Goth Challenge, Day 13

Day 13 – What was your first band t-shirt?

I got this Cure shirt in, I think, 1987. I was about 14.

My mom took me out of school for a special day together. We went to downtown Pittsburgh, had lunch, and did some shopping. I remember asking her to take me to Eide's Entertainment store. I remember being excited to find this shirt in a size small enough to fit me without looking like a tent as this was well before the advent of the Girly-Tee.

I also remember the first time I wore it because I was disappointed that no one else that I knew at the time was excited about the Cure. In fact, I had several people actually ask me who the Cure was.

Looking back, I'm not really surprised. After all, this was the Pittsburgh area in the mid-80s. Pittsburgh was, and still is, stuck on "classic rock." In fact their current "alternative" radio station seems stuck in thee early 90s - they have a heavy rotation of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots... But back then, if it wasn't 80s hair metal, Zeppelin or Floyd, or top 40 crap, 99% of people in my high school didn't know it. In the next couple years, they did know the Cure and Depeche Mode, as each band had radio hits then. The Cure had Pictures of You and Depeche Mode had Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence.

But this shirt became symbolic to me of realizing that I existed somewhere on the fringes - outside the norm.

Goth Challenge, Day 7

Day 7 – Ten of your favourite goth bands.

Normally I like making lists. I'm a list person. I even make fancy printed lists for my kids so they know what to pack when we travel. But I hate making top ten lists! I don't like being limited to just ten. And my musical taste is so very influenced by my moods - my list of ten today would be a different ten tomorrow...

Without further ado, here is my list of ten of my favorite goth bands that I'm enjoying on my ipod today (in alphabetical order because I'm OCD like that):

1. The Birthday Massacre - they make me happy. My kids like them too. One of my favorite things is catching my daughter singing along to them.

2. Clan of Xymox - I particularly like listening to them at work for some reason. 

3. The Cure - They really are a form of nostalgia for me. The Disintegration tour was my first big concert.

4. The Damned - In 2003, shortly after Matty and I were married, we saw The Damned on the Warped Tour. I went to the merch table to pick up a shirt, and lo and behold, Captain Sensible was manning the table. I bought my shirt, then he proceeded to hit on me in front of my husband. I had to turn him down, but he did sign my shirt :) They are touring this fall - I hope I can line up a sitter because I would love to go to this show!

5. Fields of the Nephilim - I just love Carl McCoy's voice...

6. London After Midnight - I love their driving and heavy beats. And I love their dark, witty and often political lyrics. Plus, Sean Brennan is delicious eye candy...

7. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - I love their sound, his voice, the lyrics...

8. Rasputina - I love their use of cello, and Melora's voice is fabulous.

9. Wumpscut - I love their sound.

10 Xmal Deutschland - I do love this band. I had them heavier in my rotation today because of a conversation in one of the Facebook goth groups in which I participate discussing favorite female vocalists from the 80s. I said Siouxsie and Xmal Deutchland's Anja Huwe.