Halloween Countdown: October 7 – by the dark river's side

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...


...Riverdale High's goth population. A more clean-cut and wholesome coven of children of the night you'd be hard pressed to find.

I'm not really seeing a "clique," so much as two Dungeons and Dragons enthusiasts who've purchased black trenchcoats at the local Kohl's in order to impress that one girl in the drama club. You know, the one who swiped her older sister's Best of Bauhaus CD and who writes angsty poetry about how hard it is to find a decent vintage clothing store or a place that sells clove cigarettes in the wasteland of well-heeled suburbia?

Okay, so maybe it is an accurate representation of the American goth subculture, apart from the utter absence of body piercings...

Blue Orchids - Sugar, Sugar (from Mystic Bud, 2004) - A darker shade of bubblegum, kind of like Black Jack, I guess.

Flesh for Lulu - Subterraneans (from Flesh for Lulu, 1984) - "The cruelest camouflage" referring to wearing a black crushed velvet longcoat, knee-high leather boots, and a quart of industrial white pancake makeup during the middle of August in a sunbelt subdivision.

On a non-snide bastard note, it's interesting how many 80's college radio staple acts from the U.K. started off with goth affiliations, only to vehemently repudiate the tag once they "made it."

(A special thanks to Chris Sims for bringing the Rivergoths to my attention.)