For 10 years, listeners to WECS out of Connecticut State University tuned into Dark Etiquette, a radio program hosted by Miss Gothic Manners -- the on-air name for Herb Nowell. The program sought to unite the old-school goth community and to educate random listeners and youngsters in mascara and black trench coats to the history and roots of the movement.

Late last year, Nowell moved to College Station and brought Dark Etiquette with him. The two-hour show now airs on KEOS 89.1 FM Wednesdays at 11 p.m.

Dark Etiquette never fails to educate both the casual listener and the intense fan of goth and post-punk. If you think goth begins and ends with The Cure, you'd be surprised. While Nowell certainly focuses on classic dark rock artists like Joy Division, Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees, he also spins the '90s intelligent dance music, acoustic-ambient and new bands like The Opposite Sex and Scissorkiss -- bringing the music forward.

"I've been in [this] scene now for close to 25 years, and I've seen it go through many changes over the years," said Nowell. "Yet the [goth] scene is still very, very vibrant."

College Station is a neopolitan blend of many diverse cultures, tastes and styles, but is there truly a goth scene in the Brazos Valley?

"It took me four years to meet anyone remotely like me," says Marina Briggs, a local who was so energized by Nowell's program that she started a Facebook fanpage for Dark Etiquette. "[Nowell] is a real rallying point for us, helping to open up our community and make it more interactive."

The Brazos Valley goth scene, according to Briggs, tends to have more crossover with the metal scene.

"I felt like I had a lot in common with the metal kids, except for the music," Briggs confesses.

So like every teenager of the new millennium, Briggs consulted the Internet and found a legion of like-minded folks online. While Nowell praises the Internet, especially the Use-net group alt.gothic, Briggs found the Internet to be a daunting place.

"I couldn't really connect well with these people online," she said. "The lack of face-to-face contact was inhibitive, and when I did meet these people, I felt like they put up such a front."

Can anyone blame them? The media has not been very kind to the movement. At best, Goths are made fun of (like on Saturday Night Live) or unfairly aligned with the 1999 Columbine killings.

"The scene is truly misunderstood," Nowell laments. "What many miss is the inherent sense of whimsy." And that is a word that is often brought up on Dark Etiquette. "You can't dress how we dress and think how we think without a sense of self-humor," explains Nowell.

Both Nowell and Briggs hope that Dark Etiquette will bring more of their ilk out of the woodwork. "I really want to develop a weekly scene here, with a dance night, moon glow or something," Nowel said.

As Dark Etiquette develops more listeners and more friends are added to the Facebook fanpage, it's quite possible the Brazos Valley can develop a fully realized goth scene like Houston, Austin or Dallas.

• Kelly Minnis is a music writer, KEOS DJ, musician and father of two. His column now appears weekly. E-mail him at kellyminnis@gmail.com.

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