As Halloween approacheth, I'd like to make a little plea for a break from the steady musical diet of Ministry's "Every Day is Halloween" and Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's Dead" that radio stations serve up on my favorite holiday. The Ministry song is kinda okay, but not that creepy, and I think that somewhere in the 9 (!) minutes of Bela Lugosi's dead is a good four-minute song.
But, I mean, what the hell. Why don't we hear more Roky Erikson on Halloween? Enough of your black-clad, mascara wearing goth posers--bring on the hard-rockin' Texan who sounds like he's really haunted!
Now, given Roky Erikson's history of mental illness, there is a kind of voyeuristic quality to listening to his music--it's great because he sings with such passion and conviction about vampires and demons and two-headed dogs. But, of course, he's able to sing about such things with passion and conviction at least party because of his illness. (There are also the songs like "Starry Eyes" and "Nothing in Return" that sound kind of like ZZ Top covering Buddy Holly. Also great, but not Halloweeny)
Still, the guy's getting on in years, and he certainly needs the cash, so this Halloween, may I suggest the following cursed playlist of 13 songs for your creepy enjoyment:
1.Bermuda.
2.I Walked With a Zombie
3.White Faces
4. I Think of Demons
5. Burn the Flames
6.Night of the Vampire
7.If You Have Ghosts
8.Creature With the Atom Brain
9.Bloody Hammer
10.Click Your Fingers Applauding the Play
11.Two Headed Dog
12. I Am
13. The Damn Thing
