In 1988 I was 20, a sophomore in college in Dallas, TX, obsessed with vampires (thanks to Anne Rice and The Lost Boys) and still very new to gothic/industrial culture (which was itself pretty new, all things considered). I occasionally pine for those times. Being young and beautiful forever seemed like a realistic goal; custom fangs and an enthusiastic vampiric subculture made it moreso. It's easy to point and laugh now, but at the time, we were all suckered in by the glamour.
In 1998 I was 30, driving from Syracuse, NY to Chicago, IL with everything I owned in the back of a couple of trucks - literally on my 30th birthday. I was still vampire-obsessed (although it was blossoming into a more all-horror-inclusive mindset), worked for Corporate Masters, and the internet was more of a curiosity and novelty than anything else. I was also twice-divorced and very jaded.
It's 2008 and it's my 40th birthday today. I just moved from Chicago a bit east to a small town in Indiana, where my mortgage payment is less than 1/2 of what I paid in rent in Chicago. I own a horror/Halloween/haunted house cottage industry and still think vampires are cool, but have opened my heart to zombies as well.
I have survived, either inflicted on myself or my spouse: Foreclosure, bankruptcy, stitches, broken bones, cancer, tumors, death, disease and unemployment.
I have enjoyed an amazing wife, beautiful children, The Sweetest Dog Ever, a successful homegrown business, great clients and good friends.
I spend my days creating spooky imagery for haunted houses and other horror/Halloween businesses. I offer up thanks EVERY DAY for that. If you had told me in 1978 that this is what my job would be, 10-year-old Chad would have been overjoyed, since drawing and designing spooky stuff is all I've ever wanted to do.
So bring it on, Life. You don't scare me, and I figure if medical science continues the way it's been going for the last 50 years, I'm only about 1/3 done on this planet. I intend to wind up as a Futurama-style head in a jar, dispensing wisdom to them what'll listen in 1000 years.
On that note, my tombstone will read:
HERE! IN THIS GRAVE! THAT GUY I WAS!
Come help me celebrate my 40th this weekend at METAL-MERGENCE 2 :
Networking event for the Heavy Metal Industry. Open to metal fans & pros! Saturday, July 12. The Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. Doors open 8pm. Show 9pm. $10 admission, 21+. Live metal, CD artists, label reps, DJ showcase & more!
Join us for a night of heavy music & connecting at the legendary Double Door in the heart of Chicago! Live Performances by:
CYANOTIC,
MINDWARP CHAMBER,
JUNGLE ROT,
SMOKE BUY TICKETS (
TICKETMASTER)
