Kansas City Playlist: Scary/Silly Season Starts

Tonight we begin by giving tribute to a local spooky institution because it's one of the best in the nation but this post isn't really about Halloween.

Instead . . . We wonder . . . 

SHOULD WE THINK OF 2026 MIDTERMS AS THE SCARY OR SILLY SEASON?!?

Consider . . .

For those of us who follow politics . . . Social media is now a total gutter comprised of mostly threats, anger and stories that NOBODY is dumb enough to believe . . . Along with all the usual suspects begging for a fight to keep their day occupied.

Meanwhile . . .

We can only hope that AI tech will help us improve call/text screening in order to avoid so many unwanted messages that mostly feature millionaire politicos begging for cash to supplement the allowance from BILLIONAIRE donors.

Finally . . .

The mainstream news cycle doesn't offer much hope as we cycle from scandal, are and one natural disaster to the next. 

The punchline . . . 

The midterms are only the start of the political slap fight that confronts American voters as we move forward from the MAGA era into an unknown future. 

And maybe that's actually more daunting than any scary movie. 

Accordingly . . . 

All of this inspires our www.TonysKansasCity.com playlist on the topic of haunted songs . . .

Speaking of fate and politics, this song seems apropos to start . . . Lead singer Michael Hutchence noted that the lyrics grew out of a phase exploring themes of God, the Devil, and the chaos of everyday life . . . What we didn't know until tonight: "The music video for INXS's hit song "Devil Inside" was directed by filmmaker Joel Schumacher.

We've heard Ray Parker Jr's Ghost Busters too many times and this 1989 track actually resonates in our memory a bit more and it's a slightly better song in our opinion . . . A fun fact about the clip: The music video features famous faces from the era, including Donald Trump, Rick Moranis (reprising his role as Louis Tully), Iman, and a young Halle Berry dancing in the background.

Our millennial friends might know this song for it's connection to the Scream movie series . . . We like the big picture connection given that "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds was inspired by John Milton's 17th-century epic poem Paradise Lost, where the phrase represents God's hand of divine vengeance.

And for the bridge and the deepest nostalgia we could think of . . . If you're the kind of dude who reads TKC early into the morning than we're certain you'll enjoy the full 9-minute jam session version of Frankenstein by The Edgar Winter Group.

As we gear up for Halloween because it's quickly getting closer . . . We saved the scariest song for last . . . They Might Be Giants' song "Older" (released in 1999/2001) is a minimalist, repeating-chant track about the relentless passage of time that famously doubles as both an existential song for adults and a simple, funny counting song for children.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun rest of your weekend.