Goth Chic: A Connoisseur's Guide to Dark Culture, the Decadent Lifestyle, and Demonic Tradition

I love this book!!! I loved the part about Robert Smith and the photo of Mr and Mrs Fiend and most of all do I love the part about Edward Scissorhands!! This book is great, and Gavin Baddenly wrote "thanks to Lydia from The Shroud" I like the Shroud and I was surprised to see that most of my favorite movies and music appeared in this book...Even Diva Destruction (and I thought they were quite new) So anyone who likes Gothic music and movies: BUY THIS BOOK, IT'S GREAT! And it gives much information about the history of the music, too!

This is the third book I have on Gothic subculture and I have to tell you, this is the only informative one that I have. It covers everything, from literature, to music, to style, in depth. The print is small and the book is thick, therefore filling it from cover to cover with just about all the information that you could need.

While judging from the book I'm way too metal, goth's macho copunter-point, I did enjoy the book. I'm a fan of the gothic horror films mentioned and a little of the gothic literature. Even the parts I hadn't known about before were presented in an an entertaining fashion. I've read Baddeley's other books, and they're all excellent. They had only a few pages on metal, but they did mention some of my favs like Danzig, King Diamond and Iron Maiden. This is gothic in the arts, not a "how to be a goth" guide. I've had exposure to the goth scene, having known a few Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy and London After Midnight fans. Goths are usually pretty nice people. If you're a goth you should have this book or if you enjoy goth in the arts like me I recommend.

This book was everything that I had hoped for. It delves deeply and thoughtfully into the gothic culture and is always entertaining. The book examines the history of gothic culture and ends nicely with a look forward for the movement with a couple of chapters dedicated to current trends and influential performers making waves today. I really enjoyed this book though I think that newbies to the goth scene will get more out of it because a lot of it was old hat to me. But don't get me wrong it was never a boring read. Totally essential!!

Finally somebody who actually knows what he's talking about. GB obviously walks the walk, and his passion for the subject has enabled him to write a virtually flawless meisterwerk, which should become the standard Goth reference book.This is a first class piece of research, and while I am primarily interested in the musical side of Goth, it was also fascinating to read Gavin's insights into Gothic influences in art, theatre and film.This is so comprehensive that few people should be able to say, "Oi, you forgot to mention..." The Hunger? It's in here. Bauhaus? Yep, a no-brainer. Gavin encompasses even fringe bands and artists, such as camp Cabaret-style vamps such as Marc Almond, punkish Adam Ant (pre and post transition to the Dandy Highwayman) and The Cure, who in my opinion mainly qualify because of Robert's time with Siouxsie. At the other end of Fringe, GB also includes Black Metal/Goth band Cradle Of Filth, whose Her Ghost In The Fog video is a must-see.This modern Goth/Pop Culture classic mentions literally all of my favourite bands, ranging from Bauhaus and Type O Negative, to more melodic Goth acts such as The Mission (UK), Switchblade Symphony (you HAVE to hear Serpentine Gallery), the impossibly beautiful Katharine Blake's Miranda Sex Garden and The Shroud.This masterpiece is also packed with excellent photographs, many of which I have never seen before. I simply cannot fault it.