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Jim Morrison
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Or maybe later incantations such as Cocteau Twins-in Scotland-and 45
Grave in the United States. Or you may think of the recent industrial
Gothic sounds of Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson. If you were to go
back even further in music history, you'd wind up with two groups-The
Velvet Underground and The Doors.
But rarely does one think of New Mexico when thinking of Gothic music.
Yet, the southwestern state
has a definite place in Goth music history, a geographical point of
influence for the music and lyrics of the Godfather of Goth, Jim
Morrison.
It was in New Mexico that Jim
Morrison-of the rock group, The Doors-lived twice: during his early and
late childhood years, before moving to California then back to Florida,
and finally to California (Morrison's father was in the military),
where he formed The Doors.
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Jim Morrison lying on stage during one of his dramatic performances
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What is clearly known is that Morrison was influenced by the culture of
New Mexico, a state steeped in mystery and beauty; even Morrison's
personal look-concha belts, western-inspired shirts, and Frye cowboy
boots- draw from the region. And his moniker, "The Lizard King,"
conjures up the desert southwest.
Music journalist, Jim Reynalds,
believes that Gothic music had its origins in Morrison's deep voice and
dark sensibilities. Writer, Chris Ott, in this book, "Joy Division's
Unknown Pleasures," conveys that Joy Division's singer, Ian Curtis, was
fan of Morrison, following his lead in vocal style and demeanor.
In the book, "No One Gets Out
Alive," writer, Jerry Hopkins, alludes that Jim Morrison received much
of his visual and lyrical content from New Mexico: be it an automobile
accident that Jim saw as a boy living in Albuquerque, or from a sledding
accident his sister had in the Sandia Mountains (east of Albuquerque)
where Jim experienced the pain and misfortune in others.
Concerning the automobile
accident Morrison saw in New Mexico, writer, Stephen Davis, states,
"Fascinated by the bloody spectacle, Jimmy tried to get out of the car
to follow his father, but his mother held him back.Jimmy shuddered and
strained to get a last look at the carnage.[Jim] never forgot the dying
Indians. 'It was the first time I discovered death,' he recounted many
years later."
What is it about New Mexico that influenced the opaque and
atmospheric sounds that helped shape the music and lyrics of Morrison,
and through his influence, Goth music? Or, for that matter, what in New
Mexico elicits melancholy feelings and otherworld attitudes that formed
Morrison's childhood memories?
For one, New Mexico is a
confluence of ancient cultures, a hybrid of myth and history: Native
American, Hispano, and Anglo. And this convergence brings with it a
basket of religious thought, philosophical musing and beliefs, some
otherworldly and enigmatic.
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Penitentes in New Mexico
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Take for example the various Pueblo Indian religious rites, or the
Matachines ceremonies of the Hispano culture, both celebrating the union
of earth and spirit, the physical and metaphysical. Or maybe the
Catholic Penitente traditions that meld suffering with religious
epiphany, piety and sin.
In a way, mood, setting, faith,
melancholy, myth and ambiance are woven into the fabric of New
Mexico-elements Jim Morrison-and Goth music-represent; a type of poetry
of culture that melds into expressions of creativity.
Second, the New Mexico
landscape evokes an exchange of shadow and light (many artist consider
New Mexico's light unlike any in the world), illuminating ancient ruins
and modern cities, mountains, rock formations, valleys and plains;
atmosphere in its deepest form.
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Dancers at Zuni Pueblo
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And all this landscape becomes etched in the mind, helping shape and
craft contrasts in thought and imagery, a characteristic of
Morrison's-and Goth-music.
As an example, think of the
ethereal and beautiful atmosphere found in Gothic music intermixed with a
dirge or driving beat: beauty meets the beast; sublimity meets the
repulsive; the heavens greet the earth; the saint meets the sinner.
New Mexico breeds these temperaments, a land ripe for inventiveness, inspiration, thought, and expression.
So it's no wonder that a new Christian band, The Beautiful
Gallows, has emerged from the state. Debuting the song, "To The End,"
the gothic connection continues in the Land of Enchantment (the motto of
New Mexico).
The words of "To The End," mostly taken directly from Scripture, allude to life and death, common themes in Gothic music:
"Now
The hour had come
For Him to depart
Having loved His own
This
The Holy Lamb of God
Who takes away our sin
And grants eternal peace
Hallowed be Thy name
Hallowed by Thy name
Chorus: You have loved me to the end (3x)
Now
May Your kingdom come
May Your will be done
On earth as in heaven
This
The Righteous Prince of Peace
Is to us the end and a
New beginning
Hallowed be Thy name
Hallowed be Thy name"
Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Studio 150-I talked with
The Beautiful Gallows members. I ask, guitarist, Spec, where the
stimulus for the song came from. He said, "The inspiration of the
song-first and foremost-came from Scripture. But beyond that, the song
called for a combination of angst and ambiance. I wanted to communicate
Christ's looming death with power and fear."
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Author, Cormac McCarthy
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Continuing, Spec said, "The influence for the words were the Biblical
text themselves, but also the mood of the New Mexican culture: the
Southwestern gothic novels of New Mexico resident, Cormac McCarthy,
particularly 'The Crossing' and 'The Road.' McCarthy is able to infuse
biblical motifs with philosophical and theological slants. Another
influence would be the imagery of Georgia O'Keeffe's New Mexico
paintings: barren landscape, desert plateaus, skulls and sky."
Drummer, Tobias, used a combination of early 70's rock and post-punk
dirge-like drumming for his tracks, stating, "I wanted to communicate
darkness and authority, a combination of tom-tom drum work with an
in-your-face rock chorus riff. The song is deep, especially the
spiritual message, so I wanted the drums to reflect that."
Bassist, Loyal, who wrote the pre-chorus riff, stated that the song reminded him of the text in Song of Solomon, "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death."
"Think of that," he continued. "Love and death go together. It was through Christ's death that love had its greatest influence."
An interesting side note of The Beautiful Gallows is that each
member had tenures with other Christian bands prior to forming The
Beautiful Gallows, and has since assumed stage names. So a purposeful
anonymity surrounds the band.
When asked about this, Spec stated, "We want the music to speak
for itself, not the bands we were in the past, but the creative future.
And on another note, we don't want the band to be about us, but about
the God that inspires us."
I asked them where the name,
The Beautiful Gallows, came from and keyboardist, Bell, explained, "I
came up with it. It is quite fitting, really. When one thinks of the
gallows, the mind wanders to the southwestern part of the United States:
Tombstone, AZ and the like-a place where criminals found their end.
"But for us, the name has deeper meaning. Gallows came to
prominence after the Roman Emperor, Constantine the Great, abolished the
crucifixion-in memory of Christ. So to a certain extent, the gallows
are a reminder that the ultimate death-Christ on the cross-was marked
and came to an end. Christ paid for it all."
I asked if the band would ever tour and Spec stated fairly
directly, "Most likely you'll never see a Beautiful Gallows tour. You'll
need to catch the music on-line."
Loyal-who has an art degree-states, "Our artistic pursuits are
important to the band, so you'll usually find the music associated with
aural imagery. This may never translate to a live tour."
I asked if Goth was a good description of the music of The Beautiful Gallows.
Bell said, "In a way, no; but
on the other hand, yes. 'No' in the sense that we don't prescribe to
the whole Goth lifestyle mindset, focusing in on darkness, death, and
the like. We prefer life. But, 'yes,' in that-as Christians-we
understand that death and life go hand in hand: Christ died so we might
live; Christians die to self to live for Christ; and ultimately, we die
to eternal glory. And 'To The End' does have a very heavy, melancholy
sound, that's for sure."
Loyal then jumps in: "I think the Goth comparison is more in the
mood of the songs-not the status of our worldview, the dark tranquility
of the songs are coming to terms with sorrow, pain, and the anticipation
for joy."
Spec states, "Traditional
Goth music was rebellion for rebellion's sake; rebellion without a
cause, if you will. The Beautiful Gallows have a cause to our rebellion:
Christ. We are rebels with a cause."
According to one popular definition of Goth rock, the music
"typically deals with dark themes addressed through lyrics and the
music's atmosphere. exhibit[ing] romanticism, morbidity, religious
symbolism and supernatural mysticism."
When one listen's to The Beautiful Gallows song, "To The End,"
many of these qualities are manifest. However, after speaking to members
of the band, it's clear that "Goth" isn't the best description for the
music; maybe "Cathedral Rock," where an infusion of light and hope
penetrates the darkness and transport the listener towards the heavens?
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Artist, Georgia O'Keeffe with one of her paintings at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
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But what is clear is that The Beautiful Gallows stand firmly in the New
Mexico region's culture-be it the history of Jim Morrison's musical (not
lifestyle) influence, the novels of Cormac McCarthy, the art of Georgia
O'Keeffe, or the light and shadow dichotomy of a region steeped in the
ancient ways of antiquity, tradition, geography, art, and lore-the fact
is that New Mexico helps breeds the art.
And most importantly The
Beautiful Gallows members are God-fearing men, wanting less to reflect
death, but more about pointing people to life. They do this through
soundscapes made to reflect an authentic Christian worldview, one full
of creativity and hope; one full of Christ, which includes His death and
resurrection.
* For journalistic transparency, it must be noted that I had a small hand in helping the song along, doing some vocal work.
One of our roles as youth leaders is to
teach teenagers to abide and depend on Jesus each day. We want them to
move from crisis care (reaching out to God only when they are in crisis)
to community with God, having a relationship that deepens over time and
stretches through both the ups and downs of their day.
