An interview with the Mad Creator... Gris Grimly.

 Hello SppokyCreepyCool friends. What an incredibly cool day it is today.  We are a couple of days into Fall and it is rainy, and cool out. The leaves are changing to their red, orange, and yellow hues as the wind rustles through. One can feel Halloween creeping up behind ready to pounce.  What a perfect day.


 What an excellent day to bury your head into a wonderful world of skeletons, vampires, jack-o-lanterns, spooky psychobilly creepies, ravishing skeletal beauties, the macabre world of Edgar Allen, The  enchanted town of Sleepy Hollow. What a delightful day to tromp through the cemetery with those two grisly ghouls Stash and Hub. What a great day for rocking out to Ghoultown's ode to Elvira.


Today is the perfect  day to spend with the amazing artist...

GRIS GRIMLY

What is you favorite memory of Halloween as a child?

My godmother went all out on Halloween. Her teeth are all rotten from eating candy all the time and she cackles when she laughs. I'm convinced to this day that she's a witch. I always looked forward to stopping at their farmhouse for a good scare. It was the second to the last stop before ending at my grandma's farmhouse where we'd get our big popcorn balls. My godmother would set up a small little haunt on her porch where her husband was usually costumed and hidden amongst a bunch of dummies. I remember one time he had a real hallowed out pumpkin on his head with the candy bowl in his lap. I was convinced that he was the dummy. But I was wrong and practically shit my pants when he grabbed my hand.

What is your favorite memory of Halloween as an adult?

Probably seeing the Cramps in 2000. I was dressed as a devil in a pinstripe suit and developed the persona of Satan himself.

What is your idea of the perfect Halloween?

Ideally, it would be staying home, watching horror movies and handing out candy to the kids. But these days I tend to go all out for an exhausting yard haunt that the neighbor kids tour through and get the shit scared out of them before they can get their candy. I love it, but it's a lot of work.

What was your favorite Halloween costume?

One year I bought a wedding dress at a thrift store. I cut off the sleeves showing my manly tattooed arms, threw on a matted black wig and smeared make-up on my face (early Marilyn Manson style). I have never seen people more terrified or concerned. I think they really thought I was a psychopathic crack head. But my favorite costume would have to be a traditional skeleton.

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

It's disgusting, but my favorite candy has to do with tradition and it's those peanut butter blobs that come in black and orange wrappers. Although I think I can only eat one a year.

What are some of your favorite Halloween attractions?

I'm a simple man and find the most pleasure touring the yard haunts of Burbank, North Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. To me, the true spirit of halloween is found among the neighbor hoods and not at overpriced amusement parks. Sneak into a local cemetery at midnight with friends if you want to get the creeps.

What are some songs and bands that really get you into the Halloween spirit?

Screaming Lord Sutch and Frankie Stein are my favorites. But there is a whole list of singles I love that are mostly 50s and 60s rock n roll.

What are some movies that get you into the Halloween spirit?

The obvious John Carpenter's Halloween, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, old black and white Universal Horror, Mad Monster Party, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Trick R Treat.

What are some of your favorite Halloween TV specials?

"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" which has a very eerie soundtrack. And it's not Halloween without Elvira.

Who are some of your favorite artists out there doing Spooky, Creepy, Cool, type artwork?

Eric Pigors, David Hartman, DW Frydendall, Eric Powell and Bill Basso.

What are some of your inspirations for creating your Spooky, Creepy, Cool artwork?

Vintage Halloween, old black and white horror movies, Gray's anatomy, Victorian comic art.

Do you have anything you are working on currently that we can all look forward to?

I'm working on a 200 page version of Frankenstein that is fully illustrated from cover to cover. I'm also wrapping up my latest short film Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind which is a psychological thriller for horror fans.

Where can we go to see and purchase your artwork work?

www.madcreator.com

Any Spooky, Creepy, Cool parting words?

Spread the Grim.

Kristen Lawrence Interview

Hello my wonderful SpookyCreepyCool people. 

Well it is getting so very close to Halloween. You can just feel the air getting cooler. The trees are starting to change color. The pumpkin patches are starting to pop up. The stores are out with the Back To School sales and in with the Halloween decor. Wow what a great time of year. 

I am thrilled and excited for the coming month and a half. To make things even more exciting I have a wonderful treat for you all. I was very fortunate and am honored to be able to bring you a SpookyCreepyCool interview with musician Kristen Lawrence. So heat yourself up some hot apple cider, sit back by the fire and enjoy an enchanting interview with... 

Kristen Lawrence

What is your favorite memory of Halloween as a child? 

I have so many delicious memories. What stands out in my mind the most right now, 

though, was smelling the cold, fresh Halloween night air as I was out trick-or-treating. 

And taking in the black, endless, starry sky. Then seeing and smelling the glowing jack o’ 

lanterns at every porch. I think the chiaroscuro-esque contrast set my little heart on fire. 

Otherworldly. 

Of course I liked all the goofiness and silliness associated with costumes and candy, but I 

was always aware of something underlying all that. Something, well, magical … and 

grandiose. Big. More than my surroundings. Something that pulled at and waltzed with 

my spiritual senses and physical senses. I wouldn’t have been able to describe these 

feelings at all eloquently as a child, but I remember dancing many times in our darkened 

living room which was lit only by glowing Halloween decorations. Complete passionate 

ecstasy of childhood. 

What is your favorite memory of Halloween as an adult? 

I’m still that same little girl, whose heart can’t beat fast enough to take it all in. Whose 

lungs can’t fill full enough to breathe it all in. It’s so beautiful and big. Adult memories 

of Halloween are always sensually related – dark nights that entice, cool air that I can’t 

sniff in deeply enough, smells of candle wax and cinnamon. 

I do have a specific, bitter-sweet, surreal memory that haunts me in a good way. It 

actually was part of the inspiration for my song, “Dark Glass.” I was in college, hanging 

out at a friend’s apartment, and a few of us decided to walk to a grocery store for some pumpkin ice cream. This autumn night was a misty one, which made for such a lovely 

walk. We returned and watched “The Nightmare Before Christmas” while I playfully sat 

on a long-time friend’s lap (and finally admitted to myself a half-year later that I had 

feelings for him).  

I can’t explain how beautifully surreal this night was, and so these feelings come out in 

my music. And it’s uncanny that a little bit of romance was involved that evening (at 

least on my part), because Halloween in centuries past had a great deal of romance 

associated with it – an element completely lost in modern celebrations. 

(Look up vintage Halloween greeting cards and you’ll see romantic illustrations with text 

along the lines of, “Will you find your love this Halloween night?”  A lot of Halloween 

history involved there.  I recommend reading Halloween history books by Lesley 

Bannatyne and Jack Santino.  Fascinating.)

What is your idea of the perfect Halloween? 

Strolling down the street by myself, observing trick-or-treaters. Seeing as many jack o’ 

lanterns as possible outside in the dark. This element of the evening is so surreal to me. 

Then maybe dancing in costume at a party or two, looking at all the creativity that goes 

into the costumes around me. And ending the evening quietly with good conversation and 

pumpkin-flavored hot chocolate or cider or something, maybe with some Halloween 

cartoons or Halloween movie in the background. 

What was your favorite Halloween costume? 

Cat woman. The Michelle Pfeiffer brand. My friend, a very talented seamstress, made it 

for me. Cat woman is my alter ego. Except, I love men. The good ones. The Batman 

types.  

My other alter ego, in some ways, is the Phoenix (from X-Men). I am constantly learning 

how to control my brain, like she needed to. Controlling one’s brain releases good stuff 

into the world. I’ve got to put together a costume for that some year. 

I also love elf queen/fairy types of costumes. Wearing wings on my back is just a literal 

extension of how I try to feel every day. Plus, it’s a “Dark Crystal” type of thing. You 

know – only girls have wings. 

What is your favorite Halloween candy? 

It used to be stuff like Sweet Tarts or Pixie Stix when I was a kid, but now it’s chocolate. 

I prefer really fine, snobby dark chocolate, but quality stuff like that is not so common in 

Halloween offerings (maybe we should change that), so I usually go for the little 

Butterfingers.  

I like Reese’s Pieces, but their peanut butter cups are just too sugary; peanut butter needs 

to stay savory against the sweet chocolate, not have more sugar mixed in with it. Silly 

candy makers.  

And it’s kind of fun being an adult now because, in contrast with my kid tastes, I like 

Almond Joys now and then (the dark chocolate ones). I think these were the “left-overs” 

in most children’s Halloween stashes. 

What are some of your favorite Halloween attractions? 

Disneyland. Dih-hih-hih-hisneyland. I love what they do to the Haunted Mansion now, 

turning it into the Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s so magical just waiting in line with 

beautiful music, jack o’ lanterns, and flickering lights. And I love the fireworks show. 

Completely outstanding. 

What are some songs and bands that really get you into the Halloween spirit? 

Oingo Boingo – “Just Another Day”: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7plTsFMyL4Y&feature=related 

This song of theirs, more than even “Dead Man’s Party,” puts me in the 

autumn/Halloween mood. Ah, it makes the serotonin run strongly in my brain. I’ve been 

listening to it since I was about 10 (first cassette tape I ever purchased), so there’s quite a 

bit of personal nostalgia involved. 

I’ve also always loved Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre”: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM 

This is one of the songs I danced to in my parents’ living room as a little girl. Ah, rapture. 

And then you can’t beat Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain”: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ca_edg6RE 

What are some movies that get you into the Halloween spirit? 

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 

Hocus Pocus 

Practical Magic 

The Nightmare Before Christmas 

Corpse Bride 

The Others 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney cartoon) 

What are some of your favorite Halloween TV specials? 

All the Disney’s Halloween Time shows through the years 

Dr. Seuss’s “Halloween is Grinch Night” 

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown 

The Haunted History of Halloween (History Channel) 

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure 

The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t 

Punkin’ Chunkin’ documentaries 

… and I just LOVE the theme song from “Witches’ Night Out”: 

www.televisiontunes.com/Witchs_Night_Out.html 

Who are some of your favorite musicians out there doing Spooky, Creepy, Cool type music? 

I’m fascinated by the hidden treasures found in not-necessarily-Halloween artists’ 

repertoire, like, for example, “Virginia” by Tori Amos: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ge9QG2yEo 

I’ve never paid attention to its lyrics, but for some reason, it always makes me think of 

gorgeous autumn leaves back east.  Listen to her ghostly wails toward the end of the 

song.  Shivers! 

And listen to “Paradise Circus” by The Lilac time: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zXuiB2_-Q 

Makes me think of quirky Halloween oddballs. 

 And listen to this treasure of Saint-Saëns hidden in his “Carnival of the Animals” – “The 

Aquarium”: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVpl-RNzdE4 

He wrote it to sound like fishies, and I can definitely hear that, bubbles and all.  But it 

also has such a ghostly sound to it, too, don’t you think?  Like staring at a full moon. 

Who are some of your favorite artists out there doing Spooky, Creepy, Cool type artwork? 

Jesse Draper. He painted the cover for my 2009 CD, A Broom With A View.  

Not everything he paints or photographs is Halloweeny, mind you, but it’s all fabulous to 

me. When he does touch upon the macabre, however, it’s with great taste. Such nice 

feelings in his work. Check out this picture:  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessedraper/2059153528/in/set-72157600920811299/ 

What are some of your musical inspirations? 

Besides cut flowers on my piano and organ? Well, then it would be … 

J.S. Bach 

Oingo Boingo/Danny Elfman 

Tori Amos 

Ralph Vaughan Williams 

Loreena McKennitt 

Nightwish 

Do you have anything you are working on currently that we can all look forward to? 

Yes! I’m scurrying to finish up some music to release digitally before Halloween. 

Because of a change in recording engineers this year, my latest project has been pushed 

back, so that’s why I’m releasing some of my music digitally before the physical CD is 

compiled. It’s a great time to be an independent artist, I tell you. 

 Where can we learn more about what you are currently working on, upcoming shows, and where to pick up your music? 

Thank you! You can visit my website – http://HalloweenCarols.com – and sign up on my 

emailing list. I have links to iTunes, Amazon, etc. where you can purchase my music. 

And I do a lot of conversing on facebook – http://www.facebook.com/HalloweenCarols 

And I would love it so much if visitors to my website and facebook joined my street team 

of P.U.M.P.K.I.N.S. and told all their friends about my Halloween music … 

P. orchgoers 

U. nder 

M. asks 

P. romoting 

K. risten’s 

I. ntriguing 

N. ew 

S. ound 

Word of mouth is so powerful.  Spew out the good word, folks! 

Any Spooky, Creepy, Cool parting words? 

I literally had a dream one night that I made cookies with Alice Cooper. And I think it 

would be quite lovely to make it a reality. Wouldn’t that be fun? He and I could put on a 

Halloween special, making Halloween cookies and talking Halloween. Maybe on Paula 

Dean’s show. Yes. Let’s make it happen!