SR 1 PAGE THIRTY-SIX

SR 1 PAGE THIRTY-SEVEN

The only two-page spread in the book! I think this is a pretty accurate depiction of the goth/industrial scene in 2002. Or 2024, frankly. Spooky people like to keep the old ways alive! Probably less rave and “cyber” stuff now, though. 

All those obscure little margin jokes have always been a little hard to read (especially if you don’t have a paper version to turn), so let’s just copy/paste them here and see if they jog any memories for me (comments in bold)…

1. Wounded in (shaving) action.  
2. Industrial dude haircut, standard issue. (Super-weird in the 2010’s when all of a sudden every dude in America had the “standard issue.” It used to be genuinely unusual!) 
3. Works at Kinko’s (HA HA HA! I have deflated the self-important egotism of the goth scene in one boldly original witticism! Cuts like a knife, Charlie!)
4. Writes erotic fanfic featuring Cenobites and Monchichi. (Monchichi was a Japanese stuffed monkey/kewpie doll hybrid that was popular with US kids in the 80’s. Way scarier than Pinhead.)
5. Absolutely convinced his life would be greatly improved by cybernetic implants.
6. Considered “Blade” to be the pinnacle of American cinema… until he saw “Blade 2.” (Why am I making fun of Blade? I love Blade! I loved Blade then!)
7. Just came to make fun.
8. Practicing for band photos. (Either that or his genital piercing is acting up.)
9. “Magick” with a “k.”
10. Once choked on Glenn Danzig’s vomit. (This is the best one.)
11. Writing a screenplay that exposes the dark underbelly of suburbia.
12. Has painstakingly recreated the cover of Skinny Puppy’s “Too Dark Park” in blacklight paint across all four walls of his bedroom. (This would obviously be incredible. An act of heroism! LINK.)
13. False cowboy.
14. “In my dream, I am the Wizard Master!” and shame on you if you got that reference. (On the contrary, congratulations to you for getting this reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors.)
15. A bit of a Hulmerist. (“Hulmerist” was the title of a VHS collection of Morrissey videos. Shame on you if you got this reference.) 
16. That’s right: “FROG.”
17. Has strong opinions about Hot Topic.
18. Editing a ‘zine that exposes the dark underbelly of suburbia.
19. Still can’t believe the bouncer didn’t find his butterfly knife. (I had a keychain pocket knife confiscated at a Bauhaus show around this time. So much for your precious “2nd Amendment!”)
20. Has some photographs of massive genital injuries he’s pretty sure Jhonen will find amusing when they meet someday. (People would send Jhonen all kinds of weird stuff back in those days. He told me one time somebody sent a dead squirrel. Not even a nice taxidermied one, either!)
21. Jesus freak. 
22. WWW.NAKEDPICTURESOFMEANDMYGIRLFRIENDGETTINGBIZZAY.COM  
23. Actual quote: “My greatest dream in life is to someday give birth to stillborn triplets.” (This would have been my go-to pickup line if I’d ever been the type of person to use “pickup lines.”)
24. Can’t seem to reconcile her overall disagreement with Marilyn Manson’s music output with her overall agreement with Marilyn Manson’s interview output. (OOF. This one didn’t age well, huh? At the time we were all still impressed by his thoughtful response to the Columbine tragedy.)
25. Actually angry they’re playing shit from, like, 10 years ago. (Trying to imagine a goth club that doesn’t play old stuff…)
26. The spirit of ’76. I guess because the guy has a spiked mohawk?
27. THERE’S THAT GUY AGAIN. AGAIN. 6 SHOWS IN A ROW, TESS!  (This is a drawing of an actual guy we saw at almost every show for a while. He was probably thinking the same thing about us.)
28. Recording a concept album that exposes the dark underbelly of Suburbia.
29. Sorta likes the subrubs, actually. (Yep, “subrubs.” Fun to still be finding typos twenty years later! The guy’s jacket here is a reference to famously surly Sisters of Mercy singer Andrew Eldritch. As opposed to ELDRITCH!, my 2009 book with Drew Rausch. That doesn’t suck at all!)
30. Has seen worse. But not much worse.

BACK TO THE PRESENT!

Still tearing through thumbnail layouts for SHOCK CITY book two this week. Probably be typing those same words for the next month, so steel yourself for that!

On Valentine’s Day Ami and I hacked our way deep into the heart of Hollywood to watch a group of brilliant comedians (including Dana Gould, Maria Bamford, and Jonah Ray) read the script for the 1958 magnum opus I Married a Monster from Outer Space. Outstanding show. There were bits when I literally had tears in my eyes because I was so strongly moved (or maybe just from laughing?). The same group of folks does a reading of Plan 9 around Halloween every couple years, so if you’re in the area, keep your eyes peeled. Definitely some advantages to living in this DEN OF INIQUITY.

Speaking of dens of iniquity, have you booked a ticket to SHOCK CITY yet?

NEXT WEEK: SOOORRROOOWZ.