IN THIS ISSUE OF COSMIK DEBRIS: We act like psychotics once again in celebration of Halloween, the official Cosmik Debris holiday. Not to be confused with our official Cosmik Debris Holly Day... oh dear... that might get confusing. Never mind. Get ready for a trio of interviews of the ghoulish variety. We take our lives in our hands and chat with The Witches, Electric Frankenstein and Vampire Beach Babes. On a not so fun note, we say goodbye to somebody you may not have been aware of but shoulda been, dammit. We're talking about Herman Brood. Send-off articles are sad, but this one may be the beginning of a new musical love for you, so check it out, along with our columns and reviews. And be sure to tune in the Halloween Cosmik Radio!

COSMIK RADIO!: We proudly present the 4th annual Cosmik Radio Halloween Thingy! It's about an hour & a half of Halloween music that isn't the same old same old. You just need a RealAudio Player to listen. If you don't have one, go pick one up. Cosmik Radio is just the kind of Net-Only audio that radio station program directors don't want you getting hooked on. So go ahead. Inhale!

THE WITCHES - Sure doesn't sound like you're typical Halloween scare-fare. Sounds... kind of pleasant. Think I'll follow that nice, jangling guitar... yes... follow... into the woods here... HEY!!! They're gonna getcha. Find out what's cookin' in that Detroit cauldron. Interview by DJ Johnson.

ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN - In the first of a Tape Hiss Halloween double header, John Sekerka does a little psychoanalysis on one of the legends of monster rawk.

VAMPIRE BEACH BABES - In game two of the Tape Hiss Halloween double header, the Vampire Beach Babes are next on the couch. Identity crisis? Split personality? Are they goth? Are they surf? Are they psychobilly? Are they concerned? Are they freakin' hot or what?!

HERMAN BROOD - Artist, former porn actor, ultra- unique musician with a talent that will be missed by far too few because far too few were ever exposed to his music, Herman Brood took his own life just as it was clearly on the upswing. Learn about this man from someone who has been a dedicated fan for years. Article by Bill Holmes.



CD & RECORD REVIEWS - Everything from rock to jazz to hip-hop and back again.

EVERYTHING ELSE IN REVIEW - Rock Star, DVD (The Goth Box), Book (Bubblegum Is Truth) and more.



GARY PIG GOLD - This month Gary has a very simple message.

CLOSET PHILOSOPHY - Rusty Pipes has some facts for you. You may not like them. You may hate them. You may think it's terrible to point them out. But they are, after all, facts.

TUNING IN TIME - DJ Johnson invites you to kick back and fire up your Real Audio player for some great OTR (Old Time Radio). The subject? Horror programs, of course!

WALLEY@WITZEND - David views the situation from his New York home and tries to untangle it all.



CREDITS - The names and e-mail addresses of the people responsible for this thing.

COSMIK RADIO - Want an hour of music that fits the personality of Cosmik Debris Magazine? That's right, Sinatra segues into Megadeth into Peter Tosh into Man Or Astro-Man into... well, you get the picture. It's a little something we like to call Genre Whiplash. Or maybe you're in the mood for a trip into The Fog Machine, our mix of music of the ethereal variety. All you need is a RealAudio player. Come on in.

INTERNET RADIO STATIONS - Great radio is alive and well on the Net! Cosmik Debris presents links to take you where the good ones are hiding, from St. Louis to Dublin. You're no longer stuck with just the "classic rock," "young country" and "24-hour talk" that has your town held hostage.

OUR OWN WEBSITES - Many of the Cosmik Debris writers have websites of their own. We have some links right here.



Every year I look toward the October issue like little kids look toward Christmas. In fact, when we begin work on the September issue, I begin designing both issues at once. Halloween has always been it for me. Can't explain it. This time around the joy of preparing was, by and large, erased by the terrorists. Yeah, boo hoo. I'm not complaining. Small loss, my enjoyment. Thing is, I sat numb for a long time once it sank in that it had actually happened, and I think one of the main things that pulled me out of that numb trance, finally, was getting back to work on this issue. It feels a little strange putting out something like this at a time like this, but at the same time it feels cathartic. These are fun bands. These aren't terrorist bands. These aren't white supremacy violence mongers. These are people having a good time. We hope you can forget the heaviness on the news for an hour or two and have a good time reading what they had to say. Halloween's still my favorite issue, and I know from e-mails I receive that it's the favorite of many of you, as well. I hope you enjoy this one.

DJ Johnson
Editor

Did you miss an issue? We now have many of our back issues online, including sound clips and extras. Check out interviews with The Witches, Electric Frankenstein, the Vampire Beach Babes, Jeff Berlin, Curve, Michael Shermer, Steel Pulse, Transglobal Underground, Mark Helm, The Southern Rock All-Stars, Ottmar Liebert, Jason Noble of Shipping News, Phil Vassar, Joel Dorn, Mark Cline of Love Tractor, Texas Terri (of Texas Terri & The Stiff Ones), Mike Keneally, Chris Shinn of Unified Theory, Alley of Wise Monkey Orchestra, Mario Escovedo of The Dragons, The Clarks, Big Ass Truck, Richard Cheese, Paul Krassner, Tony Iommi, Ron Dante... and too many more to list!!