.
Hey folks, sorry about the delay. Our live report of The Mortal's free mini-live at Tower Records is now up over at This is NOT Greatest Site, so go check it out! If you enjoy the article, leave a comment here. But we couldn't have done it without you, so thanks again, and Merry Christmas.
.
Thank you so so much for your Christmas present! And since we're at it Merry Christmas to you all! Much love.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the report Cayce, must have been wonderful being there, rabid fangirls or not. I'll admit my favorite part was the description of Tower Records and the lecture on proper gothness, this is all very fascinating to me because there are no proper subcultures like that where I live. Merry Holidays!
ReplyDeleteGoth is an international subculture! Anyone can be part of it, anywhere in the world. The point is, it's more than just fashion to be worn on weekends. It's a dedicated aesthetic and life philosophy. I will probably be writing more on this topic in my forthcoming review of I Am Mortal, but that's going to take me some more time as there are some live reports to finish first...
DeleteI guess there may be a goth or two even here, but what I really meant was that people joining in to sing a Sisters of Mercy song is just not something you can see. I may be joking about goth school, but I doubt I'll ever make a good goth. But I absolutely love you guys. Looking forward to learning more.
DeleteWell, to be fair, no one was joining in on the Sisters of Mercy songs with us. But they really should have. The Mortal's tour should have been nothing but takoyaki on the beach.
DeleteThanks so much for the Live Report. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Cayce, for another wonderful live report!
ReplyDeleteI love the way you write about 'being goth' and how you can make one be part of a live show even if one isn't there in person... It must have been wonderful to be so close to The Mortal, even if the not-goth people behaved badly.
Thank you so much for the live report! Best christmas reading for sure <3 If I ever get to go to Tokyo, will definitely visit Tower Records and keep your post close by. Delana
ReplyDeleteHi Cayce!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your hard work on th live report. It was a great pleasure to read. The moral of the story : one can be goth and become a Buck-Tick fan (or Acchan fan) , but the other way round is not true. Because you can't become goth.... you were born Goth! From Manu (with the help of Pat!)
You're welcome, and upon reflection, you are probably right about the being born goth thing.
DeleteIf the Mortal is the gothic present of the "goth" Sakurai for his goth fans, I hope the Ultra CD of Imai will be the punk present for his punk fans... Because one can be goth and punk at the same time! (-.bt) ! Manu (again!) ;)
ReplyDeleteThe original goths were mainly part of the punk movement anyway. Siouxsie and her gang started out as the Sex Pistols' most devoted fans before forming their own band. Hence, the genesis of the term "post-punk" to describe the newer darker sound of the goth movement. But from what I hear so far, Ultra is going to be far more industrial electro than punk. If this is indeed the case, they will receive a sweaty latex-clad rivethead welcome from us.
DeleteI have heard many times goth people to say that goth is not that you wear black clothes, it is the way in which you think. My way that I think is goth propably from what I have looked abaout it. But I wear everything, not only completely black and from what I have looked not all black is goth black. And is makeup always that important? I have an sensitive alergic to makeup skin. Last and first time I wore full makeup done to me by someone some years older than me hwo insisted to add as much as she thought it is nesesary my skin turned red dry peeling and hurt. For half year, literally. January or February till summer. This must have happend because of the base makeup she insisted to add as necesary. When I had gone to the makeup shop to buy base make up for my mother and find the colour according to my own skin, the worker thought that I wanted it for my self and did not want to sell it to me and said that I dont need it at all, my skin is clear so, I should not buy it at all because I dont even need it. (That day also I bought a big paleta of eye shadows but I have found out that some of them have so much shine that get on my nerves,but I saw people with a lot more shine). Also the maskara burned and reduced my eyelashes. The part of makeup I enjoyed adding this month is lipstick,an lipstick decades old. Please any help? Is it that nesesary? And what are the proper goth clotes? And that kind of coat for which you said bad words, is it really that bad? Isnt it supposed to protect you also from wind? How do you feel wearing the other kind of coats? Are they warm and protect from wind?
ReplyDeleteSince it seems people are very interested in this topic, I'm currently working on an article about this. Stay tuned!
DeleteThank you very much! I would love yo read it, your opinion. (and I also should not drink and then open the computer in the middle of the night, sorry for writing big, unecesary and stupid things)
DeleteNot everyone can wear make-up, or wants to, even among goths! Back in the day contact lenses didn't work well with eyeliner or mascara, and some skin just struggles with even hypoallergeic products. If that's you, don't stress out about the make-up so much - my advice would be instead to focus on other aspects of your look.
DeleteIf you're not wearing make-up, other people are going to be looking at your skin, your style, your nails and your hair, so make sure those things are the best they can be.
Get into a proper skincare routine, eat well, get a flattering hairstyle and maintain it. Have your eyebrows shaped, get a manicure. Work on your personal look with clothes. And rock that lipstick if that's your "Thing"! If your aesthetic is truly in the goth direction, you'll manage to work round the make-up thing with no problem and still achieve the look you want :)
You should have put this comment on the thread about the So You Want To Be A Goth article! I stressed the makeup thing because I've noticed that it's common for people new to the look or just playing dress-up to completely overlook the fact that hair and makeup are just as much a noticeable part of one's look as clothing. Also I find that many dramatic outfits tend to look unfinished without makeup, but of course it also does depend on your skin tone and overall appearance. The no-makeup thing can work fine with casual looks, less so with fancy ones but of course there's plenty of room for tolerance.
DeleteOh well I was just replying to this specific poster, really. Skin allergies suck.
DeleteI think the no make up thing works just fine as long as it is clearly a deliberate choice within a complete look, as opposed to just looking like one generally can't be bothered.
And I also saw on internet some people saying that you must only have black straight hair,and if you dont must dye and make them straight yourself.I remember a classmate who had brown and dyed black and a a blond who dyed black. I have brown curly hair but I dont want to do anything to them . Is it okay?
ReplyDeleteWell, as someone who is now in their 40s and has been hanging around the goth scene on and off since the 1980s, I can tell you that I have never fully dyed my hair any colour and certainly never gone near it with a pair of straighteners.
DeleteI have brown hair too, which is wavy when long, and straight when clipped short. Sometimes I have blonde or bright red streaks put in it, but that's as far as I've ever gone with hair dye. It's just not my thing - I know I would obsess about roots showing and for most of my working life, would never have had the time to deal with that. I think black hair looks great on some people, but if your skin tone won't work with it, it can also look totally awful, and what's the point in that?
As for the straight thing - well, back in the day it was pretty common for goths to use crimpers, so I dunno where the "only straight" thing came from.
At any rate, I think the ideal thing is to use your goth aesthetic to create a look that is individually you and expresses YOU. Part of being goth is freedom of expression and celebration of beauty in all things, in my opinion. If you believe your aesthetic is goth, trust it and use it to find what suits you and your body.
Wonderful, thank you very much! Having read in your report how Tower Records is going stronger than ever, I got curious, what do you think about streaming services? Do you think Japan should jump in this bandwagon?
ReplyDelete