When Columbine happened back in high school, one of my best friends was a lanky goth kid, and he came to school the very next day in his usual floor length black trench coat, and everyone, teachers and students, came down on him hard.
"The jacket wasn't the problem." he said defiantly.
This is one of my favorite chill tracks, while unfortunately named, is still going to be played, for my friend & his jacket.
Start Shootin'
by Little People
@Pungent I remember being at the mall with my friend, both of us with long hair and trenchcoats, and when he got off the payphone with his brother (who looked and dressed similar as well) and told me about the "trenchcoat mafia" thing, I said aloud "Well they just ruined that for everyone. Why couldn't they have just worn Nike like Heaven's Gate?"
@Pungent I had the flowy charcoal trench coat, but always wore black/grey pants and a black T-shirt or polo and boots... Casual goth, is what I called myself. Black nail polish, but never many accessories... Ever since I was old enough to dress myself, actually. When I was 5, I would color my nails with a sharpie...
I still consistently only really wear blacks and greys... Occasional blue.
@theunabeefer word. never got into that much back in the day, beyond the occasional Rocky Horror movie night.
But now that my daughter paints my nails, I find myself being particularly careful not to ruin her artwork.
@Pungent I'm still not sure what caused me to color them as a kid, but painting them as a teen helped me stop chewing my nails... Also, as a drummer, helped me hold the sticks delicately.
Now, it's just an anxiety coping mechanism for me.
@theunabeefer being good with a pen, I'd habitually draw on my forearms during class with those coveted thin sharpies.
designs would get rather elaborate, and then I'd go to work at the gas station, the occasional cougar would compliment my "ink"
@Pungent I have pics of me as a kid with red rings around my fingers... Turns out I accidentally hit my finger with a marker, and my OCD (eventually diagnosed) caused me to fill in the whole line around my finger..... I might have needed psychological help far earlier than I got it.
@theunabeefer
I was That Goth Kid Who Doesn't Wear Black.
But he never went without his armor, and I respected the hell out of him for it.
My black leather jacket was for riding, and was deemed more socially acceptable.
But yeah, it's a good reminder that when it happened the first time, our first reflex was to ban trench coats and Marilyn Manson.