FANGORIA Magazine: Death Is (Not The End)

I'm happy to report that, by the time I finished writing this, I saw that Fangoria is indeed moving forward and will continue to be America's #1 Horror Magazine!  So, with that awesome news, please enjoy this piece as merely a walk down Memory Lane!  

With the announcement of Editor-In-Chief (and long-time contributor and all around Horror Hero) Michael Gingold and Fangoria magazine parting ways, the future is not looking very bright for America’s #1 Horror Magazine. 

This bums me out incredibly.  How can there potentially be no more Fangoria magazine?  Has the world really come to this?

My very first introduction to Fango was via the special issue, Horror Video #1.  Of course, I picked it out because, at the age of 5, Freddy Krueger was my hero and he was front and center on its cover.  At that point, I’m not sure if I could even read very well, but I could look at pictures…and there were lots of gruesome (awesome!), gory (incredible!), and scary (cool!) photos throughout it!  I’d recognized some of the various photos – Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface, and Dawn of the Dead – but this magazine also served as a jumping off point for me and acted as a genre bible during my early years!

Here is it, with Horror Video #2 peeking out from behind!

I couldn’t believe it:  here was a magazine devoted to all kinds of great stuff that, somewhere deep inside, interested me.  I was a Monster Kid before I really even knew it!  That magazine seemed to travel everywhere with me to the point that the cover fell off and, eventually, it became completely lost or destroyed.  Some years later, I’d finally get a replacement copy though!

In October of 1988, I got my first true issue of Fango, and it was #78 – Pinhead from Hellraiser II was the main cover star, but at the top of the iconic filmstrip, there was Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4!  Right then and there in that A & P store in Clinton, NJ I begged my mom to buy it for me and she did . . . and, to this day, I still have that very issue (though its cover has since fallen off and been lost).   Again, I couldn’t believe my eyes that here was a magazine devoted to all this great stuff!  The articles and photos of Hellraiser II and Waxwork had an immediate impact on me.

And, with this, Fangoria got a new faithful follower!

Later on, I’d get future issues (or at least browse through them) from either my mom and dad or my grandmother.  In particular, there’s a place outside of my hometown called The Corner Store, which is essentially a general store…I mean, this place looked like some sort of country store out of a Horror movie to begin with!  These days, it's no different than your average mini-mart or 7-11, but back then I always had a sense of wonder when I climbed up its lone step to go inside!  My dad would stop there on his way home to get milk and, if I was ever with him, I’d go inside and immediately grab an ice cream sandwich before darting right for the magazine rack.  Of course, there were the usual Playboy, Penthouse, etc. men’s magazines up at the tippy top (I’d usually only be able to spot the eyes of some broad staring back from behind a cardboard cover), but the Fangoria magazines were lower and way more accessible to my young hands. 

Aside from that, my Gram would buy me Fangoria magazines (or any other magazine or toys or CDs or movies) at the Laneco grocery store in Whitehouse, NJ (which is now a Walmart).  She’d also buy me back issues from the book store at Q-Mart over in Quakertown, PA.  In fact, I’d wager that most of my issues around this time were purchased here or at The Corner Store. 

Another cool Fango piece that my Gram bought for me came from the Clover department store at the Palmer Park Mall in Easton, PA.  Around this time, she started buying me the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies as they came out and, truth be told, I’d say most of them up until at least Nightmare 5, came from here.  Anyway, one time while we were there, I spotted the Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors documentary . . . had no idea what it was, but I knew Fangoria and it had Freddy (and a fanged Elvira, along with the Sandy monster from House) on its cover, so I was down!  Not only did it serve as an additional tome to all things Horror (probably my first introduction to Rick Baker, Wes Craven, Tom Savini, Stan Winston, Tobe Hooper, and Dan O’Bannon among many more), but it also introduced me to the idea that I COULD ACTUALLY MEET THESE PEOPLE.  My young mind was blown.  Never mind the fact that plenty of Fango issues that I’d already had contained ads for the Weekend of Horrors events in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York – I simply must have skipped past them or didn’t realize what they were promoting!  In my young mind, it seemed that these events only happened in Los Angeles and, to put it bluntly, were way too expensive to attend.

For whatever reason, in the early 90s, I sort of gravitated away from Fango and Horror in general….I think maybe because I was discovering music and had become obsessed with Guns N’ Roses and Metallica.  However, that soon changed during a trip to the Palmer Park Mall with my Gram;  I’d stopped into Waldenbooks and was perusing Fango #145 when I saw an ad promoting that month’s Weekend of Horrors in Manhattan….with Dawn of the Dead’s Ken Foree (along with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, Angus Scrimm, and Clive Barker) set to attend!  The plan started to form in my pea-brain . . . I begged my parents to take me to it since it was right after my thirteenth birthday.  Happily, they obliged and I’ve never been the same since, attending almost every New York Weekend of Horrors through 2003 or so, along with Chiller Theatre and Monster Mania.

Fango #145

Me (and my dirt-stache) and Ken Foree, 8/26/95

Now for a quick funny story after that first Weekend of Horrors show . . . sometime in ’96, Tom Savini was releasing his Grande Illusions Book II.  I’d seen an ad for the book in a recent issue and had to have it; and this being the days before I was online, this was no easy task for a 13yr old!  After trying to fax in a completed order form to the Fangoria offices, I somehow ended up calling them directly and actually got connected to longtime contributor and then Editor-In-Chief Tony Timpone!  One can only imagine what was going through his head as a squeaky-voiced kid spoke to him about trying to order a silly book!  At that year’s New York Weekend of Horrors, I met Tony and got a pic with him, me being probably a handful of photos he posed for that day while keeping the show running smoothly.  Later, there was the Weekend of Horrors in ’98 that George A. Romero attended; while waiting out in the freezing January cold of New York (without a jacket on, so that I could proudly show off my Dawn of the Dead shirt mind you), by chance, I saw Tony on the street and said hello to him.  His response?  “Hey Robert!”  To this day, I have no idea how he remembered me or my name from meeting me once almost 2 years prior!

Me and Tony, August 1996

Of course, the biggest impact that Fangoria would have on me was soon to come . . . in January 2002, I attended the Weekend of Horrors (which, by then, had transitioned to only happening in New York in January) to meet Robert Englund for the first time.  While we were there in the ballroom, we met a hilarious local dude name Steve, who said that he moderated the Fangoria message boards.  We continued to hang and chat it up and I wrote down his info about the boards….”Uncle Creepy” was his screenname.  Cool!   Although, I didn’t actually check out the boards myself until April or May of that year . . . In December of 2002, Steve invited me into the city to go to a preview screening of Don Coscarelli’s then yet to be released Bubba Ho-Tep, which Tony had organized.  At that screening, I got to meet and chat with Coscarelli himself and even William Lustig.  Again, none of that would have been possible if it weren’t for Fangoria.

Long story short about the original Fangoria Message Boards:  initially, there were only a small handful of us on there.  We talked Horror, we talked about the movies we loved, the movies that were in the pipeline, Pop Culture, TV, music, toys…and we were a family.  Though it may seem outdated with today’s social media and Facebook, those of us who were there knew it was special.  At the following Brooklyn Weekend of Horrors in January 2003, we all met up in person and spent many hours shooting the shit in the bar area of the hotel.  As a matter of fact, I met my wife that day.  And to this day, we’re still friends with many of those same folks and we catch up to each other every once in a while.   We met up with Tony and he even set aside a table for us in the dealer room to promote the message boards!  A family photo of us ended up in Fango #221, effectively fulfilling a life-long dream of appearing in the bloody pages I’d read so much!  Later that first night, a bunch of us went out to dinner with Tony and his lovely wife, too.

Fango #221

Some years later, after I graduated from college and I was trying to figure out my eventual career path, I interviewed for an internship with Fangoria.  Looking back, as I was still living at home and had a part-time job at a video store, I really had no idea how I was going to commute into the city every day for an internship.  But I was determined and, so I came into that interview – with Tony himself no less – as prepared as I could be.  Of course he remembered me and we chatted, but nothing ever came from it, as I was definitely not ready for something of that magnitude.  But still, to be in the Starlog offices and be greeted by cool Fango art as I waited in the lobby before the interview?  Priceless.   

In June 2009, with issue # 284, Tony Timpone stepped down as Editor-In-Chief, with Rue Morgue’s Chris Alexander taking over.  Initially, I liked what I saw and remained true to the brand – aside from the changes to the classic cover layout as the familiar logo had been altered and the iconic filmstrip had been removed.  Chris took the magazine into some great avenues with some meaty retrospective pieces akin to what I like about HorrorHound magazine.  However, by this point, I’d say I’d more or less switched to HorrorHound completely and all but ignored Fango, save for a few special issues and/or ones with cool covers.  Although the filmstrip would return soon after, along with the famous Fango logo, I had all but moved on.

At this point, perhaps I took Fangoria for granted, as it had been around for almost 40 years now and, in my eyes, it would always be there.  Like the perfect slice of New York style pizza, Fangoria magazine invokes a wave of great memories from when I was a kid.  There’s a sense of nostalgia attached to the early magazines and their incredible cover images – a good deal of the covers once Chris Alexander took over seemed to yearn for those days, but I felt they almost always JUST missed it. 

Perhaps my dismissal of the magazine these days comes from the coverage of newer genre fare which, to be fair, has become so mainstream that the sense of danger and gross-out shock factor is all but lost.  Horror in the 80s, 90s, and even the early 00s was different and, stuff today just isn’t as exciting it seems.  The Fango covers themselves just haven’t been the same; looking back through recent issues, and I’d say the majority of them featured older, fan-favorite images from classic films we all grew up with!  I’m embarrassed and ashamed to admit that, as of this writing, I honestly can’t recall the last issue I actually bought instead of just flipped through at the local Barnes & Noble.  (Ed:  As of this writing, I've finally subscribed to Fangoria...after nearly 30yrs of reading it!)


Now, with its future looking bleak, my heart is heavy and desperately wondering how I can help save the magazine I’ve loved so much for so long.  Anyway, if this is truly the end....even though my heart may be heavy, my hat is off to everyone who has contributed to an incredible magazine that pretty much shaped who I am today.  It has, no doubt, been my generation's Famous Monsters, inciting the wrath of worried parents and teachers.  Long live Fangoria!

This is the "Family Photo" pic in Fango #221

Ghostbusters II: A Misunderstood Gem

Being a kid in the late 80s and early 90s was a glorious time; there were so many great movie franchises that spawned cartoons and toy lines (not necessarily in that order of course), but one that always stood out for me was, of course Ghostbusters.  Nearly 30 years later, I still can clearly recall the exact moment I found out about The Real Ghostbusters toy line; it was 1987 and my Dad had taken me to the Laneco store in Clinton, NJ for some reason.  While there, I checked out the toy aisle (as I always did, no matter who I was with at the store) and, to my surprise, there were a bunch of Ghostbusters action figures!  Never mind the "Real" connotations with their title or that they looked cartoonish (given that they were tie-ins to the Saturday morning cartoon), I was stoked that I could finally have a Peter Venkman action figure!  Of course, Dad bought me just that and, as they say sometimes, the rest was history...

Over the next few years, I was all about The Real Ghostbusters; I had almost all of the toys and watched the cartoon endlessly.  Pretty much any tie-in related to the show was something I had to have in fact.  At this point though, I'd say I was more into the cartoon and the toy line than I was the original 1984 movie itself; I don't ever recall owning a VHS copy of the movie (or its sequel for that matter) and only remember ever seeing it at babysitters' or friends' houses, or if it happened to be on TV.  I can safely say that Ghostbusters occupied my world before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Sometime in 1988 or very early '89, I remember the first time I knew there would be a Ghostbusters II; it came courtesy of the image below, which my Dad showed me in a magazine.  My first thought was "Where's Winston and who's the old dude with the guys and Louis?!" 

This simple image had the 6yr old version of me stoked!

Once the movie was finally released, it was actually a very significant piece of my hometown's history...our local movie theater, The Barn Theater had the biggest screen I'd ever seen at that point and I even saw my very first theatrical movie there -- Rocky IV!  It was also within walking distance for pretty much everyone in town; granted Frenchtown, NJ is small but it was a thrill and an event to actually walk -- as a family -- the 8 or so blocks to the theater!  So, needless to say, when The Barn Theater got sold and was ultimately closing up shop in 1989, the entire town mourned.

Ghostbusters II was the very last movie my family saw there.  Since then, I've always thought that it was the very last show there completely, but I've heard conflicting reports about that.

As a sequel, I always thought it was great how the story picked up in real time, 5 years later, showing the effects of the first film on our heroes.  The fact that they were sued out the ass for all the destruction they caused may have seemed a trivial and pointless beat, but it's interesting to see similar fallout in today's blockbusters like Captain America:  Civil War and Batman V. Superman.  The story goes that the Ghostbusters have become a joke despite saving the city and all four guys have pretty much moved on with their lives; Egon is back at Columbia University in a lab, Ray owns an occult book store on St. Mark's (when he and Winston aren't paid children's entertainers doing birthday parties) and Peter hosts a fraudulent psychic television talk-show.  That is, until a new threat attacks Dana Barrett and her infant son, forcing her to reconnect with Egon, Ray, and her estranged beau Peter. 

In a sense, the basic plot works as a "let's get the band back together" sort of vibe that is a little too on the nose with revamped logo outside the Firehouse (and on their uniforms) and the "WE'RE BACK!" ad ticker on the updated Ecto 1-A later in the film.  Speaking of that logo, I always thought it was interesting how the film blurred the line between its fictional world and reality by including it within as well as Ray and Winston using Ray Parker's "Ghostbusters" to get everyone into a dancing mood at a kids' birthday party.  

Another cool thing about the film that I was always disappointed there wasn't more of was the inclusion of the 'busters wearing black/gray jumpsuits in a few scenes.  It's weird because they're wearing those suits on the one-sheet and even the soundtrack album cover, too.  The few scenes where they are wearing them -- mostly during the montage -- stand out because, well, those suits just look so much cooler than the regular brown/gray suits. 

Over the years, much of the criticism for Ghostbusters II has been that it's a virtual remake of the original movie and it's clearly designed to sell merchandise (i.e. toys to kids like me at the time).  However, I have to disagree:  it doesn't necessarily remake the previous movie in that it hits the same story beats in almost the exact same spots -- much like the relationship between Star Wars and The Force Awakens.  As far as the merchandising goes, sure there was "some" merch available for the film, but ultimately any toys were still under The Real Ghostbusters banner (of which, there was only a re-release of the Ecto 1-A with the updated stickers featuring the sequel logo, the "WE'RE BACK" ticker, and pink slime splats, among others included and a role-play Slime Cannon -- neither of which I had).  If the purpose of the movie was to sell toys, you'd think they would have released a set of figures in the black suits or with the slime cannons used in the 3rd act.

After re-watching the film a couple nights ago back-to-back with a theatrical showing of the original, I think it's safe to say that it's more or less based on The Real Ghostbusters cartoon/toy line more than the opposite.  The two most obvious clues are that the mood slime is pink this time around (Kenner must have made a small fortune in its pink/red slime produced for the toy line) and Annie Potts' Janine Melnitz character suddenly looking more like her cartoon counterpart.  Also, it goes without saying that bringing back Slimer and making him more comedic relief/a friend of at least Louis, echoes his cartoon version.  In fact, I remember thinking the first time I saw the movie, as Louis suited up to help out the guys, that'd maybe, just maybe he'd use the Ecto 2-A gyrocopter vehicle from the toy line!

Another main source of criticism in the film is Bill Murray's performance, which many feel is phoned in only for a quick paycheck.  Again, I disagree as this movie contains some of Peter's funniest bits and dialogue -- even stuff that I literally finally understand after last night's viewing!  Murray is in fine, sarcastic form here displaying his trademark dry humor throughout.  His insults to Peter MacNicol's Janosz -- calling him "Johnny" for example -- have had me in stitches for 27 years!  There are shades of Meatballs' Tripper Harrison, Caddyshack's Carl Spackler, and even Stripes' John Winger in Murray's delivery and timing here!

Ultimately, I think a lot of the "phoned-in" complaints come from the fact that, initially, Raimis and Aykroyd didn't want to do a sequel.  The first film was self-contained and had a finite ending, but with the success of the cartoon, Columbia Pictures begged and pleaded to continue the story.  Perhaps that's what's evident in Murray's performance; a sense of "can lightning strike twice?  Do I even care if it does?"  Next to the original, the sequel is night and day....the first one could be viewed as a Saturday Night Live sketch stretched to a feature length, with a heavy dose of reality and monster movie madness thrown in...the sequel is a life-action cartoon intentionally aimed at its youthful audience. 

It's funny, after the theatrical screening of the first film, I was talking to my wife about it and she mentioned how it wasn't very big in her circle of teenage friends when it came out...it wasn't quite regarded as a comedy classic like Meatballs, Caddyshack, or Stripes.  For my money, the funniest parts of the first film are Bill Murray...with the rest of it capturing my imagination and playing to my love of monsters and ghosts.

In the end, I think time has been kind to this sequel -- which, it should be noted, came out during an influx of sequels in the late 80s.  Perhaps in the absence of a true Ghostbusters III, fans are revisiting it and finding appreciation.  Or maybe even in spite of the Paul Feig-helmed reboot, nostalgia is kicking in and forcing fans to give it another spin. 

One last thing....it would be criminal to mention the soundtrack!  Truly a product of its time, featuring Run-DMC, New Edition, Doug E. Fresh, and Bobby Brown (with 2 tracks!), the Ghostbusters II soundtrack was an early favorite cassette that I owned.  Today, it still gets regular play (and sing-alongs) on my iPod with "Spirit" by Doug E. Fresh remaining an all-time favorite.  



Sequels and Reboots In Our Genres

In case you've been living off the grid for the last couple years, you may be aware of a reboot/sequel/threequel that is scheduled for release next month . . . it's related to a 1984 comedy classic that many people in my age group hold near and dear.  Yes, I'm talking about the Paul Feig-directed Ghostbusters starring Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Pretty much since its announcement, there's been a split decision amongst the interwebs and, since the release of its first teaser trailer, Neckbeards and basement dwellers have been putting on their wrinkled NO MA'AM t-shirts in misogynistic protest.

For the record, this is not one of those pieces. 

Hear me out . . . when it comes to Horror sequels and remakes/reboots, why has there always been a problem with casting?  No one could play Freddy Krueger except Robert Englund -- this was proven when New Line and Platinum Dunes tried to remake A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2010.  Poor Jackie Earl Haley, while fine in the fedora and famous sweater, was up against impossibly stacked odds (not to mention a terrible screenplay) of trying to please a nearly thirty year old fan base that had been unequivocally used to only seeing one man portray the character.  Outside of the Horror genre, of course, there's Harrison Ford and the characters of Indiana Jones and Han Solo.  No one else could play either of those characters -- hell, even I was set to belly-ache when Chris Pratt was rumored to be in the running for an Indiana Jones reboot. 

Ultimately, what has both contributed to and, in some cases hindered (like the original Ghostbusters, its sequel and the never-ending stalling of a proper Ghostbusters III) film franchises of almost any genre?  Continuity.  Granted, with Halloween and Friday the 13th, there have mostly always been different guys playing those masked killers, so it's a bit of a no-brainer.  However, with Freddy Krueger, Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and even say, Rocky Balboa, it'd be pretty difficult to re-cast those iconic characters -- but why didn't it happen?  

As much as I love the storyline continuity throughout the eight Friday the 13th movies, why couldn't there have just been sequels picking up in the middle of one of Jason's killing sprees instead of following groundwork already laid out in previous installments?  One could argue that this occurred with Jason Goes To Hell:  The Final Friday and, with that being said, maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

My whole point is this:  why didn't our most beloved franchises -- Horror or otherwise -- follow the James Bond template and either A.) Have the leading character in simply a new adventure for each film instead of painting everything into a proverbial corner or B.) Recast whenever possible?  Imagine the wealth of Indiana Jones adventures that we could've had in the nineteen years between Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  This could have easily solved the seemingly endless delays to get a proper Ghostbusters III made.  Of course recasting doesn't always necessarily work out so well as was the case with 2011's dreadful Hellraiser:  Revelations where Pinhead was infamously recast and, well, viewers decided to ultimately pass . . . though the character has again been recast for next year's Hellraiser:  Judgment, so we'll have to reserve our, er, judgment a little longer.

Of course, as I speak of recasting and reboots, I can't ignore the hugely successful Mad Max:  Fury Road, which seamlessly cast Tom Hardy in its title role or the never-ending superhero reboots like Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy or Superman and, to a somewhat less-successful point, Spider-Man.  The loudest criticism was hurled at the late Heath Ledger as soon as he was cast as The Joker; I'll happily continue to eat my own hearty meal of crow once I saw the film and hailed his genius performance!  On the pseudo-failure side, there's Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man which, for my money, didn't really need to be rebooted so closely after Sam Raimi's trilogy . . . though I suspect the failure there may have been more script-based and behind the scenes instead of casting.  Same goes for Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, a fine actor and great performance that ultimately was crushed under the weight of the character itself and fans' expectations.  On the same coin, Henry Cavill has done a fine job in Supes' tights, again with my only complaints coming from the script and/or direction.  With this year's Batman V. Superman, I'd say Ben Affleck as Batman wasn't too bad and, honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Bat-fleck, as having an older big screen take was a refreshing change.

As I pondered possible reasons for why these famous characters were never recast or deviated from their narrative continuity throughout their respective franchises, there was only one that kept coming to mind.  All of the franchises I've mentioned were born (or thrived) in the VHS and cable era where many of us watched them endlessly and, as a result, they endured much more so than a film that we may have only seen a few scant times theatrically during initial release or an occasional re-release.  Maybe that's why the majority of the casting changes and story continuity changes in the Bond franchise were so easy to overlook?  Raise your hand if you literally wore out your VHS of copy of a Back To The Future, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Rocky, Star Wars, Friday the 13th, or A Nightmare on Elm Street movie from watching it so many times....go ahead, I see you laughing, but it's true! 

So, while I'm not saying there's absolutely no sexist stance against this summer's Ghostbusters -- because it's quite obvious that there is, especially from the anonymity behind a computer screen -- I'm leaning towards the fact that those original characters and the actors who played them are so ingrained in a lot of fans' minds that it's almost impossible to accept change.  I'm not exactly thrilled about the movie myself, but it's certainly not because of its female cast.  Setting aside my nostalgia for the original and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and toy line), I'm curious to see how it all plays out and will no doubt be there opening weekend.

And, of course, earlier this week it was announced that Platinum Dunes plans to soldier on and force another Friday the 13th reboot upon the world -- only, this time it will be different because it's going to delve into a part of Jason's origin that we haven't yet seen . . . by introducing his father, Elias Voorhees.  Originally, that character was to make an appearance at the end of Friday the 13th Part VI:  Jason Lives, though it was dropped before filming and the character was only casually mentioned in Jason Goes To Hell.  Listen, I'm all for another Friday the 13th movie but, dammit, why can't we just have a sequel that picks up like a Bond sequel, with Jason (looking cool and not like the haunted hayride knockoff of Freddy Vs. Jason of course) in the middle of a new adventure where he's doing what he does best -- hacking up teenagers?  Is that too much to ask?   My ideal Friday the 13th sequel would be just that with a poster tagline that reads:  "Not familiar with Jason?   Ask your parents to show you the first 8 movies!"  No need to rehash the past and delve into backstory that wasn't originally there in there first place; just give the fans what they want:  Jason hacking up teenagers via squishy practical special effects.

Metallica's LOAD: 20 Years Later...

Sometime in either late April or early May of 1996, as I lay there in bed trying to fall asleep, I decided to grab my Walkman and take a brief survey of the radio waves courtesy of 94.1 WYSP.  Almost immediately, my ears filled with the last 1/3 of a brand NEW Metallica song!  My arms and legs kicked with excitement as I sprung up in bed, eagerly listening to this new song from my all-time favorite band.  Images of the band thrashing about to “Until It Sleeps”, their long hair (or at least Hetfield’s mullet from ‘94/’95) whipping around, danced in my head.  I eagerly stalked WYSP for the next couple nights, hoping to catch the song again and record it to cassette – which I, of course, did and proceeded to play the hell out of!

 
Later that month, I saw them on TV talking about the new record; after what seemed like eons of being in the dark as they toiled away under a shroud of secrecy, Metallica were finally ready to release their sixth album, Load.  There they were, via an MTV News clip, sitting side-by-side on a road case talking about not giving a fuck – and they all had new, short haircuts!  *gasp*  The horror!  I do remember my eyes bulging out of my head for a split second, but other than that, I was cool with the short hair.  Other than that slight shock, I was game for what came next.


Back then, Metal Edge magazine was my go-to for any and all info on the band – never mind that I had a completed membership form for The Metallica Club that I somehow either lost or never sent in – and it was on the back cover of an issue that I saw the first promo image, advertising the release date of June 4.  There they were:  black pants, white tank-tops, Kirk with wing-tip shoes, black sunglasses and shorter hair.  It wasn’t evident in this picture, but Hetfield still had the last remnants of 1995’s Ulti-mullet.    

 

This band shot was what was on that original ad on the back cover of Metal Edge.

Sometime right before the record’s release day of 6/4/96, WYSP actually played it in full – all 78:59 of its 14 tracks.  You bet I recorded it, though I had a difficult time trying to figure out the song titles as the DJ didn’t speak very clearly.  However, that wouldn’t do and I definitely needed to pick up the CD myself when it was released…..on 6/4/96, my Mom took me to the Phillipsburg Mall and I purchased it from Alwilk Music, which had tons of record flats emblazoned with the album’s controversial cover art.  Before seeing it with my own eyes, my buddy Chris had seen it and said it looked like fire….of course, it was Semen & Blood III, but nonetheless. 

 

It’s hard to believe that twenty years have now gone by since Metallica released Load.  In those twenty years, I’ve graduated 8^th grade, started high school, fell in/out of love numerous times, saw Metallica for the first time, got my first job, got fired from my first job, learned to drive, graduated high school, started and graduated community college, met my true love, started at and graduated from Rutgers University, moved out of my childhood home and far away to Chicago, finally met Metallica (and saw them another 20+ times, including being on-stage with them last summer at Lollapalooza), got married, and became a home-owner.  Looking back, it’s crazy to still be able to close my eyes and literally put myself back into my best friend’s kitchen, the Until It Sleeps cassette single clutched in my hand, as I experienced the first moment someone actually HATED Metallica because of this new record and their overall stylistic and musical changes that came with it. 

So, to mark the occasion of Load’s 20^th anniversary, I’m going to take a look back at each of the album’s 14 tracks….

 
“Ain’t My Bitch” – leading up to the album’s release, I’d read every interview I could, clamoring for information.  One piece of info that I gained from this research was the fact that the band had used working titles for songs; so basically, in any given pre-released interview, they could be talking about “ZZ Top Song” or “Dusty”, neither of which appear on the actual album, though I believe the former is “Poor Twisted Me”.  Anyway, one working title or demo title was “Bitch”.  I actually remember calling WSYP and leaving a voicemail on some producer’s line requesting “Bitch…by Metallica”.  As a song, I’ve always liked it; it’s a strong statement about where the band’s collective attitude was – “fuck you.  If you don’t like, it’s not my problem.”  As I was entering my teen years, I started to really look deep into song lyrics and connect to them; Ain’t My Bitch was no different in that I consciously tried to avoid people who brought me down (in this case folks who hated on Metallica and gave me shit for it).  Live, I think it’s a great song that I’d like to see make a return some day . . . my favorite live performances are from the three dates on the Blitzkrieg ’97 summer festival circuit, where it had a slightly different intro.

 
“2x4” – truly the first track from Load that I’d heard, via a bootleg CD titled Hey, Hey We’re The Lemmys!  The song had been first played live on 8/23/95 during a special MetClub-only gig at London’s LA2 club and a recording of that track (along with Reload’s “Devil’s Dance” -- also premiered at this show) was on the CD.  I loved it immediately and, to this day, I find myself headbanging/headbobbing along with its riff all the way through.  Live, I’ve never seen it performed, but the recording from Donington 8/26/95 that was a B-side to Until It Sleeps has always sounded better to me.  I think the tempo is a bit faster and the fact that there are only 2 guitars throughout (instead of the layered production on the actual studio recording) makes the song livelier and, overall, just better.  Again, I’d love to see it get dusted off and played live again sometime soon.

 
“The House That Jack Built” – an epic song as far as I’m concerned and one that needs to be played live, though I can kinda guess why it’s remained unplayed; the solo alone may prove difficult since James did it through a talk box, something that has never been used live by Metallica.  Much like “Master of Puppets”, this song pretty much scared me away from even trying drugs or booze.  I wouldn’t say it’s a straight edge song of course, but it definitely has the “get it away” mentality that I’d find in various hardcore bands.  Lyrically, I think it’s some of James’ best work; it’s chock full of vivid nightmare imagery from start to finish.  The chorus is a monster, too.  That main riff is heavy and demands that you bob along to it.

 

“Until It Sleeps” – although it’s been vilified over the last two decades as one of their worst songs, I’ve always loved it.  I think the most fascinating thing about it now that it's 20 years old – I can close my eyes and immediately be back on the rail at Woodstock ’99 where I was grateful that it wasn’t played (I’ve only seen it live 3 times) as I’d kinda grown bored with it by then.  However, absence always makes the heart grow fonder and, currently, this is one of my favorites.  I think the song unfairly caught a lot of backlash because of its accompanying video -- because, ew, eye make-up, fingernail polish, and a hairnet(!?).  Lyrically and musically, it was probably one of the heavier tracks to come out in 1996; James’ lyrics reflecting his father’s recent passing from Cancer paint a very dark and grim picture of control, infection, and perhaps most mad of all, some sort of sick comfort.




 

“King Nothing” – In high school, I’d often refer to myself as King Nothing.  Not sure why I did, but I liked the ring of it.  As a song, it’s not bad and it’s always great live.  I’d seen it at almost every show between ’97 and ’00, so it was refreshing to not see it in 2003 and then to have it pop back up into the rotation in ’04 (where it sounded a bit off though).  Truth be told, when it was played last summer at Lollapalooza, it was the first time I’d seen it live in eleven years.  I’ll never forget watching the premiere of the music video one morning before leaving for school…still one of my favorite music videos.

 

“Hero of the Day” – never had a problem with this song.  In fact, I can remember coming home from school one afternoon, my Load cassette blasting from my Walkman, and the exact moment that a lightbulb went off in my brain about this song.  It was the line “’scuse me while I tend to how I feel” that had a Eureka moment for me.  I guess that line (and the rest of the lyrics on the album) was Emo to me before I’d even understood the term.  Always dug the music video for it, too; thought the chick in it was hot and the dude was cool because he had a Rancor action figure on top of his TV.  I thought the video as a cool departure in that the band members don’t play or perform the song (aside from James singing a couple lines while briefly shown on a news clip).

 

The art for the rare, radio-only promo single for "Bleeding Me".

“Bleeding Me” – another almost instant classic; my initial impression was sort of “Fade To Black Part II”, but over the years I’ve learned that lyrically, it’s more about getting it (bad shit) out so to speak.  Instrumentally, this is one of Kirk’s best performances as far as I’m concerned.  For the longest time, this was one of those tracks that I wanted to hear a live version of so badly; so much so that I tracked down a great bootleg audio recording from Stockholm, SWE 11/16/96.  It’s definitely an epic song and, when I finally saw it played live in ’98, it was worth the wait.  I got kinda bored with it though seeing it three shows in a row, so I was glad it got semi-retired from 2000 until popping up again in 2004.  When I last saw it live at the Fillmore on 12/7/11, it was a nice surprise actually.  The instrumental demo is really cool, too. 

 
“Cure” – an okay song that, honestly, I’ve skipped a bunch of times until I recently listened to the record from front to back.  When the record first came out, I liked the song though I obviously knew it wasn’t anything to write home about and would never be considered a classic.  Lyrically, it’s a bit repetitive, but I still enjoy it.  I’m actually kinda glad that it’s never been played live though.

“Poor Twisted Me” – a lot of people absolutely hate this song, but I don’t.  It’s not a “bad” song…it’s just different.  The vocal effect that James uses throughout it though?  That’s always annoyed me on other songs, but here it’s not too bad.  I quite like the acoustic version that I first heard on the “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” pirate radio show in December, 1997.  Kinda bummed that I’ve never seen any of its few acoustic live performances as I think the song works better as a sort of “sitting on the front porch and jamming” kind of tune. 

 
“Wasting My Hate” – always liked this song.  In high school, it served a purpose for me with people who didn’t necessarily like me…I wasn’t gonna waste my hate on them myself, ya know?  At my first show on 3/7/97, I was a bit bummed when this was played instead of Fuel or Devil’s Dance, but until the Fillmore show on 12/7/11, it was the only time I’d seen the song played live.  I think it works really well live and, as a matter of fact, the performance from Later…With Jools Holland in ’96 was great! 

 

“Mama Said” – admittedly, when I first heard the steel pedal guitar in this song, I was shocked.  Hey, I was a 13yr old kid with a very narrow mindset when it came to music and musical tastes.  Country was garbage.  Pop and Rap were garbage.  Alternative was garbage.  You kinda get the point.   Anyway, lyrically, I think this song is one of James’ deepest and most personal.  It’s a really heartbreaking song when you listen to its lyrics.  Actually, I think the solo version that James performed a couple of times in 1996 is better than the studio version; just one voice and one acoustic guitar.  It’s interesting that this song was released as a single only overseas though; the video is pretty interesting and, like the Hero of the Day clip, is also a major departure for the band since it just features James alone, with the other guys popping up for a quick cameo. 

 
“Thorn Within” – “Hey!  That’s the riff to Sex Type Thing!”  Later on, it became “Hey!  That’s the Snakes of Christ riff!”  Over the years, I’ve seen people pretty divided over this song, but I happen to think it’s a fine one.  It could be pretty cool if it ever got played live, too.  Lyrically, it’s what I would call “typical Load” in that it focuses on someone feeding off of the negative and finding pleasure in sort of stewing about in hatred and disgrace.  In the age-old “what if Load and Reload were combined into one record” debate, I’d definitely keep this one.

 
“Ronnie” – perhaps one of the most vilified songs in Metallica’s entire catalog . . . a song built around a Skynyrd-esque, greasy Southern-fried riff with lyrics telling the story of an odd boy who shot a bunch of people.  I wouldn’t say it’s one of my favorite songs ever, but it’s okay and kinda fun, but definitely something that I can’t take too seriously.  It’s funny because so many people complained about the Country flair of this song that it almost seemed as though “The Unforgiven II”, with its relentless use of a B-bender throughout was James saying “You want Country?  Suck on this!”  One of my hopes for the inevitable deluxe remaster box set of Load is for the remaining unreleased demos to be included – among them, the demo of Ronnie with different lyrics about “…and all the white headstones in rows like Georgia cotton”.  Though it’s never been performed live (thank God?), it was jammed on here and there in ’96 and ’97 as a pre-show or encore jam. 

 
“The Outlaw Torn” – I remember playing this for my good Metallica buddy who had been struggling with the image change and some of the more streamlined songs and looser riffs on this record.  As the intro faded in, he was like “this part’s cool…” and then I think he kinda dismissed it once it turned into the epic jam that most fans all know and love.  While I’ve never particularly been a fan of jam bands like The Grateful Dead, I would definitely call this a jam song.  It’s currently the longest song in the catalog (not counting Lulu’s “Junior Dad” of course) with it being so long, in fact, that it had to be edited with a fade out in order to properly fit on the CD!  Personally, I’ve always loved this song and immediately connected with its lyrics – especially the second chorus/bridge towards the end.  It’s just a great, epic fucking song.  I can remember daydreaming about how it would sound if it were ever played live….and then, of course, it got its premiere in early 1999 during warm-up gigs prior to the initial S & M shows.  That version that appears on S & M is incredible; when I saw it played live at Madison Square Garden on 11/23/99, it was a euphoric experience!  Sadly, I’ve missed any other live performances of it – though I was particularly struck by the version played in Minneapolis, MN on 1/10/00 at the end of the short M2k tour…lots of cool reverb and echo effects on James’ vocals in that performance.  I’m very happy that it sometimes makes a live return every once in a while though (it’s only been played 13 times since 1999 – with the last being the Fillmore 12/10/11!).  Oddly enough, this song was actually the first taste of Load way back in 1994 when one its riffs was jammed on in the middle of "Seek & Destroy"!    

 

So, twenty years later . . . after all the hoopla and the “sellout” shit-storm has (mostly) died down – believe it or not, there are still teenagers who weren’t even born when this record came out, getting on the ‘sellout’ band wagon – Metallica are still here and about to release a new record.  Upon its release, a lot of people seemed to want to hear “the old shit” and now they’ve sort of switched it up and want to hear some of this stuff again.  I’m in that camp for sure, as I’m heavily nostalgic for this era….there was just so much attitude in pretty much everything the band did at that point.  Looking back at some of the interviews from this era, there’s a great sense of fucking with the audience and the perception of how or what a “metal” band should be.  The record ultimately debuted at #1 and continues to sell well.  Here’s to another 20 years!

The Howling (1981)

"Tell your parents you saw a movie with Slim Pickens in it!"

That is the foundation of my memory of the first time I saw Joe Dante's The Howling, while at a sleepover at my aunt and uncle's house.  As I've stated before, a lot of my interest in all things Horror stems from influences from my older cousin and, frankly, this particular movie is no different!

How can it be that I haven't yet done a piece about this classic?!?  Just yesterday, I read Kirk Hammett's write-up about some of his favorite werewolf films -- check it out over at his blog here -- which got me thinking about what I'd say is arguably my all-time favorite werewolf picture.

During that first viewing as a kid, I was absolutely terrified . . . just the title alone creeped me out man!  Even hearing that howl sound effect as the opening title graphic literally rips onto the screen gave me goosebumps (and still kinda does).  In fact, I'd easily wager that that particular howling sound and the one used in John Landis' An American Werewolf In London are tied for my two favorites -- just like the films themselves. 

The film follows Karen White (played by Dee Wallace Stone), a young TV news reporter, who is hot on the trail of "Eddie The Mangler", a serial killer who's been cutting up women on the Sunset Strip.  Along with her husband Bill Neil (played by Wallace's real-life husband Christopher Stone), Karen soon finds herself knee-deep in a lycanthrope nightmare!

Released four months before Landis' "monster movie", The Howling got the jump on terrifying moviegoers with some of the most impressive transformation special effects yet seen!  The man behind the fantastic work is, of course, Rob Bottin (himself, a protégé of Rick Baker, whose work in American Werewolf won him his first Academy Award).  Late in the film, Eddie Quist (played by Robert Picardo) transforms in front of Karen in, what is arguably the film's centerpiece!  For my money, this particular sequence shows a man who gets off on his ability to freely change into a ravenous beast; maybe he's not necessarily "evil", but he's definitely not changing into a werewolf for anyone's benefit other than his own!  In fact, to this day, whenever I see the dying rays of a sunset peeking through a set of window blinds, I can't NOT think of this film or this sequence! 

This leads to one of THE coolest elements of the whole film for me:  the fact that these werewolves can change whenever they damn well feel like it!  They don't need to wait until the next full moon; they see someone snooping around, trying to gather clues?  They'll turn into a werewolf and bite their damn throat out!  Simple as that.

One of the most fun aspects to the film which, ultimately, took a while to grab me is its wicked sense of humor spotted throughout.  From almost the beginning and straight through the end credits, The Howling is loaded with various winks and nods to either previous werewolf lore in film/TV/culture, pop culture, or the "self-help" craze of the 70s/80s.  Off the top of my head, there's a cameo from Famous Monsters of Filmland's own Forrest J. Ackerman, a cameo from Grandma's corpse in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, at least once reference to Wolf Chili, an appearance of Disney's The Big Bad Wolf, clips from The Wolf Man, and even dog food commercials! 

Another standout creepy piece for me has always been the ending . . . after escaping The Colony and an unfortunate encounter with backseat driver werewolf, Karen and her co-worker hero Chris (played by Dennis Dugan) decide that it's time to tell the world about the werewolf society.  Of course, this is all done during a live broadcast as Karen is supposed to be recounting the events of the out of control wildfire started at The Colony.  The film even shows the range of reactions from TV viewers as this all unfolds, ranging from youthful astonishment, confusion that the nightly news has been replaced with a late-night monster movie, to even skeptics dismissing it as cheap special effects!   

I know I've talked about before how, with pretty much every single one of these older films, there's a vibe and look to them that sets them apart from more modern fare.  In The Howling, it's 1981 with a sort of Urban Cowboy meets Hee-Haw vibe to the proceedings.  Early in the film, when Karen and Bill first arrive at The Colony, they are welcomed by a beachfront pig roast, complete with a Charlie Daniels Band tribute act!   This particular sequence, while not entirely terrifying, has always hit me pretty hard; as a kid, some of our family friends used to throw massive shindigs similar to this pig roast!  There was even a bandstand, complete with a Country Western (or, both kinds:  County and Western) band playing the hits of the day!  For this reason alone, The Howling has always seemed way more real to me than any other modern werewolf movie!

Real quick, before I forget . . . let's talk about that poster art for a second.  Man alive!  There's a reason why I had this poster in my bedroom and a second one (in much better condition mind you) hangs in our basement's guest room; just look at it.  Horrifying. Shocking.  Nightmarish.  Plus, that logo is the shit!  

And that ending?  As silly as it may sound, it's one of those shocker moments that, for me at least, has stood the test of time.  There was something about characters in Horror movies breaking the 4th wall and either addressing the audience directly or looking at the viewer that has ALWAYS creeped me out . . . Marsha Quist, last survivor of The Colony, looking right into the camera after she's asked how she wants her burger:  "rare".  And then Pino Donaggio's end credits theme starts up after another quick howling sound effect.  Damn!! 

The bottom line?  If you're a fan....you already know what I'm talking about.  If you're haven't seen it, give The Howling a shot!  You might want to check out the sequels with a sense of caution though, as they get progressively worse and worse...though Howling II:  Your Sister's A Werewolf has some kind of batshit crazy charm (and Christopher Lee)!