Author: David Edward Johnson

75 years ago today, on Halloween Eve in 1938, a brilliant, young Orson Welles wowed the world with a stunning adaptation of the 1898 HG Wells classic, “The War of the Worlds.” Though opinions differ on the full scale of the panic that ensued, the chilling broadcast created a national sensation that we’re still talking about today and the production’s über-clever simulacrum of “truth” directly inspired modern horror milestones like “The Blair Witch Project.” Hats off to Welles and his radio players for this amazing dramatic journey.

Listen today to this landmark broadcast in a darkened room and celebrate with me. Represent!  ::

AND… Here’s the ensuing apology from the next day, Halloween, 1938. Look at the performance he is giving here. He later admitted to being totally aware of what he was doing. He plays with the media, toying with the coverage in this footage. Fascinating! ::

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This is the sixth installment in a continuing series calling out songs that should be in every horror fan’s running (or exercise) playlist. For this installment, it’s about DEATH — that final oblivion and what lies beyond. I just finished the Rock and Roll Half Marathon here in St. Louis, so running playlists are TOP of mind for me and I felt it was time for another post in this series. These are definitely tempo songs. For these additions to the playlist, I’ve attempted to follow in some way the storybook process of dying here — death, haunting / passage and the beyond.

On with the dark tuneage.  ::

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16

“People Who Died” — Jim Carroll

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STEP ONE — DEATH — Poet, artist and “Basketball Diaries” author Jim Carroll and his band give us this incredible punk ode to his fallen comrades. This still sounds as fresh as the day it was recorded. AWESOME for pace. So many people dead, so much love. A HUGE RIP to Jim Carroll himself as well.

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17

“The Ghost of You Lingers” — Spoon

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STEP TWO — HAUNTING / PASSAGE — I absolutely love these guys and this album was a TOTAL monster. Annnnd… This song was among the best on the album and was one of the best songs of 2007, IMHO. Haunting, bittersweet and driven, this one will drive you through the miles.

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18

“Eternal Life” — Jeff Buckley

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STEP THREE — THE BEYOND — One from the great Jeff Buckley. The man was simply taken from us FAR too soon. Perhaps this is a perfect artist and metaphor to represent the final step in this list, for it is through his art, through masterful songs like this one, that Buckley found a true measure of “Eternal Life.” This is a full-on rocker with more punk rumble, reckless abandon and virtuosic punch than you can shake a stick at. Drive that tempo for this one, too. Hard. Feel those chills.

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Get out there and do it (he says more for his own benefit than anything)!

Here’s PART I.

Here’s PART II.

Here’s PART III.

Here’s PART IV.

Here’s PART V.

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OK… So this one’s a weird one, but I felt it belonged here.

Last week, I was at an event at the 27,000 square foot former Mandrell estate, neé Fontanel, outside of Nashville. (Don’t ask.) It was a fascinating location and the peek inside the life of the ever-super-gorgeous and über-talented Barbara Mandrell and her beautiful family was nothing short of captivating. Much of that peek inside was through the myriad family photos throughout the mansion. Really, in many ways, they were photos of life like any of us would have. Perhaps that was the most interesting part — the relatable nature of so many of them.

While there, I did snap a pic of something I thought would be interesting for “The Strange, Far Places.” Check out the Mandrell kids representing the scary side of things on All Hallow’s Eve (below a small tribute I created to Barbara herself and her apparent love for Halloween) ::

Now that’s just awesome to see. How about that Drac tux? Annnd, especially big ups to the truly unnerving Jaime (if I’m not mistaken — am I?) and the extra creepiness that comes from youth in this type of costume. You’ve gotta love a family that embraces the horrors of Halloween!

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