Monster Makers: Adam Dougherty
We wanted to give Adam’s work a more dedicated plug, because it’s incredible, retro and extra Halloweeny, and that’s right up our alley. And if you’re looking at this blog, it’s probably right up yours too.
Click the pictures to check out his Flickr Photostream.
So what the hell is a Shock Monster anyway? Here’s a little back story on this fiend:
The Shock Monster was an old Topstone mask that was advertised in the rag Famous Monsters of Filmland. Essentially a generic zombie mask, it was supposedly named as such to cash in on the then popularity of Shock! Theater.
He was notorious for looking totally badass in the magazine,
and looking totally less badass when he arrived at your door.
Now, while this mask is pretty awesome and horrifying in its own right, I could imagine being pretty disappointed if I was expecting something akin to the former, particularly if I was a 10 year old and I’d been waiting for this thing for a few weeks.
Over the years many people have re-sculpted the Shock Monster to better capture the essence of its original ad, or to put their own spin on it. One of my favorite incarnation of Shock was created by a buddy of mine named Adam Dougherty. Recently, he displayed it at 2012’s Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank, CA. It’s 7 and a 1/2 feet tall, totally badass, and not at all disappointing.
Track #6:
Shockmonster Stomp by The Ghastly Ones
Since we’re already stomping, let’s stomp some more with a little help from The Ghastly Ones, a monster surf outfit from Van Nuys, California.
I love surf music, but on the whole it doesn’t lend itself terribly well to Halloween, unless you’re talking about The Ghastly Ones that is; oozing as they are with model kit and Shock! Theater imagery. Their drummer, Norman Cabrera, is even a special FX artist, and they were originally released on Rob Zombie’s Zombie-A-Go-Go label. Now that’s all pretty Halloween if you ask me.
And if that’s not enough, this track in particular amps up the Halloweeniness a couple notches with its harpsichord and theremin sounds; all the spookiness to take our Shindig in decidedly ghastly direction. Keep stompin’!
TRACK #5:
The Sinister Stomp by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers
Alright, so we got a theme, a bumper, a genuine Halloween song, and a track from a horror movie; sounds to me like it’s time for a good ole fashion monster song.
While The Monster Mash is probably the likely choice, we’ve got some time before cracking that chestnut. However, Bobby “Boris” Pickett and his Crypt Kickers are gonna get some early respect here just the same. From The Original Monster Mash album (a fun Holiday album all around. Hell, there’s even a Christmas song on that fucker for christ’s sake,) comes The Sinister Stomp.
I’m not exactly sure what the hell Yanush is suppose to be (a zombie, a ghoul?) but he’s definitely the focal point of this song, having tripped Boris one night in a graveyard causing him to invent the titular dance, which I believe just involves Boris repeatedly stomping his heal into this thing’s back. An act which somehow manages to keeps him alive, yet also makes him a more efficient employee apparently. Oh, and run.
Yeah, the logic isn’t the easiest to follow, but it’s pretty damn Halloweeny all the same, featuring the usual ghouls from Igor to Frankie, plus it’s got a catchy Runaround Sue style beat, which I enjoy a great deal.
So, c’mon, do The Sinister Stomp. It’s good for the soul.
TRACK #4:
Partytime (Zombie Version) by 45 Grave
Now it’s party time, literally. We’ve established it’s Halloween, now commence the rocking.
Fourth in line is the first of many selections from possibly the finest horror movie soundtrack ever – Return of the Living Dead.
Apparently the original version of this song was actually about a 5 year old whom is raped and abused by her family. Now, I don’t know if that’s more Halloweeny, but it’s definitely more horrific, that’s for sure.
Needless to say, the producers asked Dinah Cancer if she could rewrite the lyrics to make it a bit more relevant to the film, and a bit less, well, rapey.
The result? Our first official crossover song, and one of the most ass-kicking tracks from a kick-ass soundtrack.
So, do you wanna party? It’s not a bad question, Burt.
Oh, let’s do thaaaaat.
TRACK #3:
Halloween by King Diamond
With the first 2 tracks simply serving as atmosphere, the the unofficial start to Halloween Shindig is here. And what better herald is there than King Diamond to usher in our festivities? Halloween (or our Shindig) doesn’t truly begin until King Diamond fucking says so.
But to King Diamond, every night is Halloween, and he looks damn prepared for it…always. Check it out.
Anything anyone who looks anything like this 90% of the time has to say about Halloween is probably true, so we should just listen.
But, I’m not sure how that works exactly. If Halloween is just constantly occurring, what’s all the fuss about? What are any of us doing here? Why is there a party, and why do you need music for it?
That’s because, in deference to whether King gets his sack out and goes trick-or-treating every night, Halloween is still Oct. 31st, and you’ve got a party to host. A party King Diamond will most likely not be attending…at least not physically anyway.
So, in the true spirit of Halloween, the eve of the dead…..crank it up, and let the spirit of King Diamond make an appearance at your Shindig.
TRACK #2:
Strange Holiday (radio bumper)
Here’s the first of many bumpers found on Halloween Shindig. Being the first, this one is comprised largely of clips about Halloween itself, setting the mood and leading into our third track.
Clips include:
The Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror
Garfield’s Halloween Adventure
Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
and a couple random Halloween Safety Videos.
Enjoy!
TRACK #1:
Halloween Theme by The Bowling Green Philharmonic Orchestra
The first track on any Halloween playlist should probably be John Carpenter’s simplistic, iconic and downright horrific theme to his 1978 classic Halloween. Nothing quite sounds like Halloween the way this song does.
Call it nostalgia, call it indoctrination, call it whatever you’d like, when I hear this song I immediately think of jack-o-lanterns. That’s followed closely by children trick or treating, rounded out by some rustling leaves at 3rd, and perhaps coming in at a close 4th would be a white-masked sociopath by the name of Michael Myers.
Now, those are probably 4 of the most Halloweeny things I can think of, and they’re all elicited from just the first 3 notes of this song. For my money, that’s musical genius.
This is taken straight from the DVD, so no whack cover version, no trumped up Halloween CD nonsense, no later or slightly altered version for the other films in the series. This is the real deal, complete with the chanting trick or treaters at the end.
Black cats and goblins on Halloween night. Trick or Treat!
If you love Halloween Shindig and Shindig Radio, and wanna help us keep the leaves blowin’ and the music followin’, we’d truly appreciate any support. And we definitely won’t egg the hell outta your house!
Here’s the entire Halloween Shindig Playlist, ready for you to stream at the push of a button.
If you’re a longtime listener, you’ll note the player looks a little new. And it is!
With this new player you now have the option to shuffle and repeat the playlist. Additionally, you can download any track you like using the download button, and that cart button (which would normally take you to where you can buy the track) will bring you directly to the blog entry featuring that song.
Enjoy everybody, and have a Happy Halloween!