Inv estig ating Ang el: The Hair, the Car and the Ward rob e Reb eccca F ea sey

(1) As w e ha ve alread y seen in this collection, the va mpire ha s long been a pa rt of ma instream p opula r culture, w ith the mythica l crea ture appea ring a s the subject of folklore, fiction and more recently film and television narratives. Since the ea rly 1990s, film a nd television screens have w itnessed a resurg ence in the va mpire g enre. W hile the small screen ha s p resented a ra ng e of vamp ire texts such a s Da rk Shad ow s ( 1991) Forever Knight (1992- 1996), Kind red the Emb ra ced (1996) and Ultra violet ( 1998), the b ig screen ha s b een d ominated b y Innocent Blood ( 1992), F rom Dusk Till Dawn ( 1996), Dra cula 2000 (2000) and the Blad e trilog y (1998, 2002, 2004) . (2) Althoug h the recent p opula rity of the vampire g enre confirms the pow er of this crea ture a s a mod ern-da y cultura l icon, it is also worth noting tha t a b od y of a cad emic scholarship ( in field s such a s sociolog y, psycholog y, feminist, ga y and lesbian studies) ha s d evelop ed in ord er to exa mine the mea ning s and p lea sures of this fig ure in the contemp ora ry period. Such litera ture ha s frequently mad e reference to the va mpire a s a symb ol of the enduring p rob lems of sex, p ow er a nd violence in society (See Holling er a nd Holling er 1998; a nd Ashley 1998), pa ying pa rticula r attention to the wa ys in which the una ssimilated a nd d eviant va mp ire can be seen to a ct as a metaphor for the homosexua l exp erience (See Gelder 1994; and Benshoff 1997) . (3) How ever, although existing w ork on the va mpire is revea ling in its discussion of sex, violence and sexuality, it is also important to consid er the role of p erforma nce, style and d esire a s it has b een presented in the vampire g enre. After all, a lthough the p olitics of appea rance is a g row ing a rea of schola rly interest (See Brunsdon 1997; Ep stein 2000 a nd Moseley 2002), a consid eration of the role of clothing a nd the pow er of consump tion to a d eb ate over ma sculinity is long over-due. Moreover, if one consid ers tha t the roots of the much- touted ‘crisis of ma sculinity’ lie in the ‘d amag ing p sycholog ical sp lit in so ma ny men b etw een their … feelings … a nd their p ublic … performa nces’ (Cla re 2000: ba ck cover), then it is necessa ry to consid er the role tha t d ress a nd p erformance ha s to play in a d eb ate over id entity politics for the contemp ora ry ma le. (4) In films such a s The Hunger ( 1983), Bra m Stokers Dra cula (1992) and Interview w ith a Va mp ire (1994) the nig ht wa lker is a n effortlessly stylish and striking figure, from Da vid Bowie/J ohn Bla ylock’s elegant yup pie crea tion a nd Ga ry Oldma n/D ra cula’s d eca dent dand y to Tom Cruise/ Lesta t d e Lioncourt’s b ea utiful and effeminate portra ya l. M ore recently, how ever, w e ha ve seen the emerg ence of a new b reed of va mpire w ho is neither effortlessly stylish nor inna tely chic, but rather a va in a nd fastidious crea ture w ho is seen consciously ‘p utting on’ (Holmlund 1993: 213- 229) his surfa ce a ppea rance and attra ctiveness as a ‘ma nly front’ ( Kimmel 2001: 279) to signal streng th, sta mina and potency to his a udience. M y point here is quite simply tha t if the fig ure of the va mpire ca n b e used a s a metap hor that tells us about sex and pow er in society, then the new b reed of ima g e ob sessed va mp ire can also b e used a s a ba rometer for und erstanding w id er social a nd sexua l concerns rega rd ing the p olitics of app ea ra nce. (5) The wa ys in which Angel ( 1999-2004) p resents its eponymous hero as a n imag e ob sessed va mpire encourag es the series to b e read, not simp ly a s a p a rod y of existing va mpire texts, but also as a commenta ry on the politics of a pp ea ra nce for the contemp ora ry ma le. W ith this in mind, this chap ter will look at the rep resenta tion of the fa stid ious va mpire throug h notions of app ea ra nce and p erformance, a nd exa mine the relationship b etw een ima g e and a uthority a s it is p resented in the Angelverse.

Angel (6) The most exp licit exa mp le of this fa stid ious creature ca n b e seen in the long running television series, Angel. Angel is a da rk, urba n show tha t focuses on the eponymous Ang el (D avid Boreanaz), a n Irish commoner who in 1727, a t the ag e of 27 wa s sired b y a female va mpire a nd transformed into the most evil of creatures who w ent und er the name of Ang elus. After terrorising mankind for severa l generations, Ang elus wa s cursed with a soul a nd forced to live an eterna l life of guilt and reg ret a s Ang el, forew a rned w ith the know ledg e tha t a moment of p ure hap piness w ould turn him ba ck into his evil alter ego. (7) Althoug h the p rog ra mme focuses on the cha racter of Ang el a s he fights b oth his ow n inner d emon and the pa ra norma l a ctivities tha t threa ten the resid ents of Los Ang eles, the show a lso follow s the lives and loves of Ang el’s extend ed investiga tive tea m who aid a nd a ssist the va mpire in fighting aga inst the coming apoca lyp se. Althoug h the ca st of the series chang es throug hout the show’s history, the key pla yers in ‘Ang el Investigations’ a nd the key p la yers in the show itself are; the eponymous Ang el, the ta citurn va mpire w ith a soul looking for red emption; W esley W ynda m-Pryce ( Alexis D enisof), the fallen ‘Watcher’ w hose va st know ledg e of a ll thing s d emonic a re crucia l to the id entification of evil-doers; C ord elia C ha se (Charisma Ca rp enter) , the a sp iring a ctress a nd ob ject of Ang el’s a ffections w ho is Ang el’s link to the hig her p ow ers and Cha rles Gunn ( J. August R icha rd s) who is und erstood as the ad d ed b raw n of the team. Or, to q uote from the series: ‘Ang el is the cha mpion, W esley is the b rains, Gun is the muscle and Cord elia the hea rt’ of the op eration (‘Fredless’) . (8) Althoug h, a s p reviously mentioned, the va mp ire g enre is sa tura ted with chic d eniz ens of the nig ht, Angel ca n b e seen to offer a uniquely mod ern telling of the va mp ire myth. After a ll, wherea s the central protag onist of existing va mp ire texts ap pea r a s effortlessly stylish crea tures, Ang el is seen to construct his surfa ce app ea rance in ord er to p roject a stylish a nd pow erful p ersona. However, althoug h the ep onymous Ang el is w ritten, from the outset of the first series, a s a cha ra cter w ho is ob sessed with his hair, his ca r and his wa rd rob e, the va mpire is not merely ob sessed w ith style or fashion per se, b ut ra ther, he rema ins a wa re of the ma sculine p ow er a nd authority that ca n b e achieved throug h the calcula ted construction of a pa rticula r self- imag e.

Surface ap p earance and masculine style (9) F eminist theorists often sta te that the rejection of fa shion and bea uty p ra ctices wa s a t the hea rt of second-w ave feminism, in w hich it is cla imed tha t the pa rap herna lia of femininity objectified, trivialised and d ehumanised women ( See W olf, 1990; Falud i, 1992 a nd Hollow s, 2000). Althoug h such nega tive connota tions of fema le fa shion a s sup erficial a nd d estructive a re long sta nding a nd ub iq uitous, little work tha t exists on id entity politics exa mines the link b etw een app ea ra nce, fa shion a nd rep resentations of ma sculinity on film or television. (10) One ra re excep tion here is Stella Bruzzi’s semina l work on clothing a nd id entity in ma instrea m film. Bruzz i consid ers the narrative significa nce of clothes in a ra ng e of g eneric ca tegories including the costume film, the contempora ry film noir, the cross-d ress comed y and the F ra nco- America n g ang ster film. This resea rch informs us tha t there is a n unconventiona l correlation b etw een ma sculinity a nd na rcissism in films such a s A Bout d e Soufflé ( 1960), Le Doulos ( 1962) and Le Sa mouraï ( 1967) (Bruzz i 1997: 67- 94). Ta king Bruzz i’s resea rch a s a sta rting p oint, I w ant to exa mine the chara cter of Ang el in his role a s the fa stid ious va mp ire and consid er the relationship b etw een the va mpire’s ‘consciously rep etitive wa rdrobe’ ( Bruzzi 1997: xviii) (consisting of da rk p lum, d eep b rown a nd b la ck jump ers, b la ck op en colla red fitted shirts, bla ck trench coats, b la ck and d ark b rown three- qua rter leng th lea ther jackets and sma rt b la ck trousers, shoes a nd boots), his self-imag e a nd his mastery over the na rra tive, consid ering the wa ys in w hich this rela tionship could b e und erstood in terms of wid er d eba tes concerning the politics of appea rance. After a ll, those cha ra cters w ho p resent a hea vily consistent ima ge ca n b e seen to exert control over the a ction a nd the chara cters a round them, w ith a ca refully controlled ap p ea rance b ecoming a straig htforwa rd metonym for a cha ra cters ma stery over their environment (Bruzz i 1997: 129). Therefore, while the F ranco- America n ga ng ster is seen to d isplay a ‘sa rtoria l fla mboya nce’ ( Bruzz i 1997: 70) a s an important sig n of his ma sculine success, the cha ra cter of Ang el draw s on his w ell fitting dark a ttire, his b rooding fa cial exp ressions a nd his black 1967 Plymouth Belved ere GTX C onvertib le (of which only 2,026 w ere ma d e) as a n effected, yet imp orta nt, sig n of his pub lic ma sculinity. Ka ren Sa yer even goes a s fa r as to sugg est that the ‘da rk, tomb- like a nd ta steful’ ( 2002: 105) homes tha t the va mpire occup ies a re ‘chosen more for a esthetic effect tha n necessity’ ( 2002: 114) .

‘you mig ht want to think ab out mixing up the black and b lack look’ (‘I Fa ll to Pieces’). (11) Ang el’s d ed ica tion to app ea rance is so significa nt to the show tha t fa ns, critics and commenta tors ca nnot help but pick up on the surfa ce appea rance a nd attra ctiveness of the va mpire in their w riting on the series. F or examp le, w e a re informed that ‘the heroic Ang el … d resses in da rk clothing … usua lly w ea ring a long b la ck coat’ (Stein 2002: Online) . Likew ise, w e a re told that the cha ra cter is ‘a stoic hero in dark clothing ’ ( Entertainment W eekly 2005: Online) , a ‘tall, da rk va mpire p ossessing the sort of a lluring cha risma tha t sugg ests a n Ab ercrombie a nd F itch mod el from the d ark sid e’ (Sta r Pulse 2006: Online) . Furthermore, commenta tors go on to a sk ‘what w ould Ang el b e without the shad e bla ck’ (Hyland 2000: Online) b efore p ra ising the cha ra cter b eca use he ‘looks b etter in a bla ck v- neck jump er tha n any man I've seen’ (Cha nnel 4 2001: Online) . Fa ns of the show even go a s fa r a s to a sk w here the cha ra cters clothing is a ctua lly from, to b e told tha t Ang el tends to w ear: a lot of Dolce & Ga bbana, Prada a nd Pa ul Smith … His coats consist of at lea st 20 dusters a lso from a va riety of d esigners and sources, including at lea st one Gucci. Some a re lea ther, some cloth. His usual b oots a re Helmut Lang , his shoes a re Nike. His clothes are p urcha sed from Ba rney's, SAKS Fifth Avenue a nd N eiman M arcus (Bratton 2006: Online). Moreover, the officia l Angel magaz ine makes it clea r to the read er tha t the cha racter likes ‘b rood ing ’ and ‘b la ck leather’ (Hayes 2003: 11), commenting tha t ‘you can’t go w rong with ba sic bla ck’ in terms of sa rtorial ta ste (R oot 2003: 20). Furthermore, even the d escription of the Ang el a ction fig ure ma kes a point of d escrib ing the va mp ire’s attire in minute d etail, pa ying homag e to the cha ra cter in q uestion. Therefore, w e a re told tha t the ‘figure manag es to capture p erfectly Ang el's look a nd cha ra cter’ ( Kern 2004: Online) ‘d ressed in comp lete bla ck clothing’ ( Borst 2005: Online). Moreover, a lthoug h: it ma y look like a simple b la ck outfit, Angel's w ea r is rea lly imp ressive. He comes with a b la ck overcoat, a b la ck shirt, bla ck pants, a bla ck b elt, a nd … shoes. The most noticeab le pa rt of his ensemb le is his overcoa t … mad e in bla ck cloth ma terial … As sa id, Ang el's shirt is also b la ck, b ut the cloth used is a shiny materia l, a llow ing it to stand out from the coat a nd pa nts. The fully removab le shirt includ es b uttons a nd a pocket of its own. Ang el's pa nts … a re w ell mad e a nd include b elt ring s a nd pockets, a s w ell a s a button fly. The pa nts a re held up w ith a small b elt, w hich is mad e out of synthetic material that looks like alliga tor … La stly a re Ang el's w orking shoes, and even here, no detail has b een spa red ( Kern 2004: Online). Both the a ction figure a nd the action hero of the p iece a re pop ula rly ma rketed a nd received a s d ead ly brood ing va mp ires with a p encha nt for w ell-fitted , and da rk, d esigner clothing. W ith this in mind then, it is worth noting that the investiga tive team routinely point to Ang el’s clothing d uring their conversations w ith the va mpire. F or examp le, when Ang el is concerned tha t he ma y ap pea r intimida ting to a damsel in d istress, the ad vice g iven b y C ord elia is to ‘think ab out mixing up the b la ck and b la ck look’ (‘I Fa ll to Pieces’) . Furthermore, when the cha ra cter of Lorne a .k.a. The Host ( And y Ha llett) meets the tortured va mpire for the first time his clairvoyant comments a re simp ly ‘love the coa t, its a ll ab out the coa t’ (‘Judg ement’) , and a fter the va mp ire ha s sung for the host, the ka raoke crow ds a re a sked to g ive a round of appla use to ‘the vamp ire w ith soul… M r tall, da rk and rocking ’ (‘Judg ement’). Likewise w hen Allen F ra ncis D oyle ( Glenn Quinn) , a demon/human hyb rid , ta lks a bout the va mpire he comments tha t Ang el ‘likes p la ying the hero, wa lking off into the da rk, his long coa t flow ing behind him’ (‘I Fa ll to Pieces’). M oreover, even the cha ra cter in question d raw s attention to his da rk fa shion ta stes throughout the series. F or examp le, w hen he tries to ta ke over a dang erous ca se tha t Gunn has b ecome enta ng led in, the muscle of the g roup chid es ‘and wha t am I supp osed to d o, sit home and knit’ to which the va mpire rep lies ‘I could use a sw eater, something da rk’ ( ‘The Shroud of Ramon’) . (12) The show’s creators clea rly enjoy d raw ing attention to Ang el’s pred icta ble a ttire. For exa mp le, in a seq uence of events that lead up to a celeb rated a ctress d elib erately spilling her champ agne on the va mpire, w e see Ang el remove a form-fitting b la ck shirt to b e replaced by an id entical item of clothing from his wa rd rob e (‘Eternity’). Althoug h w e a re not a ctually show n the va mpire’s sa rtoria l storag e here, this sequence clea rly a sks the a ud ience to consid er the da rk theme that d ominates his look. In fa ct, Ang el is so inextricab ly linked with his da rk wa rd robe that w hen the chara cter is turned into a pupp et, this figure w ea rs a form- fitting bla ck lea ther ja cket for the duration of its app ea ra nce in the series (‘Smile Time’) . M y p oint here then is simp ly that Ang el’s wa rd rob e p rojects a distinct sense of ma sculine style as the cha ra cter is d ressed in a ra ng e of da rk fitted designer ga rments tha t g o towa rd s constructing an overa ll ‘ma cho’ look, or what could b e understood a s a uniform of ma sculine a uthority. How ever, ra ther tha n view Ang el’s da rk attire a s a site of na tura l, authentic or heg emonic ma sculinity, it must b e und erstood tha t the cha ra cter is w ritten and p erformed in such a w ay that it encoura g es the view er to interroga te the rela tionship b etw een the ma le’s wardrob e, his self- imag e and his status in society. After a ll, Ang el’s aggressive style of b la ck outfits, leather jackets and the cla ssic convertible ca n b e und erstood a s a g uise tha t serves to cover the va mpire’s feeling s of uncerta inty and to signa l authority and ma stery to the other cha ra cters in the series. (13) One mig ht a ssume tha t if the ‘b la ck a nd bla ck look’ fa voured b y the va mpire a cts as a ‘ma nly front’ ( Kimmel 2001: 279) to ma sk the cha ra cters insecurity a nd uncerta inty ab out his p la ce in society, then his confid ent, cha risma tic a lter eg o may ma ke d ifferent sartoria l choices. After a ll, Ia n Shuttleworth find s tha t ‘the vampire Ang elus is clea rly fa r more comforta ble w ith himself and his role – he ha s a flamb oyance in w ord and d eed which comes with comp lete self- assurance’ ( 2002: 231). How ever, w hereas the w estern disting uishes the hero from the villa in b y wa y of his w hite ha t, the horror film disting uishes the final g irl from the victim by wa y of her unisex a ttire, and the film noir distinguishes b etw een the good w oma n a nd the femme fa tale b y wa y of her d emure p a stel hues a nd inva riably flat shoes, Ang el and his evil a lter ego d ress from the selfsame d ark form- fitting wa rd rob e. The p oint here is that neither the hair, the ca r nor the wa rd rob e can sepa ra te these tw o va mpires. How ever, that sa id, the cha ra cter’s rea sons for w ea ring the ‘bla ck and b la ck look’ ma y differ consid erably. Although Ang el constructs a consciously rep etitive wardrob e in ord er to hid e b ehind its da rk macho surface, the cha ra cter is so awa re of the discrepa ncy b etw een his uncerta in self and the authoritative imag e tha t he seeks to p resent, tha t he ca nnot help b ut dra w attention to his sa rtorial choices throug hout the p rog ramme, a s if to remind both himself a nd others of his a uthority in the Angelverse. Alterna tively, Ang elus is so at ea se w ith this d ark ma cho surfa ce, a nd the ma stery tha t it p resents, that he ca n w ea r the clothes of his a lter- eg o without the same hysterical commenta ry. (14) Although the b od y of the va mp ire cannot ag e or alter over time, Ang el/ Ang elus’ surfa ce app ea ra nce ha s clea rly chang ed since he w as sired over 200 yea rs ago, and the p rog ramme is keen to show the cha ra cter in a ra ng e of sa rtoria l styles in a numb er of flashba ck seq uences that a re seen throughout the show s history. How ever, it is worth noting tha t irresp ective of the p eriod a nd location of the va mpires in q uestion, w hether it b e 1750s Ireland ( ‘The Prodig al’), 1780s Prussia ( ‘Soulless’), 1920s C hicag o ( ‘Orpheus’), 1950s (‘Are You Now or Ha ve You Ever Been’) or 1990s Los Ang eles, the cha racters fa vour all manner of sa rtoria l styles a nd sha p es tha t enable them to blend in w ith the tastes dicta ted by a p a rticula r historical p eriod . Therefore, irresp ective of w hether the vamp ire w ea rs a three q ua rter leng th da rk velvet ja cket and knee b ritches, intricate w aistcoa ts and orna te cra va ts, a da pp er three- piece suit, ca sua l T- shirts or form- fitting shirts, the cha ra cter’s w a rd rob e remains suited to his environment. The only recurring fa ctor in such sa rtorial choices is the preference for da rk a ttire, b e it eleg ant dark g reen’s, ornate d eep purples, ca sua l g rey or cla ssic b la ck.

‘The whole v isib ility issue’ ( ‘F irst Imp ressions’) (15) Although Ang el’s fixa tion on his ow n ‘consciously rep etitive wardrob e’ ( Bruzzi 1997: xviii) is seen throug hout the p rog ramme, it is perhap s most evid ent in a p a rticula r episod e in the first series entitled ‘First Imp ressions’. Through a convoluted series of p lot tw ists, Ang el is rend ered ina ctive, his cla ssic Plymouth convertib le ha s b een stolen a nd the va mpire is without an a lterna tive mode of transp ort. In ord er for Ang el to g et to his next d emonic battle and sa ve the d amsel in distress, he find s himself on the ba ck of a motorb ike b elong ing to the fop pish W esley. Ang el’s d iscomfort a t b eing the pa sseng er here is clea r, and his la ck of control in this seq uence is reflected in a cha ng e in the va mpire’s a pp ea rance. W esley a sks Ang el to p ut the spa re p ink motorcycle helmet on, to w hich the vampire replies ‘… you know I d on’t need a helmet for p rotection’. W esley remind s Ang el that w ea ring a helmet is the law in C alifornia a t which point the va mpire w hines tha t: ‘w ell you know it’s the w hole visibility issue … not to mention the whole ha t hea d thing … when you come to think about it, how come I ha ve to w ea r the lad y’s helmet’. This short a nd seeming ly sup erficia l seq uence makes it clea r that Ang el’s d esire to ma inta in a p erfectly consistent da rk and b rood ing app ea ra nce is not simply a matter of fa shionab ility or ta ste p er se, b ut rather a d esp era te attempt to up hold the a uthorita tive imag e tha t he works so hard to p roject. Or put more simp ly, the comic scene is not about fa shion, b ut a bout ma sculine pow er, control a nd authority for the va mpire hero. In his w ork on men, ma sculinity and the med ia, Steve C ra ig ma kes the p oint that a ‘ma n’s clothes sp ea k for him [a nd tha t] ‘it is up to him to ma ke sure they say the right thing s’ ( 1992: 140). W ith this in mind , watching Ang el adorn a p ink ‘lad y’s helmet’ a s an a ccessory to his otherw ise black clothing and ta ke the ba ck seat on a motorcycle appea rs a s a d ysfunctiona l ima g e for both the va mpire himself, a nd for the supp orting cha ra cters in the Angelverse.

‘The car is your p roblem p al’ (‘Guise Will Be Guise’) (16) W e routinely see Ang el trying to come to terms w ith his inner demons in the shap e of the violent Ang elus, a nd in one pa rticula r attemp t to work through his fea rs and the p otentia l threa t from his alter- eg o, the va mpire visits Tish Ma gev ( Art La Fleur) a sp iritua l g uru, in the ap tly titled ‘Guise W ill Be Guise’. After d rinks and small talk concerning the fuel economy of his trea sured convertib le, the va mpire asks him if they ca n discuss those p rob lems associa ted w ith his da rk sid e. The swa mi informs Ang el tha t ‘the ca r is your p rob lem p al, it sa ys everything about you, you live in L.A. its all ab out the car you d rive’. Ang el’s ca r can b e und erstood as the p roblem here b eca use a lthoug h the va mpire is a nocturna l crea ture that cannot look a t or wa lk in the sun, he chooses to d rive a convertib le car in a nd a round a city known for its sunlig ht. The point here is simp ly tha t Ang el is so ob sessed w ith maintaining his ca refully cra fted imag e that he willingly ‘p uts his immorta l life at risk every time he ta kes a spin’ ( in a ca r tha t the guru himself d escrib es a s ‘a very slick … chick magnet’) ra ther tha n consid er a n alternative vehicle. (17) This concern w ith form over function, or ra ther w ith masculine surfa ce over male sub sta nce is further highlighted when Ang el is then asked w hy he w ea rs ‘a ll the la yers, all the b la ck w hen it is 80 d eg rees in the sha d e’. Althoug h Ang el points out tha t he w ea rs a ll the b la ck beca use he doesn’t ha ve a bod y temp era ture (a nd therefore rema ins una ffected b y the heat) the swa mi nod s before d ed ucing ‘so it’s for the look’. Ang el then seeks to challeng e this cla im, a lthough his response tha t he ‘w ea rs all the bla ck’ b eca use ‘I d on’t ha ve a reflection [a nd] this wa y I d on’t have to w orry a bout ma tching ’ simply goes further to confirm his d edica tion to surface a pp ea rances, and his d esire to maintain an a uthoritative self- ima g e. W ith this in mind then, both Ang el and the sw ami a re awa re tha t althoug h the va mp ire does not ha ve a litera l reflection, he is in fa ct ‘reflected in the p eop le a round [him] a nd in the wa y they see [him]’. W e a re told that ‘app ea ra nces are very important’ to Ang el and yet rather than cond emn the vampire for his d ed ication to his ha ir, his ca r and his wa rd rob e, it is w orth noting tha t such outwa rd app ea rances d o indeed serve a social function b y giving ‘ma terial form to a pa rticula r na rrative of self- id entity’ ( Gidd ens 1991: 81) , and it is this narrative of self-id entity tha t tells the supporting cha ra cters how the vampire in question wishes to b e a cknowledg ed and id entified.

‘Why is he wearing my coat’ (‘Guise Will b e Guise’) (18) It is clea r tha t Ang el w ants to b e id entified a s a da rk and urba n aveng er, in control of his-own imag e and the surrounding narrative action. How ever, wha t is most interesting ab out the series is the wa ys in w hich the w riters routinely challeng e the va mpire’s sense of ma stery and control. Such a cha lleng e is evid ent in the final ep isod es of the second sea son, during which time the entire investiga tive team a re seen strand ed in the p rimitive Pylea, a n alterna te dimension in the Angelverse. Due to a series of pa ranormal plot d evices, ea ch memb er of the team find s themselves in a role fa r removed from the one tha t they p erform in Los Ang eles, and as such, these episod es set the wheels in motion for Ang el’s p ersona l crisis of confid ence ab out his role w ithin the tea m a nd his p la ce a s a warrior in this world. (19) While C ord elia exchang es her usua l secreta ria l d uties a nd a cting amb itions for the role of Pylea’s exa lted ruler, Gunn excha ng es his usua l muscula r p row ess for the job of b attle tacticia n and W esley excha ng es his usual intellectua l resp onsibilities for those of a da ring comba ta nt, while Ang el seems somew ha t sup erfluous to the na rra tive action here. W ith this in mind, Ang el’s crisis could b e seen in relation to w id er d eba tes a bout the much-touted ‘crisis of ma sculinity’ in w hich the mod ern ma n is sa id to b e a ng ry, d iscontent, consta ntly disappointed a nd b etrayed b y the w orkings of society (Fa lud i 2000: 27) . Therefore, w hile the contempora ry male seeks ‘a p romise of loya lty, a g ua ra ntee … tha t his company w ould never fire him, his wife would never leave him, a nd the tea m he rooted for w ould never p ull up stakes’ (Falud i 2000: 27) , Ang el too seeks such rea ssurance ab out his role a nd rela tionship s in society. How ever, ra ther tha n offer such rea ssurances to the va mp ire, the series goes further to exp lore his barely veiled insecurities. (20) During their time in Pylea, the investiga tive tea m a re introduced to a ‘b ra ve a nd und efeated’ (‘Through the Looking Gla ss’) human/d emon hyb rid know n a s the Groosa lugg ( Ma rk Lutz); a creature who ha s Ang el’s streng th, b ra very a nd stamina, w ithout the Achilles heel (b e it da ylig ht, red emp tion or the d ark sid e) ; a crea ture w ho not only help s to sa ve Pylea from evil forces, b ut w ho w ins the hea rt of Cord elia. Therefore, w ith the Groosa lugg clea rly positioned a s a champ ion wa rrior in the wa r aga inst evil, one mig ht exp ect to see the two men b ond over ba ttle sca rs and w a r stories. How ever, while the human/d emon hyb rid is seen bonding w ith ‘the b ra ins, the muscle a nd the hea rt’ of the tea m (‘F red less’), Ang el is simp ly hea rd questioning the va lour, height and b attle skills of the creature in question. The point here is simp ly tha t the vampire’s feeling s of comp etition a nd insecurity ca n b e und erstood in terms of a w id er d eba te concerning the sociolog y of ma sculinity, a fter all, such work tells us tha t men a re sca red ‘of … b eing domina ted by strong er men’ ( Leverenz 1986: 451) . (21) Ang el’s feeling s of comp etition a nd insecurity a re (q uite literally) broug ht to a head when Cord elia gives the Groosalugg a ma keover that sees the wa rrior ‘loose the ba ttlefield ha ir [ and] a nima l skins’ (‘Couplet’) in fa vour of mimicking Ang el’s da rk and ‘ma cho’ ea rth champ ion app ea rance. W hen Ang el objects to the ma keover, it is not due to the va mp ire’s dismissa l of fa shion or styling p er se, b ut rather beca use of the rela tionship b etw een such costuming and control in the Angelverse. Ang el’s ma cho costuming serves to ma sk his feeling s of uncertainty a nd sig na l authority to the other cha racters in the series, and a s such, any man b orrow ing from his ca refully constructed wardrob e a lso borrow s from his p ow er a nd ma stery over the na rra tive action. The w riters ma ke it clea r here that Ang el’s d edica tion to his surfa ce app ea rance a s a n indica tor of his masculine authority is more tha n male pa ra noia on b ehalf of the vampire. After all, a t the same time a s the Groosalugg is g iven the ‘bla ck and b la ck look’, the supporting memb ers of the investiga tive team a re seen fa lling over themselves (a nd litera lly w alking pa st Ang el) to p ra ise the cha ra cter for his Herculea n ba ttle skills, courag e a nd b ra very. Therefore, in line with existing work on the sociolog y of masculinity, Ang el’s control over the na rrative and the other cha ra cters in the series is seen to collap se when he feels that he ha s b een d ominated b y a strong er man. How ever, the d omination here is not in terms of ma le b ra vado or ma sculine agg ression, but in terms of costuming a s a sig nifier of ma le control a nd a uthority.

‘I’ m nearly out of that nancy hair-g el I lik e so much’ ( ‘Lonely Hea rt’) (22) The wa ys in which Ang el rea cts to the Groosalugg p rovid es supporting evid ence for Leverenz’s notion that men’s rea l fea r is ‘… of being d ominated b y strong er men’ (1986: 451). How ever, in ord er to further consid er such w ork on the insecurity of contemp ora ry ma sculinity it is necessa ry to examine the notion that men a lso fea r ‘being a sha med or humiliated in front of other men ( 1986: 451). W ith this in mind , it is releva nt to look a t the wa ys in which the p rog ra mme continues to cha lleng e the vampire’s heavily a ffected p ersona, a nd sense of a uthority in the series. (23) When Ang el first comes into conta ct with Sp ike (J ames Ma sters) – his long-time va mp ire companion turned a rch enemy – in ‘Lonely Hea rt’ the va mp ire acknowledg es Ang el’s ca refully constructed surfa ce appea rance. How ever, ra ther than b e duped b y the macho look as a symbol of the va mp ire’s control over the a ction, Sp ike p oints to the ma squerad e as a ma sq uerad e b efore mocking such constructed appea rances. Spike w atches Ang el a s he sa ves a young woma n from being killed b y her d runken b oyfriend . How ever, not content with watching, Spike offers the view er a mocking voiceover, p resenting his own version of the scene a s it p la ys out before him, p la ying both sid es of the conversation b etw een the young girl a nd her rescuer. While Ang el is ad vising the da msel in distress to leave her abusive boyfriend and seek shelter in a loca l w oma n’s refuge, Sp ike’s ta ke on the scene is significa nt for a consid era tion of Ang el’s calcula ted self- imag e and the p rojection of his masculine id entity. Spike’s imp ersonation ha s the young woman tha nking Ang el a s a ‘mysterious b la ck clad hunk of the nig ht’, b efore a sking her sa viour how she can repa y him. Spike then adopts Ang el’s role (a nd an exagg era ted John-Wa yne vocal inflection) as he rep lies ‘no need little lad y … p ra ncing a wa y like a mag nificent poof is tha nks enough … evil is still afoot and I’m nea rly out of tha t nancy ha ir-g el I like so much’. (24) Although Spike’s p resenta tion of Angel is reminiscent of the da rk, brood ing a nd p erfectly coifed ima g e of ma sculinity tha t Ang el is trying so ha rd to p roject, this cha ra cter mocks the very ba sis of the va mpire’s ta ll, da rk and hand some look. Therefore, rather than view Ang el a s a d esirab le, p hysica lly p erfect, forceful, violent and ha rd ima g e of heg emonic ( heterosexua l) ma sculinity ( See Hea ley 1994; a nd Jefferson 1998), Spike reinforces the long- sta nd ing a nd ub iq uitous link betw een the va mp ire and the homosexual. W ith this in mind the cha ra cter can b e seen to foreg round the unconscious w eight of a culture tha t ha s mad e the homosexua l synonymous with the w ell- groomed ma n in contemporary culture, based on the p resupp osition tha t an ‘overt interest in clothing imp lie[s] a tend ency tow a rds unmanliness and effemina cy’ ( Brewa rd 1995: 171). W ha t I mean b y this is simp ly tha t w hen Ang el is lab elled a ‘p oof’ or ‘nancy’ it is not the issue of sexua l orientation tha t is at sta ke, but the issue of ma sculinity tha t is in question. It is a lso pa rticula rly sig nificant tha t these comments a re b y Spike, w ho is crucia lly p resented a s a nother male who p erforms ma sculine toug hness to d ea l with his own a nxieties, and fea rs that his ow n ‘softness’ is somehow humiliating to his manhood. Although he p resents himself as a da ng erous punk rocker – the Big Bad – he rep ea tedly find s himself in rela tionships in w hich he is romantica lly d ep end ent on women, and his need to ridicule Ang el is due to their sha red pa st: Ang el knows Spike’s pa st a nd his origins a s a va mpire; he knows Sp ike’s history w ith women; a nd he ha s tormented him for it for centuries. (25) How ever, this is not an isolated scene in the Angelverse, but simp ly one of ma ny seq uences tha t p resents Ang el’s d ed ication to appea rance a s evid ence of the cha ra cters homosexua lity. For exa mp le, Cord elia’s friend s a re seen looking at Angel’s ha ir, clothes a nd physica lity as a site of visua l and erotic displa y b efore commenting tha t ‘the g ood ones a re alwa ys g ay’ (‘Expecting’) , and likew ise, Cord elia herself tells the va mpire tha t he has ‘a ga y ma n’s ta ste’ (‘Ep iphany’) w hen he surp rises her with ‘gorg eous’ clothing tha t he ha s chosen b y wa y of a p ea ce- offering . Therefore a lthoug h Angel can b e read a s a pa rod y of the va mp ire g enre, it ca nnot g o a s fa r as to disentangle va mpirism a nd homosexua lity here ( See Geld er 1994).

Conclusion (26) Using a va mp ire, w ho a ccord ing to all myths, fictions a nd folklore is a crea ture w ithout a litera l reflection to exa mine the rela tionship betw een surface a pp ea ra nce, self-imag e a nd ma sculine control app ea rs as a somew hat p arod ic ta ke on the sociolog y of ma sculinity. How ever, if one consid ers the wa ys in w hich television horror and the fanta sy genre ca n b e used to neg otia te real life exp eriences for its aud ience (See Ba dley 2000; Helford 2000; a nd Proja nsky a nd Va nd e Berg 2000) then I w ould sugg est that it is p recisely beca use of this mod e of address tha t the series is ab le to investigate the na ture a nd supp osed ‘na tura lness’ of contempora ry ma sculinity. Therefore, rather than dismiss the significance of fa shion for contempora ry ma sculinity a s symptoma tic of the move towa rds trivia lity, pa ssivity or homosexuality, throug h conspicuous consump tion, w e should continue to exa mine the wa ys in w hich the politics of app ea ra nce can b e und erstood as p a rt of a w id er d eba te concerning sexua lity and g end er in contemp ora ry culture. Bibliog raphy

Ashley, Leona rd. R .N. ( 1998), The Comp lete Book of Va mpires, London and N ew York: Ba rrica d e Books Bad ley, Linda ( 2000), ‘Scully Hits the Glass C eiling : Postmod ernism, Postfeminism, Posthuma nism, a nd the X-Files’, in Elyce R a e Helforth, (ed .), Fa nta sy Girls: Gend er in the N ew Universe of Science Fiction a nd Fantasy Television, N ew York and Oxford : Rowman a nd Littlefield , pp. 61- 90. Benshoff, Harry. M. (1997), Monsters in the C loset: Homosexua lity and the Horror F ilm, M anchester: Ma nchester University Press. Borst, Bria n (2005) , ‘Buffy the Va mpire Sla yer Series’, 4 Ma y. Availab le at: http:// www.pop cultureshock.com/ review s.p hp ?id =2852 (accessed 30/ 08/ 2006) Bratton, Kristy ( 2006), ‘C ity of Ang el: The Hyp erion F AQs’. Availab le at: http ://ww w.cityofa ng el.com/ council/ FAQs.html#clothes ( accessed 30/ 08/2006) Brewa rd, Christopher ( 1995), The C ulture of Fa shion: A N ew History of Fashiona ble Dress, Ma nchester: Manchester University Press. Brunsdon, C ha rlotte (1997), Screen Ta stes: Soap Op era to Satellite Dishes, London: Routledg e. Bruzz i, Stella (1997) , Und ressing Cinema: C lothing and Id entity in the Movies, London and N ew York: R outledg e. Channel 4 C hat R oom Ed itor, ( 2001) ‘D a vid Boreanaz ’, 16 Ap ril. Availab le at: http:// www.triffid.org/pa stchat.html (a ccessed 30/ 08/2006) Cla re, Anthony ( 2000), On M en: Ma sculinity in C risis, London: C hatto and W ind us. Cra ig, Steve ( 1992), M en, Ma sculinity a nd the M edia, Lond on: Sag e. Enterta inment W eekly Ed itoria l C ommittee ( 2005), ‘Six R ea sons to Sla y Tuned’, 29 July. Ava ilab le at: http://w ww.ew .com/ ew/ rep ort/ 0,6115,1087876_3| 109775|| 0_0_,00.ht ml (a ccessed 30/ 08/2006) Ep stein, R eb ecca , (2000) , ‘Sha ron Stone in a Ga p Turtleneck’, in Da vid Desser and Ga rth Jow ett, ( ed s), Hollyw ood Goes Shopping, Minneap olis: University of M innesota Press, pp. 179- 204 Faludi, Susan ( 1992), Ba ckla sh: The Undecla red Wa r Against Women, Lond on: Vintag e. Faludi, Susan ( 2000), Stiffed: The Betra ya l of Mod ern Ma n, Lond on: Vintag e. Geld er, Ken (1994) , R ead ing the Vamp ire, London: Routledg e. Gidd ens, Anthony (1991) , Mod ernity and Self- Id entity: Self and Society in the La te Mod ern Age, Stanford: Sta nford University Press. Hayes, K. Stod da rd (2003) , ‘Ultima te Guid e to Ang el’, Angel, 1, pp. 9- 13. Healey, M urra y (1994) , ‘The M a rk of a M an: Ma sculine Id entities a nd the Art of Ma cho D ra g’, C ritica l Qua rterly, 36, p p. 86- 93. Helford , Elyce Ra e ( 2000), ‘F eminism, Queer Stud ies, and the Sexua l Politics of Xena: W a rrior Princess’, in Elyce Ra e Helford, ( ed .), Fa nta sy Girls: Gend er in the N ew Universe of Science F iction and F anta sy Television, N ew York and Oxford: R ow man and Littlefield, pp . 135-162. Holling er Gord on, J oan, and Veronica Holling er ( ed s) ( 1998), Blood Read : Va mp ire a s M etap hor in C ontempora ry Culture, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. Hollow s, Joanne (2000) , F eminism, F emininity and Popula r C ulture, Manchester: Ma nchester University Press. Holmlund, C hris ( 1993), ‘Ma sculinity a s Multiple M asquerad e: The Mature Stallone and the Stallone Clone’, in Steven C ohan a nd Ina Ra e Ha rk, ( ed s), Screening the Ma le: Exp loring Ma sculinities in Hollyw ood Cinema , London: Routledg e, p p. 213-230. Hyla nd, Ra chel ( 2000), ‘C lothes M aketh the Fa n’, Ap ril. Availab le at: http://w ww.the11thhour.com/a rchives/ 042000/ fea tures/ clothes1.html (accessed 30/ 08/ 2006). Jefferson, Tony ( 1998), ‘Muscle, “Hard Men” a nd “Iron” Mike Tyson: Reflections on D esire, Anxiety and the Embod iment of Ma sculinity’, Bod y a nd Society, 4: 1, pp . 77- 98. Kern, Doug la ss ( 2004), ‘Da vid Boreanaz as Ang el’, 28 Octob er. Availab le at: http://w ww.a lteredsta tesmag.com/ reviews/ toys/b tvs/btvs_ang el.p hp (accessed 30/ 06/ 2006) Kimmel, M icha el. S. (2001) , ‘Ma sculinity a s Homophob ia: F ea r, Sha me, and Silence in the Construction of Gend er Id entity’, in Step hen Whitehead and F rank Ba rrett, ( ed s), The Ma sculinities R ead er, Oxford: Polity Press, pp . 266-287. Leverenz, Da vid (1986) , ‘Ma nhood , Humilia tion a nd Public Life: Some Stories’, South- W est R eview, 71, F all, p p. 442- 62. Moseley, Ra chel ( 2002), ‘Glamorous Witchcra ft: Gend er and M agic in Teen F ilm a nd Television’, Screen, 43: 4, pp . 403-422. Proja nsky, Sa rah, a nd Lea h R. Vand e Berg ( 2000), ‘Sab rina , the Teenag e?: Girls, W itches, M orta ls and the Limitations of Prime- Time Feminism’, in Elyce Ra e Helford ( ed.), F anta sy Girls: Gend er in the New Universe of Science F iction and Fa nta sy Television, N ew York: Row man a nd Littlefield, pp. 13- 40 Root, Tom (2003) , ‘Hollywood Shuffle’, Angel, 1, p. 20. Sa yer, Ka ren ( 2002), ‘It Wa sn’t Our World Anymore – They Mad e it Theirs’, in R oz Ka veney ( ed.) , R ead ing the Va mp ire Slayer: An Unofficial C ritica l Compa nion to Buffy and Angel, Lond on: Ta uris Pa rke, pp. 98-119. Shuttleworth, Ia n, ( 2002), ‘They Alwa ys M ista ke me for the Cha ra cter I Pla y’, in R oz Ka veney, ( ed .), R ead ing the Vamp ire Sla yer: An Unofficia l Critica l Compa nion to Buffy and Angel, Lond on: Ta uris Pa rke, pp . 211- 236. Sta r Pulse Editoria l Committee ( 2006), ‘David Borea naz’. Ava ila ble a t: http://w ww.sta rpulse.com/ Actors/Borea naz,_Da vid/ (a ccessed 30/ 08/2006) Stein, Ata ra ( 2002), ‘Immorta ls and Va mpires a nd Ghosts, Oh M y!: Byronic Heroes in Pop ula r C ulture’, F eb rua ry. Ava ilable a t: http://w ww.rc.umd.ed u/p ra xis/ contemp ora ry/ stein/ stein.html (accessed 30/ 08/ 2006) Wolf, Naomi (1990) , The Bea uty M yth, Lond on: C ha tto & W ind us.

Television Sources: Ang el ‘Are You Now or Ha ve You Ever Been’ Angel. Series 2, Ep isod e 2. W B. Octob er 3 2000 ‘Couplet’ Angel. Series 3, Ep isod e 14. W B. F eb rua ry 18 2002 ‘Ep ipha ny’ Angel. Series 2, Ep isod e 16. WB. F eb rua ry 27 2001 ‘Eternity’ Angel. Series 1, Ep isod e 17. W B. Ap ril 4 2000 ‘Exp ecting ’ Angel. Series 1, Episod e 12. WB. J anua ry 25 2000 ‘Fredless’ Angel. Series 3, Ep isod e 5. W B. Octob er 22 2001 ‘First Imp ressions’ Angel. Series 2, Ep isod e 3. WB. Octob er 10 2000 ‘Guise W ill Be Guise’ Angel. Series 2, Ep isod e 6. W B. N ovemb er 7 2000 ‘I Fa ll to Pieces’ Angel. Series 1, Ep isod e 4. W B. Octob er 26 1999 ‘Judg ement’ Angel. Series 2, Ep isod e 1. WB Septemb er 26 2000 ‘Lonely Heart’ Angel. Series 1, Ep isod e 2. W B. Octob er 12 1999 ‘Orp heus’ Ang el. Series 4, Episod e 15. WB. M a rch 19 2003 ‘Smile Time’ Angel. Series 5, Ep isod e 14. W B. F eb rua ry 18 2004 ‘Soulless’ Angel. Series 4, Ep isod e 11. WB. F eb rua ry 5 2003 ‘The Prod iga l’ Angel. Series 1, Ep isod e 15. W B F eb ruary 22 2000 ‘The Shroud of Ra mon’ Angel. Series 2, Episod e 8. WB. Novemb er 21 2000 ‘Through the Looking Gla ss’ Angel. Series 2, Ep isod e 21. WB. Ma y 15 2001

Further F ilm and Telev ision Sources A Bout d e Soufflé ( 1960). D irected b y J ean-Luc God a rd Blad e (1998) . Directed by Stephen Norrington Blad e II (2002) . Directed b y Guillermo d el Toto Blad e Trinity ( 2004). D irected b y Da vid S. Gover Bra m Stokers Dra cula (1992) . Directed by F ra ncis Ford C opp ola Da rk Shad ow s (1991) Doulos, Le ( 1962). D irected b y J ea n-Pierre M elville Dra cula 2000 (2000) . Directed b y Patrick Lussier Forever Knight ( 1992- 1996) From Dusk Till Dawn ( 1996). D irected b y Rob ert Rod rig uez Hunger, The ( 1983). D irected b y Tony Scott Kind red the Emb raced ( 1996) Interview w ith a Vampire ( 1994). D irected b y N eil J ordan Innocent Blood ( 1992). D irected b y J ohn La nd is Sa mouraï, Le (1967) . Directed b y J ean- Pierre M elville Ultra violet ( 1998)