RETURN TO FORM: ANALYZING THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN SELF-DOCUMENTING SUBCULTURES GLEN WOOD A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN CINEMA AND MEDIA STUDIES YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO August 2020 © Glen Wood, 2020 Abstract This dissertation examines self-documenting subcultures and the role of media within three case studies: hardcore punk, skateboarding, and urban dirt-bike riding. The production and distribution of subcultural media is largely governed by intracultural industries. Elite practitioners and media-makers are incentivized to document performances that are deemed essential to the preservation of the status quo. This constructed dependency reflects and reproduces an ethos of conformity that pervades both social interactions and subcultural representations. Within each self-documenting subculture, media is the primary mode of socialization and representation. The production of media and meaning is constrained by the presence of prescriptive formal conventions propagated by elite producers. These conditions, in part, result in the institutionalization of conformity. The three case studies illustrate the theoretical and methodological framework that classifies these formations under a new typology. Accordingly, this dissertation introduces an alternative approach to the study of subcultures. ii Acknowledgments My academic career is based upon the support of numerous individuals, organizations, and institutions. I would like to thank John McCullough for his inspiring words and utter confidence in my work. Moreover, Markus Reisenleitner and Steve Bailey were integral throughout the dissertation process, encouraging my progress and providing their thoughtful commentary along the way. I am also greatly appreciative of the external reviewers for their time and evaluations. In the Department of Cinema and Media Arts at York University, I remain indebted to many. In particular, Sharon Hayashi championed my scholarly interests at length, and Kuowei Lee was indispensable to the completion of my degree. Funding was provided by the Ontario Trillium Scholarship and the Provost Dissertation Scholarship, both of which afforded the opportunity to develop my research without interruption. Importantly, the endless encouragement of various friends and family have long sustained my foray into academia. I am beyond thankful to Laura Freitag for her thoughts, edits, care, and compassion, without which this writing would not have been possible. I am also thankful for my friendship with Marko Djurdjic, who welcomed me to Canada with open arms and offered positive motivation at every step in my career. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my family for accepting my seemingly interminable travels all these years. Their belief in me is unwavering and for that I am forever grateful. Such pillars of support, including others not listed here, are evidence of the good fortune I have been so lucky to enjoy. iii Table of Contents ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………………………………………………iii TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………………………………………………iv 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. DEFINING SELF-DOCUMENTING SUBCULTURES.................................................................................... 12 2.1 INTERNAL HIERARCHIES AND THE ELITE ........................................................................................................... 18 2.2 THE SUBCULTURAL MEDIA INDUSTRY ............................................................................................................... 21 3. UNDERSTANDING AUTHENTICITY AND MEDIA HIERARCHIES ........................................................ 26 3.1 REGIMES OF VISIBILITY...................................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 THE LIVED AND SCREEN REALITIES ................................................................................................................... 32 4. CONTEXT AND METHODS ............................................................................................................................... 36 4.1 THE DOMINANT ORDER ..................................................................................................................................... 39 4.2 THE PRODUCTION AND DELIMITATION OF CULTURE ......................................................................................... 42 4.3 NARROW SOCIALIZATION................................................................................................................................... 45 4.4 INTERNALIZING PRODUCTION PATTERNS AND MEANING................................................................................... 48 4.5 TRADITION AND EPISTEMOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 50 4.6 HEGEMONY AND INTRACULTURAL SUBORDINATION ......................................................................................... 57 4.7 THE FEEDBACK LOOP OF SOCIALIZATION AND CULTURAL DOMINANCE ........................................................... 59 4.8 CULTURAL PRODUCTS AND THE TRANSMISSION OF MEANING .......................................................................... 63 4.9 FORM AND CONVENTION.................................................................................................................................... 65 4.10 PLACE-IMAGES AND PLACE-MYTHS ................................................................................................................ 68 4.11 INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................... 70 5. LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................................................... 72 5.1 THE CHICAGO SCHOOL ...................................................................................................................................... 73 5.2 THE CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL STUDIES (CCCS) ..................................................................... 75 5.3 MARKET-ORIENTED SUBCULTURES.................................................................................................................... 80 5.4 THE DISCIPLINE AT A JUNCTION: NEW TERMS AND CONDITIONS ...................................................................... 83 5.5 POST-SUBCULTURES AND THE TAXONOMIC TURN ............................................................................................. 84 5.6 VIRTUAL AND DIGITAL SUBCULTURES .............................................................................................................. 87 5.7 SUBCULTURAL AUTHENTICITY .......................................................................................................................... 89 5.8 THE USES AND USERS OF MEDIA ....................................................................................................................... 94 6. HARDCORE PUNK: “THE BOSTON CREW” (1980-1990) ........................................................................... 98 6.1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF PUNK: COMMERCIALIZATION AND CAPITULATION ........................................................ 101 6.2 HARDCORE’S FIRST WAVE: THE WE-IDEAL .................................................................................................... 105 6.3 A DO-IT-YOURSELF COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY ................................................................................................. 109 6.4 BOSTON’S MILITANCY AND MYTHOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 113 6.5 THE FORMATION AND CIRCULATION OF THE SCREEN REALITY ....................................................................... 118 6.6 THE WE-IMAGE OF HARDCORE ........................................................................................................................ 123 iv 7. SKATEBOARDING: SAN FRANCISCO AND THE “PROGRESSIVE ERA” (1987-1997) ...................... 135 7.1 A NOTION OF PROGRESS .................................................................................................................................. 138 7.2 A CRITICAL ACCOUNTING OF “CORE” AND COMPETITION............................................................................... 140 7.3 “CORE” OWNERSHIP AND AN INDUSTRY OF DEPENDENCY .............................................................................. 145 7.4 THE MARKETING PHENOMENON OF STREET-STYLE ........................................................................................ 147 7.5 THE “BONES BRIGADE” AND “POWELL MAGIC” .............................................................................................. 150 7.6 THE WE-IDEAL AND THE WE-IMAGE: THE “EMB CREW” ............................................................................... 154 7.7 H-STREET, PLAN B, AND BEYOND ................................................................................................................... 161 8. URBAN DIRT-BIKE RIDING: BALTIMORE’S “WILD OUT WHEELIE BOYZ” (2010 – PRESENT) 168 8.1 THE WOWBOYZ: “FOLK DEVILS” AND “MORAL PANICS” REVISITED ............................................................