strangers becomes much closer, if both are close to this subculture. Rockers, by the way, do not quite correspond to the stereotypes that have developed about them. For example, there is an opinion that they have low intelligence. In reality, this is not the case. A rocker can be a representative of any profession, having any social status. But that is not all. British scientists have proved that teenagers who listen to rock ... are smarter than their peers! However, scientists do not say why this happens.

How to dress up rockers today?

In a wide range of people there is an opinion that rockers are completely unwelcomed and unwashed people of a vagabond kind, who only do so, drink and go to concerts. Some consider them to be sexual minorities. This, however, is not so. Firstly, against the background of metrosexuals, rockers really seem unnecessarily brutal. But there's a reason for that. Rockers, whose photos can be seen almost everywhere, position themselves as a strong personality, so various mannerisms are not for them. Moreover, many lovers of heavy music are homophobic. Subculture "rockers" - one of the few who with understanding and tolerance refers to fans of other genres and trends. Perhaps the only exception is pop music. This explains the style of rockers, and their preferences in clothes. Regardless of the material, dark color predominates. A certain imprint imposes also what style a person prefers. Gothic lovers will most likely prefer a combination of red and black, folk rock - dark green and black. Clothing can be any, but it is practical, comfortable and dark. Chains and spikes are not a required attribute. Most often they can be seen on fans of punk rock. This is not surprising, because they are one of the most aggressive branches of rockers. Russian rockers prefer not to wear this. For them, appearance is of secondary importance. At the same time, the opinion is wrong that there is no female among the rockers. Rockers are girls, photo of which now has every music lover - vocalists of the groups "Arkona", "Kalevala", Nightwish, Within temptation, Nina Hagen and others.

They are equal creators of the subculture, its integral part. Moreover, rock with female vocals is becoming more popular and popular. In this there is nothing strange - what could be better than a combination of good music and a beautiful girl with a beautiful vocal?

What are the types of rock?

In order to better understand the subculture "rockers", let's consider what sub-species are singled out from this musical direction.

Underground . This style is inherent in the rejection of norms, rules and established patterns. Here, artistic traditions, social stereotypes and social values are of no importance. The underground is a shock in all its manifestations, a shock for the viewer and unprepared person. The underground is called any non-commercial rock music, the performers of which have not yet found themselves, are experimenting with sound and image. Their work does not fit into any format either because of the shocking texts, or because of the emotional coloring of the speeches. It is characteristic that such groups are almost unknown.

Glam rock . Characterized by an emphasis on guitar and keyboards, simplified sound and rhymes. At the same time, musicians use a lot of make-up, sparkles and the like. The performance is exalted, the arrangements are spectacular, and the image of the musicians is amazing.

Newer trends in rock

Progressive . It is played by quite serious musicians, expanding and enriching the rock with classical arrangements, borrowings and improvisations. Progressive replaced psychedelic rock, completely replacing it in the 70-80s of the twentieth century. Despite the fact that this style is in the shadow of commercial directions, it continues to develop and improve, enriching the world music fund on a par with other genres.

Psychedelic rock, or psychedelic . Characterized by depressive vocals, detached texts, experiments with sound, the use of non-traditional instruments and transitions. Historically, the perception of psychedelics has been and remains closely related to the use of narcotic drugs of varying strength.

Hard rock . The most enduring and popular genre that has spawned many other destinations is the same metal. It is very dynamic, strong and powerful music. Leading guitar or keyboards, complemented by a loud rhythm section. All this makes the work holistic and monolithic. The most important thing here is the skill of each performer, as well as the ability to work with other such masters in the team.

How to determine what is rock?

In general, there is no exact definition of rock. This is a mixture of art, sympho-, hard rock and other directions. Razin, considering the concept and phenomenon of rock, notes that a clear definition of this phenomenon is difficult due to the following reasons. Firstly, it is difficult to single out the laws by which rock music lives, develops and interacts with other phenomena in culture. Secondly, the social formations that exist and coexist with this subculture have not been practically studied. Thirdly, it is impossible to predict in which direction the rock will develop. This is what rockers are different about. Subculture, whose photo of representatives is capable of plunging into shock is no longer considered an ordinary phenomenon.

Features of Russian rock

To the Russian rock the attitude is traditionally disparaging. At the same time, no one in their right mind will be stupid enough to say in the face of a two-meter tall man on a bike that "Aria" is a bad band, for example. And this is a paradox. Russian rock is different in that every word in it is a message to people.

Such hidden words-messages were used by such famous rockers as V. Tsoi, Kinchev, Makarevich. Let's consider some examples. For example, the word "star". Traditionally it means something unattainable, great and sacred goal. Therefore, the Sun is the synonym for this word. It is the ideal star that shines and heats all people. That is, this goal benefits everyone, without exception, to people.

The Sun's antipode is the Moon. It is used as a synonym for a false, false goal. Therefore, the night is considered identical to all vices of society and humanity as a whole. True, sometimes its place is taken by the shadow as an antipode to the light. Accordingly, to sleep means to passively watch, idle. The sleeping person is dead, and the seeker is still alive. And the sun, and the moon, and the stars - it's all in height. It is not easy to comprehend. This can only be done by a human bird, able to fly, that is, a free person who can go beyond and think in philosophical categories. Naturally, this requires wings.

Symbolism of the sky, water, fire and other elements in the work of Russian groups

The analogy of the sky in the works of some groups is the sea. This is a free space for activity, as Russian rockers claim. It is opposed to the river, which is clamped in the frame, flows and can not choose its path. Water is also used as something that is identical with life or the most important that fills it, does not let it die. In turn, fire occurs in the texts much less often and symbolizes the life of a person. The subculture "rockers" are reverent towards this symbol, which, at first glance, does not match with the dark tones in the clothes. Consider the word-symbols associated with the climate. So, the wind is changes, transformations. If he blows in the face, it is those obstacles and obstacles that prevent a person from moving forward, developing and moving on. Rain is used as a supplement to the wind as an obstacle. Snow is less common and, in the main, serves as a synonym for a new stage in life, a new page on the life path. Due to such hidden words-messages, the semantic load of texts increases, songs cease to be just a phenomenon pleasant to the ears. They make you think about life and the place of a person in it. In the lyrics of some performers, there are even parts that affect the subconscious. This helps to further increase the semantic load and the influence of rock on the consciousness of the masses.