Year Archive for 2008
TOKYO DARK CASTLE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: JAPANESE GOTH FETISH PERFORMANCE SHOW.
You know you’re jaded when a fetish/bondage/bloodplay show causes you to yawn uncontrollably. My Halloween hangover began yesterday with a Tokyo Dark Castle special, dramatically titled “Operetta of the Darkness.” Genet (event organizer and Auto-Mod frontman) pulled out all the fetish-grotesque stops. A Victorian magician dragged out a undead drag maid and made him vanish. Genet was forcefully bound in a straightjacket and plopped in a creaky wheelchair to be dissected by a drag nurse. I took photos of the first half (above): perverse slapstick with Lolitas and clowns, collared slaves waving their arm around, Taizo biting a half-naked girl and spewing blood. Bla bla bla.
The music was unexceptional and the crowd was a downer: strange older guys in normal clothes who came to gawk at a freakshow. During a set change, DJ Chihiro (looking spiffy as Captain Jack Sparrow) spun his “Fi-AHHH” song, and the audience stood stock still, unsure where to look and what to do. ‘Twas time to make a graceful exit… and a video blog.
I forgot to mention a side benefit of buying Japanese brands – you never need to hem the pants!
Veil: fishnet material from Tokyu Hands
Bracelet: handmade with beads and Daiso cell phone charms
Cut-up top: from my Black Peace Now DIY project
“Skirt-pants”: $34, vintage Peace Now from Closet Child Shinjuku
Shoes: Leche by Yosuke, $80 from Marui Young Shinjuku.
The rest of the night consisted of purikura (sticker pictures) and scandalous gossip, which are always fun. We really came to see our friend perform at Dark Castle; I filmed two videos of the horrorshow, which you can watch on my YouTube channel. Basil Farrow’s also on there!
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THE FASHION RAMONE: ELECTRO TOKYO HALLOWEEN HORROR COSTUME PARTY, JAPAN.
Ronan (Basil’s father) asked me to help him brainstorm a Halloween costume, and the conversation that ensued nearly destroyed my soul. One by one, he rejected my august suggestions:
“I’d only do things that don’t obstruct my looks…. I’m okay with being an archetype… If I could find a pair of angel wings to throw on that didn’t look too gay, I’d do that too… Is eyeliner enough to be a zombie?”
My heart, my heart! Every year, I celebrate Halloween until I’m half blind – so to throw on cat ears or vampire teeth and call it a day is… akin to pairing an Angelic Pretty blouse with jeans. Speak to me of existential horrors, not gimmicks monsters!
The Fashion Ramone understands. Party name? “Horror Vacui.” Dress code? “To expose the suicidal monster We have created inside.” At Tokyu Hands, I bought a meter of fishnet, laundry clips, and metal nails. At Loft, I picked up a stuffed duck. On October 31st, I “filled the long emptiness and doleful totality with impressions of the sinister mortal coil.”
The venue: Trump Room in Shibuya. Rococo, Baroque, gold foil, leopard print, deer heads, walls of mirrors, and black balloons all over the floor.
The scene: yarimanchin and ninja DJs.
This girl imitated a Japanese comedienne down to the mole and flouncy poses.
The music: a jilting mix. Some good (minimal electronik, Italo disco, electro), some bad (to accompany the “tumult of vengeance, humiliation, and redemption,” perhaps? )
Without fail, drunk Japanese businessmen will approach and insist on taking photos, V-fingers raised.
Le sigh. What did you do for Halloween, and how did you dress? It’s not over for me… I still have Tokyo Dark Castle and Club Cemetery on my agenda this weekend!
LA CARMINA
