how goth is l.a?

[malcolm]

I've been told i'd fit in in l.a pretty good But I was wondering exactly how goth is l.a? Is it a great place to hang out and meet goth people?

[devil13]

not really. it depends. most of L.A. is gangs and ghettos but you do have some verry good goth clubs here. L.A. is a verry large place. you have lots of citys around L.A. too. most goths dont live in one central area in L.A. its more spread out than you think. there are quite a few in Hollywood because of the shops and clubs there. I live south of L.A. so if I want to go to a club I have to fight traffic to get there and I cant drink because Im driving. it kinda sucks sometimes.

[ForrestBlack]

I've been told i'd fit in in l.a pretty good But I was wondering exactly how goth is l.a? Is it a great place to hang out and meet goth people?

Like any city, it comes and goes. Sometimes it seems like lots of stuff is going on and sometimes it's pretty bleak. I'm pleased that people are not quite as rude to people that are into cool subcultural stuff here in Hollywood as they can be in other places, on the otherhand there isn't quite the same sense of unity you get in other places either.

[malcolm]

thanks for the insite. I dunno. how are they about southern accents cuz I have a really deep southern accent?

[OliX]

I heard they like southern accents.

[malcolm]

then let me pack my bags cus I got an accent like a country musician. lol I'm originally form memphis and spent alot of time down in louissiana, southern georgia and texas...it's kind of a combo.

[TheDeathKnight]

As Forrest said, the city is BIG. So you do not have local goth "hangouts".
And because it is so big, you still look and feel just as out of place as
you would in a small town. There are still a lot more "normies" than
goths in LA. But when you go out to clubs, there are a lot of people
there. It's just that the clubs are not the best places to meet people.
Good places to dance, etc... But not to make new friends... But if you
are just starving for a place to hang out, and to see a goth culture,
LA is pretty good. A lot of clubs and events to check out.

[devil13]

one thing I did like about growing up here is that we (punks, goths, rockabillys, etc.) did stick together because there wasnt that many of us. now that I am older though there isnt that many left that are my age. I do see some younger ones but they are too young for me. every once and a while I run into some of my old friends who used to be punk but they arent anymore. it kinda sucks like some are just alchoholics or speed out and some became parents. some went back to being into metal or clasic rock. most of my friends that still are into it are too busy with thier careers (tattoo artists, cars, etc.) to hang out as much as we used to.
when I lived in San Francisco I thought the club scene was much better there than it is here. there was more people my own age that still enjoyed going to clubs and meeting people. plus it was just a more friendly atmosphere. people just didnt seem as stuck up.

[malcolm]

there is three place sin cali I'd love to see...los angeles, san francisco and san diego. I've never been to cali...bveen to florida but mostly hung at club five in jax. it's right down the street form one of the ink shops the enigma got his pieces slung on at. the walls are covered with pics of him

[darknessfalls]

one thing I did like about growing up here is that we (punks, goths, rockabillys, etc.) did stick together because there wasnt that many of us. now that I am older though there isnt that many left that are my age. I do see some younger ones but they are too young for me. every once and a while I run into some of my old friends who used to be punk but they arent anymore. it kinda sucks like some are just alchoholics or speed out and some became parents. some went back to being into metal or clasic rock. most of my friends that still are into it are too busy with thier careers (tattoo artists, cars, etc.) to hang out as much as we used to.
when I lived in San Francisco I thought the club scene was much better there than it is here. there was more people my own age that still enjoyed going to clubs and meeting people. plus it was just a more friendly atmosphere. people just didnt seem as stuck up.

Too true my friend, too true. 14 years into this stopover and most have fallen by the wayside or gone mad. It is an odd device this place we call home. A strangely hollow vessel which saddens me I must admit. There used to be so much going on here, now there is so much traffic. Jaded? Moi?

[chloee]

in la nobody fits in...

[Amelia G]

I've had a wonderful love affair with La La Land. LA has been good to me and I've had a lot of great times, unique opportunities, and extraordinary experiences here. But I've been thinking about buying a house somewhere else since Retail Slut closed its doors on Melrose. It sort of felt like the final nail in the coffin of an era. I ran into some of the old guard at a gallery show the other night and it seems like I'm not the only one who feels this way.

It is really awesome that Los Angeles businesses and people don't act weird if you wear black or have creative hair or a leather jacket or whatever. Of course, they do act weird if your car doesn't look high end enough, so it is a trade-off.

[Tequila Zaire]

L.A. has and always will be a place that hides much of what makes it seductive under the bright lights of its manufactured glamor. Scenes come and go as generations pass on or come up but the heart and core of L.A. beats on in the various people, places, and history it has. It's one of the few places where its brutal darkness is like its beaches...it rolls in and out of visibility with the tides.

I couldn't live anywhere else for too long...I like the hell this city can erupt into too much. Plus it's the only major american city that is in perpetual identity crisis...and I love that. It's a city that means totally diffrent things to people in such strong almost life defining ways.

So really L.A. can be as Goth as you want it to be. Though I agree with the above sentiments that there is a changing of the guard. It feels a bit odd for me cause I was too young and closed off to be part of the scene with those I admired and too out of sorts when I finally could. I enjoyed keeping an eye on it all though...it was like a grand opera that has now come into its final act.

But I will admit...if anything can rise from the ashes L.A. and NYC are good places to start. So I have hope the new generations will bring something good...I mean what's the worst that can happen?*



*The Swing Era not withstanding. I personally loved it but it went way too far in its commercialism. Also the short lived SKA rebirth was a notable low point. It was a desperate attempt to make anything "cool". What a sad day that was when I walked into a local record shop (now some sort of video rental place) and saw a dedicated "ska" section pop up out of fucking nowhere. I know some dig it and I can stomach a few tunes but for the most part...it all sounds like horrid marching band geeks let loose without restraint. May sound like I'm throwing stones in glass houses but dear god...a shitty horn section does not belong in a band...EVER. Still none was worse then the VERY short lived "electronica" trend. Not because the music (and really it's a generic term used to lable dozens of genre's) was bad, I'm actually quite fond of it's varied genres and artists...but it was handled so half assed and marketed so poorly that all it did was confuse people and shot it in the head in such a manner it never recovered in the states for a good half decade (though it propered and thrived in the various underground and event venues around the country.)

[Amelia G]

L.A. has and always will be a place that hides much of what makes it seductive under the bright lights of its manufactured glamor. Scenes come and go as generations pass on or come up but the heart and core of L.A. beats on in the various people, places, and history it has. It's one of the few places where its brutal darkness is like its beaches...it rolls in and out of visibility with the tides.

I couldn't live anywhere else for too long...I like the hell this city can erupt into too much. Plus it's the only major american city that is in perpetual identity crisis...and I love that. It's a city that means totally diffrent things to people in such strong almost life defining ways.

So really L.A. can be as Goth as you want it to be. Though I agree with the above sentiments that there is a changing of the guard. It feels a bit odd for me cause I was too young and closed off to be part of the scene with those I admired and too out of sorts when I finally could. I enjoyed keeping an eye on it all though...it was like a grand opera that has now come into its final act.

But I will admit...if anything can rise from the ashes L.A. and NYC are good places to start. So I have hope the new generations will bring something good...I mean what's the worst that can happen?*



*The Swing Era not withstanding. I personally loved it but it went way too far in its commercialism. Also the short lived SKA rebirth was a notable low point. It was a desperate attempt to make anything "cool". What a sad day that was when I walked into a local record shop (now some sort of video rental place) and saw a dedicated "ska" section pop up out of fucking nowhere. I know some dig it and I can stomach a few tunes but for the most part...it all sounds like horrid marching band geeks let loose without restraint. May sound like I'm throwing stones in glass houses but dear god...a shitty horn section does not belong in a band...EVER. Still none was worse then the VERY short lived "electronica" trend. Not because the music (and really it's a generic term used to lable dozens of genre's) was bad, I'm actually quite fond of it's varied genres and artists...but it was handled so half assed and marketed so poorly that all it did was confuse people and shot it in the head in such a manner it never recovered in the states for a good half decade (though it propered and thrived in the various underground and event venues around the country.)

Some real heart of the matter there. What is that quote from?

[devil13]

I do agree with most of what you said. I do have my own view on some of it as well.

L.A. has and always will be a place that hides much of what makes it seductive under the bright lights of its manufactured glamor. Scenes come and go as generations pass on or come up but the heart and core of L.A. beats on in the various people, places, and history it has. It's one of the few places where its brutal darkness is like its beaches...it rolls in and out of visibility with the tides.

Downtown L.A. is alive with activity during the day but at night its a wasteland. the only glamor comes from Hollywoods movie industry and until recently Hollywood has been pretty much a shit hole too. bums, gangs, and drugs have allways been a staple of the real L.A. and Hollywood. as for the scenes I agree they will roll with the tides. the thing is, most scenes used to be underground and today there isnt any underground. as soon as something starts to catch on its either exploited for all its worth or it goes mainstream.

I couldn't live anywhere else for too long...I like the hell this city can erupt into too much. Plus it's the only major american city that is in perpetual identity crisis...and I love that. It's a city that means totally diffrent things to people in such strong almost life defining ways.

your right about the city erupting and having an identity crisis but I think there are more cities out there that you can say the same thing about.

So really L.A. can be as Goth as you want it to be. Though I agree with the above sentiments that there is a changing of the guard. It feels a bit odd for me cause I was too young and closed off to be part of the scene with those I admired and too out of sorts when I finally could. I enjoyed keeping an eye on it all though...it was like a grand opera that has now come into its final act.

being goth is more a state of mind so yea it is as goth as you want it to be but like I said before it wont be an underground scene like it used to be. I am old enough to say that I was part of the scene you probably admired and I hate to see some of the things that have changed but what keeps me in it is the things that have remained the same.

But I will admit...if anything can rise from the ashes L.A. and NYC are good places to start. So I have hope the new generations will bring something good...I mean what's the worst that can happen?*

yea I hope for the same thing.

*The Swing Era not withstanding. I personally loved it but it went way too far in its commercialism. Also the short lived SKA rebirth was a notable low point. It was a desperate attempt to make anything "cool". What a sad day that was when I walked into a local record shop (now some sort of video rental place) and saw a dedicated "ska" section pop up out of fucking nowhere. I know some dig it and I can stomach a few tunes but for the most part...it all sounds like horrid marching band geeks let loose without restraint. May sound like I'm throwing stones in glass houses but dear god...a shitty horn section does not belong in a band...EVER. Still none was worse then the VERY short lived "electronica" trend. Not because the music (and really it's a generic term used to lable dozens of genre's) was bad, I'm actually quite fond of it's varied genres and artists...but it was handled so half assed and marketed so poorly that all it did was confuse people and shot it in the head in such a manner it never recovered in the states for a good half decade (though it propered and thrived in the various underground and event venues around the country.)

for those of us who love great music it will continue to be great music. like, swing will never die. same goes for ska. to me ska wasnt about the bands you said that had bad horn sections. it was bands I grew up listening to like Desmond Dekker, the Specials, the Skatalites, etc.. not no doubt or any of the other bands that poped up during the ska rebirth.
as for electonica (mainly raves). it was the last underground scene that just died out because it went mainstream. I had friends who were promoters for raves. when they started out it was just like parties thrown at bars, empty warehouses, he even had one on the beach in Venice Beach. the last one I saw him do (about ten years ago) was through ticketmaster with thousands of people. it just went too mainstream and lost its underground feel when your buying $45.00 tickets and everthing is overpriced its not the same. plus when people start to die from taking herbal E with other drugs and a riot brakes out when the cops shut it down. you can pretty much bet that the cops are going to come down hard on the whole scene.

[Tequila Zaire]

Downtown L.A. is alive with activity during the day but at night its a wasteland. the only glamor comes from Hollywoods movie industry and until recently Hollywood has been pretty much a shit hole too. bums, gangs, and drugs have allways been a staple of the real L.A. and Hollywood.

I'm really curious to see what the whole downtown revitalization procuces over the next few years. Some areas seem to be protected to look "old and fucked up" for the sake of the entertainment industry who uses the are to mimic "Urban areas....like NYC". SOme of the buildings are quite beautiful but waaaaaaaaaaay past their prime. As far as the Glamour goes...well Hollywood is one part of it but I always liked Clive Barkers view of L.A. as a Fellini movie. It has a very unique sense of reality and fantasy that other places don't have. Not that they don't have their version of it...but L.A.'s is just a bit more on the surreal angle. You get so many diffrent versions by talking to people who in all truth live very close to one another(like a block or two)...yet sound like they live in diffrent realities and entire cities. Usually you only her that due to class or economic diffrences.

your right about the city erupting and having an identity crisis but I think there are more cities out there that you can say the same thing about.

True but not one as pronounced. With L.A. you have the Hollywood identity, the hardcore west coast gang identity, the volitile racial tension identity, the Raymond Chandler identity,etc. It's like living inside a person with multiple identies each as controlling as the last. Less sense of unity and community though...some say its died over the years...but I've yet to ever see or read about L.A. every having any to begin with.

I... wont be an underground scene like it used to be.

It's much harder to keep things underground...but humans have a great talent for it even under the most watchful of yes so I have some faith.

for those of us who love great music it will continue to be great music. like, swing will never die.

Indeed it won't...but I was talking about the trends for styles like Ska and Swing that made a rebirth in the mid to late 90's...for every honestly good band their were 10 that were horrrid to the point of making one want to cut off their ears. The genres as a whole are great...but they can get too bloated when they become trendy.

same goes for ska. to me ska wasnt about the bands you said that had bad horn sections.

Ska as a whole with the bands you mentioned no, Ska during the attempt to make it trendy as hell...yes. It just felt like bad punk bands adding bad horn sections to try and cash in...like the way some ska bands improved their horn sections and went swing...it was a very odd couple of years.

as for electonica (mainly raves). it was the last underground scene that just died out because it went mainstream. I had friends who were promoters for raves. when they started out it was just like parties thrown at bars, empty warehouses, he even had one on the beach in Venice Beach. the last one I saw him do (about ten years ago) was through ticketmaster with thousands of people. it just went too mainstream and lost its underground feel when your buying $45.00 tickets and everthing is overpriced its not the same. plus when people start to die from taking herbal E with other drugs and a riot brakes out when the cops shut it down. you can pretty much bet that the cops are going to come down hard on the whole scene.

The rave scene and party promotion as a whole is still alive and well in Europe though...though it is much more mainstream. But in this case that was always a need to some level. Can't have a rave with small intimate crowds and DJ's have always been in need of mass crowds more than other styles of music. So the mainstream appeal was bound to happen. Ticket prices went up and venues attracted assholes but even when it was underground you had versions of that around. In this case at least the music survived it with many DJ's and artists continueing to produce and create good and relavent music. It never lost its sense of fun at least....though the commercialization did kill off some of its raw intensity.

[devil13]

I'm really curious to see what the whole downtown revitalization procuces over the next few years. Some areas seem to be protected to look "old and fucked up" for the sake of the entertainment industry who uses the are to mimic "Urban areas....like NYC". SOme of the buildings are quite beautiful but waaaaaaaaaaay past their prime. As far as the Glamour goes...well Hollywood is one part of it but I always liked Clive Barkers view of L.A. as a Fellini movie. It has a very unique sense of reality and fantasy that other places don't have. Not that they don't have their version of it...but L.A.'s is just a bit more on the surreal angle. You get so many diffrent versions by talking to people who in all truth live very close to one another(like a block or two)...yet sound like they live in diffrent realities and entire cities. Usually you only her that due to class or economic diffrences.

well you can see it allready on Hollywood and Highland area. its all nice there for the tourists and yuppies but you can go not even a block before you see the older shitty buildings and stores. but I think downtown L.A. will allways be the way it is.

It's much harder to keep things underground...but humans have a great talent for it even under the most watchful of yes so I have some faith.

I do think that the goth scene isnt mainstream but it still isnt underground either. I dont think there will be anything new to come along and be the next big underground scene. I think all that anyone can try to do is just do what has been done in the past. thats why you get these rebirths of scenes.

[ForrestBlack]

well you can see it allready on Hollywood and Highland area. its all nice there for the tourists and yuppies but you can go not even a block before you see the older shitty buildings and stores. but I think downtown L.A. will allways be the way it is.

I don't really like the way that area has been built up. I like a bunch of those older stores and stuff. Hollywood and Highland just kinda makes me feel unwelcomed in my own neighborhood. Normal Hollywood stores treat you better. Now we have Hot Topic and thus, Retail Slut is gone and RedBalls moved to a much smaller store over the hill at Universal Citywalk. Hollywood may not be much of a city, but it used to have a much more diverse urban feel. But, then again, Hollywood and Highland was done by the same folks that sanitized Times Square, so what do expect, right? I haven't spent much time downtown since a bunch of my friends got run out of their places so they could build Staples Center a few years back.

[devil13]

I do think that the goth scene isnt mainstream

I think I spoke too soon look what I just found

Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is anything but predictable. Take her movie roles, for example.... The 29-year-old daughter of Jon Voight first gained notice in 1998 for her performance in HBO's Gia as the hard-living model who died of AIDS. Jolie earned an Academy Award in 2000 for her portrayal of a psychotic in Girl, Interrupted (infamously lip-locking her brother at the ceremony after she won). She's been a blond, a redhead and a very goth looking brunette, but there are a few things that have remained constant—her killer bod, which she put through rigorous training for her role as Lara Croft, her deeply intense eyes, and, yes, that pout. "Her mouth is so large and beautiful," says Janeen Schreyer, her makeup artist. "I usually don't color it—otherwise it's all about her lips." And her lips are definitely front and center in her new film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, co-starring her rumored lover Brad Pitt. Stay tuned.—Elizabeth Johnson