Contents

“Subversive Pop Culture”. What is it? Hyperpop, pop-punk, indie pop, glitch, emo, pop aesthetic, and anything pop that’s outside of the mainstream. It’s bright, colorful, beautiful, and radical. The inspiration to publish a pop-oriented e-magazine came from Miley Cyrus (details here). The art/music/politics structure came from my late friend, Funkadelic album cover artist Pedro Bell (details here). Our socialist editorial content and retro-futuristic Myspace aesthetic and color palette was inspired by Generation Z, namely those obscenely talented hyperpop musicians. At its core, Neuerotica is a big part of and reflection of who I am, but it’s also a love letter/thank you note to Gen Z for (despite my being older) culturally, politically and personally enlightening me to the many facets of their world.

There’s always been a thriving underground scene in art, music, and fashion, it’s where everyone starts out in their careers, and where brands look to for ideas. The ones who make it out of that scene and achieve commercial success have the backing of corporate entities who ensure their reach to larger audiences or customers for their wares. Unfortunately, the ones left behind are left to fend for themselves. Most of them aren’t concerned with commercial success, but instead labor to share their art to more people, seeking appreciation for their art while making a few bucks for a loaf of bread and a new pair of Converse™ (which is becoming increasingly difficult these days). Neuerotica’s purpose is to help these artists facilitate their aspirations through interviews and articles. We offer the same attention, professionalism, and respect to lesser-known creatives as we would mainstream artists. 

You can stop reading, at this point. Everything I’ve said thus far is basically what Neuerotica is. If you’re truly interested in the details, they can be found in the pages of this twelve-part introduction, which, admittedly, is a lot of reading. Mapping and constructing the art/sex/socialism DNA of Neuerotica wasn’t a matter of simply connecting the dots, there are dynamics involved that required a comprehensive understanding of the qualities of each element that facilitates their interrelation. If that sounds like something you want to spend your sunny afternoon reading about, then by all means, read on.

To get you started on what to expect as you read through our intro, here’s a quote I found during my research, from a website called MyArtBroker. It’s an excerpt from Editorial Copywriter Essie King’s preface of her article on the art/sex connection where she states:

Art and identity are intertwined, and one way artists have explored their identity is through their sexuality. Sexuality is a complex and nuanced aspect of one's identity that can be challenging to express, particularly in a society that often imposes social norms and boundaries on sexual expression. However, art can be a powerful tool for exploring and celebrating sexuality, breaking down taboos and boundaries, and providing a platform for marginalized communities to express their sexuality freely.

In her introduction to Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality, the late Ann Snitow writes:

“While later generations of Marxian scientific socialists saw sex as secondary, derivative of the real relationships of production, many of the earliest socialist theorists and movements took sexual matters very seriously. The French Charles Fourier (1772–1837), for instance, one of the earliest utopian socialists, saw passionate attractions as germinal to the egalitarian, extra-familial bonds he envisioned. It was Fourier, for instance, who first perceived the connection, popular with subsequent sex radicals, between sexual monogamy and the acquisitive mentality fostered by private property.”

What I did was determine the locus of the interrelationship between art/sex/socialism in order present a cohesive triumvirate of philosophical exhibition and exposition through Neuerotica. Basically, I put these elements together in a way that doesn’t come off as something that I threw together because I thought it was cool. It would have been impossible to publish articles about underground pop culture without all of them being present in this space.

There’s a lot more in this twelve-chapter introduction than I anticipated writing, but I believe that it’s worth it. You don’t have to read it straight through in one sitting (if you want to read it at all); you can skip sections by clicking the link of your choice in the table of contents at the top, and you’ll be taken to the section where the information you’re searching for can be found.

If you’re a musician, model, artist, photographer, or fashion designer and want in on the madness by having an article or interview written about you, click on the SUB link in the menu and fill out the submission form.

For those who want to get straight to our great content, be on your way; the masochists can follow me by clicking a link in the table of contentsup top, and we’ll begin our journey into the depths of this phenomenon known as Neuerotica, take a deep dive into its origins and purpose, and perhaps learn something about its mysterious creator along the way.

Every chapter in this absurdly long introduction (which is what “proem” means, in case you were wondering) was written by me. It took me almost two years for me to get to here, and I had no help whatsoever. I need you to appreciate the work I put into this e-magazine, but more importantly, I sincerely hope that you show your appreciation for our articles and interviews on these young artists, and support them. They are, after all, who I built Neuerotica for.

Before you leave, please note that:

1) You don’t have to be a socialist to enjoy our articles (maybe stay clear of the editorial section).

2) If you’re racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or transphobic, you won’t have a good time here, and our editorials are going to do nothing for you except have you foaming at the mouth. Don’t do it to yourselves.

3) Being queer, socialist, trans, non-binary, or neurodivergent is not a prerequisite for enjoying our content, but if you’re a straight, capitalist, cis neurotypical, I hope that you enjoy our articles about some amazing people, regardless of your sexual proclivities, political leanings, pronouns, or psychological profile.

4) I’m human, fallible, and (contrary to the opinions of family and friends), I don’t know it all. Everything you read in our Proem chapters was written by me, the publisher. You’re going to find errors and redundancy, and that’s to be expected. While I do have a pretty solid understanding of history and key events, I’m not a historian. If you’re looking for a great historian whose history books are laced with copious amounts of profanity and snark, I suggest Canadian journalist/author James Fell; you won’t regret it.

5) Neuerotica was customized using photographs, traditional art, digital, 3D art, or something I made myself. There may be one or two that are AI-generated, but they’re placeholders until I find something appropriate to replace them with. The environmental impact aside, I’m not an enemy of AI art, reasons of which I intend to explain in an article sometime in the near future. I do use use them to make memes, but the art isn’t made by me. I see something I like at DeviantArt, take it, edit it, and slap my words of wisdom on them.

6) My manner of speech, tone, and behavior changes depending on my audience, but until recently, I didn’t know that it affected my writing. I’m mentioning this because I don’t want to anyone thinking that I’m using AI to compose my articles and interviews. It all comes straight from the dome.

Background photograph by Frankie Cordoba