I have been addicted to Halloween ever since I was a little goblin. The idea and the vibe of the holiday have always been a perfect fit with my personality. I don't know what it is about the day. Possibly being scared, or is it the dressing up and pretending to be someone else for a brief period, or maybe it's the free candy? Maybe it's a combination of them all. At this point in my life it is hard to say.
As a kid I had an anticipation of its arrival that was only matched by Christmas. The visions that danced in my head were certainly not that of sugarplums, whatever the hell they are. They were more along the lines of dancing skeletons.
When I had kids of my own I loved taking them trick or treating. Though I know where their love of the holiday was based, the candy was their sole motivation for donning that costume and treading through the neighborhood. They didn't embrace the potential of being scared like I did.
When they had outgrown their time behind the mask, I missed it and was sad that that brief period of time was over. While I mourned its passing, I consoled myself with my Halloween decorations going up earlier every year in my attempt to stretch out the holiday as long as I could.
One of the things that I began thinking about was another Halloween loss that happened in between my being a kid and having kids. The loss of one of my favorite bands, Oingo Boingo. If ever there was a musical group that was, or should I say became, synonymous with a particular holiday, it was Oingo Boingo. The dark themes of their music were a perfect fit with the darkest of days. What Bing Crosby was to Christmas, Oingo Boingo was to Halloween.
I watched them in concert many times, but over the years their Halloween concerts became an event. One that I looked forward to every time it happened here in Los Angeles or Orange County.
So it was with great sadness when in 1995 they called it quits. Their leader, Danny Elfman, had been seduced by the dark side of the cinematic force. He was going to dedicate his time to making soundtracks for the movies. Damn you Tim Burton.
Even if they had never played another Halloween show here locally again but had stayed together I would have had that feeling of comfort knowing that they were out there whipping an audience into a dancing frenzy on All Hallows Eve.
Then by the grace of Facebook came a sign from the ghost of Halloween's past. The drummer of Oingo Boingo, and SGV native, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez has put together a band, with other original members, to play many of Boingo's best songs. Some of the architects of the original band are up and partying once again. The phoenix that has risen from Oingo Boingo's ashes is "Johnny Vatos Boingo Dance Party."
They are playing a couple of times over the upcoming Halloween weekend, including a show, appropriately, on Halloween Night. Check the internet or Facebook under the band's name for information on show times and venues.
Johnny has taken a couple of stabs at tribute shows in the past, in 2005 and 2006, but hopefully he will keep this going for years to come. That way I can rest in peace knowing that the true soundtrack for Halloween is secure.
Maybe then I will have visions of skeletons dancing in my head every Halloween season. That is how I like it this time of year.
Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 14 years. Any comments can be sent to either our exalted editor at tmiller@beaconmedianews.com or to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com You can also find Bill on Facebook at : www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn
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