Nancy

City of residence: New York, NY

Age: 25

Length of time in the scene: "I've been goth most of my life, but I've only been in the scene for a year or so."

Occupation: "Network System Administrator and Webmistress for Miller Freeman, PSN."

Education: "GED, and internship with a computer company. I'm mostly self-educated, and I read a lot."

Musical taste: "I listen to a lot of different music. I love Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, Cruxshadows, Alien Sex Fiend, etc. Most of the classic Goth stuff. I also love Blues, Classical music, and classic rock. My favorite musician would have to be Leonard Cohen. I also love the very non-Goth band The Refreshments. I'll give anything a chance."

Distinctions in appearance: "I have 4 tattoos: a little one on my ankle, a tribal on my lower back, a dragon on my neck (in black light ink, does not show in normal light) and a picture of Betty Page on my left shoulder. I also have 15 piercings (eight in ears, one nose, one tongue, one lip, both nipples, navel and hood). My hair colour changes often, it's black at the moment. I tend to favor long skirts, elegant gowns and corsets."

Hobbies, activities, interests: "Reading, sewing (I make some of my own clothes), music (I play bass), belly dancing, cooking and computers." You can also visit her web page.

Spiritual, philosophical, religious affiliation: "I don't believe in organized religion. I guess you would call me a neo-pagan."

Goals, dreams: "I just want to be happy. Professionally, I'm doing very well. I'm doing what I love for a living. My best friend and I are starting a gothic clothing company (we are doing all the designing and sewing ourselves). At the moment it's just for fun. We are trying to make stylish gothic clothing that everyone can afford. It would be nice if that is successful enough to allow me to only work my day job part time."

Do you consider yourself gothic?: "I guess so. I fought against the label for a long time, but now I have accepted it. There is much more to me than just being a Goth Gothic to me is mostly about music and style. All of my life I have been attracted to dark things. As a little girl I remember thinking Mortica Adams was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. My friends in the Goth scene are wonderful people. They are caring and supportive. For the first time in my life I feel like I belong somewhere. I recently lost a loved one, and I haven't been able to sleep alone without having awful nightmares. My friends have taken time out of their busy lives to stay with me and keep me busy, as well as just holding me when I break down. I have gotten so much e-mail (some from people in the NY scene who I have never met) from people offering support. I've never felt so secure and cared about."

11/26/97