Font ResizeUpstairs, David King sits on a bordeaux velvet couch, his black pants tucked into knee-high combat boots. King's hair is a blond tuft atop his mostly-shaven head, and he's got a few facial piercings.
Unusual hair styles, dark clothing and piercings often earn someone the title of "goth," a label that comes with a host of stereotypes — many of which are untrue, say members of this subculture.
"When people ask me what I am, I tell them," says the 32-year-old San Francisco resident without hesitation. "I'm just David."
Being "goth" is not just about one's external appearance. The goth subculture is a movement born out of the punk-rock era of the early'80s, and those who aspire to the lifestyle draw their influences from not only fashion, but music, art and literature.
The subculture cannot be easily defined, but according to Bay Area psychologist Sasha Blum, who made it the topic of her dissertation, goths tend to have a "fascination with the darker side and the macabre."
King has been the lead promoter behind Death Guild, one of the longest-running goth/industrial club nights. In March, the event will
"Here, people don't care what you look like. You get treated like a human being," he says. "I think this subculture happened because there were a lot of people ostracized for trying to express who they were. I think this need to fit in, to be accepted, spawned this whole thing. There is no cohesive sum-up of what goth is. It's different for everyone."
When King first arrived in San Francisco from New Jersey more than a decade ago, the goth scene was a lot more underground. With the advent of the Internet, King says the scene has expanded dramatically.
"Back then there was no e-mail, no way for people to get together," he says. Now, the goth community in the Bay Area is too large to quantify, and on some nights the Death Guild can draw up to 500 people.
Melting Girl, 33, who didn't want her real name used, is resident DJ at the Death Guild. She has watched the goth scene evolve for 20 years.
"When I first dyed my hair purple, my father really flipped out," she says. "My mother told him it's just hair. Hair grows. Now it's accepted. I used to get heckled a lot — walking down the street I would have people yell, 'Where are you going? To a funeral?' because I was dressed in black. Now, I get compliments on BART from older women telling me my (orange) hair is beautiful."
According to Melting Girl, who lives San Francisco, there are many positive aspects to goth subculture.
"Goth is a popular subculture because it's so accepting of everyone," she says. "It's a good, supportive environment around here. It's safe to test your boundaries — sexual orientation, fashion, whatever it may be. Some of the most creative people I know are goth. One of my friends is in law school, others are getting their doctorates. Diversity within the sub-culture keeps it interesting, and if you stop at just the image, you won't get anywhere. Not everyone is depressed. Some are 'darker' than others, but they are good people."
Blum's study used a sample of goth youths and adults from throughout the United States to test the stereotype that goths are depressed and violent.
"Actually, my findings were quite the opposite," says Blum, who practices in Berkeley. "There are many positive aspects about the goth subculture. I found that goths are open to a lot of new ideas. It really is just a creative form of expression."
Melting Girl has been DJing at the Guild since it started and insists the goth scene is a non-violent one, despite being associated with high-profile school shootings and the recent slaying of a prominent attorney's wife in Lafayette.
"This really is a non-violent scene. In 13 years, we've never had a fight here. We've never had a security problem," she says.
Music tastes have become so broad within the goth scene that it is hard to define. Usually at goth events industrial music is played. A kind of rock/electronica that uses unusual sounds to make a track, industrial music is often classified as "goth," a darker kind of sound that Melting Girl explains has a harder edge.
While fashion isn't the only aspect of goth culture, it's an important way of expressing it. Kevin Besnyi and his wife Linda, owners of Dark Entry clothing store on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, know this firsthand.
"There's really no general thing for gothic fashion. When I used to work on gothic clothing lines, the standard was if it's black it's gothic. I don't always agree with that, but people usually do label black as gothic — black clothing, makeup, nail polish. Even just a black T-shirt and black pants can be goth. I think the real goths are a little more creative."
Gothic fashion may be mostly black, but there is a strong interest in Edwardian and Victorian styles of jackets, skirts, capes and corsets. Sometimes a slight influence of punk overlaps within goth fashion — whether it be pleather, grommets or chains.
Craig Featherstone, 35, of San Francisco, is a goth who says he often attracts stares when wearing what he describes as his "old-school" mortician gear, 1900s pieces he collects and wears regularly.
"Goth is a form of expression," he says. "People stare. Sometimes the look isn't so user friendly, but it's an art form. Every day is Halloween."
Dark Entry has been open since May of 2004. In addition to carrying gothic, punk and fetish clothing, the store sells jewelry, shoes and even furniture.
"I've had some 60-year-olds in suits come in to buy fetish stuff like nipple clamps and whips," says Besnyi. Dark Entry also had a store in New Orleans on Bourbon Street, but it had to close after Hurricane Katrina.
Now with only one location, Dark Entry has quite a following.
"I've had people in here who want to buy a logo Dark Entry T-shirt who said they found out about us because one of their friends in Germany was wearing our shirt," he says. "It's amazing how many people love this kind of fashion. Our ultimate goal is to make a really beautiful Web site that will be like the goth Best Buy. Somewhere where you can buy everything at once, easily."
You can e-mail Eleni Economides at eeconomi@angnewspapers.com.
Goth culture in music and books
Goth culture, while not easily defined, has influenced — and been influenced by — literature, films and music throughout the years. Here are a few examples:
Movies
"Interview with the Vampire"
The Crow"
Nightmare before Christmas:
"Nosferatu"
The Hunger"
Authors
Voltaire
Edgar Allen Poe
Lord Byron
Algernon Blackwood
Anne Rice
Musicians
Bauhaus
The Cure
Joy Division
Sisters of Mercy
