(no subject)
Benjamin Phillips Assignment 4
1996 County Road D E Apt 328 Judith Logan Lehne
Maplewood, MN 55109 Word Count:
Student Number: YC48201
Walking with the Undead:
Conversations with Real-Life Vampires in America Today
The moon shines brightly in the cloudless night sky as the stars twinkle softly down at the people milling about by the entrance to the night club. As I apporach the door, a young couple grins at me. They are wearing dark loose fitting baggy pants with chains attached to them and fish-net shirts. The male of the couple is wearing a thick stripe of red across the eyes and black lipstick. The female is wearing a tight corset and a velvet cape that is ankle-length and sparkles in the light of a street lamp. Upon grinning at me, I can see that both of them have sharp white fangs attached to their canine teeth. I smile back and enter the Ground Zero Night Club.
The club is adorned with black velvet curtains hung on the windows, posters of famous heavy metal artists on the walls and a dozen or so tables each draped in velvet with a red six inch circular candle upon them. People are milling about either at the bar which is to the left of the entrace and also draped in black velet or at the tables. There is a wooden floor that dominates most of the single-story room where people are dancing to hard rock such as Marylin Manson or the Cure. My friend "Aaron" is with me tonight. He's also dressed up in black baggy pants with chains attached at the pockets and knees, knee-high black leather boots with five straps for buckles on them, an ankle-length trech coat and black dyed hair with red eye contacts. "Welcome to the world of Vampires!" He says as he moves to the bar to order a drink.
Club Vampires:
Upon returning with his drink in hand, "Aaron" sits down at a table across from me. He grins, showing off his pearly white fangs. "Do all Vampires dress like you do?" I ask. "Aaron" smiles softly.
"No, not all of us do that. Most of us do, but a small percentage...about say ten percent...do not." Aaron says. "I'm what you would call a Club Vampire. I dress this way because this is how the scene accepts me. I can be myself here and not be judged by the outside world. Mostly, a Club Vampire is some one that enjoys wearing shockingly dark clothes like corsets or capes and such and goes to a night club like Ground Zero. They go to be with other people who are like themselves and not be judged by the outside world for being too dark and creepy or just plain too different."
Most of the people at Ground Zero tonight are wearing custom made fangs and dressed in black velvet capes and corsets. Many of the people here are in the early twenties to late thirties.
"Not all Vampires are into the Club scene. Some of us are into it for the sexual and sensual pleasures that it provides, such as Bondage and Slave and Master relationships. The vampire is an icon of the darker sides of life. It is an expression of desires that are usually not accepted by main stream society. There are two types of Vampires, those that dress up and go to clubs like Ground Zero to party with people who like being different and those that actually think of themselves as real vampires. We often reffer to these people as the Blood Drinkers because they usually do just that: drink animal or human blood." Aaron says.
"What is required to be a Vampire? Can any one do it or do you need to go through some sort of test or ritual to become a Vampire?" I ask.
"There are so many ways to be a Vampire that I often lose count. Mostly, you just need to be able to acknowledge the darker side of your nature; the things that you crave but are not accepted by standard society. You have to have a love for expressing yourself in unique ways, often ways that are different from every one else. Things that are common to both Club Vampires and Blood Drinkers are that you must have a willingness to dress differently from every one else...to stand out in a crowd, you must accept that you are different from every one else around you and that you celebrate that difference. For Blood Drinkers, you must also have a love of consuming blood whether it's animal or human.
Blood Drinkers:
"So, are all Vampires Goths as well?" I ask of "Aaron" as he returns to the table with another drink.
"No not all of us are Goths. Some of us are as normal as can be, only expressing their darker sides when no one else is around." Aaron says. "For most blood drinkers, it isn't so much a part of the Vampire lifestyle that makes them Blood Drinkers as it is a phsyical need. Drinking blood can be highly erotic and a very pleasureable experience for both the Vampire and the Donater. Most of them have a small circle of like-minded vampires that they feed from on a regular basis." According to Katherine Ramsland, author of Piercing the Darkness: Under cover with Vampires Today, the Vampire is an erotic image and represents sexual freedom. For many Vampires, both Blood Drinkers and Club Vampires alike, the image of the Vampire can also be very romantic as well.
"The idea of some one wanting to spend the rest of eternity with me is very romantic indeed," Aaron says, "Pretending to be immortal when we really aren't can be exciting and entertaining and romantic all at once. You're in a very intimate relationship with your partner that doesn't have to be like a lovers' relationship, but is just as fullfiling."
"Aaron" recalls his first Vampire's kiss. "It's like being eaten alive. It was so sexy when [she] kissed my neck with the fangs and it was a highly pleasureable experience to say the least when she bit down on my neck." For most vampires, especially Blood Drinkers, the act of kissing some one with their fangs is a way of asserting their love and enjoyment for that other person.
"The blood is liquid electricity to them. Whether they feed once every three months or once a day or more, the act of bloodletting can be very sexual and sensual at the same time. It creates a bond between the people involved that is often a lot stronger than just being in love with some one." Aaron says. "It's a way of saying: I love you without having to actually say it."
Vampires in the Media:
In the media, Vampirism has recieved a bad rap. It was blamed for the murders of four teens in San Fransico in 1997. Jon Bush of Virgina Beach, Virgina was sentenced to 26 years in prison when he molested eight teen aged girls that he had invited to be members of his vampire family. Vampire: The Masquerade, a role-playing game, was used as evidence in the trial of a Missiouri teacher for the murders of two people. Most of the time the media portrays the Vampire as a dark enimatic person who would just as soon slit your throat as be nice to you.
I look around the Ground Zero night club and sigh lightly. Aaron grins at me and then stands up, holding his hand out to me. "Well, now that you've learned a thing or two from a real vampire, care to join us?" he says with an impish grin.
1996 County Road D E Apt 328 Judith Logan Lehne
Maplewood, MN 55109 Word Count:
Student Number: YC48201
Walking with the Undead:
Conversations with Real-Life Vampires in America Today
The moon shines brightly in the cloudless night sky as the stars twinkle softly down at the people milling about by the entrance to the night club. As I apporach the door, a young couple grins at me. They are wearing dark loose fitting baggy pants with chains attached to them and fish-net shirts. The male of the couple is wearing a thick stripe of red across the eyes and black lipstick. The female is wearing a tight corset and a velvet cape that is ankle-length and sparkles in the light of a street lamp. Upon grinning at me, I can see that both of them have sharp white fangs attached to their canine teeth. I smile back and enter the Ground Zero Night Club.
The club is adorned with black velvet curtains hung on the windows, posters of famous heavy metal artists on the walls and a dozen or so tables each draped in velvet with a red six inch circular candle upon them. People are milling about either at the bar which is to the left of the entrace and also draped in black velet or at the tables. There is a wooden floor that dominates most of the single-story room where people are dancing to hard rock such as Marylin Manson or the Cure. My friend "Aaron" is with me tonight. He's also dressed up in black baggy pants with chains attached at the pockets and knees, knee-high black leather boots with five straps for buckles on them, an ankle-length trech coat and black dyed hair with red eye contacts. "Welcome to the world of Vampires!" He says as he moves to the bar to order a drink.
Club Vampires:
Upon returning with his drink in hand, "Aaron" sits down at a table across from me. He grins, showing off his pearly white fangs. "Do all Vampires dress like you do?" I ask. "Aaron" smiles softly.
"No, not all of us do that. Most of us do, but a small percentage...about say ten percent...do not." Aaron says. "I'm what you would call a Club Vampire. I dress this way because this is how the scene accepts me. I can be myself here and not be judged by the outside world. Mostly, a Club Vampire is some one that enjoys wearing shockingly dark clothes like corsets or capes and such and goes to a night club like Ground Zero. They go to be with other people who are like themselves and not be judged by the outside world for being too dark and creepy or just plain too different."
Most of the people at Ground Zero tonight are wearing custom made fangs and dressed in black velvet capes and corsets. Many of the people here are in the early twenties to late thirties.
"Not all Vampires are into the Club scene. Some of us are into it for the sexual and sensual pleasures that it provides, such as Bondage and Slave and Master relationships. The vampire is an icon of the darker sides of life. It is an expression of desires that are usually not accepted by main stream society. There are two types of Vampires, those that dress up and go to clubs like Ground Zero to party with people who like being different and those that actually think of themselves as real vampires. We often reffer to these people as the Blood Drinkers because they usually do just that: drink animal or human blood." Aaron says.
"What is required to be a Vampire? Can any one do it or do you need to go through some sort of test or ritual to become a Vampire?" I ask.
"There are so many ways to be a Vampire that I often lose count. Mostly, you just need to be able to acknowledge the darker side of your nature; the things that you crave but are not accepted by standard society. You have to have a love for expressing yourself in unique ways, often ways that are different from every one else. Things that are common to both Club Vampires and Blood Drinkers are that you must have a willingness to dress differently from every one else...to stand out in a crowd, you must accept that you are different from every one else around you and that you celebrate that difference. For Blood Drinkers, you must also have a love of consuming blood whether it's animal or human.
Blood Drinkers:
"So, are all Vampires Goths as well?" I ask of "Aaron" as he returns to the table with another drink.
"No not all of us are Goths. Some of us are as normal as can be, only expressing their darker sides when no one else is around." Aaron says. "For most blood drinkers, it isn't so much a part of the Vampire lifestyle that makes them Blood Drinkers as it is a phsyical need. Drinking blood can be highly erotic and a very pleasureable experience for both the Vampire and the Donater. Most of them have a small circle of like-minded vampires that they feed from on a regular basis." According to Katherine Ramsland, author of Piercing the Darkness: Under cover with Vampires Today, the Vampire is an erotic image and represents sexual freedom. For many Vampires, both Blood Drinkers and Club Vampires alike, the image of the Vampire can also be very romantic as well.
"The idea of some one wanting to spend the rest of eternity with me is very romantic indeed," Aaron says, "Pretending to be immortal when we really aren't can be exciting and entertaining and romantic all at once. You're in a very intimate relationship with your partner that doesn't have to be like a lovers' relationship, but is just as fullfiling."
"Aaron" recalls his first Vampire's kiss. "It's like being eaten alive. It was so sexy when [she] kissed my neck with the fangs and it was a highly pleasureable experience to say the least when she bit down on my neck." For most vampires, especially Blood Drinkers, the act of kissing some one with their fangs is a way of asserting their love and enjoyment for that other person.
"The blood is liquid electricity to them. Whether they feed once every three months or once a day or more, the act of bloodletting can be very sexual and sensual at the same time. It creates a bond between the people involved that is often a lot stronger than just being in love with some one." Aaron says. "It's a way of saying: I love you without having to actually say it."
Vampires in the Media:
In the media, Vampirism has recieved a bad rap. It was blamed for the murders of four teens in San Fransico in 1997. Jon Bush of Virgina Beach, Virgina was sentenced to 26 years in prison when he molested eight teen aged girls that he had invited to be members of his vampire family. Vampire: The Masquerade, a role-playing game, was used as evidence in the trial of a Missiouri teacher for the murders of two people. Most of the time the media portrays the Vampire as a dark enimatic person who would just as soon slit your throat as be nice to you.
I look around the Ground Zero night club and sigh lightly. Aaron grins at me and then stands up, holding his hand out to me. "Well, now that you've learned a thing or two from a real vampire, care to join us?" he says with an impish grin.