Dr. Gangrene in Rue Morgue Halloween issue (on noosestands now)!

I picked up the new Rue Morgue Magazine last night, the Halloween issue, and they have a great plug for my YouTube Channel in there, specifically mentioning my ongoing Vincent Price series! Thanks Rue Morgue, you rock!


And you can check out myYouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/drgangrene

Farewell to THE RUE MORGUE PODCAST

They say all good things must come to an end- and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years it’s to enjoy the good things while they’re here, because they won’t last forever. So it is with much sadness that I bid a fond farewell to the RUE MORGUE PODCAST.

It seems like only yesterday that I wrote a very similar post bidding farewell to the previous incarnation of this audio podcast, RUE MORGUE RADIO.   THAT show was a variety show of interviews, reviews, commentary and music of all genres, all brilliantly woven together by the talented Tomb Dragomir, who I interviewed here. It was a fantastically popular podcast (and perennial Rondo Award Winner) that was ended for budgetary reasons by RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE  in February of 2012.   

RMR was discontinued, but in its stead rose THE RUE MORGUE PODCAST. I wrote an article about the new RMpodcast here back in Feb of 2012.  Hosted by Stuart Feedback Andrews (and occasionally side-kick Last Chance Lance), the Rue Morgue Podcast featured interviews with directors, actors, and artists from the horror community, as well as contests, commentaries, music and more. It was always entertaining and one I looked forward to regularly. 

Feedback's interviews were always interesting and insightful…and influential, as a horde of imitators follow in his footsteps.  He was a true innovator of horror talk radio - and a true champion of Women In Horror Month, and I think his show played a big part in helping to spread WIHM's message.

169 episodes later Rue Morgue comes to an unfortunate end – but rather than end this post on a down note, I’d like to congratulate Feedback on the many hours of entertainment he’s provided, and the legacy he’s left behind.

So to Feedback, and The Rue Morgue Podcast, I salute you. I hope you continue to produce more podcasts, Feedback - especially Cinephobia-radio, your side project/podcast of which I'm a big fan.

Listen to my interview with Feedback here

Stupid Costumes and Bad Jokes

I just finished listening to the latest episode of the Rue-Morgue Podcast and was kind of left feeling insulted afterward. The Rue Morgue Podcast is, of course, the podcast that endured after long running Rue Morgue Radio was cancelled. It features Stuart Feedback Andrews interviewing celebrities and figures in the field of horror. In this latest episode he spoke with Rue Morgue film critic the Gore-Met, who has a regular column in the magazine specializing in gory horror movies. The interview was a lengthy one so it was actually broken into two sections, and it was in part two that Gore-met made a comment I took offense to.

In part two Stuart took the Gore-Met to task for a series of comments he made regarding Women in Horror Month on the Rue Morgue blog that many felt were insensitive and offensive. Feedback was a little easy on him, truth be told. The Gore-Met offered up a lame excuse that those comments were made in jest, and it was all a joke, but I ain’t buying it. There was more than a little bit of personal opinion mixed in there to even make those remarks in the first place. And even if it WAS a joke it’s extremely insensitive to make those jokes at other peoples’ expense to begin with. I guarantee the women who read those posts, especially Lianne Spiderbaby, didn’t take it as a joke.

Speaking of Lianne Spiderbaby, it was a remark about her that led to the part of the podcast I drew offense to. The Gore-Met made a catty remark about women in negligee and high heels reviewing movies (Spiderbaby) which led to him talking about Elvira. Here’s the conversation, below:

( NOTE - I changed out this pic of Lianne Spiderbaby from the one I posted yesterday because this is probably a better representation of her - she's a movie reviewer, the others host horror movies. Different schtick, you know?)


Feedback: I want to actually get into that whole issue about sexualized images of women in horror, because I think that’s an important discussion to have, but not necessarily with you. (laughs)

The Gore-Met: Truth be told, the whole Elvira… the Katarina’s Midnight Movie thing that DVD companies have going on I think is thoroughly fucking insulting, and I don’t wanna look at that, I just want to see the movie. I don’t want to have to ogle the wrestling diva for five minutes before the movie, what the fuck is she doing there? What’s the significance of it, get out of the way.

Feedback: You don’t like Elvira?

The Gore-Met: She seems like a nice person but that whole horror host shtick… I don’t like when guys do it either. I used to watch that when I was a kid, I don’t care about it anymore. You know just get out of the way. Again, it’s somebody trying to make money and promote themselves off the back of the work of others. You could say that about us, too… but I think we’re presenting something of value more than just putting on a stupid costume and making a few bad jokes.





Ok, a few things going on here. First and foremost is the slam toward Elvira, Katarina (I think he means Katarina’s Nightmare Theater)and Lianne Spiderbaby. The Gore-Met really seems to have an issue with attractive women in the horror field who dress provocatively. Perhaps it’s an insecurity thing, but more likely it’s simply a male chauvinistic one. More than once he mentioned going to a strip club on the podcast. Perhaps it is the fact these women aren’t presented in the correct context for Mr. Gore-Met - maybe he is simply more comfortable with them when presented as sexual objects, or maybe the mixture of sexuality and authority unnerves him.

Elvira and Katarinna are “fucking insulting” to him, and he doesn’t want to have to ogle the wrestling diva for five minutes before getting to the movie. Fine. Don’t buy a copy of the film with her on it. Not a big problem. But perhaps the deeper issue is, again, why does this make you so uncomfortable? And why when you watch it do you feel you’re ogling her?

Next he goes on to say he doesn’t like it when men host horror movies either. Fair enough, it isn’t everyone’s bag, I get that. He feels the hosts should get out of the way so the viewers can get on to the film. I get that too. I feel the same way about Mystery Science Theater, so I don’t watch versions of movies with their treatment. Copies of these movies are readily available un-hosted and in many cases, like the MST discs, you can choose to watch with or without the host segments. No problem there.

He mentions he used to watch horror hosts as a kid but he doesn’t care about that anymore. Fine. Don’t buy it. But a lot of other folks do care about it, including many kids. I think that was meant more as a derisive comment than anything else. Horror hosts are too juvenile for the Gore-Met’s refined tastes therefore it doesn’t have merit. Hey, I have news for you, Gore-Met, despite what you may think, just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it bad.

He finally reaches the part of this that I take most offense to when he says horror hosts are simply “somebody trying to make money and promote themselves off the back of the work of others.” He does go on to say, “You could say that about us, too… but I think we’re presenting something of value more than just putting on a stupid costume and making a few bad jokes.”

Seriously, Gore-Met? What an arrogant statement. But then arrogance seems to be a pretty common trait among most critics. As I said in a comment on the Rue Morgue blog, if you don’t like horror hosts that’s fine but don’t act like your own work is somehow better than what we do, especially when compared to someone like Elvira, a beautiful, talented, funny, strong woman who is internationally famous through years of hard work as a writer, producer, and actor. She wrote those Elvira films as well as many of the shows themselves. She earned her place in horror history and definitely offers much more than a few bad jokes.

I personally spend countless hours researching, writing, shooting and editing my segments to make them as entertaining and informative as possible. I have had many young folks come up and tell me they grew up watching my show and want to thank me for getting them into horror. I feel it is a service I provide, in a way, helping to keep the memories of these shows and the people who made them alive in the public consciousness. My philosophy was always to never assume the viewer already knew something. In other words, I would mention that Boris Karloff played the Frankenstein Monster, or Lon Chaney played the Wolfman, facts that we as older horror movie viewers already know, but you know what? There are kids watching that DON’T already know these things. And I, as a “stupid costume wearing, bad joke telling” horror host have a way to reach these kids and introduce them to these wonderful classics.

Horror hosting is a time-honored tradition that a handful of us are trying to keep alive. I don’t simply do this for fame or money, there are much better ways to achieve both. In fact, for years I didn’t even take any merchandise with me to conventions. I found the shows much more enjoyable and it was much easier to gather interviews if I wasn’t chained to a table. Sure, I was missing out on sales but who cares? It isn’t about that. This is an artistic endeavor, a way to express myself that is fun and centered around one of my main interests, horror movies. I guarantee I spend way more than I make at this, in money and time. I only recently started getting a table at shows again, mainly because people kept asking me for new DVDs.

How is this any less noble a profession than what you do, which was admittedly started only because you wanted free swag? You get paid to write your opinions. Terrific. But the problem comes into play when critics start taking themselves too seriously. Of course their opinions are more important than everyone else’s, and of course they’re always right, and of course you offer more than someone in a stupid costume telling bad jokes because you’re the Gore-Met, fer Christ sakes! Just listen to how ridiculous that is. The Gore-Met. Why that’s as ridiculous a name as Elvira, or Lianne Spiderbaby, or Dr. Gangrene. That is a name worthy of someone wearing a stupid costume and telling bad jokes!

Tell you what, Gorey, if you get tired of spouting your opinion on gore films maybe you should consider hosting movies. You never know, you might just be a natural at it. But you probably won’t get as much free swag.

6ft Plus Podcast featuring interview with Lyle Blackburn of Ghoultown

Episode #28 of the 6ft plus podcast is online now featuring my interview with the one and only Count Lyle Blackburn, lead singer of the cowpunk band Ghoultown, writer for Rue Morgue Magazine, and bigfoot researcher and enthusiast. We talk Ghoultown, Rue Morgue, Bigfoot and more. Check it out at:
http://6ftplus.gravediggerslocal.com/podpress_trac/web/1390/0/Episode_28.mp3

Lyle just wrote a new book called THE BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK, The True story of the Fouke Monster. It investigates the legends behind the myth that inspired the famous film The Legend of Boggy Creek, the true life reports of sightings that continue to this day, and the behind the scenes events of making that movie. Pick up your copy here:
http://www.foukemonster.net/shop.htm

Interview with Tomb Dragomir

Greetings Fright Fans,

This week we have a special guest from north of the border, a man who is best known for his duties as a very scary host. No I’m not talking about Alex Trebek, I’m talking about that ghost host with the most, the voice of Rue Morgue Radio, Tomb Dragomir.

Tomb, welcome to the lab. Glad you made your way to my secret hidden lair here.

Thanks Dr. G, it's pretty dark, I think I stepped on a Test-Tube...(crunch)

Tell me about your background as a young ghoul. Where did you grow up and were you always a horror fan or did you come into it later in life?

I grew up in out the country a few hours east of Toronto, and yeah I spent a lot of time in the dark basement watching old horror flicks and listening to weird radio shows like Dr. Demento or anything on TV I could get with our crappy radial antenna from Buffalo, sttuff like Tales from the Darkside and Elviria's Movie Macabre. I can't remember a time when I wasn't obsessed with the weird and scary side of life. When I was really little I always fascinated with the Bermuda Triangle, wondering what happened to all those people and imaging all the ghastly possibilities surrounding their disappearance.

So tell me about creating an episode of Rue Morgue Radio. What is the creative process, and how much input do each of the contributors have?

The finished show is an amalgamation of all the weirdos who make it. Feedback, Liisa and Shannon have full control over their segments and I use that inspiration to create the actual show around it into a crazy stream of consciousness of clips, quips and terrror tunes. There is nothing like this out there!

RMR is a weekly show – how long does each episode take to edit together?

Just from my end, it takes about 18-20 hours a week to edit everything together. I've managed to shave a few hours off production time over the years with technology upgrades but it's still a mighty long haul stitching this really big show together each week, but I think it's worth it and one of the reasons we stand out above the crowd.

The podcast has a real sense of humor that runs throughout. I’m guessing it’s important to you to have fun with such dark material?

Yeah, I think that's just me. I'm a bit of a goofball. I think if I tried to play it off all cool and serious it wouldn't work. It would come off sounding too fake I think.

My favorite thing about Rue Morgue Radio as opposed to other podcasts is the music. You guys rock! You really have your finger on the pulse of horror rock, current and past, and play a variety of genres, from soundtracks and scores to metal and everything in between.

Damn right.

I know all the staff of Rue Morgue has their own personal preference of music. Lisa obviously leans more toward goth and industrial music. I kind of gather you’re a Cramps guy – true?

True, Lux Interior was a true rock n roll madman, showman. Wild animal.

What are a few of your other favorite bands?

We all know about the Rob Zombies and the Marilyn Mansons but here's a few other RM Radio approved bands you might not know about but probably should:

Midnight Syndicate, Psychocharger, Dead Vampires, The Creepshow, The Residents, The Ghastly Ones, Deadbolt, Squid Lid, The Creeping Cruds, Ghoultown, The Forbidden Dimension, Zombina and the Skeletones, The Independents...The list goes on forever...

Rue Morgue Radio developed as an offshoot of Rue Morgue Magazine. How much did the Editor-in-Chief change from Jovanka to Dave Alexander affect the radio side of things?

The Radio is run independently from the Magazine. In fact, we're starting to meet fans out there who don't even know about the mag, which is weird, but cool. That said, Dave's been great and we're even working together to create some awesome fake trailers for the show and develop some new areas of content.

I love the banter between you and Shannon. It seems the two of you have a good chemistry and get along well. Are you friends outside of the show and hang out, or is it more of a co-worker relationship?

Actually, Shannon is probably my best friend that I never get to see. At risk of breaking the illusion, Shannon lives and works in Edmonton on-air at one of those EZ Rock stations and we pre-tape her weekly segment... Seriously though, she's awesome and we have a lot of fun with it.

If I had any criticism of RMR it’s that it sometimes seems too short! I’d especially like Feedback and Lance to have more time for their movie reviews. I’m guessing there is a conscious effort to keep it concise with a snappy format and leave fans wanting more, as opposed to having rambling program with no direction, right?

While I do always wanna leave 'em wanting more, there's also a lot of music to fit into to such a short time, but never fear all you Caustic Critics fans out there we're working on bringing you some new content that will expand the RM Radio sphere. I can't say much more right now, but stay tuned...!

The new horror music compilation Hymns from the House of Horror is terrific and a great way to spotlight some of the music featured on RMR. Can we look forward to more editions of Hymns?

Hell Yeah! The next one's gonna blow your mind's mind!

In closing where would you like to see Rue Morgue Radio go in the future? Any directions you’d like to see it expand or other areas you’d like to explore?

I'm already working on some new RM Radio related projects that I hope to introduce soon and begin to introduce visual elements into the mix in some off-shoot projects. I can't really say much more right now...cuz I just cut out my own tongue! *SLICE!* Blah ha ha ha... *drip, drip* oowy....sssNurse???

Well thanks again for spending some time with me here on Shackle Island. New episodes of Rue Morgue Radio come out every Friday. You can download them at: www.ruemorgueradio.com and they have an archive of tons of old shows. Go there and download to your black heart’s content, and tell em’ Dr. Gangrene sent ya!

Thanks Dr. G! Tell all your fiends to follow me on Twitter @Tombdragomir. Adios!

Dr. Gangrene in latest Rue Morgue Magazine!

In the latest issue of Rue Morgue Magazine, #103, Dr. Gangrene appears beside several other horror hosts discussing what keeps him going in the genre of horror hosting. I just want to say thanks to Rue Moegue for including yours gruely, and urge all of you to go pick up this latest issue. The interview with Count gore is a terrific interview. Definitely an issue not to be missed!!

Rue Morgue #103

Rue Morgue Magazine just released this sneak Peek of upcoming issue #103 - due out Aug. 1st. Note the article at the bottom - Count Gore DeVol. Very cool!