"Eyes speak no more, heart feel no fear for she can see all."

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Contact me at: madamewebb@rogers.com

Rant Archive

The Pretentious Goth, So Goth It Hurts, Dress, Keep it Simple, Home, Canadian VS. American Gothic

Think of this as a Gothic advice column. Here I will give tips and pointers for gothic personal and home style. There are some things that have inspired me and other things that piss me off about the gothic culture. Read on Goths and Ghouls..

The Pretentious Goth
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Why is it that if someone is shy and likes to stick to their friends, they are automatically thought of as snobby or pretentious. I once read an article on someone labelling friends who stick together 'the rumour mill'.
I myself have always been a wall flower, not wanting any attention, hiding in the shadows but in this past year I have gotten my back off the wall and started meeting people and hitting the scene hard (thanks to Spyder). People tend to look at me differently now. They judge me from the people I hang out and talk with. Someone just said to me that 'they've heard things about me'. This is strange because there is nothing about me to tell. I like being a private quiet person when I am out. It keeps me out of trouble. So if that classifies me as pretentious in someone's eyes, so be it!

So Goth It Hurts
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While I have this website and keep it up to date with my photographic projects and I try to add Toronto Gothic History info as often as I can, the topic of ‘Goth’ is not all that I talk about.

Some of us have met others in the various cities around the world where certain members of the Gothic community ONLY and ALWAYS talk about ‘Goth’.

What makes a Goth, what is Gothic, what music is Gothic, how does one classify Gothic, what is not Gothic, etc etc – it is like an obsession to these people and it can become very disheartening to know that every conversation with these people is going to spin around the same topic, every time you encounter them, year after year.

BORING

While some make it a personal passion of theirs to educate the world on the Gothic scene what is and what isn’t – ness of it all, there really is no point to their personal militant definitions, and no need for them to shove this info down other people’s throats.

For those of us in the scene, what is Goth to one person may not be the same to another.

How do you convince an old school 80s new romantic type that the cyber look and music is a part of the Gothic scene as well?

Let people come to terms with it on their own.

I think there are people who are very tired of the constant debates over the years.

I personally think there is so much more to life than just our Gothic lifestyle choices. Hopefully one day, the ‘so goth it hurts’ people will expand their knowledge and social skills to able to converse about other topics.

No matter how you dress up a cat, it is still a cat
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You spot a girl at a club and she is dressed to kill. She is simply breathtaking in that medieval style outfit. You watch her. Sitting there so graceful - then they get up. 'Stomp, stomp, stomp.' It's like they have weights attached to their feet. I have seen SO many girls out there that look nice, try to pull off a wicked Goth attitude but they have NO grace. Don't they hear themselves stomping around? Don't they see themselves doing their slouched shoulder march? Tip number 1: Move lightly, practice on a wood floor - try not to make it creak. Tip number 2: Keep your head high and shoulders back. That's not so hard is it? Good, now keep it up.

Keep it Simple
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This is inspired by the Victorian Goths in Toronto. There aren't many of us left. But there are many baby Goths coming up in the next couple of years that will be of legal age to hit the clubs. I have had dozens of baby Goths ask me where I get my clothes, I proudly tell them, and then they complain that they don't have the money. If you find yourself as a baby goth ~or someone just tight on money~ in the same situation - here's what you can do. Thrift stores my friends!!! They are a great source for finding long dresses and old peasant style blouses. I recently found a wonderful high tea dress at a second had store for $29!!! Guys - plain dark dress shirts, vests and jeans or dress pants, can't go wrong. You can usually find a great priced duster, velvet suit jacket or long coat in any used clothing store. Think beauty - not freaky. When we're young it's fun to be called a freak, but do you want to be pictured as an ugly version of Marilyn Manson on a bad day? Accessorise with jewellery not spiked collars. Keep the eye liner black but dainty - not scary ~this is for guys and girls~ Find out if your local college radio station hosts a gothic music show, this will expose you to different styles of Goth music rather than just what's in the main stream. Other stores that have decent styles are usually the preppy shops. Every now and then the latest fashion trend has a gothic theme to it ~especially since the movie Moulin Rouge~ So don't be afraid to go in and mix and match clothes. Some shop suggestions: Le Chateau, Stitches, UB. Guys - trendy furniture stores like The Bombay Company sell beautiful walking sticks for a really cheap price!!! And I mean cheap!!!! If your town hosts a Renaissance festival, this is a great place to get medieval apparel at a decent price. I have found at the Toronto costume store, Malabar, they sell Medieval outfits for a good price. As well a friend, Marshall Lewis, creates authentic 18th Century clothing. Keep an eye out for him. He is very talented and once he creates clothing for the general public, I will definitely post his info.

If you really want to get adventurous, you can buy clothing patterns and make your own clothes. It will save you loads of money and you will be setting a goal for yourself. Are you getting any ideas for what you can do?

Home is where the Heart is
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We all wish we were ridiculously rich so we could furnish our homes the way we would like to. But since most of us don't pull in a 6 figure income here are some things we can do to make our living quarters as gothic as our little hearts desire.

Good place to start is with window treatments. Lots of lush fabrics and rich colours. You can either spend the money on materials to make curtains yourself or buy them pre-made. Sheets are a good alternative. There are so many colours to choose from and you can either get iron on tape to make the rod hole(s) or sew it yourself. Lace is a good alternative to sheers. And of course you could just drape fabric off a rod. Get creative!

Cheap furniture stores - they are a dime a dozen in Toronto and probably any city. They will usually have a great old (Italian) style couch set for a great price and you get to cheose the material pattern for them.

Paint - Don't be afraid of colour. And you don't have to do the typical gothic home colours of purple, red and black. You can do a terracotta orange, or dark green and cream stripes ~like a nice wallpaper~ Choose colours that you know you won't get sick of in a week. If you're lucky enough to have walls made from wood ~mine are concrete~ you can staple material to them.

Let your wardrobe be your guide. Do you have a particular colour and style you like to wear? You can get ideas from your clothes.

Accessories - Think lots of candles and old style holders. Lots of picture frames, doilies and mirrors. You can purchase big gaudy candleholders and spray paint them in a brass finish. Paper lampshades that you can decorate can be purchased at most craft stores. A beaded trim adds a nice touch to any shade. Your door and cupboard handles can be changed. Pillows, slipcovers and throw blankets can be easily purchased or made.

If you like silver plated items, in Toronto a great place to buy them is Honest Eds. They have numerous serving platters, 4 and 5 piece tea service for $35!!! Coffee carafes for $20. Relish dishes and candle holders. The first time I discovered this, I was in heaven.

A stack of hat boxes make a great side/end table. You can paint most furniture, just remember to prime them first and then put a couple coats of varnish over the paint.

Whatever your heart desires - let that be your main inspiration.

Canadian VS. American Gothic
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AMERICAN

  • Vampyrism has a big following in the states, especially in New York, Florida and California. New York is the most famous for starting the vampyre subculture and had clubs 'Mother' and 'Vampyr' catering to vamps.
  • America holds many gothic conventions every year. Convergence, Dracula Ball, the no-more Goth Con. Endless Night NOLA,
  • America has a great ratio of Victorian Goths and Cyber Goths.
  • The Beverly Hills, Fang Club made White Fright Night's famous. The club was featured in many documentaries. They closed their doors in 1999, but have re-awakened in February 2004.
  • The U.S. has a larger Gothic population than Canada.
  • Renaissance festivals in the U.S., run longer and are far better than those in Canada.
  • Detroit has so much more for men in the Gothic scene than I have seen in Toronto, in terms of clothing and accessory selections.
  • The San Francisco scene has dwindled in the last couple years.

CANADIAN

  • Toronto, Canada is the home of North America's oldest gothic boutique, Siren.
  • Toronto is home to North America's oldest, longest running Goth bar - Savage Garden who turned 9 in June 2003.
  • Canada has a larger EBM/Industrial following.
  • Canada has only 5 major cities that support a Goth scene.
  • The border should be torn down between us, Americans should stop thinking we live in igloos. New York and Toronto DJ's are always playing at each others clubs, why can't other American DJ's from across the states get in on this?
  • Gothic Pioneers, Sisters of Mercy, got their name from the song "Sisters of Mercy" by Leonard Cohen, a Canadian musician.
  • Industrial music started in Canada with bands like Skin Puppy, Front Line Assembly and D.H.I.