What Halloween Means To Me '14: Bill Cesavice

I think we can all agree that there is probably no more important individual to the FDTC Network than Bill Cesavice.  He does all of that technical wizardry that I, and no doubt most of the rest of the on air talent, have not a damn clue about.  He shares my love for a great cover tune, as evidenced by his show Your Covers Blown.  He's a hearse driver, he's one of the minds behind the mayhem of Days of the Dead, and now he can add countdown alumni to his list of hats.  Bill, what does Halloween mean to you?

"Such a good question as it can be approached by many angles, Do I go by what the traditional angle is? Or do I go by what I have created it as to my son? Or do I go by what It means to my whole family meaning my wife, my son and myself? I think I will take it all in steps.

First of all, like most in the horror community (yes YOU reading this), it’s really our Christmas. It’s the time of year where all of “decorations “are smiled at vs gawked at. We are in our element during the month of October. Why do you ask? I say it’s because when we are the ones everyone looks to see what’s cool for Halloween, we are held to a higher standard on decorations and for ideas of haunts, ideas for scares and just general morbidness. In other words the things we really do every day of the year except now we are “Jones. “  I also like the looks my hearse gets when people say I am ready for Halloween… no, son, I drive that bitch daily!

Now on to ME in general. This, like I said, is my Christmas.  The stores are filled with cool things I can bring into my home, the air is filled the smell of pumpkin, and we always put out a pumpkin and treats for “the great pumpkin “ with our son Gavin. The great pumpkin returns the favor with leaving him a present next to his pumpkin (last year was a die cast car), and he looks forward to it every year. He gets to pick what he is every year and he enjoys it as much as we do. My wife and I were married on Halloween and the entire reception area was of course decorated with bats, horror, and basically our living room. While myself and the wife have officially split this year before our 8^th anniversary, we will continue to take the boy trick or treating as we have the last 8 years. 

I do have one complaint? As many who love the holiday as much as we do are upset about…it is NOT DRESS LIKE A SLUT day.  Really ? What happened to the scares, the tricks, and the coolness? Look I get it; chicks like to look good, and yes you’re dressing up, but cmonnnnn.   Just cause you’re middle age, it  does not mean you have to dress like that slutty schoolgirl….AGAIN !

I am going to keep this short but I will say this…if you love Halloween, embrace the love and keep the spirit alive for future generations as we have for our son. Long like the scare!!!"

 14 days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.  14 Days 'til Halloween.  Silver Shamrock!

What Halloween Means To Me '14: Ed Gonzales

Today we hear from The FDTC Network's voice of the squared circle, Ed Gonzales.  Ed shares my two obsessions, horror movies and wrestling.  When he's not kicking ass in the ring, you can find him hosting Ribbin' On The Square Tuesday nights at 9pm.  So, Ed, what does Halloween mean to you?

When I was asked to write a story about what Halloween means to me, I accepted, not knowing much about what I was going to write. In the Gonzales household there is a clear cut owner of all things Halloween related, and that is my wife. She sets out the beginning of every September decorating the house and planning our annual Halloween party. Myself…as odd as it may sound am actually the “Christmas Guy” in our home. That being said…I have always been a fan of all things horror. Halloween to me as an adult seemed similar to New Year’s Eve. I can (and usually do) drink most nights of the year, why do I need to join all the amateurs on New Year’s Eve to do what I do anyway? I normally approach Halloween in the same mindset. My house seems decorated for Halloween nearly all year round, I spent over a decade dressing in costumes and pretending to be someone else 5 + days a week during my career as a professional wrestler… I was always celebrating Halloween, just on more days than October 31st.

That being said, don’t think I am downplaying Halloween, the holiday itself means quite a bit to me. One story in particular comes to mind when I think of Halloween,  that year, I didn’t have a costume, I didn’t plan on going out and getting treats from my neighbors, and I planned to spend it all alone in my bed room. The year was 1992 and I was 10 years old. Growing up, Halloween was always a big deal in the Gonzales’ house. My mother, my father, and even all of my sisters and brothers all always partook in the festivities. In years prior, I remember dressing up as my favorite pro wrestlers, but this year, it just wasn’t in the cards.

You see, that year I spent a good portion in and out of hospital beds. I spent most of the early part of 1992 getting various surgeries to fix a botched appendix removal. By late October of that year, I was finally sent home for an another attempt to recover. The gruesome detail of my healing process meant that I had to spend most of my days, bed ridden, with a giant open wound in my stomach. When Halloween approached, I had already made peace with the fact that I wouldn’t be able to spend it with my friends gorging on free candy. As my slightly older sisters got ready in their costumes I laid in bed. As my much older brother got in his costume to head to a party…I laid in bed… sulking.

As it got later, my house became more and more quiet as my siblings went out and enjoyed the holiday, every so often I would hear the door bell or knock on the door from various trick or treater’s  as my mother and aunt handed out candy. As it turned to dark, I heard my sisters arrive back home, much earlier than expected. Then there was a knock on my bedroom door. It was my sisters. They had decided, that even in my sickly state, I needed to be able to enjoy the Halloween night. I declined their offer as I didn’t have a costume. My sisters insisted and on the spot and created me a costume out of pieces of their own, a little make up, and a bandanna. What was I? I have no idea…but, I looked different enough from my normal everyday appearance for it to be considered a costume!

My sisters pushed me around the block in a wheel chair, knocking on doors for me and allowing me to be able to actually enjoy Halloween! That night, I got a pillow case full of candy, and, most importantly my first chance to be a normal kid again. I was asked to write a story about what Halloween means to me…and my response to that is, Halloween to me, means family and a chance for all of us, no matter what… a small chance at normalcy.

Happy Halloween everybody!"

15 days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.  15 days 'til Halloween.  Silver Shamrock.

Horror Business Episode 6: Ask The Son Of Celluloid

Episode 6 of Horror Business is now in the archives.  What do you do when a guest bails on you?  You make the mistake of asking the Cellmates for questions, that's what!  I talk about my horror history, which horror starlets I want to do dirty things to, vampire fights, my former life of crime, ectoplasm as lube, my theories on the genre, and much more.  Download or stream it here...

EPISODE 6 LINK

The Horror Business Archive

I know it's been a while since the blog has been active, Cellmates, but I assure you that I am still alive and well.  Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.  I've just been insanely busy with a multitude of other projects.  One of those projects has been my new podcast, Horror Business.
Horror business is a show all about the untold stories of the unsung heroes of the horror community.  The folks that may not get all of the press, but deserve a turn in the spotlight.  The ones who exhibit the kind of passion that makes me proud to call them my horror brethren.  It airs live every other Monday at 10pm on the FDTC Network.  There will be a link at the bottom of this article.  Horror Business alternates weeks with my other show, Missing Link Mixtape.  On MLMT I play two hours of killer tunes from all genres.  They all have a theme that ties them together, and if you guess that link, you could win fabulous prizes.
Until now, if you didn't catch the shows live, you were screwed.  Fortunately, that is no longer the case.  I can't archive Missing Link Mixtape for legal reasons, but Horror Business is now available to stream or download whenever you want.  Listen to them at work.  Listen to them in your car.  Listen to them while you mow the lawn.  Get some sneaky earbuds and listen to them when you're pretending that you're paying attention to your girlfriend.  Whenever you need a horror fix, enjoy the dulcet tones of the Son of Celluloid and his various guests.  I'll be posting the links to future episodes as they happen, but here are the ones that are currently available...

Episodes 1 and 2 - Brad Slaton of the Picking Brains Podcast

Brad is a podcaster and interviewer extraordinaire, one twisted bastard, and the guy responsible for getting me into podcasting.  We discuss our show, interviewing everyone from Penn Jillette to Glen Danzig, controversy, and the podcasting game in general.  Play the Horror Business drinking game and attempt to do a shot every time Brad says "fuck."  Spoiler: You would die within the first 15 minutes.  As an added bonus, episode 2 contains my epic "torture porn" rant. 

Link: Episode 1

Link: Episode 2

Episode 3 - Ryan Cadaver of The Casket Creatures
Ryan is the front-beast of Atlanta's ghoulrock juggernauts The Casket Creatures.  We discuss running a haunted house, the state of horror punk today, the writing process, crazy shows, and the Count Chocula/Chuck E Cheese conspiracy.

Link: Episode 3

Episode 4 - Stephen Biro of Unearthed Films
Stephen Biro is an author, filmmaker, and owner of Unearthed Films.  Join us as we chat extreme horror, the Yakuza, God and Satan, and the American Guinea Pig Series as well as some EXCLUSIVE announcements regarding upcoming Unearthed releases. 

Link: Episode 4

Episode 5 - James Balsamo of Acid Bath Productions
Filmmaker James Balsamo is no stranger to long time Cellmates.  In this interview we talk 
boobs, blood, slashers, science, boobs, horror legends, physical media, 23 hour shoots, Dave Brockie stories, and boobs.

Link: Episode 5

Every Monday Night at 10 you can...
TUNE IN ON THE WEB AT: http://fromdusktillcon.com/radio
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