Artificial Radio Hour with Rev. Dr. Dr. Phill: Artificial Radio Hour with Rev. Dr. Dr. Phill Part 43j

"This Ends Here" by David Lyle

<spooky voice>
Greetings, everyone!
</spooky voice>

Our long national nightmare is over, it's Halloween!

I'll give you three guesses what word I searched to make today's playlist, and the first two guesses don't count.

Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, & Charlton Heston, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28, 1963

"Zombie Jamboree" was originally "Jumbie Jamboree". It was written by, or at least credited to, Conrad Eugene Mauge, Jr. A jumbie is a sort of a demon, or spirit, like a Caribbean leprechaun but more evil. They were supposed to be able to make people dance. I'm not actually 100% sure if this is the 1962 Harry Belafonte version, he recorded this song a few times.

The Cramps are yet another band who could have filled up a Halloween playlist by themselves. They pretty much invented the genre of "psychobilly" by playing late fifties/early sixties sleazy rockabilly and just cranking up the sleaze to about 11.

Harry Manfredini wrote a lot of horror movie music. In addition to the immortal classic "Zombie Island Massacre" (I've never seen it), he also wrote the music for Friday the 13th. By a stunning coincidence, he was also the sax player in Carl Bonafede's group The Gem-Tones, whose song Were Wolf I featured in part 43d. (That was all the way back on Wednesday! Oh, so long ago.)

Eddie and the Subtitles were a band from Orange County. Beginning as more of a New Wave act, a membership shift took them in a more psychedelic/hardcore/punk direction. The Subtitles reunited in 2015 but apparently Eddie won't return their calls.

Eugene Ahn was a podcaster and a lawyer from Memphis when I first heard of him; I was a fan of his War Rocket Ajax podcast from episode one. I got to hear him make the transition from lawyer to rapper, which became his full-time career as he left the podcast as well. Adam WarRock is now a successful indie rapper, touring the country performing at conventions and comic book stores in addition to regular music venues.

Fela and his wives

I guess this is the epic conclusion. "Zombie" was recorded by Fela Kuti and Afrika 70 in 1976. The album was "a scathing attack on Nigerian soldiers using the zombie metaphor to describe the methods of the Nigerian military". The song was a massive hit with the public but not with the government and led to Kuti's compound and recording studio being raided and destroyed by government troops. Fela's mother was killed in the raid.

Well, that's it for Halloweek. I'll be back on Sunday with a new, non-spooky show. I hope you've had a fun & spooky time, I'll talk to you next time!

Enjoy!

- Rev. Dr. Dr. Phill