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musings-from-an-elder-goth · 2 months

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A Day in the Life of a Goth in the 80's

Saturday, December 30th, 1989. Richmond, Virginia.

Why the penultimate day of the decade? No reason other than I well remember my general daily activities from this time period & most everyone I knew would be home for winter break so I don't have to worry about if I did anything significant with friends that day. Do I really remember everything I did on December 30th, 1989? No. I literally remember nothing from this specific day. But I remember enough of what my days were generally like so that whatever is surmised needn't necessarily be an untruth. But it was with certainty, a rather ordinary & rather dull day. Life was much, much slower paced then than now so someone used to today's world would find 1989 maddeningly plodding.

And I'm constantly asked if I'm nostalgic for those 'good old days.' I miss being young, frequently meeting beautiful goth ladies, & the many great shows I got to go to, but not for life in general as being painfully poor does not make for nostalgia. Anyway...

I would have awoken around noon. I wasn't seeing anyone at that time, so I definitely woke alone & at my dumpy little apartment (long since torn down) near the Virginia Commonwealth University campus. I would have been a bit hung over from a small party the previous night. Most students would be home for the holidays, so the party would have been small; less than 20 people at a nearby house shared by several students (also long since torn down). I was on a kick at that time where I watched Blade Runner all day, every day, so I would have fired that up. Or it could have been Hellraiser, or Aliens, or The Hunger - all equally plausible. I'd seen them all a hundred times by that point, so they were now just pleasant background noise. I didn't have cable at that place, so there wasn't much on regular TV & I probably only had 5 channels via the antenna.

My tiny studio apartment was mostly bare, just a futon, TV stand, bookcase with a few dozen books, desk & chair. I didn't have a computer or a game system at that time, but I did have a Game Boy, which was brand new in 1989. Folks who visited for the first time would inquire if I'd just been robbed, but since I knew I'd have to move every year to avoid rent gouging landlords, I'd gone full minimalist.

VCR tapes lay scattered about the floor. Clothes also lay scattered about the floor. Posters on the walls. A spare black blanket served as the window curtain.

Coffee, aspirin, & oatmeal for breakfast. Brush teeth, shower, & scrounge for reasonably clean clothes - a band t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, jeans, boots, & my well-worn, long coat. I only ever wore black, back then. Listen to the messages on the answering machine. Maybe reply to some.

Although, it was a cold 35 degrees F when I woke, the temperature quickly warmed into the upper 50's, staying there until well past midnight with delightfully overcast skies, all day long. Quite the pleasant day for Richmond in late December. (This part is true - I researched it online.)

With most of the people I knew away for winter break, I'd have to entertain myself for the bulk of the day as I probably didn't have any firm plans until early evening. So off I'd go. Blade Runner would keep playing until the tape ran out, then it would rewind and start again. It would do this until I shut off the VCR & I routinely forgot to shut it off when leaving. My well worn Walkman cassette player in my coat pocket with a few mix tapes in the other pocket (Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Damned, Ministry, NIN, Skinny Puppy, etc.), & I'm out the door.

If you were standing on the street, you'd have seen an average height, thin, pale, 19 year old with long dark hair, dressed in black, walk across the sidewalk to a beat up old car. I routinely forgot to lock it. It was never stolen.

Saturday afternoons were for thrifting, so I'd visit a few, always starting with Fan Tastic Thrift in The Fan, which amazingly, is still there & looks exactly the same as I remember it. It was within walking distance, but since I'd be going to other places afterward, I'd drive the few blocks in my old war-wagon.

Life in general, & college especially, was much less expensive back then, but I was still just barely scraping by. The only shopping I could afford was thrift stores. Everything I owned, with the exception of underwear, socks, toothbrush, & my futon, was second hand. I would have spent at least an hour, perhaps two, in this store alone. I'd usually score some clothes, couple books, & perhaps a VCR tape - all for about $5. Thrift store clothes tended to be rather thread bare, & they didn't last long before becoming tatters, so I was constantly having to buy new old things. I'd usually run into someone I knew at Fan Tastic, but probably not this day.

I'd likely also visit The Book Exchange & Stories Comics over in Forest Hills (Stories has since relocated & The Book Exchange is no more). Stories is where I'd buy graphic novels such as Sandman & The Book Exchange was a book trading place where I could trade the thrift store books for more specialized books, mostly horror, that were readily available there. As reading was cheap entertainment, I read voraciously & it is possible that I may have stayed in & read all afternoon, but since it was a nice day out, I doubt it.

And at some point I'd probably catch a matinee at The Byrd Theater, a restored movie palace from the 20's (which also still looks just as I remember it). Although a palace, the Byrd charged peasant prices - you could watch a second run film for only $1 (it's $9 now). After the film, I'd putter about in some of the artsy shops near The Byrd, but I rarely bought anything from them - too pricey.

By now, the afternoon's gone, so I'd head home for an inexpensive dinner, most likely either spaghetti, some soup that I'd found on sale, baked potato, or some kind of rice dish. Or I might get Taco Bell - usually a couple of bean burritos which cost 60 cents each, back then. However, I once calculated that my average at-home meal only cost 50 cents, so even budget Taco Bell was double what I'd normally spend. Plus, I only ate two meals a day in those days. I was quite thin. Had you told me then the amount of money I spend now for a weeks worth of food, I might have fainted (I was so thin at that time, I did sometimes faint if I stood up too fast).

And finally, it was time for the day's main event: some band might be playing live music at a local club. Perhaps it was at The Metro on Laurel Street, or Twisters or Newgate Prison - both located on Grace Street.

I would usually learn of these shows via a poster on a telephone pole, found somewhere around my neighborhood. I usually tore down the poster to keep as a reminder (there would always be several more of the same poster underneath - they knew us well). These posters would go on my fridge at home so I wouldn't forget. I preferred The Metro as they were more likely to host bands I'd like. Over the years I saw bands such as Gwar, Corrosion of Conformity, The Smashing Pumpkins (back when they were just starting out), & Strange Boutique play there, as well as countless other bands lost to the mists of time. The Metro was located at 311 N. Laurel Street, but it closed down so long ago it's not even on the oldest Google street view image from 2007.

(The above pic is representative & not anyone I know although I would have been flirting big time with the gal on the right, for sure.)

I'd always walk to the clubs as parking was dicey & it wasn't very far. Plus if I managed to score some booze, I wouldn't have to worry about driving. Would usually arrive before the doors opened & wait in line, chatting it up with friends & acquaintances - probably flirting with any single ladies I'd just met who were friends of friends. I was always on the lookout for my next ex. I knew a ton of people then, & it was always interesting to hear about everyone's adventures since you'd seen them last. It was strange that I'd only ever see some people at a certain club & never anywhere else, while other folks I'd see everywhere.

(And if you're doing the math, yes, I knew Randy Blythe, the future lead singer of Lamb of God, who also went to VCU. I don't believe I'd met him yet in 1989 but for sure I did by late 1990. His nick-name at the time was 'Shark.' He was literally at every party & was hilarious. Shark was quite the social butterfly, so lots of folks knew him - it is not unusual for someone who went to VCU then to have known him, so I'm nothing special in that regard. I moved away before Lamb of God started & I was never a fan, so I didn't even learn he was a big deal until many years later.)

But it's entirely possible that no bands were playing at any of the nearby clubs. I wouldn't have gone to The Metro if they just had a DJ or were playing house music as goth night was on Thursdays at at that time & I didn't like the random music the DJ played on Saturday. But Thursday goth nights were always fun. Never a huge crowd, but a respectable number would put in an appearance.

There might have been another small party that night just as there had been the previous. A smaller gathering of just a few folks was also possible & someone might call (caller ID wasn't a thing yet, so I let my answering machine screen calls) & invite me over to hang out, or play Sega Genesis (Altered Beast & Ghouls 'n Ghosts slayed), or just play cards or chess.

Or I might spend the evening at home playing Tetris into the wee hours of the morning. Or read a book. Or read a local 'Zine, which were quite popular around that time. Or rent a movie from the budget video store near campus that had a decent horror selection. Or re-watch one of the scores of movies I owned. These mundane possibilities aren't very likely for a Saturday, but who's to say with so many people away for winter break?

Regardless of which of those things happened that day, I eventually went to sleep that night - December 30th, 1989 - alone in my own bed, sometime between midnight and 2 am.

And that is a very average day in the life of a goth in the 80's.

Individual results may vary.

creaturesfromelsewhere 7-18-2024

#80's goth #darkly inclined #goth #creaturesfromelsewhere #musings from an elder goth #goth aesthetic #goth style #goth music #a day in the life #randy blythe #Lamb of God #Tetris #Game Boy #Sega Genesis

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