An Interview with Richard Christy (Part 2)
by JG Faherty, for the Horror Writers Association Newsletter
Last month metal drummer extraordinaire and horror fanatic Richard Christy and I spoke about his love of horror movies and novels, his metal band Charred Walls of the Damned, and writing songs vs. writing screenplays or novels. This month, the interview continues, with an emphasis on Halloween, naturally!
JG: Let’s talk about Halloween. I know it’s your favorite holiday, and it’s a safe bet that most people reading this interview feel the same way. What is it about Halloween that you like the best?
RC: I think it basically comes down to the face that I have SO MANY great memories of Halloween from when I was a kid. It’s always been my favorite holiday from as far back as I can remember. I remember our 2nd grade teacher turning the lights down and playing a scary Halloween stories album on vinyl, which I loved! I think it was the famous Disney Halloween album that I still have a copy of to this day. I’ve always loved horror movies as well, and of course Halloween and horror films go hand in hand. I love everything about Halloween as an adult as well: the weather, the pumpkin beers, the parade in NYC, the walk-through haunts, the Halloween specials and horror movies on TV, everything!!!
JG: When did you first start getting into Halloween? Growing up, were you more rabid about it than the other kids?
RC: Ya, I’ve always been into it, I remember being a vampire in 1st grade and getting in trouble for hiding and scaring the other kids and I loved it! I always begged my parents to take me to the Jaycees haunted houses and there was also an awesome place called Cowlishaw’s Spook Yard in Fort Scott, Kansas, that I used to love to go to on Halloween every year. I also loved to help out with the classroom Halloween decorations every year. I gradually became more rabid about it as I grew older, too.
JG: On your website, you mention that you love touring the country to visit commercial haunted houses and real haunted locations. You even provide a Top 5 list of Halloween haunted houses. What makes them so much fun?
RC: I love the atmosphere of them and it’s like being transported into a real life horror film. I always tell people that if there’s a heaven it will be Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Florida! I just love being transported into a total immersion of horror and Halloween. There’s such a thrill out of getting scared, too, and I always laugh after I get the crap scared out of me! I remember our grade school library was turned into a haunted library when I was in 2nd grade so that probably has a lot to do with my love of haunted houses, too. My wife and I also love to stay in haunted bed and breakfasts when we visit commercial haunted houses across the country as well.
JG: Have you ever had a true supernatural experience in any of the haunted places you’ve visited, or anywhere else for that matter?
RC: Unfortunately, no. I would LOVE to have a supernatural experience. I can totally relate to the character in Stephen King’s novel 1408. I’m very skeptical about life after death, and having a supernatural experience would make me so happy because it would mean that there is somewhere else that we go after we die. My wife and I have stayed at places like Lizzie Borden’s house in Fall River, Massachusetts, in the room where her mom was murdered. Unfortunately, we didn’t see or hear anything, but it was still fun to do!
JG: You also enjoy touring cemeteries. Do you have a list of your favorites? Do you prefer the large ones with the stately mausoleums and headstones and famous residents or the smaller, unknown ones that are run down and rarely visited?
RC: I love both. I go running at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, NY, a lot in the fall and I listen to King Diamond while I do it. “At The Graves” and “Sleepless Nights” are the perfect songs to listen to while running in a cemetery! I really love the cemetery in Salem, it is beautiful and has some amazing trees that are very colorful in the fall. I’ve visited Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris, France and it’s one of the most beautiful cemeteries I’ve ever visited. New Orleans also has some of the most amazing cemeteries I’ve ever visited. My dream home would be a gothic house right next to a cemetery!
JG: While you were in Iced Earth, the band made an album, TRIBUTE TO THE GODS, that covered songs from the classic metal years of the 70s and 80s. Two of them were Blue Oyster Cult songs: “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll” and “Burning for You.” I’m a huge BOC fan, and I’ve always felt they don’t get their due as superior songwriters and as grandfathers of American heavy metal. Your thoughts on that?
RC: I totally agree! I’ve been a big BOC fan since I was a kid. My parents had AGENTS OF FORTUNE on 8 track and the guy holding the cards always scared the hell out of me! He reminded me of the puppet in the movie MAGIC. Ya, I agree that BOC wrote some amazing songs and I love the scene in HALLOWEEN where “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is played. Classic!
JG: Why do you think that dark, horror-inspired lyrics go so well with heavy metal music?
RC: I would guess that it’s because they’re both outside of the mainstream and that’s why people like us are into metal and horror. Metal and Horror both shock people and that’s why they work so well together, in my opinion.
JG: What projects do you have coming up next?
RC: I have a Viking Comedy Heavy Metal Animated Rock Opera on the Rugburn Channel on Youtube called MAJESTIC LOINCLOTH. It is 10 episodes of heavy metal comedy animated ridiculousness! You can search MAJESTIC LOINCLOTH on Youtube and it will come up. I’m super proud of how it turned out. I have 12 songs written so far for the new Charred Walls of the Damned album and it sounds killer! Also, the 2013 Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze CD comes out in October and you can visit the event in Van Cortlandt Manor, New York! I also write a monthly horror column for Decibel Magazine called “Richard Christy’s Horrorscope.” You can keep up with everything I have going on at my website, http://www.RichardChristy.com!
10 Quick Questions
1. What is your favorite monster, and why?
RC: Godzilla. The thought of giant unstoppable creatures terrifies me.
2. Least favorite monster, and why?
RC: Any of the TWILIGHT movie vampires; way too whiny!
3. What things really scare you?
RC: Cockroaches. I had one crawl in my mouth while I was asleep in Florida one time and it scarred me for life.
4. What things about today’s horror movies are you bored with?
RC: Not enough synthesizer music. To me a low synthesizer note equals horror; we need more of that!
5. If you could spend a day with John Carpenter or Bruce Campbell, who would you pick and why?
RC: I LOVE Bruce Campbell and I’ve met him and he’s super nice and funny, but I’d have to choose John Carpenter. He’s so talented at EVERYTHING, music, writing, and directing. I’d love to pick his brain about all three, although I’ve watched pretty much every documentary about him, watched every interview, listened to every podcast interview with him, and read every book about him, but I’m sure there are still unanswered questions that I have.
6. Favorite drink while you are working on a song or script?
RC: Southern Tier Pumking Pumpkin Ale, best drink in the world!!!
7. Do you like to write in silence or with TV/music in the background?
RC: A John Carpenter soundtrack is optimal audio for me to listen to while I’m writing.
8. Do you own horror memorabilia, and if so, what is it?
RC: Yes tons, plenty of posters. I used to go beg video stores for their posters when they were done with them so I have a lot of movie posters and also the cardboard standees they used to have in video stores, my favorite is a life-size Angela from NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2! I also have tons of horror figurines, I have all of the Todd McFarlane Movie Maniacs toys. I have a lot of horror vinyl as well, and tons of lobby cards.
9. Do you attend horror conventions, and if so, which ones?
RC: Yes, I go to the Chiller convention in NJ a lot and I love the Halloween conventions they have in Pasadena.
10. What haunted places are still on your list to visit?
RC: My dream visit is to Eureka, CA and Loleta, CA, where they filmed HALLOWEEN 3 SEASON OF THE WITCH, one of my favorite movies EVER! I’m hoping to go there sometime next year. I’ve been to the lighthouse from THE FOG in Point Reyes, CA, many times and it is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen!
JG: I just want to say thank you for this interview, it’s been a blast!
RC: Thank you so much, JG! I’m a big fan of your writing and it’s such an honor to talk horror with you and I’m so psyched that you enjoy my lyrics!!! Happy Halloween!
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You can follow Richard Christy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/richardchristy, Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/cwotd), and at his websites, http://www.richardchristy.com and http://www.charredwallsofthedamned.com
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