Have you been noticing the hearses around town? The glimpses of ornate, Victorian dresses? It’s a budding scene new to Idaho Falls most apparent downtown; the Goths, in all their fashionable glory, have congregated and it’s hard not to notice. But who are they?
I was able to sit down with a well known (viral tiktok star, no big deal) member named Madi Danger for this issue’s “Talking with.” Let’s dive in.
With tea in hand, I get comfortable on the couch, my dog eagerly awaiting the invitation to join. I’ve known Madi through the music scene for quite some time. I’d call us friends, though we’ve yet to hang out one-on-one. Her recent online growth has been explosive to say the least and like a worried middle-schooler I think, “I hope she’s not too cool for me.” My phone pings. “Feel free to send questions whenever works for you.” She’s as nice as ever and I start to relax.
Well let’s start with you. Just give me a brief introduction. Are you originally from Idaho? When did you start getting into goth culture?
Madi— “Born and raised in Idaho, I first started getting into alternative music around 11. I was originally more into metal and punk, but about 2016 started getting more into goth as well.”
Who was the first band or artist that really sparked your interest?
Madi— “The first goth band I really got into was Bauhaus. I’ve always been pretty into classic horror and am especially fond of the 1931 Dracula with Bela Lugosi. I came across the song Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus and instantly fell in love.”
Bela Lugosi’s Dracula is truly a classic, I couldn’t argue with that but if I know anything from her Instagram feed it’s that being a movie buff is not the only interesting thing about her. From Gothic candelabras to handmade coffins, Madi probably has every item you can think of in between.
What was the key item that started your occult collecting?
Madi— “I think that stems from my interest in horror also, but the first items I remember starting with were weapons like daggers and swords if those count.”
How many collections do you have? How many items in each collection are there?
There’s a pause and a single sentence in response. “Oh boy.” I laugh and assure her to take her time. Admittedly, I did not realize the extent of her collections.
Madi— “I’m a pretty big collector of a lot of different things. My main focuses are on physical media such as Vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks, VHS, and laserdiscs as well as what can best be classified as anything that you might find in a vampire's lair.
When I last counted I had about 400 records, 400 cassettes, 80 8-tracks, maybe 120 VHS tapes, and 80 laserdiscs. I’ve got a pretty good collection of coffin shaped items including things like bags, mirrors, candles, carry on luggage, book shelf, curio shelf, wallet, the actual coffin I built, etc.
I collect quite a few candelabras and individual candle holders, I’d guess I have about 50 right now. I’ve got a small collection of skulls/bones including raccoon, cat, bat, coyote, and vampire deer skulls and even a human ulna. Also just any antique or antique styled furniture I can get my hands on.”
Was adding the hearse a dream you had for a long time or was it a serendipitous occurrence? What are some pros and cons of being a hearse driver?
Madi— ”Ever since I had my first Cadillac I just wanted another and once the thought of getting a Cadillac hearse was in my head it was all I wanted. As soon as I had my Subaru paid off I sold it and was able to get my hearse, although it took a while and a lot of searching.
There’s definitely a lot more cons than pros. I’d say the pros are that it makes me happy to be able to drive my dream car everyday, there’s good storage in the back for hauling things or can double as a hangout spot with friends, it’s got the comfiness and luxury of Cadillacs, for me a pro is that it has a tape & CD deck, and it’s easy to find in a parking lot. The cons are that it only has the front seat so you can’t carry many people comfortably or legally, the gas mileage isn’t as good as a typical car and it’s more comparable to driving a truck, it is harder to park, change lanes, turn, and overall maneuver in due to its length and large blind spots. It can attract unwanted attention sometimes, and for me due to it not being over 20 years old and living in Idaho it was a challenge to get insured. Oh and since the entire back end of the vehicle was made by the coach builder instead of Cadillacs, it's not a typical vehicle and parts can be harder to come by.”
So let’s talk about your online take off. Did the spike in followers happen all at once or did you notice a steady growth? Are you trying to pursue YouTube or anything full time now?
Madi— “I definitely wasn’t expecting it and to be honest had hoped when I originally started that no one would notice. Most of it started to develop on tiktok and pretty soon after Instagram. It definitely didn’t happen overnight, but continued to grow at a pretty rapid pace. Currently I have about 475k followers on tiktok and 100k followers on Instagram. I decided to start making YouTube videos about a year ago too which has been really fun, I have 12k subscribers on there right now.
I would like to do it all full time and would definitely be able to do more if I had the time to dedicate to it all, but I don’t see that happening any time soon. I don’t think most people realize how much work goes into it all for such a small amount of profit. I get about $80 a month from all of them combined if I’m doing really well. I’ve definitely enjoyed finding so many more friends and outlets for me to share my interests through all of it though.
With her introduction out of the way, I was curious about the rest of the group. With my dog, now taking up a majority of the couch, I repositioned and continued with the interview.
So how did the goth group form? Were you friends beforehand or did you connect organically from having similar styles?
Madi— “The group I usually hang out with has mostly been friends with me for a few years now with the newest additions being Liz and her friends. Liz and I met because we both drive hearses here in town. The Facebook goth group was created by the same person who did some DJing for a while at the few goth nights we had for a while then we slowly invited everyone we knew to the group until it eventually reached about 50 people.”
Do you hold events or regular meetups? What does a usual night for the group look like when you all get together?
Madi— “We had hoped to have more meetups like cemetery picnics or tea parties before the pandemic started, but that unfortunately put a wrench into our plans. Our first official meet up through the Facebook group was for World Goth Day (May 22nd) this year. Otherwise it’s usually just me and my friends having horror movie marathons with themed snacks/attire, walking around the cemetery, or having mock goth nights at the bar.”
Can you be interested in goth culture but not necessarily dress goth and still be welcomed? How inclusive is the group?
Madi— ”Oh definitely! Dressing up is always part of the fun but by no means required. Mainly it’s for anyone who thinks they might be interested whether they have been Goths for years or are even just curious about it.”
How has the community reacted to the surge the group has created? Do you think Idaho Falls is growing in a way that will be more accepting of other styles?
Madi— “So far it seems to be pretty positive. When we go out thrifting we often get a lot of compliments mixed in with confusion as to whether we are going to some kind of party or event. Liz and I have been in a car show and we’re pretty well received there as well. I also think us being in a group deters rude behavior from others. I like to think that the more we go out the more people will get used to seeing Goths in the area.”
In conclusion, what do you hope your life looks like in the future? Do you plan on staying in Idaho Falls long term?
Madi— “My main goal now that I have my hearse is to try to get a house that I can decorate to my heart's content. Ideally I would like to continue living here or at least somewhere nearby. I’d love to see more goth nights around here and expand the scene as well since there isn’t much to do around here in general.”
And with that, we chatted and said our goodbyes. I was sent an invite to the Facebook group shortly after the interview. I’m eager to go to the next meet up and hopefully get some different perspectives of the scene for the next issue. While I would not categorize myself as Goth, I appreciate the fashion and culture surrounding them.
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Editor | Writer
Chloe O'Laughlin
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