We have our first guest, Mat Segal! Mat’s gothness was preordained by his family history in the music business and California punk scene, revealing that goth is not always about rebellion. We discuss goths in hot weather, the divisive importance of Del Taco in the club scene, Vampire the Masquerade, how the internet and message boards (and eventually social media) played a key role in democratizing the social hierarchy, vocational diversity, and the problem of the broken stair.

Heather’s anonymous Burner friend has questions about aesthetic peer pressure and Vesta has opinions. We discuss dress codes, compartmentalization of work and social life, and we begin to get into the American Gothic mirth/macabre juxtaposition that draws goths to Disneyland (but not Heather). Featuring a visit from Heather’s cat Tidbit.

Funerals within the goth community are different because we have fewer boundaries; how do we handle this lack of demarcation? Going from a funeral to a birthday party in different cemeteries in the same dress, and an ex’s memorial in our club venue; does this change our view of celebrating the macabre? Not really, but we’re wrestling with it in this extremely literal episode of Open Graves. Dedicated to Davey Bales, Charly Gienau, and Taneka Porch.

Vesta and Heather discuss how they found their way into the LA goth community through Rocky Horror, David Bowie, middle school mean girls, and a Ralph’s cashier DJ, and also chat about why we are not afraid of a little awkwardness, how we might process trauma differently, feelings about comments on our appearances, and why it took events outside the club scene for us to become friends.