Friday October 29, 2004

7:30 am- I wake up feeling excited. It’s the start of one of my favorite times of the year—Halloween! After my day at work, the partying shall begin. There’s nothing like getting dressed up and being silly for an entire weekend. But wait a sec, why wait until work is out?

8:15 am- I rifle through my closet and produce one of my favorite gothic dresses. It’s a long black velvet number. Long sleeves, a corset-like bodice that clings to my form, and a long skirt. Perfect. I don my fishnets, sexy black heels, and wear my hair long, black and sleek. Finishing touch— a velvet bat choker. I look like I am ready for a date at Sanctuary with Lord Byron. But alas, I’m off to work at the office!

9:30am- I walk into work this morning armed with plenty of tasty goodie bags adorned with spider rings. My close friend is the only other person dressed up with a black fuzzy halo and a whip. Everyone stares at me and doesn’t quite know what to say. This strays far from my skirt suits and pristine white shirts.

2:00pm- My friend and I are having way too much fun with the whip. Naughty pictures are taken.

10:00pm- I arrive at Vatikan for Purgatory in the Four Days in Hell. It’s all decked out in spooky décor— yes, more than usual. Not many people are dressed up, but the Halloween spirit is definitely in the air. The wonderful Delica heats up the club and a cluster of people dance as I sit on the couch and watch the show.

12:00am- Head to Funhaus and check out the frolic along Queen. There are quite a few people in costume. There’s yelling and cheering and strange people handing out candy. It’s the only time of year that it’s actually ok to take candy from strangers. You gotta love it!

12:20am- Funhaus is pretty full. I sneak to the back room and hug my friend DJ Hanna and make a few requests. Everything is dark and spooky. The music is great and the next thing I know I’m on the dance floor bopping in front of a big screen flashing The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

1:00 am- A guy in a KISS mask comes up to me. I mean RIGHT up to me.
KISS boy: “You alone? I like you.”
Me: “What?”
KISS boy: “I’m tourist from Mexico. I want you.”
I say I’m really a man and go into the main room. He leaves me alone.

2:15 am- I start to put on my coat to leave when PWEI comes on.
I go and dance.
After the song I put on my coat as the DJ blabs about something. Then he starts to play Burn, by The Cure.
I drop my coat and dance.
Then NIN comes on…
Oh for Christ sake, I’m never leaving! I end up closing out the joint with a gaggle of hot, sweaty, costumed revelers.

3:30 am- Riding home in the cab scarfing down McDonald’s fries….mmmmm!

4:15am- Go to sleep to recharge for the big night on Saturday.

Saturday October 30th

9:00 am- I’m awake at this ungodly hour and can’t fall back asleep. I stumble out of bed and peer out the window. The fog is so think that I can barely see my own balcony. I love it. It feels like the quintessential Halloween morning—spooky, haunting, yet somehow it’s calming. I step out onto my balcony and am surprised at how warm it is. I look out towards Mount Pleasant Cemetery, but I can hardly see a thing in this foggy soup. It reminds me of Heathcliff walking the moors in Wuthering Heights. I breathe in the humid air and think this can’t get anymore perfect for us Halloween spirits.

7:30 pm- I dress in my costume—I’ve transformed myself from Darq Angel to Jeannie from that great 1960s classic, “I Dream of Jeannie”. It is the most un-Goth costume possible. But I’m a sucker for retro, and I’ve been a Jeannie fan all my life. I slip on the plastic pink shoes and cringe slightly at the thought of wearing plastic fushia slippers. But the whole get-up isn’t so bad. I’m pretty in pink!

7:35 pm- I realize what a pain in the ass cheap wigs are. I keep getting fake hair caught in my eyelashes and mouth.

8:30pm-11:15pm- I hold a pre-party at my house for a handful of Halloween merrymakers. We imbibe in beer, electric jello, and various nibbles in preparation for the night ahead. I have in my home at the exact same moment—a man in full-length latex, a priest, and Wednesday Addams. And Jeannie’s the host. It’s going to be a hell of a night.

11:45 pm- We arrive at Panic at the Funhaus. I’ve been going to DJ Lazarus’s Halloween retro party for five years now, back when it started at the Reverb. I get into the party mood instantly. I grab a beer and hit the dance floor. It’s filled with all sorts of great characters—skeletons, maids, The Count, punks, Jem, nuns, weird Siamese twins, Prince, you name it.
I meet up with other friends and we laugh and carry on like silly teenagers. My costume proves to be highly popular.
1:30 am- I snag 3rd prize in the costume contest, for the second year in a row. I tuck my $20.00 prize money safely in my Jeannie bra.

2:00 am- Last call. But thanks to a Halloween miracle, the clocks turn back one hour and the alcohol continued to flow freely. It’s 1:00 am again!

1:10 am- I grab another beer, finish it too quickly and begin hugging people and professing my love to all my friends.

2:30 am- The club is packed and I can barely move. But the music is just too damn good to pass up. I worm my way onto the dance floor and start flailing my blonde locks to This Corrosion. I’m sure Andrew Eldritch would be outraged at this pink bopping wonder.

3:15 am- I get the funniest one-liner of the night:
“So what do I rub to make my wishes come true?”

4:10 am- Panic is done. And I’m disappointed that it’s over. A handful of us hop in a cab and go to Mel’s for an early breakfast. The crowd in the restaurant is rowdy with costumed revelers and the service is painfully slow. I eat an unsavoury combination of onion rings and orange juice.

5:30 am- I am home. I peel off my costume, throw on my flannels and crawl into bed. The clock says 630 am. But I just don’t have the energy to change it. What a great night.

Sunday- HALLOWEEN!

10:00 am- What the hell am I doing up at this hour? I wish I could answer that for you, but alas, I cannot. Apparently my body refuses to sleep this Halloween weekend.

9:00 pm- Arrive at Vatikan and it’s filled with all sorts of great costumes! Nurses, ghouls and goblins! But tonight it’s all about dress-up. And what better way to do that then have a costume fashion show, from a snazzy scene designer- Minx Clothing. I have been recruited to model for Minx as a Harem Girl. Yes, I shall bare my belly once again!

10:00 pm- I make my way down to the bomb shelter that is the basement of Vatikan. I put on my outfit, adjust my head piece and take a look at the costumes around me. From the glorious colours to cyber-goth sleekness, Minx Clothing has a great variety of costumes and models. Michelle putters around, cool under pressure, making sure everyone looks perfect, has their props, and most importantly the energy to show it all off.

10:45 pm- I have the misfortune of starting first. Slightly nervous, strutting out in a bra and little else, I make my way down the ramp. Too bad I was never a belly dancer. But it’s fun!
Next are the fairies, Fire and Ice. Michelle’s new creations are full of stunning detail. Then it’s all about the 1980s: The Strawberry Shortcake gang, including Blueberry Muffin and the Purple Pie Man have a little fun on stage. Then Jane Jetson, Green Giant and L’il Sprout and She-Ra strut their stuff. Then fast-forward to the future: Neo and Trinity take the stage battling the Evil Twin shapeshifters from The Matrix..

11:15 pm- The show is over and the reception was a good one. Everyone got a kick out of the costumes and the fun we were all having on stage. Next stop- photos! We’re having our pictures taken outside. I try my best to look exotic. Instead I’m shivering and I’m covered in goosebumps.

11:45 pm- I’ve changed into my Jeannie costume once again, and I realized just how much it does cover in comparison to my Harem outfit. I watch Perdition play as three girls gyrate and thrown around fake blood in the background. It’s debauchery! And the boys in the crowd seem to like it.

1:30 am- Arrive at Funhaus to round out the night. Michelle and I kick back, have a beer and watch the ten or so people dancing. One happened to be Super Dave Osbourne. Watching him was one hell of a way to finish off the night!

Now what the hell am I going to be next year?

Hope your Halloween was just as spooky and fun!

email Darq Angel

>> read Darq Angel's "Adventures in Gothic Clubland" columns

diary posted November 6th 2004