Encyclopedia Gothica

Liisa Ladouceur

• Publisher: ECW Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781770410244
• eBook ISBN: 9781770900790
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Popular Culture
• Index: Social Sciences

"Wickedly funny . . . Ideal for babybats and elder goths who'll appreciate the wealth of reminders of the experiences that make up goth life" ( NOW Magazine).
 
A guidebook to the language of the most shadowy of subcultures, this work collects and defines more than 550 Gothic words and phrases. Compiled by an acclaimed Goth journalist and poet, this compendium provides insight into the unique vernacular of this fascinating community, describing in detail and with black humor the fashion, music, and lifestyle as well as sharing insider slang such as Babybat, Corp Goth, and the Gothic Two-Step. A Goth Band Family Tree and essential Goth listening, reading, and viewing recommendations are also included in this phantasmagorical work.
 
"Including illustrations from the talented Gary Pullin, Encyclopedia Gothica is the essential Goth reference whether you're wondering who Sisters of Mercy are or what absinthe is (and why Marilyn Manson has his own brand of the green stuff)." — Geeks of Doom
 
"Ladouceur is a rare gem of a commenter that has the ability not only to laugh at herself, but to be able to get you to laugh at yourself, too." — HoustonPress
 
"Ladouceur has compiled a thorough and amusing encyclopedia about all-things-Goth . . . Whether you want to read about Nosferatu, Goth Juice or mall Goths you'll find brief and truly informative segments in Encyclopedia Gothica." —antiMusic
 
"Ladouceur's humor is a welcome rarity in an oft-misunderstood subculture." — Maclean's
 
"For those who continue to fear Goths, this book is a powerful antidote. Despite their spiky, menacing exterior, Encyclopedia Gothica details a culture as harmless and geeky as your average Star Wars fanboy or Kiss Army foot soldier." — National Post

BABYBAT A newcomer to the scene exhibiting limited knowledge, particularly one of a young age; sometimes used derogatorily. Alternatively, a term of endearment for underage Goths. Compare: Kindergoth

BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT Japanese fashion label created by Akinori and Fumiyo Isobe, credited with kickstarting the GOTHIC LOLITA style in 1988. Think babydolls and PARASOLs, with lots of lace. TRAD GOTHs may find it difficult to imagine how a powder blue outfit could appeal to anyone, but for enthusiasts of Loli lifestyle, Baby is the best. Retail outlets in Paris and San Francisco satisfy the foreign fans; the HQ is in Shibuya, Tokyo.

BACKCOMBING Hairstyling technique also known as teasing where you grab a chunk of hair and aggressively comb backwards until it hurts too much or the hair stands high up on its own, whichever comes first. Add illogical amounts of AQUA NET hairspray and — voila! — instant ROBERT SMITH or SIOUXSIE SIOUX ’do.

BADDELEY, GAVIN British journalist (b. 1966), author of books on Goths, Satanism and Satanic Goths, including Goth Chic: A Connoisseur’s Guide to Dark Culture; Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock ’n’ Roll; and Goths: Vamps and Dandies, as well as biographies of MARILYN MANSON and CRADLE OF FILTH. An ordained minister of the CHURCH OF SATAN, he’s the go-to guy whenever U.K. television producers need someone to talk about the dark side who actually has a clue.

BAD SEEDS See: Cave, Nick

BAL DES VAMPIRES, LE Fancy costume ball produced by San Francisco’s Period Events and Entertainments Recreation Society, held annually around HALLOWEEN. An elegant affair featuring formal dancing to baroque and waltz music, attracting ROMANTIGOTHs, STEAMPUNKS and others who like to party like it’s 1899.

BALK, FAIRUZA American actress (née Fairuza Alejandra Feldthouse, b. May 21, 1974) best known for her starring role in the 1996 film The Craft, in which she played a teen witch with rather Goth style. She projected a dark, rock ’n’ roll image in her real life as well — tattoed and pierced with black hair and copious EYELINER — and Goths were thrilled to learn she once owned an actual occult shop in Hollywood. In 2010, Balk announced a new music project, Armed Love Militia; first single “Stormwinds” featured guest DAVID J.

BANSHEES, THE See: Siouxsie and the Banshees

BARA, THEDA American silent film star (née Theodise Burr Goodman, 1885–1955). Nicknamed “The Vamp” for her femme fatale performances, she wore provocative costumes and posed for occult-themed promotional photos with skulls and snakes. If that wasn’t enough to secure her honorary Goth Girl status, her 1917 role as Cleopatra set the template for the Egyptian eye make-up popularized by SIOUXSIE SIOUX some sixty years later. Ashes interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park columbarium in Glendale, California. See also: Brooks, Louise

BARELY EVIL Adult website offering porn pictorials of TATTOOED Goth Girls — pierced, bound, penetrated by machines. See also: Blue Blood, Gothic Sluts

BARGELD, BLIXA German singer and musician (né Hans Christian Emmerich, b. January 12, 1959). Co-founded seminal INDUSTRIAL noise group Einstürzende Neubauten in 1980. From 1983 to 2003, member of NICK CAVE’s band, The Bad Seeds. Says he’s not Goth, but ample photographic evidence of him in leather pants, BACKCOMBED hair or funereal suits crumpled like he just crawled out of a coffin proves otherwise.

BARKER, CLIVE British author, filmmaker and visual artist (b. October 5, 1952). The leading voice in contemporary horror fiction, revered for his gory and imaginative explorations of sexuality and the supernatural. His debut collection, The Books of Blood (1984–1985), so impressed STEPHEN KING, he called Barker “the future of horror.” Novella The Hellbound Heart (adapted into film as HELLRAISER) introduced the CENOBITES — a gang of interdimensional sadomasochistic demons with body piercings and mutilations.

BAT Flying mammal, patron animal of Goths. Maybe it’s because they’re nocturnal and live in caves. Or maybe it’s because some of them drink blood for dinner or, as film legend has it, turn into VAMPIRES. But these tiny webbed and wingèd creatures have come to symbolize us, and in turn we’ve adopted them as our fantasy pets, designing purses in their shape, TATTOOING their image on our bodies, channelling their spirit while dancing. Guano aside, if we could live in a batcave, we probably would. See also: I’m So Goth, Vampire bats

BATCAVE 1. Nightclub operating in London, ENGLAND, from 1982 to 1986. Famed as the world’s first Goth bar, although originally dedicated to NEW WAVE and glam rock and other fashion-conscious offshoots of punk. Before the term “Goth” was used to describe its death-obsessed crowd or their music, regulars were referred to as “Batcavers.” Soon-to-be-Goth luminaries such as SIOUXSIE SIOUX, ROBERT SMITH and NICK CAVE regularly attended for live performances by SPECIMEN or ALIEN SEX FIEND, or to just watch scary art movies. 2. Contemporary GOTHIC ROCK groups that look and sound like Alien Sex Fiend, mostly from Europe. 3. Lair of comic book superhero Batman, coveted by many. 4. An actual cave of BATs; great spot for a first date.

BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL Charitable organization based in Austin, Texas, that protects BATs and their habitats all around the world and provides tips for attracting bats to your very own bat house! Many individual Goths participate in their adopt-a-bat program, and it’s common for businesses and events to donate funds to the org.

BÁTHORY, ELIZABETH Hungarian countess (1560–1614) and serial killer also known as the Blood Countess. Accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of young females, she was imprisoned in her own castle until her death. Stories of her bathing in the blood of virgins as a fountain of youth are legendary and have given rise to the myth of Báthory as a VAMPIRE, exploited in such horror films as Countess Dracula (1971). Despite the gruesomeness of her alleged crimes (or perhaps because of it), her influence on Goth types is unabated: the Báthory name has been used by a Swedish black metal band, a Goth clothing shop in Belgium and as a pseudonym for countless teen girl bloggers worldwide.

BATS DAY Gathering of gothy types at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, held annually since 1999. Attracts up to 2,000 spookily clad kids of all ages; activities include posing for group photos with Sleeping Beauty’s castle, hogging the HAUNTED MANSION ride, stalking the Evil Queen and otherwise painting the Happiest Place on Earth black and red. Needless to say, not an official Disney-sanctioned event.

BATWING Type of sleeve used in Gothic blouses or dresses in which the arms, when outstretched, look like webbed BAT wings. Not to be confused with the traditional batwing sleeve of the disco era, in which a large armhole and tapered wrists provide a han...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Introduction
• The Encyclopedia
• 13 Goth Places to See Before You Die (or Afterwards)
• Goth Band Family Tree
• Lyrics Permissions
• About the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Copyright