Derek profile picture

Derek

the bats have left the belltower, the victims have been bled, red velvet lines the black box

About Me

WHILE YOU ARE WAITING FOR LABOR DAY...
APRIL 21 - 22, 2007
The fine folks behind DragonCon are rolling out a companion event this April called the Atlanta Comics Expo . I'm not working behind the scenes on this one but I'll definitely be there. Not only will there be comics-related events, but Voltaire will be performing. Check it out!
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
I am currently the director for DragonCon's Gothic Shadows programming track .
I also write for the magazine "Dark Realms."
Published Articles:
"The Darkside of 'The Lord of The Rings'" (Issue 13)
"Universal Monsters: Horror From Hollywood's Golden Age" (Issue 14)
"The Crow: 10 Year Retrospective" (Issue 14)
"Zombies" (Issue 15)
"The Phantom of the Opera: Music, Mystery, & Madness" (Issue 16)
"Haunted Hollywood: True Celebrity Ghost Stories" (Issue 16)
"Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde: Faces of Evil" (Issue 17)
"Monster Files: Beast of Bray Road" (Issue 17)
"Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" (Issue 18)
"Monster Files: The Bell Witch" (Issue 18)
"Vampires of the Far East" (Issue 19)
"Monster Files: The Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins" (Issue 21)
"The Darkside of Greek Mythology: Demons and Dark Deities of the Ancient World" (Issue 22)
"Unholy Terrors: Classic Theological Horror Films" (Issue 23)
"Monster Files: Thunderbirds" (Issue 23)

My Interests

Gothic horror, goth rock, heavy metal, industrial, punk rock, post-punk, silent horror films, Universal Monsters, Frankenstein, 19th century vampires, werewolves, true ghost stories, haunted Hollywood, symbolist art, zombies

I'd like to meet:

People who actually read. Also, people who hate commercial rock bands like Hinder, et al.

Music:

Bauhaus, Bella Morte, Cradle of Filth, The Cruxshadows, The Cure, Dead Can Dance, Ego Likeness, HIM, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Katatonia, Lacuna Coil, The Last Dance, Mercenary, Nine Inch Nails, Opeth, Orphaned Land, Sex Pistols, The 69 Eyes, Stolen Babies, Type O Negative

Movies:

An American Werewolf in London
Angel Heart
Bram Stoker's Francis Ford Coppolla's Dracula
Candyman
The Crow
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Paramount, 1931)
Frankenstein (Universal, 1931)
Ghostbusters
The Lost Boys
Phantom of the Opera (Universal, 1925)
Sin City
Sleepy Hollow

Television:

Documentaries about ghosts on the History/Discovery/Travel channels

Books:

Jan Harold Brunvand, The Vanishing Hitchhiker and all of his other books on urban legends
John Keel, The Mothman Prophecies
Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Anne Rice, The Vampire Chronicles (the first four, anyway...)
Mary Shelley, Frankestein
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Whitley Strieber, The Hunger
Weird U.S. series
Manly Wade Wellman, Who Fears the Devil? / John the Balladeer

Heroes:

Frankenstein's Monster
The Phantom of the Opera (not the one from the musical)

My Blog

REVIEW: Blue Öyster Cult, "Fire of Unknown Origin"

This is a very poor rap album. Everything about it is a misfire, from the  "rhymes" to the irrelevant lyrics. The production might have flown in the early 1980's or something, but we are talking ...
Posted by Derek on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 07:40:00 PST

THE MALTESE FALCON

I am firmly convinced that if they found a way to gene splice Humphrey Bogart and Bela Lugosi, we would have the coolest actor of all time.
Posted by Derek on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:56:00 PST

MAGIC BITES by Ilona Andrews

There have been a lot of dark urban fantasy novels recently, but this is one that you shouldn't miss. It would be easy to overlook if you just saw it in the store. The art on the cover, while really g...
Posted by Derek on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 06:59:00 PST

THE CIRCUS FIRE by Stewart O'Nan

I picked "The Circus Fire" up at ChattaCon (of all places) at a table selling books to raise money for the undervalued Chattanooga Public Library system. It was a hardcover in great shape, and it was ...
Posted by Derek on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 06:36:00 PST

which Tim Burton character are you?

Which Tim Burton film character are you? BeetlejuiceTake this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code ...
Posted by Derek on Sun, 01 Apr 2007 04:09:00 PST

my sideshow dream

I've recently been reading Stewart O'Nan's "The Circus Fire," a nonfiction account of the infamous Hartford circus fire of 1944. I'll post a review as soon as I am finished. Anyway, likely due to read...
Posted by Derek on Sat, 31 Mar 2007 07:31:00 PST

FIVE BANDS I HATE WORSE THAN HINDER

Just for those keeping count, here they are: THREE DAYS GRACE - the most boring attempt at hard rock music I have ever heard. Their second single sounded like they just ripped themselves off! THEORY O...
Posted by Derek on Thu, 22 Mar 2007 03:53:00 PST

another TRUE review

"FIND THE GIRL OF YOUR DREAMS" This True ad seems to be saying that the girl of my dreams has hair that looks like a coon-dog whose tail got caught in an electrical fence.
Posted by Derek on Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:33:00 PST

SCORE!!!

$3.00 AT MCKAY'S USED BOOKS
Posted by Derek on Sat, 10 Mar 2007 08:07:00 PST

Cruxshadows / Ayria / Angelspit - and Ego Likeness guest appearance!

Last Saturday was the Cruxshadows show, and I had a really good time. Everything went well, not only did I get to see a great show, but I saw friends and met cool new people as well. During the day ...
Posted by Derek on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 08:50:00 PST