Who are the rockers? There are many photos of them, but the essence of the concept is still a mystery to 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 were a kind of clothing in dark colors and, of course, motorcycles - tales.
These people allowed themselves to "dissect" them through the streets to the horror of passers-by. They initially contrasted themselves with fashion, popular commercial trends and their peers, who preferred a scooter to move around the city. This is what united rockers initially, and only after some time did the musical direction - rock. Representatives were early Presley, Chuck Berry, Jane Vincent and others. Initially, rockers were as if out of fashion, out of generally accepted standards and format. First of all, this was expressed in fast riding on motorcycles - about 160 km / h. It is easy to imagine the horror of the venerable and sedate inhabitants of cities and suburbs.
How did rockers dress and dress initially?
Clothing rockers can be very different, but it is necessarily practical and convenient. In particular, leather jackets are equipped with stripes, spikes and rivets that are not only for 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 not difficult to understand why representatives of the rocker subculture wear leather pants or jeans.
They are simply comfortable and do not constrain 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 motorcycle was and is for him almost the most important means of transportation. Naturally, the body should be well protected from debris and damage while riding.
Rock music has been and will be the subject of controversy. But this is just the case when truth in a dispute is not born, and cannot be born. The reason is, first of all, in hanging labels and cliches. A clear boundary between the enemies of rock and those who are a "real rocker." The main theme of articles devoted to this musical trend is the eternal battle with pop music, or pop music. The youth subculture of “rockers” is often quite aggressive towards pop singers.
Hairstyle
Special mention deserve the hairstyles of rockers. If earlier the option a la Elvis was popular, now everything is much more interesting. A hairstyle can be almost any, the main thing is that it reflects the individuality of a person. Nevertheless, in the post-Soviet space, most often you can see a rocker with long hair, gathered in a tight tail. This also serves a practical purpose.
The collected hair does not interfere while riding, and besides, you can always understand by the hairstyle which direction of music a person prefers. If you see a rocker with her hair loose, then, most likely, he will not sit behind the wheel in the near future. If I may say so, loose hair is an indicator that a person is among his own, in a comfortable environment. Yes, there are lovers of a ride with loose hair, but in this case, there will definitely be a helmet or a bandana on the head. It helps maintain rockers' hairstyles in relative order. The fact that rockers ride without a helmet is a myth. During shows or demonstration driveways of a motorcycle 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 what you can always recognize the representatives of this subculture.
Rock features
Although rockers appeared as a phenomenon in the fifties of the twentieth century, the direction of "rock music" arose in the 60s, that is, somewhat later. The main features of these guys were riding motorbikes and listening to rock and roll. Later, the influence of this musical trend weakened. What was in the Soviet Union? Despite everything, the rocker movement penetrated here.
But it acquired new forms, changed under the influence of surrounding reality. If in Britain a rocker is a bully dissecting on a motorcycle, in the USSR it was rather a thoughtful poet-thinker. Why did this happen? The thing is that both then and now the students of this class - Harley - could not afford a motorcycle, so music became the key consolidating moment for rockers in the Soviet and post-Soviet space. Different groups picked up the banner of the rockers. Little by little the music became heavier, the groups became more and more. Over time, bikers have created a separate subculture, which also has certain features. Now rockers are mainly considered adherents of a certain musical direction, while bikers are associated only with motorcycles.
What kind of rocker music is she?
The peculiarity of the music of this subculture is that it has many subspecies, types and genres. Naturally, all people are different, so now they collectively call rock all the heavy music, as well as music, in the texts of which deep meaning is hidden. So, they distinguish punk rock, folk rock, industrial rock, Russian rock and other directions.
In particular, the most famous Russian rockers are the Alisa groups and their leader V. Kinchev, the Aria group and V. Kipelov, the Nautilus and Y. Butusov, DDT and Y. Shevchuk. Even the names of these musicians now mark an entire era, they have become a symbol and synonym for Russian rock. They are replaced by younger teams - "Bi2", "Splin", "Prince" and others. Despite the fact that the musical direction "metal" is somewhat different from classical rock, nevertheless, it is also popular among rockers. This is also a kind of heavy music with beautiful informative lyrics, but here the guitar and keyboard parts are more pronounced. Be that as it may, in order to better understand fans of heavy music, you need to plunge into what this subculture consists of. Rockers, contrary to popular belief, are not hooligans, not rowdy, not drunkards. As elsewhere, it all depends on the individual. Pop artists drink and abuse drugs like rockers do. But at the same time, the latter will give odds to anyone with regard to unity, a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie.
"Goat" - a symbol of Satanists?
Often, seeing a “goat” at concerts, people of the older generation think that they are servants of some kind of Satanist cult. In fact, this sign of the rockers - the raised index finger and little finger - is rather a guard, protective gesture. It was originally used to greet its own people and schematically designated the letter "u" - the first in the English word "unity", or "unity". That is, this gesture is similar to the gesture of Churchill at one time. Do not confuse the sign of rockers with almost identical for pacifists, when the thumb does not press against the folded middle and ring fingers, but is set aside.
This sign means “love, ” since the index finger and thumb form a shape similar to the English letter L, the first in the word Love. “Goat”, which rockers swing at concerts, serves as a symbol of recognition and approval of the group’s songs. In addition, she shows how many people in the hall who consider others as part of their circle of friends. Paradoxically, communication between strangers becomes much closer if this subculture is close to both. Rockers, by the way, do not quite correspond to the stereotypes that have developed about them. For example, it is believed that they have low intelligence. In reality, this is not so. A rocker can be a representative of any profession having any social status. But that is not all. British scientists have proven that teens who listen to rock … are smarter than their peers! However, scientists do not say why this is happening.
How do rockers dress today?
In wide circles there is an opinion that rockers are completely groomed and unwashed people of a bum-like appearance, who only do that, they drink and go to concerts. Some classify them as sexual minorities. This, however, is not the case. Firstly, against the backdrop of metrosexuals, rockers really seem too brutal. But there is a reason. Rockers, photos of which can be seen almost everywhere, position themselves as a strong personality, so different manners are not for them. Moreover, many heavy music lovers are homophobic. The “rockers” subculture is one of the few who treats lovers of other genres and directions with understanding and tolerance. The exception is, perhaps, only pop music. This explains the style of the rockers, and their preferences in clothing. Regardless of the material, dark colors prevail. A certain imprint is also imposed by what style a person prefers. Gothic lovers are likely to 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 optional. 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 that there are no women among the rockers is incorrect. Rockers of the girl, which every music lover now has photos of - 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 and more popular. There is nothing strange about this - what could be better than a combination of good music and a beautiful girl with beautiful vocals?
What types of rock are there?
To better understand the subculture of “rockers, ” let’s look at the underlays of 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 do not matter. The underground is shocking in all manifestations, a shock to the viewer and untrained person. Underground is any non-commercial rock music whose performers have not yet found themselves, experimenting with sound and image. Their work does not fit into any format either because of shocking texts or because of the emotional coloring of the performances. Typically, such groups are almost unknown.
Glam rock. It is characterized by an emphasis on guitar and keyboard parts, simplified sound and rhymes. However, musicians use a lot of cosmetics, sparkles and the like. The performance is exalted, the arrangements are spectacular, and the image of the musicians is amazing.
Newer Rock Trends
Progressive. It is played by quite serious musicians, expanding and enriching rock with classical arrangements, borrowings and improvisations. Progressive has replaced psychedelic rock, completely displacing it in the 70-80s of the twentieth century. Despite the fact that this style is in the shadow of commercial trends, it continues to develop and improve, enriching the world music foundation on a par with other genres.
Psychedelic rock, or psychedelic. It is 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 associated with the use of narcotic drugs of various strengths.
Hard rock. The most tenacious and popular genre that spawned many other directions, the same metal. This is a very dynamic, strong and powerful music. The lead is the guitar or keyboards, complemented by a loud rhythm section. All this makes the work integral and monolithic. Here, the most important thing is the skill of each artist, as well as the ability to work with other same masters in the team.
How to determine what rock is?
In general, there is no exact definition of rock. This is a mixture of art, symphony, hard rock and other directions. Razin, considering the concept and phenomenon of rock, notes that a clear definition of this phenomenon is difficult in connection with 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 are practically unstudied. Thirdly, it is impossible to predict in what direction rock will develop. This is what rockers differ in. A subculture whose photos of representatives is capable of plunging into shock can no longer be considered an ordinary phenomenon.
Features of Russian rock
The attitude to Russian rock is traditionally neglected. At the same time, no one in their right mind would have enough nonsense to say in person to a two-meter veril on a bike that “Aria” is a bad group, 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 and messages were used by such famous rockers as V. Tsoi, Kinchev, Makarevich. Let's look at a few examples. For example, the word "star". Traditionally, it means something unattainable, a great and sacred goal. Therefore, the Sun is a synonym for this word. This is an ideal luminary that shines and warms all people. That is, this goal benefits all people without exception.
Antipode of the Sun - Moon. It is used as a synonym for a false, false target. Therefore, night is considered identical to all the vices of society and humanity as a whole. True, sometimes its place is occupied by a shadow as an antipode to light. Accordingly, to sleep means passively observing, inaction. The sleeping person is dead, and the seeker is still alive. And the sun, and the moon, and stars - all this is in height. To comprehend this is not easy. This can only be done by a bird-man who is able to fly, that is, a free person who can go beyond and think in philosophical categories. Naturally, wings are needed for this.
