Bela Lugosi is not dead. Dig the part-memoir/part-culture crit about goth written by fantastic author Cintra Wilson, whose new book Caligula For President Mark reviewed a couple days ago. Ah, the good old daze that have never died. From the NYT:
The goth subculture, however, for those who live it, is more than the sum of its chicken bones, vampire clichés and existential pants. It remains a visual shortcut through which young persons of a certain damp emotional climate can broadcast to the other members of their tribe who they are. Goth is a look that simultaneously expresses and cures its own sense of alienation.
This sentiment was echoed by Wendy Jenkins of Powell, Ohio, whom I contacted via a goth group on Facebook. "To me, Goth is like an escape," wrote Ms. Jenkins, who is 18 and attends Olentangy Liberty High School.
"No one really judges each other," she continued. "It doesn't matter if you are tall, short, black, white, heavy, thin. Goth can fit everyone! I think it is a great way to bond with others who are different and who are just like you at the same time! Because we are wearing black most the time we are EZ to find!"
Missy Graf, 20, of Edmonton, Alberta, became fascinated by the goths at her Catholic high school. "One of the goth girls was in the choir with me," she wrote in an e-mail message, "and we talked about depression and God's apparent absence from her life. It was one of my first encounters with the world outside of the 'Christian bubble.' "
"I guess I slowly became (eh-em) 'goth' starting a year and a half ago," she added. "I was afraid of what my mom would think (she is still convinced that goth is associated with Satan-worshipping and that dying my hair black is one more step into the oblivion … oh mom! You dye your hair red. Don't you know that Satan panties are red, not black?). Whatever. Eventually I got to the point where I stopped trying to make people accept me."
"You Just Can't Kill It" (NYT, thanks Kirsten Anderson!)
