Sustaining a Subculture

Patrick Allen, host of the radio show Subculture Shock and lead singer for the band Silent Muse, works hard to promote and sustain the Charlottesville Goth scene.   

By: Christina Rogers

Patrick Allen is not tattooed. He has no piercings. He does not always wear black. And yet, he is a prominent figure in the gothic subculture of Charlottesville.  As the host of Charlottesville’s radio show Subculture Shock which airs on WNRN from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Sundays, Allen, 28, exposes listeners to the multifaceted Goth genre of music.

“I’m putting this wide variety of music out there and saying ‘Hey – get into this. Enjoy this. Like this,” Allen said.

Music is an integral part of the gothic subculture. The presence of radio shows like Subculture Shock, Allen believes, makes it easier to maintain a Goth scene. The shows generate interest and sustain it. 

Finding a Place to Fit in

Born with V.A.T.E.R. Syndrome, a disease affecting the major organs, Allen underwent various medical procedures at a very young age. His parents divorced when he was two, and his mother moved him and his younger brother from Utah to Charlottesville. Overweight, with poor hand-eye coordination and a lack of what he calls “social tact,” Allen did not fit in with his peers. By high school, with no friends to speak of and a general apathy towards school, he pursued his love of Goth music and began to acclimatize to the Charlottesville Goth scene.

“Honestly, for me, the whole ‘getting into Goth’ – to sound new-agey for a moment – was like finding myself,” he said.

By the time Allen was 21, he had started his band Silent Muse and his commitment to the Charlottesville Goth scene had crystallized. He wanted not only to participate in the Goth scene but also to contribute to it. As a result of his experience as an adolescent outsider, Allen had grown committed to making sure that young people had a place where they could feel accepted. He began working the doors for Goth club events, and eventually became an event promoter and club DJ for the prominent Charlottesville Goth clubs Club Umlaut and The Dawning.

Working Hard to Survive and Thrive

As both a promoter and a DJ, Allen makes sure that he brings musical variety to the clubs. Chad VanPelt works closely with Allen as a club promoter for The Dawning, as host of the electro industrial radio show The Core at WNRN, and as guitarist in Silent Muse. He emphasizes the significance of the role of club promoters and DJs to the survival of the Charlottesville Goth Scene.

“Without someone to fill those roles, and to fill them as enthusiastically as Patrick does, things just don’t get moving.  You can have a multitude of people interested in a certain style of music, but if there’s no one to help organize then things just don’t happen,” VanPelt said.

Sav Vas, a fellow Club Umlaut promoter, meets weekly with Allen to coordinate efforts. Sav Vas says that, to keep the scene going, “you have to actively go after it.”  Promoters such as Sav Vas, VanPelt, and Allen donate time, effort, and even their own money occasionally, to doing just that.

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The gothic subculture and has outlasted many other non-mainstream movements. What makes the gothic subculture’s survival unique? Listen to a podcast interview with Dr. Michael Bibby in which he discusses the endurance of the gothic subculture.  Dr. Bibby is a professor with the English department at Shippensburg University and co-edited the book Goth: Undead Subculture with Lauren Goodland.

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Enduring over time

“I think one of the reasons the Goth scene has survived for as long as it has is it’s really good at adapting,” Allen said.

Surviving has not always been easy. Economic struggles have led to the loss of certain venues and decreased attendance at events. Allen says people need to remember that sustaining the culture takes work, and that they should not take the existence of clubs and events for granted.
Despite the loss of venues and of “prime time” weekend nights, the Charlottesville gothic subculture is still alive. VanPelt said, of his work with Allen,

“Goth doesn’t make money in this town; what we do we do for the love of the music and the people.”

 Allen and his fellow promoters have embraced the weeknight schedules and continue to host regular events regardless of the ebb and flow of attendance. They also plan fundraising events for different causes throughout the year, such as Race for the Cure and the AIDS Walk in Washington, D.C.

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View an audio slideshow about the Charlottesville Goth club scene and the recent HIV/AIDS benefit event at Outback Lodge which raised money for the AIDS Walk in Washington, D.C.

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In addition to fundraising, promoting the clubs and performing with Silent Muse, Allen hopes to continue hosting Subculture Shock as long as there remains an interest from listeners. And, he says,

“If, one day, people stop coming to Goth clubs and stop listening to the show, I will hang up my hat and I will be a little sad, but I will be able to look back at what I’ve done and be proud of it.”