In 1999, Jeff Murrell, a local attorney and goth enthusiast, successfully defended Todd Novasic, owner of the now-defunct goth/industrial club called "The Sanctuary." Novasic was accused of violating the city's anti-nudity ordinance during a Mother's Day bondage and fashion show.
The case received a lot of media attention and journalists kept asking, "What is all this goth stuff anyway?" Murrell realized how little the average person knew about goth culture so he started The Milwaukee Gothic Council.
The MGC's mission, according to Murrell's Web site, is to "provide financial and other support to gothic/industrial charitable organizations and to music promoters to try to keep the scene alive just a little bit longer in our area."
Murrell also created his own low-budget cable access program, called "What is all this Goth stuff, anyway?" that aired from September 2000 until December 2002. (Yes, he is aware of the "Saturday Night Live" sketches spoofing such shows.) Murrell blames the studio's poor equipment and management for the eventual demise of the program.
According to Murrell, the goth scene in Milwaukee has slowed down, but is definitely not dead.
"It seems that, about a year or so ago, a lot of people in the scene just stopped showing interest in it. It could be because the music is getting so diluted with so many types of dark music like synthpop, electro and noise," he says.
Joy Division and Siouxsie and the Banshees were, arguably, the first bands to make music that would later be described as "goth." These early groups created a genre laced with dark imagery and a macabre sound that was heavy and depressing, yet often romantic and beautiful in a black rose kind of way.
By the mid-'80s, goth culture spread from Britain to America, fueled by bands like Sisters of Mercy and Clan of Xymox. Like all things hatched in the underground, goth eventually oozed into the mainstream, thanks to bands, like The Cure, that mixed goth rock with pop.
For many, goth is more than a type of music, rather a lifestyle with its own fashion and politics. Derived from the word "gothic" which described a style of art and architecture that emerged in 12th century Europe (and was itself derived from the name of an early Germanic people), goths generally wear a lot of black clothing and both men and women often wear make up, including white base, eyeliner and lipstick. Some goths have a "romantic" look with ruffled white shirts and purple and red accessories, whereas others look more like punk rockers with spiky hair and black leather jackets.
Like all groups, it's impossible and unfair to generalize. For example, Murrell is a conservative dresser who once in a while wears black eyeliner and lipstick. However, some goths harbor similar traits besides their taste in music and clothing, including a love for computers, video games and alternative sexual fetishes like S&M, leather and bondage.
One 29-year-old male goth who wanted to remain anonymous claimed all goths purposely act pretentious and like to criticize eachother as much as possible. "It's all in good fun," he said, taking a drag off a clove cigarette while drinking tea at Fuel Cafe. "At least, I think it is."
Murrell does not blame the Columbine incident for the decline in goth culture but it did unfairly thwart the public's perceptions of the doom-and-gloom community.
"People outside the scene tended to lump everyone together who happened to find wearing black attire appealing for whatever reasons they all have," says Murrell.
{INSERT_RELATED}Although the goth scene peaked in the '90s, it's still accessible in Milwaukee today. Clubs like the Mad Planet and Club Anything offer low-lit havens for goths, and WMSE airs a few shows a week featuring classic as well as newer goth bands like Bella Morte and Cinema Strange.
Murrell, who is now 41, remains dedicated to the community and his organization. "I really, really love the music and I find my biggest reward in being able to interact with the great folks who hang out in the scene," he says.
For more info about Milwaukee's goth scene and The Milwaukee Gothic Council, go to
http://www.geocities.com/milwaukeegothiccouncil/
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
