Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, creator of the novelty hit "Monster Mash," died Wednesday (April 25) at 69.

Pickett's 1962 "graveyard smash" was one of apparently hundreds of horror-spawned pop singles that were released -- or that escaped -- during that monster-crazy era, when seemingly every local TV station had its own horror host; every other kid owned an Aurora monster model; and "Famous Monsters of Filmland" and other furrowers-of-the-parental-brow publications hid, like bats in the daylight, on the bottom shelves of the neighborhood drugstore's magazine rack.

As Igor growls on Pickett's recording: "'Mash' gooooood." "Monster Mash" predecessors, rivals and rip-offs included "The Monster Hop," "Midnight Monsters Hop," "Caveman Hop," "Jungle Hop," "Madhouse Jump," "Dry Bones Twist," "Midnight Stroll," "Voodoo Walk," "Frankenstein Rock," "Graveyard Rock," "Rockin' in the Graveyard," the shameless "Nightmare Mash" by former Sun Records great Billy Lee Riley and "Nightmare Bop" and "Leopard Man," both produced by Memphian Cordell Jackson for her Moon Records label. Of course, Memphis' own Sivad, host of "Fantastic Features," released the single "Sivad Buries Rock and Roll" b/w "Dickey Drakeller." (To hear these would-be [St. Vitus] dance craze novelties and other horror hits, listen to Brian Roper's weekly "It's Always Something" program during October on WEVL-FM 89.9 or pick up such CD anthologies as "Monster Bop," "Horror Hop" or the recent "These Ghoulish Things: Horror Hits for Halloween" from British Ace.)

Today's Los Angeles Times obituary on Pickett pulled a quote from my feature story/interview with the man that ran in The Commercial Appeal on the day before Halloween in 1998. I figure if the Times can recycle my material, I can, too, so here's the entire story, as it appeared nine years ago:

Given the galactic speed of this medium, you no doubt know by now that a jury convicted John Ford of bribery this afternoon.

My question is: Who gets to keep the watch?

Seems like it could still be keeping time for somebody while Ford’s doing time.

Or better yet, maybe the federal government will be compassionate and allow it to be sold and the proceeds given to some of those who evidently have been relying on the good former senator for financial support, such as Mina Knox.

You know what’s weird? The month of April is almost over, and both Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division CEO Joseph Lee and U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales still have their jobs.

If you think about their situations, as I was doing last night, there are an awful lot of parallels.

Both are high-profile bureaucrats accused of misusing their offices for political gain, Gonzales for his role (or lack thereof) in the allegedly politically-motivated firings of eight federal prosecutors and Lee for his role (or lack thereof) in allowing City Councilman Edmund Ford to avoid paying his utility bills.

Both Lee and Gonzales have recently endured hearings with testy lawmakers. Both are under pressure to resign. And both are protected by ornery chief executives who are typically resistant to political pressure.

So here’s a quick comparison of the two:

Memorable quotes in their own defense

Gonzales: “The notion that there was something that was improper that happened here is simply not supported.”

Lee: “There was no active intent to treat him (Ford) differently.”

Committee stonewalling tactics

Gonzales: Said 71 times that he couldn’t recall details about the firings

Lee: Refused to answer questions directly from the City Council’s attorneys

Hecklers

Gonzales: As he left a congressional committee room following his testimony, protesters serenaded him with chants of: “Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Gon-za-les, goodbye!”

Lee: Several citizens, including CA columnist Wendi Thomas, have jokingly suggested that utility customers request to sign up for the “Edmund Ford payment plan.”

What the critics say:

Regarding Gonzales: “Whatever he has to say I will take with more than a grain of salt” – Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania

Regarding Lee: “In order to restore confidence in Memphis Light, Gas and Water, I just think it would be a good move for Mr. Lee to step down and let us move forward, let the mayor bring someone else to us for that position” – Councilman E.C. Jones of Frayser

What the boss says:

Regarding Gonzales: “The attorney general continues to have the president’s full confidence” – White House spokeswoman Dana Perino

Regarding Lee: “I Willie W. Herenton, mayor of this great city, will not participate in a political, media witch hunt that has been focused on the tenure of Joseph Lee” – Herenton

Prospects for survival:

Gonzales: To early to tell

Lee: Looking better, since a majority of council members couldn’t agree on the best way to call for his resignation

A lame one, it appears. Maybe they wanted everyone to have plenty of rest before Beale Street Music Fest, with headliner W.C. Handy.

100 years ago: 1907

Memphis will have a dry Sunday today and all gambling dens will be shut down tight if orders given by Capt. Oliver H. Perry and Capt. John Brennan to members of their reliefs are carried out. Just why such orders should suddenly be issued was not explained by the two captains. The order caused consternation among the local saloonists and gamblers.

Yesterday, Memphis in May's CEO Jim Holt sent an e-mail to MIM volunteers, asking them to e-mail me to support MIM. And many have - and many have done the "Yeah, the lyrics are bad, but..." rationalization that frustrates me.

Careful readers of my column know that I've gone after rap in all its forms since I took this job in 2003. And this is my second go-round with MIM, which invited Nelly to its show two years ago. No question, MIM does a lot for the community - which makes their dug-in-heels on this issue baffling.

One point that probably deserves clarification in Holt's letter: He contends that Three 6 has always put on a clean show. That's not true. One year (I didn't see it, but I was told by a very reliable source), the show got a bit "raunchy," and women dancing lewdly on stage had to be encouraged to leave. I don't recall that happening when Chaka Khan performed a few years ago, but then again, her music isn't a call for women to gyrate for men's pleasure.

See Mr. Holt's e-mail below.

I have to confess that I missed Celine Dion singing to Elvis on "American Idol" the other night -- how could THAT have happened -- but this column, but the always-insightful Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune, made me laugh out loud. And who in Memphis can't say they feel that way about Elvis?

What's your favorite cheesy song? And, happy Friday!

If you're one of the 19 trillion viewers who watched Celine Dion sing "If I Can Dream" with a hologram of Elvis on Wednesday, then you'll know what I mean when I use the term "cheesy."

You don't have be an "American Idol" junkie, however, to understand the concept of the cheesy song, or to know what it means to love the thing you hate.

Today’s fancier restaurants offer the choice of tap water, rejecting bottled water as just another cog in the carbon-spewing, globe-warming industrial machine.

Last month, the San Francisco Chronicle spotted a hot new food trend in the Bay Area. Instead of offering diners a choice of still or sparkling bottled water with their (inevitably) locally grown delectables, trendoid restaurants such as Incanto, Poggio, and Nopa now offer glorified tap water. Sustainable-dining pioneer Chez Panisse has also joined the crowd, tossing Santa Lucia overboard for filtered municipal water, carbonated on-site. The reason: It takes a lot of energy to create a bottle of water and ship it from Europe to California. And so of-the-moment bistros can boost their enviro cred by giving away tap water instead of selling promiscuously marked-up bottled water. “Our whole goal of sustainability means using as little energy as we have to,” Mike Kossa-Rienzi, general manager of Chez Panisse, told the Chronicle. “Shipping bottles of water from Italy doesn’t make sense.”

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