Short hair and my external Goth

Well, back into the warmth of the studio and the kit breakdown after the 3 very intense and rewarding days in Whitby. And it was amazing.

Again.

Lovely to have Jeanie join us on the final day, and I can only imagine how tired she must have been.

I should never have even thought that having short hair would have made the slightest bit of difference - everyone was just as lovely as April, infact possibly even more so. Just as before, many of the people we walked past would give the gentle nod of recognition and would smile at us doing our jobs. Of course, any camera crew at work will get people cheering / tooting the car horn as they pass - but I felt that over this weekend, we've had so little of that; the inhabitants and visitors (Goth and not) of Whitby have been great to work with. Even in Sexy Sunday, where we were in a packed (and I mean PACKED) club doing some filming of Goths Dancing, everyone was very accepting of me walking round with my mixer / recorder round my neck, and of Cooke setting up a jib on stage to get some great shots. Our black hats off to Hazel and everyone at the Met for their help and understanding.

I went for a quick pint with Lou (my wife) on Satuday night - just before we went to film at St Mary's Church at Midnight. And it was interesting, as now I was "normal" again; Without my kit (a large fluffy badger on the end of a 5m pole is a bit of a give away) I found I had disappeared, and even though I went out of my way to make eye contact, and say a brief "good evening" to the numerous passing goths; there were few responses. But then, let's put this into context: how often would you go out round town at 11 pm, and walk round and say "hello" to people. Not very often. Everyone in the pub was very freindly - and I was clearly the least "goth'd up" in the pub and I still felt inclusive.

My one regret from the whole weekend - that I was too tired (and ill, as colds seem to have attacked us all) to go back to Sexy Sunday and have a dance. Being back in that environment, (Hazel's 80's set especially) was bloody great and it would have been lovely to have become immersed again in NIN, The Mission and The Cult purely as a punter.

Am I a Goth? - It's somewhere I really enjoy visiting (and re-visiting); but I couldn't live there.

G

It's a wrap - Whitby, British take on Goth and chips

A pint and pork scratchings

This very British image was the low key but welcome celebration at 11.30 pm last night when we finally called time on the filming of Goth Cruise. It's a bit different from Bermuda and cruise ships, in fact the whole day was distinctly English with damp air, unique attire and faded sea-side grandeur.

After getting into London on Saturday morning hanging in rags the prospect of making it up North was looking very distant. After coffee and pizza at the in laws we headed out onto the wastelands of the M25. After about 20 minutes I realised I couldn't actually see or focus so pulled into a pub car park in Slough (How, the Office) and went to sleep for an hour.

After a fitful night's sleep - I woke up at midnight convinced I was still on the boat, I decided to do the last furlong and join the second Unit of Cooke, Grant, Jonny and Rohith who had been filming in Whitby since Friday. So a hurtling 2 and a half hour journey later and I was in my beloved Whitby surrounded by camera crew and many, many Goths.


Rome Burns



First up was Rome Burns who come highly recommended by Mick Mercer. They were game and played a full set of mini golf after the interview. They are well regarded in the scene and I was surprised to find out that in their day lives they are civil servants.


Gothic Real take the lead

Whitby Town FC was the venue for the twice yearly head to head game between (the black strip wearing) Gothic Real and the team from the Whitby Gazette. I interviewed the opposing managers and after the playful banter was over it was clear that this game is taken very seriously. It ended 4:3 to the Goths and the crowd loved it. The supporters were dressed to impress and included an army in black, a 6ft bearded strawberry and a candy floss carton. I was only disappointed there were no official Goth chants.


Whitby Gothic Lolitas

Back into the old town and we filmed 'Goths in the landscape' including these UK versions of Japanese Lolitas and a trio of chip eating Goths including (centre) a man wearing Nazi insignia. Whitby's Gothic population was so swelled that we were literally spoilt for choice selecting shots. The only irritation were the sheer number of photographers EVERYWHERE. We had to dodge a 3 camera strong HD crew at the football game. I feel sorry for the person who has to go through their 270 minutes of footage to make a mini sting for the web project they were shooting for. I wonder how much of being photographed is part of the Whitby experience. Do more photo requests mean you have achieved the zenith?

You may notice that I haven't written about the cruise itself yet. It was so surreal and such long hours that there literally wasn't the time. But I will post pics the other side of a long sleep, na night.


Uniform wearing Goths eat fish and chips


Whitby Crew - it's a wrap

Long Hair and My Inner Goth.

It's Friday morning at 630 as I start this, and I'm preparing everything for this weekend of Goth up at Whitby. I'm really looking forward to it, working with Chris is always a joy, and I feel very at home up there, especially as the WGW (Whitby Goth Weekend) has been a regular destination for my wife and her friends for years. I can even remember being called the last Goth in Derby many years ago, on account of my dancing technique to a Cult track in the Rock House about 15 years ago. (I always used to notice that Goths and Rockers were always 90 degress out of phase - Rockers "head-banged" front to back, Goths etherially swayed side to side - but as the genres have become less distinct, everyone does more of a circular thingy now. What do you mean, "me old"?)

I wonder if it will all feel any different - and if I'll be viewed differently - now I've "conformed" and had my hair cut. Hmmm...20 years of hair 2ft down my back to a Number 2. It'll be interesting, as when we filmed in April I was amazed at how many people (Goths especially), made eye contact and facially said "hello" - a smile, a raised eyebrow etc. I've never experienced it so much before, and it was lovely. Perhaps the long hair was a marker of my inner goth, just waiting to get out when I'd finished the day job. I'm sure everyone will be as lovely, I just wonder whether it will be as open.

Right time to pack my bags. Sound Kit was all prep'd last night, and everything was super on that front. Just need to find my pants.

Black of course.

Grant

12 year old Goth with Parasol

Another favourite image from Whitby earlier this year. This is a 12 year old girl who gave a short interview on her experiences of being a Goth. She gave a very shy but visually arresting interview. "no, I don't know that many Goths, well there's some in the year above at school, but I don't talk to them". She seemed to be revelling in the atmosphere of a town taken over by Goths.

Goth Cruise

Max and Danny, the first Goths we met, lurking neared the ruined abbey at Whitby Goth Weekend earlier this year.