Goth God

The American president is screwing up. Legions of kids clad in black are angry about it. And they gather to watch as a British messiah emerges from a cloud of smoke to preach to them about all that's wrong with the world.

It could just as well been 1986 as the man from Leeds, England who launched the Goth movement took the stage as a drum machine pumped out a repetitive beat. But Andrew Eldritch and his revolving apostles who make up The Sisters of Mercy were playing at the Gypsy Tea Room in 2006 for their first appearance in the homeland of the Bush family for the first time in forever. And for the dorks who've dressed in black since high school to show their sorrow for the world, this was the equivalent to the sermon on the mount.

Time has been very kind to Eldritch who's as skinny and angry as ever. Sporting a clean shaven head, face hugging sunglasses and a swagger that would have knocked that Irish humanitarian from U2 off the stage, Eldritch grabbed his microphone and started off by belting out "Dominion/Mother Russia" through his crooked teeth. By the time he got to "Lucretia My Reflection," his black clad fans who normally can't be bothered were jumping up and down. And the undead had really come to life when he got to "Vision Thing" a 1990 song that takes a jab at the first Bush administration, which might as well be the the second one too, with lines like "Take back what I paid. For another motherfucker in a motorcade."

Then Eldritch left the stage and a whole lot of people had to go home and wash off their pasty white makeup.