Halloween time is PIGORS time! 2013 interview with everybody's favorite unkle, Unkle Eric Pigors.

HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

Yes it is that time of year again. Summer is fading out. The heat is dying down. The days are shortening. There is a crisp coolness creeping in. Yes folks, our favorite holiday is just around the corner. What better way to head into the holiday season than with this SpookyCreepyCool interview with everybody's favorite Halloween mad man Unkle Eric Pigors.

I came across Eric Pigors' art years ago in a publication called 1313 magazine, I was instantly drawn into his wild and crazy world of art. Eric is the creator of ToxicToons. His artwork brings to mind vintage Halloween decor, Classic Universal Monsters, Mad magazine, EC Comics, and the artwork of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth to name a few things.

I was most fortunate to have the opportunity to ask Pigors a few questions to share with all of you beasties. If this doesn't get you in the Halloween spirit I don't know what will. So with no further delay, please enjoy this SpookyCreepyCool interview with...

Unkle Eric Pigors

So how the hell have you been?

Pretty good this year. Since I have been unemployed, it has given me more opportunity to create more of my own personal work. When I am doing a studio job, like last year when I was working on the LOONEY TUNES show, I didn’t have a lot of extra time to think up stuff, or even draw it. So in some ways I like it better. But a steady paycheck and health insurance I do like too. I especially feel I have done some stuff I am very proud of in 2013, art wise. Lots of new shirts, 2 a month most months, a new book of fans ?’s , and lots of Halloween merch.

I've been nothing short of amazed at how consistently cool and frequent your work has been. What has been motivating you lately?

I get in weird drawing moments where I feel a little lost in what to create, then out of nowhere something comes out of me that I'm like "WOW, OK now I know what too do!" and that then starts giving me even more ideas. I do like the Holiday themed shirts I did in 2013 a lot, and the summer FIEND INJECTED Shirts too! But the Halloween stuff is when I really get my creepy art out of me! I actually produced a lot of my 2013 Halloween merch ideas a year ago. I already had an idea I wanted a lot of witch themed art. Then last month I just started doodling on scrap paper one night, and I have been turning those doodles into stuff I am now selling! When ever I draw something I am always thinking what purpose it can be used for, a shirt? a print? a sticker? Ouija board? or just the fun of creating something new is a kick!

What have you been cramming into your head goo lately? Seen any cool movies, listening to any cool music, checking out any cool art these days?

I did see the CONJURING which I liked a lot. I like to pretty much watch old stuff over and over on DVD or YouTube, or listen to Halloween record mixes. I do buy cds like a mad man, and I have been buying a lot of old 70s cds. Like I bought all the cds of Nazareth and Blue Oyster Cult lately. I am sick of the hits, and want to hear the whole albums these days. Nazareth's “HAIR OF THE DOG” album cover was one I stared at a lot back when I got it on the 70s. Great cover painting! It’s my favorite era of music, all the old classic rock bands, Queen, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, UFO, RAINBOW, RUSH AEROSMITH, KISS, ZEPPELIN....ETC But I also love 80s stuff like Hanoi Rocks, Lords of the New Church, The Damned, Zodiac Mindwarp. But old Halloween stuff is my fave!

I finally had the chance to meet you at ScareLA a little while back. It was quite an honor by the way. What kind of events can we expect to see you at in the near future? Is there anything you are looking particularly forward to?

Thanks. Nice getting to meet you also, you have helped me a lot passing out my postcards at shows back east. I am doing SON OF MONSTERPALOZA in October and I think that’s it for 2013? I'm dreading 2014 a lil. Just because it gets hard thinking up so much new stuff all the time to try to pay them nasty bills each month. I do like the creative part, but pretty exhausting too!

I've been seeing all of the cool artwork and deals you have going right now for the Halloween season. Can you tell us a little about the specials you have going right now for Halloween and maybe a hint at what we have to look forward to in the next couple of months?

Well my 2013 TRICK OR TREAT BAGS are already almost sold out in less then a week, which is good, but I hope everyone who really wants one gets one. It’s the one thing I really love making all year. I also have my Limited edition Halloween Ouija Boards, new Halloween CARD PACK I really like because I tried to make them feel vintage Halloween. I have a few new shirts and will be selling some HAPPY HALLOWEEN BANNERS you can hang in OCTOBER. My mom is helping me out by sewing them right now. There wont be many though. I like to keep stuff limited, like my shirts I do each month. I print one time and on to a new design. I did 150 shirts now since I started 10 years ago. I’m pretty amazed when I counted them in my SHIRTS BOOK I made that came with that 150th shirt. I have more SECRET SOCIETY OF FIENDS stuff for NOV, my 2014 wall calendar in Nov, and maybe an XMAS STOCKING again this Xmas?

Any SpookyCreepyCool plans for Halloween? 

This time of year always goes by too fast! I am already feeling it slip away,  and it's only the beginning of Sept. I’m sure we will do some fun  stuff, Knotts, maybe Universal this year, not sure about haunts back east yet? And maybe even spook out my Mom's garage again.

What can trick or treaters expect in their bags this Halloween when visiting Uncle Pigors' pad?

Well if you are decked out super creepy you may get a whole TRICK OR TREAT BAG of goodies, if you aren’t dressed, rude, and don’t even say TRICK OR TREAT you are getting a dog bone. It's now a tradition I hope to pass on to other folks. This way maybe those kids will get the picture and try a lil harder at Halloween!

Anything else you want to leave us with?

The creepy visions of my TOXICTOONS for now.And see you in the cemetery! hehehehehe

The Zombified Halloween Interview!

Wow! With Halloween so close, I have a great little treat for all of you Spookies and Creepies out there in Interweb land.


Krystal Fancey Beck, is the artist behind The Zombified, which features her own original Horror and Halloween inspired artwork, pendants, and other goodies. Intended for the "darkly inclined", Krystal is also the creator of her own Halloween themed comic series, Hallowhaus.


Krystal was kind enough to take a bit of time to answer some SpookyCreepyCool Halloween questions. So with no further babbling, please enjoy this SpookyCreepyCool Halloween interview with...

THE ZOMBIFIED

What is your favorite memory of Halloween as a child?

The first year- or couple of years (to be honest my memory can be pretty
fuzzy)- that I stopped going trick-or-treating. I stopped trick-or-treating
a lot earlier than most kids, first because I'd ended up having surgery just
before Halloween one year and my mom didn't want me roaming the streets at
night in a fairly fresh cast. Anyhow, I remember spending the night watching
a marathon of Are You Afraid of the Dark? on YTV (a Canadian TV channel)-
that was probably the first year- and later renting everything from
the Halloween series my local video store had to offer and spending the
evening attempting to watch as many of those as possible.

What is your favorite memory of Halloween as an adult?

Honestly, it gets better every year as we get better at cramming as many
thing as possible into October, making Halloween a glorious month-long
celebration! I did get married over Halloween weekend in 2006, which was
obviously awesome and definitely worth noting, but with all the wedding and
moving stuff we didn't do much for actual-Halloween. Last year we hit a
midnight screening of George Romero's Day of the Dead (one of my favorite
movies), the Houston Zombie Walk, a Halloween bash at a local nightclub, and
the All Hallow's Eve theme weekend at the Texas Renaissance Festival (which
is also where the aforementioned wedding took place). This year we're
repeating a bunch of those, plus catching a midnight screening of Lucio
Fulci's Zombie, and kicked everything off at the beginning of the month with
the SplatterFest horror film festival. See? Better every year!

What is your idea of the perfect Halloween?

As much as I love all of the exciting events sprinkled throughout the
Halloween season, I am- at heart- admittedly a bit of a shut-in. On the
actual day of Halloween I just want to do a little bit of people-watching
during the day to check out costumes and such, then grab a Pumpkin Spice
Frappuccino and head home to a big stack of horror movies and a mountain of
fresh popcorn. Ideally, it'll be just cold enough to make a big blanket feel
*awesome* (and I do have a badass Halloween blanket I made myself) and all
of the cats will lay scattered all over the bed just *delighted* to be
wearing their little Halloween costumes. Hey- this is just how it plays out
in my head... in reality the cats just barely put up with their costumes
long enough to get a couple pictures!

What was your favorite Halloween costume?

As a kid, I was always a cat. Every year. Now, I (of course) do a good
zombie, and my Hellboy (...girl?) costume is pretty great, but in the end I
have to say my most favorite is my Hitchhiker (Texas Chainsaw Massacre '74)
costume. It's not terribly extravagant, and I'm not sure how many people
actually recognized it (come on! I live in Texas!), but he's my favorite
character from my absolute favorite movie ever, so it's the one that
delights me the most.

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

I'd take roasted pumpkin seeds over the sugary stuff.

What are some of your favorite Halloween attractions?

I haven't been to many. Where I grew up was pretty isolated and there was
never really anything like that within reasonable driving distance. Since
moving I've been to a couple, but so far nothing too impressive,
unfortunately.

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

The Misfits, Creature Feature, Calabrese, God Module, a good chunk of Alien
Sex Fiend... so many more. My Halloween playlist is seriously over 19 hours
long!

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

I'm a bit of a horror addict year round, but I do have a routine though
October. Late September and early October start off with the simple task of
watching more horror (in general), then some old black and white Universal
horror, some Hammer, anything with Vincent Price. I try to rewatch some
favorites- Day of the Dead, The Omen & Omen II, Re-Animator, Puppet Master,
Evil Dead, etc. I try to save the most Halloween-y for last... ideally on
actual Halloween- Sleepy Hollow, Mad Monster Party, Trick 'r Treat, and (of
course) Halloween.
Often when Halloween's over I'll repeat the list in reverse whilst sobbing
hysterically into my (awesome) monster-movie popcorn bowl because I'm so
upset that it's over. (I'm only half kidding...)

What are some of your favorite Halloween TV specials?

Man, it's been so long... I'm pretty sure I really dug Garfield's Halloween
Adventure as a kid.

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

Gris Grimly, Keith Thompson, Chad Savage, Eric Pigors, etc.

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

Halloween everything, horror, anything that just drips with the ooky
spooky!

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

Somehow I recently managed to squeeze in a last minute custom piece for
Freddy in Space & Scares for Pairs' Trick or Treat for Breast Cancer
fundraiser (http://www.freddyinspace.com/2011/10/freddy-in-space-scares-for-pairs-trick.html), with the original lineart up for grabs as well.

Where can we go to see and purchase your artwork?

http://www.thezombified.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/thezombified
http://www.facebook.com/TheZombified

Any Spooky, Creepy, Cool parting words?

Stay shamelessly spooky. Always.

Calabrese Halloween interview.

Hello fiends.  


One of the Greatest horror punk rock bands around Calabrese were kind enough to answer my series of SpookyCreepyCool Halloween questions. 


Calabrese make incredible music that will assault your ear holes with brain blasting rock n roll that can easily be put aside The Misfits classic horror punk. The three brothers from Arizona embody the spirit of Halloween and all things rocking and evil. Calabrese should be a must on everybody's Halloween playlist. 


So with no further adieu please enjoy this SpookyCreepyCool interview with...

What are your favorite childhood memories of Halloween?


Jimmy- When I was little I used to feel the magic in the air during Halloween. I grew up in Illinois so I got to experience the seasons change. It was always a great time for me as a kid watching the leaves change color and feeling that first chill in the air.
Bobby -- Nothing specific, but I'll always remember the crazy asshole who always set up the most intricate and insane junk to scare you at their doorstep. It was like a terrifying obstacle course for a few handfuls of candy. I always liked the people who let you walk in their garage-turned-haunted house, too. You don't see too much of that anymore, it sucks!

What are your favorite adult memories of Halloween?


Jimmy – Our Halloween shows have been my highlight.
Bobby -- Yeah, for the last 10 years we've been playing shows on Halloween night -- it's all I've got! But when I was wildest and daring-est, I liked drinking with friends in graveyards around Halloween time. It was stupid and dumb and creepy...but it was great!

What are your ideas of the perfect Halloween?


Bobby -- Buying a ton of crazy monster masks and wandering the streets and neighborhoods like creep!
Jimmy – Being at a Misfits show back 1978. 

What were your favorite Halloween costumes?


Jimmy – I think it was my Count Dracula costume my mom made for me…last year. Just kidding! I think I was in first grade.
Bobby -- I mentioned monster masks before, but...I really like monster masks! Easy and effective. My favorites are of zombies, the more fucked up and mutated looking the better. I hate how you breathe your gross candy breath into your face all night, but they look damn cool!

What are your favorite Halloween candies?


Jimmy - Candy corn.
Bobby -- I used to like all the sour and chewy stuff, but now I'm all about the chocolate. Gimme Baby Ruths and Twix!

What are some of your favorite Halloween attractions?


Bobby -- Buying a ton of crazy monster masks and wandering the streets and neighborhoods!
Jimmy- I thought the haunted house at Universal Studios was pretty cool. They had some pretty good sets. I’ve seen Disney at Halloween and that was disappointing. I remember one really good haunted house in Illinois when I was a kid that I begged my Dad to take me into. I can’t recall the name of the place but halfway through the maze of darkness I was clutching my Dad begging him to take me out of there. What a terrifying rush that was!

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


Jimmy – The Misfits, White Zombie, Zombie Ghost Train.
Bobby -- The Ghastly Ones, Slayer, Samhain, Buahaus, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, The Damned and any film soundtracks by Goblin!




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


Jimmy – Halloween, Fright Night, and Nightmare on Elm Street.
Bobby -- Definitely Halloween! I like the third one, that has a cool vibe to it, although it ends pretty terribly. Return of the Living Dead, Dead Alive, Evil Dead 2, Waxwork, Trick or Treat. I try to watch a ton of new horror movies during the season, but sticking to the classics like Argento, Fulci and Romero is never a bad thing! Oh, and the Night of the Living Dead remake gets me in the Halloweeny mood! Totally rad!

What are some of your favorite Halloween TV specials?


Bobby -- I LOVE when sitcoms do their Halloween episodes. I always liked the Home Improvement, Simpsons, Family Matters and Roseanne specials. Roseanne was always the best! Yeah, I watch too much TV.
Jimmy – I like that Disney movie Hocus Pocus that they play every year. I don’t remember any of the TV specials as a kid.

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


Bobby -- Creature Feature has a cool thing going! I always liked Zombeast, too, may they rest in peace.
Jimmy- Nim Vind, Chapel of Thieves, Stellar Corpses, Hour Of The Wolf.

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


Bobby -- Matthew Skiff, who's doing a lot of our recent stuff, which ranges from t-shirt of voodoo women to an upcoming Monster Squad parody! His art is great! 
Jimmy- The always awesome Andrew Barr, Eric Powell who did our last album art, Kotsu from New Jersey, D.W. Frydendall and so much more!




What are some of your musical inspirations?


Jimmy – Normally I would just name off bands but I must say I’m inspired by great music. As my life changes so does my tastes. Bands that I hated 10 years ago I can finally appreciate, and vice versa.
Bobby -- I love anything loud and dumb!

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


Jimmy- We have an animated music video that’s in the works, a new CD that we are currently writing, too. And we are always posting new episodes of the Calabrese Adventures on youtube, so check 'em out!


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


Jimmy – You can check out http://www.facebook.com/l/KAQD-PO_cAQC-IqUDjQKldHwo2DKOE8GFJQEIf0hBp_V8Ng/www.CalabreseRock.com, that’s our main website that points to all our other sites like youtube, facebook, itunes and our merch page. You can also pick up our CD’s wherever music is still sold.

Any Spooky, Creepy, Cool parting words?


Jimmy – A call to action! Stop zoning out and create! Create art, create a blog, start a band! Nothing ever will ever happen to you if you don’t do something. 
Bobby -- In the immortal words of Eddie and the Hotrods -- "Do anything you wanna do!"