Rob Zombie: 5 Songs I Wish I’d Written
Given Rob Zombie's well-documented love of campy retro horror, it's no surprise that he gravitates toward musicians who favor a similar aesthetic. Here, in advance of a tour with Korn that kicks off tonight in Englewood, Colorado, the seasoned shock rocker fills us in on his favorite spooky tunes, from a doo-wop gem by the Castle Kings to a classic Misfits rager.
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Roky Erickson, “Creature With the Atom Brain”
It's a very big-sounding rock song because he's got a really big voice. The song itself isn't particularly creepy – it's the lyrics and delivery.
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The Cramps, “I Was a Teenage Werewolf”
Their whole thing is horror-rock monster songs. This is pretty low-fi and trashy. It has a really 1960s garage-rock sound.
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The Castle Kings, “You Can Get Him, Frankenstein”
A doo-wop-y song from when I was a kid, like "Monster Mash." If you went to a Halloween party, you heard this.
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Tom Waits, “King Kong”
It's a great song. He's just telling the story of the love story of King Kong, screaming in his super-raspy, heavy voice.
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Misfits, “Vampira”
I had to pick the Misfits. I've done that song with Danzig many times. It's barely a minute and a half – one buzz-saw riff, basically, like all their songs.