Listening Post #13: The Dead Walk

I took Sam Trick or Treating last Thursday. It's not something I derive a whole lot of enjoyment from - "we never had all this malarkey when I was a kid", etc. etc. This time was a little different though, partly because (for once) it wasn't raining, but mostly because of the performance of the above couple, who went above and beyond in their dedication to All Hallow's Eve.

The man was dressed in a labcoat, smeared with blood, crouched over a mocked up corpse that was laid out on his drive, "eating its entrails". When unwary Trick or Treaters approached the house for sweets, he staggered out into the street moaning like an extra from The Walking Dead. Some kids screamed and ran away from him, but he kept up the act until his wife (dressed in a "Zombie Killer" T-shirt) shouted at him to "get back over and clean up your mess". To which he complied. They were both firmly in character and I've seen a lot of zombie movies with far worse acting.

Made my Halloween, so it did.

I did a Top Ten Zombie Songs way back in 2012. But here are a few more, not included on that list.

Harry Belafonte - Zombie Jamboree

Jan Davis - Watusi Zombie

Green On Red - Zombie For Love

The Pop Group - Citizen Zombie

Caroline Trettine - Human Zombie Blues

Disco Zombies - Disco Zombies

Billy Taylor & The Teardrops - Wombie Zombie

The Hooters - All You Zombies

The Monochrome Set - Love Zombies

The Young Werewolves - Zombie Car Chase

Faith No More - Zombie Eaters

The Flaming Lips - If I Only Had A Brain

And, especially for Ernie...

The Zombies - Time Of The Season

Conversations With Ben #28: The Blind & The Bald

Rol: Since getting my glasses, I've found reading much easier. I know that sounds really obvious, but whenever I've sat down to read anything over the past few years, I've ended up really tired after a chapter and ready to quit. Clearly I've been straining my eyes for a long time.

Ben: Have you tried looking at a tree yet? That was what was most notable. Its like the branches as leaves had become HD.

They're reading glasses. My long sight is fine. But I presume you mean close up.

Still, did everything suddenly seem much clearer? Like more than you were expecting? That's what surprised me.

Only things that are a reading arm's length from my face. Everything else is as blurry  with the glasses on. Which is probably for the best.

I saw that he visited Ukraine yesterday.

Why on earth...? Haven't they suffered enough?

Maybe Putin sent him. Sleeper soldier.

Putin strikes me as more of a Simple Minds man.

Don't nuke forget about me?

Jim Kerr. In Spain, they call him Juan.

I thought that was John?

Think about it...

I used to work with a Jim Kerr. He was a Glaswegian with a big scar on his face.

My wit is wasted on you.

Wit?

New Jamie T song is great.

Yeah, it's not bad.

Statham in the MCU?

No.

Just no.

He's been cast.

It's not me speculating.

I'm just speculating who he's been cast as.

Dr Doom.

"I fackin hate you, Reed Richards!"

That's Danny Dyer.

Oi, Reed. You slaaaaag.

Yer doin me fakkin nut in.

He's too busy doing quiz shows.

I think his Wall show is quite funny. Me and Mrs. Ben have created this narrative that he thinks the wall is alive and is his enemy.

I wish he'd get buried under it.

I think it's filmed somewhere in Europe so there'd be a lot of red tape to enable that.

You have to spoil all my plans.

Blame BoJo, not me. We'd still be able to do it if we were in the EU.

If Cameron had mentioned burying Danny Dyer under a wall, the Brexit vote would have gone the other way.

Looks like we need to get Red Wedge back together to help us.

Whatever happened to Ken Livingston?

This is something I can get behind.

"Commenting on a man’s baldness in the workplace is equivalent to remarking on the size of a woman’s breasts."

All those ladies staring at my scalp.

Would you be less upset by the “Anglo-Saxon” language than the comment on your appearance?

Yes. I am a Celt.

I've been saying that for years.

Goes back to when the Romans invaded. It was the Celts who went, "yep. We have no allegiance to these deities, gimme day Jesus."

Sorry. Just put my glasses on. I misread what you said above.

Saturday Snapshots #165 - The Answers

Hey - how YOU doing?

Here's this week's answers, my Friends...

10. Squashed pals may reach nirvana.

The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven

9. Sidekick is a bit of a knob, but is he a man of his word?

Batman's sidekick was Robin.

Cock Robin - The Promise You Made

You may not realise that you remember that.

8. Afternoon scones with lots of strawberry, raspberry or blueberry turns me into a dead man walking.

That sounds like a jammy tea.

Jamie T - Zombie

Great video.

7. Wild Bill Hicoke, Butch Hash-heady & Annie Tokely meet Mardi Dawn.

They must be the Cowboy Junkies!

Mardi is Tuesday.

Cowboy Junkies - Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning

6. Tardis, beseeching.

The Tardis is a timebox.

Timebox - Beggin'

5. Kerb crawler and his envious pick-up are confident they know the way back to their house.

A John is slang for a man who uses prostitutes. (Apologies to all the Johns I know, particularly John Medd.)

A green-eyed pick up would be a jealous van... or a van jealous.

Jon & Vangelis - I'll Find My Way Home

I love Jon Anderson's voice.

4. Mrs. Jackie joins the X-Men, perhaps?

Mrs. Jackie is an anagram.

The X-Men were super freaks.

Rick James - Super Freak

You can't touch that!

3. Hymn for other people.

Gloria is a hymn. Other people are them.

Them - Gloria

That bloke in the middle isn't wearing a mask.

2. Animal whistler & chavs.

Animal Whistler is an anagram.

Support here is given by Ben Folds on the left and Joe Jackson on the right. The bloke in the middle though is...

William Shatner - Common People

Not as good as the original, but not far off. Although Bill clearly has no idea what "chip stain grease" is.

1. Terrible pinkie, regardless.

I'll be there for you again next Saturday...