Art & Creativity Quote by Richard Fleeshman

There is something quietly disarming in how Richard Fleeshman frames the challenge: not as a question of eyeliner, wardrobe, or “darkness,” but as a matter of taste. “A difficult thing to get my head round” is actor-speak for a deeper friction: Goth isn’t just an aesthetic you can put on like a coat, it’s a cultural code with its own soundtrack, posture, and emotional temperature. By admitting he’s “not really a fan of Goth music,” Fleeshman punctures the myth that performance is pure technique. Sometimes the obstacle is embarrassingly simple: you can’t fake a vibe you don’t naturally enjoy.

The pivot to “I’m more a piano and guitar man” does double duty. On the surface, it’s an innocuous preference. Subtextually, it’s a declaration of identity and authenticity in a profession built on transformation. Piano and guitar signal warmth, classicism, maybe a more “organic” masculinity; Goth music suggests artifice, extremity, stylized melancholy. He’s mapping a cultural distance between himself and the character, but doing it without contempt. That matters in a pop-cultural moment where subcultures get flattened into costume. Fleeshman’s comment implies respect: the difficulty is precisely that Goth, when done right, isn’t cosplay.

Contextually, actors are expected to sell immersion while also remaining relatable in interviews. This line accomplishes both. It humanizes him, lowers the stakes, and quietly advertises seriousness: he’s thinking about the character from the inside out, starting with what the character would listen to when no one is watching.