shoegaze

v.

To play an instrument (especially a guitar) with one's head down, as though gazing at one's shoes.

Example Citation:

"Whirlaway held its official CD-release party at Shakespeare's after returning from the tour. Before taking the stage under a swirl of lights that night, the bandmates sat at a plastic table next to the tiny parking lot outside the pub and debated their brand of spaced-out Converse contemplation. They half-jokingly defended their sound against pigeonholing, pointing out they are not trying to emulate the shoegaze of yesteryear."

— Hans Morgenstern, "No Crying Game," Miami New Times, June 14, 2001

Earliest Citation:

"With their blend of hazy swirling guitars, detached vocals and rhythms that alternate between fierce and droning, Drop Nineteens are showing the Brits that they can shoegaze with the best of them."

— John Yee, "alter ASIANS," The Ethnic News Watch, October 31, 1992

Notes:

When the term shoegaze first appeared, it referred to a style of music popular in Britain in the early 90s (and also called bliss-rock and dream-pop). But the verb now has a wider currency, as seen here:

"Hum does shoegaze here and there, and some of the songs fidget too long before getting started."

— Rafer Guzman, "Hum: Downward is Heavenward," New Times Los Angeles, January 29, 1998

Related Words:

country-and-eastern

dadrock

emo

fop-rock

mallternative

pickle-stabber

plunderphonics

popsical

Category:

Music