The Goth Tag

Hello Everyone!

Its me May again and I am so sorry that I have not posted a single post in like an entire year. School has been so harsh on me this past year since I was taking nothing but core classes to get my Associates degree because I just want to get school done and over with and to move on to get my Bachelors degree as well. I was going to get my Associates on this summer of 2014, but sadly that was not possible because they were not offering the last class that I needed. So I have to wait until this fall semester to take it which is a total bummer. :/ Sorry guys I don't have anything exciting to say on what has happened in my life all of this time. Other than  that recently I had hanged out with my best friend from high school on her 21st birthday bash and I hadn't seen her in 3 years since we graduated in 2011. So it was very cool and fun to see her again after 3 years! :)

You guys are probably wondering why I never wrote on my blog for the last 6 months. For the last 6 months my computer did not work and was out of commission so I could not write posts on this blog at all. I had to get it fixed but of course I couldn't get it fixed because of the lack of money. Until this past week I got it fixed. Although on Tumblr and Facebook I have updated daily because I could access those on mobile whereas BlogSpot I couldn't publish anything on mobile. Since this is my first post in like a year I wanted this comeback post to be a good one. It took me several days to think of something good and then I remembered the Goth tag that the lovely Toria McGrot came up with this tag and I had messaged her way back in December 2013 back when she made the video if it was okay if I could do the tag in post because I do not have a camera. And she was so sweet and replied back to my message and said it was fine to do it in a post!

Here is her Goth tag video please see it because she is an amazing girl!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3CirT0C4VA

And here is her Youtube channel and subscribe to her as well!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzx8qPXFXUy_unifrCXlt3Q

So without further ado let us begin this tag!

1. How long have you been goth?

To be honest I am going to say three years because when I was 17 it was when I knew what Goth was so I am not going to count my "babybat" years because I do not think I could completely call my phase a babybat phase. I will explain this in the last question. Since I am 20 years old now so three years it is.

2. How were you introduced to goth?

I have three answers for this question. The first one is through my cousin it was in high school when I just getting into the alternative through him since he was very into a lot of alternative music ranging from: alternative rock, heavy metal, glam rock, trash metal, death metal, and screamo. And since he listened to all of that type of music in which he also went through the babybat phase of course I followed suit because I was new to this scene and thrilled about hearing all of this new music that I had never heard ever in my life.
The second answer is through anime when I discovered the terms Gothic Lolita and Visual Kei I was in awe because of how cool the fashion was and it was then where my super obsessed anime crazed self discovered the world of anime and Japanese fashion. Even though the Goth wave is different in Japan from the Western side of the world. Nonetheless it is still Goth but a different type of Goth because it was another subculture that was also music based like the Post Punk and Deathrock scenes.
And the last answer is going to be super cheesy but it was through the book Vampire Kisses with the character Raven Madison. To be quite honest I had never even heard of the word Goth until I read this book when I was 14 years old in my freshman year in high school. And when I read the book and about Raven I thought she was just so cool and I wanted to be just like her just as fierce and not care about what everyone else says. And not to mention all of her outfits were so cute who wouldn't want to dress like that!

3. What Gothic sub genre would you put yourself in?

I have two answers for this one. Musically inclined I am more of a Post Punk, Cyber, Rivithead, and Faerie (ethereal) Goth. As for fashion and aesthetically wise I am more of a Perky, Gothic Lolita, Pastel, and Visual Kei (even though Visual Kei isn't Goth).

Me in a Pastel Goth fashion
December 3, 2013

Me as an  Aristocratic Gothic Lolita
April 23, 2013

Me in Gothic Lolita with a half red wig
December 31, 2013

Half Gothic Lolita and Pastel Goth
May 13, 2014

4. What do you believe to be the bases of the Gothic subculture?

Personally I think the main component for the Goth subculture is the music and I believe it is the exact same way for many other subcultures such as Punk, Indie, Emo, Scene, Hip-Hop, Metal, Grunge, and many other subcultures. Although other factors do include the fashion aesthetic like in the other subcultures I just mentioned  because it is what makes that particular group stand out in its own way. As for the Gothic subculture it has extra factors which are the literature and overall architectural design of buildings. The books of course have that otherworldly and morbid flair that add to the Gothic subculture that makes it dark. Whereas the Architecture concept is more of a visual in my opinion and also that the word Goth came from the architecture because of its haunting structures. It sounds silly but that is what I think haha.  

5. What do you dislike about being Goth?

Just like all of the other subcultures Goth also has that elitism in its group. It just ruins everything for all of the new comers that are interested in knowing more about a certain subculture. This goes for all of the other subcultures besides Goth. Its like the elitist people will not give the new comers a chance just because they are new in the scene and do not have the proper knowledge about that subculture. It just makes me mad when the elitists complain that there are not many people appreciating the scene, maybe if they didn't shoo away the new kids that are interested in knowing more about the subculture there would be more people appreciating it. Everyone starts from somewhere that is what makes being in a subculture so much fun, you get to learn and absorb the knowledge that you learn one step at a time.
I also agree with Toria that being Goth can be very time consuming. Getting all of that makeup done and not to mention the platforms! If only magic really existed and we could get ready in a few seconds. A girl can only dream.
The last reason is that when you are an alternative person people are already assuming you are a weirdo based on your looks. Which I think is completely stupid, just because someone has different interests does not make them a weirdo. This is one that the entire world has to know, like seriously!

6. What Do your parents think of it?

Well when I first got into the alternative my parents (my mom mainly, my dad didn't have a problem with it) were not very fond of my music and fashion choices. When I first started I was in my freshman year I was all about stripes and skulls and black eye shadow and since I am Hispanic my parents just didn't understand any of it. It was mainly my mom saying it was weird and always asking me why did I like that type of fashion and music. Since she had never seen that type of fashion and aesthetic until I started to dress in it. It wasn't until 2 to 3 years later she got over it. It wasn't until when I graduated high school when I found out why my dad never had a problem with my music and fashion choices because he was also alternative in his youth though he was more of a Punk and also a bit of a New Waver and also he was one of those that listened to basically anything, kind of like me because I listen to a vast variety of genres, I probably got that from him. But of course most of the bands he listened to were in Spanish and a bit were in English. I was like oh my god! my dad was so cool in his youth when I found out and also when I had seen a few pictures of him in adolescence where he wore a leather vest and had the 80's hairdo. As for my mom she obviously was not feelin' the alternative wave because she was always around the mainstream fashion and music in her days. And when I saw a picture of her in her youth I saw why she had a hard time accepting that her daughter was into non-mainstream music and fashion. I guess she expected me to be like her you know normal and popular like she was.   

7. Eyebrow or no eyebrows?

Honestly I do not get the fuzz about having or not having eyebrows in the Gothic subculture. Since when do eyebrows play an important factor of making an individual a "Goth or not". Like how is a facial part of the human body so important because there are those elitist Goths out there saying if you have eyebrows then you are declared not a Goth. As for me I have my natural eyebrows because I like them and I have no need to shave them off. But for the others that do shave them off well if they want to and love it then that is great! I know many do it for artistic purposes and I think it looks amazing when they do art with their eyebrows because it shows even with eyebrows one can be creative not just with the eyes.

8. What is your favourite band?

I have many favourite artists from many different genres so I can't say one haha! The main ones that you will always find me listening to are (in no particular order): Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, New Order, Strawberry Switchblade, Pet Shop Boys, Aural Vampire, Cocteau Twins, Duran Duran, Front 242, The Psychedelic Furs, Clan of Xymox, and Ultravox.
Some of my other favourite artists include: Alanis Morissette, Bjork, Emilie Autumn, Kanon Wakeshima, 2NE1, EXO-K, 2PM, 4Minute, Ayria, Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Blondie, KMFDM, and many more.

Depeche Mode

Siouxsie and the Banshees











New Order



Strawberry Switchblade







Pet Shop Boys







Aural Vampire





Cocteau Twins






Duran Duran








Front 242






The Psychedelic Furs






Clan of Xymox





Ultravox








And here are the rest of the other artists that I mentioned.

Alanis Morissette

Bjork



Emilie Autumn

Kanon Wakeshima



2NE1

EXO-K












2PM

4Minute













Ayria

Justin Timberlake



Backstreet Boys

*NSYNC

KMFDM

Blondie



My Favourite Female Music Artists! :)

Hello Everyone!

Its me May again. Finally I am back on track! This weeks topic is a very fun topic, its about my music tastes. I wanted to share with all of you on what type of music that I listen to. But its going to be about my favourite female artists. Its pretty much basically about the fun music that I listen to. I don't think its that Goth oriented, but it is still pretty sweet music. Some of my favourite artists that I pretty much never get bored of. You know those artists that you can listen to over and over again and never get bored of. Well at least to me! :) In this post I am going to mention four artists. I might make a second part to this, so stay tuned! I think I might do this for like every genre of music that I listen to. It sounds challenging and also very fun as well. The artists that I am going to mention in my post are in no particular order because they are all my top favourites.



Emilie Autumn

Emilie Autumn
Oh how much I love classical music, so of course Emilie is in this list. Emilie plays her violin beautifully in all of her songs. I also really love how she has this Victorian aesthetic in her shows and music. Its very inspiring to see all of her different styles. My favorite album is Opheliac. The reason why this is my favorite album of hers, its because I feel it so much more personal and you can relate to the lyrics of her music. Whenever I listen to Emilie's music its like I get transported to this Victorian world where everything has gone wrong, and not how the Victorian era is thought of grand and luxurious. I think that's because of The Asylum's doing. Because well it is true the Victorian era is not as beautiful as we think. Well if you are a man of course it is going to be wonderful for you, but if you are a woman, not so much. Another thing that I love about Emilie's music is that she mixes Classical Music with Industrial, that's another huge plus! As for Emilie's style it is amazing! I love how she looks like a bedraggled Victorian doll. Words that Gothic Charm School's author Jillian Venters used to describe Emilie's style. 

 

Kanon Wakeshima
Another artist that plays a Classical Instrument! Kanon plays the cello and makes Visual Kei music. Since her music is in Visual Kei Lolita movement in Japan. She was actually the first Japanese singer that I had ever heard and it was amazing! That was so way back in my sophomore year in high school. It was when her Still Doll song had come out in the Vampire Knight anime. I really love Kanon's Victorian Lolita style, and did I forget to mention she has the looks of a doll! What I love about Kanon's music its that it has the feel of a pleasant Victorian Lolita singing dark songs. Something that the average person would not expect if they would see a Lolita girl. And the way that she sounds while singing and playing the cello is like a beautiful melody playing. As for Kanon's two albums also sound very different. Her first one sounded very dark whereas the second had a light sound to it. I still love both of them. Both are amazing albums in their own way.



Ayria
Ayria's music consists of Industrial. I really love Ayria's twist in her Industrial because it has a sort of dark pop twist in it. And her music is very upbeat, but the lyrics are very dark. I also love that her music is so personal and that you can relate so many of her songs. I love that her music is very danceable and that you can dance them at any type of club. Since it is Electronica music. As for Ayria's style I love it! Its so bold and really perky. A perfect example of Perky Goth. I actually love all of Ayria's three albums they all have their own thing going on. Each is a must listen to. I have have been waiting to hear her fourth one called Plastic Makes Perfect. Since I am still waiting to hear it on iTunes. You know so I can hear a preview. I wonder if her site has a small preview before you buy. I have to check that out.




Kerli
The last artist that I am going to mention is Kerli. I really love Kerli's music as well. Her two albums sound so different from one another. I actually have not her Utopia album yet. But I can't wait to hear it! As for her Love is Dead album I liked it a lot. To me it had an alternative-ish sound to it. As for her singles Army of Love and Zero Gravity were really great! I loved that those songs had a Synthpop feel to it, and best of all they were really upbeat and very danceable as well. As for Kerli's style is very cute and light but with a spice of dark added to it. I really love the whole Bubble Goth term that she coined to describe her style. In her video Tea Party she has this Gothic Lolita style that I love very much. And in her Zero Gravity video she has a Cyber Goth look mixed with her own Bubble Goth look.

So there it is, those are my top four Female Artists that I love and look up to a whole bunch. If you haven't heard their music make sure you give them a listen because their music is wonderful. I truly recommend their music. If you are looking to hear new music listen to these artists and you will not be disappointed. They are all completely different from each other so maybe you might not like all of them. But its worth a listen to. I'm so sorry that I couldn't add a caption in all of the pictures. My computer sucks and it doesn't show the add caption menu thing. Or BlogSpot just hates my computer and will not let me add captions to the images :/ I probably will make a second edition to this because there are more female artists that I love! So what are your top picks on  female artists? Share and comment below! I would love to hear from all of you! Follow if you like what I post, I will try to post every single week a fun topic. :)

Goth Music: Where to Begin?...

Hello Everyone!

It's me May again. And I am extremely sorry I had not posted a single post for almost like two entire months! Gee, I'm terrible! As always I never had any time at all. This college semester was extremely rough with me. I didn't even get to have a social life at all. It was just school and homework everyday. The only thing I was waiting for was for my school semester to be over. And its finally over! Finally I can relax and not have any deadlines at all. And when I don't have anything in the way I can finally start updating my social websites like BlogSpot and Tumblr. I seriously didn't even have time for Tumblr either. And I always had time for Tumblr!
Time to finish my rambling excuse and talk about this weeks topic Goth Music. This really is a big problem if one is beginning to get into the Gothic subculture. I know I went through this problem as well. I didn't know where to begin at all. As I had already discussed in my Baby Bat and Emo Goth phases post what I had thought what Goth was mainly about. Boy I was wrong! Goth was nothing what I had thought when I was like 15 years old. One of the main problems for new comers is that they don't have any influences on the roots of the Gothic subculture. Or also they have no idea on where to exactly begin. I didn't have anyone tell me "Hey this is Post Punk music, it was a big 80's era movement that created the Gothic subculture." That's where I'm going to help in this topic.

But moving on with today's topic where to begin to research for Goth music?
The Internet. This fast, modern, and technological tool can help you research in no time what you are looking for. I think its always best to do a little research on the subculture first before you move on to listen to some "Goth" tunes. Its also always great to get knowledge that way you can be in the loop and not be the odd one left out. Believe it or not Wikipedia has a great page on what the Gothic subculture is. I'll leave a link down below so you can check it out. You can always feel free to research as much as you want, there is no limit on gaining as much knowledge there is about the Gothic subculture!

Goth Subculture Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_subculture

Gothic Rock Artists List
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Gothic_rock_bands

Or if you might want to look at all of the different types of Goths you might want to check this page out. It might also help you what type you prefer the best, and which one are you most like, and which one suits your tastes more.
http://www.blackwaterfall.com/viewall.php

Where to find and go listen to "Goth" music?
iTunes and Google are the best spots to listen to music. After doing a little bit of research you might find yourself that you want to listen to the different bands that you researched and how they sound like. You can always listen to the one minute previews iTunes offers of whichever song you chose to listen to. Or if you want to listen to the full song you can just Google the song. Pandora radio also offers a great mix of music as well! Another great place to go listen to "Goth" music is also your near local Goth club. What better way to listen to new music and plus you also get to see the local Goth scene as well! That's also a really great option  because that way you get to experience both things at the same time. If you don't know if there is a Goth club near you can Google it on Google Maps or just Google it online on their search engine.

Siouxsie and the Banshees

 

Clan of Xymox

 

Dead Can Dance

 

Cocteau Twins

 

Echo and the Bunnymen

 

The Sisters of Mercy

 

I hope I helped you all!
Where did you begin to listen to the first "Goth" tunes when you first started? Feel free to leave a comment and share your experience as well! :) 

See you soon,
May

Remembering to What I Used to Listen to...

Hello everyone!
Its May again and it has been quite some time I have updated anything in here. I figured I should update and not keep this blog abandoned any longer. I just haven't had any time since school started again for me and I have been quite busy, getting used to my classes, and just out and about in town with friends. but, I will update every friday from now on to make weekly posts in here. So there will be weekly posts from now on.
Now getting to today's topic, its going to be about music as the title says it all. It was just a thought that came into my mind a while back, and I felt the need to post about it. I didn't post it earlier since I didn't have any time until now. I am going to admit being a Goth for a few years has changed me a whole lot, and for the better. But, now I am just remembering about my high school years and the type of music I used to listen to back then. Just the thought of it makes me freak out and never want to mention it to anyone but, at the same time it gives a nostalgic feeling and with a part of amuse added to the side as well. It also gives me a feeling that I grew up a whole lot these past few years that have passed by very fast.
Now getting to the part about sharing to you all about this teeny bit embarassing fact of what I actually listened to (Don't laugh!). This band list consists of: Evanescence(The one band on here that is not really that embarassing), Paramore, ACDC, 30 Seconds to Mars, Metallica, System of A Down, Avenged Sevenfold, The Offspring, Avril Lavigne, Children of Bodom, Atreyu, Cradle of Filth, Eyes set to Kill, Ozzy Osbourne, Slipknot, Breathe Carolina, Linkin Park, Slayer, The Fray, Kittie, Simple Plan, Korn, A Day to Remember, Pantera, Kill Hannah, Breaking Benjamin, Green Day, Three Days Grace, My Chemical Romance, Bullet For My Valentine, The Used, Suicide Silence, and the Japanese anime music that I used to like back when I was super into anime. You get the point, pretty much alternative music. This is just a short list, since my brain is fried and I cannot think about any other bands. :/

Evanescence

 

 

Paramore

 

 

Eyes Set to Kill

 

 

Avril Lavigne

 

Like I said earlier this just makes me freak out and it makes me want to dig underground and never be seen ever again. But now that I think about it how much I have changed so much on my music tastes. It almost feels irrational to me. Once again time is a factor on how much people can change. And I am just an example to prove this. I am getting off topic here, getting back to the subject. I really don't know if I am the only one that feels this way when I think about the bands that I used to listen to when I first got into the alternative scene. But another thing is that I am also thankful for these first bands that I listened to, because they got me into the alternative scene. And then later in time I kind of strayed away from this and I was wondering in the different type of alternative scenes, seeing which one was more exciting to me. And overall when one gets into the alternative its mostly because its like something one has never experienced before and you just want more. But thinking about that now I like different music and the other day I gave a go to Paramore and Evanescence on my ipod, it just wasn't the same anymore. I didn't feel it anymore. That feeling when you listen to a song and you love it. I didn't get that feeling anymore, I don't know why if its one of the bands I loved back then like 4 years ago. Sure, I liked the song. But, the spark for alternative  rock music isn't there anymore. Am I the only one that is going through a nostalgic moment? I really hope not! What about you? Have you felt anything like this about music you have liked a few years back?

See you soon,
May