The Beholder’s Sanctuary Reports

Photos will be sent to Michael Morbius 2000, Richmond Goth, and gothic.bc.ca.

16 March 2003

Just before entering, Ryan and I saw a woman panhandling outside. We gave her some change. I saw that she had a cute black cat. I scratched its head and it bit me gently. I laughed and stood back and the cat reached up and scratched half-heartedly at my retreating hand. The woman apologized and said the cat was still growing up and wasn’t used to people yet. I said it was OK.

Ryan and I arrived about 10:00 p.m. I was IDed! They couldn’t have thought I looked too young; they must have been putting names and addresses to faces in case there was trouble.

As Ryan and I found a place to store our bags I saw Jeff. We acknowledged each other.

Sarah was there; she said she’d come to Sanctuary specifically to apologize profusely for the trouble on Thursday. Her car was impounded and her only copy of my phone number was in the car. She arranged to hang out tomorrow between the end of my lessons and the beginning of Mutiny. Ryan bought her a drink. Alex bought me a drink—some sort of red-cloured shot that tasted like licorice, then gently burnt my throat— similar to the shot I drank at his last party, which tasted like cinnamon (and then gently burnt my throat). Ryan also bought me a Coke. Thanks, Alex and Ryan.

In the line-up at the bar, a girl with black dreadlocks and the sides of her head shaved, and an attractive square face with no eyebrows and thin lips (or maybe just no lipstick). I nodded at her and said hello when she walked up to me, but she was cold. So far, not surprising, but then, while in line, she repeatedly bumped into me. I saw her later hugging Kim.

Alex and I talked politics for a while. Responding to his remarks about libertarianism on his livejournal, I asked him where he was in the four-quadrant scale of political beliefs: social liberal/fiscal liberal; social liberal/fiscal conservative; social conservative/fiscal liberal; social conservative/fiscal conservative. The short answer was that as a libertarian, he was social liberal/fiscal conservative in my terms, but he added that the phrase “fiscal liberal” could be interpreted to mean “laissez-faire,” which is how he describes his fiscal politics (“laissez-faire as long as it’s practical”).

Alex would have no problem with privatizing the police. I said that that was only OK if citizens who couldn’t afford to pay for their own police were allowed to protect themselves. If the police are privatized I want the right to get some guns and get my friends together and protect my neighbourhood. Alex said that that was fine and added an interesting point: that the police (IRL) have no actual legal obligation to protect you. For example, a woman received multiple rape threats, and called the police each time, and when the rapist finally came and raped her, she tried to sue the police for letting it happen, but she lost.

We talked about Kim’s recent very conservative livejournal entry. Alex thinks it might have been prompted by the fact that Kim just paid his income taxes. I said it reminded me of a Heinlein story I’d just read called “The Roads Must Roll.” Alex knew the story. I also told him about “the $10,000 Ferrari shortage,” as my Dad (an electrical engineer and computer programmer) calls the “shortage” of engineers that companies complain about; in fact, there are plenty of engineers, but no-one is willing to pay them what they want for their labour, causing them to go to the US instead. This is like saying that there’s a shortage of Ferraris because you can’t buy one for $10,000. Alex understood. He said that’s why companies hire programmers from India, who will work cheap, and still be able to live well compared to the conditions in their old country.

Alex says that the Olympics will actually make a profit, but he’s still opposed to them on principle. He agrees that (as my friend Paul says—not the one from South Africa this time) the government shouldn’t be spending money on this while they’re claiming they don’t have the money for more important things, and that everyone who says “I back the bid” should be made to pay for the Olympics themselves.

I asked Isaac about my pen, which I thought I might have left at the DJ booth when I made a request last week. He laughed sheepishly and said he’d come in late himself (8:55 p.m.) and hadn’t had time to look, and I should ask him at the end of the night.

I also talked to the Paul from South Africa and he said that like me, he’s saving his green shirt for Mutiny tomorrow (St. Patrick’s day). He’s also saving his green underpants—he deliberately didn’t wear them tonight, even though they were at the top of the pile. :)

There was a guy walking around the club filming. He looked like Gary Oldman as Dracula (the young version with the long flowing wavy hair and beard; not the old version with the two buns of white hair). Pleased to see a fellow chronicler (as Ryan aptly put it), I took his photo.

Both Kim and Ryan McCann walked past me while looking directly at me and didn’t acknowldge me. Kim looked away as soon as I looked at him, while Ryan appeared to be simply glaring at me.

A very funky song was played; the lyrics were something about underwear and a fur coat. I asked at the DJ booth, and Pyxis wrote the artist name and song title down for me: “Furcoat” by Cex.

While Ryan and I were sitting at the back, a guy appeared and said he knew Ryan from somewhere. The guy’s name was Darren, and he said he’d been in the scene for a long time, including the old days at Luvaffair, then the Sanctuaries at the Palladium, and now. “Nothing changes,” he said, laughing. I mentioned that I used to go to Sanctuary at the Palladium back in 1997-1998, and he said he couldn’t believe it was that long ago.

For the last three songs of the night, the mood of the music was very positive, and the crowd was visibly happy. Ryan won the draw again! This time a CD of trance music.

On the way out, a positive development in the Kim situation. He was there handing out flyers and passes for his new Wednesday night gig, Neon Knights at Atlantis. He gave me two passes and said I should come down there. I consider this to be the first time he’s truly invited me; unlike Ryan, I don’t count the time he said on van-goth that the old Element crowd should come down, since IMO he could have meant other people.

One of my students has been asking about Vanilla Ice, who (along with Tone Loc) is tentatively booked for Neon Knights sometime in the near future. Kim said that early April was the current estimate, but it wasn’t certain, since Vancouver is considered a less profitable venue by acts that tour, and is thus always booked last.

Isaac’s closing line tonight, “I love you all,” cracked Ryan up, since it’s what the vampire La Croix said while radio DJing as “The Nightcrawler” in an episode of Forever Knight. Ryan and I told Kim that he reminded us of La Croix; he said he’d been told that by other people, then became animated and began facetiously ranting, “I’m not a vampire! I don’t have a radio show! I’m a programmer—I suck money out of clients, not blood out of virgins!” Ryan was impressed that Kim knew enough about Forever Knight to know that La Croix had a radio show.

9 March 2003

On the bus I noticed a print ad that showed Goldilocks sitting at a table with the three bears’ porridge and thinking ”Darn…today’s a protein day,” with the caption “Complicated diet plan?” Someone had clevelry drawn in (in black felt pen) an ejaculating penis and testicles.

Ryan and I started by having dinner at Nick & Lola’s, a Spanish restaurant across the street from the Purple Onion, in the old cobble-stone alleys. A burger, which was called a “hamburgesa,” was $5, including fries, but not including a glass of Coke, which was $2.75 (although this was a big glass).

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9 February 2003

Ryan and I arrived at 9:25 p.m. I went straight to the bar. The bartender’s shirt said “Bitch,” so I said, “What’s up, bitch?” Fortunately, she got the joke, but just to be safe I left a good tip.

Ryan and I were joined by Sarah, Nancy, Sarah’s boyfriend Robert, Nancy’s friend Brandy, and Maddy. Sarah was fascinated to learn what I do for a living. Crux arrived and as usual didn’t recognize me. I met a nice guy named Paul (pronounced “bowl”) from South Africa, and mistook him for someone I met at Shannon’s Gothic Cheers several months ago.

I went for another Coke and got a free refill!

I talked to Nancy for a while. I asked her why I hadn’t seen the Goth zine Comatose Rose at Sanctuary, even though it had been advertised on-line. Nancy said that the zine was usually not available at Sanctuary. Nancy says that she’s still living in the house in East Vancouver that had had the housewarming party I went to several months ago with Ryan and Garth. I told her her hair reminded me of Love & Rockets (the comic) and she said that she misses the eighties too.

Sarah had an American one dollar bill which she left us to guard while she was away. She likes the new lighting at Sanctuary. She likes my notebook. (I have several of them; maybe I should bring her one.)

I went back to the bar for a third Coke—another free refill! Wow!

Sarah and Maddy joked that there were too many hippies there tonight. I said one of the hippies looked like the lead singer of the Spin Doctors.

I requested “More Human Than Human” (White Zombie), and when it was playing, the crowd flooded the dance floor. It’s not as if I wrote the song, but still I can’t help but take some pride in the crowd pop for it. Even I danced surprisingly well to it.

Sarah was the first person to get my joke that a certain song played at Sanctuary has the same chord progression and melody as “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves.” Finally, closure! Sarah suggested that some of us meet in Richmond for dinner, then check out Ressurection sometime.

We all agreed that Robert’s hair would look better up, but Robert says it won’t stay up. I say he should cut it shorter, then. Nancy and I agreed that Ryan would look good with a pompadour.

Brandy looked lonely and bored, and I considered trying to talk to her to cheer her up, but Nancy said Brandy was just feeling sick. (However, Nancy also said that Brandy is shy.)

I complimented Nancy on her purse. Nancy said it was a gift from Sarah. Wilfred danced smoothly to “Killing Moon” (Echo & the Bunnymen). I decided his style of dancing was “Billy Idling.” Sorry, Wilfred.

The night wound down. Isaac (DJing) wished Nicole (whom I remember from the Element) a happy birthday. Nancy invited us to coffee at Blenz, Granville and Davie, saying that “a big group of people goes every week” after Sanctuary. Sadly, I had to catch a bus back to Richmond.

Sunday 29 December 2002

Ryan and I arrived about ten to ten. Atratus and Valerian were just ahead of us in the hallway. I said hi to them and they said hi to me. Once inside, I saw Kevin, Jeff, Kim, Jack, Sarah, Michelle, Wilfred, and Alex. Jack said hi as I was on my way to the bathroom. Alex shook my hand.

Some interesting music—a new-style cover of the Cure’s “Love Song,” with augmented intervals and piercing female vocals. “Go!” (Tones on Tail).

Talked to Sarah.

Michelle table-danced.

“Major Tom” (Peter Schilling) was played; I tried to dance to it but felt awkward. Still, I gamely tried to make a go of it, until a girl dancing with her back to me farted during “I Ran” (A Flock of Seagulls). I left the dance floor.

I realized that Bruce looks like Ben Stiller.

At the end of the night I decided on impulse to shake Kim’s hand and say “New year, new beginning.” He acknowledged me fully but seemed too drunk to understand. Nevertheless he invited me and Ryan to a New Year’s Eve party.

The bouncers started shouting at us to get out.

When I got off the bus in Richmond it was snowing.

Projekt Pitchfork CD Release (Sunday 24 November 2002)

The men’s washroom was out of order, so for this Sanctuary we men had to/got to use the women’s washroom.

I requested “Pleasure, Little Treasure” by Depeche Mode. I gave little plastic swords to Sarah and Wilfred in honour of Mutiny.

Two girls raced me and beat me to the bar, but then Leaf appeared, and they followed Leaf. Kim was at the bar and said hi to me. Leaf had no reaction to me (good). Kim realized that he’d been standing off to the side and wasn’t in line—“I thought we were in line!”

While at the bar, a bad new-style cover of Duran Duran’s “Countdown” was played. (Deep male chorus: “Ba ba-ba, ba-ba ba ba-ba.”)

Ryan met Uberbabe in the washroom. She was civil to him.

Leaf chose to sit with the two girls in the area where I was already sitting. At 10:55 p.m. he left the area.

At 10:52 p.m. there was a good Mortal Kombat-esque song, followed at 10:55 p.m. by an OK song that sort of went “ER-EEH-OHH!!!”

At 11:00 p.m., Jack talked to Kim. At 11:02 p.m., Mike Young talked to Kim.

At 11:14 p.m., the “BWEEoo BWEEoo BWEEoo BWEEoo BWEEoo BWEEoo BWEEoo“ F-major perfect fourths song played. At 11:27 p.m., my request, “Pleasure, Little Treasure,” was played. I tried to dance to it but didn’t feel comfortable on the dance floor. Ryan made an odd remark later to the effect of “The man has a right to dance to his own request.”

At 11:52 p.m. a woman with a pin through her septum noticed me writing on the backs of “Vitus” flyers and read them. She smiled and patted me on the shoulder, then left, dropping one of my cards.

Sunday 17 November 2002

Several panhandlers asked me for money on the way there, but I didn’t have any to spare. I experimented with offering each of them a penny, after asking them if they would be insulted by the gesture. One quarter of them were insulted, while the other three quarters were grateful for the humanity of the gesture, even if the amount was next to nothing. A good sign, I think. One panhandler was even a music teacher, like me!

At Sanctuary, a woman was dressed as a sailor. I told Candace, the coat check girl, that her photo was developed and scanned and uploaded to gothic.bc.ca. I put in a request for the Smiths with Daevina. What I got instead was a cover of “How Soon Is Now” by some nineties female band. The bartender, Juleika, had a cool square purple flashlight on her belt, just above her crotch.

Avi and Wilfred were there. Ryan had a drink called a “blood shot”—something dark red in a shot glass. (I photographed this and later uploaded it with the caption “Ryan feeling a little blood shot.”)

Kim said “Hello” and started to walk away, then turned back and said “How are you gentlemen doing tonight?” I said, “So-so—how about you?” He said, “Tired—had a few shows to do this week.” I said, “I haven’t heard your voice in a year—forgot what it sounds like.” He said, ”I’m losing my voice. I don’t sound like myself right now.”

“Ozzy,” Nick & Sandi, and Juleika were there, and I think I saw Master Fogg from Kink.

Forbidden (Sunday 10 November 2002)

This was a special Sanctuary; there was a fetish fashion show at 11:00 p.m.

This time I went with Paul and Ryan. This was Paul’s first Sanctuary since the ones we went to in 1998 at the Palladium.

Once again, some of my former and present opponents were there, but were civil to me. Ryan McCann was looking cool in black and white clothes, so I got him to pose with Ryan Hawe for a photo. I introduced Ryan McCann to Paul and Ryan McCann seemed happy with it. Atratus, Kim, and Leaf were also there but did not interact with me, although Leaf was standing behind me for part of the fashion show and I fear that when I turned around repeatedly to look for Ryan (Hawe), it may have seemed like I was looking at Leaf.

I bought a new roll of film just for tonight and checked with the staff to make sure photography was permitted (it was; one of the bouncers added that the staff and models would probably appreciate scans of the photos). Unfortunately due to a combination of the club’s layout and my failure to stake out a front-row spot good and early, I couldn’t see anything but the models’ heads and shoulders. Photography was out of the question; even if I had tried to hold the camera up and shoot in the general direction of the models, my flash would have been absorbed by the backs of the heads of the crowd in front of me. So, ironically, on a night when I had more reason than ever to take photos, I came away with only one photo (the Ryans).

There were a few intermission performances by local slave-master Fogg, whom I recognized from the Showcase show Kink. The first performance was a piercing, or so I gather from the MC’s intro; I couldn’t actually see.

The contour of the crowd also made it difficult to line up at the bar. In order to avoid blocking the only path from the front of the club to the back I had to stand to the side of the person before me in line and a young man with a shaved head and black lipstick stole my place in line by standing directly behind the person before me. I tapped him on the shoulder and said “Excuse me but I’m actually next; I’m standing to the side so that people can get by.” He didn’t say anything; he just glared at me. He didn’t try to get in front of me when the bartender was ready for the next person though.

Azrael: “It was a good show. At least I think it was. I spent most of the time on the floor looking for my retainer.”

Something Wicked This Way Comes (Wednesday 30 October 2002)

This was Sanctuary’s annual Halloween party.

I went with Joe and Ryan.

None of my opponents (former or present) gave me any trouble tonight. Kim was DJing Retroactive music in the second room all night and just shrugged when I took a photo of him. Atratus came as Purple; I introduced myself to him (this being the first time we’d physically met) and he smiled and shook my hand and let me take a photo of him. Ryan McCann posed for a photo of his Tron costume. Michelle talked to me briefly. Opium was suspicious of me only until I identified myself; then she was nice, and let me take a photo of her as Stormer from Jem.

I did the same thing as last year and went as a vaguely vampiric character. Like last year I had a brand-new long black wig and borrowed Joe’s vampire cape. Unlike last year I had a black shirt and jeans that fit; also the wig became tangled much more quickly than last year. It also got into my mouth more than last year and obscured my vision when I was trying to take photos.

Joe was a mysterious gentleman in a spiky mask and formal vest. Ryan made clever use of work overalls, hockey armour, foil, and Star Wars guns to be Boba Fett.

Other costumes of note included: one of the DJs as Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson) as played by Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, complete with spatula for swinging at imaginary bats (I yelled a good impression of Depp’s delivery of the word “Yuh!” at him while he was posing on-stage; he seemed to catch the reference); a couple as Beetlejuice and Lydia from the cartoon Beetlejuice (who were later joined by Lydia from the movie Beetlejuice); Marvin the Martian; Mr. Dark (whom I first met at a Vampire: The Masquerade game at Purple’s house in 1994) as a werewolf; Harry Potter (whom I mistook for the Fourth Doctor Who because of his brown trench-coat and long scarf); and Atratus’s girlfriend Valerian as Lily Munster. One man appeared to have come as a classic 1980s punk but it turned out that was his normal look (when he did get into costume he looked like Wilfred—but I think he was really an anime or video-game character).

When the song “Pressure Suit” by Adult began to play, Ryan said “Ah, the Michelle song.” I asked why and he said, “You’ll see.” A few seconds later Michelle came racing into the room and started dancing. She was quickly joined and surrounded by four or five more people who began dancing robotically like the dancers on Sprockets.

After a floor-show from the finalists in the costume contest, three prizes of $100 were awarded. The couple from the cartoon Beetlejuice won “Best Couple.” An ice queen won “Most Original.” IIRC Marvin the Martian also won.

Azrael: “Halloween—the one night of the year when the whole world embraces the darkness within…and I don’t get beat up in the mall parking lot.”