The HORROR HOOTENANNY Interviews - JACKSON PHIBES!

Old Man Winter rages on here in Horror-Hoot land and during this frosty downtime we want to keep all you Monster Kids having bad dreams about us - so we roll out even more cool-as-hell reviews, commentary and interviews with our favorite Horror-ish Rocksters..

Today we speak with the and only Jackson Phibes from Calgary's legendary The Forbidden Dimension! Jackson Phibes is a name that deserves its own peg atop the Horror-Rock Totem Pole of Royalty - next to the likes of Roky Erickson, Alice Cooper, The Misfits etc. A master guitar slinger, genius wordsmith and extremely gifted artist, Jackson (aka Tom Bagley) has spent decades sharing his twisted obsessions with all things creepy-crawly. 


The band's brand spankin' new, bombastic and completely over-the-top super-slab, "The Golden Age of Lasers" further proves that while the rest of the horror herd is doing their best pretending to be The Misfits, Phibes and gang are steadily keeping it real for the Monster Kids! Chock full of accomplished monster Rock guitar and fiendishly clever themes, "Lasers" blasts through your skull like a death ray from Neptune. This Dimension remains Forbidden in 2012!

HH: What is the current Forbidden Dimension line-up and how long has this version been intact?

Jackson Phibes: Currently, it's myself plus H.P. Lovesauce (Craig) on bass, and P.T. Bonham (Mark) on skins. 
FD line-ups are pretty much a shaggy dog story, but this one has been intact (off n' on) since 2000, albeit often in the guise of a different band, The English Teeth (we worked on the FUBAR soundtrack, our claim to quasi-fame). And we had a different drummer for a couple of years (Hyde Maintenance) around the time leading up to and the recording of A Cool Sound Outta Hell (2005-2006).

HH: Over the years FD has remained pretty true to their original sound while the sonic impact of each successive record has increased. What can fans expect from the new slab The Golden Age of Lasers?

Jackson Phibes: This was the second time we worked with Casey Lewis twiddling the knobs, and Mark was much more open to some of his ideas involving drum sounds than Hyde was on the last album, so there is definitely a ballsier drum sound. Personally, I had no problem with the more fractured, garagy sound of "Cool Sound", but this one does perhaps kick a modicum more ass.

We also did things like adding lower piano notes to some of the bass guitar passages, so it almost gets a kind of "KISS Destroyer" feel going at certain spots. You can't really pick it out, but there's a weird warm, thunder-y tone happening, particularly in a few songs where the bass is carrying the melody of the riff.

HH: Do you produce your own music or are you associated with greedy suits who want to "own your very soul"?

Jackson Phibes: (When I first read this I thought you said "greedy sluts": I wish!) We always have called the shots, although we like to work with somebody (like Casey) who can help us out with things like background harmonies and off-the-wall ideas for keyboard and percussion over-dubs, etc., stuff that makes the recording sound more like a real record!

HH: Until very recently, FD has not been available via the popular digital/internet resources of the day - and even now we're limited to random access (Cool Sound now on iTunes, Coffinful of Crows on CD Baby).
Do you plan on opening up the download library for the children of the internet age?

Jackson Phibes: Indeed. I would like to get the Cargo albums out for download (Cargo itself long ago went tits-up). Right now you can get 'em from the blogs, but it would be nice to have it all a bit more legit and properly available.

HH: You have worn a familiar face-paint over the years. Is there anything behind this other than a "look"? Did the look evolve or have you kept it the same since the beginning. The kids need to know.

Jackson Phibes: We didn't wear it when we first started out (late 80s), but I kinda wanted to get a bit more of a little-kids-in-ghoul-make-up-posing-for-Famous-Monsters feel. That eventually evolved into a more glammy direction in my own appearance, the dribbling blood became more of a black and white graphic with little spirals n' stuff. Quite often, we'll do shows without any make-up at all these days, as I'm starting to look creepy and eerie enough as I get older. It's fun though, esp. when we do shows nowhere near Halloween and you get the hosers in the bathroom that have never seen us before wondering what the hell is goin' on. Mark always puts the bag on his head though. Just for the sheer terror that it inspires.

HH: Your (fantastic) artwork is pretty recognizable for people that pay attention to certain art culture circles. Aside from the obvious FD record covers etc. where would we find your work (other band's records, pubs etc.)?

Jackson Phibes: Thanks! I do lots of covers for weekly/monthly local papers and I have a weekly cartoony-illustration I do for a FFWD column called Video Vulture, where a fellow named John Tebbutt will write about various famous/obscure movies in different genres (some horror and sci-fi, lotsa Asian obscurities, action, comedy, etc.). I also do CD covers for local bands, although not as many as in the old days when there also seemed to be a lot more 7" singles being released all the time. I've done things for Chixdiggit!, Huevos Rancheros, Man or Astroman?, Cripple Creek Fairies, the Von Zippers, etc. I'm uploading stuff all the time on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tombula/

HH: It has been discussed between Dr. Gangrene and myself for a while to bring Forbidden Dimension down to play The Horror Hootenanny in Nashville. What are your thoughts on coming down for this and what is your perception of the TN/US Biblebelt in general?

Jackson Phibes: I'd love to come down there. Any excuse to see some place different than here at a nice time of year! As for the TN/US Bible Belt, I'm married to an American Jew, and since they control the media, I just believe whatever she tells me about it.

HH: Do you travel outside of Calgary with any frequency these days?

Jackson Phibes: Not a whole lot with FD this year., but this will most likely change in the spring when the new album's been out for a while. We might start getting more invites. However, I play in another band called the Agnostic/Phibes Rhythm & Blood Conspiracy, and we always seem to be playing at weird folky/blues festivals out in cow pastures throughout the summer months.

HH: What are thoughts on the ever-widening "Horror Rock" scene and are there any acts that you especially like or we should know about?

Jackson Phibes: I do tend to avoid bands that are in the horror-rock genre, as many of them seem to be super derivative, although I'm always interested hearing things that my facebook fiends are involved in. For new stuff, I tend to listen to stuff like Heavy Trash, Dex Rowebber, SCOTS, and quasi-metal stuff like Ghost and Witchcraft. Also, I really like this English instro band called the Space Agency. Most of the time though, listen to old stuff in various genres like old metal, 50s-60s jazz, rockabilly, Dave Allan and the Arrows, Link Wray, garage rock, soundtracks, etc. The usual junk! 

HH: It's obvious that you are fan of the golden ages of horror, what are some of you absolute favorites and what are your thoughts on modern horror trends?  

Jackson Phibes: I'll always return to different periods and sub-genres (Universal, Hammer, 50s B-movies, Mexican, Val Lewton, Coffin Joe, 70s drive-in, Euro-trash, Bigfoot docs, spaghetti westerns, noir) depending on my mood/time of year/etc. I always say the same movies whenever I'm asked to give a list of classics: "Curse of the Demon", "Night of the Hunter", "Spiderbaby", "Mad Love", "Carnival of Souls", "Dementia","Island of Lost Souls", "Mad Monster Party?".

I've also added a lot of the classic TV shows to the list, as I tend to watch them over and over again more these days more so than full movies (shorter attention span). I also really enjoy the sub-sub-genre of poverty-stricken hicks trying to make horror movies in the middle of nowhere (American Movie, Demon Lover Diary, Mule Skinner Blues)...

HH: Lugosi, Chris Lee or John Carradine?  

Jackson Phibes: Louis Jourdan! Max Schreck! All of the above! All are fun for different reasons. Carradine is probably the least "great" in the role, but he had a nasty sense of humour which lurks beneath the surface, like a crotchety uncle forced to dress up like Santa. Plus, he was in "Las Vampiras", probably the finest Drac-in-a-cage-overseeing-vampire-chicks-in-green-dance-tights-fighting-Mil-Mascaras movie EVER.

Lugosi IS Dracula (at least he said so), but that doesn't mean his movie is the best (it would've been the best Drac ever if he was in the Spanish version). Lee was very interested in Dracula, always putting across a good, forceful performance, but was always upset with the exploitative material of the movies (which now seem like quaint family fare) and you can tell, he was suffering with those red contact lenses.

HH: If they made Forbidden Dimension: The Movie, who would play you (and the rest of the guys)?

Jackson Phibes: It would have to be be done with puppets or an all-Asian schoolgirl cast.

Thank you Mr. Phibes!. Tennessee awaits The Forbidden Dimension invasion! Be sure to pick up anything you can find by the band - and let them know you want to see them rocking The Horror Hootenanny soon! - Jeano

Island of Dr. Roid Halloween 2011!

This year was creepy crisp fall perfection at Roidhause here in the tiny Bavarian village of Franklinstein, TN.

Tanya and I split work on 24 wicked jack-o-lanterns and a whole mess of reddish stick-n-skull work that would lure unsuspecting neighborhood kids into our maze of horror under a drifting orange/green veil of hellsmoke! The burnt pumpkin-ish odor of candles and sounds of horror echoed late into the night - even after we went off to watch Trick r Treat and a pair of annual favorites from the early Hammer House of Horror..  Be sure to listen to your favorite CREEPING CRUDS tune whilst enjoying these pics! 
Yours Ghouly - Jeano Roid 2011!

Horror Hootenanny 8 Follow-up

Dr. Gangrene’s Horror Hootenanny report!

The 8^th annual Dr. Gangrene’s Horror Hootenanny was held Saturday October 8^th 2011 at THE MUSE in Nashville, TN. This year’s event was a huge success, and a ton of fun. The Daves asked me to give a report on this year’s event, which I was happy to do!

 The Horror Hootenanny originally began as a fundraiser for my show, Dr. Gangrene’s Creature Feature. At that time I was buying airtime from the local UPN station to air my program, and selling sponsor time to cover the cost. It was an ongoing struggle to sell ads and collect money, on top of shooting and producing a weekly show, and I was getting worn out, honestly. Jeano Roid from the Creeping Cruds came up with the idea of a “benefit” show featuring several bands to raise money to keep us on the air. It went over well, was a success with all the bands, and became an annual event everyone looked forward to. Over the years my show changed stations and I no longer needed to buy commercial space, so we switched the Hootenanny from a benefit show to an annual entertainment event and were able to start paying out of town bands more. All of which is a long-winded way of bringing you up to date on the hootenanny and what it’s all about.

I got to the Muse around 4pm and met Jeano there to start decorating. We strung Halloween lights throughout the place along with a full assortment of spooky props: spider webs, a full sized skeleton, severed body parts, skulls, etc. I also set up a video projector this year and had horror trailers and movies playing throughout the event. I had a handful of posters from Rue Morgue Magazine that I hung around the place too. We finished decorating about an hour before doors opened. Boomer, drummer for the Creeping Cruds, and I drove and grabbed a quick bite to eat and got back before the doors opened. I made a quick costume change, put in my contacts, slapped on a little makeup and I was good to go. 

For the Hootenanny and other music events (including when my own band plays) I don’t usually dress as Dr. Gangrene. The main reason is I like to keep everything separated, so I don’t get too burned out. It gives me a nice release from the Dr. Gangrene gig, and a different creative outlet. It’s fun to dress in different outlandish costumes and this year I decided to channel a combination of Alice Cooper and Screaming Jay Hawkins and went with a bit of a witchdoctor getup, including carrying a staff with a skull on the end that I named HANK (in tribute to Screaming Jay’s skull on a stick named Henry).

This year’s hoot was a Zombie themed event. We worked in conjunction with the Nashville Zombie walk and held the Hootenanny the same day. The walk was at 4 and the doors to the Hootenanny opened at 7. We added an extra band to this year’s lineup – making it a total of five bands. The first band to play was The Coffin Bangers. They’re a new band, so they haven’t quite refined their sound yet. But they have good energy and got the show started with a bang. Afterwards there was a bit of excitement as the sound guy disappeared and I later learned he’d gone to break up a fight in the parking lot. But we got him back and the show continued without too much interruption.

Between each band I gave away prizes from my sponsors, which this year included Unholy Apparel, Rue Morgue Magazine, Scary Monsters Magazine, Evil Pumpkins, Wicked Witch Productions, Terra Fossil Wines, Lone Wolf Body Art, the Coffee Pirate, and Unkle Pigors. The way it worked was with every ticket sold at the door a person was given a raffle ticket they wrote their name on and dropped in a witch’s cauldron. Every time they bought something at the bar they also got a ticket. I randomly selected winners on stage before each band and handed out the goodies.

The second band to play was Alucard. These guys have been around for a couple of years now and they’re a really good band. A three piece vampire themed horror band, they always put on a good show. They’re a prolific band, as they’ve already put out something like 3 cds in 2 years, if I’m not mistaken.

 

We had a Zombie photo booth set up this year to document some of the creepy costumes. Almost everyone in attendance came in costume, as they got in for only $3 if they were dressed up. Lots of folks took advantage of the free Photo Booth and we got some terrific pics.

Next up was our band, Spookhand. The crowd was really great by the time we went on and the room was full. The sound wasn’t quite as good as I’m used to there, as far as what I can hear onstage. But we played through it and honestly played one of our best sets ever, despite sound issues.  We played a trio of Misfits covers toward the end, which the crowd went nuts for: 138, Night of the Living Dead, and Brain Eaters. I incorporated a little shock rock antics to my set, and lopped off the hand of an unfortunate victim with a chainsaw, spraying blood into the audience. I then drank blood from his severed hand for my next song, I DRINK BLOOD. Good times.

Before the next band we crowned a zombie King and Queen and pulled them onstage to dance to the Prom Night theme. Was pretty silly, fun, and we had a special handmade trophy from Evil Pumpkins for the King and queen.

The Creeping Cruds played next and tore the place up. The crowd was at its largest at this point, and the Cruds scored extra points by coming out in drag and opening with the song SWEET TRANSVESTITE, which totally ROCKED! They were great as always and played several new tunes. A new Cruds CD may just be in the works soon, which is long overdue.

Before the next band we chose a Best Zombie, and gave out special prizes to the winner, including a $150 dollar gift certificate to Lone Wolf Body art in a custom made coffin from Wicked Witch Production, along with a handmade trophy from Evil Pumpkins. Sweet!!

DEAD DICK HAMMER finished out the night and let me tell you, these ghouls rock! If you ever get a chance to see them do yourself a favor and do so. Part punk, part rockabilly, part rock n roll, all evil! DDH is another three piece band from Kentucky, and the nicest bunch of ghouls you could ever hope to meet. They rocked the house and finished out the Hootenanny in style.

Everyone seemed to have a really great time and I’ve heard nothing but good reviews about the evening. We’re already planning next year’s event, and are working on bringing in 45 Grave if things work out right. They had hoped to play this year but are in the studio at the moment working on a new CD! We are even planning an event for this coming January too, as a year is just too long to wait between horror rock events. Nashville is a growing hub of horror rock, getting bigger all the time, and I aim to keep that trend growing!!

Horror Hootenanny 8 a huge success!

Just want to take a minute to thank everyone who came out to the Horror Hootenanny last Saturday night! We had record crowds, and more costumes than ever before. It was a fangtastic start to the Halloween season. Also a HUGE thanks to all our sponsors - Lone Wolf Body Art, Evil Pumpkins. Terra Fossil Wines, Unholy Apparel, The Coffee Pirate, Rue Morgue Magazine, Scary Monsters Magazine, Wicked Witch Productions, Boa Clothing Toxic toons and all my friends and fiends who helped pull off a great event! Here's to you all, and to next year's Horror Hootenanny #9!

Horror Hootenanny 8 Greeting

Video greeting for this year's Horror Hootenanny 2011 from Dinah Cancer of 45 Grave and Lloyd Kaufman of Troma pictures!! Fun stuff!

Horror Hootenanny 2011 Best Zombie

 click to enlarge

Alright ghouls, get prepared to get dead because at the Hootenanny this Saturday night we'll be crowning our annual BEST ZOMBIE, and the winner will receive, in addition to the admiration of all their undead kin, some really kick ass prizes.


The winner will receive a custom BEST ZOMBIE trophy by Evil Pumpkins, as well as that awesome hand made cackling coffin from wicked Witch Productions we blogged about a couple of days ago. Inside that coffin will be a gift certificate for $150 dollars to Lone Wolf Body art so you can commemorate your victory for all eternity (or until you're dead and rotted) with some awesome ink!

So let's see what you've got, Naschville - bring out yer rotted dead!!

ZOMBIE PROM details!

OK monster kids, we are in the home stretch! The Horror Hootenanny is Saturday night.
As if you didn't need one more reason to go "all out zombie" - but Dr. Gangrene will be announcing King and Queen of The ZOMBIE PROM between sets by Spookhand and The Creeping Cruds. Winners will be selected by secret zombie committee and will receive extremely creepy Z King and Z Queen trophies from EVIL PUMPKINS - followed by the official Horror Hoot "King and Queen Dance". It'll be like Horror High School all over again!


And if winning the Zombie Prom wasn't enough, there's also BEST ZOMBIE, details of which will be announced shortly by Dr. Gangrene! I can tell you that Best Zombie prizes are off the horror hook! Some really, really cool stuff - so if you're pondering if you want to go all out for the Zombie Walk and Horror Hootenanny, is there really any more reason to get as dead as possible??
Good luck monster kids!!

The Day of The Dead Cackling Coffin from Wicked Witch Productions

The Horror-ific goodies that will be given away at this year's Horror Hootenanny continue to stream in!  Here's one that would looks extremely ghoulish on any any monster kid's mantle...


This handmade DAY OF THE DEAD CACKLING COFFIN from Wicked Witch Productions is painted the deepest of purples on the outside, and encrusted with faux jewels, stars and roses in an homage to Dia de los Muertos. The decorated skull and swirly leaves adorning the top of the coffin are crafted from Sculpey clay, painted with an array of acrylic paints, and sealed with a satiny finish.

The inside is lined with blood-red crushed velvet. The inner lid has a sensor to light that produces an evil, undead cackle, but if you cover it up with the included miniature rose, the laughter falls silent until you remove the rose. The poem reads:

"Remove the Rose and you will hear
The laughter of the Dead.
Return the Rose and then Dead 
Will sleep in Peace again."

This unique piece also includes a scroll detailing the origins and rituals of Dia de los Muertos.

Hoot 8 Interview Series - Eric Unkle Pigors

Continuing our interview series here on The Horror Hootenanny site, it’s my pleasure to speak with the one and only Unkle Pigors, artist extraordinaire!

 
Hi Unkle! Thanks for joining us here - Your artwork is very unique and instantly identifiable. What were some of your influences that guided your style?
Thanx, my influences are mostly from my childhood ,artists like Dr Suess, Bk Taylors Odd Rods stickers, Waky pacs, Rat Fink, Monster toys, Plop comics, Mad magazine, the Munsters , and of course Halloween time are what made me the demented freak you see.

Many folks don't know that you're a Disney animator who's worked on some major movies such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Tell me about working for the mouse.
It was long hours and lots of work, but was also a lot of fun and paid great! I really look back on those days fondly now. When I was a kid I loved watching DISNEY cartoons, well all cartoons really. So to get a job there and get paid was awesome! And it helped me become a better artist being around so much talent to work from. And without that pay Toxictoons wouldn’t exist. When I got laid off I put my savings into doing TOXICTOONS.

What are your favorite/most influential horror flicks?
I love the Bride of Frankenstein , Children shouldn't play with Dead things, Texas chainsaw 1 & 2, and the Vincent Price films most.  And Milton the Monster cartoon series.

Most overrated Horror movie?
Hmmm, anything with JULIA ROBERTS in it is a horror movie to me!

Tell me about LET'S CHOP SOO-E.
Well it’s my animated cartoon I did for InterNational Rocketship ltd up in Canada. I lived in a hotel above a strip joint for 1 month while I made most of it. I almost died there too on my Birthday. My friends got me drunk at lunch and they left me there when I went in the bathroom, so I somehow wandered up 4 floors to my room and passed out. I woke up and tried to run my hand through my long hair and it got caught on my matted dried barf. I looked on the floor and saw lots of barf on the room’s carpet. That’s why I thank the CECIL HOTEL CARPET CLEANERS in the credits as a gag. I then turned the TV on to see what time it was so I could go back to the studio, but I soon saw that ARSENIO HALL was on. So I knew it was 11 pm. So I was passed out for 10 hours in my barf. I’m lucky I wasn't on my back or might have gone out like BON SCOTT!

But my cartoon stars a crazy clown called," NURSE HACKIT" and she chases a lil pig taken off its moma’s tit named SOO-E! It's done fast paced like the old TEX AVERY, Bob Clampett cartoons. Nurse Hackit is trying to kill lil SOO-E thru the cartoon so she can win the prize, a date with DR REX GOODCHIN, star of the daytime soap, "ALL MY ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN."
It's on you tube and on my DVD I sell on my site with all the juicy details.

What's your favorite Halloween memory?
The last year I went out TRICK OR TREATING with my friend TOM COLE. We hit every house and trailer park. It was our goal to fill our pillow cases. And I remember all the houses that were spooked out to this day. That's why I do mine now all spooked out. One house had guys dressed like the universal monsters in fog and color lights and scary records, which I LOOOOVE listening to those old Halloween records. And I make a mix CD every year that comes with my TRICK OR TREAT BAG Special I sell on my website www.toxictoons.com I sold out of this year’s already before October so I am making another batch so get one soon! They have my spooky activity book, CD, 2 pins, print, window cut outs, and a silk screened cloth bag to haul all your candy on Halloween.

You're trapped in a haunted theater for all eternity with one movie playing endlessly, and you get to pick the movie. What is it?
A Christmas Story. Oh wait Turner channel does that already. I do love that movie to death, and it’s my favorite film of all time. I wish there was a Halloween version of it. Great story telling. But I would say besides that film ... a nice spooky one, hmmm, The MUNSTERS complete 2 seasons!

What is a dream project you'd like to work on?
Well now that I have a line of masks thru Trick or Treat studios I would say my own Halloween special with my Toxictoons characters. I did design the creepy kids in ED EDD AND EDDYS HALLOWEEN BOO HAW HAW Special that runs every Halloween on CARTOON NETWORK. But my own Halloween special is my dream project. It would be awesome like CHARLIE BROWN’S but with my creepy characters! So come on someone out there with $$ let’s get this thing made.

What is one cool thing the kids may not know about The Unkle Pigors?
I have a butt hole that talks. Well at least I think he talks, and boy does his breath stink! Someone get him a mint!

To find out more about Unkle Pigors and order lots of cool creepy stuff go to www.toxictoons.com and tell him Doc Gangrene sent ya!

Sponsor Spotlight - EVIL PUMPKINS!

The Horror Hootenanny welcomes EVIL PUMPKINS  on board for their first year as an evil sponsor. Evil Pumpkins are cool, hand-make, one of a kind pumpkin sculptures made by Tanya Roid! Every sculpture contains a pinch of very real "Evil Dirt" taken from the fireplace of the actual EVIL DEAD CABIN!

This year we are doing the very first ZOMBIE PROM where one undead guy and one undead girl will be selected and dubbed Zombie King and Zombie Queen! Each will take home an awesome EVIL PUMPKIN trophy! 

Evil Pumpkins will also provide a grand trophy for BEST ZOMBIE as voted by the zombie hoards! Special thanks to Tanya for bringing the evil this Halloween!

Don't forget to stop by the Evil Pumpkins table at the Horror Hootenanny and pick up a cool, one of a kind pumpkin sculpture or a very evil pumpkin pendant! Evil Dead vials will also be available as well as Creeping Cruds T-Shirts and CDs.
Evil will be well represented this year!!

Sponsor Spotlight - Unholy Apparel!

Providing some awesome Tees for you ghouls to win at the Hootenanny is our sponsor, Unholy Apparel! Hailing from the deepest darkest regions of Kentucky they have graciously supplied some kick ass tees, including these:

Hoot 8 Interview Series - JEANO ROID of THE CREEPING CRUDS

Who the hell are ya and what is your job in the band?

Jeano Roid. Horror Rock visionary. Guitar bastard, song scribbler and general all around old dude.

What did you do musically before The Creeping Cruds 

All kinda shitty music. The Roidz, Death Turd, The Abusers, Bad Acid, Ruptured Nun The Mighty Shrill, Psycho Charger and of course The Jeano Roid Experience. 

What are your favorite/most influential bands?

Ramones, AC/DC, Turbonegro, The Forbidden Dimension, Zeke, X, old Supersuckers, old Alice Cooper and a long list of three chord Rock genius. For the most part all the music of today can suck it.

What are your favorite/most influential horror flicks?

The big three - Night of The Living Dead, The Evil Dead and Texas Chainsaw (originals - no sequels or remakes please). I love all Universal and Hammer Horror. Paul Naschy, Bava, 50's and 60's giant bugs, drive-in.  CGI can suck it!

What movie scared you the most?

By leaps and bounds... Black Sabbath. Specifically the segment call "A Drop of Water". Still scares me today! I challenge anyone to watch that one alone late at night. If you say it didn't scare you - you lie!

Most overrated Horror movie?

Wes Craven and Wes Craven. Biggest sellout phony in horror.

Who is the biggest celebrity you have ever met?

I've met and known a shitload of famous punkers and music people over the years. GG Allin, Rollins, Bad Brains, El Duce was my pal. I've met all the usual suspects in modern horror via the horror shows (Bruce Campbell, Foree, Moseley, Haig, Romero etc.) I sat next to Jimmy Carter on a plane one time. He introduced himself to every passenger, then fell asleep and drooled all over himself.

What Cruds song is your favorite to play live?

I like the fast stuff - so probably I Was a Teenage Werewolf... Come Out Neville is fun too. It's always fun when the crowd sings your stuff above the sound system. 

What is one cool thing the kids may not know about The Creeping Cruds?

Hmm.. For starters, none of us are Nashville natives. Our first band name was The Burnin' Rubbers! That lasted one day!

Horror Hootenanny Interview Series - KID GRUESOME from ALUCARD!

Who the hell are ya and what is your job in the band?

Kid Gruesome. I play drums or thunder cannons if you will...

What did you do musically before Alucard (bands etc)

I used to play in an indie rock band that sounded alot like The Steve Miller Band called The Expression.

What are your favorite/most influential bands?

My biggest influence band wise is Bright Eyes, Co Co Rosie, Opiv, Rancid, Green Day and Blink 182.

What are your favorite/most influential horror flick?

Favorite. Horror flicks are Pelts, Ed Gein The Ghoul of Plainfield, Texas Chainsaw (the one with Mathew McConaughey) 

What movie scared you the most?

Amityville Horror

Most overrated Horror movie?

The most overrated horror flick is probably Paranormal Activity that shit sucked.

Who is the biggest celebrity you have ever met?

The biggest celeb I've met is Conor Oberst of bright eyes. 

What Alucard song is your favorite to play live?

Favorite song live is "Bateman".

What is one cool thing the kids may not know about Alucard?

And as an interesting fact I have high social anxiety and I met hHro and Steele through a Craigslist ad looking for a drummer and for the longest time I'd show up practice and leave and never say a word to either of them I never talked! Then one day out of the blue I just started talking it's weird really.

Horror Hootenanny Interview Series - SCARY LARRY aka DR. GANGRENE from SPOOKHAND

Who the hell are ya and what is your job in the band (details)?
Scary Larry aka Dr. Gangrene, Nashville Horror Host. I sing, scream, and mutilate innocent bystanders.

What did you do musically before SPOOKHAND?
A few side projects with Jeano from the Cruds, but this is my first official band.

What are your favorite/most influential bands?
Alice Cooper, the Ramones, the Cramps, Dio among many others.

What are your favorite/most influential horror flicks?
Everything from classic Universal monster movies to grade Z horror films. I love them all and watch them year long. I’m particularly partial to anything with Vincent Price in it.

What movie scared you the most?
As a kid Salem’s Lot scared me. I remember watching it alone on a little black and white TV in my bedroom. Barlow is one scary vampire! The scene in War of the Worlds where the preacher gets zapped freaked me out, too, although I can’t imagine why nowadays.

Most overrated Horror movie?
Anything by Wes Craven. SO overrated. And Rocky Horror Picture Show. Gag. That thing is so overdone and the second half of it is just horrible.

Who is the biggest celebrity you have ever met?
I’ve met and interviewed many horror celebs over the years - Forrest J. Ackerman, George Romero - Interviewing the stars of Creature from the Black Lagoon, Ben Chapman, Ricou Browning, and Julie Adams was pretty awesome. Little did I realize as a kid watching those films that I’d one day be interviewing them!

What Spookhand song is your favorite to play live?

Probably Vader. I love singing about that Sci-fi villain and feeding my inner nerd.

What is one cool thing the kids may not know about SPOOKHAND?

The name came from a nightmare one of my kids had. My wife and I got him calmed down and afterwards asked him what was wrong. he said "A spook hand is waving to me from out of the closet." CREEPY!

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And there you have it folks.. Dr Gangrene speaks! Didn't know The Doc wasn't Rocky Horror fan. We'll have a discussion about that in the near future.

Horror Hootenanny Interview Series - JIMMY HANDSOME from THE CREEPING CRUDS

Who the hell are ya and what is your job in the band (details)?
I'm Jimmy Handsome and I play the bass guitar and sing harmonies with Wolfie's sweet sweet crooning.

What did you do musically before The Creeping Cruds (bands etc)?
I have played in bands since I was 14, mostly playing the bass, in everything from straight up metal (the Bloody Nuns in Labor), to alt-rock (The Lovematics), to psychedelic mod rock and roll (The Moviees).

What are your favorite/most influential bands?
Hmmmm...this week: Black Sabbath, the Zombies, the Small Faces, the Who, the Ramones, any band where I can watch Jean-O Roid play the gee-tar.

What are your favorite/most influential horror flicks?
I dig mostly old Japanese monster movies. Mothra is my favorite, but Godzilla vs. anyone will do.

What movie scared you the most?
Header, by Archie Flancranston. It made/makes me nauseous.

Most overrated Horror movie?
I don't really dig slasher stuff, I need a serious element of the supernatural to get freaked out. I walked out of those Rob Zombie flicks (House of 1,000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects) feeling a little robbed. Like I'd been all hopped up on adrenaline with no payoff...those would be the ones.

Who is the biggest celebrity you have ever met?
Steven Van Zandt from the Sopranos and the E Street Band. He was really helpful to the Movies and used to play us on the Underground Garage on Sirius/XM. My favorite was meeting Rod Argent from the Zombies. Dude's a genius.

What Creeping Cruds song is your favorite to play live?
They're all really great and fun, there's a bunch of new ones that are killer too that people haven't heard yet that we'll debut this month and next. I think my perennial favorite has always been "Tennessee Bloodbath", but Jean writes a new song and you're like "damn girl, that's finer than the last one!"

HOOT 8 Interview Series - CHRIS STEELE from ALUCARD

Who the hell are ya and what is your job in the band?
Chris Steele, but I go by Steel Christ in the band because it sounds spooky. I play the bass guitar.

What did you do musically before Alucard (bands etc)
I played electric guitar in The Fakes.

What are your favorite/most influential bands?
The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, The Strokes, White Stripes

What are your favorite/most influential horror flicks?
American Psycho, Bram Stoker's Dracula (Gary Oldman), Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
What movie scared you the most?
Blair Witch Project. Come on, you were as well.

Most overrated Horror movie?
Blair Witch Project.

Who is the biggest celebrity you have ever met?
Kid Gruesome from Alucard

What Alucard song is your favorite to play live?
Dark Passenger. It's a groover.

What is one cool thing the kids may not know about Alucard?
Alucard spelled backward is rocknroll.


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Everybody knows that Alucard spelled backwards is The Mummy. Let's hope Justin Beiber and Dexter show up for Chris' sake!