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.

The Song That Got Away

    Hey. It's me again. I'm sorry. I'm ridiculously busy, so, forgive me if I seem off-task writing these posts.
   Anywho, I am writing this blog about something that is a  very important issue: a song.
   You see, in addition to being a Goth, I am a hard rock fan. And, there is a song that is on my beloved wishlist for my Ipod. This song I was listening to music by similar lineups of this band when I came upon a song by this band. Wondering whether it was one lineup or another, I clicked on this song. And, to my amazement, I found one of the most amazing songs I have ever heard. This song right then & there inspired the manuscript Zombie Heart (and while it was at it, improved Savant). This song felt like flight. I was inspired by this song to walk around my house. And, now, you may be wondering what exactly is the song I am now blogging about. Well, you're in luck, dear reader. The song I am blogging about is "Valhalla" by Black Sabbath, off of the Tyr album.

  But, here's the thing: When I looked up this song on iTunes, iTunes had other songs under this title, but, they did not have it. Neither did they have it under Black Sabbath or Tyr. They had other things, but, not what I had in mind. And, so, the only place I can find this song is the internet. I don't know why.

So, there's the blog about the song that got away.
   

Letting The Demon Baby Out: Why Marilyn Manson Should Get More Fanfare Than He Has Received

    Okay before I go on to today's post, I have a few disclaimers:

• I am not now nor have I ever been a Marilyn Manson fan. And, Marilyn Manson is not Goth, he is Heavy Metal. But, I am defending him for purposes I'd rather not get into right now.
• Expect to hear more about Marilyn Manson in blogs to come. I perseverate on him a lot.
• I don't want for this post to turn into Sex-And-The-City tangent #3. So, I decided to include a grievance I have about my last blog post.
• I just finished typing a couple of pages in both Borders & Envelopes and The Devil Horn's Toss, and typing took up most of my weekend and morning. And, I have some chores to do. So, needless to say, I don't want to type anymore today other than Facebook statuses & text messages, and this is going to feel tedious to me. So, just bare with me here.

     Okay. That's it for immediate disclaimers. Now, here's how I came up with the title to kill a little bit of this rectangle I'm typing in: I'll start this week's post explaining the title:
    On the show in my mind, A Gothic Tomboy From Pittsburgh, there is an episode in which Julie (*I changed her name because I wanted to. In the show, she is really Raven from the original Teen Titans, and another bombshell that is just me rambling on to make this longer that is slightly related to this, in this show, she ends up getting pregnant by Marilyn Manson. That's related in what I will reveal in a minute.) begins to have nightmares. When I hear about them, I take out my iPad & go on one of my dream interpretation apps. She tells me that at the end of the dream, she was attacked by a demon baby. (A side note: I looked this up in real life, so, I know it's true.) What I determined was there was a new, forbidding part of her life beginning that scared her. I told her this was her mind telling her to let the "demon baby" out.
     After that, I told her that's what her baby daddy did.
    And, in a way, Marilyn Manson did "let the demon baby out". He does it so often that we miss it. That is Reason Du Jour of why Marilyn Manson should receive a whole lot more fanfare than he has been given so far.
    Another reason that Marilyn Manson deserves more than what he has received so far is that every celebrity should get at least fifteen minutes of fame. I know Madonna has had at least a whole half-an-hour of fame. Rihanna, Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, etc., it feels like they have received twenty years of fame. While, Marilyn Manson, rather unfairly I gotta say, only received two-fourths of a millisecond of fame.
   Which brings me to my next/final reason/point: Marilyn Manson faded out of the public's line of giving a damn about in a very unfair way due to unfair circumstances. I know there are those of you out there in countries like Russia & Germany probably wondering "What the *$#% is this American bitch talking about? Marilyn Manson is still relevant where I live, & no circumstances or ways that are unfair are making him less relevant here. What makes him not on the public's line of giving a *$#%?" Well, it's very off-topic & kind of a long, painful story that I will only tell you is the third-to-last label of this particular post.

   Which, speaking of unrelated & off-topic subjects. Does anyone remember my post Madonna Read My Blog? Well, that post is related because it is clearly irrelevant to everything the public holds dear. It it the post before this one. It didn't give me any views whatsoever. It might've gotten me some views, but, I highly doubt it. I didn't even get a comment on it. I doubt I'll get a comment on this one. But, it's because Marilyn Manson has been deemed a "has-been" by American Hollywood. Madonna never was and I hate to admit it but probably never will be deemed a "has-been" by American Hollywood. In addition to using a celebrity's name, I tried my best to use my social filter a little more than Madonna uses her social filter & a whole lot more than Marilyn Manson uses his social filter. And, still, I get nothing. I didn't get more views. I didn't get any people sharing any of my posts on Twitter, Facebook, or Google. I didn't get a like or a comment from Facebook or Google. I didn't get any attention on Blogger. I didn't get anyone offering to follow my blog. I didn't even get a comment on my blog! Now, you understand my frustration with Pop culture.
   Hey,....I just found a way to make Marilyn Manson less irrelevant to Madonna: Both Madonna & Marilyn Manson have "let the demon baby out". I mean, Madonna just showed some random french politician with a swastika drawn on his forehead in Israel. To add more irony to the controversy before I list what Marilyn did, Madonna's religion is Kabbalah or for people in other countries, Jewish Scientology, aka Madonna herself is Jewish. Marilyn Manson tore pages from the holy scriptures in various towns*, with the exception of in Salt Lake City, it was the Book of Mormon*. In both cases, not only did they "let the demon baby out", Madonna breastfed the demon baby, Marilyn Manson (and forgive me for not saying "he"  or "it" once) grabbed the demon baby, Marilyn Manson put a collar around the demon baby's neck, Marilyn Manson put a leash on the collar on the demon baby's neck, and then, Marilyn Manson proceeded to walk the demon baby like the demon baby was a dog or an African child walking his pet tarantula.

   You too can "let the demon baby out". Now, granted, the examples given above are EXTREME. But, still these are examples. There are other ways to "let the demon baby out" too. You could wear a beach dress to a formal, black tie wedding. You could wear only pink to a funeral. You could buy a pet tarantula. I once "let the demon baby out" not intending to "let the demon baby out". I wore a tshirt and a pair of sweat pants to a baby's baptism once years ago. Granted, if my dad told me it was a baby's baptism, I would've got more dressed up.
   But, there's my inspiration to you. Let the demon baby out. Don't be afraid to. And, letting the demon baby out includes sharing this blog or commenting on it. Bye for now.

*Or, so I'm told.

Madonna Read My Blog?!

    Okay. Before anyone tries to disagree, I would like to say the following story is hypothetical, realistic fiction. But, either way, I prepared some illustrations to help move this story along.

   So, Madonna* was working on her new album and tour. She got tired and bored. So, she decided to find a blog to read. And, she just happened to come across my blog.

        Unfortunately, she happened to come across The Aspiegoth blog when I had just finished my first Sex-And-The-City Tangent. That was what she ended up reading. And, much to everyone's surprise, she got to thinking.

     Now, Madonna being Madonna, Madonna felt she had to do something. So, she thought about her tour and things she could do to help.

    The decision of where the first concert of her MDNA tour complete & over with, Madonna started to decide on how to help Lady Gaga look innocent in the eyes of  Indonesia's religious right and make her look like an even worse influence on Indonesian youths.

               And, that is why I think Madonna made some of the decisions she's made recently.

    *I mean Madonna the singer.
    **Although, in hindsight, Madonna seems to be the type of gal that uses the term "pussies". I just used the least offensive term I could think of to use as I am not Madonna and I have to use the social filter or else I'll get banned from the internet or something.

                                            The End
 

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

Advice on How To Be Goth During the Summer

   Hello again dear readers. It is Saturday May 26th, 2012 Memorial Day Weekend beginning. I am now COMPLETELY done with a movie script  I was writing, except for typing it. I am almost done writing Borders & Envelopes, only one chapter left to go in writing, and Chapter Nine in typing. For The Devil Horns' Toss, I am still on Lacrymosa (Chapter Three) writing wise, however, soon, I could possibly be typing Schadenfreude (Chapter One). Enough about my writings (even though I am really excited about them). Since I now have an audience, I would like to give my first piece of Goth Advice.


    Now, before I go on, I realize that one in my audience is from Russia, which may mean the fact they even got on this here blog is a miracle. But, either way, I kind of have to explain what Memorial Day Weekend is to the foreigners on this blog. Memorial Day is a holiday that falls on Monday every year, & it is a holiday in which many government buildings are closed, mostly schools are closed in memory of all the American MIA/POW/killed in action soldiers. However, many people (in particular, schoolchildren but mostly all Americans) treat it as the true first day of summer. A lot of swimming pools open, amusement parks open, girls start wearing shorter clothes.
       However, when you are a Goth like me & a lot of other people reading this blog, Summer is to you what a cat is to a mouse. So, here are some tips on how to be a Goth during the summertime:

• First off, wear lighter shades such as grey or white. Now, you may want to wear colors such as black, & you can. It's just more difficult.
• Wear very light fabrics, such as silk & cotton. DO NOT WEAR HEAVY FABRICS SUCH AS VELVET, LACE,POLYESTER, & TAFFETA. I wore both on two days a Memorial Day weekend or two ago. I was outside so much I was near dead from heat stroke.
• Now, for those of you who wear heavy eye makeup, pick some good eye foundations. I personally used to use MAC's paint pot shade Painterly. However, that shade would have my makeup fade off by the end of the night in heat over 85 degrees. So, I switched to using CLINIQUE Lid Smoothie Antioxidant 8-hour Eye Colour shade 02 Cashew Later. (*A quick side note: I am not trying to advertise either makeup brands. I am just making a recommendation from personal expierience.)
• It is perfectly OK to wear boots in temperatures over 85 degrees. It is also appropriate for Goths to wear open-toed shoes/flip-flops. Enough said.
• If  you are one of those Goths that wear very short sleeves & skirts/are slightly into the Bondage-sadomasochism subculture as well as the Gothic subculture, this advice applies less to you. 
• Don't go overboard with your makeup.  In addition to looking like Alice Cooper (unless that's what you're going for), melting eye shadow & eyeliner might get into your eye & really cause some serious damage. Don't believe me? Just recently, someone I know had to flush her eye out because she got eyeliner & mascara in her eye & it really irritated her eye.
• Sometimes, with what you are planning to wear, the weather will just refuse to cooperate with your outfit. So, a lot of you Goths are going to hate me for what I am going to say. But, here it is: When in doubt,  don't wear it. And, don't wear trenchcoats at this time. 
• Ladies And Gentlemen of the Class of '99, wear sunscreen.  The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proven by scientists. In all seriousness though, wear sunscreen. It's better to look like Amy Lee than look like Snooki I always say. And, you won't get skin cancer.
• For swimsuits, Ladies: No one wants to see your unmentionables. Wear a swimsuit that fits properly, unless it's a bikini. But, even then, don't show too much. Gentlemen: Please don't wear a banana hammock unless you absolutely have to. Enough said.
• Drink more than eight glasses of water a day.  Scientists recommend drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. But, trust me. Since you are wearing all black/dark colors all the time, your clothes are absorbing more of the sunshine, which is making you hotter than the average nonGoth human. So, I'd recommend at least 9-10 glasses of water a day.
• Last But Not Least: Elegant is not always appropriate. So, Ladies, try as much as humanly possible to avoid those cutesy little Victorian-Edwardian outfits during the day. And,  guys, I know you want to seem suave for possible girlfriend's parents. BUT, FOR CHRIST'S SAKES, DO NOT WEAR ANY OF THOSE TUXEDOS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE ONE OF THOSE TUXEDOS WORN BY MARILYN MANSON DURING THE GOLDEN AGE OF GROTESQUE PROMOTION!

   Well, that's all I can think of to advise right now. If you have anything to add to this, or if you have any questions for me, leave them in the comment section, or email me a bonovika@comcast.net.