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Goths on the WWW
By Devin D. O'Leary
MARCH 23, 1998:
Is there more to life than reading "Sandman" comic books
and listening to Sisters of Mercy? Ask a Goth, and the answer
is probably "no." Subcultures seem to find themselves
drawn to the Internet and the pale-skinned, black-attired punk
subset known as Goths is no exception. So, dye your hair black,
put something industrial in the tape deck and get ready to surf
the sunless corners of Cyberspace.
Gothic Gardening (www.gothic.net/~malice/)--Alice Day (known
to her gloomy pals as "mAlice") has fashioned this lovely,
elaborate site dedicated to Gothic gardening. The two activities
aren't as mutually exclusive as one would think--Morticia Addams'
favorite hobby was gardening, after all. As mAlice points out,
there are plenty of black flowers, horrid smelling vines and meat-eating
plants to choose from. Grow mushrooms and the like, and you'll
never have to step out of the house during daylight hours. Check
out such Gothic gardening categories as Theme Gardens (Somber
Garden, Night Garden, Witches Garden), Herbalism, an FAQ and some
creepy Gothic Plant Tales. The concentration here is more on the
aesthetic of Goth gardening, than on hands-in-the-dirt
information. Still, there's quite a bit of effort on display here.
It's almost enough to make a Cure fan appreciate nature.
Gothic Postcards (www.internetunderground.com/features/postcard.htm)--What
better way to say "I hate you" than with a Gothic postcard.
Yes, even the Goths have succumbed to the e-mail postcard craze.
Visit this page to pick up or send digital postcards bearing such
popular Goth images as "The Crow," Nightmare Before
Christmas and, of course, assorted romantically photographed
gravestones.
Tamagothi Homepage (http://www.gothic.net/~luvcraft/tamagothi/tamagothi.html)--It's
a darn good thing that Goths have a sense of humor. If not, they'd
make a damn easy target. As it is, though, they're pretty good
at shooting themselves down. Witness this much-loved Goth site
in which some smirking blackeye has merged the gloomy lifestyle
with Japan's most annoying electronic export. Right now, the Tamagothi
is just a parody, but in the right circles, I'm betting you could
sell thousands of these things. The Tamagothi starts out life
as a frowning skull face. Care for your Tamagothi by administering
frequent beatings, speed and smack ("a nice dose of smack
is just the thing to keep him mopey and content!"). Little
pixelated animations mirror the real-life Tamagotchi lifespan
with amusing accuracy. Watch your Babygothi grow into a Perkigothi,
which could eventually result in the dreaded Raver (whose color
picture and annoying "Whoop! Whoop!" cheer quickly burns
out the electronics in your Tamagothi). Feed him enough smack,
and he'll turn out to be a Mopeygothi, which could end up life
as a Romantygothi (prone to four-hour-long crying jags, reading
a lot of Milton and listening to Dead Can Dance). Remember: "The
more you ignore it, the better your Tamagothi will turn out! He
might even write some dismal poetry!"
Gothic Band Database (http://www.gothic.net/~dhouse/band-descriptions.html)--Now
what would any self-respecting Goth be without a pile of bootlegged
cassettes from Scandinavian noise bands? This simple, text-only
site boasts descriptions of over 1,000 "Goth/Atmospheric/Ethereal/Coldwave/Darkwave"
bands. "Over 850K!" screams the site's creator. If you
can't tell the difference between, say, Black Atmosphere, Black
Dahlia, Black Ocean Drowning, Black Sea and Black Rose, then this
is the place to be. How many different ways can you describe loud,
depressing music? You'd be surprised! Black Ocean Drowning, for
example, is "harsh early-'80s influenced sub-Joy Division
abrasive German Goth."
devin@alibi.com
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