You have to really have a high tolerance of "outfits" to hang out in a goth scene. There's this really nice, quiet, unassuming kind of guy at Club Hell who wears all black and is covered with spikes (spike collar, spike belt, spikes all over his jacket, etc etc). He has such a gentle face, it's great.
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Yeah, but it was also great fun working for them...it gave my 6' tall self an excuse to wear 5" vinyl platforms. Posts: 9057 | Registered: Nov 2000
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Thanks for that, Zalmoxis. Now I have to hurry home and give that old CD a listen.
quote:Anyone here like Wolfsheim, or Project Pitchfork, or Apoptygma Berzerk
Yes. There's a goth/darkwave channel that I listen to on MusicMatch. Recently I've gotten into some old Orbital, Crystal Method, Massive Attack, and even black metal like Opeth, but eventually they play Nine Inch Nails, and I have to turn it off. There's a fine line between a dark sound and a satanic sound. My wife says it's all satanic and forbids me from listening to it at home.
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Sun, I guess all those spikes might creep me out a bit. I probably wouldn't dress up quite that extreme myself either. But maybe one of these days I will go goth for Halloween.
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skillery: neato. I listened to a few goth internet radio stations, but never found quite the perfect one. One of the first gothy songs I heard had this line: "We are the dead of night; We're in the zombie room" and it's by Depeche Mode! I never would have guessed. If anyone's interested, it's carried on iTunes store (called "The Dead of Night"). Not much else of the goth/industrial scene is. A lot of the music is german.
I still think it's a funny song. But now I dance to it happily.
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I should confess that I would have been Goth -- I liked the music, the scene, and the girls (especially the girls; I dated moody girls in black lipstick almost exclusively for a decade, to my shame) -- but for the fact that I'm fat, and there's nothing more laughable than a fat Goth man. You can be a fat Goth chick, a thin Goth chick, or a thin Goth boy, but FAT Goth boys have to skip straight over to biker punk. They don't make capes in 3X sizes.
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Does Type O Negative count as Goth? 'Cause they are one of the best groups (if still around) I have heard yet. I wear black clothing as everything else just looks so loud on me.
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Tom, have I told you lately that I love ya? *giggles*
I guess I was sort of a proto-goth in high school. But that has been a very, very long time ago. Most of my friends were gay, and I was this semi-morose, frustrated little churchling.
But, since I have kids now, I almost never get to hear new music. I sort of met Trent Reznor once, before anybody cared who the hell he was. Heh.
Since I'm a mommy now, I'm not sure I could be called a Goth. The picture that the words "Goth Mom" conjure up... doesn't seem like me. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Tom, you could have gone on meth. Meth would thin you up and give you the cool, "Goth drug addict" twist. I know many goths who think its cool to be an addict. So angsty.
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Olivet, a couple of the girls down the hall wrote Trent bad ad-lib poetry and left it in his mailbox. It was wonderful. I'll see if I can get a copy of it from them.
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Olivet, There is a goth.parenting newsgroup on my newsreader, but it doesn't get much traffic, sadly. The folks who post there are pretty genuine, though, when they DO post. They're kind of neat to lurk at.
I am too cheerful for goth, I think. I tried to be Goth in H.S., but the goths I knew were so saaaad. What a bummer.
I get Gother as I get older, but I think I'm rebelling at my military family lifestyle. *grin*
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quote:What I was amazed to discover early on, is the huge amount of anger, nastiness, and condescension that exists in what I thought would have been an open, accepting community. Pfft, how innocent of me.
*shrug* just like any other subculture that thinks it's not one of the many mainstream subcultures, and has disdain for anything "mainstream." Same applies for punks, emos (emus to me), and even the nerd/geek crowds. The "wicca/pagan" crowd is becoming very much the same (I mean the subculture based on them, not the belief systems). I've been friends with enough of each of these "alt" groups long enough to know that obviously not everyone is like that. It's just the general attitude that becomes pervasive. I stopped joining my friends at the popular goth club in Philly because I get a little sick of dealing with the disdainful looks and comments for not being goth enough (I wear black almost exclusively, but not "goth" black: khakis and plain shirts, never any makeup. I have no fashion sense, so I take the easy way out and don't try to match colors). It's kind of annoying coming from people who complain about being made fun of for trying so hard to stick out like a sore thumb (in the real world) to begin with.
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oh I completely agree, NOW, John. My innocence was bashed and I realize that every subculture has its in-fighting, politics, emotional backstabbing, and condescension. It's such a shame.
I hoped that the goth culture would celebrate Being Different and letting people express themselves, however that might be. But that's just an idealism, something concocted from the dream-world, not reality.
Yes, even the pagan communities are beginning to have a lot of tension. A friend related to me a story of a huge fight between pagan store owners involving curses that occurred recently.
I think I can only say that it's human nature. As sad as that is.
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Danke. My brother sometimes teases me and says I still look goth, but it'd be tough for me to pull it off now. Now, though, I come off as either looking like a wannabe-FBI or, as my friend Jim says, like "Matrix-Man."
One friend of mine is an ordained Wiccan priestess (minister?), and she won't even get together with anyone she hasn't know for years any more because of the cattiness.
Oh well. That's what happens when something becomes a "thing" involving more than a dozen or so people (more than three is a risk IMnsHO). Posts: 779 | Registered: Dec 2003
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(I simply haven't been fangirling him enough lately--seriously, though, John makes a very Handsome Goth)
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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Yeah, I traded the boots and brooding for sunglasses, a long jacket (leather, but not near a trench), and a bit of quirky wit. Once I get enough to get another Harley, though, I'll be grabbing engineer boots like those again, since they're best for riding (or, more exactly, for shifting)
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Wow! Look at all the posters! Fun goth type people and pictures abound!
Still haven't gotten mine up yet. Moved my mom to the nursing home last night so she can recover for a week or two from her knee surgery (she still can't use the bathroom on her own yet so moving to the house would be bad without constant care), so I didn't have time to search for my pretty goth pics. Soon! *hugs*
Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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Besides some other problems with dressing Goth (mentioned in Suneun's landmark), I live not far from Paducah (where the Trenchcoat Mafia incident occurred). No point in being mistaken for someone planning to shoot up the professors.
Truthfully, I've always found it too much trouble to try and meet anyone's standard of appearances, beyond a little basic grooming.
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People always call me a goth, but I'm more emo than anything. I'm into graveyards and the comsumption of blood , and the all-black thing, but I'm usually a pretty upbeat person. Until recently, my hair was to my nose, but I was required to cut it because I'm in a play. >_< The things I do for drama... Posts: 40 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I have yet to decide if I remotely qualify as goth...I still do not understand exactly what it is, whether it's a style of dress, a mindset, a preference in music...a combination of any of the above and/or more...
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Reiko, as far as I know... many people do only identify with one segment of the subculture. But the true goths are probably the ones that enjoy exploring the dark side of things, whether it be depression, evil, death, sadness, anger, hate, or despair. For starters.
But I know LOTS of 'perky goths.' These are generally very happy goths, while they may have interest in a few of the other parts of goth culture. Some of these are happy while they hang out in cemetaries. Others are happy when they hang out on their computer, far away from dead things.
That's my take, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's regional.
Posts: 1892 | Registered: Mar 2002
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*re-reads the first part...confirms* definately goth...it wouldn't do me much good to deny it...most people who know me would just laugh at me if I tried...*looks at the second part...remembers nearly falling asleep in a cemetary once...when the sun was warm and the moss a perfect bed*
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I find tall, pale, dark-haired girls very attractive.
I, however, am not goth. I don't self-identify with any subcultures, with the exception of engineering school camraderie.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Twinky--that means you're halfway to the goth look--pasty white from never seeing sunlight or the outside world (my sis is an engineering major--haven't seen her in ages, and we go to the same school)
Most of my goth friends were the perky happy types--except for a couple--one had a tendency towards callousness, the other just had anger problems (and is now what one would call "jerry springer material"). Both had a penchant for saying "I was goth before he/she was doing it..."
I felt like saying "Who cares?"
I kinda do it--not as often as I used to b/c it takes a bit of work, especially with makeup, which I'm too lazy to put on half the time, even when I dressed goth. Most of my formal attire is what one would call gothic, including my senior prom dress.
I occasionally go to the nightclub in Philly that JohnL mentioned, but haven't been there in a few months. I never really interacted with the people there---I'm usually there with friends and I enjoy dancing, so that's normally what I do.
My stepfather makes fun of me--askes me if I'm going to hang out with 12 yearolds. He just doesn't get it. I'm beyond the age of trying to be "radical." I like dressing like that, sometimes, it's fun!
*sigh* Now I wish I had time to go to Shampoo...maybe I'll go for graduation.
Maybe I'll scan and post pics...
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I saw The Cure on the Tonight Show this evening, and I wanted to know if The Cure has much of a following among the goth culture. I don't know why, but I've always thought of The Cure, or at least Robert Smith as gothic. Maybe it's Robert's ratty hair. Maybe it's because Robert reminds me of Edward Scissorhands. Maybe it's the makeup.
So are The Cure, Tim Burton, and Danny Elfman all gothic?
I've been listening to Portishead a lot lately, and I'm wondering if they're considered gothic.
Sorry to ramble. Just wanted to get my sub-cultures straight.
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The idea of wearing black, hanging out in shadowy places, and listening to dark music has always appealed to me, but I was married and settled before the goth culture congealed.
Life with my wife is sunshiney, pastel, and happy.
And now I'm too old to go goth, unless they bury me on a rainy day under the ruins of some old church.
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unlikely you're too old for goth. I see a lot of folks in their 30's, 40's, and 50's bumming around at the club.
And if you're not in the mood to look old among the punks, you can always listen to goth music on your own. You can also go stand around in cemetaries and such.
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Yes, the Cure -- along with My Bloody Valentine, Type O Negative, Concrete Blonde, Bauhaus, The Swans, Sisters of Mercy, etc. -- are considered one of the primary "Goth" influences, even if only one or two of their albums (most notably Disintegration, and the "Burn" single off The Crow soundtrack) are really all that Goth.
Most Goths I know consider both Danny Elfman and Tim Burton to be demigods.
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btw - Slash isn't kidding on that gay men love him thing.
My husband, WHO FREAKING LOOKS LIKE KEVIN SPACEY (whom all gay men love), is completely outclassed around Slash when it comes to the same sex lovin'.
Slash even has gay men hit on him when he is quite obviously with his wife. They can't help it. It's like he has them under hypnosis, or summin.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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"I should confess that I would have been Goth -- I liked the music, the scene, and the girls (especially the girls; I dated moody girls in black lipstick almost exclusively for a decade, to my shame) -- but for the fact that I'm fat, and there's nothing more laughable than a fat Goth man. You can be a fat Goth chick, a thin Goth chick, or a thin Goth boy, but FAT Goth boys have to skip straight over to biker punk. They don't make capes in 3X sizes."
Tom, I myself, am a goth girl. I know MANY the goth girl who enjoys fat men, MYSELF INCLUDED. Did you ever see The Butterfly Effect? Thumper, VERY HOT! (Until he screws all those girls.) You can make your own capes out of anything. Store-bought goth clothes are so lame anyway. Posts: 197 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I remember reading an article in Salt Lake's Deseret News about Mormon Goths a few years ago. It seemed at the time that there were also television news reports about whole congregations of Goths attending Mormon Church meetings in a little community called Eagle Mountain south of Salt Lake City. They may have sensationalized it a bit on the news. I don't think they were wearing Goth garb to church, and I don't think the LDS bishop was a Goth. But that would have been kinda cool.
Anyway I liked the part in the article about the community services that the Goths participated in. It said they were involved in the adopt-a-bat program.
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Olivet, I don't know if it's the pic or what, but you look exactly like my girlfriend without her glasses on! The likeness is totally wild.
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