Tag: The Lost Boys

Retrospective: 40 Years since ‘Fright Night’ By Jesse Striewski

The ’80s were no doubt a creative and unique time for horror films, with the vampire sub-genre being one that really hit its stride by the midway to end points of the decade. Over the course of it, fans had their choice of more tongue-in-cheek affairs such as Once Bitten (1985), My Best Friend’s a Vampire (1987), and Vampire’s Kiss (1988), to more straight-forward, well-known and polished classics like The Lost Boys (1987) and Near Dark (also 1987).

But one has always stood out above the rest (yes even more so than the beloved Lost Boys mentioned above), 1985’s Fright Night. Released on August 2 of that year, newcomer Director Tom Holland blended horror and comedy so seamlessly one easily gets lost within its own world.

William Ragsdale plays Charley, who, after figuring out that his neighbor Jerry (Chris Sarandon) is indeed a creature of the night, does all he can in vain to convince his best friend (Stephen Geoffreys) and girl (Amanda Bearse) of his findings. When they don’t “bite,” he enlists the help of a somewhat passed-his-prime horror show host in the form of Peter Vincent (played brilliantly by the late Roddy McDowall in a tribute to both Vincent Price and Peter Cushing).

From then on, the fun truly begins, leading to a surprisingly atmospheric, good vs. evil film where the young heroes are fighting for their lives while their cries for help to parents and/or authorities just land on deaf ears. What begins as a battle of wits comes down to a classic life-or-death battle in the finale.

A sequel, simply titled Fright Night Part 2, emerged three years later in 1988, and an eventual glossly remake came out in 2011, but neither were able to fully capture the magic of the original. I can still remember discovering it for the first time on TV late at night as a kid, and knowing I was watching something truly unique (everything down to the poster artwork to even the music just felt perfectly placed). As the old saying goes, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.” If you give Fright Night a visit again anytime soon, you’re sure to see why.

Interview with Doors Guitarist Robby Krieger By Jesse Striewski/Photo By Scott Dudelson

Up until about a week ago, I truly thought the closest I would ever come to having any contact with a member of legendary ’60s rockers The Doors would be when I saw Ian Astbury – who at one time stepped in the shoes of late frontman Jim Morrison with The Doors of the 21st Century (a.k.a. Manzarek-Krieger) in the early 2000’s – on stage with The Cult back in 2001.

But alas, as fate would have it, the chance to pick away at the brain of Doors co-founder and Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Robby Kreiger presented itself recently, and it was impossible to resist. Krieger just recently released a new album with The Soul Savages, an instrumental effort infused with jazz, and psychedelic rock that became our initial main topic of conversation.

One of the first things I wanted to know was what fans could expect from said new album. He stated; “I hope they can expect to hear me grow as a guitar player and writer…otherwise why bother?” He continued enlightening me with his personal favorite track from the record, saying “My fave lately is “Contrary Motion,” I think it’s pretty advanced musically.”

Krieger filled me in on the lineup of the band as well; “Kevin Brandon – who has played with me on other projects in the past – plays bass (quite well I might add). And (Lenny Kravitz drummer) Franklin Vanderbilt handles drums, and Ed Roth (keyboards) was the first guy I hooked up with for this project.” As far as any touring plans might go for the group he informed me; “Depending on how much radio play, I hope so. We’ll definitely do the local (California-based) clubs like The Baked Potato and Vibrato.”

I was also curious what his relationship with former bandmate and Doors drummer John Densmore was like today, and if there were any potential plans to possibly play together again someday. He told me; “We talk quite often and I’m sure we’ll play together again.”

There were two things regarding Krieger’s work while in The Doors that I really wanted to know; what his personal favorite track from the band’s catalog was, and how he felt looking back on the post-Jim Morrison albums Other Voices and Full Circle that he and late keyboardist Ray Manzarek each shared vocal duties on. He stated; “My fav lately is “Wishful Sinful.” And we wrote that stuff fully expecting Jim to come back from Paris and record. Would’ve helped a bit to have his voice there.”

If I had to pinpoint my introduction to The Doors, it likely came via the 1987 film The Lost Boys, in which Echo & the Bunnymen’s cover of “People Are Strange” plays a big part in the beginning. I was curious what his opinion of said cover was, and he declared; “Not bad! In fact I recently sat in with them at a festival in Long Beach. Was fun!” And keeping with the theme of The Doors in film, I also wanted to know how he felt about Actor Frank Whaley’s portrayal of him in the 1991 Oliver Stone film The Doors. He responded; “I thought he was pretty good, but not good-looking enough (Laughs).”

And lastly, I wanted to know what else was on the bucket list for Krieger; “Need to have an instrumental hit like Booker T…maybe it will come from this album!”