My Dystopian Life

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Cool Documentary Called The Chinatown Punk Wars Has Been Released

Preview that is very peachy-keen.

If you know about the history of LA punk then you know about the battle that happened between two different Chinese restaurants in Chinatown who both wanted to cater to live punk shows in order to make more money. A documentary on PBS has been made about it, and it includes interviews with Alice Bag, Keith Morris and others who were in the midst of all of the chaos going on. If you don’t know the history of LA punk then this would be an excellent starting point to gain some knowledge.

Tips On How To Shave An Undercut Hairstyle

Oh noes, I’m not a ‘true goth’ because I’m not wearing make-up! *sarcasm*

If there is something that I know how to do well is shaving an undercut. I have been doing it on and off since 1988 so I have had a bit of practice. I’ve had a complete undercut, a deathawk and right now it is shaved on only one side.

The tools you will need.

If you have never had an undercut I would highly suggest going to a hairdresser the first time, because they are more than likely to get the lines straight which makes it more easy for you to do it yourself. The above tools are what I use to do my hair. I use a rechargeable clipper so that I don’t have to worry about extension cords or anything like that. It is smaller than most clippers which makes it way more easy to get into tight spaces.

I look like I have mange because white hair is more translucent and I have a lot of it.

In the above photo I am holding my long hair flat down so that shaving along that line is more easy for me to do. I do as much as I can in the bathroom mirror before I have to use the handheld mirror in conjunction with it. To keep the hair flat on the side in the back I tightly put my hair in a ponytail so that I can hold the mirror in my left hand and shave with my right hand. If you are right handed the left side will be more difficult and if you are left handed the right side will be more difficult. Make sure the clipper doesn’t get clogged with hair by blowing the hair out of it as needed. I have thick hair so I have to do this pretty frequently.

It is very common to accidentally shave some of the longer hairs, but the good news is that it will grow back. I never freak out when this happens because it is the price I pay for wanting this haircut. I shave it about every three weeks on a ‘1’ setting. I have never shaved it with a razor because cuts on the head tend to bleed a lot.

I hope this helps you on your undercut journey and that you get the courage to do it yourself and save some money.

Cleopatra Is Rereleasing The Misfits Single Who Killed Marilyn

This is a pretty big deal because no Misfits material has been rereleased since that complete box set came out over 25 years ago. It’s a picture disc and Cleopatra say that other versions, including a signed edition, are in the pipeline. Being the huge Misfits fan that I am I had to order this, and when the signed edition comes out I will also be ordering that. This is probably going to sell out fairly quickly so grab one while you can. It’s a pre-order that is going to be released right around Halloween, which is very fitting. EDIT: Signed edition sold out before I could get to it, which is fine because they wanted over £100 for it. LOL EDIT 2: More signed editions are coming supposedly. Knowing Cleopatra they’ll make twenty different colours of it.

UK Shopping Alert, New Look Has Some Very Goth Friendly Clothing Right Now

Yesterday I went into town and looked through a couple of thrift stores, and again they were very picked over so I found nothing. However, I went to New Look and found two very cool items. The above photo is of a ruffled black blouse/dress that buttons down the front so that it could be used as a dress or in layering. I had a shorter blouse almost exactly like it 30 years ago so to say I am pleased would be an understatement.

I also found the above green microfiber trench coat. The photo is making it look discolored but it is indeed all green. I love the fact that it is very unstructured and has a great flow to it. It really fits into my spooky dystopian/post-apocalyptic aesthetic: my core colours are black, grey, camo green and dark purple.

There were several different black microfiber jackets and various black tops that had either lace or ruffles, and they had some cute Halloween themed socks. So if you are living in the UK get thee to your nearest New Look store.

Forgotten 80’s Bands: The Call

This is a continuation of my series about 80’s bands that have been generally forgotten, or ignored, by a younger audience. These bands may have created music past the 80’s, but their height of fame was the 80’s. If you are of a certain age, like I am, you would have more than likely heard of these bands.

Who were The Call? They were an ‘alternative’ band that formed in Santa Cruz California in 1980. Their music was somewhat spiritual in the same sense that early U2 was. They would sometimes sing about a higher force but weren’t overtly singing about a certain set of beliefs. Since they were considered a San Francisco Bay Area band their songs were frequently played on the local ‘alternative’ radio stations of that area in the 80’s. That is how I learned about them. Their main claim to fame was that they were the original writers and performers of the Lost Boys soundtrack song I Still Believe that saxophonist Tim Cappello covered in the film.

Back around 89-90 I accidentally saw them live at the long gone Santa Clara alternative club One Step Beyond and they put on an excellent show. They broke up and reformed a few times until their singer/songwriter Michael Been died of a heart attack in 2010. Here a few songs by them that I really enjoy, and I hope you like them too because they were a very underrated band.

I Still Believe (1986)

Everywhere I Go (1986)

Let The Day Begin (1989)

The Walls Came Down (1983)

You Run (1989)

Let’s Review The New Killstar Wednesday Collection

Both the pink and green girls look so excited that they are about to nod off. This bodes well!

In a previous post I talked about how Killstar is going down in flames. With that being said this really feels like a desperate attempt by them to crawl out of their fetid swamp filled with the tears of Avril Lavigne. I bet a really out of touch board member thought ‘Hey, I know how we can pull ourselves out of our swamp, let’s target those teens that love that Wednesday series!! They’ll pay top dollar for anything we churn out!’. *crickets*

Unfortunately for the company things are not going to plan. Not a single item on their UK site is sold out or even close to sold out. Seriously, I checked every item before writing this. Want to guess as to why? Come with me on a journey filled with polyester and angst! EDIT: As of September the 6th all of the clothing is still in stock and nothing is sold out on the UK site. EDIT 2: As of the evening of September the 6th all off the clothing is still in stock and nothing is sold out on the US site.

First up is this skater dress with bell sleeves, the exact same silhouette that they have used time and time again. They want to charge £44.99 for this? It had better be made of some sort of cotton blend for that price.

Nope! It is made of polyester, without any cotton in site! Not just any polyester, a fabric so thin that if you look closely you can actually see her skin tone through it. I think the real Wednesday Addams would throw this into a fire and giggle while it burned.

Next up is their Pugsley Addams sweater. For the cheap price of £54.99 you too can look like an angst filled teenager. It has an embroidered patch on the front, but it must be made of a cotton blend for that price, right? RIGHT?

WRONG!!! It is made of 100% polyester, not a scrap of cotton in sight. Since that is the case you are going to sweat like hell wearing this. What fun! So, you are basically paying all of that money for that patch stuck to it. Peachy-keen!

What a bargain! £32.99 for a basic t-shirt with an angsty graphic image! Are they telling me that I shouldn’t like hugs? I love hugs and I am in my early 50’s so I am guessing that this campaign wasn’t meant for me…even though I have money to spend, unlike an angst filled teenager. Killstar doesn’t understand the concept of demographics and who actually has spending money right now. People are broke, so even most adults would probably stay away from this.

This is 100% cotton, which to be fair most t-shrts are. However, most t-shirts don’t cost this much money.

Next up is an oversized cardigan for the low, low price of £59.99. It’s special because it has an embroidered patch on the front. Is it glued or sewn on? For that hefty price it had better be sewn, and the fabric had better be a cotton blend.

Surprise, it is 100% polyester! Not only do you get to itch, you also get to sweat! How very kind of them to think of us like that!

Oh look, yet another angsty £32.99 t-shirt. At least it is made of cotton so that you won’t be dripping with sweat as you lounge around all angsty. Remember, if you are goth you aren’t supposed to laugh or like hugs.

For the low low price of £39.99 you can buy this nifty ‘corset’ top with a zipper in the back and no lacing, so that you can look like you are wearing an ill fitting top just like this model! I used to be exactly her size and my boobs would probably battle to see which could get a shadow of a lift from this top. At least it is made of comfortable material so that you don’t sweat, right? RIGHT?

Nope, it is made of polyester materials and viscose so that you can freely sweat however much you want. Polyester repels water while viscose absorbs it, which means you would be a sweaty mess if you start doing things such as dancing or walking. How delightful!

Now we have the Addams Sweatshirt for £49.99. Sweatshirts are normally made from cotton so that you don’t sweat like hell and are comfortable. Surely this is made of cotton….surely!

The gods have blessed us, it is indeed made of cotton! Will miracles ever cease? That much money for a basic sweatshirt is insane. Insane I tell ya!

There is no simpler way to tell people how much you like to throw away money than to buy this for only £49.99. It better have a vial of Robert Smith’s tears to be costing that much money.

Made of both polyurethane and polyester? Faux leather usually starts peeling after a certain amount of time; in time to need a new bag from their next collection? How cool of them to think of trend jumpers like that. Trend jumpers have feelings too!

Dear God, why have you forsaken us in our hour of need? £49.99 is a whole lot of money to buy a basic polyester dress and it is going to take a miracle for people to afford this.

Awwww…..it’s the same polyester and viscose blended material that the corset top was. Maybe they can start an urban myth marketing trend; if you are soaked in sweat while wearing this dress in a cemetery the shade of Wednesday Addams will appear. You and I know she is a fictional character but others might not. I have all sorts of marketing ideas Killstar, get in touch if interested.

Now it is the Be Strange Long Sleeve Top for £34.99. Again, a silhouette that they have used time and time again. How original of them! The angst is strong with this one, but what is it made of? How much do they want you to sweat in this?

It is 95% viscose so they want you to suffer and sweat a whole lot. How kind!

Look, a top that may actually be worth the £27 they are charging for it! My goodness, I feel light headed right now!

95% polyester? Of course it is, and it looks quite thin. I have to give them some credit for the words actually being embroidered on it. However, the high neck looks very awkward when paired with the bare belly. If the model can’t even pull this look off what hope is there for the rest of us?

The Sub-Urban Gothic Long Sleeve Top is next, and by golly is that a lot of words for just a £32.99 basic striped top. Wait, I get it! It has a badge on it so that makes it special? Special in what way?

So special that it is made of 92% viscose! At first I thought it might be cotton, but I think that is just the patch since they tell you to wash it on cold with no tumble drying.

I’m Saaaorry Leggings for the low price of £34.99? I am trying to be an optimist but I have a feeling that I might just feel all sorry for myself after looking at what they are made of.

95% viscose? Are they including yeast infection meds with this because I can’t imagine anybody’s vagina being happy after wearing these all day.

Awww…….Killstar doing what they do best; sticking a white collar on a black dress. Could that be yet more edgy embroidery?

Not a breathable fabric in sight, it is made of almost all viscose! It is indeed embroidered. Go them! *slowly claps*

Yet another one of their usual pointed collar dresses, this time with a bunch of buttons that will more than likely fall off after a few wears. All of this for the low price of £59.99! What a bargain!

It is made of 100% viscose, go figure! To be more edgy they should have made the printed skulls larger, just saying.

Oh dear, £59.99 for yet another chance of a yeast infection? Sign me up!

Viscose and polyester together in one pair of flares? It feels like a dream come true, doesn’t it?

They want £39.99 for a simple cotton long sleeve top just because they slapped Wednesday on the front? Nah.

Again, why does Killstar not like hugs? For £39.99 it feels like Killstar didn’t get enough love as a child.

95% polyester. Killstar is making sure you are indeed a no hug zone, because who wants to hug somebody who is drenched in sweat?

Yeast infection ahoy! Half black, half striped and all sweat for only £39.99! That branding makes almost no sense because once somebody puts on a pair of boots it is covered. Hence why the model isn’t wearing any in that first photo.

Made of viscose and polyester, you shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Why do they hate cotton in leggings so much?

£49.99 for just one blouse? Killstar, are you on crack? It is time to lay down that pipe and enter the real world.

100% viscose for the win! Maybe you can wear this to a funeral in the winter? I can’t imagine moving around a bunch in this and actually being comfortable.

There goes that collar again. I am beginning to think that somebody on their design team has a fetish for them. There is no way in hell that this dress is worth £59.99.

Lots of viscose and polyester and a little elastane. Killstar, you cannot tell me this shit stretches a lot. How the hell is this even wearable as a dress because anybody larger than the model is going to have their ass hanging out.

This is a hoodie that genuinely shocked me as to how much it is. They want £62.99 for this shit. It’s just a long pullover hoodie with that same angsty no hug zone image on the front.

It is 100% cotton, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it is way, way overpriced for what it is; crap.

Here we go again, £32.99 for a basic cotton t-shirt with an angsty image thrown up on it. Shocking!

This are kind of cute and the cheapest thing on here for a grand total of £8.99. However, do they have any cotton in them? Remember cotton is important in socks because it lets your feet breathe.

80% cotton? Colour me shocked, shocked I tell ya! At least you won’t get trench foot wearing them? My sarcasm is reaching its limit.

A cropped sweater with print on the back for £44.99? Who the hells belles has that kind of cash to throw down for something like this?

It is 100% cotton…and yet one feels that they should be getting a better bang for their hard earned buck. At least a sweater that is full length. Sheesh.

…and they have saved their best for last. £32.99 for a pair of leggings that look like they would attract a yeast infection final boss in a video game. Sounds fun, right? What I truly don’t get about these is putting the purple pattern below the knee instead of the entire leg.

100% polyurethane. I could well imagine somebody passing out from wearing these in the summer. I used to wear similar leggings when I would go clubbing over 20 years ago and it would be a major pain in the arse peeling them off when I would get home because the lining would be drenched in sweat. The struggle is real!

Well, that’s it! Thank you for coming along with me on this journey filled with overpriced fun and surprises. May the force be with you…in a Sith way of course.

Is It Classist To Shame People Who Shop At Shein And Temu? YES!!!

Some of the very cool patches and badges I have found on Temu.

Over the last few weeks I have seen online more and more talk about classism and how it heavily affects those with little to no money. Almost all fashion these days can easily be considered ‘fast fashion’ since most clothing is now made in developing countries. The only way you are going to completely avoid it is if you buy used clothing or something handmade, and that isn’t as easy as some would make you believe.

Last week I went into town and visited the three charity shops there. I found nothing because they were all majorly picked over. Resellers actively go to these shops, and one of them has even opened their own local shop selling these clothes for way more cash. I’m not even joking. This type of thing is happening everywhere, so where the heck are ‘dark alternative’ type people supposed to find affordable clothing or accessories? On Poshmark and other related used product websites? Again many of the used products on those type of sites are very overpriced and not affordable for a whole chunk of people.

As you know I do a whole lot of DIY type projects and I frequently upcycle clothes that I find on clearance at my local New Look store. In the past I also bought a whole lot of clearance items off of Killstar for projects. Within the last year I have completely stopped buying anything from them because the quality of their items has jumped off of a cliff. In fact the quality of most ‘dark alternative’ type clothing is in the gutter right now; charging lots of money for items that you can find on Shein or Temu for a fraction of the price. Unfortunately this happens so frequently on Etsy that you have to do constant reverse image searches so that you don’t get ripped off.

Since all of this is the case why the hell should ‘dark alternative’ type people be shamed for buying what they can afford? It is often said that you can dress any way you want to if you are goth, but this is often paired with a wagging finger telling you where you should or should not shop. In a perfect world it would be great if fast fashion didn’t exist, but the world isn’t perfect and people have to buy clothing and accessories from somewhere. Yes, it is easy to do certain DIY type projects but you need supplies to do so and it can get very expensive gathering them together. The only people who shop on Shein and Temu who deserve any sort of derision are those who constantly make huge orders of things that they will more than likely almost never use. That is their business and they can do what they like, but it really comes across as being extremely wasteful.

My advice? Only buy things that you know you will either wear or turn into DIY type projects. Recently I browsed Temu for the first time and I actually found some very cool patches and badges. To my surprise I was also able to find and buy different Halloween themed ribbons and fabrics for fairly cheap. Where I live Halloween isn’t celebrated as heavily as in the US so I can’t find the same items in a store near me.

If any goth or ‘dark alternative’, uber goober gives you crap for shopping on Shein and Temu tell them to mind their own business; if you are happy that is all that really counts.

Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists Want To Build A New Dystopian City In The SF Bay Area

I first heard about this a few days ago but this article really lays it all out, and I must say that I find this disturbing. As a huge fan of dystopian and post-apocalyptic media I automatically know that this type of ‘city’ never works out and always ends in tears. For whatever reason these Silicon Valley uber wealthy nerds think their idea is original. The above photo is from the film Logan’s Run which was made almost 50 years ago if that tells you anything.

This has been done by the Flannery Group who have quietly purchased 55,000 acres of farmland in Solano County in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are funded by various Silicon Valley wealthy investors, because of course they are. The American government has to know all about this because the land surrounds Travis Air Force Base. Since that government is run by the wealthy for the wealthy this doesn’t come as too much of a shock.

They say that this city will have thousands of new homes, clean transportation and orchards with millions of new trees. There will also be thousands of acres of open spaces and parks for the wealthy to enjoy. There is no way in hell that this is intended for people such as you and I. Make no mistake, this is intended as a ‘safe’ place for the wealthy as the environmental collapse worsens in the coming decades.

One of the things that really, really disturbs me about all of this is that where the hell are all of the workers serving these wealthy assholes going to live? Will they have to live in one room tenements in huge apartment blocks inside the walls or outside the walls? Will they have to wait in line twice a day to be bussed in and out? It just feels gross and classist as hell because you know that they will not have the same living standards as the wealthy.

This whole situation reminds me of the film The Land Of The Dead, in which the wealthy have their own walled off area away from the zombies. They have their own stores and they eat the best food as people outside the walls struggle just to survive. Eventually the walls are breached and their social experiment fails. Historically this always happens when the rich try to isolate themselves from everybody else. People living outside the walls will always breach them when they are hungry and don’t have food to feed their children. Maybe this is why they bought the land around the base; they expect the US military to protect them and their way of life.

Do I think that they will actually build it? I can’t imagine that the locals are happy about this, so I can’t see this being easily done. I think the only way that they are going to be able to build this is if they have direct deals with the U. S. federal government. Maybe they will promise homes for politicians in exchange for help in passing laws? Whatever the outcome this is just another case of the wealthy throwing money at an issue; building an environmentally sound city instead of actually trying to stop climate change from happening.

Finished The Back Of The Spooky Jacket!

I have finally conquered the back of the spooky jacket and it is now done. I could fit another patch below Vampira but I like it as is for now. Next I have the front of the jacket to figure out, and that is always the most difficult side to deal with when it comes to these kind of DIY projects. Per usual I found all of these patches on Etsy.

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