ATLRetro

by Melanie Crew
Contributing Writer

Get spooked in Retro Atlanta this week! As the days creep closer and closer to that most haunted pinnacle of fright and terror, Retro Atlanta shows you where to find the shock and horror you’re lusting! Atlanta gets Retro this week with monsters and spooks and martians, oh my! And don’t forget, Retro Atlanta always offers a retro-rockin’ good time! So, don’t be a scaredy cat and come on out and play! We can’t promise you’ll make it home alive, but we can promise you a horrifying good time!  

Monday, October 14

Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and forget all about the Monday Blues with the soulful vocals with Lola at her famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ Head on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast with some finger lickin’ BBQ!  And get yer rockin’ blues and soul fix with Brandon Reeves at Blind Willie’s! 

Tuesday, October 15

If you’re craving some old-school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some rockin’ BBQ or boogie on down to Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta for a taste of Bill Sheffield’s acoustic roots and blues or hit up Blind Willie’s for the BB King and Ray Charles sounds coming from Timo Arthur! Mosey on down to Steve’s Live Music for their Bluegrass pickin’ and Folk Sing-a-long, led by Hank Weisman! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm. The Entertainment Crackers gets bluesy with their folksy Americana sounds at the Northside Tavern. Do you believe in the boogey man? Sleepwalk on down to Elm Street and get haunted in your dreams as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern terrifies in their Retro Cinema Scares! series’ presentation of Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) at 7:30 pm!

Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics

Wednesday, October 16

Get ready to roll on the floor and laugh out loud as Emory’s Cinematheque pulls all the punches in their American Comedy Classics series and catch their screening of Leo McCarey’s THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937) starring Cary Grant at Emory’s White Hall at 7:30 pm! Put on your dancin’ shoes and skip on over to East Atlanta’s Graveyard Tavern for their Graveyard Swing Night, held the first Wednesday of every month (schedule will be back to normal in November), promising an evening of swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie with the Savoy Kings! The Star Bar is ready to feed your ears with the rockin’ sounds of Rodney “The Pie Guy” Henry of the Glenwood Popes and t.v. superstar pie maker along with special guests, VITO ROMEO featuring members of The Booze, Sharp Dressed Lads and Don Dupree! Or make a trip to the Tabernacle for a night of 50’s and 60’s soul and R&B presented by the groovin’ Kool Kats Ruby Velle & the Soulphonics!  Head on over to Blind Willie’s for some straight out blues and rock and roll with the foot stompin’ sounds of Andrew Black!  Rock on over to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues! Catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Whatever you do…don’t fall asleep! Because you won’t want to miss a single terrifying second as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series’ presents Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) in their matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Thursday, October 17

Hey all you dapper little children! Are you ready for a zoot suit riot!? What about that rockin’ devilish swing your mama warned you about?  Get rebellious! Put on your dancin’ shoes and hop on over to Smith’s Olde Bar for a night of maniacal swing from the one and only Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, kings of the 90s swing revival and King Daddy Pole Cats, that will leave you breathless and begging for more! Former member of The Cramps, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds headline at The Star Bar, so come on and rock out! Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get chipper and head on down to The Plaza Theater for a taste of The Coen Brothers’ FARGO (1996) during their Fall Focus on Directors series at 9:30! Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get whiskey-soaked and foot stomped with the Americana and blues wailings of Heather Luttrell & The Possum Den at Blind Willie’s while Donna Hopkins spreads her swampy funk with a dash of John Lee Hooker at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Hula on down to Trader Vic’s for a few cocktails with Kool Kat “Big Mike” Geier and his Polynesian pop lounge band, Tonga Hiti! It’s a night of jazzy swing with a taste of Ella at the Red Clay Theatre as Annie Sellick’s Quartet takes the stage at 8 pm! It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. And it’s your last chance to get fatally up close (if you dare!) to that horrifying dream master himself, Freddy Kreuger, as the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series presents Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) at 7:30!

Friday, October 18

Get spooked as the Oakland Cemetery captures the spirit of Oakland in their Halloween Tours! It’s your only chance to rendezvous with the ghosts of Atlanta after dark, so come on out and make new ghostly pals and maybe even a kindred spirit! Tours begin at 5:30 pm! Ferst Center for the Arts hosts The Hot Club of San Francisco, a jazzy gypsy ensemble, as they present “Cinema Vivant”, an evening of vintage silent films accompanied by the sounds of Django Reinhardt’s gypsy swing and 1920s Paris at 8 pm!

If you’re craving something a little more sinister, a little more over-the-top, spend an evening in Hell at the Masquerade with ‘Dracula’s nasty little brother’ and carnival barker better known (or maybe not) as Unknown Hinson, adding a little psycho overdrive to that ‘billy music of the 50s and 60s!  Or head on down to the Star Bar for a rockin’ night out with Stallion, preceded by a guzzlin’ good time with Dusty Booze & The Baby Haters of the ‘late scumbag revival’ beltin’ out those rockabilly tunes as well as Banned in ATL, a tribute to the 80s punk-core band Bad Brains! Get a taste of the Rockaholics and their bluesy renditions at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack while Blind Willie’s hosts House Rocker Johnson & The Shadows! Steve’s Live Music gets jazzy with the rockin’ folky blues of Randall Bramblett! Cha-cha on down to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX for a cocktail or two and dance the night away at their Salsa Dance Night featuring the Salsambo Dance Studio!

Get comfy and cozy with the creatures of the night at The Plaza Theater for their October Fright Fest featuring the horror films of yesteryear and a frightening good time! Get horrified as you view the German expressionistic film, directed by F.W. Murnau, NOSFERATU (1922) releasing the darkly morbid, blood-sucking beast, Vampire Count Orlok to the masses, James Whale of Universal Pictures’ FRANKENSTEIN (1931) starring Boris Karloff as The Monster, the Halperin Brothers’ WHITE ZOMBIE (1932) featuring Bela Legosi, James Whale’s THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) starring Claude Rains and Herk Harvey’s film that inspired the wickedly disturbed mind of David Lynch, CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962). It’s an evening of shock and terror you won’t want to miss!

Saturday, October 19

Today is the day all you ghosts and goblins have been waiting for! Little Five Points business district hosts its 13th annual Little Five Points Halloween Festival & Parade!  So, come on out dressed to the nines in your spookiest Halloween costume and get haunted! Get fed! Get rocked! And get your flesh to the best Halloween parade in the south!  The event wakes from the dead at noon and haunts until 11 pm, with an artists’ market, food venders including Palookaville, the Naked Donut Company and many more as well as two stages for live entertainment, The Jagermeister Stage, located in Findley Plaza and the Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stage located in the The Star Bar’s parking lot.  The spooktacular parade of horror runs from 4 to 6 pm and promises to spook even the bravest of the brave, so pick a spot and hold on tight!  Get your faces rocked off with Kool Kats galore and more at the Jagermeister Stage! Mercury Orkestar, a spitfire gypsy brass band will have you boogyin’ at 1 pm. Grim Rooster with Kool Kat Phil Stair gets down and dirty with that high energy rockin’ rockabilly at 2 pm.  Kool Kat Julea Thomerson & Her Dear Johns goes on at 3 pm, with their banjo’n foot stompin’ honkytonk while Cletus & His City Cousins will keep you dancin’ with that rockin’ big rig honkytonk at 6 pm! Kool Kat Caroline Hull Engel and her band The Ramblers will have you up and dancin’ with some heated classic rockabilly at 7 pm!  For some ‘gypsy punk garage grass’, Strung Like A Horse promises to deliver at 8 pm followed by The Higher Choir beltin’ out that roots rock and soul at 9 pm.  Head on over to the Wrecking Bar Brewpub Stage for a deadly good time as Kool Kats Ryan Howard, Derek Obscura and Jamie Robertson of the Casket Creatures wake you from the dead with their horror punk from the unknown at 2 pm.  Walk From the Gallows will keep you rockin’ with their retro-inspired rock/country at 3 pm.  After the parade surf on back to catch up with Kool Kat Joshua Longino and Andrew & the Disapyramids as they throw an unforgettable Halloween beach party at 6 pm! The Biters will get a taste of your flesh at 7 pm followed by Stonerider and their bitchin’ retro rock at 8pm!  The Locksmyth, reminiscent of Tom Waits and The Kinks will have you on your toes at 9 pm followed by Jungol gettin’ David Lynch-y and rockin’ you at 10 pm! You won’t want to miss out on the best Halloween festival around, so drag your warm bodies out of bed and head on down to Euclid Avenue!

Andrew & the Disapyramids.

Tonight is 80s night at the Variety Playhouse as the Yacht Rock Review performs their ghoulish October tradition of performing Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, in its zombified horrific entirety, followed by their MTV Party to Go! where you can embrace your inner neon child and dance the night away to the dance music of ’87 to ‘92 at 7:30 pm!  If you need a little more hard-core 80s, rock on over to the Drunken Unicorn for a  night of Guitar Wolf, those rockers from Japan who’ll leave you begging for more of their Ramones and rockabilly sounds! Watch out ladies! If you want his body, and you think he’s sexy, come out and spend the night with Rod Stewart as he takes over Atlanta at Philips Arena with Steve Winwood!  If you need something a little on the mellow side, check out Audience Wanted: An Eclectic Evening of Dance presented by the Georgia Ballet with dance accompanied by the music of Nat King Cole and other jazz legends at the Marietta Performing Arts Center.  The Bitteroots’ tangy, soulful funk can be found at Big Tex while The Boohoo Ramblers will make you boogie-woogie on down at The Family Dog.  Fat Matt’s Rib Shack offers their ‘retro rock repertoire’ with The Tone Prophets while Francine Reed gets intimate and bluesy wild at Blind Willie’s.  For some countrified blues, head on over to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for the Tom Lennon Band! And to get a taste of some true ‘punk grass’ bluesy Texas swing, boogie on over to the Red Clay Theater to spend an evening with Grace & Tory, The Wicks and Penny & Sparrow at 8 pm! And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, October 20

Witness the truth and come celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the most horrific broadcast of the 20th century, Orson Welles’ 1938 War of The World broadcast that terrified the nation, presented by the Atlanta Radio Theater Company at the Morris & Rae Frank Theater’s production of WAR OF THE WORLD: THE UNTOLD STORY in Dunwoody! Find out what really transpired on this one day only event where you learn about the martian invasion that began it all and how the extermination of humanity was really averted! You won’t want to miss this truly momentous revelation with only two showings at 2:30 and 7:30 pm!

Start your day with a Bluegrass Brunch with the Decatur Bluegrass Association at Big Tex in Decatur from 11am to 1 pm.  Get a sneak peak of the choreography of Gathering Wild Dance Company’s newest creation, Circa 50, in their free event at Dance 101, ‘Party Like it’s 1955’ throwing a 1950’s style party from 4 to 6 pm!  Get funky at The Earl with Grupo Fantasma’s Latin Funk Orchestra and Heavy Chevy!  The Family Dog presents the bluesy sounds of the Jez Graham Trio and Joe Gransden while Fatback Deluxe belts out their retro blues, soul and jazz from the 40s, 50s and 60s at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!  The Appleseed Collective offers a little of their ragtime, sweaty soul at Smith’s Olde Bar while Poor Old Shine gets down and dirty with some foot stompin’ Americana at Eddie’s Attic! Blues it on down to the Northside Tavern for the sounds of Uncle Sugar or come out and experience the Joni Mitchell Tribute Dinner Show at 6 pm, featuring Margo Bernstein, Kim Chamberlain and more at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs! And it’s your last chance to find out what really happened in the Coen Brothers’ FARGO (1996) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series!

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks every weekend from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27.

Oakland Cemetery’s Halloween Tours haunt  Thursday & Sundays 5:30 – 9:30, Friday & Saturdays – 5:30 – 10:30, so, come on out for their spooky one-hour ghost tours! It’s your only chance to rendezvous with the ghosts of Atlanta after dark! Runs Oct. 18 through Oct. 27.

Center for Puppetry Arts’s THE WIZARD OF OZ follows the yellow brick road until Oct 20. (W-F 10 & 11:30, Sat 12 & 2 and Sun 1 & 3 pm) (LAST CHANCE!)

Serenbe Playhouse’s THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE chills and thrills from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31

The Stage Door Players’ presentation of THE ANDREW BROTHERS: A MADCAP MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE SWINGING 40s swings from Oct. 10 through Oct. 20. (LAST CHANCE!)

Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery’s who-done-it mystery dinner show, ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ runs from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6.

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

Every first Wednesday is the Graveyard Tavern’s Graveyard Swing Night, featuring the swingin’ jazz and boogie-woogie sounds of the Savoy Kings!

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

What better way for Atlanta bakery The Sugar Dolls to say “thank you” to the community than by partnering with Sacred Heart Tattoo for a day-long celebration benefitting the city’s homeless LGBT youth? This Saturday, Oct. 12, they come together once again for their annual Day of the Cupcake event. This year brings us a Marie Antoinette-themed charity soirée featuring tattoos, parasols, contests, giveaways, music, burlesque and, of course…cupcakes!

The fun starts at noon over at Little Five Points’ Sacred Heart Tattoo, where their team of artists will be prettying up your flesh with delectably beautiful images of cupcakes for a mere $50. The proceeds all go toward the Lost-n-Found Youth organization, which is the area’s only nonprofit dedicated to Atlanta’s LGBT homeless youth. They provide emergency housing, referrals for HIV/STD testing and other medical issues, GED program referrals and many other vital services.

While you’re at Sacred Heart, pick up a $5 parasol and some art supplies to enter the Parasol Decorating Contest! Entries will be judged throughout the day, with first place (announced at the Star Bar after party) winning a $200 gift certificate from Sacred Heart Tattoo.

And did I just say the Star Bar’s after party? At 7 p.m., the celebration continues just down the block from Sacred Heart as you are whisked away to enjoy all the French decadence the Star Bar can possibly contain. While the cost of admission for the average Jacques or Jill is $10, admission is free to all sporting a cupcake tattoo, and the first 50 in the door get a free Marie Antoinette inspired door prize. While quenching your thirst with a drink from the Green Faeries at Lucid Absinthe, sate your hunger with free cupcakes from the Sugar Dolls. And take part in any of the many contests and giveaways in store: Dress in your best 18^th century finery (or your own take on it) to win $200 from Sacred Heart Tattoo in this year’s costume contest! Vie for your heart’s desire at the art and item auction! Take your chances and win raffle prizes from this year’s sponsors: Marie Antoinette and Cthulhu-inspired wigs from Salon Red’s Candice McCamman, unusual accessories from Diamond Star Halo, and surprise prizes from Bang! Arts and Promotion, The Ice Box and Julian’s Cosmetics and Skincare! The biggest win of the night, however, is offered by Waking Sun Studio: an eight hour recording session (four hours recording, four hours mixing/mastering) helmed by veteran Atlanta producer Chad Singer.

It’s not all cupcakes and giveaways, though. There are also musical performances by the Swingthrower Ensemble, Maria Nicholas of the Vauxhall Garden Variety Players and Jeffrey Bützer, as well as a burlesque performance by the one and only Sadie Hawkins!

It’s a full day of decadent revelry, and it all goes to benefit some of those in our community most in need of our help. So head on down to Little Five Points this Saturday to get tatted up and party down for a worthy cause.

Aleck Bennett is a writer, blogger, pug warden, pop culture enthusiast, raconteur and bon vivant from the greater Atlanta area. Visit his blog at doctorsardonicus.wordpress.com

Joe Gransden.

by Melanie Crew
Contributing Writer

Be good little children and see all there is to see in Retro Atlanta!  We promise to make even the dullest week a thrill! Retro Atlanta has whatever floats your boat, from stimulating performances to terrifying spooks to rockin’ shows that’ll keep you coming back for more! So get out there and enjoy life! 

Monday, October 7

If Monday’s left a dirty taste in your mouth, come on and get nitty gritty with Scott H. Biram at The Earl for some funky blues and honkytonk punk! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern and get the blues at Lola’s famous Monday Night Northside Jam!  Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month. Head on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for a side of Dry White Toast with some finger lickin’ BBQ!  If you need a little bloody excitement in your life, a little who-done-it dark comedy and murder, stake out Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery for their presentation of ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ The blood bath begins at 7:30 pm. Head on down to the The Plaza Theater as they screen Hector Babenco’s ‘film within a film’ and sinister love story of suspense and betrayal, in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (1985) during their Pride Film Festival at 7:30 pm! 

Tuesday, October 8

Get teased! Get frightened! Head on down to The Shelter for Kool Kat Katherine Lashe’s Syrens of the South in their ballyhoo of an event, Tease Tuesday: Halloween Edition featuring the spooktacular and zesty acts of Torra Torrid, Violetta Lugosi, Kool Kat Ursula Undress, Ruby Redmayne, Tru Bliss, Candi Le Coeur and many more! It promises to be a horrorfest of burlesque and singers and acrobats, OH MY!

Rev on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for the swingin’ honkytonk surf sounds of Izzy and the Catastrophics! If you’re craving some old school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some rockin’ BBQ! Swing on down to Steve’s Live Music to witness the veterans of bluegrass with a hint of swing, the 8th of January! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm or head on down to Eddie’s Attic for the thundering hardcore Americana sounds of Tim Eriksen’s Trio de Pumpkintown!  Blind Willie’s offers some foot stompin’ bluegrass with the Boo Hoo Ramblers while The Entertainment Crackers blues it up with their folksy Americana at the Northside Tavern. Get rowdy with a little early 90s Indie rock Seattle grunge at the Drunken Unicorn with Thee Quasi, Jeffery Lewis and Glen Iris! For a night of shocking, terrifying cinematic slasher satisfaction, spend an hour or two (if you’re not too chicken!) with your favorite masked villain mama’s boy, Jason Vorhees, at the screening of Sean S. Cunningham’s  FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) as Northlake Festival Movie Tavern gets bloody in their Retro Cinema Scares! series, or if you need something a little more undead, stagger on over to The Plaza Theater for Splatter Cinema‘s zombified screening of George Romero’s classic, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) at 9:30!

Wednesday, October 9

Take a trip down the yellow brick road and make your way to the Center for Puppetry Arts and say ‘Hey!’ to Dorothy and her pals in their presentation of THE WIZARD OF OZ with two showings at 10 and 11:30 am!  Come get swept away with the dreamy Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as Emory’s Cinematheque screens Frank Capra’s IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) at in their American Comedy Classics series at Emory’s White Hall at 7:30 pm.

Hey you rude boys and girls! Pull out those dusty old braces and boots and head on down to The Loft to get your fill of the 80s and 90s ska/punk revival with The English Beat or rock on down to  the Masquerade as the Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters and Left Alone leave you two-toned, out of breath and begging for more! Have a bad-ass blues chick night at The Earl with the Chicago-blues and 60s vintage rock sounds of Eileen Jewell or roll on down to Smith’s Olde Bar for the ‘root rocker’, blues and soul queen Nikki Hill! Head on over to Blind Willie’s for some blues, jazz and southern soul with Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo or rock on over to the Northside Tavern as Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues! Catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and it’s Widespread Wednesdays at Big Tex featuring the funky rockin’ sounds of Sugarfoot! Get to pickin’ at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs with Battlefield Collective! It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Get slashed at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series with Sean S. Cunningham’s  FRIDAY THE 1th (1980) matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Thursday, October 10

Boogie on down to Variety Playhouse for some terrifying funk from beyond the grave with Here Come the Mummies, wrapped to the nines in their best funeral attire! Get headless and haunted at Serenbe Playhouse’s chilling premiere of THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE, directed by Brian Clowdus.  Get spooked! Get thrilled! Be the Headless Horseman’s next victim! Catch SONG OF THE LIVING DEAD as Dad’s Garage Theater Company presents this hilarious ghoulish tale! For something a little more retro, a little more swingin’, head on up to Dunwoody and take in the Stage Door Players’ presentation of THE ANDREW BROTHERS: A MADCAP MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE SWINGING 40s!  Come get risqué at Smith’s Olde Bar as they host The Lipstick Junkies’ Show, featuring Black Caviar and Ray of Sunshine in their exciting event where ‘Vegas and Vaudeville meet the Cotton Club’!  Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. A night of rockin’ blues with Beverly ‘Guitar’ Watkins will be had at Blind Willie’s while the Red Light Café’s howlin’ with The Howlin’ Brothers and their old timey blues and bluegrass show! Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Chill on down to Trader Vic’s for a couple of cocktails with DJ Yvonne Monet as she kicks off Pride Weekend.  It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter.  Tonight’s a night of shock-filled cinema that will leave you on the edge of your seat, so come on down (If you dare!) and check in at the Overlook Hotel, although we can’t promise you’ll check out in Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING (1980) at 7:15 and 9:45!  And it’s your last chance to get victimized in Sean S. Cunningham’s FRIDAY THE 13th (1980) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series at 7:30! And Ghost Riders Car Club honytonks it up at the Clermont Lounge.

Jayne County and the Electrick Queers

Friday, October 11 

Finally! Get outrageous and rock on down to The Star Bar for Georgia’s home-grown CBGB pioneer and international punk rock sensation that is Kool Kat Jayne County and her Electrick Queers where she’ll be rockin’ out to her greatest hits! It’s Steampunk Friday down at the Edgewood Speakeasy ElectroSwing Atlanta, featuring DJ Doctor Q, so, be unique and fabulous and a little curious as you catch a glimpse of what lies hidden behind that secret door! The Variety Playhouse promises a night of rock and roll with the sounds of Reptar, reminiscent of a little Talking Heads, a little Prince and a little Jackson 5 all rolled up into one rockin’ show! Jump ‘n’ jive on down to the Crimson Moon Café for the ragtime, viper jazz, country swing sounds of Woody Pines and The Howlin’ Brothers! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack has some vintage-style blues with Atlanta Boogie while Blind Willie’s hosts the “Empress of the Blues” herself, Sandra Hall & The Shadows! Boogie on down to the Northside Tavern to catch the madness and absurdity that is, Colonel Bruce Hampton as he slings over 50 years worth of that funky, jazz-infused rhythm! If you’re itching for some bonafide New Orleans-style brass standards, head on down to the Elliot Street Pub for the brassy Wasted Potential Brass Band! Maybe catch a glimpse of Old Blue Eyes as The Electromatics revive a little Sinatra and a little of that Chicago/West Coast swing under the dinosaurs while sipping a cocktail at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event.

Saturday, October 12

Have your cake and eat it too, with a little ink on the side! Today’s the day, the Day of the Cupcake with Mary Antoinette in their annual charity affair! Head on down to Sacred Heart Tattoo and get your fill of sweets and maybe a little pain with a $50 cupcake tattoo for a good cause and maybe you’ll be spared Ms. Antoinette’s blood lust! Sacred Heart has teamed up with the divine domestic goddesses, The Sugar Dolls in their effort to raise awareness and support for Atlanta’s Lost & Found Youth, a charity that helps homeless LGBT youth in Atlanta! So, if you have a heart (sacred or not) and an undeniable sweet tooth, come on down, get poked, get fed and support a wonderful cause! The event runs from noon until 7 pm, with an after party at The Star Bar, where the first fifty (who are lucky enough to keep their heads) will receive free Marie Antoinette door prizes! The after party will be swingin’ with musical performances by The Swingthrower Ensemble, The Vauxhall Garden Variety Players with Maria Nicholas, Jeffrey Butzer and a fabulous and sultry burlesque performance by Sadie Hawkins! Heads will be rolling, so come on down! Decorate parasols! Eat cake! Get a tattoo! Taste the Green Fairy! Support a great cause!

Chickens and Pigs throws a downright hootenanny for its first new CD in years at Big Tex. For all that is dark and sinister, you won’t want to miss out as Danzig brings his 25th Anniversary Tour to Atlanta at Center Stage! So, if you’ve been lusting for that hardcore heavy metal of yore and you’re ready rock out, come on down! Get rebellious at 529 as they offer a night reminiscent of Bikini Kill, The Ramones and a little nostalgic punk with Lust Cats of the Gutters while the Highlander brings back the sounds of The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Social Distortion with a taste of the Cadillac Junkies! Head on down to the Northside Tavern to catch that funk-sensation and bluesy jazz legend, Ike Stubblefield or to The Family Dog as The Hollidays sling their 60s soul and rock n roll or maybe groove on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack  to get a taste of The Stooge Brothers’ brand of funky blues while you chomp on some awesome BBQ! Smith’s Olde Bar gets down and dirty with Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, while Joe Nemeth, the ‘natural-born Bluesman’ throws down his deep and soulful sounds at Blind Willie’s! And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Kitty Love.

Sunday, October 13

Cheeky Belles Burlesque presents Kitty Love’s Sultry Sunday Burlesque’s Sci-Fi Fantasies & Haunting Tails Halloween Show at the Red Light Café! You won’t want to miss tributes to your favorite sci-fi and fantasy characters!  Be a part of this steamy event with performances by Kitty Love, Angelica Vice, Lah Lah Luscious, Salvador Chali, Sinamon T. Wisted, Dirty Harry and many more! Costumes are encouraged, so if you want to get a little risqué and spooked all in the same entertaining evening, come on down! Show begins at 8 pm!

Stroll on down to Atlanta Orchestra’s Symphony Hall as the legendary powerhouse Michael McDonald showcases the guttural bluesy sounds that have made him a household name!  Head on down to The Earl and get your kicks with a little garage, disco, punk-infused rock with the Electric Six!  The Family Dog presents the bluesy sounds of the Jez Graham Trio while Fatback Deluxe belts out their retro blues, soul and jazz from the 40s, 50s and 60s at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack!  Blind Willie’s presents their Luau for Lukemia, so come on and get bluesy deep while supporting a great cause!

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks every weekend from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27.

7 Stages presents THE NAVIGATOR, through October 13. Watch for a Kool Kat of the Week interview with Composer Klimchak soon!

Center for Puppetry Arts’s THE WIZARD OF OZ follows the yellow brick road until Oct 20. (W-F 10 & 11:30, Sat 12 & 2 and Sun 1 & 3 pm)

Serenbe Playhouse’s THE SLEEPY HOLLOW EXPERIENCE chills and thrills from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31

The Stage Door Players’ presentation of THE ANDREW BROTHERS: A MADCAP MUSICAL SALUTE TO THE SWINGING 40s swings from Oct. 10 through Oct. 20.

Agatha’s A Taste of Mystery’s who-done-it mystery dinner show, ‘SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW…SOMEONE DIES!’ runs from Oct. 7 through Nov. 6.

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

Splatter Cinema presents DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978); Dir. George A. Romero; Starring Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross, David Emge, Scott Reninger and Tom Savini; Tuesday, Oct. 8 @ 9:30 p.m. (photo and merch table open @ 9 p.m.); Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

It’s here! The season of Samhain is upon us, when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. And in acknowledgement of that, Splatter Cinema rips the veil asunder and brings the living dead directly into the Plaza Theatre with a screening of George Romero’s epic masterpiece of massacre, DAWN OF THE DEAD!

“When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth.”

There are zombie movies, and there are Zombie Movies. And George Romero is the architect—directly or indirectly—of almost every one of them made after 1968.

1968 saw the director change the very definition of the word zombie (though it’s not uttered a single time) with his classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Before his ghouls stalked the screen, the cinematic zombie was tied closely to the mythology of Haitian voodoo: reanimated corpses brought back through ritual and acting as tools under the control of a powerful magician. But Romero’s stark vision cast off those supernatural chains. His zombies were still reanimated corpses, true, but his were under no man’s thrall or control. They shuffled across the landscape with a single goal: to feast on the flesh of the living. And unlike traditional zombies, they multiplied in number; every person wounded (but not consumed) by the walking dead became one of them. And any corpse whose body was not destroyed was resurrected and became part of their number.

And whether intentional or not, NIGHT introduced an aspect of social criticism to the subgenre. Star Duane Jones became the first African-American horror hero, and his mere presence added a layer of subtext to the film. And with its graphic violence coming on the heels of the “Summer of Love,” NIGHT seemed to speak to both the horrors witnessed regularly on the nightly news as the Vietnam War continued unabated, and to the spread of mindless violence present in American society.

In the interim, countless number of filmmakers followed in Romero’s footsteps with varying degrees of success. And while some did attempt to tie the supernatural back into the equation (Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBI 2 and Bob Clark’s CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS being notably among them), even those tended to stick with Romero’s zero-sum “the living vs. the dead” equation.

A decade later, DAWN OF THE DEAD upped the ante on NIGHT considerably.

DAWN takes place shortly after the events of NIGHT (though time-adjusted to the late 1970s), and picks up as the living dead seem to be gaining the upper hand. SWAT teams are being utilized to clean up dead-infested urban areas, but after a mere three weeks, society is beginning to spiral into chaos. A handful of survivors (two TV staffers and two SWAT team members) try to make an escape from Philadelphia into safer territory using the TV station’s helicopter. Spotting a shopping mall, and deciding that it would be easy to secure such a location, the team decide to take their chances and land.

DAWN not only goes NIGHT one better on the social front by giving us strong African American and female lead characters in Ken Foree’s Peter Washington and Gaylen Ross’ Francine Parker (NIGHT’s Barbara, in comparison, spends the entire movie in a state of shock and vacillating between hysterics and detachment), but it also contains multiple levels of satire. While the film explicitly depicts our heroes attempting to placate or avoid their concerns by indulging in rampant materialism, it also shows that this is no real escape; that the threats ignored by mindless diversion still gather steam and can—and will—intrude when you least expect it. Romero also stacks the film with multiple scenes of zombies aimlessly walking the mall, the implicit message being that this mindless consumerism is truly mindless—a rote activity that has become almost reflexive in human nature. And with the introduction of Tom Savini’s invading gang of bikers into the equation, he shows that the living can be just as mindless and dangerous as the dead.

But lest you think that this is a film purely made up of rhetoric, let me stress that this is all subtext. The text of the movie is all pure apocalyptic zombie horror. Romero, a master of composition and editing, ratchets up the feeling of dread from the beginning, plunging us into a world where order is fracturing and the constant threat of horrific death is right around every corner. Tom Savini’s groundbreaking effects top anything seen in gore film history to that date, and critics such as CINEFANTASTIQUE’s Steven Biodrowski agree, claiming that the film turned gore and horror into “a form of art.”

The film even launched the entire Italian zombie film craze. Unable to find any investors willing to back the film in the US, Romero secured the film’s funding with the help of Dario Argento, who invited Romero to Rome to work on the screenplay. The two collaborated on the film’s script (though the extent of Argento’s involvement is debated), Argento brought the band Goblin aboard to score the film, and Argento retained international non-English rights to the film’s distribution. He released it in a tightened-up version (cut from 126 to 119 minutes and featuring more of Goblin’s score) overseas as ZOMBI. The impact was immediate, with Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBI 2 being a quickly-devised unofficial follow-up and a host of other productions following in its wake.

Domestically, the film has deservedly received almost unanimous praise, named by many as one of the greatest horror films ever made. Some, like EMPIRE magazine and the NEW YORK TIMES, go a step farther, proclaiming it one of the best films of all time, full stop.

…And here it is in Atlanta for a one-night screening. Do you need any more reason to go? Well, let’s add in the chance to have your picture made in a recreation of one of the film’s ghoulish tableaux. If that’s not enough for you, then, well…you might just be dead yourself.

Aleck Bennett is a writer, blogger, pug warden, pop culture enthusiast, raconteur and bon vivant from the greater Atlanta area. Visit his blog at doctorsardonicus.wordpress.com

by Melanie Crew
Contributing Writer

‘This Week’ in Retro Atlanta promises to excite and terrorize all in the same wicked breath! ‘Tis the month of phantoms and bewitching good times! So come on out and haunt with the rest of us! From juke joints to darkened theaters to festivals galore, get out, get hip and get Retro while the gettin’s good!

Monday, September 30

Mondays may get you down, but not in Retro Atlanta! Forget the drudgery of the workweek and head on over to The Earl for the Legendary Pink Dots, offering up decades worth of Anglo-Dutch experimental rock! If that doesn’t whet your willy, chill on out with Barrelhouse Bob Page at Blind Willie’s or come on over to the Northside Tavern for the blues-stylings of Lola and her Blues Jam. Swing on by Big Band Night featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-member orchestra at Café 290 every first and third Monday of the month. Pork it up with Pead Boy & The Pork Bellies at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack.  If you’re up for some teenage shenanigans, come celebrate Samantha Baker’s 16th birthday at The Plaza Theater’s Mascara Movie Monday screening of John Hughes’ SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) at 7 pm.

Tuesday, October 1

Get haunted on this first day of this hallowed month of shock and horror with cult legends Goblin, the Italian Soundtrack Kings, as they kick off their virgin American tour at The Loft  promising to deliver a terrifying evening that will go beyond shock with echoing screams from their scores in Dario Argento’s horrifying masterpieces,  DEEP RED (1975), SUSPIRIA (1977), TENEBRAE (1982) and so many more!  Get mortified at the Masquerade’s annual Chamber of Horror Haunted House which opens tonight and spooks the entire month of October. One way or another, she’s gonna getcha! Head on down to the Buckhead Theater to catch the infamous platinum rocker chick and CBGB regulars, Blondie with Special Guest X at 8 pm. If you’re craving some old school rockin’ blues, come on down to Fat Matt’s Rib Shack for the JT Speed Band and some finger lickin’ BBQ! Get to pickin’at Steve’s Live Music for their weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam with the vintage 20s fiddlin’ stylings of the Georgia Crackers.  Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm.  The Hollidays bring their take on 60s soul and rock n roll at Blind Willie’s. Northlake Festival Movie Tavern begins their Retro Cinema Scares! series with Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) at 7:30 pm and if you fail to remember the infamous three rules, we can’t promise you’ll make it out alive!

Wednesday, October 2

Descend into the late 80s, early 90s grunge heyday and get your fill of the raucous rock n roll styling of Mudhoney at The Earl.  The legendary group, Earth, Wind & Fire bring their Now, Then & Forever tour to the Fox Theater to celebrate their 20th studio album.  Head on over to Blind Willie’s for that deep blues sound of the Little G Trio with Little G. Weevil, or if you prefer the piedmont blues, come on down to the Northside Tavern and kick off your shoes with Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck.   Fat Matt’s Rib Shack serves up the vintage blues stylings of The Georgia Flood, while Steve’s Live Music hosts the funky and folk sounds of Heidi Pollyea. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Learn why you should always listen to your parents and never break the rules at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series with Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) matinee screening at 11:30 am!

Andrew & the Disapyramids.

Thursday, October 3

Catch the film that launched the darkly comedic duo, The Coen Brothers into the cinematic world with BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series. Head on over to Noni’s Bar & Deli for their weekly Occupy Edgewood event featuring DJs Rene Dellefont & Brian Parris as they offer up the sounds of The Smiths and The Cure and all the morose tunes your black little heart desires. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack featuring Eddie Tigner delivers some honky-tonk blues while the Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Surf on down to Trader Vic’s for a rockin’ beach party and a couple of cocktails with Andrew & the Disapyramids.  Get a second chance to catch The Hollidays slingin’ their 60s soul and rock n roll at Darwin’s Burgers & Blues in Marietta. It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter.  And it’s your last chance to get cuddly with Gizmo while the naughty Gremlins wreak havoc in Joe Dante’s GREMLINS (1984) at the Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s Retro Cinema Scares! series at 7:30!

Friday, October 4

Catch a wave with the legendary Brian Wilson, (w/ Al Jardine and David Marks) of the Beach Boys and the English rock guitarist Jeff Beck at Chastain Park. If you need to be revived, head on down to Eddie’s Attic for the pickin’ sounds of Steve Forbert, slingin’ Americana before it became trendy followed by The Honey Dewdrops and Red June offering up some Appalachian-style roots tunes.. Come rock out with Aimee Mann, former member of Boston’s 80s punk band, The Young Snakes and the new-wave band, ‘Til Tuesday, at the Variety Playhouse. Salsa under the dinosaurs while sipping a cocktail at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX event with the high-energy Orquesta Macuba!

Saturday, October 5

Run off with the circus, a carnival of debauchery and fantasy with The Sexual Side Effects’ Rock-n-Roll Circus! The ever-mysterious Kool Kat Amber Taylor electrifies the way with their high-voltage post-punk, new wave space rock promising to satisfy every desire! Join the sin-sation of delights and get your kink on with a night of side shows, burlesque and rock-n-roll at the Drunken Unicorn.  Slip on down to The Shelter as DJ BC hosts Atlanta’s monthly mashup bootleg party, Bootie ATL #15! Dress like a pirate, get in free! You don’t want to miss Kool Kat Taloolah Love, burlesque superstar, seduce her way into your hearts at the Midnight Mashup Show!

Come get some pop culture, monster-style with Kool Kat Chris Hamer of Urbn Pop, as well as many other local artists and musicians at the Rev Fall Fest at Rev Coffee in Smyrna from 10 am to 8 pm.  Head on over to Avondale Estates and kick off your shoes as the Avondale Arts Alliance presents the AutumnFEST, a two-day arts and music festival with a musical line-up that aims to please! Cruis-O-Matic rolls out the dance floor with their high-energy 60s tunes, so don’t forget your dancin’ shoes while Saturday night’s headliner is The Whiskey Gentry, described as a “toe-tapping, steamrolling kind of band. Its fingers picking deep into fields of bluegrass, with a punk-inspired kick drum.”

Rock on down to the Mable House Barnes Ampiteather for their Candlelite Concert Series in Mableton and rev it up with Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt as he belts out those rockabilly tunes with the Psycho-DeVilles. Lola & the Blues Ladies will be wailing it out southern soul-style at the Northside Tavern, so grab a drink and come on down!  If you’re hankerin’ for that swamp pop, Cajun swing, head on over to Big Tex to catch Zydeco Ya Ya.  And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Get horror-struck as Six Flags kicks off their Fright Fest delivering a chilling, grotesque experience that will cause nightmares for years! This year, Fright Fest offers Thrills by Day, for the ghoulish kiddies in your life as well as 15 terrifying Fright by Night attractions that promise to terrorize with blood curdling screams! Lurch on down to the Axis Arena to witness the bloodiest battles between the world’s most notorious villains as they duke it out in life or death matches during in the Monstrosity Championship Wrestling (MCW) events brought to you by Kool Kat Jonathan Williams, writer of our BFF blog Wrestling With Pop Culture and Kool Kat Shane Morton, also known as Professor Morte, king of terror, horror host of the Silver Scream Spookshow!

Sunday, October 6

Start your day with a bluegrass brunch with Cedar Hill at Big Tex in Decatur from 11am to 1 pm.  It’s your last chance to become a witness to murder in The Coen Brothers’ BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series. It’s day 2 and your last chance to swing on down to the AutumnFEST in Avondale Estates! Take a stroll and check out the local art as well as some retro musical entertainment, featuring The Bonadventure Quartet, slingin’ that western swing and gypsy jazz and the Americana, punk-swing nostalgic sounds of the 20s with Megan Jean and the KFB! Get jazzy at lunch with Deb Bowman and her sultry standards at Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs at 1 pm.  Maybe get lucky and see a ghost or two at the Oakland Cemetery’s th annual Sunday in the Park Victorian Street Festival from noon until 6 pm! Be brave and tour the mausoleums, but try not to disturb the slumbering souls! Take a ride in a carriage! Devour the festival food offered by Six Feet Under, Pallookaville and all the other tasty goodies! Partake in the artist’s market or the Victorian costume contest! Come out and get spooked at Atlanta’s ‘most unique fall festivals’! The Plaza Theater’s Cineprov, Atlanta’s longest-running and award-winning movie-riffing shows presents STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) at 7:30 pm.

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

Six Flags’ Fright Fest spooks from Oct. 5 through Oct. 27

7 Stages presents THE NAVIGATOR, A fantastical tale of a boy who travels back in time to save the future! You won’t want to miss this adventurous tale of friendship and time travel adapted and directed by Michael Haverty from the novel by Eoin MacNamee.  Performances through October 13. Watch for a Kool Kat of the Week interview with composer Klimchak soon!

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

Ruggero Deodato and Jeremy Morris. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Morris.

Ultimate Scream Queen Barbara Steele! Italian giallo director Lamberto Bava (DEMONS), son of Mario Bava! Ruggero Deodato, as in the original DJANGO (1966) and CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1979)! These names are simply legend among cult cinephiles, and they all will be in Atlanta for Twisted Fears Weekend, a three-day horror convention Sept. 27-29 at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center. And that’s just the terrifying tip of a Retro-tastic guest line-up that also includes Linnea Quigley (RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD), a SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE  (1982) cast reunion, Tony Todd (CANDYMAN ), Fred “The Hammer” Williamson  (BLACK CAESAR , FROM DUSK TILL DAWN ), Geretta Geretta  (DEMONS ), Lynn Lowry (original THE CRAZIES ), and more.

The eerie event also will celebrate the worldwide re-launch of Gorezone, the even more splattery sister magazine of Fangoria . Needless to say, ATLRetro couldn’t help but declare con organizer Jeremy Morris Kool Kat of the Week to find out all the deadly details.

ATLRetro: I’ve heard so many local horror fans express absolute surprise and delight about Twisted Fears. Did it get started with the Gorezone anniversary or was something else the catalyst?

Jeremy Morris: Twisted Fears was formed a year ago by my twisted imagination. I have been in the convention scene nearly 20 years. I have met a lot of great people along the way. The true reasoning of the creation of Twisted Fears was a part of my true love of the horror genre. I have lived in Atlanta all of my life and I felt it was time to do a show with a twist, something different than what fans may be accustomed too.

Twisted Fears has an amazing guest line-up, including a lot of celebrities known for their European horror work, making it very different from Days of the Dead, Dragoncon, or even most horror cons around the country. Why take that the con in that direction?

This question is very easy to answer. As a long-time fan of this convention scene, I have always wished to see more international guests at shows because there are a lot of films [that are] forgotten. I chose to bring in guests that you may have not seen in a long time or possibly never, which gives the fans a fresh new roster of celebrities.

GOBLIN’s playing a few days later on Tuesday Oct. 1. Their shows are selling out across the country, and Fabio Frizzi  also is doing a Halloween concert  in London. AMERICAN HORROR STORY  has a clear giallo influence, which many think will be even more so this fall with its “Coven” storyline. Why do you think there’s such a resurgence of interest in giallo right now?

In my opinion, some of the greatest horror films originated from the Italian genre. People are craving fresh, new ideas while sometimes new ideas consist of rejuvenating past genres of films and the Italians are one of them.

Fangoria ad for Twisted Fears. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Morris.

We are just privileged and honored that Barbara and Lamberto have chosen to join us for the inaugural year of Twisted Fears. I consider them legends in their own right. They have influenced some of the greatest films that we know of to date.They will be participating in a Q&A panel on Saturday.

I am sure you don’t want to play favorites, but is there anyone you are particularly excited you were able to book?

I am truly excited for all of my guests I was able to book because I took great pride in the guest selection as a fan first. If I had to choose one that made me giggle it would be Ruggero Deodato because he is so rarely seen, but I consider him the master of Italian horror.

Jeremy Morris. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Morris.

Did you grow up reading Fango and Gorezone? What impact did these two magazines have on you?

Yes, I grew up reading Fango, I actually own the first issue. I have considered it the Godfather of all horror publications. I am truly honored that we were hand chosen to re-launch Gorezone after so many years of absence. It makes me giddy inside to think Fangoria wanted to be a part of this show.

One of the anniversary treats is a virtual interview with Fango Editor Chris Alexander, who’s based in Toronto. Can you talk a little about that

It is an anniversary treat so you need to be there to find out!!!

A lot of folks might think about just coming on Saturday. Why should they buy a full weekend pass instead? Or kick in the extra bucks for a VIP pass?

We have a lot of panels, events, night-time parties scheduled. The signature event is the first of it’s kind, our own Twisted Feast Dinner Party, with a very intimate setting for all fans to have a quiet dinner with all of the guests in attendance. This is a chance to truly have an experience of meeting the guests like no other.

What else do you want horror fans to know about Twisted Fears Weekend?

I want the fans to know that Twisted Fears will continue to be a show of firsts on every level as we continue to grow. Most importantly I am a fan and always will be a fan first. And I will see you in May 2014 for the sequel.

Hours for Twisted Fears Weekend are Friday Sept. 27, 4-10 p.m., Sat. Sept. 28, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sun. Sept. 29, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more info and to purchase advance VIP and general admission tickets, visit https://www.twistedfears.com/.

by Melanie Crew
Contributing Writer

‘This Week’ in Retro Atlanta is chock full of bumpin’ and rockin’ events and is just the tip of the iceberg in this wonderfully wicked season of ghosts and goblins, spooks and the spook-tacular!! Come one, come all! Get out there and enjoy all that Atlanta has to offer from the rockin’est tunes to the nostalgic films of yesteryear.  You won’t be disappointed! There’s something for everyone, so get off the couch, turn off the television and join us in Retro Atlanta!

Monday, September 23

Don’t let the Monday blues get you down! Groove on down to Café 290 every second and fourth Monday of the month for a taste of Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’ or release it all with Midnight Revival at Blind Willie’s. Get that new-wave vibe with Rush Midnight at Smith’s Olde Bar. Pork it up with Pead Boy & The Pork Bellies at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack. For a little history, head on over to The Plaza Theater’s premiere screening of  LETTERS TO JACKIE: REMEMBERING PRESIDENT KENNEDY (2013), a  documentary film that reveals the moving and powerful letters received by Jackie Kennedy in the months following the assassination of the President.

Tuesday, September 24

Let John Hughes drag you back to the good ol’ high school days in the 80-iest of 80s teen flick THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s retro cinema series this week!  If you’re looking for a new-wave revolution, check out Sonen at 529 and get that Joy Division-esque thrill you’ve been craving! Jam it up with Joe Gransden and his jazz jam session at Twain’s in Decatur every Tuesday at 9 pm. If you’re hankering for some bluegrass, head on over to Eddie’s Attic for the bluegrass and soul sounds of the Tumbleweed Wanderers or make a trip to Steve’s Live Music in Sandy Springs for their weekly Bluegrass & Hootenanny Jam featuring The Night Travelers with special guest Curtis Jones.  Maybe you need something a little bit faster, a little bit more upbeat. Smith’s Olde Bar promises you just that with that cool rockabilly sound of Kool Kat Phil Stair, lead vocalist of Grim Rooster, starting at 8 pm.  Danny ‘Mudcat’ Dudeck fires up the blues at Blind Willie’s. And if you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, delve a little bit darker withe the Old School 90s Rave Trax, beatin’ it down at The Shelter.

Wednesday, September 25

529 offers some great tribute bands with Nameless Nameless grinding out the sounds of Nirvana, The Deluxe Interiors punkin’ it up like The Cramps and Tracer Metula bringing the 90s surf-pop sounds of Weezer to the stage.  The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center promises a night of retro fun with the nine-time-Grammy-winning solo artist and original founder of the Manhattan Transfer, Janis Siegel, along with Kevin Mahogany and the multi-Grammy winning act, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Blind Willie’s charges up the red-hot blues sounds of the Electromatics. Noel Stephen & the Darlings brings it at The Earl, playing music “your grandparents used to love”! Fat Matt’s Rib Shack serves up the vintage blues stylings of The Georgia Flood, while Steve’s Live Music hosts the well-known Little G. Weevil and Billy Gibson. For a taste of that Ramones-esque bubblegum pop/punk you’ve been missing, check out Twin Peaks at the Masquerade. Head on down to the Variety Playhouse to listen to the 90s jazzy, bluesy tunes of Ani Difranco. It’s Ladies Night at Johnny’s Hideaway which plays hits from Sinatra to Madonna for a generally mature crowd. Skip school and meet the brain, the beauty, the jock, the rebel and the recluse in an 11:30 am morning matinee of John Hughes’ 80s classic teen flick THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s retro cinema series this week!

Thursday, September 26

It’s your chance to FINALLY catch Steven Spielberg’s critically-acclaimed film about the loveable alien, ET (1982), on the big screen at 9:30 pm at The Plaza Theater during their Fall Focus on Directors series.  Rock on over to The Earl to catch three decades worth of punk rock with the Cosmic Psychos, formed in 1982 and formerly known as Spring Plain. Get your boogie on at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack, as Chickenshack delivers some honky-tonk blues and head on over to Steve’s Live Music for the bluesy funk sounds of George Price while Blind Willie’s promises a jamming good time with the sounds and ‘blues woman power’ of Beverly ‘Guitar’ Watkins.  Northside Tavern presents the classic 50s Chicago-style blues of The Breeze Kings. For a pickin’ good time, head on over to the Red Light Café as they offer up the sounds of Apostles of Bluegrass and Battlefield Collective as part of their Thursday Bluegrass Jam. The Wood Brothers’ blues/funk/folk revival sounds can be heard at the Variety Playhouse. Get your boogie on at Mary’s, as the East Atlanta venue gets funky with their weekly Disco in the Village. Relax with a cocktail while listening to the groovy sounds of Kool Kat Big Mike and Tongo Hiti at vintage tiki bar, Trader Vic’s.  It’s 80s/90s Retro Video Night with free drinks ’til 10 at The Shelter. If you prefer a grungier surf sound, head on over to 529 to take in the Mood Rings.  And it’s your last chance to intermingle with the Brat Pack in John Hughes’ 80s classic teen flick THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985) at Northlake Festival Movie Tavern’s retro cinema series this week!

Friday, September 27

Today begins the spook-tacular, dark and Twisted Fears Horror Weekend at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center! Experience the horrific and gory Italian Invasion while perusing the vender room, witnessing the Walk of the Dead and participating in the Day of the Woman Pageant! Watch for our Kool Kat of the Week interview with con organizer Jeremy Morris soon, but the line-up includes an extravaganza of retro guests (many of whom have never creeped into our neck of the woods before) including Barbara Steele, Queen of Horror and the ever beautiful star of BLACK SUNDAY (1960), the Italian gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava. Also appearing is the legendary Italian cinematographer. Lamberto Bava, Mario Bava’s son, a director specializing in horror, giallo and fantasy films and best known for A BLADE IN THE DARK (1983), DEMONS (1985), DEMONS 2 (1986) as well as a long list of made-for-television movies. Ruggero Deodato,  is the director of the original spaghetti western, DJANGO (1966) and is also known for CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) and the thriller, HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1980). Other guests include Fred Williamson, a.k.a “The Hammer”, a blaxploitation star of the ‘70s, who still gives it everything he’s got and Tony Todd, most notably known for his role as the CANDYMAN in the film with the same name. A DAY OF THE DEAD reunion was slated, but sadly has been cancelled. So, if you love horror, come on down and get your gore on!

Anime Weekend Atlanta, co-founded by Kool Kat Jason Merrill, at Cobb Galleria, featuring all the retro anime you could want, from informational panels (Anime Blinded Me With Science, Old School Classroom and the Mega 80s Panel) to screenings in several video rooms focusing on the foundations of anime with a focus on ASTRO BOY of the 60s up to the present! So, come on out and anime it up!

The living dead begin their gruesome and spooky haunts today with the Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse (AZA), a total immersion experience, throwing its victims right in the middle of a zombie outbreak, capable of causing a lifetime of terror! This journey is not for the faint of heart so, prepare to scream, prepare to cry and come get your zombie fightin’ skills on! Check out our Kool Kat Madeline Brumby, for details on previous years’ AZA and watch for our own scary sneak preview soon! The AZA runs until November 2, so you’ll have ample opportunity to kick some zombie tail!  Also launching tonight is award-winning homegrown haunt, Netherworld, scaring you this year with two attractions, The Dead Ones and Boogeyman.

The Red Light Café begins their International Pop Overthrow Music Festival, featuring the retro sounds of Blake Rainey & His Demons, The Shut-Ups, bringing in a new-wave resurgence, the ever popular Casper and The Cookies, a retro-revival group with sounds compared to the B-52s, and more. Eddie’s Attic is slingin’ the sounds of Richard Bicknell while Willy Jackson belts it out at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack and Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands gives it their all at Steve’s Live Music. If the bluesy twangy sounds of New Orleans is what you’re hankerin’ for, head on down to Smith’s Olde Bar to get your fill of Davis Rogan. For an 80s throwback, the Variety Playhouse is hosting Colin Hay, formerly lead vocalist of Men At Work or head on down to see Lionel Ritchie at Chastain Park. Nick Longo brings his jazzy sound, harkening the old school sounds that’ll have you up dancing under the dinosaurs at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Martinis and IMAX.

Saturday, September 28

Rumble on down to Hell on Wheels. In its 13th year, it promises to be ‘out of control’! So, head on up to Buford and say ‘hey’ to Kool Kat Right Reverend Andy Hawley of Psychobilly Freakout (Garage 71 Internet Radio). The event begins at 11 am, so come hell or high water, there are no excuses to miss this rockabilly rumblin’ extravaganza! Hell on Wheels promises a rockin’ good time with the upbeat and rockin’ sounds of the Sideburners, Grim Rooster and the thrash-grass sounds of The Living Deads that will keep you dancing till the pigs come home!

Day Two of the Twisted Fears Horror Weekend begins.  Doors open at 10 am, promising a horror-ific time! Day Two of Anime Weekend Atlanta includes the screening of Osamu Dezaki’s SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA (1982) in the 80s video room at 2 pm and don’t forget to bebop down in your best 40s and 50s gear to experience the BeBop Lounge, a jazz club echoing the sounds of legends like Dizzie Gillespie, Nina Simone, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and maybe even a little swing for those of you who want to boogie woogie!

The Star Bar hosts their annual Johnny Cash Tribute & Diabetes Benefit, featuring the nostalgic sounds of the Ghost Riders Car Club with Kool Kat Spike Fullerton on guitar, Slim Chance and the Convicts, the Sideburners, AM Gold with Kool Kat Joel Burkhart, and Atlanta’s ‘rockin’ and stompin’ blues band’,  Chicken and Pigs! All proceeds go to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, so it’s a swell chance to support a great cause while jammin’ to some good tunes!  House Rocker Johnson & The Shadows will be bluesin’ it up at Blind Willie’s while Kool Kat Hot Rod Walt will be rockin’ out with the Psycho-DeVilles at the Dixie Tavern in Marietta.  The sci-fi punk vaudeville burlesque collective, also known as Blast-Off Burlesque, presents presents FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998), at their Blast Off Burlesque Taboo-La-La event at The Plaza Theater at 10 pm, with a live stage show followed by the screening. Come early for lobby shenanigans and a free cocktail, and read our Retro Review here. And as always, DJ Romeo Cologne transforms the sensationally seedy Clermont Lounge into a ’70s disco/funk inferno late into the wee hours of the night.

Sunday, September 29

Start your day with a bluegrass brunch with The Porch Bottom Boys at Big Tex from 11am to 1 pm. It is day three and your last chance this year to get your scare on and live to tell the tale at Atlanta’s premier horror convention at Twisted Fears Horror Weekend as well as getting your fill of anime from its conception to the most modern at Anime Weekend Atlanta.  The Plaza Theater’s Cineprov, Atlanta’s longest-running and award-winning movie-riffing shows presents NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984) at 7:30 pm.

Ongoing

Atlanta Zombie Apocolypse runs from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. 

Netherworld haunts from Sept. 27 through Nov. 2.

LETTERS TO JACKIE: REMEMBERING PRESIDENT KENNEDY (2013), a two-hour documentary film that reveals the moving and powerful letters received by Jackie Kennedy in the months following the assassination of the President, is being screened at the The Plaza Theater from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26.

Every Tuesday night, Wednesday morning and Thursday night is Retro Cinema at Movie Tavern.

Every first and third Mondays are Big Band Nights at Café 290, featuring Joe Gransden and his amazing 16-piece orchestra playing jazz and swing standards in the tradition of The Glen Miller Orchestra and other legendary groups.  Second and fourth Mondays are Bumpin the Mango, ‘The groove that makes you want to move!’

If you have a suggestion for a future event that should be included in This Week in Retro Atlanta or see something we missed, please email us at atlretro@gmail.com.

Kermit, Jim Henson and daughter Heather Henson at the grand opening of the Center for Puppetry Arts, 1978. Photo credit: Center for Puppetry Arts.

When Kool Kat of the Week Heather Henson was just seven, she accompanied her famous father, Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets, to the 1978 ribbon-cutting of The Center for Puppetry Arts. Today the Center is world-renowned, and the youngest of the five Henson children is coming back this Saturday September 21 at 4 p.m. to lead an audience singalong with the original THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979), just one highlight of the Center’s 35th Anniversary Celebration (Sept. 21-23).

A puppeteer extraordinaire in her own right, Heather founded and directs Ibex Puppetry, an Orlando, Florida-based entertainment company which among other activities, produces the annual Orlando Puppet Festival, the HANDMADE PUPPET DREAMS film series, the Puppet Slam Network and original environmental theatre spectacles. In that role, she’ll be teaching a Community Building Through Puppetry Workshop at the Center, too, on Mon. Sept. 23 from 7-9 p.m. She serves on the boards of the Jim Henson Foundation, the Jim Henson Legacy and the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center.

We caught up with Heather to find out what it was like growing up with such a creative dad, her own road to puppetry, why she’s so jazzed about her recent environmental projects and why to really feel that Rainbow Connection, you and your family should consider costuming as Muppets when you come to the Center on Saturday!

ATLRetro: Being the baby of the Henson family sounds like it has to have been a magical experience. Was your father as imaginative in playing with you as he has been in his public creative life, and do you have a favorite memory of that?

Heather Henson: Yes, he was very imaginative as a dad. We grew up in a house with a ton of crafts projects. You know, today you can get just go to Michael’s and find all these crafts projects out of a box, Michael’s didn’t exist when we were kids. We just had all these craft supplies. We had the little rock tumblers, a silk screen, an enameling oven, a weaving station and an animation station so we could do stop-motion animation. The whole basement was like a crafts project laboratory. So that was really, really, really fun.

That playpen downstairs was amazing. I do a little PowerPoint presentation called “A Daughter Remembers,” and I show some pictures from that basement. We had a set of wooden boxes that were numbered one through 10. I think he must have done them around the same time as SESAME STREET because I look at the counting films and they look so much like that. He painted them in this beautiful limited color palate of the ‘60s—I think it was pink, orange and yellow. On one side, it would have a number, and on the other side us kids got to paint whatever they wanted—animals or insects of that number. It was like one elephant, two butterflies, three horses, four cats. They were so cute. I love those boxes. Again no Michael’s, no Hobby Lobby, no IKEA.

Heather Henson promises a carnival sense of fun at THE MUPPET MOVIE singalongs. Photo credit: Ibex Puppetry.

Did you always know that you’d go into puppetry, too? Or did you ever rebel, and say, no, I’m going to be a fill-in-the-blank?!

Well, I went to college for animation. I guess in high school, I wanted to get into politics, not to become a politician but I liked international relations. I actually still do. A big love of mine is the way that different countries, different cultures come together. In high school, I thought that fell under a political science major. That was the only thing I could think of that would allow me to study other cultures other than anthropology. Right now, I do puppet shows internationally, and that’s still my favorite thing—to go into other cultures and see those relationships.

But then I guess I started college studying art. I thought for a while I could be a political cartoonist. Then I went into, no, I’ll do animation and illustrations, and I wound up right back at puppetry. It took a little bit of a roundabout way, but it’s a total circle. My final project I did in college was in animation, and then when I got out of college, I re-told the story with puppets. I actually found it was a much more satisfying process—the build process and especially delivering it to an audience. Having the live feedback of an audience and the communication between performer and audience was much more satisfying. But it came about from a very personal process. It was not like I’m the daughter of a puppeteer, I have to be a puppeteer.

Photo credit: Ibex Puppetry.

You’ve got your hands on the strings of a lot of projects from IBEX Puppetry to the boards of various Henson-related foundations. What’s one thing you’re especially excited about that you’re doing right now?

The environmental spectacle shows and trying to do them internationally. I do shows without words. We just came back from a puppet festival in Indonesia where we performed CELEBRATION OF FLIGHT, and I’m most excited to do this for an international audience in ways that are also helpful and are of benefit for the community that we go into. I try to make our shows informative about the environment but not going into someone else’s culture and being preachy.

I like to do that for my own community, too. Right now I am in Milwaukee because we are going to be presenting CELEBRATION OF FLIGHT at the International Crane Foundation gala next week. This group does a lot of education about cranes and wetlands. Crane education is really about habitat restoration because cranes need wetlands and the wetlands are being destroyed. They are advocates for the cranes, but they are really advocates for the environment. So I am presenting this show to them and to a school. That’s the work I’m really excited about—trying to do stuff that is being an advocate for the environment. If it’s at all possible that I can use my energies in that direction, that’s exciting to me.

As a child, you attended the ribbon-cutting of the Center for Puppetry Arts.

I know!

Jim, Heather and Jane Henson at the Center for Puppetry Arts opening, 1978. Photo credit: Center for Puppetry Arts.

What do you recall about that day and how does the Center fit into preserving your father’s legacy today and into the future?

I cannot recall anything about that day. I look at that photograph, and I remember the Snoopy sweatshirt that I was wearing. It was one of my favorite sweatshirts. I look at that picture, and I can see that I am wearing SESAME STREET Big Bird corduroy pants, and I remember those pants. I look at that picture and I can remember my clothes.

September 24 was my dad’s birthday. What was amazing about this story was that my dad was in the middle of shooting THE MUPPET MOVIE in LA, which was the first movie that they had. This was like his company’s ultimate creative success at this point. My dad had worked so hard pitching the Muppets to an adult audience for so long, and [THE MUPPET SHOW (1976-81)] was finally picked up in London, and as soon as it was on the air, it became a huge hit. Now he got that opportunity to make THE MUPPET MOVIE. The movie is not about THE MUPPET SHOW, which was based on vaudeville theater in London; it is about the Muppets coming together to make millions of people happy. They all find each other, and they say we’re going to work together, and at the end, they make it to Hollywood. It’s so beautiful.

So my dad was in the middle of making that movie, and that’s when the Center for Puppetry Arts opened. My dad left that movie to come to the opening on his birthday. He didn’t even tell Vince [Anthony, founding executive director of the Center for Puppetry Arts] it was his birthday.

So he thought the Center was pretty cool; it was a sure sign that he thought that something special was happening here?

Yes, he thought it was worth coming to. It’s like, oh, my God, he’s in the culmination, in such a peak in his creative career, and he stops what he’s doing and comes to Atlantato open the Center. It means he really believe the Center was an important place.

The grande finale of THE MUPPET MOVIE. Photo credit: Jim Henson Company/Walt Disney.

Coming back to THE MUPPET MOVIE, what’s your favorite part or scene and why?

It’s such a beautiful movie, by far my favorite of the lot of them. All of them have a special place in my heart, but that one I love just because how pure the message is, how clean the story is. It’s just all these amazing, idealistic people that came together, such as Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher who wrote some amazing music.

My favorite part is the ending, “The Rainbow Connection.” [The Muppets] are so excited, they’ve made it to Hollywood and they’re finally getting a chance to their movie. It all crashes down and then the rainbow comes through. It’s so beautiful.

Can you share a little bit about what’s happening on Saturday and why folks who grew up with the Muppets should attend and bring their children?

And dress up! We’ve got to tell people that they can dress up! Come dressed up as Muppets, and we’ll bring you up on stage.

We’ve found the show works so well for all audiences because the kids like it, the adults like it. We’re getting a lot of kids that are seeing it for the first time. I can’t tell you how many times people say they loved the movie as kids, and now they are bringing their kids. Sometimes the kids know SESAME STREET but don’t really know the rest of the Muppet gang. Or sometimes the parents will show the kids the movie before coming, so the kids will already know all the movie and the lyrics. It’s really funny. The parents and kids can enjoy it together. It’s a big party. It’s a big laugh. We have a really good time. We’re really loud. It’s just like a big carnival for a couple of hours. We sing and dance and just revel in the joy.

You’re also doing a workshop on Monday.

Yeah, it’s a webinar, and it’s on community engagement. Megan Boye and I are doing it together. I don’t just like making shows that are one-sided. I like doing things that are interactive. We are giving audiences things to do, to dance and sing and play. It all started with THE MUPPET MOVIE singalong, and then the LABYRINTH singalong. We’ve added this interactive element to a lot of our [IBEX’s] shows.

We have this whole show called ENDANGERED SPECIES PARADE. We book it like a show, but it’s more like we bring a whole presence to your event. We set up a musical station where kids can play instruments. We set up a tableau of all of our puppets, a display where you can walk around and see them. We set up workshops where you can make puppets. And every hour or couple of hours, depending on how often the venue wants us to do it, we do a parade where we pick up a puppet and we parade around. That type of engagement is something we now do in a lot of our shows, so we’ll talk about how we do that.

Finally, in a world of CGI, where do you see the future of puppetry as an art form? Do you have concerns or do you think it has a special quality that will keep it vibrant and sought-after?

I deal with some film and video, but right now only in my HANDMADE PUPPET DREAMS film series, which is another project of mine that I bring to Atlanta to the Center for Puppetry Arts every year. In my personal work, I don’t do much film work, but when I do film it’s all about practical objects. CGI has been beautiful in a lot of areas, and my brother Brian [Henson] is really into it. I know the Jim Henson Company has invested a lot of time and money and energy into it.

I’m not that scared of [CGI] because I think also the pendulums will always swing. People are interested in new technology, but at the same time, they’re interested in real things, too. Lately I’ve been into live things, so I guess CGI has a place there, too—I guess I have seen live events with CGI creatures—but it really hasn’t come into my world that much yet. But no, I don’t have concerns. I think people are always going to want the craftsmanship of the built physical thing. There’s always a place for that because you want something real in front of you.

Blast-Off Burlesque’s TABOO LA-LApresents FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998); Dir. Terry Gilliam; Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro; Saturday, September 28 @ 10 p.m. (pre-show cocktails at 9 p.m.); Ages 18+ only; Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

By Aleck Bennett
Contributing Writer

It’s time for Blast-Off Burlesque to tempt us with TABOO LA-LA at the Plaza Theatre! This time we venture into Bat Country with Hunter S. Thompson and Terry Gilliam for FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS!

It’s easy to celebrate Dr. Hunter S. Thompson for all the wrong reasons. FAR too many people see him only as a caricature: senses blazingly altered by some high-octane combination of hard drugs and bourbon, firing his guns at anything that dares blink in and out of his peripheral vision and ranting unintelligibly at imaginary phantasms. For these people, he’s become a counterculture hero not because of his accomplishments or the words he’s written, but because of a persona.

Sure, it’s a persona that he called into existence and encouraged to a large extent. Why? Because, goddammit, you need a larger-than-life personality to stand up next to those works of his. You can’t be some milquetoast beat reporter and deliver epic pieces of immersive journalism like “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,” “Freak Power in the Rockies” or “The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat.” Nor can you be a typical Washington Beltway insider and compose the incredible series of articles that would eventually make up FEAR AND LOATHING: ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ’72, perhaps the greatest piece of political journalism ever written. No, you’ve got to be a daredevil. You’ve got to be a shaman, using sacramental substances to achieve the frenzied mental state needed to venture into the heart of darkness and divine the inner essence of a situation. You’ve got to be the kind of drug-crazed madman who is unafraid to sacrifice accuracy on the altar of journalism to summon forth the Elder Gods of Truth.

And if you’re not that person, then you need to invent that person and become that person.

Which brings us to Raoul Duke and his journey with his personal attorney, Doctor Gonzo, into the godforsaken land of Las Vegas in 1971—the story of which would become Hunter S. Thompson’s landmark novel FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS: A SAVAGE JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.

Benicio del Toro and Johnny Depp find FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998).

Thompson’s tale is actually a portmanteau of two trips into the desert city with his friend Oscar Zeta Acosta, lawyer and Chicano activist. The first was intended to be a retreat for the two of them to discuss an article Thompson was writing about the death of Mexican-American journalist Rubén Salazar. Thompson used an invitation from SPORTS ILLUSTRATED to write a series of photo captions about the Mint 500 motorcycle race as an excuse, and the two of them descended onto the city.

250 words. That’s all they wanted.

Instead, he spent 36 hours straight, “feverishly writing in my notebook,” describing the pair’s wild adventures in Las Vegas and creating the expansive first part of the novel. And then, after the insane experience they undertook, they went back. Thompson took an assignment from ROLLING STONE to report on the National District Attorneys Association’s Conference on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs held a few weeks later in Vegas, and further explored an idea that manifested during the first trip: that the rebellion of the 1960s had failed, and that the American Dream was now manifest in the crass, loud and materialistic oasis of Las Vegas.

Thompson combined the two trips into one story, which ROLLING STONE published as a two-part serial illustrated by Ralph Steadman, and which was later compiled into a novel. In creating what he admitted was “an essentially fictional framework,” Thompson assigned himself and Acosta pseudonyms: Raoul Duke (a nom de plume frequently used by Thompson and originally used as his byline for the ROLLING STONE serialization) and Doctor Gonzo. As for the book itself, it’s hard to say how much of what is written about is strictly accurate. It’s easy to say that the whole thing is true. What may have appeared at first as a wacky drug-fueled adventure turned into a work mournful of the failure of the ‘60s revolution, furious at the insane excess of artifice and celebration of the futile pursuit of money that is Las Vegas, and aghast that Vegas survived the revolution to stand in representation of the American Dream.

For years, the thing was regarded as being as unfilmable as NAKED LUNCH. Surreal, hallucinatory and depicting any number of illegal and violent acts by its protagonists, it just seemed to be too much to exist on a movie screen. Sure, they tried. Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone both gave it a shot, but only one movie wound up being made in the wake of those early efforts. WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM (which attempted to shoehorn “Fear and Loathing at the Super Bowl,” “The Banshee Screams for Buffalo Meat” and LAS VEGAS into one movie) starred Bill Murray, and was widely panned, particularly by Thompson himself. He praised Murray’s performance, but said the movie was saddled with “a bad, dumb, low-level, low-rent script.”

A direct adaptation eluded filmmakers for years, but that ended in 1998. After Rhino Films went through protracted tangling with director Alex Cox (whose screenplay Thompson viscerally hated), Terry Gilliam was brought on board to helm the film adaptation of the novel, and his surreal vision was a perfect match for the material. Though Gilliam had never used drugs, he researched the effects of all the chemicals used by the characters to create a series of visual effects that would mirror how the drugs would have affected their perception. The end result, while not exactly matching the horrifically ugly darkness of Ralph Steadman’s illustrations, stands on its own as a fully-formed take on Thompson’s subject matter.

Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro were cast as Duke and Gonzo, respectively, and both underwent extensive preparation for their roles. Del Toro gained 45 pounds and immersed himself in studying the life of Oscar Zeta Acosta, and Johnny Depp spent four months living with Thompson at his Woody Creek ranch. Depp assembled his wardrobe from Thompson’s clothes of the time, wore a pendant of Thompson’s that was a gift from Acosta, and shaved his head in imitation of Thompson’s own male pattern baldness. The research and work paid off in spades. Depp and del Toro inhabit their roles perfectly. While they may come across as slightly cartoonish exaggerations of both Thompson and Acosta, it must be remembered that the Duke and Gonzo of the novel are slightly cartoonish exaggerations of Thompson and Acosta.

More gonzo antics by Depp and Del Toro in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998).

Terry Gilliam stated that he wanted the film to be polarizing—that he wanted it to be known as both the greatest and worst film of all time. And, thusly, it sharply divided critics: it currently holds a 50% average on the review aggregator ROTTENTOMATOES.com. Meanwhile, the film was a huge commercial failure. Filmgoers wanting to see the handsome Depp and del Toro got presented with a pair that were deliberately ugly. Filmgoers wanting to see a modern drug comedy wound up with something less a comedy and more a tragedy. And filmgoers wanting to see the Thompson perpetuated by DOONESBURY’s “Uncle Duke” character (and practically every other mass media depiction of the author) wound up with the only-slightly-fictionalized Thompson of the book, which is far closer to Thompson the man than Thompson the caricature.

Thankfully, due to home video releases, the film has built up a large, faithful audience, and it’s that crowd which is invited to the Plaza Theatre as Blast-Off Burlesque’s TABOO LA-LA brings us a screening of Gilliam’s adaptation. The pre-show kicks off at 9 p.m. with complimentary cocktails served up in the lobby, and then things kick into high gear with a live stage show from Blast-Off Burlesque featuring special guests Tom Jones, Elvis (somehow I’m guessing that these might not be the actual Tom Jones and Elvis) and Batastic. There will also be a Gonzo Costume contest and an Ether Walk contest with prizes from Libertine and the Cherry Blossom Salon, as well an art display of Lucy’s Barbara Streisand portraits! So come down and enjoy one of the greatest films of the 1990s while celebrating Hunter S. Thompson for all the right reasons.

Aleck Bennett is a writer, blogger, pug warden, pop culture enthusiast, raconteur and bon vivant from the greater Atlanta area. Visit his blog at doctorsardonicus.wordpress.com

Photo courtesy of Russ Marshalek.

When TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME was released in 1992, it evoked boos in Cannes and derision from almost all US critics and many loyal David Lynch fans. However, over time, the film, meant to be a hybrid of prequel and sequel to the iconic TV series, has acquired its own cult following who revel in the excessive grotesque, over-the-top symbolism and psychological horror dualism of Leland Palmer and the corrosive Bob. One of these new advocates is once-Atlanta resident/now New Yorker Russ Marshalek, a musician, DJ and looper whose previous project with Sophie Weiner, the Silent Drape Runners, devoted much of its creative energy to re-soundtrackings and re-imaginings of the iconically weird TV series, a precursor to quirky cable dramas of today. Now with his new solo project a place both wonderful and strange, he’s doing a live re-scoring of TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME this Sunday Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Highland Inn Ballroom, and well, while Angelo Badalamenti‘s score was a film high point, maybe the Log Lady injected us with a primal sense of curiosity.

The idea of new fans and a new soundtrack makes me wonder if TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME might have been received better as a standalone feature, in other words, if the series hadn’t existed. I, for one, recall hating it for the same reasons as Quentin Tarantino did – Lynch was so out-Lynching himself that it became almost a parody of the cinematic vision I had grown to admire from ERASERHEAD to THE ELEPHANT MAN to, of course, BLUE VELVET, and WILD AT HEART. TWIN PEAKS was an epiphany when it hit the airwaves, and Audrey Horne (Sherrilyn Fenn) became my role model for how to be all innocence and tease, saddle shoes and maraschino cherries. Alas or maybe for the better, Fenn, along with Laura Flynn-Boyle, skipped the movie, although the pass did not save her career. Lynch also had lost his co-series creator Mark Frost by then, and even Kyle McLachlan sought to minimize his role. Maybe it’s the train wreck aspect also that perpetually fascinates, the longing that something highly anticipated, such as Audrey’s slow knotting of the cherry stem in her mouth, would be better than I remember. Chris Isaak and David Bowie also played roles in it. Yeah, just plain weird. Which also is totally Lynch.

ATLRetro caught up with Russ because I had to ask “why?” I’m happy to report, he left me asking “why not?”

ATLRetro: You and Sophie just disbanded the Silent Drape Runners. How is your new solo project, a place both wonderful and strange, similar or different to your past work? And is that place TWIN PEAKS?

The production work for Silent Drape Runners was mostly me, and when Sophie and I parted ways I immediately knew that I wanted to continue with what I’d been doing, so a place both wonderful and strange is a similar creative vision, but it’s mine. The music is a bit more accessible, I think, and live performances incorporate a heavy visual and dance element. That carries over into the FIRE WALK WITH ME show, which is a bit more theatrical than the SDR shows were. On the whole if you liked SDR, I think you’ll love a place both wonderful and strange.

Let’s go back to the beginning. What was your entree into the world of TWIN PEAKS, and why did it entice you so much as to become such a central theme of your music? Were you already a fan of David Lynch’s work?

Lucy, my friend/current vocalist/then-gf, introduced me to TWIN PEAKS when I bought her the Gold Box for Xmas one year ages ago. It broke the conventions of everything I thought could be done with using images to create a mood – I am, and have always been, more about words or sounds. That was the gateway drug. Combine that with the fact that Lynch’s influence is inescapable in the modern dark electronic music scene, and there you have it.

TWIN PEAKS’ second season was not as satisfying as the first — some say it descended into strange for strange sake once Laura Palmer’s murder was resolved. And TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME doesn’t get a lot of love from critics. What are your thoughts and why if the show didn’t end on a high note does it have still have such a following nearly 25 years later. 

I attended a lecture recently done by this group FEAST OF FOOLS here in Brooklyn, at the occult bookstore Catland, on David Lynch, TWIN PEAKS and the occult. In it, the end of TWIN PEAKS Season 2 was discussed: how when Lynch returned to the show he did so in a BIG way. And I agree – yeah, a lot of season 2 was “eh,” but the end of the show was phenomenal, and that’s what sticks with you. Honestly, FIRE WALK WITH ME is one of my absolute favorite things, and though it wasn’t adored by critics at the time, I think it shines as a terrifying masterpiece.

There have been other re-soundings of TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME. What makes yours different and worth coming out on a Sunday night? 

What we’re presenting is a unique vision: we’re not adhering to what Lynch and Badalamenti have laid down as gospel, but rather taking the dualistic playful/terrifying nature of the source material and using it as inspiration. There’s a live performance aspect that goes into it, and honestly if I ever scanned the notebooks of concepting that went into these two hours, it would be enough to drive a sane person nuts. Also, yeah, it’s a Sunday, but you’ll be home by 10 p.m.

Are there specific parts of the film that were especially interesting or challenging to re-conceive musically? 

Laura’s death. It’s easy to treat that with TOO MUCH gravitas, and that’s not what the show is about. Yes, it’s terrifying and emotionally draining and horrific, but it’s also campy and outlandish. The trick was finding a middle-ground. The whole movie, in fact, is like that.

If I understand correctly you did the soundtrack in collaboration with GHOST COP, aka Lucy Swope. What’s Lucy’s part in this? 

Lucy and I actually dated ages ago; we’re just friends now. Lucy’s GHOST COP project is really impressive electronic space pop. As I said, she introduced me to Lynch. She also had performed a few times with Silent Drape Runners, doing a twins/doubling performance with my former band-mate Sophie on a witchy version of “God Only Knows.” When there was a gig to fill doing a show for the David Lynch Foundation in South Carolina post-SDR, we talked and the pieces kind of fell into place. I love FIRE WALK WITH ME, probably more than the entirety of the series as a whole, so the show kind of started from there. We took to the film with a scalpel and came up with something that’s playful, a little inappropriate and creepy as hell. She does the majority of live vocals.

Looping and goth music are obviously strong influences on your work. What about some of the iconic experimental industrial groups such as Throbbing Gristle and Einsturzende Neubaten?

Looping/drone was one of my first musical loves. I used to walk around the Barnes and Noble on Peachtree in Atlanta and listen to the sound the store’s air conditioner made. It was a really uniquely repetitive tone that was strangely highly nuanced. IDM stuff like Autechre and old Warp/Rephlex Records stuff also factor in there, too. The work of Chris and Cosey‘s stuff under that moniker more so than Throbbing Gristle, though obviously Throbbing Gristle is incredibly important. Nine Inch Nails. My Bloody Valentine. My hair stylist pointed out to me the obvious nods to Coil.

Russ Marshalek. Live photo taken by The Culture Of Me. Photo credit: Zhang Qingyun; Art Direction: Deanna Paquette.

What do you think of DUNE? To me, it’s always been an intriguing but tragically flawed film, and I’d be very interested in seeing a re-sounded interpretation. 

HMMMMMMM. 🙂

You and Lucy used to live in Atlanta. Does your show here have a special resonance because of that, and what else would you like locals to know about what you have planned? 

Atlanta’s always a fun place to play. My old band had a great time playing some gigs there last year. It’s where I grew up. Plus it’s the last show of the tour. We’re doing four shows in four days, so I will be in a pretty festive mood after. Maybe we should all go to The Bookhouse? 😉

While you’re here in Atlanta, you’re also DJ’g a Depeche Mode after-party Thursday night at Noni’s. Can you tell us a little bit about what you have planned for that? 

Yeah that should be fun – the folks who run the NONSENSE Atlanta parties and I are doing that . Up here, I DJ so much pop music that I’m really excited for a chance to dig into some darker dance tunes without anyone asking me for “Blurred Lines.” I have an external hard drive full of stuff that I can’t wait to play.

Will there be a recording of the re-soundtrack and what’s next for a place both wonderful and strange? I take it that it won’t be all TWIN PEAKS, or will it?

No, no recordings. The original Silent Drape Runners re-soundtracking of the TWIN PEAKS pilot was recorded at our final show in August, and that’ll be coming out next month, but I feel about this show the way I felt about that one – it can’t be experienced unless it’s live. The live, performative aspect of it is what makes it special. What’s next for my project? I’m putting out the music video for my single DNT CM, finishing my ep.

Finally, gotta ask. If we went to a diner, would you order coffee and cherry pie?

YES, but not at Waffle House.

Advance tickets are recommended and available at https://aplacebothatlanta.eventbrite.com/.