My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2025 the theme is a random assemblage of things that are on my mind--or that just pop into my mind. Whatever! Let's just say I'll be "Tossing It Out" for your entertainment or however it is you perceive these things.
How about Halloween? It's soon to be here. Do you care? Are you scared? I don't and I'm not. Halloween doesn't have that much impact on my life anymore. But it's good for inspiring another Battle of the Bands...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away SeriesandStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. I do this event each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit thHe links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
Halloween and All That
My blog was started some 16 years ago and I'm still in the game to some degree. Not like I was when I was posting every day. When I started this blog Tossing It Out I was focused on Halloween since that had been my business prior to 2009. Since those early days I've gone on to topics related to writing, politics, music, and whatever I had on my mind to toss out to my audience. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my blogging.
As Halloween approaches, I thought it would be appropriate to pay homage to my blog roots and to the event day at hand. Nothing to put us in the mood better than some "scary" music. And I mean scary as in kind of bad music. For it's time I guess it was kind of cool perhaps. Not so much to my ears, but what the heck. Here goes. Which do you like best?
I heard this one recently in a film called The Damned or These Are the Damned. It was part of a series that started with Village of the Damned. It's good stuff for its time, but the music is an earworm that might drive you nuts. Or maybe you'll like it.
I'm not sure how this song related to the British film Horrors of the Black Museum and I'm not going to do much research to find out. And what's with the Chipmunk sounding singing break. A lot of music was kind of bad back then I think. Sometimes.
Time to Vote!
Don't be scared. This is all just silly fun. Enjoy the music! Which song do you prefer? Battles are no fun without you the reader participating. Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.
Okay, time to get dark. And I don't mean darkness coming earlier in the evening as our days grow shorter--although it helps set the mood. I mean more songs for Halloween. Dark songs...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
More Songs for a Halloween BOTB
In my previous Battle the witches won in the guise of Jim Stafford's song "Swamp Witch". In this Battle the witches return with werewolves and they go up against a powerful (and heavy) wizard. Now, before you say it in your comment, I will admit that this music might not appeal to some of you--you might even hate it--but I hope you'll give it a chance.
This group was formed in Chicago in 1966 and released one rather eclectic album. The strange music mix might be one reason the album didn't make a splash. Or maybe the music was just too weird for some people. I've got the vinyl album in my collection and I actually enjoy it quite a bit. But most of you know by now that I enjoy some pretty strange stuff. Here's some early heavy metal-or heavy something--to put you in a Halloween mood...
Unlike the previous group, Black Sabbath is likely a familiar name to most of you. They are often considered to be pioneers of the Heavy Metal genre. I listened to their albums frequently in my younger days. You know how we crazy kids can be.
Time to Vote! Now c'mon! It ain't that bad. Just give the songs a chance. Which scary song do you prefer? Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts: StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands 'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS' 'Curious as a Cathy' Sound of One Hand Typing Jingle, Jangle, Jungle
Maybe I'll have enough votes to make for an interesting Battle. No matter what though, I'm getting a kick out of listening to these old tunes. Ah, the memories.
Do you have any musical memories associated with Halloween? What kind of music makes you think of autumn? Have you checked out the price of Halloween candy this year? (Now that's scary!)
Ghosts, witches, and vampires came to the musical arena in a combat of fright in my most recent Battle of the Bands. Who won? Read on...
Battle of the Bands Results
Witches Win!
A rather small assemblage came to vote in my most recent Battle. Maybe readers were too scared to weigh in? The outcome was heavily weighted in favor of witches, but vampires made a comparatively decent showing. The ghosts were like a vapor disappearing in the darkness.
I liked all three but in the end I was conflicted between Rebecca and the Sunnybrook Farmers and Roky Erickson. Rebecca & Co was an immensely talented and eclectic group from Pittsburgh PA who recorded their only album in a matter of a week or less according to rock legend. It didn't sell many copies but fortunately I snagged a copy from cut-outs in the early seventies. After the group disbanded, members went on to appear on a number of other artists' albums as well as some of their own. I like the song "Ghost" with the ethereal background voices, the eerie viola, and the breathy lead vocal, but just a tad less than I like Roky's song.
Though I didn't know who Roky Erickson was back in the late sixties, I was a big fan of his group the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. They faded away into the realm of psychedelia mythdom until Roky reemerged with a number of solo albums in the latter seventies and into more recent times. He's kind of weird, but he did some great music before his passing in 2019.
Jim Stafford is widely known by music fans since he actually charted with some hits. I like Stafford's music and his "Swamp Witch" is an outstanding cut. Very creepy and fun! However, his song of this trio of spooky tunes came in third for me.
My pick is Roky Erickson with "Night of the Vampire". This is some great scary rock and roll.
Final Vote Tally
Rebecca and the Sunnybrook Farmers 1 vote
Jim Stafford 7 votes
Roky Erickson 4 votes
Next Battle???
Maybe Saturday October 15, but definitely one will come on Tuesday November 1. We'll see.
It's October! Time for Halloween and all the scary stuff that comes with that day of the year. Are you ready for all the ghouls and other assorted characters who will be soon be tap tap tapping at your door in search of handouts? But before that happens, are you ready for another Battle of the Bands?
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
Halloween Inspired Battle
Being as such that Halloween is such a popular time of each year--one of the biggest retail events of the year--why don't we have Halloween anthems and songs like we do at Christmas? There are the traditional favorites like "Monster Mash" or "Thriller" but nothing that seems to equal the huge quantity of songs we get inundated with during the Christmas season. And I can't think of any scary songs we sing as a group. Isn't it time for some seasonal songs of Halloween? With that in mind, I've decided to make this Battle about spooky songs that fit well into a Halloween theme.
Every year new innovations in costumes or character themes enter the marketplace. Possibilities for dress-up run the gamut of every kind of superhero imaginable to all sorts of horror creations to career depictions like medical or law enforcement personnel. You name it and someone probably will be dressing like it.
Then there are those perennial favorites that have been around since the earliest times of dressing up for Halloween. In this Battle I will focus on three of the biggies in costumes: ghosts, witches, and vampires. I offer you one song for each character and you pick your favorite song and favorite costume. Will they be the same choices or different? It's up to you, so just have some fun and play along. And even if you don't like any of the songs, hopefully you'll like one at least a little bit better than the others.
Time to Vote! You can be scared of these songs, but don't be afraid to vote! Which scary song do you prefer? Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind. You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts: StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands 'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS' 'Curious as a Cathy' Sound of One Hand Typing Jingle, Jangle, Jungle
Halloween is that peculiar time when "this is me" is me trying to be someone or something else. At least that used to be me...
When I was a kid I loved Halloween. It was my third favorite holiday after Christmas and Thanksgiving. Candy was the big draw, but dressing up was fun--often creative fun. When I started working on the touring shows I was dressing up all the time as part of my job. Dressing up and performing before audiences was like trick or treat come to real life.
Some of you might recall that my blog Tossing It Out started in September of 2009 as a Halloween blog. Since my job of 18 years managing a wholesale costume warehouse in the Los Angeles area had ended and no new job was appearing before me, I decided to take up blogging with the intent of writing about what I knew--the Halloween industry. That direction soon changed as I became more interested in writing and chasing down eclecticism.
When the recent blackface controversies arose I started thinking back to see if I could recall whether I had ever seen anyone I knew made up in blackface. I couldn't recall ever seeing anyone other than on TV or movies in blackface. I was positive that I had never done it. Then I came across a photo from around 1993 which I have reproduced below. Yes, this is me with my two youngest daughters all dressed up for Halloween.
I don't see any problem with my black and white themed costume and I certainly didn't have any racial intent in dressing this way. Actually I had a pair of white pants that I never wore so I decided to use them for Halloween. At my workplace we sold the black shirts, white suspenders and ties, and the make-up so I combined them all for my study in black and white.
But, yes, this is me...
Pictured alongside me are my daughters (left to right) Emilee and Angelina. Emilee is now a star real estate agent in NJ and Ange, also in NJ, is a mother of two children as well as an amazing pastry chef who turns out some spectacular cakes and other goodies that I love to eat even though I probably shouldn't.
Do you see any problem with my costume as pictured? Aren't my daughters adorable? Did you like Halloween as a child and do you like it now? If you had children did you ever dress up in costume to take them trick-or-treating?
There are so many things in life that we might dream of being. On Halloween we can be some of those things for a fantasy fun time. Sometimes the fun gets lost in the fantasy...
Sloppy the Clown Mask from Morris Costumes
All the Things We've Been
Another Halloween gone by and I hope yours was okay. I've tended to mostly ignore Halloween since I stopped working in the business. But the event of Halloween had a good run through my childhood. I dressed up every year until high school and made my rounds candy gathering. I was good at that sport, reaping a stash that would always last until the day after Thanksgiving. On that Friday I'd either eat up whatever was left (and typically not much good was left by then) and then I'd dump the rest unceremoniously.
Over the years we've seen so many costumes come and go as well as the traditional favorites that have likely been around for decades. My mother usually bought us the packaged costumes. One of my better costumes was the one I wore in 1962 when I was 11 years old. My mother was in the hospital giving birth to my brother, Jeff, so my sister and I had to put together homemade costumes. She used some old dance clothes and went as a ballerina. I patched together some old clothes and hoop earrings and went as a pirate complete with facial hair drawn on with an eyebrow pencil. Looking at a photo taken by a neighbor, I must say that my sister and I looked rather professionally costumed--far better than those prepackaged jobs we'd always gotten in previous years.
It's not surprising to me that I eventually went into entertaining on stage and later managed a costume company. I've played a lot of roles in my life, but we all do wouldn't you say? Each day we can appear in different ways to different people. Sometimes pretending just seems to be the way things are. Some of us do our pretending with our writing. With NANO now upon us there will likely be a lot of mental role playing as participants write (or attempt to write) their novels.
What are your roles? Who will you be tomorrow? Or maybe we should just listen to a song about a more metaphoric, poetic way to look at this question...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
All the Things You Are
This Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein tune was originally written for the mostly now forgotten 1939 musical Very Warm for May. This is the most well known song from this "lost musical" having appeared in a few subsequent films and recorded by a myriad of artists over the years. Unique in its melody and chord progression, the song has become a true jazz and pop standard.
"All the Things You Are" is another of those haunting melody songs that I have heard and loved since I was a child. My BOTB post of a year ago today was another similar type song, "Where or When" which was from the 1937 musical Babes in Arms. Sadly, songwriters of recent times don't seem to write as many melodies such as these songs.
For this Battle I've chosen relatively recent versions by two very well known artists. Who wins for you? I have a feeling how this will turn out, but I'm almost always surprised by the outcomes of these Battles. Take a listen to both and tell us who you like the best...
Michael Jackson "All the Things You Are" (1973)
This recording comes against a visual backdrop of earlier live performances by MJ and his brothers before he became the "King of Pop" serving as a reminder of a more innocent but still immense talent that Michael Jackson was. This version gets a lively injection of disco pop sound which might just get you to dancing in your seats...
Willie Nelson "All the Things You Are" (1994?)
Slowing things down more in keeping with the original versions of the song, this video comes from a live performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I'm not sure about the exact date, but I'm guessing he was promoting the album that featured this song and that one came out in 1994. With lush orchestration and Willie's expressive vocals, this rendition of the song might instill a reverie filled with memories or it might bore you to death. You'll have to decide and let us know...
Time to Vote! With elections coming up this is a good opportunity to get in voting practice while having fun. What's your favorite between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Winner of this Battle Announced Wednesday November 7th Not only will the winner of the above Battle be announced next Wednesday, but I'll also be submitting my contribution to The Insecure Writer's Support Group. Best of luck to all of you who will be participating in NANO. I've chosen not to be a part of this once again, but that's become a tradition with me--not participating.
Are you doing NANO this year? Did you dress up for Halloween? Do you like to fantasize about living a life other than what you're living now? What would that be?
With Halloween so near upon us, that means winter is almost here. Maybe I should start thinking about Christmas 2019 since this year's Christmas will be here in a blink of an eye and I'll never be ready for that...
A snowy day in New Jersey several years ago.
Are you ready for snow season? It's unlikely I'll be seeing snow this winter unless I happen to go back East for Christmas. I'm still trying to decide. Maybe I will see snow up close and crunch through it even. Or maybe I'll just have to settle for seeing it on the distant mountains. Or maybe I'll hibernate like a bear. If you find me sleeping then just let me be. But I'm not in a state of torpor quite yet though sometimes I might appear to be. Actually right now I'm here with my latest Battle of the Bands results report...
Battle of the Bands Results
This recent Battle between Fairport Convention and Stoneground with their versions of the Jimmy C. Newman song "Alligator Man" was another horse race. In the final stretch, Stoneground picked up the votes that put them in a decisive lead.
I really liked the version by Fairport Convention with the fiddle, tin whistle, and all--I've liked this band for many years. Still, I preferred the boogie rock sound of Stoneground and that's where I put my vote. My vote didn't have much effect on the final outcome.
Final Vote Tally
Fairport Convention 9 votes Stoneground 13 votes
Next Battle on Thursday November 1st
I'll be staying with a sort-of Halloween theme in that next Battle with the results being announced on Wednesday the 7th which will also be my contribution to the Insecure Writers Support Group. Until then, take care of your teeth. Or not. If Halloween candy is in the house then you are excused.
Are you stocking up on Halloween candy this year? Are you ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas? Where do bears hibernate anyway?
Halloween is that time when we can be whoever we want to be and as stupid as we want to be. Sounds like the story of my life...
Arlee Bird with brother Jeff--What is this? The Great Pumpkin Competition?
A Halloween Story
I don't seem to have many pictures of my youngest brother Jeff, but I never saw him that often after I left home. The few pictures I have of me and him together are not very good from a technical standpoint, still that's what I've got now. He died unexpectedly last November. I still think of him a lot.
Jeff was born on Halloween of 1962, a year before we moved from San Diego. In those days Halloween was a big event for me--a day that consumed many days of thought both before and after the day had passed. All my life I had liked Halloween as well as all things scary--not so much now, but I attribute many great memories to Halloween.
As I entered my forties with a family for which to provide, I moved to Downey California in 1991 to manage a wholesale warehouse that distributed primarily Halloween costumes. That old joy of childhood was now a year round job. Every day for the next eighteen years the accoutrements of Halloween were all around me.
Then in 2009 my branch closed. We were in California so that was a factor (some of you might understand what I mean). There was also a matter of changing times that brought new ways of marketing and delivery of product. Our company was feeling the same impact that many companies have felt in recent decades. Fixtures and remaining product were sent back to the home office in Charlotte North Carolina. I stayed behind.
The end of this story is the beginning of another. To retell this story that some of you might have missed in past posts where I discussed it, as I tried to find another job in a time when jobs were tough to find, I began to write a blog. My blog theme was Halloween. My first many posts were related to Halloween and the Halloween business.
In a pumpkin shell, that's the story of Tossing It Out--or at least this blog's beginnings. Over the past many years this blog has evolved through a number of themes and topics. The main thing I've been doing on this site of late is Battle of the Bands. That's what I'm doing in this current post and as noted in my previous post my theme will be Halloween related. Well, kind of...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bandsisthe blogging event started byFar Away Seriesand now hosted byStMcC Presents Battle of the Bands. This event happens each month on the 15th and on some blogs there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month. My blog is one of those with a second Battle on the 1st of the month. The premise is simple: Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it. Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.
Alligator Man
This song originally written and performed by Cajun Country artist Jimmy C Newman (you can find his original version here) has been recorded a number of times by a range of artists. The song is about a bayou dweller who catches alligators for a living as opposed to some guy who dresses up like an alligator or even looks like an alligator.
So what's the Halloween connection? This song first caught my attention when I heard it recently while watching the movie Dracula A.D. 1972. When I saw that the film was going to be on TCM I felt compelled to watch it. In my youth I had been a big fan of films from the Hammer Film Studios which made this film. Also 1972 is a year that I've always considered to be a milestone of sorts in my life. For one thing I turned 21 that year. I don't actually remember many specifics of that year other than I was attending the University of Tennessee at the time.
In any case, when I heard the Stoneground version of "Alligator Man" I had to look it up on YouTube and discovered that with the many versions available it would make a good song for Battle. So here we are with an ersatz Halloween Battle using what I think is a pretty cool song. See if you like it as well and which version you enjoy the most...
Fairport Convention "Alligator Man" (1971)
Fairport Convention is a British folk rock band that has had a long reign that produced a number of impressive solo acts. A version of the band continues to perform, but looking at their website it looks like they won't be coming to the United States anytime soon. Their version of "Alligator Man" stays somewhat close to the original with a touch of rock and roll...
Stoneground "Alligator Man" (1972)
Watching Stoneground perform this song in Dracula A.D. 1972 they look pretty much like the consummate hippy band. You can watch the movie clip here--they perform the entire song along with some visual shtick that's kind of fun. Some of the members of the band went on to form the group Pablo Cruise.
See what you think: Do you enjoy this song more done as a rock and roll tune?
Time to Vote! Don't be scared to vote. What's your favorite between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Winner of this Battle Announced Monday October 22nd We'll have a winner next Monday as long as some of you have voted. I do appreciate your votes. And maybe I'll have something else to say on that day. I mean, I don't think I'm just gonna come here and announce winners and that's all. But you never know. Have you seen Dracula A.D. 1972? Are you a fan of Cajun style country music? Was Halloween a big deal for you when you were a kid?
