Psycho Killer....
Ok ok. So I know I said I would blog every full moon…and tonight is definitely NOT one….but what’s the point of creating my own Planet if I can’t break the rules?
Tonight’s Blog post is called…drum role please…..
PSYCHO KILLER..NO, BUT REALLY! And with one day until Halloween, I thought there would be nothing more appropriate than to recall a project that actually really scared the Heebie -Jeebies out of me!
The piece I’m referring to is a live stage performance we did in October of 2016 at a variety show I produce called The Elixir Show. The concept for this piece came straight from the brain of Mr. Justin Small…fellow producer, collaborator, and friend. Justin and I have always bonded over our dark sense of humor…and tragedies for that matter. So I was totally on board when he pitched his idea of doing a disturbed cover of Talking Head’s, Psycho Killer.
The piece would start out with a mad doctor and two nurses in scrubs…Justin started in excitedly.
They would be examining a seemingly dead body laying on stage. When the doctor removes his mask, a mouth full of blood will spill out of his mouth..cuing Funky Monkey (Elixir’s amazing house band) to start the song.
You and Vivi Varon will play the nurses. Sam Neagley will play the body. I will sing the song as the mad doctor. Things take a turn for the worst as Sam turns into the Monster and takes revenge on the doctor “stabbing” him in the stomach.
Great let’s do it! …..I exclaimed. And off we went!
Vivi choreographed the piece in an awesome style of sexy and thrashy jazz funk, like Vivi does. The majority of the piece took place on a small 4 x 8’ stage in the center of the audience. You know, for a very up close and homey feel…
We started in baggy scrubs and stripped down to sexy lingere with masks…showing that these nurses really are taking pleasure in performing this autopsy…while still being smart about not catching a disease. After like 32 counts of beating Sam on the heart he finally awakens… an homage to Frankenstein’s Monster..and proceeds to take revenge on his doctor, stabbing him with a knife.
Now let’s back up for just one second…
In rehearsal, Sam had always mimed stabbing Justin in the gut with an invisible knife…which is what I thought we were doing. So you can imagine my surprise when during the show I see Sam approaching with AN ACTUAL PROTRACTED X-ACTO KNIFE. I was terrified. Did Sam really turn into a real Psycho Killer? If so, that’s kinda brilliant timing…
But that’s besides the point.
He gets closer and closer to Justin, and as you can see on the video… I really don’t do a damn thing to stop him. Sam lunges forward with the knife, penetrating Justin’s stomach…blood squirting everywhere. Justin collapses to the stage while moaning and groaning the final words of the song.
Justin OMG! Why is he still singing?! Should we call for help? I thought passively and silently.
I’m not sure at what point I realized it was all an act. Maybe once I saw Justin smiling backstage…and clearly not dead. He lifted his shirt up to show the small piece of cardboard duct taped to him, resembling some sort of makeshift bulletproof vest?! I was so mad at him.. I could’ve stabbed him myself.
I really dropped the ball as a producer this show. I mean I totally was a deer in headlights.
And on top of that…what kind of friend am I? One that freezes in fear and just continues with the show??! Great job Kazzy…
So on this All Hallow’s Eve, please enjoy Justin Small’s version of Psycho Killer…(aka…The time I thought my friend was actually a Psycho Killer)… And watch me DO NOTHING about it.