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The Addams Family
- I find the mythological undercurrent of the Scene Kids to be The Addams Family, the eccentric protagonists of their eponymous comic strips, TV show, and movies.
- This mythology stems from a few observations that are present in both the Addams Family and Scene Kids:
- They are misunderstood by the outside world, but they understand each other and that’s what matters.
- It must be noted, though, that they are not in anyway seeking to be understood by anyone outside of their group. They are completely fine with being strange in the eyes of others, and that brings them even closer to each other.
- They are unique, which is something they love about themselves. In fact they flaunt this uniqueness and take pride in it.
- Very visual with a carefully curated aesthetic. Some may call it gaudy, eclectic, or dramatic, but it is entirely their own and they love it.
- Some quotes from former Scene Kids and MySpace users from a Nylon Magazine Article on Scene Queens speak to this parallel:
"Myspace was the first place I met people. I met tons of friends that I still talk to... It was also the first place that you could go, 'Oh sh*t, you like this and you live across the world!' It was the first time that you found people that you were in common with, as opposed to your f*cking five-person friend group." - Morgan Freed, former Scene Kid and founder of Emo Nite LA
"Around when I was 16 years old, I became really close with Audrey [Kitching] and Jac Vanek. We'd always go to a bunch of shows, and we connected through that... We all connected because we lived close and we all were in these very emo hardcore music scenes. I used to go to shows two or three times a week. That whole world was my life." - Hanna Beth Merjos, former Scene Queen
"It always felt important, and I love that 14 years later, I'm talking to you and it's still going really strong. To me, if anyone identifies with [that scene], that's great. There was of course the element of a trend, and I’m totally able to acknowledge that. But we believed that no matter what someone's introduction was to it, this was ultimately a meaningful conversation." - Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms (a popular movement and brand with Scene Kids)
"I didn’t hear the term “scene queen” until I was 17 or 18. I was with Audrey [Kitching, another Scene Queen]... we had poster signings and things like that, and I just remember girls being like, "Oh my God, I look up to you guys, you're like the scene queens." I'm like, “What is that?” We'd wear tutus and crowns, and this messy makeup, and we were always doing these silly shoots. But then it became a whole movement that I didn't even realize was happening. Me, Audrey, Jac, Jeffree — we all had followings in our own way, so I feel like because of all of that, people knew who we were. We kind of were a staple of that whole scene." - Hanna Beth Merjos
"That scene, that tour, was just vital, in terms of our foundation, and also just relationally, my sister, her best friends, and even her boyfriend can be traced back to Warped Tour. The word “community” gets thrown around a lot, and all these years later, she can look at these relationships that she cherishes. That was really true for any of our folks that spent a significant amount of time on the road for Warped Tour." - Jamie Tworkowski
"In a way, that period really saved me. I was like not doing well with all of my personal stuff I was going through, and the bullying, and I dealt with different things. And I feel like because of Myspace and being able to have this community where I felt accepted and fit in, it kind of gave me my life back. It made me feel inspired and it made me feel like life might be OK." - Hanna Beth Merjos
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