Let's have a go at peeking into the psyche and habits of the much-maligned and oft-misunderstood goth, shall we? I found a book at the library that has simultaneously slaked my curiosity and raised the mirth factor - all in good fun. The book is by Voltaire and titled simply, 'What is Goth?' with a subtitle nicely footnoted: Music, Makeup, Attitude, Apparel, Dance, and General Skullduggery. It's a slim volume in a nice black matte (natch). Voltaire's writing is engaging, informative, and witty. Being a goth (or should that be Goth?) himself, and being of good cheer (yes that's right), he decided to enlighten us all and with levity. Astounding. And, it works! He upholds and gently chides the Goth lifestyle with a very ungothlike humorous virtuosity. The book is anything but dour. Here's a few samples that had me in stitches:
"THE GOTHIC TWO-STEP Joey demonstrates how to properly mope:"
(close captioned for the blurry photo reader: "1. stand sadly with head bowed 2. take a step back with left foot 3. join your feet and mope heavily 4. mope in place (swaying is optional) 5. now mope to the right 6. and contemplate suicide") (all quoted script by Voltaire)
Lacking a scanner, I just took pictures and I'm still learning the ropes with that new gadget as well.
It has become imminently apparent to me that one simply cannot lump all Goths into a singular category. Just as one should not do with say, zodiac signs, tomatoes, bikes or monkeys.
No comments:
Post a Comment