OPEN GRAVES

73 - Existential Dread (but you can dance to it) In conversation with returning guest DAVEY HAVOK

The Black Sun is Bleeding Silver!As Davey himself put it, AFI's newest album, "Silver Bleeds The Black Sun," is a litany of sonic flares honoring and signaling the Goth community. Or as Heather put it, "Shots Fired." If you listen to our podcast as a fellow lover of that "Dark, Gothy shit," (TM) ........We IMPLORE you to listen to this album. STAT.Join us as we take a hope(less/full) look into the stark Abyss and discuss this new aural evolution for AFI, with quite possibly the most cerebrally tantalizing, but despair-laden fatalistic lyrics this side of Mulholland Drive. (SELAH)Oh, and check out Davey's colorful life as a Writer here:https://substack.com/@daveyhavokhttps://www.amazon.com/Love-Fast-Angeles-Davey-Havok/dp/0985957212

72 - Memento Mori, Carpe Noctem

Happy-ish new year. This was recorded in November 2025, and due to late publishing has become a bit of a time capsule, as things have changed since this recording. We revisit the topic of “memento mori” and the end of life, finding light in the darkness, relationship struggles and attachment, and surviving Halloween. Heather’s father has since passed, and we dedicate this episode to the memory of Bill Aldridge. 

71 - On Fashion, but Not Really with Mimi Sosa-Delcampo and Michelle Morales

We are joined by an iconic duo, Mimi Sosa-Delcampo and Michelle Morales to focus on a topic that we have deftly avoided leaning too hard into: the role of fashion in the goth identity. We come at it from an angle that feels meaningful, questioning whether or not the subject of fashion is shallow or not, and what it means that something that can be construed this way also feels important and empowering. We explore how rebellion both is and is not relevant, whether competition is a thing or not, whose gaze matters, how gender expression shows up, how age affects our relationships to appearance, and appropriation both of and within our scene. All this and Mimi’s cool shoes.

70 - “I Didn’t Even Drink My Bra”

You’re in for a twofer! We are late to the publishing game of talking about Cruel World, so this is a download about Kite, Chelsea Wolf, Actors, Mareaux, Clan of Xymox, of course Nick Cave, the divisive topic of Garbage vs. Devo, the infamous wine-bra, and then some embarrassing feeling about Ministry. Apologies in advance that we do talk about the weather and food reviews, because unfortunately we are adults and as far as festivals go, Cruel World is a festival for adults. In the second half, we get into the sensitive topic of friendships, both inside and outside of the goth community, and how it feels and functions when friendships change or come to an end, and how this feels both similar and different from romantic relationships. Shoutout to Jack & Darrick for being excellent fake festival boyfriends, as well as to the Ziplock company for enabling Heather to become a wine mule (see the @open.graves.podcast for details).

69 - False Praise for the Abandonment Wound: Revisiting Relationships in the Goth Community

Well, Open Graves is now a pop-psychology podcast. We revisit a topic from one of our earliest episodes: dating in the goth community, and how we handle it when it falls apart. This iteration is less about the goth community specifically, and more about the experience of being a person in community in general, attachment styles, family histories, feminist shame, and then the key words: abandonment wounds. Does healing require compartmentalization and avoidance, and what if we are unwilling or unable to take this route? What if we just want to pet all the feral cats? Jesus, growth is exhausting.