What is Goth? Music, Makeup, Attitude, Apparel, Dance, and General Skullduggery [Hardcover]

Voltaire (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

What Is Goth? is a humorous, self-deprecating look at Goth culture from the inside out. Imagine The Preppy Handbook colliding with Charles Addams. Then add a lot more melancholy and a lot more spooky. What Is Goth? dispels the false stereotypes and reinforces the true ones surrounding Goths and Goth culture. "To the mundane," Voltaire writes, "Goths are weird, black-clad freaks who are obsessed with death; they are sad all of the time. Take a closer look at the Goth scene, however, and you will find a rich tapestry of ideas and practices and a menagerie of colorful characters. Oh, dear. I said 'colorful.'" Yes, Goths are pale, wear black clothing, love black makeup (on men and women), mope, listen to real downer music, and perfect the art of living in a perpetual state of ennui and melancholy. But there's so much more to being Goth. Goths come from all walks of life. Many are teenagers who live with their parents; others are doctors, lawyers, musicians, and so on. Most Goths are highly literate and creative, but all real Goths have to dress the part. In other words, "Abandon all hope ye who enter a Goth club in khakis!" Eerily illustrated, What Is Goth? is the perfect book for any Goth, Goth wannabe, or "mundane" who is hopelessly confused by all the gloom.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Simply put, a Goth is "a fan of gothic music" (a rock-and-roll subgenre that emerged out of the late-1970s punk scene). In general, Goths wear lots of black clothing, favor pale skin and sport black lipstick. They’re drawn to the darker aspects of human existence: death, romance, feelings of loneliness and isolation. Sounds like a fun bunch, huh? Voltaire, author of the comic book series Oh My Goth!, actually makes it seem so with this handy guide to Goth culture. Similar in layout to The Preppy Handbook and last year’s The Hipster Handbook, the book matter-of-factly dissects a subculture, with copious photos and descriptions of various types. There’s the Sad-Sack Drac, a combination of 19th-century nobleman and vampire; the "Oh Crap, I Forgot to Wear Clothing" look, which entails looking like a cheap French hooker; and many others. Voltaire’s humorous approach will lift the lid on Goth mystique for many. As he puts it, "They’re basically just melancholy.... The truth is that very few Goths actually kill themselves—they’d much rather contemplate suicide and then just write a really bad poem about it."
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About the Author

Voltaire is a prominent and prolific author and artist of alternative culture. He is the author and artist of the Chi-Chian and Oh My Goth! comic book series. He lives in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578633222
• ISBN-13: 978-1578633227
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read for Grown Up Goths, September 23, 2005

By 

P. R. Hildebrandt "Trish!" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What is Goth? Music, Makeup, Attitude, Apparel, Dance, and General Skullduggery (Hardcover)

I've been on "the scene" since I was fifteen years old. I'm 26 now, and to my mother's dismay, I am still "going through that black crap phase." (Although I also wear burgundy, purple, blue, green, and occasionally rose).

At a certain point in a goth's development (hopefully prior to club-going age) the decision must be made to stay or go. Those who stay will one night reach the ultimate conclusion of goth-hood.

Goths are silly.

And Voltaire wrote a book for us.

The best goths, the ones who have cosmetics permanantly buried in their pores, the ones who secretly wear granny panties for more booty coverage under their black clothes, the ones who understand that Hot Topic (while certainly no Black Rose or Drac-in-a-Box or Ipso Facto or ShadowFae) is a pretty good place in a pinch for some fishnets and some Tripp, are the ones who will enjoy this book the most. Wee baby bats are the ones who will find the book offensive, because it "labels" them and therefore destroys their "individuality." If a book can destroy your individuality or give you a label, then you need to get a life. Too much concern over what other people think is dreadful for your health. (But dying is sooooooo goth, so g'head and keep being concerned.)

"What is Goth?" addresses many of the finer aspects of the spooky life, such as goth club snipeing (very true), goth cosmetics, typical goth looks (vampire accountants NEED to visit Hot Topic more often), goth music, and the goth propensity for picking names that include a title. (Another mark of grown-up goths is that they go by their real name, even if it's Susie Happypants Shineyfluff.)

The best aspect of this book is the section on gothic dancing. (It is usually watching a packed floor at a dance club that makes one realize that goths are silly.) My friends and I read that section, screamed with laughter, and pointed some fingers. I am guilty of "Gathering the Cobwebs" whenever I listen to Wolfsheim. We then went to the club and watched other goths pull the evil taffy, kick the hobbit, and wonder who spilled Coke on the dance floor.

There is an absolutely wonderful section written for people who love a goth, explaining to them what the whole thing is about and assuring them that the person they love is still under all that make up and hairspray. Voltaire also addresses the "Manson Issue" and he truly shines here.

For baby goths who take themselves too seriously (or even toddler goths, teenie goths, and mopey goths), this book will piss you off. For people who want to understand the gothic subculture, this book will be mostly comprehensive and rather helpful. For those of us In It For the Long Haul, the book will promote that gleeful snicker that makes us kick up the heels of our pointy boots.

As much as I dislike just how mainstream the goth subculture is becoming, I am firmly of the opinion that the exposure is a good thing. No only does it make shopping a twee bit easier, but the prominance of the subculture will also decrease sensitivity to it. This means that as goth becomes commonplace, the media will lay off accusing goths of commiting school shootings and vampire crimes. It's not us: goths aren't killers, because we might smear our eyeliner or break a nail. Eventually, the media will tire of the goth thing, goth will no longer be trendy, and the scene will slip back under the surface. If you're old enough to remember, it's done that before. Voltaire seems to share this belief, although it's less implicitly stated in his work.

Finally, if one plans to use "What is Goth?" to assist in a gothic transformation of oneself (everyone has that initial spark of inspiration), remember that "What is Goth?" is funny, and if you go overboard with the things mentioned in the book, we will laugh at you because you will be funny too.

Highly recommended, much loved, and recommended to all.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE GOTH TRIUMVIRATE, May 30, 2006

By 

Cristophine "Recovering Tweaker" (The Boulevard of Broken Dreams) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What is Goth? Music, Makeup, Attitude, Apparel, Dance, and General Skullduggery (Hardcover)

which I deem:

1) "What is Goth?" by Voltaire
For spelling out the basics to looky-loos, kinderbats, or insiders who aren't afraid to laugh at themselves (for fear of exposing the adhesive-stripes along the gumline of their fake fangs)...

2) "Cottonmouth Kisses" by Clint Catalyst
For its sinister and gorgeous first-person account of life within the nightclub netherworlds. I've known many a Goth girl over the years who's had her share of Clint "pin-ups" and "shrines," and the fact that he's lived a life so far beyond the margins of Hot Topic and mainstream acceptability (and SURVIVED it) is more "Goth" (i.e., barbaric -- i.e., AUTHENTIC) than any paint-by-numbers impostors out there...

3) "21st Century Goth" by Mick Mercer
For its role as an informative compendium of the international scene in all its varied shades of shadow. There is no easy answer, no singular attempt in this book to pigeonhole Goths -- in fact, it does the opposite. Plus, I mean, it's MICK MERCER, who's been reporting on the scene longer than most batpackers these days have been alive. Pay your respects to the grandaddy of Goth!

And ALL HAIL THE TRIUMVIRATE!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh My Goth!, May 21, 2005

By 

C. waits "Everlasting Blossom" (Cottonwood, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What is Goth? Music, Makeup, Attitude, Apparel, Dance, and General Skullduggery (Hardcover)

This book is Hi-Larious! Okay...I know that labels are for soup cans, not people...but I think a part of the charm of this book is that it makes fun of the fact that this subculture does have to label itself, and how silly it really is. It shows that all "Goths" aren't just sad little Prozac poppers. It shows that they are also capable of incredible humor.

The book is wonderfully written. I was not a fan of this man until my boyfriend got me hooked. Voltaire is a rather clever fellow.

There are good articles and pictures. How to do make up. Hair, the different categories of Goth, and what their advantages and disadvantages are. How to travel as a Goth. How to have a Goth conversation (this one is rather funny.) How to dance Goth. the pictures are total eye candy too. I liked the fact that instead of a white page with black letters it is the other way around. This book has style.