The Accidental Terrorist: Scary Songs Which Aren’t Meant To Be Scary

Idea by Matt Keeley
With contributions by. . .

In our last Halloween issue, we discussed morbid melodies and the music of the scares. But what of songs which horrify us accidentally? Some argue that songwriters who pair dark lyrics and bright melodies know exactly what they’re doing, but what about words and music which cause fright when they were only intended to delight?

For example, a few of our readers noted that “Mama” by Genesis was a bit squicky, but it’s unclear whether that creepiness was intentional or not. However, I think we can all assume that “Beep Beep” by The Playmates was probably not meant to panic small children, although it obviously has, judging on some of the replies we received.

Here are some examples of the various tunes that terrify. . .
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Underappreciated Album: Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack

By Christian Lipski

At first glance, Sheer Heart Attack‘s only claim to fame is that it’s the album with “Killer Queen” on it, which may even come as a surprise to people who thought that that was Greatest Hits I. But the album goes quite a bit deeper, and is one of my favorite complete albums from Queen, even above A Night At The Opera or News Of The World, both very popular albums. Sheer Heart Attack was Queen’s third album, and the first one to really peek its head out from the progressive-rock mire that the previous two had been firmly entrenched in. There were still some elements of fantasy and nods to prog rock, but they were kept at a tasteful level. What you got was a selection of catchy rock songs of the pop-, hard-, and arena- varieties.
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Doin’ Alright With The Boys: Q&A With Comic Creator Darick Robertson

By Christian Lipski

Darick Robertson has been creating and illustrating comics since the age of 17, when he first published the cult favorite Space Beaver. Now an established force in the comics world, Robertson has collaborated with some of the medium’s finest writers and brought life to such larger-than-life characters as Wolverine, Nick Fury, and Spider Jerusalem. Currently he’s drawing the series The Boys, which he created with writer Garth Ennis (The Preacher, Hitman). The Boys takes a realistic (if sometimes slightly tongue-in-cheek) look at superheroes and how they would operate in our modern-day world.
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Top Five Desert Island Discs: DVDs

By Christian Lipski

What makes a D.I.D.? It’s not necessarily your favorite movie—we’re talking about a desert island here (albeit one with a DVD player). You’re only going to have these movies for what may be years, and that’s the deal: they need to stand up to repeated viewing, and although that may include your top five faves of all time, it also may exclude them. For example, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies. It played a major role in my adolescence, and I will still watch it today. However, since I’ve seen it so many many times, I would probably regret bringing a move that I have memorized, and would not go to it as often. That said, my five DIDs are. . .
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Before They Were Big: Gwar, Pop Will Eat Itself, Oingo Boingo

By Christian Lipski

“Before They Were Big” could also be seen as “Before They Sold Out,” or “Before They Got Good,” depending on your point of view. What I really mean is that these albums are from the artists’ earlier days, before what would become their more popular period. In my own personal opinion, these particular records are some of my favorites from the artists. While I don’t begrudge any band the opportunity to become successful and evolve one’s style, I do like having their earlier stuff around.
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My Life in Fishnets: A Personal Rocky Horror Story

By Christian Lipski

It’s amazing to look back and really see how much of my life was dedicated to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’m sure it’s the same for people who were really into sports or D&D or any other life-consuming hobby. At the time, though, it was just Rocky, and that was it. It was just what I did.
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The Cramps, Smell Of Female

By Christian Lipski

“Ladies and Gentlemen, live from the Peppermint Lounge, The Cramps”
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Albums In Decline: T.Rex, Iggy Pop, The Ramones

By Christian Lipski

There comes a time in every band’s life when they release the album that represents their commercial and/or critical peak. And then there are the albums that come out after that. Perhaps on their own, the later albums would be popular and appreciated in their own right, but when compared to the more well-known works, they tend to fall short in most fans’ minds. They get passed up in retrospectives if not mocked outright, and they’re rarely on the list to be re-released. But there’s always something to love about them, especially if you bought them new.
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Top Ten Concerts

By Christian Lipski

I’ve been to a few live shows in my life, starting with the Beach Boys in 1983, and there’s nothing like seeing your favorite band doing what they love and giving them that immediate feedback. Recently I was asked what my ten favorite concerts were, and surprisingly that’s not something I’d ever done. It made me look back at all the great live moments I’ve experienced, and that was worth the trip alone. Here’s what I came back with, in no particular order.
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The Sweet, Action: The Sweet Anthology

Disc One: By Hanna

Glam Rock fans can be divided into two groups: the ones who think The Sweet were not actually glam because glam is an intelligent genre, and the ones who think The Sweet were the best Glam Rock band because they seemed to be in it for the money only.
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