10.31.2010

In the Witching Hour.....

With Halloween in full swing, I've begun my "ritual" in celebration of the holiday.

Instead of my favorite cheesy chick flicks being in rotation, I pop on AMC's FearFest for some Wolf Man and Frankenstein.

In the car, my stereo blasts the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack and I sing "Dammit Janet" at the top of my lungs....many people in their cars probably questioning my sanity when they catch me in the act.

I could handle some Nosferatu with a big bowl of popcorn, some Lindt chocolate truffles, and a glass of red wine.

And every paranormal investigation show replaces my usual Family Guy lineup.

Yes, Halloween is definitely one of my all-time favorite holidays....one where I spend as much time as possible trying to scare the shit out of myself with anything and everything abnormal.

So in honor of this ghoulish holiday, I have decided to add my favorite Halloween songs to listen to as I bring in the holiday.

1) Thriller by Michael Jackson - So it would only be fitting that MJ grace my list with this classic....and this one is no exception! I mean, come on now, the music video alone speaks for the song, with a Wolf Man scene, zombies, and that ever-famous zombie dancing. While it has been years since I've done the famous dance scene for anyone, I can't help but want to turn this song up whenever those opening notes arouse my aural senses. 

2) Poltergeist (Main Title) Theme Song by Jerry Goldsmith - The child-like music, those melodic voices....all topped off with creepy, ominous laughter? There is truly nothing more disturbing than this particular movie theme song. 

3) Monster Mash by Bobby "Boris" Pickett - A classic! Anywhere I go, the moment this song comes on, I just have to bop around (even in my car) and sing at the top of my lungs (room permitting). (And sometimes, I wish I could even show off my version of the "Transylvania Twist"!)

4) Time Warp by Richard O'Brien (Rocky Horror Picture Show) - I can remember the first time I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I could not have been more than seven or eight years old when the image of Tim Curry in fishnets and pearls was burned into my memory. Since then, add many a midnight showing complete with perfecting the choreography to this song....absolute perfection!

5) The Shining Theme Song (Dies Irae) by Hector Berlioz - For The Shining, it's not all about watching Jack Nicholson go completely mad! No, I find it even more frightening the way the opening scene captures the isolation of the family as they spend the winter at the Overlook Hotel. And for the initial panning of the camera, the use of one of Berlioz's most famous pieces....brilliant! 

6) Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley - What a weird, yet hysterical musical number! I don't think there are even words to describe how much Purple People Eater makes me laugh every time I hear it. 

7) Ghostbusters Theme Song by Ray Parker - I think my favorite memory of this song was being in a dive bar in  the Village and having a Marine pick this particular number on the jukebox....all in honor of Bill Murray being in the bar that night. There are no words to the amount of "cheese" this song embodies, but it is still pretty damn catchy! Just keep remembering to ask yourself....who you gonna call?

8) Twilight Zone Theme Song by Marius Constant - A simple, ominous melody, interjected with Rod Serling's even creepier voice? Even though I won't be able to watch this particular marathon until New Year's Eve....I still cannot help but place this classic on my list.

9) Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon - Not exactly created for Halloween, but come now....what could be better than some Warren Zevon jamming out and singing about werewolves? Definitely a classic.

10) Psycho Theme Song by Bernard Herrmann - This movie gives me the creeps....in so many ways. Because while Janet Leigh's character is worried about being caught with all of that money, she has no clue that she has stumbled onto the craziest person of all....Norman Bates. And for this movie, the music needed to be perfect in the portrayal of the story. The violins and their creepy melody are what help to make Hitchcock's classic go from creepy to just downright disturbing!

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There you have it, my favorite Halloween music picks....and on that note, hope everyone has had one killer Halloween!

~Jenny Rockstar

10.21.2010

Sometimes....you just gotta let it all out

Let's face it: we all have bad days. It's true that when you're happy the smallest things can always keep that happiness going. But then....there are those days where everything seems to go wrong and all you want is a box of tissues and a pint of Haagen Daz. (Or a punching bag and a desire to have a lobotomy from all the stupidity you've encountered.) And when that happens, all the happy, motivational music doesn't seem to quite cut it. You're angry, upset, tearful, numb, and feeling empty (even when surrounded by loved ones.)

But in those times, I still find music to be just as important in keeping me grounded and sane while I process my emotions. Whether it be loud and obnoxious, full of hateful words, empowering, or sad and melancholy, I need those songs to bring my head to a better place to fully process what I'm feeling. So here they are, in no particular order, ten of my go-to songs for when I'm feeling a little less like myself.

1) Points of Authority by Linkin Park - If we want to talk angry and hate-filled, this is my go-to song in those moments. I almost feel like in that exact moment, those words sum up all the rage I have inside, no matter what the situation. Just the way the lyrics are spoken with such intensity and malice, I can relate in those moments when I just can't take anymore. The way Mike Shinoda sings "forfeit the game before somebody else takes you out of the frame" makes me feel liberated and alive inside, like I can intimidate those who are screwing with my mind. And sometimes, you need to feel that empowerment more than anything in order to cope.

2) What Goes Around, Comes Around by Justin Timberlake - Yes, this may be a little more pop-like for this list, but hearing Justin sing about a girl who wronged him and how karma comes back to bite her in the ass....who hasn't been in a situation where you feel this way about someone else? It's just such a powerful song in its message that while you can be hurt, life will take care of those who have wronged you. Karma will always take care of it.

3) Bigger Than My Body by John Mayer - Even when angry music has taken over my playlist, this John Mayer gem always brings me back to being as positive as possible in times of need. Sometimes we can reach beyond what we're ready to reach for....and hearing this song reminds me that while I'm not ready to reach for what I want yet, it doesn't mean that I'm too far off from achieving my goal. I will get there. I will reach my goal. It just may take a little more than what I've given already....and that's ok.

4) Bodies by Drowning Pool - Oh yes, even my collection of music includes this angry, hateful song. Why? Because sometimes, you just need to scream in song about how you feel about getting pushed around again and again. I can remember friends cracking jokes about this song (that are not quite appropriate to say in a public forum), but I always give this song a listen when nothing else is allowing me to quite express the anger that I'm carrying inside. 

5) Sleep to Dream by Fiona Apple - I have always considered Fiona Apple to be great music to listen to when I just need a good cry. Some of her music is depressing and can always bring me down to its level when I need to let out my melancholy. But there's just something about her music, especially this song, that helps me cope with people who I care about that walk all over me. 

6) Gives You Hell by The All-American Rejects - A newer addition to my music collection, yet this song struck a chord with me the first time I heard it. I love how the words are an expression of one person telling the other that they hope that whenever they are thought about, that it makes them suffer just a little bit. 

7) Kim by Eminem - For anyone that has heard this song, you understand how disturbing this one can truly be. Eminem takes it beyond everything by writing a song about killing his woman because she cheated on him. And when I say disturbing, I mean disturbing to even using the sound effects of him dragging her dead body back to the car and throwing it in the trunk. You hear her crying and desperate for him to spare her life, but he won't hear any of it! And while it's normally not what I listen to all the time, it helps release that anger that can bottle up every now and then.

8) Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit - Fairly self-explanatory if you listen to the words. Yet for those who have not heard it, I do think you should locate this track on a bad day and hit "play"....and listen to Fred Durst go on about how we all have those horrible days where our anger gets the better of us and we need to just break something to feel better. 

9) Smile by Charlie Chaplin - Ok, so I haven't heard the original version, but the words to this song? Beautiful. Amidst all the angry music, there needs to be encouragement and hope somewhere. And what better way to capture that motivation than by a song that talks about smiling despite all the pain you feel? That smiling will always get you through, no matter how difficult the situation you find yourself in. 

10) What It Feels Like For A Girl by Madonna - So I know the real subtext of these words are not directly about how boys need to put themselves into a girl's shoes, but I can't help but feel a connection with this song. Sometimes, I wish that boys knew how I felt inside about what happens to me on a day-to-day basis. How girls struggle with so many more issues, because they're under pressure for the image they portray to the world. We're more in touch with our feelings and are taught that to not show emotion is a bad thing. It's raw, it's emotional and it fits the mood of how I feel most of the time....misunderstood and alone.

~Jenny Rockstar

10.06.2010

Pre-Order Mark Salling's album Pipe Dreams!

Hey everyone! Check out Mark Salling's debut album Pipe Dreams when it hits the airwaves 10/26, but be sure to click on the link below and pre-order your album!

@mark_salling's album Pipe Dreams is available for pre-order now!

~Jenny Rockstar

Enter for a chance to get a 10 minute phone call with Mark Salling!

Hey everyone! Check out this link and help me win a 10-minute phone interview with Glee's star Mark Salling!

Also, check out his new album Pipe Dreams when it hits the airwaves 10/26!

Enter for a chance to get a 10 minute phone call with Mark Salling!

~Jenny Rockstar

10.05.2010

Have A Little Faith In Me....

As I have found very little time between my photography job, my other side-jobs, and making sure to live my life....writing has taken the backseat to  what's been going on in my life. But something tonight finally jolted me out of my hiatus and so I felt the need to update.

Yes, I am still working on my music project, even more diligently than ever as I have started to download and add some of my new music to my iTunes collection! The musical journey has taught me a lot about myself and what I'm looking for in life, but I digress. Tonight, as I cozied up on the couch with Matt and watched tonight's new episode of Glee....I couldn't help but be drawn to the topic at hand: Faith. 

In the episode, it deals with faith and how each person believes in something different....even if nothing at all. The members of the glee club each express what faith means to them, whether it be through going to Temple, Church, or praying to a grilled cheese sandwich with the face of Jesus burned onto it. Point being, each person had their own belief of what faith and spirituality meant to them, even if they didn't have any at all.

There are times that I can relate to Kurt's character, where I don't necessarily believe in there being a structured higher power to believe in. Instead, feeling that a belief in a higher power is just something that makes people sleep better at night. I know not everyone will understand what I mean by that and attack my previous statement, but I don't care. I believe in a God that I can talk to whenever I want to, share whatever I believe in, and I don't feel pressured to be in a cookie-cutter type of religion. But I do respect other religions and beliefs, even if it's not what I necessarily agree with. It's pertinent to always have faith in something, even if it is only yourself.

With that said, the episode got me thinking about Faith in my own life and where it lies now. I still have my random conversations with God whenever I feel I need to talk out life....good or bad. And it got me thinking about the ways I view music and writing. Music has become part of my own faith, giving me the strength to keep going on a daily basis, as well as keep my life in focus. It's a part of who I am and what I believe in. But writing? I never make more time for it....and that's where I falter.

In an effort to truly devote myself more to my "faith," I need to make more time for my writing. Instead of holding out for two weeks to write another entry, I need to push myself harder to write weekly, sometimes twice a week. It'll give me peace of mind, it'll keep me grounded. And most important, it'll keep my faith in check. 

So for now, I bid you all goodnight; I will be back to updating musically very soon!

~Jenny Rockstar