what is it about Halloween that I like? the cold weather? the pumpkin spice latte? the fact that my birthday is close already? the fact that Christmas is already ’round the corner? the celebration of all things spooky? maybe all of the above, actually.
in terms of decor, my decor becomes timely, not out of place. imagine my stuff, skeletons and pumpkins and such imagery, on a sunny Philippine April summer. seems kooky. but around October and with the colder temperature, still kooky, but then, appropriately kooky.
in terms of wardrobe, I’ve started to take a liking to a muted orange hue to break my monochromatic black and white. I might play with orange accents, accessories, or shoes, whatever floats my boat, but nothing major.
also, though my knowledge of perfume is limited to demure florals and Jo Malone, I’d like my perfume to reflect the October season. notes like amber, oud, bergamot, orange blossom, sandalwood, vanilla. yup, those warm, woody, spicy, and ever-so-slightly sweet scents.
how about you? do you match some of things to your favorite holiday or season?
I got the title from a letter by one P.J. Monroe addressed to Danzig force members and supporters.
once in a while, I’ll fixate on a classic rock band or solo artist, whether it be a 70s or 80s stadium rock, punk, metal, or whatever rock subgenre band or artist. fixate meaning, for a while, I’ll be listening exclusively to their songs. the more I listen, the more I start appreciating the nuances or quirks of that band or artist. one band or artist leads to another and so on. and there are times when I just stumble upon an artist that I consider an unmistakable genius.
I will remember 2023 as my year of Danzig (my Spotify Wrapped Top Artists will attest to that).
Black Sabbath (1968) and many other bands may have sowed the seeds for the combination of horror and rock, but no one else did it in the 1970s as unabashedly as Glenn Danzig.
that one Italian-sounding-surname (née Anzalone) guy from New Jersey who single-handedly wrote the songs for the Misfits and his eponymous band. Glenn Danzig.
“Glenn shows off his now famous “bone gloves.” Today, you can’t be in a horror rock band without a pair. He painted these himself ’cause you weren’t likely to find them on the shelf. On occasion, he was known to give them away to close friends at the end of tours.”
the DIY ethos. the black and white B-horror movie gimmick. the gothic horror atmosphere. the goth imagery. the Christian and Satanic references. the morbid, repulsive, and equally seductive lyrics. the unpredictable songwriting. the punk, goth, and metal amalgam with one of the most distinct, Jim Morrison-esque voices in rock and its darker subgenres. there is only one Glenn Danzig.
I guess that paragraph just about sums up how I would describe Danzig’s undeniable influence on rock’s more extreme subgenres.
any boy aspiring to nail the emo or goth look would undoubtedly end up envying the pale, corpse-like skin and the long, jet black, wavy hair. I’d go so far as to say that he shaped the image of the stereotypical goth or emo teenager. give credit where it’s due.
you just have to be born with it, so they say. a person can ingest all the skin whiteners in the world and dye their hair black for the rest of their waking life, but let’s face it, there’s only a once-in-a-blue-moon chance some person will be able to do it as effortlessly as Danzig.
I mean, people actually dress up as Danzig for Halloween. when all your life you’ve expressed your love for Halloween, then people dress up as you in Halloween, you know you’ve made it.
I will not leave 2023 without giving a sign of respect to a pioneer of not only punk and extreme metal music, but also of the goth and emo aesthetic.
Danzig’s influence is as undying as the undead in his favorite films and I’m thankful to enter 2024 with this opportunity to show my appreciation.
Danzig has a vision and he does not compromise. that, I can, and will, respect.
punk. goth. metalhead. I’d bet their footwear of choice is the ever-reliable pair of black leather boots. some things we just never outgrow.
although the classic lug-sole black chelsea boot is my favorite piece of footwear ever, there’s still a more appropriate option for a formal, conservative workplace, i.e., the heeled boot.
it looks killer when paired with high waist trousers, to illustrate:
how is it that I just discovered this three years into the working world? anyway, when someone comments about it, I usually echo my explanation which goes like, “I love boots, I hate heels, this is the compromise.” it’s comfortable and corporate-friendly, there’s nothing more an alt girl could ask for.
I came across this MTV commercial and absolutely loved the retro vibe.
in a tropical country like the Philippines, we don’t have four seasons. there’s only summer, the rainy season, and the in-betweens. in the USA, their summer runs around June to August (correct me if I’m wrong). I’ve been listening to Danzig recently since May so I guess you could say I’m having a dirty black summer with Danzig, figuratively speaking.
Dirty Black Summer is one of my favorites in Danzig III: How the Gods Kill. go ahead and listen, there’s no better way to end your dirty black summer.
the moment I saw her on Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians feature with Lars Ulrich, I knew Phoebe Bridgers was sorta goth. from the skeleton onesie to the B.C. Rich guitars, Phoebe’s quirk is using metal imagery vis-a-vis her softer-than-Billie-Eilish sad girl music.
I mean, she was featured in a Guitar World article entitled “Phoebe Bridgers confirms pointy guitars aren’t just for metal with surprise BC Rich Warlock performance,” after all.
by the way, the skeleton-themed outfits? so Misfits. I respect.
going beyond the outfits and to the heart of the matter, what sort of music does Phoebe Bridgers play? indie.
she’s also done a collab with Taylor Swift. yup. this indie goth girl makin’ waves.
I find Phoebe’s choice of gear interesting. for electric guitars, she’s usually seen with her black and sparkly Danelectro baritone.
for acoustic, I love her parlor guitars. I think she digs Waterloo and Collings, but her choice of gear is pretty versatile.
she’s seen with a Yamaha JR in this favorite performance of mine.
what makes Phoebe special? well, to me, it’s the smart use of the contrast between metal imagery and her gentle music to maximum effect. I mean, who would expect that a band with this logo
would sound like this?
one last thing, she always wears black and white. cheers to another monochrome model to look up to.
this would probably be one of, if not, the most sentimental posts in this blog. I firmly believe that if not for music, I wouldn’t be able to get through daily life with my sanity intact. I have music, rock and roll and its alternative forms in particular, to thank for getting through law school and now earning six digits before the age of thirty… and still getting me through daily life, in general.
late 2000s
I’ve always loved dark things, you know, Halloween-related stuff. that includes music. back when I was a teenager, I listened to Avril Lavigne, Green Day, and Three Days Grace.
early 2018
however, my love of rock music became serious and intense during my fourth year in law school, particularly during my internship. I was listening to Queen and David Bowie on my commute. bus rides and long walks were filled with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Don’t Stop Me Now, Killer Queen, and David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Life on Mars, Space Oddity, and so much more.
I was obsessed with watching music videos and live performances.
there was a time I painted my nails blue after I saw a picture of David Bowie with blue nail polish.
for Queen, I have no favorite album in particular. the songs which I love are scattered all over. favorite songs: Somebody to Love, Bohemian Rhapsody
for David Bowie, it has to be The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. favorite songs: Ziggy Stardust, Starman
March 2018
then, around March 2018, I came across a Youtube thumbnail of an interview of Billy Idol. I. was. hooked.
Billy Idol. god. I was obsessed beyond obsessed. I felt as if I stumbled on a gold mine or won the lottery. I loved everything about Billy Idol, his background, looks, voice, attitude, everything. he was the British punk, a true British punk to have come from the mid 1970s Sex Pistols scene, who took punk rock to MTV. he accomplished what the Sex Pistols could not, he made America fall in love with him (at that time, at least).
ah, Billy Idol, the boy who was cursed to be too beautiful for punk.
favorite album: Rebel Yell favorite songs: Rebel Yell, Flesh for Fantasy, Eyes Without a Face
my Billy Idol “phase” is unforgettable because it came at a time when I achieved many life milestones. I graduated from law school, prepared for the Philippine bar exam, passed the bar, became a lawyer, and got my first job. that said, all good things must come to an end. my obsession petered out after the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and the first time I resigned.
then I became addicted to Metallica.
July 2020
Metallica came at a… turbulent time in my life. there was Covid-19 and lockdowns everywhere. we barely left home, just to procure essentials like food, grocery, and medicine. I had just resigned and was going through my quarter-life crisis. I then signed up for quite an easy job that didn’t pay much. life was… sh/t.
whether or not my brooding and grim mood during that time was a big factor or part of the reason why I fell in love with Metallica and James Hetfield’s rhythm guitar skills, I’m not a hundred percent certain. however, listening to Metallica definitely helped tame the rage and hopelessness. I had been nurturing an internal black cloud that could lead to either an endless downpour or a violent thunderstorm.
the silver lining is that, so awed and inspired by James Hetfield I was that I started learning guitar. that’s why if I have to cite only one name who’s my main inspiration for learning guitar, it would be James Hetfield and no other.
favorite album: Ride the Lightning favorite songs: Of Wolf and Man, Fade to Black, Master of Puppets
my life got better around early 2021. I got a job that I loved and thrived in. after a year, I got promoted. after half a year, I got an even better job opportunity. when 2023 came, I was at such an all-time high that it was as if 2020 didn’t happen.
May 2023
well, life always finds a way… a way to f/ck you up. some things I’d rather not mention.
when you’ve flown so high, only to come crashing down and die, but still not be dead? that hits differently. that’s like post-death. it’s like, beyond numbness. it’s living after death. that’s the point in your life when you realize you need Glenn Danzig.
he’s always been there, you know, being promoted by Metallica and all that, friends with James Hetfield and whatnot, but something monumental, of biblical proportion, had to happen within me for me to appreciate him, his music.
my friends, to know how the gods kill, you really have to experience some f/cked up sh/t in your life. if I were a Danzig song, I’d be How the Gods Kill.
nonetheless, I love the dark. always have. it’s my normal.
and I never take myself seriously. it’s like my favorite Misfits song, I Turned into a Martian. like, how can you take that song seriously, right? you don’t. you experience it. you squeeze every ounce of enjoyment from it.
favorite album: Danzig favorite songs: How the Gods Kill, Am I Demon, Mother
I don’t take life seriously… because I’m dead anyway. lmao.
have time to burn watching Netflix after a hard day’s work? want a show to watch to while the weekend away? if you have no gig to go to, then you might as well watch these misfits (intentional use of the word misfits because I badly want to go to a concert with the original lineup of the Misfits, sigh).
1. Wednesday (2022)
2022 seems to be the year for goths and metalheads in Netflix. anyway, when Wednesday was announced, I was ecstatic. the OG goth girl finally has a series of her own.
Wednesday follows the horrific adventures of the titular “storm cloud” of a character, Wednesday Addams of the Addams Family fame, in Nevermore, a school reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. ghastly events that transpire in the school make Wednesday want to play detective, earning the respect, and ire, of her peers.
Wednesday gives off a cold, emotionless vibe, all the while having morbid interests and tendencies. she plays a cello and is allergic to color, as expected from little miss monochrome.
2. Sandman (2022)
Sandman is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic book. it stars the king of dreams, Morpheus, or his other moniker, Dream of the Endless, an anthropomorphic personification of the concept of dreams.
Death, Dream’s older sister, quite accurately described Dream in a scene where she was keeping him company while he was moping, or to put it in a more dramatic way (since Dream is such an emo drama king), in a period of contemplation.
I haven’t read the comics but I have watched the show and this scene was spot on.
if I had to use a word to describe Sandman the series, it’s intriguing. I don’t usually indulge in the fantasy genre but I decided to watch Sandman until the end and I must say, I was impressed. it’s mature, eerie, and so pretty it’s almost offensive. Dream is so pretty, period.
3. Girlboss (2017)
Girlboss is a snapshot of how the fashion company, Nasty Gal, started from a humble E-bay account to a garage store (more warehouse) to a multi-million dollar business. it was founded by Sophia Amoruso, a wild child diagnosed with ADD and depression in her youthful years, who never fit in school and couldn’t hold a job.
Sophia is quite the punk. she hates capitalism, corporations, and would rather dive in dumpsters than work for the Man… that is, until she becomes an established businesswoman herself.
comedic. rebellious. never takes itself seriously. Girlboss is sure to be a ride that’s always keepin’ it real (there’s a book, too. if you crave more Girlboss after finishing the show, the book’s worth a read).