I Don't Like Reggae, I Love It: The History of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus

Unlike the macho posturing of 80s heavy metal, which I found misogynistic and dumb, goth bands and music appealed to me. The music was moody and danceable and explored the more existential and darker questions of life and death.  Where 2 Tone molded my emerging political sensibilities and gave me a world view and an identity, goth spoke to the misunderstood romantic in me who was interested in exploring my shadow self. I viewed goths as a tribe of long-lost musical cousins who like the rude boys and rude girls that I identified with, had their own unique customs and culture.  Being deeply immersed in ska and reggae made me acutely aware when elements of the genre were being employed by non ska and reggae bands. So, when I heard “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus – nicknamed the “Stairway To Heaven” of the post-punk period, I was immediately drawn to the rhythm section which was decidedly non-gothic. In fact it sounded very much like reggae to me. And it was…  If you’ve listened and received some value from this episode, then please help support the podcast for as little as $3 per month on Patreon. Supporters get access to exclusive content like special episodes of this series and advanced excerpts from my forthcoming book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History which will be finally be available on July 4th, 2021 and have a pre-sale starting around Memorial Day.  Just go to patreon.com/skaboompodcast for more information.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices