25 October 2005 - half past eight o'clock am

so some lawyer's wife got whacked by some greasy little headbanger, and cnn is bringing on "experts" on a wild misinterpretation of what they term "goth"

as a result, I am obliged to rant.

in this case, however, I shall keep it to a low-key diatribe listing what should constitute goth media so that cnn and fox new network, who will of course never read this, can have an actual framework to refer to. The so-called "expert" actually referred to goth as "the marylin manson music", I kid you fucking not.

at this point I am obliged to scream at the top of my keyboard that MARYLIN MANSON IS A HEAVY METAL PERFORMER -- HIS HEAD IS SO FAR UP OZZY OSBOURNE'S ASS I CAN'T TELL WHERE ONE ENDS AND THE OTHER BEGINS. WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE HAVE TO DO WITH GOTH ANYTHING??

Not that this kid didn't listen to Manson, but I wouldn't know because they weren't talking about the suspect at all. I mean, I thought that this was a murder investigation. I guess the cops are being too tight-lipped for our journalists to do anything but waste our time on their speculations than to cover any actual news that is taking place in this country. Anything to distract their audience from Arnold Schwarzeneggar's attempt to crush public education and destroy union labor with his "special election".

Anyway, if you read this, which you don't, here is my list of where to start if you want to have the faintest idea what goth music sounds like:

The Proto-Punks
Joy Division
The Cure
Siouxsie & the Banshees
Bauhaus
Sisters of Mercy

The Batcave Bands
Sex Gang Children
Virgin Prunes
Specimen
Alien Sex Fiend

The 4AD Label and others
Dead Can Dance
This Mortal Coil
Cocteau Twins
X-Mal Deutschland
Danielle Dax

World Serpent et al
Coil
Death In June
Current 93
Legendary Pink Dots

Yeah, I know all you goth authorities out there are apopleptic over me putting the Dots in with World Serpent, and Xmal in with 4ad, but these are just how I associate them in terms of sound. It's a lot more accurate than "that Marilyn Manson music", thank you.

And all I can say about the psychiatric expert on goth is that she's obviously never read Joseph Campbell. Holy Christ, her insipid oversimplification of what she's confused with gothic mentality overshoots ignorant in favor of downright insulting.