Dragon*Con pt. 1: geeks, goths and grown men in booty shorts
Judge not lest ye be judged...
- Photo by Chad Radford
- Goth outreach program
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- Photo by Chad Radford
Fri., Sept. 3. I hit up Dragon*Con Friday night on a mission to go free range for a bit and snap off my annual batch of camera phone costume pics. That’s generally they way to do a big con like this; just go where the crowd pushes you.
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I picked up my press credentials and the only real agenda item for the evening was to hit up The State of the Goth Scene: 2010 panel discussion. But like Odysseus making his way home from the Trojan War, there were many distractions along the way. Sirens and hideous beasts alike had swarmed upon downtown Atlanta and costumed geeks were getting their freak on as far as the eye could see. Sweet Jesus where do these people come from, and who are they? Misanthropes, curious thrill seekers, gamers, Trekkies, Furries, librarians and blogger shut-in types from the rural American countryside. They live among us and this is their time of the year to be amongst friends and truly shine.
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It’s an old familiar scene for me at this point. I’ve been people watching at Dragon*Con for several years now and if I’ve made one revelation it’s that anything goes. Judge not lest ye be judged.
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In the Hyatt’s main lobby the three poor souls who had been suckered in to concierge duty on this unholy night held on to their game faces; even when a guy dressed as Randy “Macho Man” Savage circa ‘87 entered through the revolving door, held a hand to his ear and in a raspy voice announced his arrival, “Oooooh Yeah!”
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Suddenly, everyone else seemed tame by comparison, and the Macho Man had an agenda. He led me to a large ballroom, which had been converted to an amateur wrestling arena and the place was packed. All eyes were on four buff dudes in booty shorts going head-to-head in the squared circle — tag team. Adults and children alike leapt from their seats shouting protests when one Mohawked manager taunted them all, screaming into a microphone that his favorite Star Trek character was Darth Vader, and that no one else’s opinions mattered “because “y’all are a bunch of NNNEEEERRRRDDDDS!!!!!!”