This is end of the world so it seems
I’ve got automatic love for automatic girl.
-Lola Ray, “Automatic Girl”
Quick Info:
- Name: Cristina “Cris” Gonzalez
- Killjoys Alias: Girl Automatic
- E-mail: cris@blissful-madness.com
- Twitter: @BlissfulMadness
- Facebook: facebook.com/scenesfromgirlautomatic
Longer Info:
I suppose there is enough time to waste a few words on that subject that answers the question of, “So who is Girl Automatic, anyway?”
Well…she is me.
Sort of. Something like that.
Hang on. Let’s try this again.
My name is Cris. I’m a twentysomething currently living in Texas with a B.A. in English from the prestigious Saint Mary’s University. (That B.A. also comes with a minor in art.) I suppose you could also say that I am part robot, because I use a wheelchair to get around. I have three—two manual, one motorized. It used to be two manual and two motorized, but I sold off the previous motorized model. The motorized one I currently own is red and has upholstery that is covered in rows of multi-colored jolly rogers. My mom picked out the fabric.
(Yes, I live at home with my parents, but only because it’s cheaper. However, that’s not to say I don’t have a good relationship with them. We get along pretty well!)
I consider myself a writer. You can check out what I do here and here (don’t mind that it’s a tad outdated, as it’s been on a kind of hiatus), and sometimes here. I adore the usual writer things—books, journals, coffee/coffee shops, bookstores, stormy weather, wine—but I also adore comic books. Ben Templesmith is one of my comic heroes, and Alan Moore’s writing makes me so jealous that I’m still working my way through my first reading of Watchmen. I’ve owned my copy since late 2008. I also read The Umbrella Academy, not just because Gerard Way wrote it but because he’s written a truly good comic book series so far (except for that whole Rumor/Spaceboy ship teasing thing; ask if you have the time to hear my rant on that).
I love music. Have always loved it even back when I was super picky about what I listened to. Now I’m not so picky and I’ll generally listen to mostly anything at least once. Currently, my favorite love is Florence and the Machine, but some of my other favorite bands are Murder by Death, the Dresden Dolls (and pretty much all of Amanda Palmer’s solo stuff), Kaizers Orhcestra (which you’ll see me talk about a lot)…
And then there’s My Chemical Romance.
There are bands you love and then there are bands you love—the ones it is not always necessary to tell people you love (although you might) and from whom it is not always necessary to buy merch (even if you have several different shirt designs in your closet) because it’s never about the merch. Not really. They’re the bands you are willing to go broke buying a ticket to see because they’re worth the ridiculous prices and service fees. It doesn’t bother to you what anyone else says about them, and you don’t feel the need to defend them from haters at every turn. They’re the bands that, when you throw on their music, make you feel like you can do anything. And even if you go by without listening to their music for a while, be it because you’ve found something new to groove on for a while or because you just need a break, those are the bands that make you fall in love all over again as soon as you hear them once again.
That, my friends, is what MCR is for me. They’re that band. And I couldn’t be happier.
