Shoegaze

by Ryan Pinkard

What the hell is shoegaze? A scene? A movement? A sound? Back in the Nineties, many would have said the so-called genre was entirely fabricated. The term itself, an offensive piss-take given by the notoriously catty and scene-obsessed British music press, was plainly rejected by the absurdly small collection of bands to which it supposedly applied.

Today shoegaze is undeniable. As a descriptor and as a source of influence, it is used in more ways and by more bands than anyone could have dreamed of 30 years ago. Between those periods of invention and ubiquity, the term, along with the bands it first described, all but disappeared off the face of the earth.

In this ambitious oral history of a genre that has eluded definition for three decades, Ryan Pinkard unearths the first wave of shoegaze, following the core bands, their sounds, their influence, and their journeys in and out of obscurity. His analysis is woven through dozens of original interviews with artists, label heads, and critics. What he discovers is the unlikely odyssey of this esoteric, experimental music form, which nearly became a mainstream entity, only to be viciously killed off, forgotten, and rediscovered by a new generation that regards it as one of the most influential alternative music events since the Velvet Underground.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2024

Reviews

[fashion castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

what’s your definition of shoegaze? “beautiful noise” - robin guthrie

thank you Peter McPoland for releasing Blue, my dad who then led me to My Bloody Valentine, and to the guy who told me to listen to Cocteau Twins during my last shift as a barista. otherwise, i probably would’ve ignored this 33 1/3 release and I’m grateful I didn’t.

writing about shoegaze through an oral history told by the musicians themselves was something I rather enjoyed. the way pinkard arranged the interviews to tell the narrative of shoegaze in such a singular way was impressive.

this felt like i was reading a nonfiction version of daisy jones and the six

also im going to geek out for a moment so please bear with me

i’m in full support of a shoegaze renaissance

apparently fame was never the appeal for shoegaze bands... i can believe that after reading this book and i definitely respect the purity of their intentions that’s for sure.

“i think these people just wanted to make sounds on the guitar and see where it took them” - paul lester

let’s bring this mentality back perhaps?

another take away from this book: journalists are over opinionated and crave power from their writing.

it was crazy to see the impact music journalism had on the shoegaze scene and shaping public opinion at the time.

reminded me lots of how the public initially perceived pinkerton and how it’s now considered one of weezer’s best albums. oh wait! history repeats itself.

[J.T. Wilson]

The story of shoegaze in my preferred medium: all of the A-list telling the story in mostly their own words (with the exception of the inevitably absent My Bloody Valentine), and with music journalists sheepishly trying to cover the paths they furrowed thirty years earlier with their absurd hyperbole. Perhaps some more depth on the key cuts would have been nice, but that’s what the 33 1/3 books on individual albums are designed for.

[Kiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Dickinson (Catherine wheel) is Bruce Dickinson(Iron Maiden)’s cousin?!!!! Incredible

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a silly book. It tells the story of the shoegaze genre through oral history, statements by a cast of characters specified at the beginning that do include major figures in the original 1980s/1990s scene (musicians, journalists, and label heads). However, it’s a mere 155 pages in a small-size paperback format, and moreover, the statements quoted here are so general and so vague that one doesn’t get much new information and deep insight into this history. You know, the kind of stuff that one would seek out a proper book for. Indeed, the interviewees are often repeating the same stock responses they have often given when doing press for new album releases, and clearly tired or uninterested and not in a state to create substantial oral history. You can already find that kind of stuff on YouTube etc., and I daresay many fans of the genre already have.

[Joseph]

primarily a history. shares a bunch of interesting tidbits through its history of the genres peak and decline. the revival part is understandably short. its nice to have a book about a genre I like, and I'm not too disappointed with how surface level the interviewing seemed to be. most musicians are not good interview subjects and I like that not everyone in this world is a memoir waiting for the first journalist to spill their aching truth to. I would have been interested in the book more if it dealt more with the music itself, how the songs grew over time, feelings about instruments and pedals and sound devices. good job Mr. Pinkard. I will enjoy looking up the songs I am unfamiliar with.

[Adam Parrilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the audiobook version as heard on Spotify.

I was ready to give this book 5 stars until I reached the Afterword and was appalled by the author's words calling Morrissey a "misguided twat." Cool man, have your opinion, but kick bricks. Separate the art from the artist.

Mind, this book is an oral history and supposedly meant to be for people new to Shoegazing, however after listening I would only recommend this to people already fans of the genre. It means much more if you are well-versed in the music of Miki, Mark, Loz, Neil, Rachel, etc. There is a lot to enjoy in this 33 1/3 title.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're familiar with the genre, little of this will be new; however, the oral history format collecting stories from various bands, sidemen, and journalists makes things interesting. Like a lot of modern articles on the genre, it seems to stop short of looking at the actual modern reinterest in the genre, offering only sporadic insight into anything "modern" after 2015. I'm a bit mixed on this as the first wave really defines the genre and I have little interest in the whitewashed nu metal that gets presents as shoegaze, but it would be a more thorough look at the history of the genre.

[TA Inskeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, so good, so fucking good. Pinkard cracked the code of how to write about shoegaze: an oral history. Most all of the players are here (except *of course* MBV, who loom largest over everything), and the author keeps his comments / binding material to the facts, generally not editorializing. This exceeded my admittedly high hopes, and is a superb work.

[JJ Lehmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores a microgenre that I happen to love. It was fascinating to read what the actual artists thought about their scene, their music, journalists, and each other.
The only part that I wanted more of was just general information. Not just quotes from the artists and journalists. There was some, but I was left wanting more.

[Dennis Seese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun oral history of an often overlooked and/or misunderstood genre of guitar music.
The author had access to many key musicians and label folks which gave the book some firsthand weight

[Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable overview of the so-called shoegaze genre. There are quotes from all of the key bands of the time with one very notable (but unsurprising) exception

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting read. If you want to learn about Shoegaze, this is the book for you.