In Praise of the Tropical Goth
January 9, 2008 by soozadoo
I love a freak. I really do, I’ve never been brave enough to stand out from the crowd. I’ve always been an internal freak, never worn it on my long black sleeve. Even as a teenager, the time when freakdom can be embraced with disregard I was too boring and conservative. I lived the music, but not the look.
It is fucking hot here. We live ten metres from the sun with humidity than saps all sanity. There is term ‘going troppo’ which is used to explain mental stuff that people do in the heat. Tempers fray, patience is non existent. Aircon is your only salvation. Steaming heat comes from the ground in a haze, the air is thick, there is nowhere to run nowhere to hide, the heat permeates everything.
Today when I went to do the banking it was 35 C (95 F) with 90% humidity, the air like an oppressive blanket, I get out of my car, cursing the heat and I look over to see some young Goths. Hanging out in front of the shopping centre. Pancake white faces melting in the shade. Dressed head to toe in black, boots, stockings, long black skirt, long black lace sleeves and one of them even had gloves on. Now that’s commitment! Any old wanker can be a Goth in the cold, that’s easy. But you need to be absolutely fucking hard core to suffer it in this heat.
In praise of the Tropical Goth I give you this classic Bahaus track,
‘white on white translucent black capes
back on the back
Bela Lugosi’s dead ‘
You know…I had exactly those same thoughts when a group of Goths wandered past me in the Perth CBD. It was frickin’ 40+ at the time.
That is dedication to your freakdom.
Yep, Melbourne winter, the Goth’s natural habitat. Some must have escaped for the summer.
Yep that’s dedication - I always loved the look but was too lazy to put the make-up on.
What is the best month to visit Townsville?
Shayne
LOL, did they have on those black shiny plastic pants?
I know this may be TMI but I have always wondered how sweaty their butt crack & sacks get?
actually I don’t think I wanna know…
Ah, yes. Townsville seems to be full of them. I must point out the one concession they make to the heat, though. Never in my life of Goth Watching (remembering that I’ve been a wannabe Goth for thirty years)have I seen Goths anywhere, except here, wearing SHORTS. They do wear BLACK shorts. But they wear them with socks and creepers. Their legs don’t need the white pancake. Goths only come in one colour.
You never see a tan goth do you Kirsty? Or even one with olive skin. In celebration of freaks and inner freaks!
Lisa, honey, any sentence with sack, crack and the word wonder falls under the TMI category, no question about it… That said I had a friend with latex pants and when he went a dancin’ & a groovin’ he told me baby powder was essential.
or just fucking insane!!!!
Just reading about it makes me sweat between the boobs!
(Actually, I was doing that before I arrived here, I just thought I’d let everyone know and I needed a way to work it into the conversation…
Curious I was, just damn curious :oP
Avoiding nappy rash when your balls have dropped - I’m impressed ;o)
In Canberra I get the whole Goth thing and the layering of clothes. But Townsville?? Do Goths swim? Can they swim? What do they wear? Let me know when you see them at the beach!
Shelly, I think I can answer that (having two kids of a Goth-ish persuasion). Have you heard of stinger suits? We have deadly jellyfish up here and stinger suits are neck to wrist and ankle BLACK suits that protect you from stings. Goth Swimwear. Perfect.
[...] return to them. I need some Quickies. This is a good start to the year then. Sussanah’s post In Praise of the Tropical Goth struck such a chord with me. A - I have had the heart of a Goth for thirty years and B - I’ve [...]
No one swims in Townsville - goth or otherwise. Swimming is for tourists. (except if you have your own pool - which I don’t)
PS I’m back!!
I think there are labels who specialize in Goth swimwear? Like spiderweb-print bikinis.