Lego Pirate Cake!

Joe and Tara have outdone themselves with their latest cake creation.

Behold the Lego Pirate!

Halloween Playlist

Here's a little Halloween playlist I've put together.
In no particular order:

1. Squirrel Nut Zippers - "Ghost of Stephen Foster" from Perennial Favorites


2. Lisa Germano - "...A Psychopath" from Geek The Girl
Genuinely creepy song with an actual frantic woman's 911 call, as someone tries to break into her house, playing in the background. One of the most genuinely disturbing songs I've ever heard. Do not listen to it alone in the dark.
Meanwhile, Lisa's lyrics don't help to alleviate the tension: "That thing of mace, the thing of mace, where did I leave it/ A psychopath, a psychopath, he says he loves me/ And I'm alone, and I am cold and paralyzed, I can't move."

The end of this track on the CD contains a few seconds worth of some random, silly gypsy-like tune, almost as an apology for freaking your shit out moments earlier.

3. Gorillaz - "Ghost Train" from G-Sides EP
Good party music about a ghost train. Also, Gorillaz rule.

4. Aquabats - "Monster's Wedding" from Vs. The Floating Eyeball Of Death!
Great novelty song in the vain of "Monster Mash", about a wedding attended by a menagerie of monsters. Made for Halloween.

5. Queens of the Stone Age - "Burn The Witch" from Lullabies To Paralyze


6. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - "Science Fiction Double Feature" from Are A Drag
The classic intro song to Rocky Horror Picture Show by the best punk cover band ever.

7. Sufjan Stevens - "John Wayne Gacy Jr." from Illinoise
Beautifully haunting song about one of the most disturbing serial killers in American history.
Lyric sample: "He dressed up like a clown for them/ With his face paint white and red/ And on his best behavior/ In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all/ He'd kill ten thousand people/ With a sleight of his hand/ Running far, running fast to the dead/ He took off all their clothes for them/ He put a cloth on their lips/ Quiet hands, quiet kiss/ On the mouth."

8. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - "The Owl" from Fear Is On Our Side


9. Jonathan Coulton - "RE: Your Brains"
Hilarious song about a recently-turned zombie trying to convince an old coworker to let him and the rest of his fellow brain biters into the building.

10. Scott Walker - "Jesse" from The Drift

Surprised to actually find a video for this one. It's pretty strange stuff.

11. They Might Be Giants - "I've Got A Fang" from Mink Car
Upbeat song about a guy with a fang. Sure, it's good for opening up cans of tomato juice, but it doesn't really endear you to your girlfriend's parents.

12. Jonathan Coulton - "Creepy Doll"
So there are two Coulton songs on the playlist. Sue me.
This video isn't official, but it gets the job done:


Bonus Track:
Cocteau Twins - "Strange Fruit" from BBC Sessions
I found this while googling for other folks' Halloween playlists. So maybe it's cheating, but whatever.
The Cocteau Twins managed to take a haunting civil rights song about lynching and make it sound as if it were playing on a stereo in Hell.
Here's a sample the whole track from their site:

So what's on your Halloween playlist?

I Am The Radiskull!

Here are a couple of videos for ya.
I don't know if any of you have heard of Devil Doll & Radiskull, but I was really into these cartoons back in the day. Back when the internet still had a fresh coat of paint on, that "new tube smell", and Shockwave was the hippest thing around.
I rediscovered them through a very obscure reference in one of my comic books, of all places. And just in time for Halloween...

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

The animation hasn't aged terribly well, but they still carry a nostalgic charm for me. Hope you like them.

Are You Prepared For Halloween?

Halloween is almost here, and you've got everything you need...Or do you?

Poor little Betsy has agreed to sacrifice her own beloved cat for a Halloween ritual.

Unfortunately for her satanic neighborhood friends, little Betsy is a dirty snitch.

But Miss Johnson isn't worried about spells.

After a lengthy and very inappropriate conversation with her student...

...is there still time for Miss Johnson to save the day?

Yes, but not before nearly strangling the poor kitten in her righteous fury.


Happy Halloween!

By the way, anyone else notice the problem with that cat?

Movie Night 7

1. Dog Soldiers 2002 -
My favorite werewolf movie. It's about a squad of British soldiers running a routine training mission in the hills of Scotland, until they discover they've been used as bait for a much larger, more dangerous mission. This movie has great dialog, memorable characters, genuinely funny humor, great costume designs (werewolves are refreshingly CG-free), and excellent action.
This was a re-buy for me. I wish I'd kept the original, because the new one has terrible cover art.
(Original cover art is above).



2. Slither 2006 -
I hadn't seen this since it was in the theaters. I remembered liking it, but I had forgotten how good it really was. A parasite from outer space infects a man in a small town. He gradually transforms into a hideous beast, while infecting practically everyone else in town. This movie is great because of how the alien threat evolves. It is also very, very funny. This movie does not take itself seriously, even using the monster for some great jokes. There are some really good gross-out moments, too.