Won't be updating 'till next year,

I won't be updating this blog until next year. See you next year, my lovelies~!

So you want to be a Goth? The Basics of Gothdom: The culture, the look, and the like.

So you want to be a Goth?
 #1:
The Basics of Gothdom: The culture, the look and the like.

So you want to be a Goth? Well, monthly segment is for YOU! Well, my Baby Bats and Poseurs let's get started!

#1. Be yourself.

        The Golden Rule of Goth. If you try too much, you're a poser. Don't be afraid to turn down a old-school Goth band just because you think you will seem poseurish. Let me tell you a little secret: I don't like Sex Gang Children. To me, the singer sounds like if Zim from Invader Zim got a singing career. You don't need to have the most extravagant clothing, or the most elaborate make-up. Be who you want to be! Goth isn't a choice, it's a form of being yourself.

#2  Know your history.

  Common sense says: do your homework. Before you get into anything you have to find out its history, just in case you don't get into anything negative. Not saying that Goth is something negative, but check what you're getting into. Also, this is also so you don't seem like a stupid douche when people ask you where did Goth come from. 

3# Looks aren't everything.

    Yes, I've seen this case various times. A lot of "Goth" kids that focus too much time on finding the greatest clothes in Hot Topic, instead of focusing the most important thing: music and literature. You know, Goths don't ALWAYS wear black. Not every Goth wears clunky boots, belts or sexy, sexy pleather. Goths do sometimes get lazy or go somewhere that doesn't need all the get-up (Like the grocery store), you are not Lady Gaga, after all. If you decide to do it on your own, fine by me.

4# Don't be afraid of the Mainstream.

     I have a confession: I like Lady Gaga. In fact, I'm listening to her right now. Also, Daft Punk is awesome. La Roux is very nice. I like the Killers. I like Panic! At the Disco (Their first album, though). Don't repress your mainstream desires. It's sort of hiding who you are. Be yourself (Please see #1). Don't be embarrassed of shopping at Hot Topic. Also, a good note to poseurs: Good Charlotte, Evanescence, My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, and Linkin Park aren't Goth.

#5 "I do it 'cause it's the most Goth thing-" No.

    Self mutilation, suicide, or depression, are not needed to be Goth. Don't harm yourself because you'll seem more "Goth". No. This is no different from a girl going through bulimia because she thinks that will make her "pretty". If you are harming yourself, are suicidal, or going through depression, I suggest you go to a psychologist.You need help, and I hope you get better.

#6 Humour yourself.

    Don't get butthurt each time you see a parody of Goth people. Read the Encyclopedia Dramatica article (WARNING: NSFW). And you know what? SPAM TEIM!

THE BEST THING EVARRR!
Great Comic

A great Goth Make up tutorial! 

 

The Raison d'être of this blog

Why is this blog here you may ask? Well, where I come from, Puerto Rico (Also known as Borinquen, La Isla del Encanto or La Isla del Espanto) is very uneducated about Gothic culture. I, myself has gone through prejudice, insults and just plain witnessed people babbling crap. Also, I've seen really bad cases of doing it wrong. That's when I decided to make this blog. I want to educate and inform. Also, this site suggests Goth hangouts, clothing shops and more. Please enjoy!

Let's begin with:

 What is Goth?

Anna Goodman, one of the founders of The Batcave

   This is very difficult to define. Actually, this is like asking: what is society? But if I were to give you an explanation, it would go like this: Goth has two meanings:  the East Germanic Tribe that sacked the Romans, and the subculture. Gothic also has various meanings: the literary movement, the architecture, the medieval art movement, the subculture and many more. But we're here to talk about the subculture, so let me start!

  Gothic subculture surged around the late 70's/early 80's created by British kids that hanged out in a club called The Batcave (That sadly, doesn't exist any more *single tear*) (LOL IT STILL EXISTS, YAY) (Wait, no.) (What is this I don't even.) and listened to Goth rock, which evolved from post-punk. Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Alien Sex Fiend, Sex Gang Children and Sisters of Mercy were among the prototypical Goth bands (Even though some of them didn't want to label themselves as "Goth" because they found the term very limiting). These kids wore big hair (or as I'd like to call it, palm tree hair), dressed in black, wore gorgeous make-up, and read Gothic novels.

London After Midnight

  Then, Goth died in the late 1980's and came back to life like a sanguine vampire thirsting for blood in the early 90's with bands like London After Midnight, Rosetta Stone, and The Shroud. Also, it was in the 90's, where US Goth culture started to rise. "This time period is when the US Goth movement grew significantly, and Gothic became recognized as a distinct subculture. Through this period, gothic music and culture grew and branched out into various subsets, pushing the boundaries of what had previously been considered gothic." *Source*
   

Marilyn Manson

  Then, Goth died AGAIN, and this time it came back as a zombie in late 90's, with tons of kids calling themselves Goth. Marilyn Manson was becoming huge with his shock rock, and a lot kids thought this was cool and GAWFIK. Though he wasn't. Then Hot Topic came by and (LOL, HOT TOPIC CAME IN 1988) these kids started making Goth look as if it was mainstream *shudder*. Most of the older Goths look down on these kids especially the ones that are in it for the shock value, but these kids will get out of the phase or refine their "Gothicness" (Yes, I made that word up just now). Most of the good ol' fashioned Goths went underground, and babybats kept giving a bad reputation. And now we're here in the present.

TL;DR: GOTHIC SUBCULTURE IS BASICALLY PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO GOTHIC ROCK, DRESS IN BLACK AND READ GOTHIC LITERATURE.

Goth Myths

All Goths are Satanists.
Well, not EVERY Goth is Satanic. I'm not saying that Satanist Goths don't exist, because they do, but many people of different beliefs are involved with Goth culture: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. The thing is, a very small percentage of Goths are Satanists. According to http://www.gothicsubculture.com/ :
"Goths are often called Satanists because of their bizarre or dark appearance. There are some Satanists who are also Goth, but Satanists can be found in any random group of people. Satanism and the occult are extremely complex belief systems with as many differences in beliefs as Christianity. This is an area that creates the greatest amount of confusion and misinformation. Satanism as a documented religion, such as Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, is almost nothing like most people's concept of Satanism. Satanists are a very small percentage of Goths, and Goths are an extremely small percentage of Satanists." Also: http://www.christiangoth.com/ Congratulations! You fail!

Goth, Emos and Scenes are the same.

Nope. Goth came before Emo, and Emo came before Scene. Also, Goth and Emo music are different. Goth Rock has a repetitive drum beat throughout the song often produced by a drum machine or a snare drum, the guitar tone is distorted with electronic effects, and has a downstroke guitar playing style. (For more info, here.)  and Emo is typically characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. Not to mention screamo is VERY different from Goth Rock. Other Goth music includes: Gothic Rock, Batcave, Death Rock, Post Punk, etc. Scene is like Emo's happy sister: with more colours, and a bubbly outlook on life, in other words, a rainbow. On the other hand Scenes do NOT like to be labelled as "Scene", because they think they will seem poseurish.

 For more info on Scene: http://www.squidoo.com/a-scene-scenes-queen-style-styles-hair-hairstyle-hairstyles-girl-girls-kid-kids-clothes-clothing-emo-hot
For more info on Emo: http://www.fourfa.com/

Goths are violent, and want to kill everyone.
People usually assume this because most of the Goths portrayed in the media are the extreme cases (e.g. The "Vampire Clan" murders) . But actually, this is an over generalisation. It actually depends on the person, it doesn't have to do with being Goth or not. Unless, it's this type of psycho Goth that assumes violence and death=Goth. But that's a small percentage of Goths. Sane Goths don't believe that violent behaviour is synonymous with the subculture. 

Aren't Goths supposed to be like, depressed and stuff?

No. Again, it depends on the person. Most Goths I've seen are quite happy. Also, Sir or Madam, you haven't heard of  Perky Goths, which I shall explain later on another post.  

*If you have any more myths, I'll include them later.

Well, that's my first post!

May Goth be with you,

Andy Sí