Bad Kid Project

A black celebration of Alt-youth adolescence. Send your goth, waver, punk teen photos by clicking "Submit." Please include some text about where, when & who you were! BAD KID the live show on tour now- www.badkidtheshow.com BAD KID the memoir out May 2015 (Harper Perennial)

[badkidproject]

That Sprockets Partnerlook, Berlin 1990

Meet SM Shrake, producer and founder of Washington DC's wildly successful live storytelling series, the Story League. I don't know where to start with this photo. So I'll let him. "These were taken in Germany in 1990-1991. I had my own gay hippy punker look, a year before Eddie Vedder showed up." What the hell is that shirt? Is it made of paper? Its so bleak and Orwellian. This is a portrait of a man who spends 11 hour days on in assembly-line inspecting the parts of robot prostitutes in a futuristic pleasure-bot factory. At night he goes to a shabby, dangerous warehouse club, which is ironically called The Factory. There, he cries on the dance floor while swaying alone to the music of Gary Newman, which, by the year 2057, is considered retro. It's just so white. So institutional. So German! Speaking of German…

"This two-shot was a joke on Sprockets but also on "Partner-look" which is a German concept. We are smoking YSL (yes, Yves Saint-Laurent) brand cigarettes. The Krauts all laughed at us and we laughed back at them." "Partnerlook?" This is a thing? Is Shrake taking the piss? I guess it's kind of like that nightmare denim pairing that Britney and Justin wore to the VMA's a decade ago. Remember that? Unfortunately, I do too.

You can find many hilarious photos of partnerlook by doing a search right here on Tumblr. To find out more about Story League go to: www.storyleague.org

[badkidproject]

Army Brat Punk, Hanau Germany 1989

It's not always easy to put a Goth look together. Take Steven. The makeup's coming off more Big Apple Circus than Robert Smith. The chain is still not large enough to properly offset the braces. And this is as close as he could get to a shirt with a raven on it.  That being said, I totally want to make a cloak out of those drapes. More from the Crow-faced legend himself: "A screening of Alex Cox's 'Sid & Nancy' inspired this, my first attempt at going punk. I spent the afternoon at the Burger King on the Army post spouting obscenities (in my best British accent) at passing GIs. If they'd stop, my friends would explain that I'd just arrived from England to open for The Spermbirds at a local club later that evening." Steve currently lives in Texas with his wife and two sons. Full disclosure, he's a great friend of mine and a swell guy who introduced me to some wonderful music (no "Spermbirds, though). He was also the only person I could discuss Sid & Nancy with at 16. Here's one of my fave bits from the film, which you have no excuse for not having seen. http://youtu.be/jqSJhBdjoD4

[badkidproject]

Eyeliner At Night, Hollywood 1990

Candles, pentagram charms, Cleopatra eyeliner. Joanne Sharp looks like the kind of gal who would spot you a clove cigarette and then read your palm. In other words- perfect. "I was a 19 year-old in Hollywood with a really good fake ID going to Helter Skelter every Wednesday. Sometimes Sinamatic in Saturday and Kontrol Factory on Sunday, too. It's a wonder I ever made it to work. Good thing I started at 10:00am! I dressed pretty much Goth all the time, but only did the full eyeliner at night. My friends and I would do photo shoots in my (super-Goth!) apartment before we went out. I was into Sisters of Mercy, Ministry, Bauhaus, Virgin Prunes...all still on my iPod! Now I'm undercover as a super-respectable employee of CSU Summer Arts. In my mind I'm still dangerous to know, but in reality my husband and I have friends over for dinner & cheese & board games. It's a good life. 😊" Find out more about Helter Skelter, LA's longest running Goth nightclub, here: https://www.facebook.com/clubHelterSkelter/info?ref=page_internal And if you really love yourself, you'll read this hilariously dated 1991 article from the LA Times about Club Sin-A-Matic. Oh, how this bad kid would've loved it. "What to wear to Sin-a-matic? Cardigan sweaters and Laura Ashley prints . . . not!" http://articles.latimes.com/1991-10-20/news/vw-140_1_club-fetish

[badkidproject]

Moody Madonna, Seguin TX 1992

This photo was sent in from Angela; a mother, artist & music fan living in Austin, Texas. I mentioned in my reply how Erotica-era Madonna this shot was and she replied: "Well I danced around in front of the mirror to my mom’s Madonna records when I was eight or nine years old, so go figure. I also think it was that "Cindy Crawford’s MTV House of Style-Christy Turlington-Helena Christiansen-Annie Leibovitz-NYC glam-motorcycle punk-Drew Barrymore-Guess Jeans ad campaign" influence…phase! ❤️" This splendiferously nostalgic and heavenly reply gave me such intense longing for the 90s, that I had to pull out a bunch of old Deee-Lite CDs. Here’s the story behind Angela’s photo-shoot, which was actually a proper “shoot,” albeit of the Bad Kid variety. "This photo was captured (along with many others) in a photo session with my friend Nicolas Briseño invited a little posse to. The typewritten parchment paper invitation was hand-delivered to invitees. One Saturday we all piled in two cars and drove around Seguin to select locations. I think it was my friend Molly’s Ford Taurus and Rene’s Mazda 626. On this jaunt we made it to Starke Park, pulled up along the Guadalupe River, somebody kept the car radio on and turned it up so we could hear it from afar and as dusk turned to night we ran around the golf course playing and posing while Nic shot pics. He experimented with double-exposing the film. Taking some shots as silhouettes and some as close-ups with a flash." I think we can all agree that the results are stunning. I mean, who doesn’t love an attractive young blonde sucking on a crucifix? Just ask Madonna. It worked for her.

[badkidproject]

Sam, Teotihuacan Mexico 1997

"Boy cut, boys shirt, zero makeup, backpack.... My god, no wonder everyone thought I was a lesbian." #androgynousgirls Samantha Fields is a painter and professor living in Los Angeles. She's provided the following retro-dossier. Music: Massive Attack, Johnny Cash, Hooverphonic, The Fugees. Magazines: The Utne Reader (NATCH), Story Quarterly, The Atlantic, and Harpers. Films: I was really into Cronenbergs (body horror) and Horror in general. There's a chapter in my thesis about Freddy Kreugers relationship to The Liminal. (yikes!) Clothing staples: vintage button downs from the thrift store, plaid pants, work boots, plastic purse. Look at some of Sam's beautiful work here: http://www.samanthafields.net

[badkidproject]

Santa vs. Mall Goths, Texas 1992

For fear that we might burn up in the harsh light of the Texas sun, some of our legion had to remain in shadow, or at least in sunglasses. Even at night. Even in the mall. And especially at the feet of Santa Claus.

Here we are at the mall chillin’ with Santa C. Glen and I are on the far right taking this shit way-serious, mugging up some major Johnny Depp cheekbones and jawlines. I can guarantee you we beat our faces with a compact for five minutes before this was taken, much to the chagrin of the toddler’s parents waiting in line around us. Lynn might look asleep in Santa’s lap, but I think she’s actually just very high, like all of us. Our clique was very into “keeping up appearances.” So I’m not sure how this eyes-closed photo was approved. I think the photographer was just very frightened and wanted us to pass through as quickly as possible. Scott (Duckee), on the top left, is basically voguing with only his face. The earring, the brooch, the lips slightly parted like he’s on the verge of growling or simply smells something rotten. It’s all too much for me and I LOVE it. He introduced me to all the best music when I was 16 and now he rocks an incredible, bearded, cosmopolitan hillbilly look. He’s the best. Devon is working the shades on the left. He played Riff Raff at the midnight screenings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. I always thought he was insanely cool, and not just because he wore sunglasses to visit Santa and knew all the words to “Let’s Do the Time Warp.” Don’t tell anyone, but underneath that t-shirt/mock turtleneck combo he’s wearing a black Rosary. Who’s on top now? But seriously, Devon was blind. Kidding, not really. And Santa. Santa never said one word. Not a one.

www.badkidtheshow.com

[badkidproject]

Flower Gazing, San Antonio 1991

"The year was 1993 and I was too much of an optimist to really be Goth. That didn’t stop me from listening to Bela Lugosi’s Dead on repeat and pretending to be dark and angsty. This photo was taken by my best friend, Risa Hollingsworth on the grounds of the MCnay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas. All the bad kids would gather there late on Friday nights and make bad decisions together. Then we’d all go to Jim’s Coffee Shop to joke down Marlboro Reds and recite bad poetry over black coffee." *Reply from the Bad Kid Project- Late night gatherings on the grounds of art museums followed by bad poetry reading and Marlboro Reds are, let's be honest, pretty Goth. And this photo! Oh, how you LOVE that flower. Were you super into the Narcissus story at this point in your life? You looked like the kind of girl who read Dorian Gray and listened to a lot of Dead Can Dance. #inotherwordsiloveyou

[badkidproject]

DM Boy, Germany 1990

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. The top button is there to help you. How else will you hide your blood-letting love wounds? I could go on and on about how perfect this photo is, but the Depeche Mode 101 poster says it all.

[badkidproject]

Boys In Alt-Drag, San Antonio 1991

This is me and my best friend Glen in sad, half-assed drag. We’re probably Sophomores in high school here. This is the kind of drag that lots of alt-youth boys attempted once (and probably only once) at the hands of their Cure-obsessed, Martin Gore-loving, new wave girlfriends. Here, our friends Kyndra and Michelle turned us into their own living, breathing, life-size dolls, making us over with clothes from their Gap & Express-filled closets. Although Glen and I had partial say in our “looks,” I have to blame the girls for the final outfit choices. I’m not sure why my best friend (on the right) got to look like a saucy, shapely pole dancer while I was re-imagined as a man-ish Patty Duke complete with kerchief and headband. Personally, I think I got the shaft. We would stay inside in these looks drinking Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill and listening to Yaz’s “Upstairs At Eric’s” the rest of the night. Later on in the evening there would be make-up application and some light hair-crimping. I can only thank God that those pictures haven’t surfaced, as I looked like a candy-faced, ghoulish Raggedy Ann in all of them. Needless to say, I would never try drag again.

[badkidproject]

Goth-Lite Bedroom, San Antonio 1990

I guess I'd call this a Goth-LITE room. The "Seeds of Love" poster & Mr. Potato Head lighten the mood, to say the least. But the trifecta of Depeche Mode, The Cure and Rocky Horror Picture Show almost make up for it.  This was my friend Steve's room, who I'll post pics of soon. He was one of the more soft-hearted weirdo's I knew. If the Tears For Fears poster doesn't express that, then I don't know what does... (Note the mini-fridge covered in Polaroids of cats: an unexpectedly ghoulish delight.) Wait... is that Benetton Colors Shampoo on the dresser?! BANISHED!

[badkidproject]

Dream Catcher, Placerville CA 2008

"This gem of a photo was taken at Mel's Diner in Placerville CA after an intensely contested Halloween costume contest, shockingly this undead spiky haired creature did not come close to the kid who dressed up as a bad dream lured into a dream catcher. This loss, although understandably procured, broke his little undead spooky heart. Thankfully his awesome parents bought him a club sandwich to make him feel better, it was no small plastic trophy, but it was an affirmation to be as weird as possible, and that's all that matters. Besides amazing Diner foods."

[badkidproject]

Am I Shining? San Antonio, TX 1991

Even Wavers know the score- NEVER let them see you shine. This is my best friend Glen beating the fuck out of his face behind a bleacher in 3rd period gym class. This is right as we started to morph into party-going, acid-dabbling, Rocky Horror Picture-watching 16-year-olds. Although our looks were still pretty tame during this time this was taken, we both already understood the value of having sheenless, matte faces. Glen carried this damn compact with him everywhere, eradicating any perceived shine the moment he felt the slightest humidity, which was all the time in San Antonio, Texas.

[badkidproject]

Lustrous Moody Hair, An American Mall 1992

Hair is important. When you can see both of Roxanne’s eyes you might now realize how black her heart is. But when one is obscured and she wears a pirate shirt, you can feel the depth and sensuality of her despair. I express this despair by wearing extra-large cable-knit sweaters. We took this in a booth at the mall after eating a shitload of Chick-Fil-A while really stoned. I think the inspiration shows. Also, can I reiterate how hard we are working our hair in these pics? You're welcome. www.badkidtheshow.com

[badkidproject]

Lunchtime, San Antonio TX 1991

Our dark souls need no more nourishment than they need light. Blackened hearts that pump no blood and flesh that withers in the sun. Our food is the fruit of longing and despair, hanging low on the... Wait... What? WHAT?! THEY HAVE MINI-BURGERS TODAY?! this is me and my best friend Glen OVER THE FUCKING MOON about Friday MINI-BURGERS. Because Goth... RIght?

[badkidproject]

Dark Thing #14

Remember: You don't need a dog to wear a dog collar.

Laura wears an assortment of dog collars. She says she does it to make a statement about dominance and gender slavery. She says this collar is special because it belonged to her Uncle Garrett. Garrett was a hoarder who lived in a trailer outside El Paso. When he died they found suitcases of poop in his closets. Laura says she can still feel Garrett's soul in the collar. And if you look in the glass door behind her you can see his spirit hovering, waiting, watching.

He's probably just trying to figure out where on campus to hide some of his ghost shit.

www.badkidtheshow.com

[badkidproject]

BAD KID Trailer 1

My witchy, druggy, all-around Gothy one-person show is opening at Austin's Long Center this week!

More info at: BAD KID the show and LONG CENTER

[nowthisisgothic]

Italy, late 80s (?) [photo: Silvana]



[badkidproject]

For the love of all ravens… Goths should always remember to follow this one, and ONLY this one tenant of Southern, church-going housewives: The BIGGER the hair, the closer to BEELZEBUB.

But be wise about your magical, mountainous locks.

This is a photo of BamBam and Ariel Thorne. BamBam had a bunch of babies and lives in a trailer outside of Des Moines. She walks ten miles to her night shift at Duane Reade and is a blonde now. She is, in a sense, no longer with us.

But Ariel is TRULY no longer with us.

A year after this photo was taken, she caught her hair on a hanging lamp while walking down a spiral staircase on three hits of Golden Purse acid and inadvertently hung herself. She still haunts my memory with her poetry, Tarot readings, and monthly gallon of Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo. The dry Texas winters were so hard for her.

Rest in peace Ariel Thorne.

And take heed fellow Goths… use your hair wisely!