The Gentleman of Leisure's Top 5 Scary Songs to Avoid Before Bedtime

The Gentleman of Leisure

hides in the shadows of SHOCKtober

looking menacing, yet still well-dressed

and without a care in the world.

The Gentleman of Leisure has agreed to contribute, as he did last year, a Top 5 List with a SHOCKtober theme. The Gentleman resides in Europe, specifically Scotland, though he is from the Emerald Isle known as Ireland. THE FUTURIST! does not know what plans The Gentleman has in store for his European Halloween, but it will probably involve dressing in a dapper manner, wearing sunglasses and doing little else. THE FUTURIST! does not envision The Gentleman of Leisure actually trick or treating door to door. He would probably have the treats brought to him and politely thank the donor. What scares The Gentleman? Most likely the prospect of having an actual 9 to 5 job or doing manual labor ... but, below you will find 5 songs that The Gentleman finds too disturbing to listen to before your head hits the pillow at night.

THE GENTLEMAN OF LEISURE'S TOP 5 LIST
OF SCARY SONGS TO AVOID BEFORE BEDTIME
(intro by The Gentleman)

I'm sure there are thousands of terrifying records out there that would scare me to no end, but I generally don't seek them out. Scary is not something I look for in my music. However, there are still certain songs in my collection that I would think twice about playing before going to sleep. So, this is a list of scary songs within the realm of my musical tastes. Listening to this assemblage I can see some common features; drony feedback, scratching guitars, discordant vocals, and prominent synths. Nothing chilling, in fact all things I like. But, under the right conditions, these songs can be quite eerie. If in doubt, imagine listening to them in bed, in the dark, before dreaming. Better yet - give it a go!

1. IN CAMERA - DIE LAUGHING




2. GARY NUMAN - PRAY




3. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - DEAD JOE




4. KURT COBAIN & WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS - THE PRIEST




5. KLAUS NOMI - KEYS OF LIFE



Thank you, Gentleman of Leisure ...
you may continue to sit back and enjoy life.

Candy Corn Cones

Halloween in Utter Despair, N.J.

is about to end for 2010 and the town

council put out an order to remove all

festive candy corn traffic cones.

They were to be gathered together and put

into storage for next SHOCKtober.

U.S. Postal Monsters

THE FUTURIST!

has this actual sheet

of commemorative postage stamps

honoring the Universal Monster films.

The scary thing is to think they were

only 32 cents at the time.

Good Midnight on Halloween To YOU!

WATCH THE HYPNO SWIRL
AND LISTEN TO THE VOICE ...

YES ... YES ... YES ... YES ...

Saturday Music to Neck By

When was THE FUTURIST! introduced to classical music? Why, it was when, as a very THE YOUNG THE FUTURIST! he first saw DRACULA (1931) on a Saturday Night horror movie show. The stirring haunting strains of Swan Lake begin as Tod Browning's directed production, starring Bela Lugosi, title cards flicker on the screen. DRACULA has no musical soundtrack ... supposedly, according to film historians, Universal did not have the money or technology to have a recorded musical soundtrack added to the vampire potboiler ... it was very early in the talkie stage of film history. Why the production team decided to have Tchaikovsky begin the film is a mystery ... why not another classical piece? The odd thing is, Universal uses the same strains of this ballet in the opening title sequence of THE MUMMY (1932) with Boris Karloff. The decision to use this music has forever made THE FUTURIST!'s ears perk up and think of Bela and Boris, instead of tutus and a pas a deux.

The following video below will show scenes from DRACULA and then NOSFERATU. Please remember that the Murneau silent classic has nothing to do with this piece of music. Nosferatu was another neck biter, but never appeared on THE YOUNG FUTURIST!'s favorite horror movie line-up until much much later in life.

Listen ... the children of the night ...
What music they make!


composed by Tchaikovsky
used in title sequence of DRACULA (1931)

Scary Spelling

THE FUTURIST! snapped this picture today

at a school near Utter Despair, N.J.

This school's outside calendar menu board

visually emphasizes the great respect

Utter Despair and it's surrounding sad towns

have for the English language.

Shocking.

Absolootly shoking.

(click on image for full shock)

SHOCKtober Rising

THE FUTURIST! took a stroll through Lovecraft Hills

located at the outer reaches of Utter Despair, N.J.

After parking his automobile, THE FUTURIST!

proceeded across the public parking lot and

heard some odd deep rumbling noises emanating

from below his feet.

Earthquake?

He looked down and saw thin cracks in the macadam

of the lot beginning to ripple and branch out.

Hellish tentacled monster emerging from the ground?

THE FUTURIST! went back to his car and got

his digital camera and decided to record the evidence

of what he was witnessing for this distinguished blog.

After snapping the picture, THE FUTURIST!

scurried back to his car like a frightened rabbit.

(a name he was given when he was 7 years old by the

other children at Sylvia Plath Elementary School)

He then started his car and drove away like a Formula One racer.