Veronique Chevalier AKA The “Weird Val” of Cabaret has graciously agreed to be interviewed for the film GOTH:insideOUT!

She is very talented and unique in what she does, with her cabaret performances and also music (both on her own and with projects such as Polka Haunt Us). I’ve never seen or heard anything like it – and I like it!

Her work on “Polka Haunt Us: A Spook-tacular Compilation” was an official selection on the 51st Annual Grammy ballot,  and continues to gain more popularity and airplay every Halloween.  She writes and performs original cabaret songs, and also covers of rock songs as Edith Piaf might have done them. In addition, “Weird Val” writes parodies of well-known songs, in the same spirit of “Weird Al” Yankovic.

From her bio: “Being gonged off the premiere season of America’s Got Talent was irrefutable proof her gifts are wasted on the masses.”

We’ll get her take on what she does, sample some of her live performances, and hear about her observations on Goth and its evolutions.

Her Website is http://weirdval.com and also check out http://polkahaunt.us

I’m very happy to have her aboard!
-David

Welcome to the blog for the film GOTH:insideOUT. Here I”ll be keeping you updated with our progress as we work on the film.  It’s a documentary, or as I like to call it a “gothumentary”. It’s due to be released later this year.

The film features interviews with:

Edward Ka-Spel of the Legendary Pink Dots, Baron Marcus of the Vampire Beach Babes, Nancy Kilpatrick author of The Goth Bible, Lance Goth (the past owner of Sanctuary Vampire Sex Bar, The Catacombs, The Vatikan), The Westborough Baptist Church, Noah Korda from Bats Day in the Fun Park, Michael Ratt (of The Dark Place Gothic Society, healer and musician), Nik Beat (poet, musician, broadcaster), Stella Sanders the designer of S.I.N.S. Gothic Punk Fashions, Mitch Krol (Beyond the Gates of Hell radio show, the band Masochistic Religion), members of the Goth scene world-wide, the band Freakency, Cad Gold Jr., photographer Hugues LeBlanc, DJ Todd (ex-Sanctuary Vampire Sex Bar DJ and Internet broadcaster with synthetic.org), Jo Kuczynska of Fluffer Designs, Veronique Chevalier AKA The “Weird Val” of Cabaret, author Liz Worth (author of “Treat Me Like Dirt”), and lots more! With video contributions from the Goth scene around the world!

I’ve been producing and directing this film since about 2002 (on and off), but it’s genesis goes farther back for me. I was first introduced to the Goth (or the Gothic) scene in Toronto, Canada, in the 1980′s. That was a great time for music to grow up with! Our local radio station CFNY used to play alternative music (before the word alternative was widely used).  But, it was one band and one song – “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus – which introduced me, my friends and a lot of people around the world to the Goth sound. Other bands too had a Gothy aesthetic at the time, like Sisters of Mercy, the Cure and bands like Ministry and Skinny Puppy pushed the dark sound into industrial. It was a great time for music!

Why is this film taking so long to make? That’s a question you may ask. It’s due to a few factors, namely that I’m producing it out of my own pocket and for the first few years it was largely my solo effort.  Also, many great people kept coming into my path to be interviewed for the film. But, the most important reason it’s been taking so long is that I want this film to be the best that it can be, and if that takes time, then so be it.

Goth bless,

David Sloma
producer/director
GOTH:insideOUT

Vegas Beach, circa 2004, Vatikan Club, Toronto. Photo by David Sloma