25 Years in the Making…

Hello, all, and welcome to my new subscribers! One thing you will quickly come to realize is that I always say I’m going to do regular life updates here, then I never do. I guess I just don’t think I’m that interesting, so I never do personal posts unless something exciting is going on.

Which means…

Something exciting is going on!!!!

2024 is shaping up to be a year of awesome tours, whatever your preference may be. For me, this is looking to be the year of nostalgia.

First, I posted on Facebook, semi-joking about driving up to Nashville for Creed and my friend from Georgia was like “Or I can take you to the show in Atlanta.” So, I’ll be seeing 3 Doors Down, Mammoth WVH, and Creed in December.

Then, last week, I reminded my dad about a promise he made in 2016. He said if Marilyn Manson came close and I bought the tickets, he’d get me to the show. Well, that year Manson actually played in Birmingham, but I chose not to go (long story). Now, however, Manson will be in Nashville four days after my birthday – and, much to my delight, Dad’s promise still stands!

Y’all have to understand why seeing Marilyn Manson is such a big deal for me. I have been a fan for 25 years and I have never managed to attend one of his concerts. I was too young when my brother introduced me to his music, and soon after, Manson was banned from Birmingham. (It wasn’t a statewide ban, but seriously, where else in Alabama would he play?) As stated, he was able to book shows in Birmingham in 2016 and 2017, but circumstances were against me and I had to skip them.

Finally. Finally, I will be seeing Marilyn Manson. And I. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.

My dad regrets that promise. Lol. He’s not a Manson fan. He doesn’t hate him or anything, he just thinks he’s boring. My mom would probably enjoy the show, but unfortunately, she started having seizures in December 2022. She hasn’t been officially diagnosed with anything yet, and she has been to a concert without incident since then, so it would probably be okay. However, when she asked her neurologist, she was advised against live shows. And honestly, I would never want to put her through that. Neither of us was thinking when we went to see Shinedown. Or, more accurately, I was under the impression she hadn’t had a seizure since January and the concert was in April. She was put on a fairly high dosage of an anticonvulsant at the end of last year and seems to have things under control, but again, I will do everything in my power not to put her in a situation that triggers a seizure. I’ve held her hand through a few, and it’s scary.

Anyway. That’s my big news. As for the rest of my life… I work and come home. Haha! Y’all know how it is.

I hope this post finds all of you well, and I hope positive things are happening for you in 2024!!!!!

P.S. – Manson looks good again! Well. He looks good for him.

Mostly Music Halloween 2023 Playlist

I think I actually created this playlist last year, but it has undergone some changes since then! So click the link to visit the actual list on Spotify (this is NSFW), or simply read what made the cut below! Happy Halloween, y’all!

  • Type O Negative: “Love You to Death”
  • Type O Negative: “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)”
  • Small Town Titans: “Monster Mash”
  • Marilyn Manson: “This is Halloween”
  • Ed Ivory, Ken Page: “Oogie Boogie’s Song”
  • Danny Elfman: “Remains of the Day”
  • Bruno Coulais, The Children’s Choir of Nice: “Coraline End Credits”
  • London After Midnight: “The Black Cat”
  • Avenged Sevenfold: “A Little Piece of Heaven”
  • Alice Cooper: “Feed My Frankenstein”
  • Depeche Mode: “Enjoy the Silence – 2006 Remaster”
  • Marilyn Manson, Sneaker Pimps: “Long Hard Road Out of Hell”
  • Sneaker Pimps: “6 Underground”
  • Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, Richard O’Brien: “Time Warp”
  • Lana Del Rey: “Season of the Witch”
  • Eagles: “Witchy Woman – 2013 Remaster”
  • Collide: “White Rabbit”
  • Rob Zombie: “Dragula”
  • Crosses: “Bitches Brew”
  • White Zombie: “Thunder Kiss ’65”
  • Fall Out Boy: “Uma Thurman”
  • Backstreet Boys: “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
  • The Weeknd: “Blinding Lights”
  • The 69 Eyes: “Lost Boys”
  • Ghost: “Dance Macabre”
  • Keith David: “Friends on the Other Side” (from The Princess and the Frog)
  • The Alan Parsons Project: “The Raven”
  • The Alan Parsons Project: “(The System Of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Feather”
  • Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: “Red Right Hand”
  • Front Line Assembly: “Ghosts”
  • Creature Feature: “The Greatest Show Unearthed”
  • Jyrki 69, Steve Stevens: “White Rabbit”
  • Die Krupps: “The Vampire Strikes Back”
  • Panzer AG: “Monster”
  • Rob Zombie: “House of 1000 Corpses”
  • Rob Zombie: “Pussy Liquor”
  • John 5: “Beat It”
  • Anarchy Club: “Behind the Mask”
  • Graveyard BBQ: “Cheat on the Church”
  • Bobaflex: “I’m Glad You’re Dead”
  • Rammstein: “Mein Teil”
  • Ghost: “Call Me Little Sunshine”
  • Ghost: “Hunter’s Moon”
  • Atlanta Rhythm Section: “Spooky”
  • Alice Cooper: “Welcome To My Nightmare”
  • Tom Petty: “Zombie Zoo”
  • Wednesday 13: “I Walked With a Zombie”
  • Murderdolls: “Love at First Fright”
  • Escape the Fate: “Zombie Dance”
  • Escape the Fate: “Gorgeous Nightmare”
  • Escape the Fate: “Lost in Darkness”
  • Powerman 5000: “Black Lipstick”
  • Deftones: “Change (In the House of Flies)”
  • Muse: “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween”
  • Strvngers: “Crucifixxx”
  • Strvngers: “Necromancer”
  • Crywolf: “Halloween, 1987”
  • Andrew Gold: “Spooky, Scary Skeletons (Undead Tombstone Remix)”
  • People in Planes: “Vampire”
  • Roxy Lane: “Graveyard”
  • Vampires Everywhere!: “Cry Little Sister”
  • Rob Zombie: “Living Dead Girl”
  • No Resolve, From Ashes To New: “Thriller”
  • The 69 Eyes: “We Own The Night”
  • Powerman 5000: “Horror Show”
  • London After Midnight: “Spider and the Fly”

30 Day Song Challenge: Day 19 – A Song That Needs To Be Played Loud

Marilyn Manson: “The Dope Show”

Playlist Challenge, Day 819

Emigrate ft. Marilyn Manson — “Hypothetical”

Weekly Focus: Songs About Halloween, Day One

Marilyn Manson — “This is Halloween,” from the album/soundtrack Nightmare Revisited (2008).

How could I not start the week off with this classic? I chose Manson’s version, as it’s my favorite, but here are two alternates you might enjoy!

Panic! at the Disco

Broken Peach

Album of the Week: Nightmare Revisited

It’s the week of Halloween! This is the perfect time to bring your attention to 2008’s Nightmare Revisited, a collection of Danny Elfman songs — composed for the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas — reimagined by contemporary artists such as Marilyn Manson, Flyleaf, and Korn.

Bands You Should Know: Optic Oppression

I went to see Sköld in Atlanta last Sunday. Their opening acts were Optic Oppression and Echo Black. Both bands deserve to be gushed over, but this post is for Optic Oppression.

I didn’t have the chance to check out Optic Oppression prior to the show (because I fail at life). However, one song into their set, I was already sold. The band was highly energetic and as interactive as possible. Front man Kendall Cage was an absolutely mesmerizing performer. My mom was with me and as far as she was concerned, Kendall stole the show. I had the chance to speak to all three of the members throughout the night and they were very gracious, which is always a plus.

Pairing mostly clean vocals with a mix of electronic rock, synth rock, and industrial rock/metal, Optic Oppression has a sound reminiscent of Godhead, Orgy, and the earlier incarnations of Finger Eleven and Marilyn Manson. There is also a hint of Deftones and Crosses in some cases, the music having that moody, dark, slightly surreal vibe that I adore.

I am still familiarizing myself with Optic Oppression, but I can say with certainty that they are one of my new favorite bands. My fingers are crossed that they will play relatively close by again. If you ever find them listed on a bill, get your ass to that show! Don’t be like me, though: go ahead and listen to them right now.

Below, I am sharing three of the tracks that have stood out to me (so far). Be sure to head over to their official site, where you can score a free download of their Find a Way EP, and like/follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Apple Music, etc.

“Sparks 3.33”

“Big Boys Don’t Cry”

“Broken Doll”

Playlist Challenge, Day 672

Marilyn Manson — “User Friendly”

Playlist Challenge, Day 655

Marilyn Manson — “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)”