Connect the dots.......

Haute Macabre posted a lil' something about Clint Catalyst which promted me to write this blog post! I discovered (re-discovered) Clint Catalyst several years ago by sheer accident. I was searching for a black chandelier for my apartment and simply googled "black chandelier". I never did find a chandelier, but I found something even better! One of the first things that came up in my google search was a link to Jared Gold's old website...which appealed to every one of my six senses for obvious reasons.

It was just a curtain page that linked to his Myspace page which his was his primary networking tool to get the word out about his couture clothing under his "Black Chandelier" label. It was like opening Pandora's Box! Jared had just wrapped up an amazing runway show at the Los Angeles Theater...OMG the clothes...My eyes were popping out of my head!!! Not to mention the meticulously styled models, Jeffree Star in particular caught my eye! The event was curated by Clint Catalyst and was was billed as "the wildest front row in all of Fashion Week." I thought to myself, "who the hell are these fabulous people!?" Attendees included all kinds of amazing artists and musicians that I love, like Liz McGrath and Dame Darcy...fabulous I tell you!

I immediatly sent a friend request so I could see what Jared was doing next. And about this Clint Catalyst guy...he looked really familiar so I started poking around his Myspace page. After looking at his photos I realized he used to grace the pages of a couple Gothic/Industrial lifestyle magazines I used to read: Industrial Nation and Permission. Permission magazine was first published in the early 90's in Chicago by a guy named Jayson Elliot...he and I hung out with the same circle of people. It was a really exciting time...the climax of Chicago's Industrial scene. Chicago is the cradle of the Industrial music, home of the legendary Wax Trax Records and bands like My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Die Warzau, Ministry, KMFDM, Sister Machine Gun, and the Smashing Pumpkins! Even though there was a lot going on, it wasn't enough to keep a magazine going. Jayson started touring with local bands to spread the word about Permission and gather new material for future publications. Somewhere along the way he fell in love with San Fransico...I remember when he came back from touring and he said "Chicago sucks, I'm moving to California!" So off he went, it was 1992. I never saw him again but I continued to follow Permission...which got better and better!

You have to remember this was BEFORE the Internet...and BEFORE Lollapalloza...BEFORE Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic. There was no radio play of alternative music either! Unless you were lucky enough to live in close proximity of a College or University that hosted a New Wave or Punk radio show...you might be able to rig up your antenna just right and tune in. And you might remember the television show dedicated to alternative music called "120 Minutes" on MTV. It aired late on Sunday nights beginning in 1986. (After the first Lollapalooza the show totally went down hill.) Aside from a few great 'zines that were in circulation, Permission was one of the first note worthy magazines of it's kind. Prior to that it was Propaganda which had more gothic feel...mostly because it was based in Hollywood/Los Angeles. The LA scene was more Death Rock than Industrial...and probably had something to do with the fact that LA was home to bands like Christian Death...and the legendary HELTER SKELTER. (You see, Goth and Industrial are two separate entities, sibling children of Punk and New Wave.)

Anyway, back to Clint...