In episode 11 of Hooked on Creek, I get in the Halloween spirit. Listen to some terrifying tales and a selection of spooky songs performed live by Max Creek over the years.
Songs featured in this episode, including links to download or stream:
- Ghostbusters performed live on Oct. 27, 2012, at Fort William Henry in Lake George, New York
- Season of the Witch performed live on Oct. 31, 1997, at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island
- Werewolves of London performed live on Oct. 28, 1988, at West Hartford Music Hall in West Hartford, Connecticut
- Sympathy for the Devil performed live on Oct. 30, 1992, at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut
- Hard Brimstone performed live on Oct. 28, 2016, at Stafford Palace Theater in Stafford Springs, Connecticut
Episode 11 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music of Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 11.
Hey everyone thanks for joining me on episode 11 of Hooked on Creek. In this episode, I am going to help you get in the Halloween spirit by reviewing and playing a selection of spooky songs performed live by Max Creek over the years. You can find a direct link to stream or download all the songs I am reviewing in the episode show notes, or simply head over to hookedoncreek.com. And while you are there, click the contact link and let me know what you think. I am always looking for recommendations on topics to cover or Max Creek shows to feature in this podcast. Alright, now let’s get started.
America’s first accusations of witchcraft date back to 1645–1663, when about eighty people throughout England’s Massachusetts Bay Colony here in America were accused of practicing witchcraft. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement located in southern New England. During that time, thirteen women and two men were executed in a witch-hunt. Later, leading up to the Salem witch trials in 1692 and 1693, nearly 300 men and women were suspected of partaking in witchcraft. The Salem witch trials resulted in 19 convicted witches to be hanged and many other suspects to be imprisoned in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. But did you know the events in Salem were just one chapter in a long story of witch hunts that began in Europe in the early 1300s? Most of those European witch hunts took place in western Germany, France, northern Italy and Switzerland with some continuing into the late 1700s. In total, an estimated 110,000 people in Europe were tried for witchcraft and approximately 50,000 were executed.
That’s incredible, but then in 1966, Donovan released the album Sunshine Superman, that included the song Season of the Witch. And all of this is important to know because the first song I am going to play in this episode is Max Creek performing a cover of Season of the Witch back on Oct. 31, 1997, at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. But stay tuned, if you dare, I have a lot more music lined up.
In the late 1500s, farmers around Bedburg, Germany, were mystified by the strange deaths of some of their cows. Naturally, the farmers first suspected wolves were to blame, but they would later find out those cattle mutilations were actually the result of Peter Stumpp, a wealthy farmer in this rural community. And to their horror, this was just the beginning of what they would learn about Peter Stumpp, because as it turns out, Peter Stumpp had an insatiable drive to kill. First it was cows. And then children and young women began to disappear. Some were found dead, horribly mutilated. Others were never found. According to folklore, Peter Stumpp turned into a wolf-like creature at night and devoured citizens of Bedburg.
After being cornered by hunters who claimed they saw him shape-shift from wolf to human form, Peter Stumpp was eventually blamed for the gruesome killings. In 1589, Peter Stumpp had one of the most famous werewolf trials of history. Under torture, he confessed to having practiced black magic since he was 12 years old and to owning a magic belt that gave him the power to transform into a wolf at will. He also admitted to savagely killing animals, men, women and children — and eating their remains. As a result of his crimes, Peter Stumpp experienced a grisly execution.
Wow, that is some scary stuff, but then in 1978, Warren Zevon released his third solo album, titled Excitable Boy, that included a track called Werewolves of London. Now I am going to play a cover of Werewolves of London performed by Max Creek back on October 28, 1988, at West Hartford Music Hall in West Hartford, Connecticut and while I am playing this song, I want you to think about the story of Peter Stumpp, if you dare!
While Halloween is considered innocent fun by most, some religious groups remain concerned about Halloween’s demonic affiliations. As they see it, Halloween celebrations may appear on the surface to be quite harmless, but the implications of dabbling with the spirit world are very serious.
In their book “Halloween and Satanism,” Christian evangelist Phil Phillips and Joan Hake Robie explain why many fundamentalists are concerned about Halloween, writing “A tragic by-product of fear in the lives of children as early as pre-pubescence is the interest and involvement in supernatural occult phenomena.” To put it another way, there are people who believe the harmless scare sought by a young child in a spooky custom on Halloween may develop into a natural curiosity to read scary books and watch scary TV programs, an escalation will ultimately lead the child down the road to Satanic practices.
And in spite of all that, in 1968 the Rolling Stones released their song Sympathy for the Devil on their album Beggars Banquet. Now, if you dare, listen to this live recording of Max Creek performing a cover of the Rolling Stones song Sympathy for the Devil at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut, on October 30, 1992.
Halloween is loosely based on old Celtic legends and the Catholic Church’s celebration of their saints. From at least the 16th century, early versions of this celebration involved people going house-to-house in costume, usually reciting songs in exchange for food. Some think wearing costumes may have originally been a tradition whereby people impersonated the souls of the dead, and received offerings on their behalf. But the American ritual of wearing costumes on Halloween really began in the early 1900s. In fact, the first store bought Halloween costumes were not available until the 1930s.
All of this important to know, because back on October 29, 2016, at the Stafford Palace Theater in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, Max Creek put a costume on their song Hard Love by playing it to the music of Fire and Brimstone. The result? Hard Brimstone. Take a listen to this …
And that concludes this episode of Hooked on Creek. All the songs featured in this episode are available to stream or download on archive.org. Including Max creek performing Ghostbuster at Fort William Henry in Lake George, NY, back on Oct. 27 2012. Check the show notes for direct links. And if you have feedback about this episode or recommendations for future episodes, visit hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. Thanks for tuning in.