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Couple takes ghostly decor to year-round enjoyment..
Topics: Burning Image, Halloween, Brujeria, Moe Adame, Goth, Gothic, Macabre, Occult, bakersfield, Bakotopia, Bakotopia.com, Mas Magazine, Bakotunes
Posted by matt Wed Oct 25, 2006 13:43:29 PDT
Viewed 1113 times
0 responses 0 comments <<Click on pictures at left to see more photos from the Adame home!
<<Also, hear a song by Moe Adame's band, Burning Image!
AND!!
<<Hear a true story about how the Adames were saved by a horror film! CLICK AUDIO AT LEFT!!

Nestled among the conservative architecture and well-manicured lawns of southwest Bakersfield, the Adame residence is a true Halloween treat for the eyes and senses.

But unless you’re invited inside, you’d never know.

Beginning with a gothic-inspired main door of castle Dracula appeal, the Adame home is the stuff of sweet dreams — make that, nightmares.

“Halloween is the only holiday we celebrate,” said Kathy Adame, 48, smiling as she plays host to a number of guests visiting during a rare, midweek open house counting down the days to Oct. 31.

Her husband, Moe Adame, 43, agrees.

“It’s a fun, no-obligation holiday. You don’t have to buy people anything, and you can just be yourself,” he said.

For the curious, the Adame’s casa is not another, run-of-the-mill decorated tract home covered in typical cardboard skeletons and harvest time scarecrows. Rather, it is the embodiment of the Halloween spirit.

And not just in October, but everyday.

“Our home is a reflection of our personalities. We like the macabre,” Kathy said.

Entering the Adame’s tidy, main front room, guests are either shocked or fascinated by the numerous horror film inspired art pieces, collected by the couple over the years.

Gargoyles, a church pulpit, medieval-style candle holders and a torch, a “coffin” wall they built themselves, and a vampire killing kit, to name few.

“Most of the things in the house were purchased in LA,” said Moe, pointing to different ghoulish items hanging or standing throughout the house. “Some of our favorite stores are Dark Delicacies in Hollywood and Necromance.”

Despite the curious thoughts that may race through the heads of visitors, the Adames ultimately want people to know that neither themselves nor their home are a threat to their neighbors.

“People get the wrong idea about us,” Moe said.

In fact, Kathy hopes people know that, as people, they’re quite the opposite of their interior decor choices.

“We really want people to know we are very upbeat and positive people,” she said.

Also living at home are Kathy’s two sons, Jonathan, 24; and Anthony Leyva, 22, who’ve also adopted a personal style closely matching that of their parents.

The Adame home is also lined with original Mexican Day of The Dead type art with skeletons and diablitos.

Walking up the stairs to the living quarters, an antique dental machine rests on the steps.

As you walk up to the second floor, shelves full of collector’s dolls and figurines smile, grimace and frown at onlookers.

“Dia De Los Muertos is just an extension of Halloween, when the veil is down between the living and the dead,” Moe said. “You can honor, respect and communicate with each other.”

Looking out over the steps through the “coffin wall,” two coffin box shaped wall holes with wrought iron fencing across them add even more to the overall experience.

Back on the main floor, down the hall and past the kitchen and TV room, the family has built a mini-recording studio for various musical projects, including the goth-industrial band, “Burning Image,” a local group Moe led in the ‘80s, now experiencing a revival on the alternative music scene. The studio also doubles as a social gathering area, complete with a fully stocked bar and furniture.

As much as the Adames have enjoyed their seven years of living in their own unique manner — or “manor,” as it were — they plan to sell their house and move away from Bakersfield, to look for a new beginning outside the familiarity of Kern.

“Jonathan’s getting his degree soon, then we’ll decide what we’re gonna do,” Kathy said. “We’re selling everything, except for a few things. We’re thinking of decorating our next house with an ‘industrial’ motif, but still include the macabre element.”

Before they dismantle the home’s décor and return it to its original model-home state, however, the Adame family plans on spending their first and last Halloween at home, passing out candy to children, in order to give the house a proper send-off.

“We’ve always spent Halloween out of town every year, but this time, we’ll be here,” she said. “Then we’re heading out to celebrate downtown with friends.”

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