Summer 1992 (In Search of Lost Time)

    On May long K. and I go to Toronto so I can meet his friends, A. and C., who are "hardcore goths". They live in the basement of an old house off Dundas Street. All the windows are painted over and the walls are covered in salvaged velvet curtains. The only bright lights in the entire apartment are in the bathroom and the kitchen. The main feature of the kitchen is a large Bauhaus poster with little bits of dried pasta stuck to it. They check to see if pasta is al dente by throwing it at the poster. If it sticks to Peter Murphy, it's done. 

    A has a pile of electronic equipment stacked up all over the place, and the first night he and K. entertain me and C. by seeing who can produce the most disgusting MIDI noises. The next day C drags me off to Kensington to spend the afternoon wandering in and out of secondhand shops. I buy a top hat, a string of skull beads, and some Manic Panic purple dye. We go to a club and spend most of the time giggling at the other goths, who are very serious about their dancing. I learn that gin and tonic is the most goth drink because it glows under black light. 

    The following night, we drop. I end up lying in their bed listening to a Projekt compilation CD on infinite loop. C. comes in to check on me. 

    "How's it going?"

    "I think I'm dead."

    "You look great though. I'm gonna light some more incense, okay?"

    Eventually, I get bored of being dead and come out to listen to some different music. A. says he'll make a mix tape for me of anything I like. They have an enormous music collection - probably about 300 or so CDs. 

    The next day, before K. and I leave, I try out the Manic Panic. Since I've never dyed my hair before, it goes about as badly as expected.