Bela Lugosi's still dead

Oh dear. More than two weeks have passed since the last posting. That’s very slack. And it’s not as if the images haven’t been arriving in TFP’s inbox. Far from it. It's swamped and deluged. It's gridlocked, bottlenecked and logjammed. Things are badly backed up. It’s time to brace and purge. It’s time to squeeze one out.

When it comes to making a satisfying splash, it’s hard to beat the above image. It was photographed by Filthy Pen correspondent Scott McCartney in September 2006 in a dead-end alley bordering a building site in Edinburgh's Cowgate. Just think, if he hadn’t ventured down there, this insult is likely to have gone unseen and unappreciated. Thank heavens for small mercies, and thank the council for the woeful paucity of public toilets.

Although the author was probably thinking specifically of the Scottish capital’s sizeable goth contingent when penning it, this piece of sloganeering is equally applicable to all followers of gothic ideology and fashion, wherever they may be. They're manifold and legion, and they're also loathed and ridiculed. For more than a quarter of a century, goths have maintained their position as the Millwall fans of alternative lifestyles - no-one likes them, they don’t care. And don't doubt that staying power. They'll see off the rise and rise of emo yet.

The depth of dislike that rages against goths is summed up nicely by the bile present in this scrawl. It's unambiguous in its condemnation. It's even written in black lipstick for added impact. Let's hope it was shoplifted from an alt.clothing store, or is that too much to ask?

Let's hear it for the goths, still taking a metaphorical pummelling after all this time, and let's hear it for the scribbler of the message featured in this posting's image. Nice work.