From there, the book dives into gothic literature and the French existentialists, whom Tolhurst considers formative to the subculture. That leads to an abridged history of the music from the progenitors: musicians such as The Doors, Suicide, Nico, David Bowie. The book then looks at goth icons including Joy Division, Bauhaus, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. It also explores the goth scene through famed goth clubs like the Batcave in London, which were also havens for the LGBTQ+ community. That leads to a look at modern goth groups such as Nine Inch Nails, the Belarusian post-punks Molchat Doma and beyond.
Throughout Goth: A History, Tolhurst shares charming anecdotes, like a scene where Bauhaus members enter a New York City bar for the first time, find singer Iggy Pop sitting there, and become so excited to see their hero that frontman Peter Murphy starts tickling him. There’s humor in goth, after all — another misconception Tolhurst works to correct.
At the end, Tolhurst returns to the philosophical questions surrounding “goth” — what it means that “goths” tend to stay that way through adulthood and what can be learned from the nonconformist communities it creates.
Certain trends emerge within that exploration — and certain geographies. The musical story largely takes place in England and Los Angeles, the latter of which Tolhurst has called home for a few decades now. LA was also home to the psych rock band the Doors, who were the first group described as “gothic rock” — by critic John Stickney in 1967.
Tolhurst theorizes that England became ground zero for the movement because of many factors, but the gray skies, rainy weather and gothic architecture cannot be discounted.