On a recent trip to Detroit, editor Pasclato got elected for a patdown, despite his minimal piercings and a pre-removed belt. The reason? Possession of liquid on his person. What liquid? Perspiration.
Yes, that's right, perspiration!
Apparently, the sensors of the newly updated liquid detection scan system (which already reminds many of us uncomfortably of the dystopian future presented in "Total Recall") are set so sensitively to any form of liquid that a southern heat wave is leading to nearly all dark clothed passengers receiving patdowns!
The message is clear. If you want to fly and you want to wear black, you better get yourself delivered to the airport in a refrigerated container truck! (And, of course, much like a weight watchers meeting, make sure you empty your bladder before you get in line, because who knows how deep they're looking for liquids!)
If you haven't been under a rock of late, then you've probably come across DirecTV's blatant attack ads that seem pretty targeted at Goths. Labeling a young man who has all the accoutrements of many in our community as an "undesirable" is pretty appalling, but more so is the fact that we in the Gothic community are so splintered that the ad hasn't been pulled. We're a safe target because, unlike most minorities, we won't protest en masse.
Try to imagine DirecTV replaced the Goth with a black man, labeling him as "undesirable"? The NAACP would proclaim DirecTV were racist Neo-Nazis and the public outcry would reach a fever pitch. Likewise if it had been a lesbian, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force would have had someone's nether regions in a sling over the slight.
So, what do you think about it? Let's talk about it here and be open and honest! If it offends you, then bombard DirecTV's facebook and YouTubeand Twitter pages and let them know about it.
After our earlier post on Johnny Cash & Hurt, we felt that it was interesting to post a bit more information. The following information on his dress code might entitle Johnny Cash to be considered the first of the "modern" goths, not just because of the black, but because of why he wore it:
By the early 1970s, he had crystallized his public image as "The Man in
Black". He regularly performed dressed all in black, wearing a long
black knee-length coat. This outfit stood in contrast to the costumes
worn by most of the major country acts in his day: rhinestone suit and
cowboy boots. In 1971, Cash wrote the song "Man in Black", to help
explain his dress code: "We're doing mighty fine I do suppose / In our
streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes / But just so we're reminded
of the ones who are held back / Up front there ought to be a man in
black."
He wore black on behalf of the poor and hungry, on behalf of "the
prisoner who has long paid for his crime",[68] and on behalf of those
who have been betrayed by age or drugs.[68] "And," Cash added, "with the
Vietnam War as painful in my mind as it was in most other Americans', I
wore it 'in mournin' for the lives that could have been.' ... Apart
from the Vietnam War being over, I don't see much reason to change my
position ... The old are still neglected, the poor are still poor, the
young are still dying before their time, and we're not making many moves
to make things right. There's still plenty of darkness to carry
off."[68] (Originated from Wikipedia)
Trent Reznor wrote "Hurt" in the '90's. While it was truthful when it came from his lips, it would wait for another to become transcendent. (Image via Wikipedia)
If there's an anthem
for DarkestGoth Magazine, the song "Hurt" would have to be it. Written in the '90's by Trent Reznor for his band, Nine Inch Nails, the song deals with the pain of addiction, most often associated with heroine addiction. While it had power coming from someone in their late '20's-early '30's, it wouldn't truly come to fruition as a song until it had been re-recorded by someone much older.
It wasn't that the song wasn't ready or correct in its original release, but, it wasn't able to ferment until it had some age on it. And like the winemaking process, it was largely transformed when it was recorded by Johnny Cash just a year before he died. However, had it stopped there, it might've remained a hidden gem--like really amazing brandy that's delivered in out of the way speakeasy joints in moonshine jars. When music video director, Mark Romanek, heard the song, however, he made it his mission to get the contract and shoot it with the elderly Cash at his home. At the same time, a flood had badly damaged the official Johnny Cash museum in Tenessee, so Romanek had thought to just put images of the damaged museum alongside the footage from Cash' home. However, they were granted access to Cash' archives of films and, even though Romanek didn't think they needed any of the footage, they decided to just put in one clip and see if it worked. The results gave them both chills, as the justaposition of an old Cash at the end of his life with the young hellraiser he had been shined a light on the human condition in a way that nothing else could. They quickly pieced in many more visual parts of his life and the final video is arguably the most incredibly poignant music video we at DGM have ever seen.
While Cash manages to make you realize that the "Hurt" spoken of in the song is about any form of addictive coping mechanisms that hurt us and our family, we as Goths often understand what it is to see the world as painful. As we see the disconnect between truth and the way much of the external society leads their lives. For us, sometimes our addictions are about wanting to deaden the hyper-awareness of the pain in the world. For this reason, it's got to be one that we will always consider an amazing Gothic anthem!
If you've never seen this amazing video, check it out. Because the lyrics are so awesome, they're included beneath the player.
"Hurt" Lyrics (as performed by Johnny Cash; Original Lyrics by Trent Reznor)
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
[Chorus:]
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
[Chorus:]
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way
