How to be a Vampire

Just yesterday I was in Angus and Robertsen's and looking at the books on sale. Nothing initially grabbed me until I found a book entitled How To Be A Vampire. Here is the link in case you are interested.
Anyway, the book seemed very tongue in cheek at first, which is why I bought it. However, while I was reading it on the train home, I realised that the book was a genuine book about vampire believes who wanted to be turned into vampires.
No, don't go away now!
The book, to me, seemed that if you forgot about the 'bloodletting and fangs' parts, the book seems like a book about Goth ettiquette and lifestyle in general. For example, there is a section entitled "Ghoulish Gardening" which is about growing night bloomers, carnivorours plants and black flowers. Mmmm, it sounds lovely. There is also a whole section dedicated to vampires thoughout history such as Vlad Tepes and Erzsebet Bathory, and vampires in literature, and the book emphasises how important it is to be a well educated vamp. The photos and art in the book are stunning.

So, for the record, I don't personally believe in vampires, but I do think they're really cool. I always have. Apparently it's Such A Cliche for Goths to like vampires, and we should all avoid them at all costs. But, you know what, apparently wearing all black and having big stompy boots is a cliche too, but I'm not going to stop doing that either.

Also, apparently people are having problems with posting comments. If anyone knows a solution then it would be great if they could let me know. =)

xxxx Lilly
Listening to Emilie Autumn- Chambermaid

Australian Goth surviving summer- part one

It's a terrible photo of me, but you can see my costume

Ah, summer...
The season of heat, sun, surf and bikinis...
And many many sweaty Goths...

Is it ironic to mention that today I've spent the day rugged up in a trenchcoat, thick stockings and long sleaves? Probably, but it has been really cold the last few days. And a lot of rain, which is rare for a drought- ridden country.

My summer holidays so far have mainly consisted of parties (including a Rocky Horror party- see the photos), festivals and lots of music practice. Heaps, actually, and I need to be doing more.

Some of the more notably things I have been through this summer are a locust plague (which included many locusts meeting an untimely end via the car windscreen, and subsequently smearing themselves everywhere making it almost impossible to see), swimming in clothes, and giving my boyfriend dread lox.

In regards to the 'surving summer' part in the title, as a Goth who does wear a lot of black, I sometimes really struggle with the heat. More so, I feel that around my friends there is a lot more pressure to go swimming or to places that I'm not interested in. I think that when people have a lot of free time, they become more adventuress and want to take more risks. I don't believe that this is a bad thing, but it does get somewhat frustrating.
And then there are the endless "Aren't you hot in all that black?" questions, even from people who know that I've worn black for quite a number of years and I would expect that they are awear that I am a Goth. (Surely the Demonia boots and bat necklaces are a bit noticable?)

We are normal people...

Anyway, that is a very breif summary of my summer so far. I will try to post again at the end of my summer, which should include stories about more festivals, Christmas and a 'delightful' car journey to Queensland...

xxx Lilly
Listening to The Cruxshadows- Deception

Bad Poetry and Tom Cats

If you remember back to my previous post, you may recall a reference to a Bad Poetry site. Well, for your amusement, I present to you the The Goth-O-Matic Poetry Generator!
Here is an example of the deep, tortured poem you can 'create'

Pretty? Maybe a little.
Pretty bad? Oh, yes indeed. =P
But that's part of the fun of being Goth- we can laugh at this sort of stuff because we get the humour in it.

Also, many months ago in about March or April, a tom cat casually entered out house and began roaming around. He was a lovely cat, but he disappeared. Until about an hour ago that is...
The cat is so pretty, and makes me want a cat of my own even more... *sigh*

Anyway enjoy being Mopey with your Poetry- and send me a copy, damn it!

xxx Lilly
Listening to The Cruxshadows- Defender

The Gothic Compass

First things first. Good evening to you all. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while... =S
Also, some of you who were Piczo followers back in the day may have noticed that I've been editing and re posting some of my old blog entries there. I'll do some more of that soon. =)
Anyway, a few years ago I came accross a site that featured a generator that allowed the reader to create tortured, guilt ridden bad Gothic poetry almost instantly. This was potentially one of my first encounters with The Internet Goth, and essentially opened my eyes to the vast resource on Goth Culture that was the internet. A short while later, I revisited the site in more detail and found The Gothic Compass.
Interestingly enough, this isn't like any of the other What Sort Of Goth Are You quizzes. This really is a decent quiz that has lots of references to songs and books and that makes the quiz difficult to bluf. I encourage everyone to try it out. Remember, the author has a sense of humour, and you should too. Overall, the Dead Lounge Off Ramp is actually a rather interesting site, and yes, there is the Bad Poetry Generator for you to snicker at.
Oh and here's my result. (Taken just then) XD

I'll just point out that I'm really not that perky, and really NOT all that Industrial so I retried and it was potentially more accurate.

That's is probably more accurate. XD
So tell me, what your score???

xxxx Lilly
Listening to The Cruxshadows- Perfect

Insta Goth Kit

Upon my random internet searchings (looking at clothes, of all things!XD) I came accross a very, ahem, interesting web site. This is the link in question, and, well I think that is meant to be ironic and corny. It certainly is, and it sends up Goths on every square centimetre of the page. Yet, it generally refers to Goths as 'us' or 'we' which makes me think that it is written by Goths for a laugh or two. That's a perfectly sane normal thing to do. I'm sarcastic and self deprevating here on my blog all the time.
But the real thing that has been bothering about this site is that I think that it is a little too subtle. Granted, most if not all everything written is true to an extent, but I feel that it simply isn't sarcastic enough to be really effective.

What do you think??

Just a short post today. I may post later tonight... =)
xxx Lilly
Listening to The Cruxshadows- Immortal

Pirates....

Is Pirates of the Caribbean Goth?

My inital answer would be 'no', however it has been running over in my mind for a while now. Simply because there are elements that do appeal to Goths and have connections to the Goth 'philosophy' so to speak.

Pirates were seen as villians while they sailed the seas. They struck fear into the hear hearts of travellers. But they weren't necessarilly evil beings, just like Goths.
I do believe that the Pirates in POTC are exaggerated to make them seem cooler, but it is a fantasy, so what were you expecting?
Jack Sparrow is also a character who would be similar to Goths (in a general sense at least). He is opulent, extravagant, gay, impulsive and self centered, eyeliner- wearing, (and extremely good looking... XD)
The movie also incorperates some amazing period clothing and fashions, and makes the whole eighteenth centuary life seem fantastic.
The Curse of the Black Pearl in particular features undead skeleton pirates that haunt a ghost ship, cursed treasure and romantic conquest.

In Voltaire's book What is Goth, he talks about the 'Gay Pirate' look for men, (and why it's so bad). It used to be very popular years ago but it died out a bit. Until the enormous popularity of POTC, that is.
Is the overwhelming success of Pirates the thing that is preventing it from being called Goth, or simply because it doesn't feature crumbling graveyards or vampires? (Or other Goth cliche?)

What about something like TNBC? That is also hugely popular, but it does feature Halloween Town.
The Matrix? That's a Cyberpunk movie.

So, has anyone else thought about this? What do you think?

xxx Lilly
Listening to Hannah Fury- Flying

Goths at Folk Festivals part Two

Earlier today I got home from a weekend festival in North East Victoria. Overall I had a reasonable time, which was a good thing I believe.
This was my first time attending this particular folk festival, but I have been to many others over the years.

The biggest thing I remember was wearing Demonia (or your particular favourite brand of rather impractical yet amazing Goth boots) in mud and bad weather. In the city, this is a completly fine thing to do, but when you're in the middle of a paddock with trees and grass and a lot of much things get pretty messy quickly. (However, my feet did stay dry and comfortable while I was wearing, which was not the case for some people...)
This may seem like a very silly thing to mention first up, but in all honesty it was the biggest thing in my head for most of the weekend. I think this was because it would have been my Demonia boots in question's first 'country experience' and I wasn't sure if they'ed survive.

In a different aspect, the music at this particular festival was the most varied. There was some folk, rock, techno, funk, cabaret, punk, celtic, fusion and a Hell of a lot of other styles mashed together. My favourite performance was by a local band called Rapskallion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq_kPISO9fI&feature=related

This obviously wasn't the performance I saw, but there aren't many examples on the internet.
 They have just returned from a tour of Europe which included places like Camden in London (I believe) and France.
I had seen this band earlier this year in Canberra over Easter which was amazing.

Another thing that happened to me that wasn't particularly enjoyable was once, while I was walking from the festival arena to my campsite (Yes, camping...) a little lady stopped me and asked me what I was wearing. "What is it? Something like Goth?" She asked.
"Er, yes. Goth with some other things" Was my reply. (She didn't actually ask me if I was even Goth, just my clothes. I could have been some tracksuit wearing gansta and she wouldn't have known...)
"Like what?"
"Goth boots, socks, punk stockings..." I hurriedly listed what I was wearing...
The little lady kept following me and talking to me, even though I was a complete stranger to her. Later in the night while I was slightly more intoxicated and not in the best of moods (I am currently suffering from a particularly uncomfortable back pain which is severly inhibiting my ability to play the flute) and the woman, who had by this stage forgotten my name, came up to me and asked if I had remembered her. I had, but I said no just to be casual. This may seem fine, and it did to me, until the lady came up and approached me for the third time. I believe she may have had some sort of 'special substance' due to her dazed expression and forcefullness. Needless to say that after the third encounter with the Little Lady I felt that it was time to avoid her. I did not feel comfortable around her.

Lastly, upon arrival in Olde Melbourne Towne, after checking some emails, I had a delicious hot shower. After not being able to have a proper wash for three days, (there was a creek, but you cannot wash your hair for example), the First Shower really is the best shower you will ever experience.

xxxx Lilly
Listening to The Band Who Knew Too Much (Who played at this festival. It was insane!)- The Rent

Christmas in Goth Land

Yes. I'm being highly original.
Not. I'm writing another post about Goths and Christmas. This is probably because I've been wanting to post for a few days now and been  lacking in some substantial idea, and becuase I think that everyone, including Goths, has a unique and finely defined view on what a successful Christmas should entail.
On a more profound and intellectual level, I am going to attempt to unravel the mystery behind the reason why my family celebrates the Christmas that we do. (I do believe that it is very different to a Christian Christmas)

Firstly, I don't necessarilly encompass many of the seasonal personality traits that we are expected to embrace around the Christmas time. There are reasons for this, and very decent reasons at that. Firstly, I am the person who I am and I have learnt to accept all of the elements (or at least most of them) that make up my personality. I believe that it is crazy for a person to think that I would change my personality during the 'festive season' just as I would not expect anyone else to. Also, way down here in Australia, Christmas occurs in the middle of summer. I fail to see how anyone can be jolly or merry in 40*C+ heat that I regularly have to endure. Hot sun and dry weather do not equal pleasant for me.
In general, especially in the last few years, Christmas hasn't been overly fun and I have simply waited in my room until the whole thing ends before drinking my weight on new years eve.
There are positives, though. Spening quality family time is good, and my family enjoys nice food and presents together.
Possibly the big reason why my family celebrates Christmas would be because my parents were brought up celebrating it.
Another, possibly equally big, reason would be because Christmas is so commercialised nowaday that it is impossible to escape from. There are Christmas carols blasted out of every single shopping center in the country. And they began a week ago...

I do feel that there are many nice things about a Christmas spirit, and it can be a really wonderful experience.
A White Christmas would be really REALLY nice and visually beautiful... but I sadly live in the southern hemisphere... =(

This post took a week to compose... I must be more vigilant.

xxxxx Lilly
Listening to The Dresden Dolls- Girl Anachronism

Goths at Folk Festivals

This is a potentially irrelevant subject for some Goths because they wouldn't dream of going to a Folk Festival (There's an awful lot of tie-dye). There are some, however, who do occasionally embrace the happy hippies and folkies for a week or so. I've been to many in my life. Quite a  few of the festivals I've attended have been when I didn't really realise that I was a Goth (More on this later. XD Of course I wasn't a Goth when I was a child...) and I have seen others around. Arguably, a particular festival would have been one of my first encounters with a Goth (which is different to being exposed to the Goth subculture which happened many years before) and I believe that that is a rather notable event in a Goth's life.
So, how does a Goth survive at an event where there is a focus on merrymaking and folk music?
It's not particularly easy. The music performed is mainly Folk, but there is also other styles. It depends on the festival in question, but from my experience I have witnessed World, Country, Old Time, Blues, Roots, Jazz, Ska, Latin and some crossover.
In other words, nothing that would be considered Goth, unless you are lucky and there is some Dark Cabaret or similar. Luck is involved here. Not that that necessarily means that there will be no music that there would be no music that appeals to Goths. Not in the slightest. But it does mean that there may be some music that may be unusual or not to your tastes. Here, there are two basic options that you can chose from. One would be to sit through and listen to some music that your may not be enamored with entirely. Or you could enjoy other aspects of the festival culture. There are many other aspects of folk festivals that make them unique from other festivals. However, please remember that in this regard I can only report on personal experience and every festival is different.
In regard to attire I really must emphasise that there is absolutely no reason why you should abandon your spooky attire and switch to fisherman's pants and leather head bands. Actually, consider a festival as a chance to really dress up. You wont regret it. Also on this note, remember to consider the weather, and bring lots of clothes as washing is nearly impossible. Some festivals may also have a reaccuring theme each year, such a circus, cabaret or dancing. Learn as much as you can at the workshops and such available. It will be highly benificial overall.
In regard to general politeness, the folkies are not that different to other people, so just be yourself. However, use your discretion because there are some incredibly sleazy old men at folk festivals who are disgusting and have no sense of decorum. If there is some dress up party, please remember that you don't have to look sexy to have fun, and there may be some unwanted attention from old men who are desperate. I'm talking from experience here. When I was fifteen, I, quite literally, was asked for sex by strange men over the age of forty about five times... EW!!!!!!!!!


I sincerly hope that everyone enjoys their festival season and enjoys themselves!

xxx Lilly
Listening to the Prince Caspian movie with my mum and brother XD

Diversity in Music

I've noticed that there seems to be a fair amount of negativity towards Goths who also actually listen to music that isn't Goth. This is absoutly crazy and insane.
As a musician I understand the huge benefits of listening to a broard and diverse range of music. That doesn't however explain why some people, including Goths, believe that a person is 'not Goth' becuase they for example also listen to metal.
This happened to me about three months ago. I was in one of the numerous Gothy stores in Melbourne. (Peril Underground, which would potentially be more of a Punk store, but had some delicious Victorian and Steampunk pieces of clothing. Yum. The store is also a music and apparall store and a tattoo parlour.) Anyway, I bourght the Voltaire CD Then and Again. There was an older Goth (I'm not sure if she was an Elder Goth or just a fair bit older than me) who was paying for her CD. "Voltaire?" She raises her eyebrows at me and looks as if I was wearing kahki green cargo pants and a bright yellow T shirt. "Yeah." I reply in my quite voice. *Another Tangent* The store in question was in fact the store that Voltaire performed in August, which I was incredibly lucky to see. XD. The store owner obviously had something to do with the guy as a result.*
"Did you see him perform?" Asked the owner.
"Um, I saw him down here was my reply."
And then all of a sudden the woman was like "Oh yeah he's such a good entertainer."
Well, I was confused. I had thought that the lady was critisising my taste because Voltaire was "Not as Goth" as her superior taste in music. (which is absolutly ridiculous, if you ask me)
I left the shop with two conclusions. One: I had simply misread her expression and she was just making conversation. Or Two: She has a mild case of Gothier than Thou and she felt that I didn't deserve to be in her deep dark presence...
But the main point of the story is that it is really imporant to appreciate different styles of music, and to not judge someone because of their tastes. I'm fully awear that Goth is what it is because of the music, but that will not stop me from listening to bands like Rapskallion, or Nightwish, Tom Waites, or even bands like The Cat Empire, which I do listen to. I am a classical musician so it is understandable that I would not be in the stage I am now without listening to a Hell of a lot of 'Classical music'.
I still regard classical music as one of my favourite styles of music of all time. Particularly Classical (as in the period), and Romantic music. There will also always be space in my soul for Celtic music, because that was my introduction to music performance (about ten years ago when I was seven...)
And jazz. Yes, Jazz. I used to want to be a professional Jazz pianist, a few years ago. I don't anymore.
And I love my Industrial. Love Love Love!!!

In a nutshell, for God's sake please do not judge a person on their music preferences, regardless of whether you believe that music is a defining part of whatever group they belong to or not. There are x number of music styles and sounds, so it would be almost impossible for another individual to have the same tastes as you. Also, it is important to have a broad and varied apprecation for music because everything you listen to enhances your ability to understand and enjoy more music.

Wow, that was quite an effort for 10am on a Sunday...


xxxx Lilly
Listening to... nothing because my sister is asleep in the next room.

Polyvore

Well, I'm very happy,  because my Polyvore set featuring a Living Dead Doll has won a conpetition. Well, ninth place out of 228 entries! =)
Here is my set.

Inheritance by Gothic Lilly featuring diamond jewelry

Oh, and here is my Polyvore profile. Feel free to add me as a contact and I will return the favour.

That's it for now as I have to go and get ready for a Literature exam!

xxx Lilly Listening to Emilie Autumn- Across the Sky

Gloom Cookies

Flutes...

So today is my seventh grade flute exam... =( Needless to say I am really not looking forward to it, but I will be very relieved when it's over. It's also almost completely solo, with only one sonata with piano, so there is alot of pressure...
There is good news though. Yesterday I finished year 11. That means that after exams on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week I will never have to wear school uniform again!!!

On another note, here is my Tumblr. If you also have Tumblr, please follow me and I will return the favour. (VW...)
Oh, and my music myspace page. I hardly ever use it and all the songs are .mid, converted to mp3 so theu sound awful!!! However, go and have a listen anyway. =)
I'm considering re-colouring my hair. Again. It never stays black for longer than a few months, and I generally spend my money on CD's... so, yes, my hair is currently a shade of chocolate brown... I'm interested in bleaching a section and doing a Manic Panic type thing to it... but that's just a thought...

And... not much else. I'll write something more substantial soon.


xxxx Lilly
Listening to Amanda Palma- Guitar Hero

Being Perky

Ah I've been lazy with this blog. Piczo is broken, again. So I've decided to try again here.

But anyway... on with the show!

Being a Perky Goth.
Without explaining every single element of my personality, I do believe that I encompass many elements of a Perky Goth. This is a good thing for some things. It means that I don't have to freak out every time I laugh at something funny (That does not happen often) for fear of smiling and seeming happy. It means I can  exclaim with glee at pretty coffin shaped beds and cheesy skull necklaces.
However, it does have it's downsides. Whenever I see an Elder Goth who is entirely dressed on black with a sour expression, I freak out that they will think I'm some crappy Emo because I wear printed T shirts. This is because I really REALLY hate being called Emo. It's just something that has always bugged me.
Also, I don't encompass the idea of having heaps of energy and liking pink. I prefer black. I guess that I am simply human like the rest of the population, but none the less I think that my feelings of up an down are more exaggerated than the normal person.

Listening to Creature Feature- Such Horrible Things

xxxxx Lilly

A new outlook

Ok, so I'll admit it. I'm lazy with blogging. I went back to Piczo. The pulling factor was the ease of navigation there.

And I haven't had this much activity there ever before!!!

xxx
of course I'll try to occasionally write something here, but no promises... XD

Listening to
Dr Steel- Drop Da Bomb

Music

Ok, so after waiting for a short time, I decided to launch straight into some REAL posts. Music is a good place to start, because it's something I love. It's something everyone has some connection to, regardless of what particular genre or kind. Also, being a musician, I think I like music that similar minded musicians would also like or be able to relate to.
So, to being with... as you know, I am a musician. I play flute and piano, but not exclusively. I dabble in quite a few other instruments, but I don't take them seriously. Basically, violin, recorded, whistle, cello, viola, tenor saxophone and bass guitar have all been in my musical life at some stage. And, when I say I don't take them seriously, I don't mean that I consider them to be lesser instruments. The opposite, in fact. I feel that I wouldn't be able to put in the required effort and time to be able to seriously commit to more at the moment. I also sing a fair bit. In short, I'm a classical musician, but the music I play in no way reflects what I listen to. Of course, there is crossover, but not to a large extent.
The genres of music I CURRENTLY listen to are dark cabaret, steampunk, etheral, ambient, goth rock, gothic metal, symphonic metal... and quite a few more. This list is ever growing and changing depending on what mood I am in and what bands I have discovered.
Almost all of the musicians I listen to I have discovered via YouTube, so I must humbly thank it for being so incredibly awesome. Thankyou!!!

The musicians/ bands that I currently LOVE are (btw, it takes a fair amount for me to love some music, so this list has been composed very carefully. XD)
Voltaire- The alive one. Simply, I love his humour, and pretty much everything about his music. He would probably be my biggest music influence at the moment.
Emilie Autumn- Another one of my absolute favourites. I am proud to say that I am a PLAGUE RAT and am only too happy to spread the plague.
Dr Steel- I haven't been around his music for quite as long as the others, but he is awesome. Dr Steel for World Emperor!!!
Creature Feature- again, they have a sick sense of humour and an awesome sound.
Arcana- Neo- classical. They are so beautiful.
Diablo Swing Orchestra- Progressive metal with SWING! Is it not awesome??? These people are incredible. Their metal is actually dance-able!
Nightwish- Symphonic metal. They're pretty popular so I wouldn't be surprised if you've heard of them. However, I prefer the older singer...

That's all I can think of

xxx
Listening to
Voltaire- Hello Cruel World

The Humble Beginings...

As my first post in this Blog, I feel that it is somewhat necessary to introduce myself. On the internet, I call myself The Gothic Lilly, or just Lilly. Of course, it isn't my real name, but it's based on my middle name, which is good enough.The advantage of this means that I can retain a certain amount of anonimity and don't have to be so careful about what I write. XD
I used to write on a site for girls called Piczo. (I know that some guys do use it, but the overload of pink and flowers makes me think that it is designed with girls in mind.) The site, apparantly, was popular a few years ago, but I only got it earlier this year. For awhile, things were great, but recently there has almost been no activity on there. So I decided it was time for a change.
(Here in case you were wondering )

Basically, there I used to crap on about Goth, the subculture and what it means to me ect. If you don't have anything remotely interesting or positive to say about it, I suggest that you don't say anything at all. I don't want to waste my valuable life with losers who think they have a right to insult others for no reason.

Also, in case you couldn't already tell, I can't write any HTML, so please, bare with me... I shall do my best with the tools that I have.

Listening to
A Gorey Demise- Creature Feature

xxx Lilly