I have DJ’d countless Halloween parties. This year I had to turn down one of my favorite ones. For the past few years a local daycare throws a big party and kids and their parents dress up in costumes and it is always a blast. Due to my current work schedule, I was just not able to be there this year.
I always had to have a variety of “haunted” hits to play at these parties. In case you are looking for musical ideas for your Halloween party, here is a starter list.
As much as I hate this record, you have to play Bobby “Boris” Pickett
You’ve also gotta play Michael Jackson’s Thriller. (Love Vincent Price’s narration in this!)
A personal favorite is from the Classics IV – Spooky
I always loved Jumpin’ Gene Simmons version of Haunted House
A favorite of the kids – This Is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas
Speaking of nightmares, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince offer up Nightmare on My Street
A great one from The Eagles – Witchy Woman
Kid Rock sampled this one for All Summer Long – Werewolves of London from Warren Zevon
You gotta play Clap for the Wolfman from the Guess Who
How about the silly song called The Blob by The Five Blobs?
The Hocus Pocus movie brought this one back, but the original is the best version – I Put a Spell On You by Screaming Jay Hawkins
How about some Rockwell? Somebody’s Watching Me
Be careful who you run around with …. Van Halen – Runnin’ With the Devil
Another favorite of mine – Santana – Black Magic Woman
It’s a very rare occurrence to have a full moon on Halloween, but this song works all year round. Bad Moon Rising – CCR
The moon causes the Shadows in the Night – Pat Benatar
Beware of the walking dead …. Zombie by the Cranberries
Another overplayed Halloween Song – The Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley
I suppose you have to play Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters
Going back to the 50’s for a couple crazy songs …
The Mummy from Bob McFadden and Dor
From Chipmunk creator David Seville – The Witch Doctor
Grab a bite with a vampire – Dinner With Drac from John Zacherle
Three Devilish songs now –
Devil with the Blue Dress – Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
A classic from The Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Alice Cooper did this one in Wayne’s World – Feed My Frankenstein
Speaking of Frankenstein – how about the Edgar Winter classic instrumental..
Need some cowbell?? Don’t Fear The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
A song I have blogged about in the past – Superstition – Stevie Wonder
Demons – Imagine Dragons
Trick or Treat … I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
Another 80’s flashback … Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo
Lots of requests for Enter Sandman – Metallica
All good lists need a cut from Frank Sinatra – Witchcraft
I’ve never really understood how this is a Halloween song, but everyone wants to do the Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show
From another film (Rain Man) The Delta Rhythm Boys -sing about Dem Bones
Now, some kid favorites which had me searching YouTube a lot ….
Spooky Scary Skeletons
I sang this in music class when I was in elementary school and kids are still singing it today – Witches Brew
Then you can fill in with various Theme songs from films and TV …
Now that it is October, many bloggers (and folks on social media) are posting their favorite scary books or favorite scary movies as a tie in to Halloween. I thought I would offer up something better.
Think about books versus movies for just a second. To me, the book is always going to be scarier than the movie. The reason for this is that the book requires you to use your imagination. You and I can read the same description of a monster or alien an each have a very different picture of them in our minds. Now, with that in mind, I offer you up one of the greatest and scariest things I have ever heard …
Old time radio was full of great shows with wonderful stories. Those shows included The Mysterious Traveler, Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, and Suspense. On December 5, 1946 Suspense aired an episode that is consistently referred to as one of the most terrifying programs broadcast during the “golden age” of radio. The program was entitled “The House in Cypress Canyon.”
The episode was written by Robert L. Richards and produced by William Spear. Wikipedia offers the entire story, but for this blog I will only offer up a tease as to not give it away. I will also present a link so that you can listen to the show in its entirety.
From Wikipedia: The plot is presented as a story within a story framed by a meeting between detective Sam (played by Howard Duff) and a friend who has discovered the manuscript regarding the mysterious house. After a brief introduction, the narrative shifts to the story presented in the manuscript.
The story begins a few days before Christmas. James (Robert Taylor) and Ellen (Cathy Lewis), married seven years and having recently relocated to California for the husband’s engineering job, move into a hastily finished rental house in a development that was started before the war. Dusty furniture and creaky hinges seem to be the only problems with the place at first glance. But the very night they move in, the two hear inhuman cries in the night, and find blood oozing out from under a closet door they can’t open.
My dad introduced us to old radio shows. He would buy them on cassette or rent them from the public library. Before they started airing them on a local radio station at night, we’d grab our cassette layer and listen to them. I remember my dad, my brother and I sitting on the floor with pillows and blankets when we first heard The House in Cypress Canyon. Thankfully, we listened to it one afternoon during a weekend. Of course, the show played over and over in my mind that night at bedtime! It creeped me out!
To this day, it remains the ONE radio show that freaked me out and still does. Set aside a half hour. Grab your headphones, turn down the lights, and enjoy the episode that only aired once, but was enough to rank as one of the scariest shows to ever air on radio.
At midnight tonight, we’ll start a brand new year – 2022. Some have compared a new year to a book. The book with 365 blank pages – one for each day – and said that the book is ours to write. There is truth to that.
As I looked back over my “book” entitled “2021,” I see that (despite the pandemic and all the crap that came with it) I really did have a good year. Bear with me, he’s the recap:
January
January started with some snow. It actually looks like we should be getting snow again this week. Ella absolutely loved being outside in the snow. It was fun to watch her try to figure out just what all the white stuff was. Today, when she sees it, she get’s excited and yells, “Snow! Snow!”
In mid-January, we scratched our heads and wondered just how Ella was 11 months old! I mean, it seemed like she was just born!
The pressure was on as we closed in on her first birthday. With Covid, we weren’t quite sure if we’d even be able to have a party for her.
February
As we got closer to Ella’s birthday, Sam was just not feeling right. 3 days before Ella’s birthday, we found out that baby #2 was on the way!
This took us both completely by surprise! There was great excitement all over again. The hardest part was keeping it a secret…
Ella’s first birthday was a fun and busy day. We ditched the pink blocks and marked the birthday with a HUGE number “1” balloon. This was followed by a trip to the Sea Life Aquarium, the Build a Bear place, and cake at Nana’s house.
We were glad to be able to get some professional “1st Birthday” pictures, too!
March
In March we got our first look at the baby we now know as Andrew/AJ and announced Ella’s promotion to big sister.
Ella also got her first haircut
March also consisted of many walks around the neighborhood and stops at the park.
April
Big brother, Dante’ turned 19 this month! Before that, Easter fell on my mom’s birthday. We got Ella all dressed up in her Easter dress, stopped at the cemetery to visit grandma on her birthday and then went to Nana’s for an Easter Egg hunt!
Ella is so very blessed to have wonderful people in her life. Aunt Margaret is one of them! (She will kill me for posting this picture, but I just love this!!) She and cousin Marissa came to visit and the highlight was watching them read books together.
We also found out the baby’s gender, but that wouldn’t be revealed until May.
May
Birthday’s have never really bothered me, mostly because I opt for the Jack Benny attitude and say that I am stuck at 39. However, in reality I turned 51. 30 was big. 40 was tough. 50 a bit hard to swallow. Over 50? Well…..I examine my own mortality every day.
The month started warm enough that Ella got to spend lots of time in her sandbox and pool.
We revealed that Ella was having a baby brother and got another look at him on an ultrasound.
Ella and I worked on a special project for Sam for Mother’s Day and we got to visit the Detroit Zoo.
May also brought Ella her first taste of corn on the cob!
June
My second oldest boy celebrated his 14th birthday in June. We got to spend Father’s Day together by visiting Crossroads Village. They had a Classic Car Show there and we walked the village and rode the train. It was such a great day with my kids!
It was SO hot that day!!! By the end of it all, Ella was physically exhausted. June was a hot month and we did get to get out and enjoy walks in the park and a day at the splash pad.
July
By July, Sam was 5 months pregnant and was so sick. The pregnancy was a rough one on her. The heat didn’t help things. Despite that, the middle of summer was packed full of amazing things and our family had loads of fun.
We celebrated America’s Birthday, Ella had her first visit to the public library and bowled for the first time, and we all visited the Saginaw Children’s Zoo.
August
As Summer drew to a close, we continued to squeeze as much into it as we could. I got to spend a perfect day doing a daddy daughter picnic, my name was finally on the board at the Corner Cone for a free ice cream, Ella spent lots of time drawing with crayons, and our stress levels were through the roof as we took Ella in for her ear tube surgery. We also got another peak at AJ and had a visit from my brother.
September
Fall! My favorite season of all. I was glad to be able to get together with Margaret, Walt and my buddy Chris at Margaret’s house. Since she’s already mad at the one picture I posted, I’ll just share the one she told me I could share. Hopefully, that makes things a little better….
We always love going to get pumpkins and decorating the front of the house for fall. Ella seemed to like it, too.
Ella and I also got to take one last trip to the Saginaw Zoo before it closed for the season. It was a great day for us, and Sam actually got to relax a bit.
October
We had been told more than once that there was a possibility that the baby would come before his due date. He held out almost until the date! Just two days before he was born, Ella and I got to go outside and enjoy the fall colors.
On October 11th, AJ entered the world. I watched in awe as my son was born and all the pride of being a daddy again filled my soul. We weren’t sure how Ella would handle it, but she welcomed him with open arms.
They still did not have a photographer at the hospital, so we went to JC Penney to have some newborn pictures taken. AJ looks spiffy in his outfit!
While this wasn’t Ella’s first Halloween, it was the first real Trick or Treating adventure for her. She was happy that big brother was there to walk with her. AJ was obviously way too young to attempt to go out this year.
November
Fall walks are among my favorites. I love looking at the colors. Ella and I took many fall walks and there were many instances where she’d just play in a pile of leaves! AJ kept us all busy and so it was just Ella and I making the trip to Bronner’s to get his ornament for the Christmas tree. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving at home and got the house ready for Christmas.
December
The final month of the year brought many happy memories. Professional Christmas pictures, my annual reading of Dickens, AJ turned 2 months old, a visit from Papa and Grandma, Christmas Eve with my boys, Holiday lights at Crossroads, our first Christmas as a family of four, and the anticipation of a brand new year.
Blog highlights included my entries to the 2021 Song Draft, salutes to Soupy Sales, my grandpa, and Ernie Harwell, a guest blog from my pal Max, silly blogs about hats and Bernie Sanders’ mittens, fishing memories, my favorite Twilight Zone episodes, and a blog about an amazing cartoon Dog Dad.
There were many sad moments in 2021. I lost classmates and friends to cancer, heart disease, and of course, Covid. If the past two years have taught me anything, it is that life is precious and another day is not promised. You never know when it will be the “last picture,” the “last phone call,” or the “last visit.” It takes me make to that quote that my band director wrote on the grease board my senior year. I have quoted it many times. “Live every day as if it were your last. Someday, you’ll be right.”
Life is too short. Live. Laugh. Love.
As we welcome 2022, I pray that it is a good year for all of us. May we find it full of happiness and good health. May God bless you and yours in the upcoming year.
Get ready. The Book of 2022 awaits. Grab your pen and turn to page (January) 1.
After three weeks off work, tonight I have to return to the grind. I was lucky to be able to take some time off to be with Sam and the kids. While showering yesterday, I realized that the time I’d be home was coming to an end. Sam joked that I was probably happy to be able to get away from the crying and craziness, but that isn’t true. I know that I am going to miss them and want to be home instead.
I am looking forward to getting back into “the norm”. Things have been “on hold” for a few weeks while I’ve been home. I’m behind on my Bible reading, my classes, and other things, but know that once I am back into the swing of things, I’ll get everything caught up.
One thing about being back at work that will be nice – lack of snacks. Over the past three weeks, I feel like I was always eating! Potato chips, cookies, fast food, and candy seemed to be everywhere. I am glad to be back at work where I have a packed lunch and a bit more control of what I am eating.
AJ
Our baby boy has kept us VERY busy. We took him to the ENT to discuss his lip tie and tongue tie. While in the office he snipped both (which freaked us both out – because they literally just clip them with scissors!) and he has been doing much better. Sam and I discussed things and we’ve decided that he will eventually go to all formula. He has no trouble with bottles and is sleeping much better. He still has the GERD, so he will be on meds to help with that.
Sam has all her pictures saved on her iCloud. She found picture of Ella and took a picture of AJ and they could be twins. It’s really amazing how much he is starting to look more and more like her as a baby.
Ella on top. AJ on bottom. Both about the same age.
He still gets cranky, but he is starting to take time to look around. He’s more and more alert every day.
Great Neighbors
I don’t recall if I blogged about it, but this summer a neighbor had posted on the neighborhood Facebook page that they needed someone to mow their lawn. I reached out and said I would help. She asked whether I had children and explained that I had two sons from my previous marriage, a daughter with my wife and one on the way. She asked if I knew what we were having and at the time I knew it was a boy.
Last week, Sam was on the couch breastfeeding and there was a knock on the side door. She freaked out, because the couch is right by the door! She asked if I was expecting anyone and I told her I was not. When I opened the door, it was the lady whose lawn I mowed. She asked if I remembered her and I told her I did. She told me that she wanted to drop something by for the baby. She had a little gift bag and handed it to me. Ella was standing there saying “Hi” and “Bye Bye,” so the visit was cut very short. I felt bad because I couldn’t even introduce her to my wife.
Anyway, she made a beautiful sweater for AJ. I can’t even begin to imagine how much work goes into something like this, but it is so nice. I can’t wait to get a picture of him in it to send to her.
Halloween Weekend
For Halloween, we had to make sure to let AJ wear his “My First Halloween” onesie. Ella happened to be wearing her Halloween dress, so we snapped a few pictures of them.
As I began this paragraph, I started to write “my youngest son came over…” I realize that I can’t say that anymore, because now AJ is my youngest son!
Anyway, my second born son came over for Halloween weekend. I picked him up on Saturday and he stayed Sunday night to trick or treat. He brought a bag with two or three costume ideas. He decided to go as “an old man.” As he trick or treated, he told people who asked that he was “my dad when he was younger!” That got quite a few laughs.
Prior to trick or treating, I took Ella on a walk around the neighborhood. I had to stop and get a picture of one tree, because it was just breathtaking. So much color to it.
Ella had her first round of Trick or Treating and didn’t quite get what to do. She went as a ladybug and was so cute. At the first house, I got her out of the wagon, handed the bag to her and she walked up to our neighbor. I told her to say “Trick or treat” and hold open her bag. Once the neighbor started to put the candy in the bag, she dropped the bag and grabbed the candy from them! It was quite funny.
We walked just our street with Ella and then took her home. She didn’t get her afternoon nap, so she was getting pretty tired anyway. I then drove Dimitri around the rest of the neighborhood. I was glad we drove, because it got very windy and very chilly as the night went on. My aunt had some things for the kids and actually found us while we were out trick or treating. She stopped by when we got home and got to see them.
Because he had school the next day, I had to take my son back home. My oldest son had gone out trick or treating with his friends and was at his friend’s house. The house is pretty close to ours, so I met them there and he took his brother home. By the time I got home that night, I was in bed and fast asleep!
As far as weekends are concerned, it was a good one! It’s always nice to get to see all of my kids and spend time with my family!
We are now three days from Christmas. Remember back in October when folks were all up in arms about people putting Christmas stuff up? I remember blogging about how this year we could use some happiness and approved of the “early” holiday cheer.
I was reminded of a cartoon which shows up every year (in some form or another):
I was reminded of the holiday “overlap” after reading one of the blogs I follow. The blog’s author, Beth, posted it here:
Personally, I have yet to walk into a store that has the Valentine’s stuff out, but I know that come December 26th, it will start showing up! I don’t know about you, but I don’t even start thinking about Valentine’s day until mid-January or early February.
I’ve never really understood the reason to rush a holiday? A month in advance is plenty. Now, Christmas may be a little different in that some people start saving money for Christmas as early as January (yes, 12 months early!). I know plenty of people who Christmas shop all year long. I would think that of all the holidays, Christmas is probably the biggest, at least where gift giving is concerned. Every one is buying gifts for someone.
I’ve never received an Easter Gift bigger than a basket with candy, a Labor Day surprise, a Fourth of July gift, or even a President’s Day gift. The only times I receive a gift is my birthday, my anniversary, and Christmas. Still, the retail stores are quick to usher in the next holiday even before one is over! I don’t get it.
In commenting back and forth with Beth, she brought up a good point. Why don’t they just have “Holiday” stores. One store – with everything you need for every holiday? At least you could walk in there and not wonder “Why is the Halloween stuff out in April?!” You’d expect it to be!
Thanks Beth, for the inspiration. I’m off to buy Valentines…..
All my life the night before Halloween was referred to as Devil’s Night. In some places it is called Mischief Night. Other places call it Goosey Night, Mat Night, or Cabbage Night. Whatever you called it, it was usually a night that kids/teens would go out and prank people. Usually those pranks were pretty harmless. Recently, Devil’s Night in Michigan (Detroit, in particular) became a night that folks would go out and set fires to abandoned house and buildings. It is now referred to as Angel’s Night as many patrol neighborhoods in hopes of stopping those fires.
I was not an innocent little teenager, as I would occasionally go out on October 30th and cause mischief. In discussing with a friend the many pranks associated with Devil’s Night, I did many of them, but not all of them. How many of these were you involved with?
Toilet Papering
Of all the pranks we came up with, I admit, this was my favorite. We TP’d houses even when it wasn’t Devil’s Night! You can read about that in a past blog. We had a group in high school called the TP Bandits. I swear we bought hundreds of dollars in TP in 1988! When we were done, we left works of art! The sheer beauty of TP blowing in wind …. ah, what a sight!
Soaping Windows
Probably one of the cheapest and least menacing pranks was soaping windows. You’d go into your bathroom and home and swipe a bar of soap and go up and down the street drawing smiley faces on car windows. Sometimes we’d write “hello” or draw things on home windows, but not usually. I can see where this might not be so harmless today. I have a feeling that most kids today would write hateful things on car windows. The nice thing about this prank was a car wash or rain would take care of the soap.
Ding Dong Ditch
I’ll be honest, I never heard it called “Ding Dong Ditch” until recently. We would usually just say, “Hey! Wanna go ring doorbells?!” This prank is more annoying than anything and if you were slow, you’d get caught. Basic idea – ring the doorbell and run. I would imagine that the Ring Doorbells with cameras make this not as fun. It really is a dumb prank. This is almost the same thing as …
Knock and Run
This prank is basically the same thing, except you knock on the door and run. I have a feeling this came about because of homes that had no doorbell! I’m not sure I’d have the guts to do this, but when I saw this picture I laughed. Imagine doing this to your own home!
He probably needs a longer hockey stick…..
Egging houses
A bit more expensive and a lot messier, this was a prank I only did a couple times. A buddy of mine busted a window by whipping an egg at it, and I think that was when I decided that “egging” was not my favorite prank. Most people just egged cars, but some threw them at doors and houses. It was always messy and I remember my dad hating having to clean that up. Some people took this prank in another direction and used tomatoes!
Forking
This is a prank I never really understood. Forking a lawn is just what it sounds like – someone puts a bunch of plastic forks in a lawn. I would think you’d need a whole lot of people to pull off this prank in a hurry, otherwise, it is gonna take you a while to get it done. I don’t know about you, but if I am pulling a prank like this or TPing, I wanna get it, get it done, and get out before I get caught! This is one of those pranks I never really understood.
The Flaming Bag of Poop
This is probably the cruelest of all the pranks. It is gross. Someone puts dog poop in a paper bag and lights it on fire. Then, they knock on the door or ring the doorbell and run away. The home owner comes to the door and stomps on the bag, getting poop on their shoe. This prank has shown up in Adam Sandler movies, on Saturday Night Live (in Matt Foley and Martha Stewart sketches), and on the Simpsons.
For the record, I never did this prank. I can’t even imagine wanting to pick up a piece of dog poop!
Smashing Pumpkins
I guess this prank is pretty mean, too. I know how hard my son worked on carving his pumpkin. If he woke up Halloween morning and found it busted up, I can only imagine how upset he’d be. I am not sure that this is really a Devil’s Night thing, as I think most pumpkin smashing happens after Halloween when the gourds are a bit more … mushy.
Did I miss any pranks? Let me know!
I hope that when I walk out to my car in the morning it is egg and soap free!
This weekend marked the 14th anniversary of my mother’s passing. It was very much on my mind through the entire weekend. However, there were so many other things going on that there was more happiness than sadness.
My brother came into town from Ohio and got to meet his niece for the first time. We have done many video chats prior to this, so when he came in, she recognized him and the hit it off immediately. It was such a wonderful moment. I’m sure we took a gazillion pictures, but my favorite one, he actually made his Facebook Profile Picture:
Uncle Chris and Ella
My brother and I drove down and picked up Dimitri and we all piled into the van and went to Crossroads Village. They usually do a Haunted Train Ride for Halloween, but because of Covid-19 they are not running the train. Instead, they are doing a nightly drive through of the village. It is all decked out for Halloween. My brother caught some pictures. It was a very nice time.
At the end of the drive, every passenger in the car got a goodie bag. I had to laugh because Dimitri opened a candy necklace, took a bite and said it was gross. I remember loving them growing up. I tried it and it was a bit … chalky!
We then came home and it was pumpkin carving time! We went to the orchard last weekend. We picked pumpkins and didn’t get the chance to carve them, so we did it this weekend.
Dimitri carved a skeleton playing a trumpet. For Ella’s, we took a drill and drilled holes in it. It looks like polka dots when the candle is in it. She loved touching the pumpkin guts, which surprised all of us.
Ready to carveDeterminedYay! Polka Dot Pumpkin!The finished product
On Sunday, we met my friend Jennifer at the park to take some family photos. Everything fell into place for the session – Dante was not working, Dimitri was here, Sam was off work that night, and Jennifer was available. We were worried that Ella wasn’t going to last long, as she was a bit tired. She loves being outside and we ended up getting some really amazing pictures!
The plan is to get one of the family pictures made into a canvas to go with the canvas we have of us with the baby. I also plan on printing some to frame and hang in the hallway. There are plenty to chose from. I wish I had a cubicle or an office at work so I could frame some of them to look at while I work. Here are two of my absolute favorites:
My Beautiful Girls – my wife, Sam, and my daughter EllaMy Three Wonderful Children – Dimitri, Ella, and Dante’
Both of these will be framed!! Perfect photos!!
After the photo shoot, the boys and my brother and I went to the cemetery to visit my mom’s grave. Dante’ has such fond memories of her. Dimitri never got to meet her and it bothers him a lot. They both got very emotional. It was nice to have some time there with them.
Monday, Sam worked days, so she was home by afternoon. We took a drive and grabbed pumpkin spice latte’s from Starbucks. When we got home, we raked up a big pile of leaves. We put the baby in her winter coat and let her sit outside and play in the pile. Look at this cutie:
The temps are cooling down. There is already snow up north. I’m glad to have been able to enjoy such a wonderful fall weekend with family.
Halloween is barely behind us, and we are just a day or two into November. Christmas is over 50 days away, however, it is everywhere! Even before Halloween, many stores had their Christmas displays and decorations up!
For years, people have pondered, discussed, and debated the “how early is too early for Christmas” topic. In September this cartoon was all over the internet:
Just before Halloween, Sirius XM radio began adding their holiday channels to their line up. Countless radio stations across the country flipped to “all Christmas” music yesterday and Facebook and almost every major news outlet had stories about it. I really don’t know why people were acting so surprised by this, because it happens every year! Is this the earliest stations have flipped? No. I recall a few years where some stations flipped to all Christmas BEFORE Halloween.
There was a time when Christmas music didn’t even start playing on the radio until Thanksgiving weekend. I recall scheduling 3 to 4 Christmas songs an hour throughout that weekend, and then cutting back to 1 an hour after Thanksgiving weekend. As Christmas got closer, the number of songs we played increased to 2, 3, and eventually 4 an hour. We almost always went all Christmas music at 12 noon Christmas Eve and then would continue through 6pm Christmas night. That’s not the case anymore.
People inevitably ask me the question – “Why do stations go all Christmas so early?!” The answer is a simple one – ratings! Its not always the case, but most of the time, these stations who play all Christmas music do very well in the ratings books – which means more $$ for the station. Some retail stores do not have the pre-recorded satellite music, so they will pipe the “all Christmas station” throughout the store. That means more listeners to that particular station.
Is it good or bad?
So this brings me to a Facebook discussion some friends were having (after one person voiced his disgust at the fact that his station flipped to all Christmas) yesterday. His argument was that “holiday music increases stress and is unhealthy for people.” I knew exactly what he was referring to.
A couple years ago, a psychologist named Linda Blair said that listening to Christmas music too early in the holiday season can have a negative effect on people. She stated that it can affect mental health triggering “feelings of stress.” She said that hearing holiday music is a reminder of all the things that you have to do to get ready for the holiday. She said the music will cause you to worry about (and become overwhelmed by) the things on your “to-do” list like travel planning, shopping, and planning for parties.
She also said that people who work in retail, especially those who work at places like shopping malls, face a higher risk of what she called “Christmas music-induced stress”! “Hearing the same songs over and over each day could make workers struggle to ‘tune it out’ and they become ‘unable to focus on anything else,’ she said. “You’re simply spending all of your energy trying not to hear what you’re hearing.”
That story first hit the news in 2017, and has already be reprinted this year on many social media and news pages. Blair never really cites any concrete evidence, or study results, so how do we know that this is actually the case? Maybe she is just a Grinch who hates Christmas Music?? Who knows?!
On the other hand …
In response to Linda Blair’s findings, there is another article (this one citing “scientific studies”) that says the exact opposite! In those studies, it was proven that listening to “uplifting music” – like Jingle Bell Rock, Frosty the Snowman and A Holly Jolly Christmas, to name a few – has been known to have a positive effect both physically and psychologically.
“According to these studies, the feeling associated when listening to music can be sorted into two categories, perceived emotions (when we appreciate the emotional tone of the piece, but not feel that emotion ourselves) and felt emotions. Felt emotions are when we connect to the feeling behind the piece we are listening to and it can impact our emotional state.”
As someone who has worked in radio for 30+ years, I know first hand the connection that music has to memories. Do a google search on “music memory quotes” and there are plenty of them. One quote in particular holds true for the next point – from Michigan’s own, Stevie Wonder:
“Music has a strong tie to nostalgia.”
This is why hearing a song from your childhood may bring back memories of elementary school, a high school dance, or a major life event like it was yesterday. It’s also why listening to certain Christmas songs can make people feel warm, fuzzy and child-like. Part of the reason why Christmas music is associated with joy is not necessarily the music itself, but the memories that come with it.
So, listening to Christmas songs may make you feel nostalgic for your childhood or just generally happy, because your brain has already created positive associations with the music. And it’s been proven – research conducted by researchers at McGill University proved that when people listen to happy, upbeat music, they can recall happy memories within a short amount of time. The entire article can be found here:
“In the experiment, the researchers had participants listen to four different genres of original music they had never heard before: happy (positive, high arousal), peaceful (positive, low arousal), scary (negative, high arousal) and sad (negative, low arousal). The researchers found that when the participants listened to happy, upbeat music, it brought about happy memories.”
That being said, there are Christmas songs that can bring about sad memories, too. So I guess there is that possibility, too. For the most part, though, Christmas music is happy and upbeat. That would suggest that listening to Christmas music brings about nostalgic thoughts which brings about happy memories and you being a happier person.
What’s my take on it?
While I don’t listen to Christmas music 24/7/365, I do have Christmas songs on my iPod. When I am listening to it and a Christmas song comes on out of season, it depends on my mood as to whether or not I am going to listen to it. There are some Christmas songs that I can listen to no matter what the season, because (as the latter study suggested) it makes me feel good or happy.
I remember when I worked at Honey Radio in Detroit, we would throw in “summer songs” when it was summer time. We’d play “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summmer”, “Wonderful Summer”, “Summertime”, and others and then cut back on them in the fall and winter. I have never understood why songs like “Let it Snow”, “Winter Wonderland”, or “Jingle Bells” (which are basically winter time songs that never really mention Christmas) didn’t play throughout the Winter.
Final Thought
There are people who complain just because they like complaining. Bottom line is this – radio is free. You have many choices up and down the dial. There are many other stations that are not playing Christmas music 24/7, so if you don’t want to hear it – DON’T! Pop in a CD, listen to your Spotify, plug in a USB with your tunes on it, or find the satellite channel that plays the format you enjoy. Problem solved!
I have always looked forward to the Christmas season. People tend to be friendlier. People seem to be kinder. There is a sense of happiness that comes with the season. Elvis Presely’s “Why Can’t Everyday Be Like Christmas?” captures that sentiment. Just because you don’t want to listen to Christmas music, doesn’t mean that others don’t want to. Christmas music and the holiday season bring about a joy that seems to be lacking today – don’t be a Scrooge!
While I don’t always plan ahead what I am going to blog about until a day or so before, today’s Halloween Blog was something I planned on writing about a few months ago. I was reminded of the topic after listening to one of the shows I did with my partner, Rob, on Honey Radio.
Somewhere down the line, I plan on writing an entire blog about “drops”. In the radio biz, a “drop” is a snippet from a movie, a TV show, or some other form of audio that is used in pieces of production, or on it’s own. So how do you use a “drop”? Above, you see a picture of The Three Stooges. In their short “Micro-Phonies”, the boys end up in a recording studio. Moe stands at the microphone while Larry and Curly make noise. Moe yells, “Quiet, numbskulls! I’m broadcasting!” I used this drop all the time. I would use it with stuff our voice guy sent us. The piece would be produced and it would play between songs. The entire piece would start with some sound effect, then the voice guy saying “You’re listening to Keith Allen! (Insert drop – “Quiet, numbskulls! I’m broadcasting”!) Then the voice guy would tag it by saying the station – “on Flint’s Classic Rock Authority – 103.9 The Fox!” (or whatever station I was at).
My buddy Johnny Molson, who I worked with at my first radio job had a bunch of funny drops. Some were from movies, while others were from listener phone calls. He had one he’d play that always made me laugh (some guy yelling “Listen kid, why don’t you just beat it!”)
Rob and I spent hours watching TV and movies looking for little lines that could be taken out of context to play on the show. He had plenty of drops from the Steve Reeves Hercules movies, Star Trek the original series, Spencer for Hire, Batman, Dragnet, and so many more! When we were live on the air, I used to purposely throw drops in when Rob was talking as one of the characters just to make him laugh. He was so good, he rarely did. As a matter of fact, he would often just react to the drop. There were, however, a few drops that would crack him (and me) up. They came from a record album that he had growing up. Which, incidentally, is the topic of this blog.
Famous Monsters Speak
When I think about monsters, I think of the Universal Studio Monster movies from the 30’s! Bela Lugosi will always be Dracula to me!
…and in 1931, Boris Karloff was the Frankenstein monster!
In 1963, screenwriter Cherney Berg (who is the son of actress, screenwriter, and producer Gertrude Berg), wrote the script for the album Famous Monsters Speak. Side 1 focused on a story that featured the voice of the Frankenstein monster. The story is set at some scientist convention and they are playing the tapes of the Frankenstein monster. Side 2 focuses on a story of Dracula, when someone stumbles on his crypt. The voice work for the entire album is done by Gabriel Dell.
Gabriel Dell (on the right in the photo above) was an actor who starred in movies with the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids, and the Bowery Boys. I have often said that a good actor is one who can act by just using their voice (which is why I really love listening to old radio shows). The entire album is voiced by Dell. As the Frankenstein monster he is terrifying, while as Dracula he is equally creepy! Keep in mind this was an album that would be found in the children’s section of the record store! Rob told me his dad had bought it for him as a gift for a birthday or Christmas or something!
When Rob and I worked together, he had a few drops from this album. As a morning show, we often looked for drops that talked about waking up, drinking coffee, etc… On this album, Dracula simply said, “I command you – Awaken!” We often used that. He also says, “Stupidity has always been my best protection”, which we used when saying that one of the characters on the show was stupid. Then there was this clip of Dracula gaining the trust of an unsuspecting victim by asking for directions. In context, it is not funny, but out of context … (In a Transylvanian accent) “I beg your pardon, but I am a stranger to your city and have lost my way. Can you tell me pleas – the bus to Kensington Gardens?” (This was one that I would throw in on occasion and would make him laugh – just because it was so bizarre). On the Frankenstein side of the record, there is a 4 or 5 second clip of the monster making a growling/howling/yelling noise. We used to promote that Richard D. was coming in after us, and we’d say the sound was Richard “warming up in the next studio”.
Those short clips/drops were all I knew of this album, until long after we were off the air. I knew where they came from. I had just those audio clips and would laugh when I heard them. Then one day I was out at some used record store. I found the album! I called Rob and told him that I had found it and was going to listen to it. He laughed like hell. “I can’t believe you are so excited to find that damn record! I guess that’s why I love you, kid!” I can still hear him saying that to me.
When I listened to the album, instead of laughing (ok, I did when the monster made the “Richard D” noise), I was genuinely freaked out. I couldn’t believe that this was a kids record! It was done in the same vein as so many of those “Headless Horseman” and “Superman” records that had stories and a book. There was no book with this album, and really, you didn’t need one! Dell’s performance on the album is brilliant. A guy named Hal Johnson is listed as the sound effects man and those effects are awesome! The album is just as good as an old episode of Suspense, The Mysterious Traveler, Lights Out, or The Whistler. Gabriel Dell’s performance makes me tired just listening to it – he really get’s into it!
So, here for your Halloween listening enjoyment – turn down the lights – and listen to Famous Monsters Speak.
Side 1 – The Voice of the Monster
(The Richard D “warming up” sound can be heard at 4:50-4:54 of this clip)
Side 2 – Dracula Returns
(Kensington Gardens line begins at 10:44 – they way he says “Kensington Gardens” always made Rob and I laugh)
Tonight on ABC, one of the greatest Halloween specials of all time aired again – It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It is in this special that poor Charlie Brown utters those sad words, “I got a rock.”
In that scene, Lucy is wearing a witch mask. It got me to thinking about Halloweens of my past. I remember the streets would be packed with kids when I went out trick or treating! I remember standing in lines at the doors of my neighbors, waiting for my turn to yell “trick or treat!” By the time I took my boys out on Halloween, I was sad to see that the streets were not very busy at all. I remember being out late and rushing from house to house – hoping to get them all before they turned the porch light out (telling you that “we’re out of candy”)!
As I sat here pondering this blog, I tired to think of some of my past Halloween costumes. I can remember some of the ones from when I was older: a vampire, Oliver Hardy, and a Robot. The robot was a couple cardboard boxes my dad taped together and spray painted silver. We put cassette tapes, a vacuum hose, and other things on it and it was actually very cool. My brother used the same costume for a play he did in elementary school.
Other than those mentioned above, I didn’t remember any specific costumes off the top of my head. This is probably because most of the costumes I grew up wearing sucked. They were so bad, Jerry Seinfeld did a bit about them in his comedy act. I did a Google search for Halloween Costumes of the 1970’s and it all came back to me! Halloween costumes back when I was a kid were hardly original. Today, if you go to an elementary school and watch a Costume Parade, you will see some really good costumes! Many of them will even be homemade. This was not the case when I was a kid!
You usually bought your costumes at K-Mart, or Kresge, or the local drug store. The costumes of the 70’s consisted of primarily a mask. The mask had two big eye holes (which you really couldn’t see out of!), two small nose holes (which you couldn’t breathe out of!), and a slit by the mouth. It was a cheap piece of plastic and it sometimes cracked. The mask had a cheap rubber string that was stapled to each side. This rubber string was what kept the mask on your head. If the string broke, you either re-stapled in, or you took it off and didn’t wear it.
The costume also included a cheap one piece outfit. They were like “onesie” pajamas. You first put your feet and legs in it and then your arms. There was a tie that you tied behind your neck to keep it on. On the outfit it usually has the character’s name in bold letters on it. This must have been so if the mask fell off, people knew who you were supposed to be. 97% of all kids wore these dumb costumes when I was a kid!
While I Googled, I came across two of those stupid costumes I sort of remember having. The first was The Six Million Dollar Man:
I also remember having C-3PO:
I think I may have had an Underdog costume, too!
The outfits were so cheap that by the end of trick or treating, there were rips in the crotch or legs. Sometimes they were ripped up before you even got to go out trick or treating! We’d wear our costumes to school that day and they would rip in the classroom! They were paper thin, too, so you either had to buy it three times too big, so you could wear something underneath it, or you covered it with your coat and no one saw what you were anyway!
Here are some of the funnier costumes I found while searching:
From TV – Welcome Back, Kotter:
Mr, Kotter (above) and Barbarino (below)
Mork from Mork and Mindy
The Fonz from Happy Days
There were plenty of super heroes, including Batman!
And, despite how sexy she looked on TV, the Wonder Woman costume was actually quite scary …
I mean – look at Lynda Carter! She’s beautiful!! That costume is just freaky!!!!
One of the most ridiculous costumes was this one based on the movie Jaws!
Finally, for the gals who thought Donny Osmond was cute … this costume should make them think twice.
Come on! That looks like a weird Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner!!!
For whatever it is worth, I am going to guess that these costumes are probably worth money today. I have a lot of friends on Facebook who have extensive toy collectibles, and they probably have some. Mine are long gone, more than likely because they were ripped up and destroyed the same year we bought it.
It was fun to just spend time searching up the old costumes and looking at them. Do you remember wearing these? What were some of your favorite costumes? What are some of your favorite Halloween memories?
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 