A Few Announcements Made By Me: A Book & An Essay

     Hello. Well, if you follow this blog you will have noticed that I have been offline for quite a while. Well the main reason I was off was my writing and my art has been keeping me busy. And, in manic May, there is only so much that Macabre Midnight can do at a time with school and work and whatnot.

   Anyway, I am so thrilled to tell you this news. I am like Uncle Fester in a light bulb factory. Here are the announcements I wanted to make :

1. By around June 3rd, I should have published my very first book! ::><-o i="" o="">

     It is an ebook, meaning it should be on those little torture devices such as the kindle and the nook and maybe even the iPad. I have to finish some editing with copy write law issues. But, details are to come.

2. Soon, I will be writing an informative essay called countercultures vs. subcultures.

 This is self explanatory, and it will have a biography.

Goth For Sale: What To Do When Your Subculture/A Part of Your Subculture Hits the Stores & Becomes Popular & An Important LandMark Event For Goths Like Me That Happened to Me Over The Weekend

   Hello. Today is Monday June 25th, 2012. It is a perfect day to dispense some advice for people of alternative subcultures that relate to something that happened to me & a lot of Goths, Punks, Steampunks, Vampyrs, etc. over last week. Before I do either of those things, however, I would like to make an important announcement.
   I just went onto my computer, & decided to check my beloved AspieGoth Blog. I suspected that I would have more views. AND, BY GOLLY, I WAS RIGHT! I have successfully reached 77 views, none of which are my own. The post that has received the most "fanfare" I guess it can safely be called is What Every Alternative Subculture Needs with 18 page views, with Sex-And-The-City Tangent #3 running a close second with 16 page views. There is no third-place yet. But, this is sort of Good to know. Thank You

   Now, without further ado, on with the post.
   As most of you who wear lipstick/lip gloss are aware, darker shades of both (i.e. black, maroon, plum, purple, etc.) of the makeup staples came into the fashion world earlier than expected this year. This happens to every Alternative Subculture, whether it be black/dark lipstick/lip gloss for Goths, Band Tees for certain rock groups for the Metal fans, hell, even chains for Punks, Skaters, Juggalos, members of the Hip Hop subculture, from time to time. And, I am sure a lot of you who are faithful to nonconformity are extremely up in arms about this. After all, it in your mind "ruins the idea of being a nonconformist & makes it more of a corporate thing rather than a freedom of speech/expression thing." However, I am here to tell you what to do when that particular situation comes about. I have taken this advice from The Lady Of The Manners (www.gothic-charm-school.com) & this is difficult to do, so, unlike her, I'll give the long version.
   But, basically, when anything that is  part of your subculture becomes fashionable/your subculture becomes the fashion norm, there is only one thing you can do: RUN LIKE YOUR  PUBIC HAIR IS ON FIRE TO THE NEAREST STORE SELLING THE ITEM & GO TO THE CLEARANCE SECTION!

                              Of course, there are at least three steps to this. While I tell you to do these three simple steps, I will tell you the story of what happened on Friday.

1. Do Some Research On The Said Product's Usual Distributors. I & my mother had planned this trip after I had read that black/darker lipstick/lip gloss was coming back into fashion from at least two magazines while waiting for my hair to get done. Remembering reading from Gothic Charm School that when this happens (and with the world's economy being the way it is) it usually means these such items are ridiculously cheap, we decided to do this in the evening. Too excited about knowing that I was buying black lipstick (I feel way too old to wear lip gloss.) for the very first time in my life the very next day, I immediately went online to find out which brand I wanted the most. That's where I discovered that MAC was all out of it's signature black lipstick (:,,,-()). I told my mom this. And, we agreed not to go there first.
2. Go Shopping Until You Find A Deal You Are Aware Is The Deal. After doing some errands in the morning & afternoon, we went to the Mall. Our first stop was at Ulta, a mainstream store that for all of you unfamiliar with Ulta, is a combination of Walmart & the makeup department of  Macy's. Well, we checked the Urban Decay section of the store. And, they had no black lipstick. We checked MAC & the rest of the makeup department at Macy's. Sure enough, the darkest shades they had were browns, maroons, purples, & wines. So, we went to J.C. Penny's. After learning that J.C. Penny's didn't have the lipstick, we finally decided to go to Hot Topic.
3. Go For The Deal, Even If There Are Cliches/Contradictions Attached. Well, we went to Hot Topic. The instant we went in, I discovered that Hot Topic is beginning to come to its senses, & go back to its old ways. But, once we were in for a moment, I discovered why. It was because of two (2) reasons: 1) The vampire phenomenon, 2)Marilyn Manson either finally grew his balls back, or he read my mind/blog, & is really trying hard for the comeback that I as an artist/hard rock fan believe he so richly deserves. It was playing his music when we entered. I was terrified, and we went to the back of the store, thinking it was back there. But, Mom found where the makeup & the (tada!) black lipstick was before I did. So, I marched up when she realized where the makeup was (right beside the place of payment) right to the makeup. It turns out the Blackheart collection at Hot Topic sells all makeup for $5.00. So, not only did I get my black lipstick, I got some red lipstick, & I got some eyeliner. 
4.          That is the story of the first time I have ever bought black lipstick. Thank you & goodbyee.
   
   

Sex-And-The-City Tangeant#2: Conformity ProgrammersPart 1: Why I Personally Hate Children's shows now

    Hello Again everyone. The Sex-And-The-City Tangent #1 about Lady Gaga got me a lot of views. And, I got an idea on to talk about how society has gave out children the message that all alternative subcultures are bad, and teaching our children that it is okay to be a conformist only. But, I was going to do a rant. But, instead, I decided to make another Sex-And-The-City Tangent. Here it is:

   I watch a lot of television. Sometimes, I watch children's channels. But, the children's channels I watch have no qualms about Alterophobia. In fact they always degrade the all black figures. Don't believe me? Here are some examples from the Disney show:

• The Disney Channel always shows the people dressed in all black as monsters. There was an episode of Hannah Montana dedicated to this theory that Goths/people into Heavy Metal are violent, stereotypes that probably formed post-Columbine.
• In fact, there is an episode of Hannah Montana (not the one mentioned above, I'd include a link to that one, bu, I can't find it. The episode I am talking about is a different episode.) where the school bully is a Goth girl.
• It's not just Hannah Montana. There was a recent episode of a show called Shake It Up on my television set. The main characters were being portrayed as bad people, pulling a little boy's hair, growling at him, & then eating his birthday cake. That's not what was Alterophobic about this episode. What was Alterophobic about this episode is that the girls were dressed in all black while doing all those foul deeds.

     And, it's  not just the Disney channel doing all this. Don't believe me? Here is some examples from Nickelodeon:

•  There is a show on Nickelodeon called Victorious starring Victoria Justice. Her rival is Jade, a girl whom I'm guessing is supposed to be a Goth girl. But, she is portrayed as a jerk, contrary to what most Goths/people in alternative subcultures actually are in every single episode.
• There was an episode of iCarly in which Carly dressed up like a punk/Goth to try to discourage her grandfather from taking custody of her. And, then, her grandfather says that just because she is dressed as a Punk/Goth, she'll do terrible, horrible, no-good crimes.

       Now, here's the question I have for the reader to comment on/think about: Is the bad guy always dressed in all black? Or, is that vision outdated?

In A Suburban Home: A Story I Read That Inspired Me

   Okay. I was wanting to receive the more views on this blog. And, the last post was sort of  depressing. So, I wanted to enlighten all of you with a story I read many years ago. It was turned into a book, but, I decided to retell it & I forget the title & author's name. So, here's In A Suburban Home:

   Once there was a Middle American town known as Ho-humville. Ho-humville was a quiet town filled with only the most corperate jobs & the most corperate businesses run by the most mundane people. And, these mundane people lived in all the same house painted & built  the same size, shape, & color.
    One day, a seagull was flying in the neighboring town of Cape Our Lady Of Guadalupe. The seagull flew over a fish market next to the town's dock to the ocean. It hovered down, & picked up a bucket of salmon-pink paint. The store owner & the painter were in a heated argument over whether to paint the store ambrosia or cerulean, so, they didn't notice the bird fly off with the paint. Well, the seagull didn't get very far, I tell you what. Eventually, it got to Ho-humville.  And, when it did, its feet were too weak to carry such a big bucket. So, it dropped the bucket of paint. However, it happened to drop the bucket on the roof of fellow pencil pusher Mr. Johnson's roof.
   Mr. Johnson was horrified when he first noticed the pink paint on his black shingles & white walls. But, then, he got an idea. He went to the hardware store, found the exact same shade of salmon pink, & headed home. The next day, there was a fuss all around the neighborhood and the whole town. Mr. Johnson was painting his whole house salmon pink!
    A lot of people showed up to see what Mr Johnson was doing. The Home Owners Association threatened to evict him unless he changed his house back to the way it was before. The police threatened to arrest him. The local pastor even shook the holy scriptures & threatened that Mr Johnson was condemned to go to hell unless he kept his house the way it was before.
    But, Mr Johnson said to all of them "My house is me, & I am it, & my house is all my dreams. Nothing you can do or say can keep me from following my heart in a suburban home."
    When Mr. Johnson said this, the whole town thought he went crazy. There was one person who wasn't appalled by Mr. Johnson's actions was his next door neighbor on the left, Mr. Smith. He was also a pencil pusher who was fighting boredom. And, he always wanted to see the ocean.  So, he went to the hardware store and purchased some blue paint.
    The next day, Mr Smith began to paint blue waves onto his house. Mr Johnson had finished painting his house salmon & was painting his shingles orange. The whole town had decided to leave Mr. Johnson alone.But, they didn't leave Mr Smith alone. This time, local children at school were receiving extra credit for writing letters to Mr. Smith to try to convince him to change his house back.
   But, Mr. Smith said to all of them "My house is me, & I am it, & my house is all my dreams. Nothing you can do or say can keep me from following my heart in a suburban home."
   The town thought Mr. Smith had lost his mind. There was one person besides Mr Johnson that understood. And, that was Ms. Jones. She was Mr. Johnson's neighbor on the right.  She was also a secretary that always loved spring. So, she went to the hardware store & bought spring green paint.
   Mr. Johnson was now re shingling & painting the roof. Mr. Smith was now painting a sea green on his house where there was once white. The town was leaving them alone. But, when they caught wind of what Ms. Jones was doing, they protested. The PTO even formed an angry mob around the door, threatening to press federal charges unless she changed her house back.
   Ever persistent, Ms. Jones said to all of them "My house is me, & I am it, & my house is all my dreams. Nothing you can say or do can keep me from following my dream in a suburban home."
   The town assumed she had also lost her mind. So, they left her alone. Mrs. Miller, a retired schoolteacher who lived across the street from Mr. Johnson, was watching closely. She had always loved sunsets, & had always wanted to paint her house like one. She bought the yellow-orange paint. But, due to her advanced age, she hired three high school boys to do it.
   Again, the town protested. This time, the local nursing home threatened to admit her unless she changed her house back.
   Mrs. Miller was older & much wiser than most of the mere mortal town folks. "My house is me, & I am it, & my house is all my dreams. Nothing you do or say can keep me from following my heart in a suburban home."
   And so, the pattern continued until each & every house was a unique work of art. And, in the process, more jobs were created that weren't as mundane & corporate.  Eventually, they changed the name of the town from Ho-humville to Wonderland.
THE END

Hopefully, this inspired you as much as it did me.

What Every Alternative Subculture Needs

   Hello again, everyone. I am not much farther in my writing. But, I just had a thought that I had to share with you.

  I was just thinking about my subculture while listening to Evanescence, & I've just figured out what the heck ALL alternative subcultures need & only the Metal Hip-Hop subcultures has achieved much of at all recently.
   Has anyone ever seen Ru Paul's Drag Race? Well, here's where I am going. Prepare for a boring lesson.

   A long time ago, in  presumably North America or Europe but definitely not the Middle East or Asia, there was a guy that, bravely/stupidly/drunkenly/smartly, you decide, for some reason, saw some wigs, some shiny clothing & some jewelry belonging to a female the person knew presumably, and decided that "hey, I'm not having enough fun as a guy, maybe dressing as a girl will be fun." Thus, the Drag Queen was born.
   Many years later, around the 1970s, Drag Queens exploded onto the scene. But, Hollywood & many others blew them over as just guys who are desperate for something or just trying to entertain us. And, they weren't shown as much as they should've been.
    However, in 1993, a Drag Queen named Ru Paul Charles released an album, with the hit song "Supermodel (You Better Work)". And, as time went by, Ru Paul became a socialite, focusing on gay rights & trying to expand Drag to new levels. Beginning in the 2000s, Ru Paul then got two televisions: Ru Paul's Drag Race & Ru Paul's Drag U. These shows helped Ru Paul (as well as many other Drag Queens) make Drag as well as GLBQT, make it in many countries around the world.

   You see what I'm talking about? We need one person from one subculture to step up to the plate. We need one person from one particular subculture to go up on television & say "Hey, I am a (Goth, Metal-head, Punk, Skater, Hip-hop, Vampyre, Emo, Furry, Hippy, etc.), and my subculture is OK. I am proud to be one, & I can function in today's society. To prove it to you, I have a cable access show about my subculture for my subculture that can be viewed by everybody regardless of whether or not you are part of our subculture.", and then, actually getting a chance to do it. We need a good television representive.
   Like I said, Metal & Hip-Hop are the only subcultures that have branched out in the way I am talking about. Especially Metal. In fact, they have two shows for Metal-heads. One is called "That Metal Show" & it is basically a show hosted by radio DJ Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine, & Don I forget the third guys' last name because I have the attention span of a three-month-old squirrel. The other show is called Metal Evolution. The show is a spinoff of the documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey". It is hosted by anthropologist Sam Dunn, who happened to be a Metal-head himself. Both shows focus more on the music & the musicians than the subculture itself. But, that is OK, as the Metal subculture is a subculture focused around a music subculture more than it is a subculture focused around a bunch of different things. However, I could see Sam Dunn eventually doing a season on the subculture itself.
   But, I think you get my drift. And, it could help if Goth, Punk, etc. had shows. Because while Goth has many books written on the subculture, the amount of literate people has decreased considerably, &
other than books & Abby Sciutto on NCIS & other websites (http://www.gothic-charm-school.com/), Goth has nothing to go on. And, that gives Hollywood an excuse to walk all over us, even planning shows that give Goths makeovers.
    Another reason is it keeps subcultures alive. I have been a Goth since I was 13, &  I am still the only Goth I know. I have met people in my art class that I feel those are steps in the right direction. But, I have never met anyone in my particular subculture that lives in my particular area. My mother has on multiple occasions told me that there used to be a Gothic movement in the area I lived at, but, everyone moved out. Maybe if there was a show hosted by Goths for Goths & people who enjoy them, more teens will see our subculture  as well as many other subcultures & determine that "hey, I am one of these people". In that way, we might be able to prevent any more teen suicides, & do what Lady Gaga never could (oooh, *snap*snap*snap*).

   So, does anyone have any ideas on how to do something for your or someone you love's subculture like what Ru Paul has done for GLBQT & Drag? I have a few ideas, but, I'll pitch them later. And, if you have any ideas, leave them in the comment section below or send them to me at:
bonovika@comcast.net