welcome to the abyss

Category: Fun (Page 2 of 3)

I Went To See The Film Outland Last Night

When film posters were cool.

For those of you who don’t know the film Outland was made in 1981 starring Sean Connery. It is a thriller set in a mining colony on Jupiter’s moon Io in which Connery is a federal marshal investigating a series of gruesome deaths. It has been largely forgotten for years, so when I learned that a local film group was screening it I got very excited since I had never seen it in an actual theatre before.

What is so great about this film? The social commentary. In fact I would say that this film was way ahead of its time, and that is probably the main reason why it has been largely forgotten. Back in the 80’s people under the thrall of Reagan and Thatcher thought that corporations could do no wrong, that they were trusted to do what was right because why would a corporation want to hurt people? Leap forward 40 years and a lot of people now realize that corporations don’t give a crap about them; it’s all a profit driven con to separate people from their money no matter the true cost of that profit.

I honestly think this is Sean Connery’s best role because he is playing an actual man, not some sort of spy superhero. The character has to figure out what they want and need to do to take care of the situation at hand and he really emotes that struggle in such a way that makes you care about him, whether you agree with his actions or not.

Another thing that makes this film special is the fact that a lot of the crew who worked on it also had a hand in making Alien. Because of that it has the same kind of feel; a dirty dystopian future in which people have to work in dangerous situations in order to survive. The future isn’t perfect, rather it is imperfect just like now.

Look, I’m smiling!

I very highly recommend watching this. If you like dystopian, sci-fi or 80’s thriller films this movie will be right up your alley!

DIY Project That I Will Be Starting Soon

A glass pumpkin cookie jar that has become my new spooky hair clips container.

I haven’t made a music themed jacket in a little over thirty years, Seriously, it has been that long. Why? Because I am a fangirl of so many different kinds of things that it makes it difficult for me to just focus on one aspect as to who I am.

I have been massively listening to the Misfits, Samhain and Danzig lately, if you haven’t noticed, and an idea popped into my head a few weeks ago; make a Glenn Danzig themed jacket! Originally I was going to use a New Look striped jacket that I got on clearance, but after some thinking I am going to use the one below instead. It’s another New Look clearance jacket that I got about five years ago.

Love the 50’s vibe of this jacket.

If you are a fan of Glenn you know that the number 138 is a Misfits reference. I had sewn those numbers onto the jacket a few years back so in reality it was already started. Over the last few weeks I have been scouring Etsy for cool Misfits, Samhain and Danzig patches and I have found some really unusual ones. Also, I will be putting some spooky little patches on it as filler because to do otherwise would be blasphemous. On top of that I have bought a bunch of cone studs. I just have to be patient for all of the goods to trickle in. I don’t want to start until they are all here. If I have some that I won’t use I will just save them for a future project.

I really hope that this inspires you to create something of your own. I believe in you and if you ever have any questions about how to proceed with a DIY project please feel free to contact me because I would love to help if I can.

My All Time Favourite Glenn Danzig Songs

The man, the myth, the legend. *fans herself*

I have loved The Misfits, Samhain and the original line-up of Danzig for about thirty-two years. Yes, I am that old. I even saw the original Danzig line-up perform in San Francisco in October of 1992 and it still holds up as the best show I have ever been to. This is all to say that I have always seriously loved the music of Glenn Danzig.

My all time favourite album is November Coming Fire by Samhain. I love it so much that I finally sought out and bought a mint condition first edition US vinyl pressing of it. I got it the other year for only about £140.00 so I know I am a lucky bitch. Early Danzig is my next favourite era followed by the original Misfits. No, I haven’t been to any of the Glenn fronted Misfits reunion shows, mainly because I now live in Europe. However, if the original Danzig line-up ever tours I would fly to New York, Philly or even Boston for that. Just saying.

Here are my all time favourite songs from each band. I enjoy sharing music so I hope that you find something that you really like and connect with.

The Misfits – Bloodfeast

Samhain – To Walk The Night

Danzig – Godless

The Misfits – Hybrid Moments

Samhain – I Am Misery

Danzig – Mother

The Misfits – Horror Hotel

Samhain – Archangel

Danzig – Tired Of Being Alive

The Misfits – Last Caress

Samhain – Unholy Passion

Danzig – Am I Demon

The Misfits – Vampira

Samhain – Halloween II

Danzig – Left Hand Black

The Misfits – Astro Zombies

Samhain – Moribund

Danzig – 777

Misfits – London Dungeon

Samhain – Mother Of Mercy

Danzig – Long Way Back From Hell

I Told Killstar To Put Down The Crack Pipe And Did They Listen? Nope.

EDIT: I already wrote this whole post yesterday morning, before Killstar blocked me on their Facebook page. HI KILLSTAR, thanks for the block! You have proven that my analysis about who bought you is correct. Cheers!

EDIT 2: Sure you are doing financially well Killstar….sure. They just dumped yet another drop onto their site this morning. It contains all of the same print on everything…..yet again. £20 for a dinner plate? Wahahaha!!!!

You are reading that correctly. Killstar, against all logic, actually thought that the majority of their customers would like this ‘collection’. This actually pretty much proves that they are run by a private equity firm, because only a private equity firm would think that Avril is in any way goth or punk. They don’t have a clue about the subcultures at all. Well, I took screen shots of this entire visual fiasco so that I could give my opinions. The above photo is showing styles that they have already done but now with skeletons and barbed wire. Also, they are see through. I guess that they think that people want to show off their nipples or something? There must have been a fire sale in China of this cheap looking material for them to use it so much in just about every ‘drop’ that they do.

Yet more sheer material with the same exact print. How stunning, how original! NOT! I am not going to blast the pink because obnoxious colours can be fun when done the right way. Just not like this.

They should have collaborated with Pepto Bismol. They would have saved money. Boring. Oh, and look at the witch hats. Spooky!

I totally don’t understand the sheer trouser thing. How the hell are you supposed to wear them outside? I guess they think that people want to show off their undies? Again, the same boring prints.

They have brought out yet more of the wannabe witch hats. I guess they are telling all of the kids that they will still look like a wannabe witch in the outfits as long as they are wearing one of their black hats. Killstar is such a silly goose! The same boring prints and sheer material. That material doesn’t breathe so I can well imagine somebody passing out while wearing it in the heat.

The exact same patterns again, and again, and again, and again. Killstar and Avril sure know how to channel their creativity, don’t they? Oh, and all of the clothing is still that crap see through material. This time they plucked up their courage and made things in some black sheer material, like they almost always do anyway. Such courage and how forward thinking!

I bet that suitcase, if put in the cargo hold, would not survive many flights. It could easily be dented because it’s made of plastic. Those ‘bras’ are made of that same….sheer….material. Wearing polyester on your boobs when it is hot is going to make them itch like hell no matter your cup size. Just saying.

Sheer polyester panties? Ahoy yeast infections!

Yet more yeast infection inducing panties AND a yeast infection inducing sheer polyester bodysuit. I wonder if the private equity firm who now owns them has stock in a treatment for yeast infections because it really feels like they want you to get one, or even several. What fun!

They call that a cloak? It’s more like a Halloween costume because when the hell did cloaks start not having openings in the front? It 100% looks like something that would be sold by Spirit in their scary goth/punk rocker section but for less money.

Hooray, we are at the end now! When have harnesses been equated with Avril Lavigne? Seriously. I guess they are trying to throw their wannabe witch customers a bone?

I can’t wait to see what boring insanely priced crap they are going to come out with next. Since Halloween is coming up I bet you anything they are going to show how goth and punk costumes can be made with their clothes. I’m calling it!

A Sounds And Shadows Interview In Which I Am Mentioned? You Don’t Say!!

This is an interview between Ken of Sounds And Shadows and Jose Hernandez Riwes Cruz of Hueco. Jose has been into goth/alternative music since the 80’s in Mexico and has just written a book called Jumping Someone Else’s Train in which he explains how the subculture formed there. A while back he asked us in the Sounds And Shadows Facebook group what we were called before the term ‘Goth’ was used in our areas. I mentioned to him what my friends and I were mostly called way back in the mid to late 80’s in the SF East Bay and some more information.

Most, if not all, of you know my real name on Facebook is Megan Wood McGuigan so that is not a secret. It is just so cool to feel appreciated, especially by people who are very knowledgable about a genre of music that means a lot to me. I am not giving the exact time of when I am mentioned because it is a very cool video that should be seen in its entirety. A huge thanks to both Ken and Jose.

My Very DIY Post-Apocalyptic Boots

I’m proud of how these turned out.

I just finished these the other day and I am very pleased with how they turned out. They are Angry Itch brand boots that I modified to fit into my post-apocalyptic/dystopian aesthetic.

The first thing I did was lightly stud the bottom straps. The leather is really thick so they warped a little bit but that’s fine. There were straps above but I took them off and hung some pandemic symbols from the rings instead. I bought the symbols off of Etsy and hung them from the outside ring with some jewellery wire that I wrapped around some clips. Finally, I coloured the white stitches with a purple acrylic paint pen. It is impossible to paint those stitches perfectly so I got some stray paint around them. Again, that is okay because my aesthetic isn’t based on a perfect appearance.

If you want to do some DIY work on a pair of boots I say go for it! It’s a lot of fun and you will be wearing boots that are unique to you.

Fun With DIY: Applying Studs To Your Clothing, Bags And Anything You Want.

I added black and purple round studs to this cool Blade Runner bag that I bought off of Etsy.

A very easy way to change the look of your clothes, and to make them more your own, is to stud them up. This is something that is way easier to do than it looks. I actually taught myself how to do it over thirty years ago by using the tip of a sharp knife to create the holes in a leather jacket for the stud tines to go through. I’m lucky I didn’t stab myself.

These days it is so much easier to get the tools and studs that you will need for such a project than it was way back when. Etsy is an excellent place to find studs, and my favourite stud shop StudsAndSpikescom even sells a kit that includes an awl and a tool to push down the tines so that you don’t hurt your fingers. The only thing that I will tell you to watch out for when searching for studs on Etsy are the drop shippers that send studs directly from China. I would choose a UK, European or US shop that ships directly to you so that you don’t have to wait weeks for a package that may or may not show up.

I added some purple round, black pyramid and skull studs to these straps of my Angry Itch boots.

The photo above is what I did very recently. The leather was quite thick so it warped a bit when I did the stud work. This happens less when the material you are working with is more thin, such as fabric. The warping never bothers me because it looks DIY and not manufactured.

I’m so proud of how well this turned out.

The above is a Punk Rave dress, whose high collar I removed. The top of the dress is made of two layers of cloth so I used some studs to attach them back together at the now lower neck. I also added some random studs around the bottom to give the dress more depth. I think adding touches of neon green really makes this dress stand out more and not look so plain. Since my whole style is Blade Runner meets Mad Max nothing needs to look perfect, and that actually gives me a lot of creative freedom.

I hope this has given you some ideas and some encouragement to start your own projects. Doing DIY studding is seriously a lot of fun!

I Bought A Rotary Tool And I’m Gonna Use It!

My precioussssss…………….

I finally took the plunge and bought a rotary tool to use in my DIY projects. I am so excited about this because I can now cut, etch, drill and sand to my heart’s content. It isn’t something that I will use every single day, but it will come in very handy and it will let me expand some projects which is cool.

Yes, this is a cookie cutter. I found it on Etsy.

I bought some nuclear symbol green plastic cookie cutters in a few different sizes last year, because I knew that they would look cool hanging from belts, bags and jackets. I just didn’t have the tools to do it. I could hang them as is but it really wouldn’t move freely and it would look awkward. Well, today I cut into the lip and then I made a hole underneath it.

Peachy-keen!

I put some purple jewellery wire through the hole I made, wrapped the ends around a swivel clip, and then attached that clip to my new bag. Remember, never be afraid of colours. You use what you can find in the wasteland. I am very happy with how it looks and I look forward to coming up with other ideas.

I Have Been Working On Another Denim Jacket

Over the last month or two I have working on yet another denim jacket. This one has no theme and is just a collection of films, bands and other things I am a huge fan of.

I bought this plain black denim jacket from New look, mostly because their denim is pretty good for the price and won’t fall apart after a few weeks of wear. The photo above is of the jacket after I did some bleach work to it. I wanted it to look like something dripped onto it and I am very happy with the results. Remember, not all black clothing looks the same when bleached. Another brand might turn out orange.

The first thing I did after the bleach work was create a hole and sew some neon green fishnet behind it. I wanted all sorts of colours involved because it just makes the jacket look more realistic and wasteland based, rather than something that looks ready-made and too perfect. After that was done I studded black and purple pyramids all along near the bottom of the jacket ending at the front. I went with those colours because I have heavily relied on green and black on my two other jackets. I just wanted something different. Lastly, I cut the ruffle off of a blouse I have never worn and I sewed it onto the jacket below the studs. I roughed up the ruffles with some sandpaper, which created some holes and wear and tear.

The next step I took was trying to figure out patch placement. I hung the jacket in a doorway so that I could look at it all day and it really, really helped me. Safety pins held them in place while sewing them on with green thread. I used the green thread because it made the patches stand out more, and again it is more realistic when it comes to the wasteland. If some of them go on crooked that just makes it look more DIY, which I am perfectly happy with. Out in the wasteland you will use whatever you can find.

Since I have created my own post-apocalyptic/dystopian aesthetic I can make up my own rules as I go along. Which is something that is fun as hell. I will give another update once I am done with the front.

That Time I Gave Ronald Reagan’s Secretary Of State, George Shultz, The Finger

The true evil empire of the 1980’s.

I have always been left winged and I openly hated Reagan all through high school in the late 80’s. Conformity was a total way of life back then, so I of course got a lot of crap in high school for disliking him. The cult of Reagan was a real thing. With all of that being said I jumped at the chance of visiting DC in late 1987 with a group called Close Up. It was an organization which taught teens about politics, and I met other teens from all over the country there. Most, if not all, of the teens were Reagan supporters so thinking I was unpopular is correct. I actually won an award on the last night for being the most politically engaged out of the entire group and I got booed. I also got booed at my high school graduation so this was the start of a trend. You know you are doing something right when all of the conformist Reagan cultists hate you.

With all of that being said, the week I was in DC was also coincidently the week that the US and the USSR signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces(INF) Treaty. One of the days we were allowed to walk wherever we wanted to before a big lunch. Two friends and I were walking near the Capital Building when we noticed a motorcade of black limos coming towards us. First the Soviets came by and they actually slowed down, rolled down their windows, and happily waved to us as they drove past. There were little USSR flags on the front of the limo, so yes it was them. Then came the Americans, who didn’t open their windows or wave to people at all. Being the savvy teen that I was I knew that Shultz had to be in one of them and sure enough as his limo slowly went past I could see his very recognizable profile. Immediately I gave him the finger while shouting repeatedly for him to go fuck himself. My friends told me to stop because they were scared of being arrested but I kept going until he was out of sight. I told my friends that they could not arrest a sixteen year old for using her constitutional right to criticize the US government. I was correct.

Looking back on my teen years this is the event I am the most proud of. As a sixteen year old I had a bigger set of balls than a lot of the adults did during that time. I talked the talk and walked the walk, the same as I do today. During that time I was into The Dead Kennedys, U2 and other politically minded bands. All of that music taught me that it was more important to stand up against horrible situations and people, rather than just sitting back and doing nothing. I hope this inspires you to do the same.

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