Mosh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the type of dance. For Eminem's song and music video see Mosh (song). For the professional wrestler, see Charles Warrington.
Moshing is type of dance common in punk and alternative rock as well as heavy metal that is characterized by aggressively pushing or slamming into others, described by a journalist as "one of the most energetic, crazed, communal forms of dancing ever invented."[1] Moshing is often accompanied by similar activities such as headbanging, stage diving and crowd surfing.
Slam-dancing can be traced back to 70s punk rock shows [2] in the form of "the pogo" and was later developed into moshing by the hardcore punk subculture of the early 80s. [3][4]
Today, many variations and interpretations of moshing such as "skanking" and "trash"[2] exist and the dance is practiced at concerts of many musical genres. Moshing is typically done in a mosh pit or circle pit. There is a loosely acknowledged "moshing etiquette" which involves rules such as immediately helping up others who fall down [2] and holding up lost articles of clothing (usually shoes and hats) to be claimed by their owners.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins of the term
Persons affiliated with the early American hardcore punk scene of the early eighties cite Darryl Jennifer and/or H.R. of Bad Brains as the originators of the term "mosh." Their affected Jamaican-accented pronunciation of the word mash developed into the word mosh, notably in the songs "Mash down Babylon" and "Mash It Up".
However, the invention of the term has sometimes been credited to Vinnie Stigma of the hardcore band Agnostic Front, as an acronym of March Of Skin Heads.[citation needed]
During the emergence of the American hardcore scene, the dance was frequently spelled mash, but pronounced mosh, as in the 1982 song "Total Mash" by the Washington D.C.-based hardcore group Scream. Later, the term began to appear in fanzines of the time with its current spelling.
[edit] Origins of the dance
Slam dancing is often thought to have originated in Southern California and Los Angeles during the first wave of American hardcore in the early eighties. The dance began as bands like Black Flag and The Circle Jerks began playing the more rhythmic and heavy form of punk rock that was being called "hardcore" at the time. Attendees would move frantically to the music and often engage in stage diving. Fans from the Huntington Beach area began attending hardcore shows and took slam dancing to the mobile skanking form, which was called the HB Strut.[citation needed]
Many early hardcore scenes referred to this type of dance as thrashing, and the term moshing gradually gained significance in the burgeoning crossover thrash scene at the time.
[edit] Controversy and anti-moshing stances
Some bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins have taken a stance against moshing. At a 1996 Smashing Pumpkins show in Dublin, 17 year old Bernadette O'Brien was fatally crushed by moshing crowd members and later died in hospital despite warnings from the band that people were getting hurt. [5] Billy Corgan was heard at another time on stage saying on behalf of his band:[5]
| “ | I just want to say one thing to you, you young, college lughead-types. I've been watchin' people like you sluggin' around other people for seven years. And you know what? It's the same shit. I wish you'd understand that in an environment like this, and in a setting like this, it's fairly inappropriate and unfair to the rest of the people around you. I, and we, publicly take a stand against moshing! | ” |
In another incident, Jessica Michalik died of asphixiation after being crushed in a mosh pit during the 2001 Australian Big Day Out music festival. The coroner's findings into her death criticized the crowd control measures in use at the time, and also criticised Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst for "alarming and inflammatory" comments during the rescue effort. [6]
[edit] In popular culture
- The Undead male character in World of Warcraft has moshing for his /dance animation.
- In an episode of the animated television series South Park, the character Kenny dies in a mosh pit at a party. [7]
- Moshing to the song Super Disco Breakin' is featured in the animated television series Futurama when Fry, Bender and Leela enter a mosh pit at a Beastie Boys concert.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Desrosiers, Mark (2002) WRECKTHEPLACEFANTASTIC: A Metaphysics of the Mosh Pit. Popmatters.
- ^ a b c Nussbacher, Mike (2004) A Survivor’s Guide To The Mosh Pit. YPP.
- ^ Irvine, Martha (1996) Moshing Exciting but dangerous. Associated Press. at rockmed.org
- ^ Sacahroff, Reaz (1996) Music: Pit Etiquette. Tucson Weekly.
- ^ a b Fan Crushed at Smashing Pumpkin's Show. MTV.com (1996). Retrieved on 2006-06-23.
- ^ Weir, Ian (2002-11-8). Findings and Recommendations by the Coronial Inquest into the Death of Jessica Michalik (PDF). Venue and Event Management Services Pty Ltd.. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
- ^ "Clubhouses," South Park. Original airdate September 23, 1998.
- ^ "Hell Is Other Robots," Futurama. Original airdate May 18, 1999.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Berger, Tom (2004) In the Pit - How to survive mosh pits and bodysurfing!
- The Beginners Guide To Moshing
- Tsitsos, William (1999) Rules of Rebellion: Slamdancing, Moshing, and the American Alternative Scene Popular Music, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 397-414
