About Gabrielle (synopsis from her website, for a more complete portfolio, continue here.)

Faust’s diverse talents have allowed her to pursue an eclectic career as an illustrator, technohorror author and leading industry entertainment critic. 2005 marked the release of her first published collection of poetry, Before Icarus, After Achilles, which was received by the public with a great enthusiasm. Faust partnered with Immanion Press in August of 2007 for the publishing of her cross-genre technohorror trilogy Eternal Vigilance, a post-apocalyptic vampire saga of epic proportions, the first of which, From Deep Within the Earth, was released in April of 2008. The second installment, The Death of Illusions was released in March of 2009. 2009 also saw the release of Faust’s second collection of poetry entitled Crossroads with Seraphemera Books. She is currently at work on the third installment of the Eternal Vigilance vampire series entitled Blood Kin

Rue Morgue magazine is a Canadian based publication that gives a balanced look at horror in culture and entertainment through their website, magazine, festival of fear horror convention, radio station and more.

A link to her experience/progress blog: Tanya’s Blog

This Saturday September 26th 2009 a benefit show is being held in her honor and as a fundraiser. If you are in the Orlando area, come out and show your support and see a great show!

Door admission: $10 @9:00 pm

The Haven Lounge
6700 Aloma Avenue
Winter Park, FL. 32792

The first Tetsuo movie is centered around a buttoned-up Japanese businessman who accidentally rams his car into a cyberpunky ‘metal fetishist’ (Tsukamoto), whose jollies include transplanting metal parts into his body. After this encounter, the businessman begins inexplicably transforming into a metal man-machine, and soon finds himself merging identities (and bodies) with the similarly mechanized fetishist.

“Impressionistic and dark, the movie at times looks like an industrial music video. All the effects are stop-motion animation and prosthetics, which manage to capture the gooey, rusting look of a man halfway between office worker and deadly machine.”

In similar fashion, Tetsuo The Bulletman is abut an American man named Anthony who works in Tokyo and is married to a Japanese woman.  Anthony morphs into Tetsuo when his son Tom is killed by the same metal fetishist who creates the Tetsuos in previous films.

Some could argue that this film is not true cyberpunk since there is not really a “punk” component of the movie’s antihero rebelling against authority or a totalitarian corporate regime set amongst futuristic dystopia. Nevertheless, this film is still considered one of the groundbreaking Japanese entries into the cyberpunk genre and can always satisfy your desire for industrial scenery.

Source: http://io9.com/5321543/tetsuo-the-iron-man-gets-a-crazy-english-sequel

How about having some ridiculously cool machinery none of your friends do?

A few samples:

Diabolical Steampunk Leather and Brass Cyber Gas Mask

Havok Droid Zero Cyber Gothic Industrial Gas Mask

After the final reconstitution of organic Bioskin is stretched over his third generation, genetically hacked exoskeleton, Havock Droid Zero secures his breathing apparatus. Skillfully powered with lunar charged auxiliary spikes, black battery acid tubing and a legacy green Havock droid symbol, this cyber mask is no joke and will add a darker shade of evil to your Cyber-Industrial style.

Infernal Anarchist Cyber Gothic Industrial Gas Mask

While I am not a cigarette smoker, I have been known to enjoy a clove here and there with a few drinks. Lately I went as far as to stuff Djarum blacks into the discontinued in the U.S., fabled red and black Sampoerna Xtras box, just to get the satisfaction of confused looks.

Author Alicia Porter Smith ponders the question on her blog Stuffgothslike , “Why do Goths smoke cloves”?

“Is it because they are worse for your health than regular cigarettes, therefore beckoning Death at an accelerated rate? “

Perhaps unconsciously the urge towards rebellion and self destruction does drive Goths toward clove smoking, however it could also be the color, spicy/sweet taste and morose appeal.

Regardless of whether one is a smoker or not, another stab at withdrawing civil liberties has been actualized. The Obama administration has approved the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, a move that gives the FDA control to regulate every aspect of  Tobacco product advertising, distribution and who knows what else. The first step of which is banning “flavored” products, or using the terms “mild” or “light”.  We all know that when something is banned, people go out of their way to try and find it, import it, or create it to no end.

If the Government was paying 100% of everyone’s health care costs, I can understand their having a say in what you put into your body – since illness related treatment and prevention would come out of their pocket, but this is not yet the case.

I say let “we the people” make our own decisions about what we can consume, grow in our backyard, or purchase…  are we one step closer to a totalitarian dystopia?

What do you think?

Here are the confirmed dates so far (venues will be announced soon):

08/19/09 Houston (tba)
08/20/09 Dallas – The Church
08/21/09 Austin – Elysium
08/22/09 Phoenix – (tba)
08/23/09 San Francisco (tba)
08/24/09 Seattle – El Corazon
08/26/09 LA – (tba)
08/27/09 Salt Lake City – Club Vegas
08/28/09 Denver (tba)
08/29/09 Chicago (tba)
08/30/09 Minneapolis (tba)
09/01/09 Detroit (tba)
09/02/09 Pittsburgh (tba)
09/03/09 Toronto Canada (tba)
09/04/09 Boston (tba)
09/05/09 Philly – Shampoo Club
09/06/09 Richmond (tba)
09/08/09 Cincinnati (tba)
09/10/09 Atlanta – Masquerade
09/11/09 Jacksonville (tba)
09/12/09 W.Palm Beach – Respectable Street
09/15/09 New Orleans (tba)
09/17/09 San Antonio (tba)
09/19/09 NYC – Stimulate

… if your town is missing, then go and pester your local concert organizer until he capitulates and books us, all right?
http://www.pitchfork.de/concertenglish.htm

The Alice in Wonderland books were written by Lewis Carroll during the Victorian era, a time now remembered for its stifling propriety and constrictive morals and were an immediate success when published in 1865 . The creatures of wonderland have many arbitrary customs and their behaviors are all defensible with strange logic, but the customs are still silly or even cruel. There are obvious echoes of the Victorian world, as the animals are opinionated and have strong ideas about what constitutes appropriate behavior. The creatures’ preciousness and their arbitrary sensitivities mock the fastidiousness of the Victorian era – a true irony indeed.

The story always retains a sense of mystery and a fondness for the sinister; even the characters who aid Alice have a dark edge to them. The hints of mortality and the sense of fear in the books have only contributed to their popularity!

There have been numerous interpretations of this quintessential “tale” in various mediums including film, comics, giftware (like this teapot), theater, apparel and more. One of my favorite versions of the film is the twisted Jan Svankmajer Alice DVD, a dizzying blend of stop motion animation, puppets and live action – with a distinctely gothic tone and morose symbolism. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has a fantastic collection of Wonderland inspired scents, on their page called: Mad Tea Party.  I’ve personally had the Alice scent, which is true to it’s components and description of milk, rose, carnation, bergamont and honey.

A related film that has yet to see the light of day is Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, a film by Marilyn Manson. The film synopsis hints of “a haunted writer in an isolated castle is tormented by sleepless nights and visions of a girl named Alice. He finds himself becoming a symptom of his own invention.“ WiKi source

Perhaps we may have to wait a while for that one… but in the meantime….

Tim Burton steps forward with a stunning concept for the Alice genre. Set to release March 5, 2010 the new Alice in Wonderland film will be a blend of live action and CG – released in both regular screen format and 3D!

The seemingly very well suited cast includes:

• Caterpillar (Alan Rickman)
• Jabberwock (Christopher Lee)
• Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter)
• Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp)
• Alice (Mia Wasikowska)
• White Queen (Anne Hathaway)
• Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover)

According to USA Today: “The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.”

I leave you with this final quote:

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.” “How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice. “You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Original photos from: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-06-21-alice-in-wonderland_N.htm

Any thoughts about the upcoming film, or past favorite renditions?