Gothic for Life: a reflection

Dear Spookies,

So maybe this should have been my introduction post, but there's something to be said for inspiration, isn't there? I've recently been re-watching episodes of the 2004 Sci Fi channel reality show "Mad Mad House" which first ran on television when I was 16 or so.

I could not miss an episode of this show, I adored it. I fell in love with the "Alts", the alternative people who hosted the show, and I wanted to be more like them. Especially Don, the Vampire and Fiona, the Witch. I hated the house guests. Not only because they were out to fool these Alts, but because they felt like they didn't have to be open minded. Somehow I felt offended on a personal level when the house guests refused to participate in demonstrations by the Alts, because I would have been so happy to be there and learn from all of them.

Cheesy as it might sound, I think that show was a final realization that I was going to be Gothic forever. I had never seen an adult Gothic person before, and that sort of made me fall in love with Don the Vampire. He was everything a Gothic man should be in my eyes. He was well dressed, pale, handsome, slept in a coffin.... of course my vision has broadened a bit after I realized how impractical being that pale is unless you actually are nocturnal.

In re-watching the series, there was a particular segment where two of the Alts (Don and Art, probably the two most extreme looking) and a few of the house guests went to the grocery store to pick up some things. People laughed, pointed and one woman even confronted Art about how he looked like a demon. One of the house guests spoke up to the woman who said this saying "if you knew this man, you'd know that he has a bigger heart than any one of us". Which really spoke to me as to how accepting alternative people in general are. Truly, we don't have the easiest lives by choosing to look the way we do. Perhaps we truly are big-hearted, or maybe we're just gluttons for punishment. Either way, we alternative folks don't generally shut out the badness of the world just because of a few mean people, and we generally don't treat eachother badly either. We're just generally kind, and I think that's pretty cool.

Rambling aside, that show made me realize that my "dressing Goth" wasn't necessarily a childhood phase, but more importantly, that it didn't HAVE to be. My parents might have worried about my baggy black pants and corsets and lectured me that one day I'd have to "grow up" in order to be an effective member of society, but now that I'm an adult (and my clothing tastes are a bit more refined/age appropriate), they.... still don't LOVE it. But they understand that it's a style of dress that makes me comfortable and feel most like myself, just like they would feel at home in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Maybe 22 is a bit early to be making judgements about the rest of my life, but I feel pretty confident that I would be very bored in the mainstream. I can see myself as a cranky eldergoth one day, still handing out sanctimonious advice from my high horse about "back in the day", and I don't know if I would have come to this realization had it not been for that silly little reality show.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Miss Manic

Delayed Reviews

Hello there, Spookies!

I've been dragging my feet on this update for a month, and I feel absolutely awful about it. Truthfully, my Spookies, my mind has not been clear enough lately to post. Life has been quite difficult for me lately, and I've had to momentarily put some things on the shelf while figuring some things out. Having said that, things are looking up, and I am making some positive steps towards the future. Pray for the best, my friends.

Now! I promised you all some reviews. The first thing I'd like to tell you all about is my visit to the brand new Outland location, and the Voltaire concert I saw there. All I have to say about Outland is that it is FANTASTIC. It's decorated with elements of style ranging from 1980's glamour to Victorian Gothic. Somehow all aesthetics come together in a delightfully eclectic and fashionable mish-mash. It is spacious without feeling empty, and provides plenty of secluded corners for couples to sneak off and have a snuggle between songs.

As for the Voltaire show.... it was an event, Spookies. Many people know Voltaire as a friendly and quick-witted individual who enjoys sharing conversations with his fans. That evening was no exception, and I had the opportunity to enjoy the presence of Voltaire's company among some new friends.

Immediately upon joining this conversation, I was the target of his jokes for a while. To my disappointment, Voltaire is not a fan of Dr. Steel's music. This makes me very sad, and for whatever reason, it's a bit difficult to attach words to. I feel like these two musicians, who I respect greatly and who share quite a bit of common ground, should be friends. Perhaps one day. Toy Soldiers, I'm setting you on it!

This particular concert was an extremely intimate showcase of some of Voltaire's lesser-known work. The majority of the songs he played were either never recorded for albums or were on small-release albums such as "Banned on Vulcan". He also sang a few songs that are slated to be released on his country record, due out later this year. It was much more toned down and slightly more intimate than the "To the Bottom of the Sea" show he played at Circus over Halloween. Definitely a fabulous show. As always, Voltaire delivered an amazing one-of-a-kind show. I cannot wait for him to come back to town. I'll be the one in the Toy Soldier uniform. ^_~

Speaking of my dear Dr. Steel, he has recently released his VERY FIRST official music video for his song "Childhood Don't A Go-Go". It was directed by Tony Leonardi III and has been in the works for the past several YEARS! In fact, if you look closely, you can see a clip from the finished product in "Building a Utopian Playland", which was released several years before hand.

The video itself blends live-action, computer-generated graphics, stop motion, and of course, an army of very strange little toys. It's a fantastically entertaining little video, and generated a lot of pride amongst the Army of Toy Soldiers. It is available EXCLUSIVELY on the front page of WWW.ToySoldiersUnite.COM

Finally, also speaking of Dr. Steel, I must share that just this past weekend I participated in a large-scale invasion of Columbus Ohio's MARCON (Multiple Alternate Realities Convention). With 1800 in attendance, our small squad of soldiers were able to send an estimated 1300 of those people home with propaganda. As if this success wasn't enough, our booth also won "Best in Show", outranking the legendary 501st Legion of Stormtroopers(Check out the photo of Div. #614 in front of our award-winning booth on the sidebar!). Our group's accomplishments make me proud to be a Toy Soldier, and I will do my best to continue striving for excellence for the benefit of Dr. Steel.

I hope to be more regular about my posts in the future. That should be a much easier accomplishment once I'm home for the summer. Good luck at your finals, Spookies! Goodness knows I'll need luck for mine. ^_^

Love!
Miss Manic

R.I.P. Pete Steele

Dear Spookies,

As many of you already know, Pete Steele, frontman and bassist of the Gothic music group Type O Negative, died this past Wednesday. According to the group's website, the suspected cause of death is heart failure. It hasn't yet been released where he died, or what caused his heart to fail.

His drippingly Gothic demeanor and his irreverent sense of humor charmed us all. His struggle with depression and his recovery from drug addiction inspired us all. We danced to his music. We swooned over him. We wished we could be that cool.

My condolences go to his band, his family and his loved ones. I, and many others, will miss him very much.

Love,
Miss Manic

On Labeling: Should You be Offended?

Happy St. Patricks Day, Spookies!

I've unfortunately been forced to put the super-special post I promised you on the backburner because of extenuating circumstances (i.e., finals....wish me luck. I will need it). Nevertheless! I have vowed to bring you more postings, and so I shall. This (still very special) topic will overview the idea of labels, being referred to as a "goth", "punk", or what have you, and wether or not the whole idea of labels are offensive.

First of all, a disclaimer. This post is mainly based on my own experience, and the experiences of my friends. It may come off as a bit preachy, too, to those of us who have been in the scene for a while. If you disagree with anything I've said here, please feel free to share your own experience by commenting on this blog post.

I personally see nothing wrong with labels. Certainly the idea of a stranger judging you on your outward apperances and then condensing that down to a single dubious descriptor does not sound pleasant. But then again, it is very useful. After all, if it's got feathers like a duck, and it swims and quacks like a duck....

With that out of the way, there are a lot of words in American culture that are acceptable, or even complimentary when people of the same social group say them to eachother, but they become offensive when people outside that social group say them. Let's take a moment to identify a few of these words.

I argue that "Goth", "Punk", "Skate Rat" and the like fall into the same category. When an outside person calls a goth such, the immediate reaction is to get defensive. After all, what does that person know? I could have just chosen to wear black today. The tables become shifted, though, when two goths discuss the subject, or call one another goth. In this case it becomes complimentary, an understanding between two people who share a culture.

And in running with the common theme of politeness, if someone from outside your particular sphere of hanging-out politely approaches you with genuine interest (especially if they have genuine interest!), it'd be a nice gesture to answer their questions. After all, who wants to perpetuate the stereotype that alternative lifestyle people are an impenetrable clique of snobs?

I hope you've all enjoyed what I've had to say. As always, if you agree, disagree, or want to post your own opinion, please feel free to do so, and keep suggesting topics for future posts!

Love,
Miss Manic

Birhtday Madness

Spookies!

I am so terribly sorry for the delay in posting. This quarter of school has been particularly hard for me, since there have been no theatre classes to distract me from the "real" classes I have to take....(excuses, excuses) Please believe, though, My Dear Spookies, that I have not forgotten about you. On the contrary, I have given quite a lot of (over)thought on the direction of my next posting.

I have just celebrated my 22nd birthday (among other things), which was the 21st of this month. Happy 22nd birthday to me! I'm feeling quite old now, since I have no more taboo-breaking birthdays left to celebrate. That being said, I had fun anyway. I went to the local hookah bar, went thrift shopping, and got to spend a lot of time with my Beau. Altogether very nice.

At one point I did have plans to visit Wicked Faire V for my birthday (http://www.wickedfaire.com/)in hopes of seeing Voltaire in concert one more time before he goes back into the studio to record his Goth-Country album (and possibly drinking deep into the night with him, his gorgeous new Wifey possibly, Ego Likeness.... *sigh*), but finances kept me from getting there. Next year maybe.

I'd also like to announce that I'm *finally* opening an Etsy shop. I've actually had it for about 2 years, but I've never gotten the motivation to do anything with it. Now that I've amassed too many paintings, knitted things, and stuffed creatures to ignore any longer, I feel like I should share them with the world. Hopefully the world wants them!

A bit about my artwork: I am a self-taught painter of about 5 years. I create gothic-flavored folk art and prefer non-canvas surfaces like wood and stone. My inspiration comes from nature, dreams, books, my materials, life experience and music. I hope you enjoy my work!

That concludes this posting, Spookies! Look forward to next post where I'll have a very special mystery guest writer debating with me the importance of The Smiths versus The Cure in gothic culture! Stay tuned kiddies!

Love!
Miss Manic

Post Holiday Hoopla

Dear Spookies,

Well, another holiday season has come and gone. I hope you've all gotten what you wanted, made the most of what you got, or at the very least were able to lie low until the whole thing blew over. Goodness knows I've done my share of all three.

I should confess to you all, I had written a previous post sometime around Christmas Eve, but decided to delete it for a number of reasons. Mostly because it was extremely preachy (even more preachy than usual), and the post was a bit on the cynical side, and about 12 hours later I realized I had nothing to be cynical about. I am a very lucky person to have a family, friends and a wonderful Beau who all love me and that I have the resources to give them lovely gifts on Christmas.

Certianly there are times that the holidays get under our skins (like when they start playing Christmas music on the radio in the first week of November) and the stress can electrify our nerves to the point of wondering why anyone continues to torture themselves with the holidays at all. That's alright. Everyone has the right to feel Grinchy. Heavens know the only way I get through everything I need to do is by muttering "I hate Christmas" a few million times. It's not a crime. As long as you don't go and tackle the Pope, you'll be fine.

Now there's just New Year's Eve left to celebrate, which I have yet to plan myself. Parties bore me, I'd rather just have some drinks with some friends, play my favorite music and kiss my Beau at midnight, but everyone else seems to want a massive shindig. One of my friends even wants to go out of town, which I will not do. On well, hopefully all of my plans fall together sometimes. I'll have fun wherever I go, and besides, even if I don't do much of anything, there's an Outland event at Skully's on the 2nd that I'm planning on attending as my last hurrah before school starts again. Hopefully I'll see you all there!

I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE New Year's Eve!
Love,
Miss Manic

An Omnibus Post: Concerning Weight Loss/Gain, Animal Companions, and the Impending Holiday Season

*Not necessarily in that order. ^_~

Welcome, Spookies!
I hope you all enjoyed your Turkey Day/Black Friday festivities. Mine was fine, if not a little odd. My mom and brother (who I live with when I'm at home), were both (and still are) celebrating their holiday in Boston with a family friend. Luckies. That left me to my dad's side of the family, which is EXCEPTIONALLY normal, and take quite a bit of pride in that. They do listen to what I have to say, though, and find me "cute", which is certainly not an issue. The second half of the day was spent with my Beau and his family, who were gracious enough to invite me to their family table AND purchase for me a Tofurkey, which I had never had before. It was delicious, and I highly recommend it, and not just for us Veggies. ^_^

There has also been a new addition to my family- take a look!

May I introduce to you: Miss Ophelia Jane Floppilopicus (Phe-Phe for short)! Isn't she adorable? Yes, that is my face obscured by her wiggly little nosey. She's such a litte princess. I love to spoil her. She's grown twice her size since I got her just after Halloween. But I gush! I have to take her to the vet soon, because she's showing signs of snuffles, which is sort of like a cold, but instead of being annoying, it can kill her. Wish me luck in finding her the medicine she needs!

I have a confession to make, dear readers. I am not a fan of the Christmas season. It is one event where I don't particularly take joy in the pageantry. I do, however, enjoy a few holiday traditions. The first being volunteer work, the second one being pie. Helping the less fortunate by donating your time, talent and money is a great way to give back to your local community. And to reiterate the value I will harp upon until the day I die: it is especially important for members of the alternative communities to be charitable. People will think twice about judging you harshly when you're smiling and donating some warm clothes to the shelter up the street. And I know volunteering is not the most glamorous thing to do, but think about what you really enjoy- do you like animals? Children? Knitting? There are a million different charities out there and they all require different kinds of help.

My love for pie is much simpler. Pumpkin and pecan pies, especially. Whatever to you fruit pie-supremicists out there. I'm also going to go out on a limb and go ahead and lay my vote down for cheesecake being an undercover pie. I love cheesecake, but I'm not the world's biggest fan of cake. Pie will always come first.

Which leads me to my final topic for the evening. Weight, and America's obsession with it. I've always been on the bigger side, and I don't necessarily mind being a larger-framed person. It does make me feel a bit less.... delicate, but curves, they're awesome. It's hard to pull off a corset when you don't have the shape. That being said, though, I could stand to lose a bit of weight. Thirty pounds or so would put me at my ideal weight. I hate being concerned about weight, because it seems like such a superficial concern, but it's become a matter of comfort to me. And I love my skinny clothes!

I just got through listening to a creepy podcast about thinness, while on the topic, which commented in a roundabout way about the western culture's obsession with being thin. It was kind of an old-tyme-radio show setup called "In the Gloaming", and was really well done, though the English accents were a bit difficult to decipher at moments. I'm really looking forward to the podcast's next edition.

And now, I present to thee: WEBSITES OF RELEVANCY! Enjoy, my lovelies.

Tofurkey website (full of links and information about going veg!):
http://tofurkey.com/index.html

My favorite charitable organization at the moment, which connects crafters to people in need:
http://www.projectlinus.org/

The Real Pie Club, another relatively new blog that focuses on just pies:
http://therealpieclub.blogspot.com/

New old-tyme radio style horror-inspired podcast called "In the Gloaming":
http://inthegloaming.podbean.com/


Have a terriffic shopping season, everyone, and don't forget to buy a little something for yourself, dearies!
Love,
Miss Manic