"wouldn't it be more of an act of rebellion if you didn't spend so much time buying blue hair dye and going out to get punky clothes? it seems so petty. stop me if I'm being offensive. you wanna be an individual, right? you look like you're wearing a uniform. you look like a punk. that's not rebellion. that's fashion."

- slc punk

i guess that line pretty much sums up everything.

around 2001, i released a site called "how to dress emo."  the site had relatively simple instructions on how to fit the role in what i assumed would be a passing trend.  boy, was i wrong- the emo explosion is still in full force now, years later, and the fashion just keeps getting sillier and sillier. not only that, you can now instantly tell what music someone listens to by their clothing and vice versa.

someone recently wrote me and complained that my old "how to dress emo" site was incorrect because "that is how normal people dress." for the most part, they are right. the term "emo" has become a thing of the past, now  replaced by its the new term, "scene."  gone are the days of thick-rimmed glasses, sweaters, and jeans that actually fit.  everything is completely androgynous in the myspace age; boys are playing dress up with mommy's makeup;  girls are attempting to look more and more like glam rock monsters.

everyone seems to be involved in some sort of strange contest where the winner wears the tightest jeans, puts on the silliest looking makeup, and sports the worst haircut. in the end, everyone loses.  you all end up looking the same.

referring to the kids involved with today's music scene, my good friend dave mcwane once said, "it's not a fucking fashion show."   truer words have never been spoken.

- rob dobi
- robdobi.com