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Chris Benoit Kills his family, but why?	July 2, 2007, 11:48PM
by: Dhampir
This has been gone over by all major news companies and everyone who has an opinion and mostly by people who clearly don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. In my mind here is how it happened: He did in fact have roid rage BUT due to the fact that roid rage only lasts 5 or 10 minutes at most and an obvious assumption that him and his wife had to have been having a fight over him taking some time off wrestling to be there with his family lead to him losing it and killing her. Then it seem as though he watch the Pay Per View with his son before killing him. That could have been him giving his son his last happy moment. Killed his son because he knew he was going to jail and his son's mother wasn't going to be there and his son would of lived a tough life there after AND that he'd never be allowed to see his son again plus the fact his son would probably never forgive him when Danny became old enough to realize everything, he thought he would save his son that horrible path and took his life. Doesn't justify it but it's a valid and very possible reason. Benoit now had time to think all of his actions over. He then realized not only was his life pretty much over with or without suicide. He'd never wrestle again, he'd never have a family again, and he’d of lost the trust of all of his friends. He'd be left all alone due to his actions and spend the rest of his life in prison. IF he'd even be given the chance to get out, his life wouldn't be worth living for him. Chris only knew wrestling, that's it. What would he due? With being a murderer let out of jail where would he be allowed to work anyways? He pretty much ruined everything in his life and the lives of his family...well the ones he didn't kill that is. Thus he did the only thing he thought was right. His life for the lives he took which at that point wasn't worth much anyways but still. BUT WAIT What IF the tests come back in a couple weeks and say he wasn't on any drugs? Why'd he do it? Well it doesn't take drugs to take things too far. There were also empty beers found. If he was drunk, that could have lead him to doing this too. Ok, what IF he wasn't drunk either? Doesn't matter, if he snapped, he snapped. Anger alone can push you too far. He might have only meant to scare his wife only not take it as far as to kill her but didn't realize and oops accidentally went too far and suddenly she's not breathing. Realizes he killed her...even though accidentally, he still killed her. Then proceed to my theory with his son. Either way he lost control of himself then had to deal with his actions and just went on as he saw fit. It obviously wasn't the best choices but I really don't think at that point drug/booze or not, was thinking clearly. He was just reacting to his insane actions. Also let’s look at it this way, even though there were no records of his son actually having Fragile X, he still could have had it. Everyone seemed to notice something a little off about him. He was being treated for something and Benoit being him liked to keep things private thus there being no official record AND look at the doctor, this guy would have helped keep it private along with giving Chris the meds he needed to help his son a bit although there is no cure for what Danny apparently had. Then there is the fact that Fragile X is inherited, genetic, passed down from the parent(s). That would explain the apparent claims of "something was a little off about Chris Benoit" and the fact of Benoit's weird behavior in the past with his wife and what not else. All the signs of thing were there but no one thought anything of it because Chris was a private person and kept everything hidden. How would people even be able to catch on to things on a serious enough level to say something or do something? They couldn't have. Let’s move on to the doctor...this one pisses me off greatly. The police knew this guy was requesting huge mass amounts of drugs, kind of wanted to do something but didn't...WTF...they should be given shit over this too. Hell, the pharmaceutical company should have realized this guy is requesting too much drugs for one doctor to being giving out. He should have been raided a year ago over this fact and this whole Benoit thing could have been avoided more than likely and lives might have been saved without anyone ever even knowing it. Most anywhere else things like this are monitored closely and doctors like this douche are stopped ASAP. Why not in this case? Some asshat REALLY dropped the balls here and now people are dead, and for what? Nothing. Vince and the WWE also needs to step up and test everyone monthly or least by-monthly. Not because this thing with Chris Benoit could happen again but because we're having wrestlers die far too young and far too senselessly.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [64 comments]

Let's get off of the negative topics on here, and talk about cars, haha.	July 2, 2007, 11:06PM
by: life_on_1st_and_7th
Ok, so there is an auto sport that has been taking the U.S. by storm in the last few years, known as drifting. This is a sport in which drivers control their vehicles through slides, linking one turn to another on a course. Along with the craze, as with any fad, there are followers and people that attempt the sport themselves. Police crack down on drifters in public more than they do street racing in some areas. I know this personally, as I own a 1991 Nissan 240sx, with which I drift on public roads. I know this is irresponsible, but most serious enthusiasts do it at hours of the day where there is no likely risk of running into another motorist, or a pedestrian. Most of us also have people with us who will spot the locations where we are sliding, so that we do not endanger any other motorists, and keep the risk of damage relatively small, aside from our own vehicles. Now that aside, as I know people will have their quips about how irresponsible exhibitive driving is, I want to discuss a couple things about the sport. Watching drifting can be exciting, but learning to do it yourself is ten times the thrill. Now, The biggest debate regarding drift cars is drivetrain. Drifting in its pure form can only be done with rear wheel drive cars, as it was done originally on the mountain roads of Japan. Yet, there are a growing number of front wheel drive drift enthusiasts, but this display is hardly ever any more than a rear fishtail, with no real rear control, only front torque to bring the rear end back in line, and more often than not, its front wheel drive cars you will see hung up on a curb, spinning out, blocking traffic, bending CV Shafts, burning out transmissions, the list goes on and on. I believe that its bad drivers like this that give public drifters, street racers and driving exhibitionists that give our sport, and any auto sport a bad name. At one time, street racers were regarded with respect, people applauded their sportsmanship, and it was skill that determined their abilities on the road. The same used to be true with drifting. Nowadays, with all the little bolt-on modifications, any little rich mama's boy (or girl) can throw parts on a compact and call themselves a racer, and anyone with the ability to clutch-kick, or even someone with enough toque to get their ass-end out of line can call themselves a drifter. Racing skill has been reduced to who can tackle a straight line faster, and hot drifters have become the one with the loudest exhaust and whoever can throw enough tire smoke around. These are the things that bring our noble sport a bad reputation. True racers, and true drifters are far more responsible than this. Rarely will you see a true racer or drifter out showing off in public during traffic hours, or in highly populated places. There are crews, this i can tell you as fact, but you will rarely see them anywhere there is a risk of danger to anyone, aside from ourselves. Most of us will retreat to country roads, but movies like The Fast and The Furious have made us look like a bunch of lawless hooligans who have no respect for anyone around us, their safety or our own. This is not true. We are mostly a safe, respectable group of people who make safety a priority, and who respect traffic laws when there is any apparent risk. I just wish people would realize this, and let us have our space without having to pay track fees, as often times tracks aren't even available to us for practice. Anyone with half a brain will agree that these inexperienced hotshots with nothing but money on their side are a problem, but those of us with actual skill and respect for public safety should be given a little slack in the media and in the law's eyes. I don't think it's out of line, for someone with some power to step up and try to pass some legislation, which will allow us to practice our sport in areas not heavily trafficked at night hours, so long as we allow room for motorists that do pass through.
topic: Philosophy
[reply] [12 comments]

Equal Exchange In America? Nope	July 1, 2007, 8:31PM
by: Frozen_Within_Flame
Lets think for a second, in the world of American, if a rapist is caught, he usually gets some odd years in prison correct? Unless the other inmates don’t get a hold of him, he’s pretty much in a cozy little cell for a while. As he’s at that, his victim or victims, are out in the world fucked up in the head. Some so fucked beyond repair. Thinking they are good for nothing but sex, some having to kill their own children because of this man getting them pregnant while raping them, or forcing them to have a child they do not want and having a reminder of the person every time they look at their child, and all he gets as punishment is to sit in a cell for the rest of his life?! Ok, now murders. Some, kill nice, quick and painless, while others, no where near that. They torture the person, possibly rape them repeatedly, and put them trough a great deal of pain before ending it. They again, get caught, and they are thrown in jail. Either to wait out the rest of their lives, or to await the execution table, but then the execution table isn’t that bad, for the most part, its painless. They get off pretty good right? Exactly. Things need to change. I believe in equal exchange. So in my book, what you do to another person, is what you get done to you. No more, no less. Oh, you raped them with a steel pipe? Hehehe…bend over. You cut them, poured salt on the wounds and left them hanging in your garage from a hook imbedded in their back, slowly causing more wounds to finally kill them a month later? Have fun hanging off that hook! Why should someone who tortured someone get off easy with the death plenty?? Its BULLSHIT. If you beat them, shot them, ran them over with your car, I don’t care, you’re going the same way! Have fun in hell bitches. Some people argue that who has the right to take another person's life? I believe in this as well, so even though I think this is how it should be handled, I do not believe in another person carrying it out.
topic: Philosophy
[reply] [0 comments]

Rape and Abusive Boyfriends/Husbands	June 30, 2007, 9:49AM
by: Der_Todesengel
Rape and Abusive Boyfriends/Husbands By: Malakai 6/30/07 This is my thoughts on rape and abusive boyfriends/husbands. If there are two things in this world that I hate the most, they are these two things. They are pathetic and uncalled for, and anyone who commits any of these crimes is a waste of human effluence. First, we have Rape. I am completely against rape of any kind, but I also have some other issues involving the word “Rape” as well. Any man or woman who rapes anyone (either sex; and yes, a woman can rape a man, a man can rape a man, and so forth) is again, useless. Here are my other issues involving this topic; When did rape become something to flaunt around? I have been hearing and noticing that (this mostly pertains to girls) are claiming rape to get attention from peers, family members, etc. I’ve heard this from numerous people over and over, and certainly it can’t be just me, that I seemingly always seem to find a woman who was raped once or several times, it just can’t be possible that every single woman I meet has been raped. Just the way they talk about it, you can tell they are making it up. You will read further down in this about how real rape victims’ act, but the women who explain their “rape stories” to me explain it like they’re talking about how they took a walk in the park that day. Maybe I am just unlucky? Maybe it has happened to them all? Who knows, it’s hard to tell, people cope differently, but I’ve seen and heard from real rape victims and they do not talk about it so casually. But I will say that I have heard people who basically say it just to get a rise out of people or to say it for attention, and this is wrong. I will also say this, no person deserves to be raped at all, but I will say that some (mostly women) do egg it on, and then claim rape afterwards. They wear their tight clothes, tight shirts, flaunt their breasts all over, wear tight thongs, and be ungodly flirtatious. I am not saying everyone who dresses/acts like this deserves to get raped, I am talking about the women who constantly egg intercourse on, being a “cocktease” if you want to put it that way, is very dangerous. It is also very dangerous for a woman to go whoring herself around, but that doesn’t mean she deserves to be raped. Sure, hypothetically, a kick in the ass could set her back on track, but she does not deserve to be violated, but if she keeps doing it, not caring, then how can you expect anyone to care for her if she does not care for herself. Most prostitutes end up dead somewhere in an alleyway or motel. Another thing that bothers me is when a woman has consensual intercourse with a man (while dating them or going to date them) and then regrets it, then claiming rape. This is just uncalled for and very wrong. Just because the relationship didn’t go so well, doesn’t mean that the woman has to claim rape. It is very harmful to the man who was with her because the police and judicial system is automatically going to believe the woman over the man in any case, regardless of what the man has to say. It is especially harmful of the man and woman engaged in rough sex and caused bruising, simulating a rape case and sending an innocent man to jail. Also another thing I hate, is when someone younger (-18) blames an adult or older peer for touching or raping them (when the older person did no such thing), causing that person to go to jail. Now, I understand that when a woman (or anyone) is raped. It is a very traumatic experience, and can cause the victim to be traumatized so badly sometimes that they actually need to have psychological counseling. They have constant nightmares, crying spells, daydreams of the potential night of the rape. The victim can not get the rapist’s face, voice (things he/she said while raping them) and or movements out of their mind. Rape can paralyze a victim so much that it comes back to haunt them whenever they try to have an intimate relationship with the opposite, or same (if they’re gay/lesbian) sex. It just upsets me and makes me really feel for the real victims of rape that some people would actually say they were raped to get attention. Second we have…Abusive Boyfriends/Husbands. Any form of abuse is not Love. Abuse can be in many forms, but there are of course two main forms of abuse: Mental and Physical. There is no reason in the world for any man to ever strike a woman or talk down on her. I don’t give a fuck how long you’ve been together, how many children you have, or what he has to offer you (money, a car, a house etc). These things are not worth your life. Physical Abuse from a boyfriend/husband can lead you to a few places; Becoming a vegetable in a hospital, a paraplegic, among tons of other examples; and the worst, death. First, you need to be aware of the children (if you have any). Letting a child watch you be beaten and abused every day can make the child (preferably in this case, a son) grow up thinking that it is okay to strike a woman, and thus creating another version of his father. You also need to fear for the children’s safety; if he is abusing the woman, then it is a clear sign that he will most likely abuse the children also. Women need to realize that an abusive boyfriend even in their high-school years can lead to allowing themselves to be abused in their adult years/marriage, it is wrong, and it is not healthy. Another part of this is Mental Abuse, Mental abuse can come in many forms, but there are a few I will list. A man who constantly tells a woman she is worthless/ugly, tells her she is nothing without him, tells her that if she leaves him he will kill her, among other nasty things. Women are to be treated with respect, honesty, care, and love. Indeed there are women out there that disrespect themselves (example: sluts, prostitutes), and preferably do not deserve respect, but they DO NOT deserve to be abused (and again, I will say most prostitutes do end up dead in some alleyway or motel room.).Yes, being a man, sometimes women can be bitches and annoy the shit out of you, sometimes you’d really like to sock them in the face because they deserve it. But that does not mean you have to go do it. Try to cool down, take a walk, if you have anger problems, try to go to an anger management group. I come in contact with numerous women who are in an abusive relationship and refuse to get out of it because of a few reasons. Reasons like… 1. I really love him. You love a man who beats you senseless, calls you names, and makes you feel like shit? My dear, if you think this is love, then you have another thing to learn. 2. He is really hot. This is just pathetic and shows you are shallower then a puddle. This is a sorry excuse for your abusive boyfriend/husband, I pity you if you think like this. 3. He supports me and gives me money. This is another pathetic reason to stay with someone who abuses you. You can get a job and make money on your own to support yourself, you do not need his sorry ass. Plus there is probably another man out there who is going to treat you (and children, if any) ten times better. 4. The sex is really good. Yet another pathetic excuse to stick up for this asshole, Sex isn’t the only thing that is supposed to go well in a relationship. You also need communication, love, care, respect, and be free of any abuse. 5. He is a really good father. Even if he may be, It is still not right that he abuses you, you need to think of the children. Do you like your children seeing their father abuse their mother? 6. If I leave him, he will kill me. He may say this, but I doubt he will do anything if there are tons of police officers at your door evicting him for spousal abuse and sending him to jail. Call the police or visit the police station while he is at work or out for a long period of time, take pictures of your bruises, cuts, etc and show them to the first officer you come in contact with and they can take it from there. If you have children, make sure they are in a safe place. My final words to conclude Abusive Boyfriends/Husbands, and this is to the women who are still in relationships with men like this. Please rethink this and leave him, any man who hits you once and you allow it, is bound to do it more and more as time passes until he eventually severely injures you or kills you. You are worth more then that and deserve more then that.
topic: Life
[reply] [21 comments]

Sex, Drugs, And One Screwed Up Generation	June 30, 2007, 1:36AM
by: Frozen_Within_Flame
The rage of drugs has gotten out of hand. Teenagers, 13, 14, 15 whatever, smoking crack, addicted to cocaine, or injecting heroin into their arms. ARE YOU STUPID?! Or perhaps your mom just dropped you on your head to many times when you where a baby? Do you realize how much it screw over your life? I didn't think so. "Oh, I can stop at any time" WRONG! No matter what you think you can do, does not mean your body will let you. You'll wake up in the middle of the night in a rage trying to get a fix. "I only do drugs to feel good." Again, you're stupid as hell. Ok, you will feel good until you’re high comes down. Then, you will most likely feel like shit. Then, you need another fix, have fun with addiction. "You don't know what you're talking about." Once again, wrong....I've done it, but I realized how stupid it was and got out, now I can laugh at you people thinking its cool and making your entire lives revolve around them. I've been to addiction and back so I don't want to hear your bullshit about me not knowing what I'm talking about. Did you ever come to think that maybe some day your parents will get fed up with supporting you and kick you out? Its not illegal to after you turn 18 and then you're pretty much screwed aren't you? There is also a think called drug tests that employers sometimes make you take and if you can't pass one, you can't get a job, and then you rot on the streets. I have absolutely NO respect for drugs addicts as you can tell. How are you going to feel when eventually it comes down to stealing to pay for your addiction and get caught, and go to jail. Then when you get released, you'll find that no one wants to be around you other than low lifes. Your chance of getting a good paying job are dead, same with actually having a comfortable life. Have fun begging in the gutters! This generation is basically fucked up the ass. Its cute to look at all the little sluts in 6th grade. Fucking more than rabbits do, thinking they are in love. HAHAHA, you're so stupid..... Then they get knocked up and don't know who the father is because they've had sex with more people then their age. They don't care, mommy and daddy will take care of the baby while they're out fucking some more. How do you think you're child’s going to feel knowing their mommy was a whore? They will grow up just like their mother and continue to breed more whores, no matter if they are a guy or a girl. There are also no morals in kids today. Their parents babied them, and grew them up to be snobby bitches who think they're better then every one else. They also have no desire to work, but rather let mom and dad buy them everything and live in their house until they are 30. Sad thing is they don't even appreciate it, they say their parents suck and wish they would die. Are you that selfish that you would condemn your parents when they've done so much for you? You wouldn’t be here if it wasn't for them! Oh, they wouldn't let you go to some party all night, its because they are about you! You may think you are invincible but they are older and have experience in the matter. Listen for once and stop being so god damn selfish and maybe this world will have a better chance at not collapsing in on itself.
topic: Rants
[reply] [33 comments]

An Interview With Tom Shear (Assemblage 23)	June 18, 2007, 8:19PM
by: AnGeLiS
With a new album released at the end of April, Tom Shear is one very busy man. He has, however, managed to spare some time to give The Electronic and Dark Starlings an interview. So, just what makes the genius behind Assemblage 23 tick.. Angel: It's been almost three years since your last full release - 2004's "Storm". What have you been doing since? Tom Shear: Well, let's see... We toured Europe and the US, we played in South Africa for the first time, did some dates in Canada, I got married, wrote and released the Nerve Filter album, put out two other bands on my label, 23db, did a bunch of remixes, and wrote and recorded "Meta". Angel: Your new single, "Binary", was released on March 20th and the album, "Meta", followed on April 24th. Have you approached creating this album in a different way to previous releases and have you been influenced by your recent work with Nerve Filter at all? Tom Shear: Yeah, I wanted to branch out a bit and explore some areas I hadn’t really gone into before, just to mix things up. I think Nerve Filter definitely did influence it a bit, but more from a studio and recording standpoint than musically probably. At any rate, it definitely provided a much-needed ‘palate-cleanser’ for me musically so I could approach A23 from a new perspective. Angel: Nerve Filter actually had material published before Assemblage 23. Was it intentional to push forward more with A23 or is this just how things worked out? Tom Shear: Well, Nerve Filter was always a side-project. A23 had been around for probably 4 or 5 years before I did anything with Nerve Filter, it just happened that Nerve Filter got material released first. But A23 got material released not long thereafter and got a much wider response and just sort of took off from there. Angel: Are you a "trained" musician, for lack of a better term? What instruments are you able to play, how long have you been playing them and are you self-taught? Tom Shear: No, I’m self-taught. Aside from keyboards, I’ve started playing bass guitar again after not playing for about 15 years. I actually play it on ‘Madman’s Dream’ on the new album. I used to be able to play very basic drums, but I haven’t done that in a really long time and am sure what meager skills I used to have are completely gone now. It does help with drum programming, though, to understand the sort of ‘how and why’ of how a real drummer thinks and constructs rhythms. Angel: You used to be uncomfortable with singing. What gave you the confidence to add vocals to your work? Tom Shear: It wasn’t so much confidence as it was pure necessity. I wanted my project to have vocals, but I didn’t know anyone else in the area I lived who was into the same kind of music I was, so I just decided to step up to the plate and do it myself. Angel: What gear and software do you use, both for recording and playing live? Tom Shear: Too much to mention! There’s actually a dedicated ‘studio’ area on the website that details this stuff for the people interested in the specifics, but the center of my studio is a Mac Dual G5 running Logic Pro 7. For the live stuff, we run backing tracks off of minidisc, the drummer uses Roland drum pads to trigger an Alesis drum unit, and the keyboarder usually uses an Access Virus C triggered from a controller keyboard. Angel: Do you have a favourite song to play live? Tom Shear: We all really enjoy ‘Complacent’ for some reason. Angel: Do you have one particular song that you are especially pleased with or feel marks a peak in your creativity for the respective album? Tom Shear: Not really. I like them all for different reasons, I’m fairly picky about what makes it onto an album, so chances are if it makes it on the album, it is something I am really pleased with. Angel: Do you have a favourite of all the albums you've created? What is your personal favourite album of all time? Tom Shear: My favorite usually is whichever album is the newest because we haven’t played the songs live 500 times, so I am much less sick of the songs. Haha. Angel: Where do you see yourself musically in 15 years? Tom Shear: I don’t know. It would be great if I could sustain A23 for that long, but I also know that realistically speaking, bands’ music careers very rarely last that long. But I would still like to make my living doing music, so perhaps doing soundtrack work, or commercial and video game music. This is something I am starting to explore a bit. Angel: Who, if anyone, in the early EBM and Industrial scene was an influence on you? Tom Shear: They’re not all strictly EBM or Industrial, but Fad Gadget, the first 2 Human League albums, Depeche Mode, Front 242, and Nitzer Ebb all made a very big impact on me in the early days. Angel: On your way to "success", were there any other artists who gave you any choice pieces of advice that helped you along? Tom Shear: Not really advice, per se, but I remember one of our first shows was opening for Covenant and I was struck by how completely friendly and unpretentious they were to us. And even as they have become more successful, they’ve always seemed to keep their heads and not develop massive egos. I really liked seeing that, because so often, you meet bands whose work you like and get completely turned off because they turn out to be egotistical assholes. This scene is too small for ‘rock stars’. Angel: What is your opinion of the genre and scene now? Tom Shear: To be honest, I don’t really follow it like I used to. There just isn’t much out there these days that really gets me excited. I think perhaps the band and label end of the scene has grown bigger than the realistic fanbase for this kind of music, and as a result, there are a lot more bands out there, but it is also a lot harder to find the real quality stuff than it used to be. Then again, when you do find a gem, that makes it all the more special! Angel: What have you been listening to lately? Has any other artist in the EBM/Industrial genre caught your eye (or ear) lately? Tom Shear: Not really. That sounds so elitist to say, which isn’t my intention at all, but I’m just not hearing much stuff with it’s own unique sound to it as I used to. I think Daniel Myer continues to do really interesting stuff which I really enjoy, but for the most part, I find myself listening to electronic stuff in genres outside our scene. I’ve been getting into the British dubstep scene quite a bit with bands like Vex’d and Burial… There’s a guy called Boxcutter who mixes IDM and dubstep stuff in a really interesting way. Lately I have been getting into some of the electro-house stuff like John Tejada or Erlend Oye. I really loved the last Junkie XL album too. Really cool mix of electronic dance with postpunk influences. Angel: Have you ever considered working with other established figures in a setting other than a "VS." album and if so, who? Tom Shear: Nah. I’m not really one for collaboration for the most part. I am way too stubborn. haha Angel: How do you feel about the various remixes that other artists have composed from your songs? Do you have a favourite? Tom Shear: Yes! My favorite is definitely the remix Red Sparrow did of ‘King of Insects’! He did a brilliant job with it and took the track to a whole different level. He seems to have dropped off the radar a bit, though, so I don’t know if he is still doing music or not. I hope he is, though, as I think his stuff is great! Angel: Do you have a few words of advice you can give to those of us considering starting out, whom don't have the experience you have when it comes to making music and getting into the "business"? Tom Shear: Set your expectations low, and you won’t be disappointed. Haha. Seriously, a lot of people have sort of grand visions of how big the scene is or how successful bands are, but the truth is this scene is tiny and even the top selling acts would be kicked off a major label for the types of sales they have. Probably 90% of the bands have day jobs, actually. So do the music because it is something you enjoy and are passionate about. It should be fun first and foremost. If you’re lucky, the rest will follow. If, on the other hand, you just want to make a lot of money and be famous, I’d suggest trying a different genre. Angel: Throwing in a completely random and unrelated question or two now. Which came first; the chicken or the egg? Tom Shear: Bacon! Angel: If you could be any animal in the entire world, what animal would you be? Tom Shear: I’m happy being a human, really. The whole ‘eating off the ground and licking your own butt’ thing really just doesn’t sound all that appealing to me. Angel: All joking aside, you're often placed into the "futurepop" genre - though I've only ever considered that to be a term to stroke the egos of VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk, respectively. Be that as it may, the term's become widely accepted. How would you define your music, personally? Tom Shear: Yeah, I have always hated that term. I think it was just a marketing thing, but ironically, I think more people identify that genre with all the clone bands more than the big players anymore. It’s sort of become a four letter word. But people can categorize my music however they want. Hell, call me country and western for all I care! I’d rather just keep making music and let the fans and journalists decide what to call it. Angel: One of our members wishes to know how you came up with the lyrics for "Lullaby". That particular song has helped her a fair deal, inspiring her to just let rough times slide from her shoulders. I know many who would agree with her. Could you give us some sort of insight as to where the idea for the song came from, or what you were trying to achieve with it? ( I know you dislike explaining the meaning behind your songs, so please ignore the quesion if you'd prefer) Tom Shear: Well, I wrote it at a time in my life when I had just met the woman who would become my wife, and my sister had a child, so I became an uncle for the first time. I guess I just found myself in a place where I suddenly had these people in my life that I cared for deeply and felt somewhat protective of. Not that I didn’t have that already, but not on the level of the way I felt about my wife and my niece. Angel: Thank you very much for your time, Tom. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Tom Shear: Thanks for the interview and thanks to all the fans! Your support means more than you can imagine! ------ Assemblage 23's latest release, "Meta", is currently out on Metropolis Records.
topic: Music Reviews
[reply] [9 comments]

New Goth VS. Old Goth.	June 18, 2007, 2:23PM
by: Insane
Hello, I feel this needs to be adressed, for people are getting the wrong impression on the "Gothic Culture" and leading it to be something a bit different from what it actually is, Most of this was written by "Adrya Stinbridge" I got it from a text book so alot i had to write myself for it wasn't in these exact words, considering the book was like Romeo and Juliet with there odd way of saying things, so here read, enjoy, and try and understand. Gothic. The word triggers different and sometimes passionate responses from many people, including those within the community and those who look on from the outside. What exactly does gothic mean? Who are Goths, and what do they believe? How long has Goth been around, and what is its future? The word “gothic” was first used to identify a group of European tribes from ancient history. Goths are commonly believed to have originated from the Island of Gottland off the Denmark coast. Over time the tribes grew numerous and powerful enough to sack sacked the great Roman Empire in 410, and they ruled Europe for 250 years before slowly fading into ancient history. It is important to know where the word “gothic” comes from, however there is a notable difference between ancient Gothic culture and the modern gothic phenomenon. Goths of ancient history were a nomadic people who had a reputation for ruthless violence. Ancient Goths were also a religious people; their beliefs were based around worship of pagan deities. Today, “gothic” is used to describe a subculture based largely on a certain style of art, literature, and music. Some forms of gothic art and literature date back to the 12th –15th centuries, however gothic music as we know it today is a relatively new development and is responsible for having the greatest impact on the development of gothic subculture. Modern goths differ from ancient Goths in that they are not part of a dominant culture; they are a part of a subculture. Where ancient Goths had a set religious system, modern gothic subculture is not linked to any particular religion. There are some pagan goths, however many more goths are Christian, Jewish, Catholic, or Aethiest. Modern goths tend to be varied on their social and political views as well. The glue which holds the gothic community together is an affinity for the macabre, a longing for romance, and an appreciation of darker aesthetics. Historians of modern gothic subculture generally agree that its beginnings were in the late nineteen-seventies, developing as an offshoot of the punk rock movement in the UK and USA. Before we look at gothic subculture it is noteworthy to briefly examine what punk is and how it came about. Essentially punk grew out of dissatisfaction with popular music of the 1970’s although many saw it as a viable means of political and/or social rebellion. Mainstream culture of the 70’s was consumed with over-produced, under-motivated rock-n-roll and cheap, uninspired dance music. A war still quietly raged in the steamy (and charred) forests of Vietnam and both America and Britain were in the midst of economic depression. It was from this social and political climate that punk rock grew into angry fruition. While punk wasn’t exactly a new concept (MC5 in the late 60’s are generally recognized as an important and highly regarded “pre-punk” band), it didn’t catch on until the late 70’s. First-wave bands like the Ramones, Stooges and the Sex Pistols spawned new bands formed by awestruck concertgoers who knew something big was happening. Mainstream society took notice of punk’s anti-social and rebellious deeds and became somewhat nervous considering the social upheaval it underwent a decade before. Radio stations wouldn’t play punk, clubs won’t have punk shows, and police targeted punk fans whenever the opportunity presented itself. Punk was raw and full of feeling. People who lived near a scene heard about it through word of mouth or fanzine. Many others never knew about punk until years after the first wave had long passed. Punk gained momentum without the help of the Internet, music videos or mainstream radio exposure. It was underground and punks demanded it stay that way. By the late seventies the second wave of punk began. By then most in the younger generation had at least heard about if not experienced punk first hand. New fans were coming into the scene and new bands were being formed at a rapid rate. With new bands came new sounds and styles, some of which branched off of or built on commonplace 3-chord song structures. Industrial music saw its beginnings in the late seventies with the likes of Throbbing Gristle. Kraftwerk and pre-Dare The Human League paved the way for later a genre, which was broadly referred to as new-wave. A new four piece punk band from Manchester, England called Warsaw appeared in 1977. Like many of their counterparts they didn’t play very well, however there was energy behind the group’s sound, which was powerful and unique. The band’s style subdued over the months and the members soon renamed themselves Joy Division. The name was controversial due to the reference to Nazi Germany forced brothels, however the band members themselves denied any association with national-socialist beliefs, nor did they espouse racism in their lyrics. What were evoked in Ian Curtis’ lyrics were feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and despair. The group’s music shifted from angry 3-chord punk to subdued 3-chord punk, and then to something altogether new and even more somber. It was this new sound which caused Joy Division’s manager at the time, Anthony H. Wilson, to refer to them as gothic. Another band which began as a straightforward punk outfit then gradually changed it’s sound into a darker version of punk was Siouxsie and the Banshees. They, along with Andi Sex of the Sex Gang Children were also referred to as being gothic. UK Decay and Bauhaus were in their development stages and both had a remarkably dark, brooding punk-ish sound. While some early bands were tagged gothic by their peers, bands and fans didn’t universally adhere to this label. In fact early ‘gothic’ music was commonly referred to as deathrock. Deathrock had a decidedly punk-influenced sound as opposed to what became known as gothic many years later. In America, particularly the west coast, deathrock grew independently from the British scene. Early US pioneers were the Misfits, 45 Grave and Christian Death (years after the band broke up the founding member Rozz Williams revealed that this was a play on the popular western culture icon Christian Dior – it wasn’t necessarily a religious statement). In Britain the deathrock scene centered and flourished around a small club called the Batcave. It was here that bands like Bauhaus, Alien Sex Fiend, the Sisters of Mercy, and many more got their start. The Batcave scene is still highly regarded as an integral piece of the modern gothic puzzle. By the mid to late 80’s deathrock had stepped a little further away from its punk roots. While death rockers continued to oppose to mainstream western culture and commercialism, deathrock music and style began to change slightly. Heavier use of keyboards and drum machines ushered in an entire new group of fans. Gradually the scene goers began referring to themselves and the music they enjoyed as gothic. Gothic music, like deathrock, was typically somber and somewhat dark. Songwriters used a wide range of instruments although the most common were guitar, bass, drums (or drum machine), and keyboard. Songs were often written and played in slower tempos, and musically dark modes such as Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian were commonplace. As opposed to heavy metal and more common forms of rock-n-roll, gothic musicians rarely used extended solos, wah pedals, flangers, or double-kick drums. Lyrically, gothic music has its roots in gothic literature. Themes of death, solitude, and romance were common. Gothic lyricists tended to stay away from overt political messages although many did so subtly. Punk lyrics were characteristically singsong with widespread profanity and heavy social or political themes; lyrics found in gothic music placed much consideration on art and style; profanity and slang were not often used. Styles of gothic music ranged from the light and dreamy to dark and nightmarish. While some bands had limited commercial success (The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees) most remained hidden from the eye of mainstream culture. For the most part however gothic/deathrock music was not easily accessible to the general public – both in terms of the style and sound of the music and the availability of the music. Gothic fans were ever careful to keep pop culture out of their scene; in fact most would answer “no” if asked whether they were indeed gothic by outsiders. Like punk, gothic subculture retained its distrust and contempt of the mainstream. Goths wished to be left alone, however the unique and interesting qualities of the subculture would soon prove to be too much for the mainstream to ignore. In the early 90’s neo-industrial bands like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails began enjoying popular success on commercial radio and MTV. While many Goths listened to these bands, few considered them gothic. Fewer saw what was beginning to happen: the subculture that they enjoyed so greatly was slowly becoming ridden with in influx of fans raised on neo-industrial and dark metal. As NIN and similar bands had more commercial success, the media began (incorrectly) calling their music and fans “gothic”. Around the same time corporate music labels began a heavy push of what they labeled “alternative” music. NIN fit nicely with this scheme because their music was commercially viable; people who had never heard industrial music could buy Closer and immediately identify as a “gothic industrial” – despite the fact that NIN were hardly a serious industrial band. Younger people were fascinated by goth’s dark look and dark sounds, however few understood the difference between what Goths considered gothic and what music corporations & MTV were calling gothic. NIN was just the beginning of a commercial siege on the subculture. About the same time NIN were striking gold in the charts, a little known and quite plain appearing music editor by the name of Brian Warner saw the shift in pop music and felt the time was right to pursue a career in the industry as a performer. He assembled a few musicians from the Florida area (the Spooky Kids) and adopted a stage name of Marilyn Manson. It would be his best decision ever. Warner’s music was never well received in the gothic community simply because it was not. The Spooky Kids worked in a style that is best-described hard rock or metal, and Warner’s lyrics were sometimes crass, and often based in hatred. His band covered and released a song originally written by Charles Manson, a murderer and man who claimed to be Jesus Christ. Goths did often write about the macabre, however it was somberly done in the vein of Romanticism. Brian Warner’s lyrics were profane and thrived on anger, alienation, conflict and hatred. The driving force behind Marilyn Manson sought to incite and shock, whereas Goths sought to create art and desired to be left alone. Manson’s art was hate; the art behind gothic subculture was beauty and romance. The importance of distinguishing the difference between Warner’s project and a typical gothic band is great. By the mid-nineties Manson fired the Spooky Kids and signed a major label record deal. His name soon appeared in newspapers and on various television and radio talk shows across America. To the dismay of many in the gothic community, he was often incorrectly labeled by his fans and the media as "goth". The irony here is that Goths did not like Manson, and most of the fans that followed Manson were unaware of what gothic music really was. As Manson became ever more popular due to MTV exposure and his obnoxious comments offered in interviews, his fan base grew substantially. Other groups began appearing that imitated Marilyn Manson. An entire new subculture was developing based around Brian Warner, yet the media could not see the difference between it and gothic subculture. It was the same to them either way – despite gothic fans becoming increasingly opposed to Manson’s music and following. Attendance at gothic clubs around the world steadily declined in the mid to late 90’s. Since the popularity of Nine Inch Nails and later false-gothic groups the people who weren’t really into goth jumped on the Industrial or Shock Rock bandwagon. Other active scene goers eventually found jobs and families and were no longer able to remain active in the scene. Those who did stay in the scene noticed a further shift in the direction of gothic music. DJ’s who worked at gothic clubs began incorporating more EBM, neo-industrial, and dark techno into their playlists. While this was desirable to those who continued to go to the clubs to dance, many in the scene quietly stopped going as a result. Fetishism became increasingly linked to the gothic subculture due to “documentaries” written by MTV and other outsiders. After Columbine, many wrongly associated the gothic community with violence. The two teens that committed the atrocities, the “Trenchcoat Mafia” as they were called, were in fact not into gothic music – they enjoyed metal and some industrial bands but neither were part of their local gothic scene. Out of all of the negativity and apathy some very good bands emerged in the mid to late 90’s. Bands such as the Changelings, Faith and the Muse, and the Cruxshadows continued to provide new and quality gothic music for the fans who remained. A new band began to attract the attention of some disinterested music fans in the late 90’s, however this group went out of their way to disassociate themselves from the gothic scene. Cinema Strange saw the writing on the wall for gothic subculture early on and avoided trying to gain acceptance altogether (http://www.angelfire.com/goth/eckearchive/zillo.htm ). CS headed a new movement that has been called “newgrave” but is most commonly known as deathrock to fans who know. Their music harkens back to the Batcave days where ripped fishnets and punk-influenced dark-rock ruled the day. What makes Cinema Strange so unique is that they are bringing new life to a forgotten genre. And fans all across the world are responding. Deathrock scenes have sprouted in California, New York, and Germany. More are sure to emerge in the coming years. The new breed of deathrockers is returning to their roots; no more shiny boots of leather, no whips and chains, no computerized karaoke-industrial, no more scene pretension. From the Ghoul School’s website (a club in West Hollywood): We are sick of going to goth clubs and only being able to hear Trance, Techno, Synthpop, and Repetitive beats. This is not a latex titty fetish club - finally a real refuge for goths and death punks. What is old is new again, and it’s looking even better the second time around.
topic: Essays
[reply] [55 comments]

Suicide and Self-Mutilation...It's all the Rage!	June 13, 2007, 5:36PM
by: Der_Todesengel
Self-Mutilation and Suicide…It’s all the Rage! By: Malakai 6/13/07 These topics are yet another thing that pisses me off about the younger population of the world, and it the person can be over 18 also, I’ve seen some pretty immature adults. Especially the “kinds of people” who I run into because of my interests of being a part an alternative subculture. These two things are reasons (among others) are why I have my little motto; “Just because you have a similar style of dress/taste of music doesn’t mean I will talk to you. Just because our style of dress/taste in music differs, doesn’t mean I will not talk to you.” But with these two things, they can come with pretty much anyone you come in contact with, and I make sure to watch out if a person I speak to is showing any of these and I will break contact with them immediately. So the first thing is Suicide. Suicide has become a trend. Suicide if committed by anyone is a selfish and useless act. I do not feel any sympathy for a person who commits suicide, regardless if they’re close to me or not. People (mostly nowadays teenagers of both sexes) do not think of life when they are gone or the consequences that it will have on their family and friends, which can be a big burden on their parents and send some of not all of their family into psychological counseling. Another thing that annoys me is; People that brag about suicide to get attention. These people you know aren’t serious at all. I find it annoying to see that people are willing to kill themselves over such stupid shit. Just some of the blogs and profiles I’ve read are just unbelievable. Just because that boy/girl doesn’t like you, your boyfriend/girlfriend had a fight with you, you can’t get those awesome shoes at the store, or your parents don’t buy you everything you want; isn’t a reason to kill yourself. There is really no real reason to take your own life. I will further say that killing yourself over a relationship, I will laugh in your face. There are plenty of fish in the sea, as they say, and killing yourself over someone is the dumbest thing you can do. Especially if they’re between the ages of 15 to 18, you haven’t even experienced life yet! There are tons of people you will meet over a lifetime, and with that you will have your few people who do fuck you over, but that’s life. There will be one person you will find that will take your breath away. Your teen years are years you will soon forget and go on to your adult life. With the mentality of people these days, chances are that when you break up with someone or someone fucks you over, you will find a new person to like in about a week to a month. What I also realize is that people are killing themselves over petty shit in high school. Being a member of CrimeLibrary.com, I read about this a lot happening all over the world. If the “different, weird” person doesn’t shoot up the school, they’re slitting their wrists or hanging from a tree in their backyard. Yeah, high school is a bitch, but if you want to get a good education and go to college and do something with your life, then you have to stick it out, and deal with it. High school is only four years long, so you have to learn for those four years, and then you will be free to do whatever you please with your life, if you plan to do anything with it, that is. People fear what they do not understand, and that is true with everything different in the world that isn’t the social norm. Be proud you’re different, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Now for; Self-Mutilation Now of course I know I will have tons of people giving me reasons why they cut or self-mutilate and why it’s okay to do, or why they do it. Don’t waste your breath, it’s not going to change my mind. Cutters and self-mutilators, what can I say about them. I can say that I fucking dislike people like that. There is no real reason to cut or mutilate yourself. This is common in the younger world these days (but and again, I’ve known some pretty immature adults). With all the whiney, angst-ridden shit that they call music, that it is okay to do that to yourself. Some people, well, pretty much all people do it for attention. You can tell who is an attention-seeker-cutter if they cut themselves all over their wrists and visible body areas, just so people ask questions and they can flaunt their “pain”. There have also been countless people of both sexes that have posted pictures of their cuts/self-mutilation all over the Internet, MySpace or other community profile web site or blog. In my opinion is the stupidest way of getting some positive attention, and the only attention you’d get from me or any other sane-minded person by doing that shit would be negative. Another thing that annoys me is the kind of people who actually flaunt or show great appreciation that they cut/mutilate themselves, this is just ridiculous. Cutting or self-mutilation can also lead to permanently harming yourself. First off, scarring/burns/punctures, and scar tissue can do a number on your appearance. If you mutilate so much, you can damage the nerves in that part of parts of your body and lose feeling or have a permanent “tingling sensation” in that part of your body, or lose all feeling for that part entirely. Self-Mutilation is indeed a psychological issue and if you have this problem, you should get professional help. I’ve asked people the reasons why they cut or self-mutilate and these are some of the answers I’ve gotten; 1. “I cut myself because it helps me cope with the pain.” My Comment What pain could you possibly be facing that would cause you to self-mutilate yourself? If anything you are causing yourself more pain then whatever-it-is you’re cutting because of. Mental pain indeed can be more painful then physical pain, I assure you, but that is no reason to mutilate yourself. 2. “I self-mutilate because I hate how I look.” My Comment This is just being totally hypocritical of the situation and is also quite amusing at the same time. You say you hate how you look, but yet you want to fuck yourself up more so you can look like a doctor had a field day on your body doing an operation? Just because you think you’re fat doesn’t mean you have to hack yourself up, it makes you ten times more unattractive in more ways then one. Trust me. 3. “I like how it feels and/or I like blood.” My Comment Well just because you like blood doesn’t mean you have to mutilate yourself just so you can see it. The liking the look or feel of blood is actually a mental condition. As for liking how it feels, you’ve got way to much time on your hands, and/or you need to get a life if all you do is sit around and cut yourself. Loser. 4. “I cut myself because I want people to see my pain.” My Comment (When I first heard the person I asked whom told me this one, I laughed so hard I fell on the floor and cried I was laughing so hard.) Attention-seeker. Period. 5. “I do it because everyone else is doing it.” My Comment (Okay, I made that last one up…but with some of the people these days, you’ll hear anything.)
topic: Life
[reply] [26 comments]

The reason to live: sister	June 12, 2007, 4:43PM
by: DeathNoble
Nicki, a former Hooters girl and recently a cover girl model for SaltLife. There are no memories that date back to a time when my sister was not a part of my life. A close childhood friend from the days when times were still good and innocence gave false promises of a happy life. The days when we grew up and realized exactly the kind of darkness that could be injected into us as fate chewed us up and spit us out, which is what has made us as close as we are now. Today, she is an immaculate freelance model with a dream of one day becoming a cosmetologist with her own salon. Perhaps the earliest memory I have of Nicki is over a decade ago, a day at church when I split my pants. Nicki’s mother, unable to reach mine by phone, took me in her car and drove me to their house, where I was to borrow a pair of pants from her daughter and wear them back to church. I, a humiliated and overweight five year old with a new pair of backless chaps around my waist, walked in the door and was overwhelmed with glee to see the owner of the pants I was to borrow, a complete tomboy watching cartoons on the floor in the living room of the oversized house. You know you’re somebody’s friend when you’re wearing their pants, so play-dates were made by parental units for multiple play-dates after that day. Indeed, the happiest memory I have of childhood is the day when we were in my room, playing Power Rangers, with Transformers, when Nicki suddenly asked me if I had a crush on her. Despite her tomboy appearance, Nicki came into this world with a supermodel’s good looks, and so I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I did. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and told me that she had a crush on me, too. But this elementary, childhood relationship didn’t last long, as none seem to make it to the top of the next hour. It wasn’t too long before the old days, which contained these happy memories withered away, leaving two hurting teenagers with the scars of life’s rough spots in plain view for everyone to see. Our age had doubled in numbers, and I was twelve. With the age comes an onslaught of new emotions, feelings, experiences, and so forth. Puberty and a few other forces, some actually physical, were beating me with a relentless anger I couldn’t understand. A whole new individual rose from the ashes of the happy, short, nerdy fat kid that everyone had grown accustomed to. I hated everyone and everything, because everything was telling me who and what to be, and everyone didn’t care in the least. I am not ashamed to admit that I sunk further and further into depression. At the mere accursed age of twelve, thoughts of ending all the pain inside me were already brewing. What did anyone care? I would just be another statistic to them. So I open the drawer and move papers aside, hunting for that Swiss army knife that every dad gives their son at perhaps too young of an age. Before I even found it, the phone rang. It was Nicki, and she just wanted to call to see how I was doing because it had been a while since we talked. To someone who’s suicidal, just a single person that cares enough to make a phone call can mean the world to you. If she hadn’t called right then and there, I might not be around anymore. She saved my life. She saved me from myself. But this damn world is governed by Alchemy’s first law of equivalent exchange. Humankind cannot gain anything without giving up something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must first be lost… I was in the hospital three years later when my sister’s boyfriend at the time died. He asphyxiated after eating something he was allergic to. His windpipe closed up and the paramedics never got there in time. While she went to the funeral of the one she loved, her little brother was fighting to keep his limb intact on a hospital bed. You wouldn’t believe the bond two people can share when they have so much pain welled up inside them. We’re both better now, but we each have our days when things get tough. But we have each other and that makes everything better. I’m graduating from high school pretty soon and going on to college to pursue a degree in web design and development thanks to Master Eon’s inspiration. Nicki will be moving away in a month or two to Tallahassee to go to one of Florida’s most prestigious beauty schools. It’s going to be hard on us, but it’s only nine months and then she’ll be back. Besides, you never fall out of touch with family. Nicki’s impacted my life, because in a lot of ways, she is my life.
topic: Essays
[reply] [1 comment]

Update Roundup	June 9, 2007, 10:56PM
by: eon
I've done a number of little updates which I'll list here. 1. Group Applications. Now when your group is set to require applications from new members, there will be a comment box where applicants can let you know why they want to join. Go to the 'Manage Member' page for your group and look at the top of the menu. Here, you can provide instructions that will be shown to all of your applicants so they'll know what you're looking for on their application. For instance, if your group was about books, you could ask them to list their favorite authors. 2. The group applicants who are waiting for your approval will be listed along with the first 250 characters of their application to make everything easier to browse. Each applicant will link to a special page where you can review their entire application, see their picture, link back to their profile, approve or deny the application, etc.. 3. Staff Threads in Groups. You now have the option of creating topics in your groups which will only be visible to Moderators and higher. This will make it easier for group leaders to conference in private, just check the 'Staff Only?' box when you create your new topic. A special symbol (yellow star) will appear next to staff threads on your forum lists. 4. Comment Private Profiles. Andromeda members who have set their profile to private may allow blocked visitors to leave a comment. To enable this feature go to: Control Panel -> Experience -> Profile Privacy Message Box Thanks, guys...
topic: Site News
[reply] [7 comments]

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