Not being “Normal” was never a choice.

Over the years, I have had the somewhat unique pleasure of being asked why I like what I like or, enjoy what I enjoy – as if I chose to deliberately detach myself from the common likes of most other people. I admit that I never really fell prey to programming, be it Social, Political, Religious or other systems of “Belief”. Perhaps, the hint is that I almost always put “Belief” and “Reality” in quotes. Consensual reality and programming – no thanks, not for me.

The origins are obscure – however, I remember even at the tender age of 5 or 6, enjoying shows where the main character or characters were the outcasts or, the unique thinkers. Such shows as: Secret Agent Man, The Prisoner, The Addams Family, The Munsters, Bewitched… I watched and listened to anything unique, unusual – out of the Norm. I also started my interest in Vampires, Aliens, Paranormal, Horror Movies, Sci-fi and general outsiderness at around 6 years old. Perhaps, this could have something to do with the glowing globe/sphere that occasionally visited the backyard at dusk and later in the night. It could have something to do with my sleepwalking around that age… I was prone to see Shadows moving on the walls late at night (an active imagination perhaps) and the mist that somewhat quarterly invaded my room around Midnight and again at around 4:oo am… Perhaps it was the Sleep Paralysis… The 11:11 occurences… The Streetlight effects… Only that, and nothing more. No Raven, no Owl, no…

Perhaps it is simply that I have been blessed/cursed with an incredible “Imagination” and seem to see beyond what most others view in their daily lives. Even at age 5 or 6, I sought different music, different TV shows, different Artists… Dali, Bosch, Giger, Escher, Edward Gorey… Gothic was soooo appealing. Black was my favorite color since the age of 4 (seriously) and anything Psychedelic was appealing – as it is with many children. I performed the usual Mind-altering experiences as a child: spinning until you get so dizzy you fall down… I would sit and stare off into the distance until I thought I could “see” beyond “Reality”…

So, these days, when I listen to Skinny Puppy, Bauhaus, Sphongle, Sun Ra, Tones on Tail, etc…. And, I watch movies that twist the theme of “Reality” like: Vidocq, The matrix, Dark City, eXistenZ, Videodrone, Fight Club, Wanted, 12 Monkeys, Brazil… And I work on my Alien Gothic Steampunk Art - It all seems quite “Normal” to me.

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