#was between this scene and scott hanging from the trap talking to chris

[jessmalia]

Mal's Teen Wolf rewatch: Omega (2x01)

[steves-legs]

My Brother’s Best Friend (Chris Evans x Reader)

Masterlist | Requests

Summary: Back home in Boston after your final year at Columbia University, you expect an easygoing and relaxed summer. But those plans go right out the window when your childhood crush, Chris, comes back home after filming a big movie, you see it as a chance to maybe have the summer fling you’d always hoped for. But the fact that he’s your older brother’s best friend may complicate that just a bit.

Warnings: swearing, drinking, fluff!!!, & some angst bc im feeling angsty

...

You tap your index finger against the steering wheel to the beat of the song playing off your phone. You can’t help but feel a sense of contentment as you drive down the street you grew up on. Your music cuts out just before the chorus and your ringer goes off over your car’s speakers. You jump at the sound, letting out a soft gasp before you move to turn down the obnoxiously loud ringtone. You glance over at the screen for a moment. ‘Danny’. You tap the “Answer” button and rest your hands back on the steering wheel.

“What’s up?” “Hey, Y/N. You almost here?” your brother calls from his end. “Just pulling up. Why?” you ask as you turn into your parents’ driveway. There are a suspicious number of cars parked on the road in front of your parents’ house. “Oh, thank God. Mom's been buggin’ me about whether you were close or not. Dinner’s soon,” Danny says. You can hear your mother’s annoyed gasp from the other line. “Love you, mom,” he calls, hushing his voice to a whisper. “She’s gonna kill me.” “You’re damn right she is.” You slow to a halt right behind... Mr. Evans’ car. What the fuck? “You guys havin’ a party or something? A lot of, uh, cars on the street, Danny,” you ask, somewhat annoyed. You really just wanted to bring your bags in, say hi to everyone, eat dinner, and go the fuck to sleep immediately. You groan, shutting your car off and pulling your keys out of the ignition. You unplug and cradle your phone between your ear and your shoulder as you pack your things into your purse. You’ll get your other bags later. “Fuuuuuuck, the cars,” he groans. His voice hushes down into a whisper as he continues, “Yes. It was supposed to be a surprise.” You can hear him smack a hand over his forehead.

You can hear the sounds of laughter and chit-chat, as well as music from the backyard as you climb out of the car. You shut the door with a sharp snap and as if on cue, the voices and music die down almost immediately. “I’ll do my best to act surprised, don’t worry,” you snicker, not bothering to wait for a response before you hang up and make your way up to the front door. Of course, only the outer glass door is shut. The red front door is wide open, so you let yourself right in. You play the role of the unknowing surprise party victim and call out to your family members. “Mom? Dad? Danny? Red?” You even throw your dog’s name into the mix for maximum effect. “Y/N?” a voice that, though familiar, you know definitely doesn’t belong to any of your family members calls. You tilt your head to the left slightly, dropping your purse on the table in the front hall, and make your way towards the source. You head right through the doorway leading into the kitchen and see none other than Chris standing there, a beer in his hand. You can feel your heart rate increase almost immediately. That flimsy red shirt’s doing its absolute best to hold itself together under the strain of his muscles. The collar is frayed slightly, probably from being washed over and over. The little nicks in the fabric allow the thin chain round his neck to show. Did he somehow get even more ripped since the last time you’d seen him? He has the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. He gives you an excited smile when he has visual confirmation that it is, in fact, you.

“Oh my God, Y/N! Hey!” he exclaims, setting his drink down and moving around the island counter to give you a hug. You take a few steps forward as well, wrapping your arms around his neck as his slide around your waist. “It’s been too long,” you hum, beginning to pull away from the hug. Chris lets his hands linger on your hips for a few seconds before he takes a step back to grab his beer. “I know, I haven’t seen you since, what, two Christmases ago? How have you been, miss college graduate?” he asks, beaming with pride. “Really great. I’m glad to be home for a bit,” you reply.

Chris nods along. “It is nice being home,” he agrees thoughtfully, taking a sip of his beer. “So what’s the plan after your time off? You gonna be producing my next big movie?” He smirks at you, a brow cocked. “We’ll see,” you sigh. “I actually scored an internship at some obscure film company in the city.” “Are you serious? That’s awesome,” he comments excitedly. “It’s alright, nothing too amazing yet but we’ll get there,” you sigh. Chris shrugs, taking another swig of his beer. “We all start somewhere. Who knows? Soon, maybe you’ll be head of Columbia Pictures or something.” “You flatter me, Christopher,” you say, letting out a soft laugh as you make your way past Chris and over to the fridge for your own ice-cold beer. You crack it open with the bottle opener on the counter. “But I think you think too much of me.” Chris is already turned to face you, his elbow propped against the marble countertop. “It’s not flattery, it’s the truth,” he replies sweetly. “You were always writing those insanely good scripts for your school plays... Writing scenes just for Scott and me to perform, for no reason other than so you could feel for the fluidity of the story. You’re talented, Y/N, whether you think so or not.” You raise your brows at Chris, a delicate smile crossing your lips. “Thank you,” you say softly. He only nods. “Don’t thank me, I’m just giving you a reality check, Y/N,” he teases. You roll your eyes, but before you can open your mouth to speak, the sound of the sliding door being thrown open distracts you.

You glance over as your brother storms right in, without closing the door behind him, and he stops dead in his tracks, turning his head to glare directly at you. “Y/N, serious question for you: do you know how old half of the people here are? Because they’ve been crouched real low behind the bushes for, like, quite a bit, just waitin’ to surprise you!” Danny exclaims, glaring down at you. He turns to fire at Chris, who can’t help but let out a short snort at your brother’s over-the-top attitude. “And you! You’re nothing but a little enabler! Get your ass outside!” Danny hikes his thumb towards the back door and Chris, a massively goofy grin plastered on his face, suppresses a laugh as he waves you off and heads towards the door. “Sorry...” You can’t help the lingering grin on your face, though you truly are a tad sorry. “Don’t say sorry to me, say sorry to our arthritic grandfather,” he bites back, squinting at you as he ushers you around the island and out through the sliding door right after Chris. He keeps walking through the crowd of people and back over by where Dodger had chosen to lounge, in the shade under the oak tree with the swing tied to it.

A mess of family members, family friends, and your own hometown friends all leap out from behind the bushes, trees, and fence and scream collectively, “SURPRISE!” with a few stray “WELCOME HOME”‘s. You don’t even have to feign your look of surprise; you’re honestly shocked this many people missed you enough to come to your homecoming party. You let out a scream, laughing into your hands as you recover from your glee. “Oh my God!” you cry out. You glance back at your brother, who has an eyebrow cocked at you. You throw your arms around him happily, turning to wave to everyone as they shout hello’s and ‘we missed you’s. Your parents enter your line of vision with arms open for a hug and, of course, you hug them back. You snuggle between your mother and father in a sea of ‘I missed you’s and ‘I’m so glad you’re home’s. You finally pull away from them and, a soft grin on your face, begin to speak. “God, okay, I will talk to you guys later. I gotta talk to some of the guests,” you say softly. “Thank you... for doing this. It’s nice.” “Of course, of course. Go be a good host,” your mother teases pushing you out towards the party. Everyone had already gone back to their own personal conversations. Well, all except your childhood best friend, Talia. She’s standing there, audibly squealing and therefore effectively alerting you of her presence mere moments before her arms shoot around your shoulders. She’s got you trapped in one of her world-famous hugs. “Y/N!” she exclaims happily. You giggle, returning the gesture. “I missed you so much, Talia,” you exclaim. “I have a lot of juicy college-grade party shit to talk to you about.” “Shit, I... Shit... Can’t wait to....” she trails off. You cock an eyebrow at her, obviously perplexed by her out-of-character behavior. Talia has her eyes darting past you, though. She can’t stop glancing over your shoulder. “Did... did something happen with you and Chris recently?” she asks suspiciously. You eye your best friend with an equal amount of skepticism. “Uh, nothing I’m not aware of. Why?” “On your six... But don’t look too quickly. Make it look nonchalant!” she orders, rather loudly. You roll your eyes, peeking over your shoulder to see Chris eyeing you. His eyes are fixated on you in a way you’d never seen from him before- especially not directed at you. He gives you a soft, flirtatious smirk and, like the cherry on fucking top, winks. You give him a small smile before whirling your head back around to glare at Talia, brows furrowed. “What about him?” you ask. Talia slaps a hand over her forehead. “He’s been watching you this whole time, Danny had to come in to collect you because you were so enthralled in whatever conversation you two were having, he more-than-triple-checked the time of this party just to be sure he’d be here when you got here. He just fucking winked at you, Y/N, and he--” She’s counting each reason on her fingers as she goes. You hold a hand up, cutting her off before she can continue. “Talia, I know Chris more than anyone. He’s one of my best friends and I promise that he’s just a big flirt. He likes to flirt.” “I’m just saying, you two have always had such amazing chemistry that I’d be surprised if I didn’t get a Save the Date for your wedding in the next two years,” she snickers, taking a sip of whatever concoction she’d stirred up in her solo cup. “I still have that sketchbook where we drew up our own personal wedding plans. I could dust it off and hand it to Chris; he’d get the hint.”

You open your mouth to speak, but immediately bite your tongue as your brother’s arm slings around your shoulder. He leans against you, forcing you to lean a bit more to the right to keep straight. “We gossipin’?” he teases. Your roll your eyes, pushing his arm off of you. “Mind your business, Daniel,” Talia interjects. Danny feigns a look of pain, a hand to his chest.  “But I’m sooo nosey... Please share?” You give Talia a pleading look and she takes the reigns, understanding fully. “She’s just pissed that her parents invited the Robinsons,” she snickers. You have to hand it to her, it’s believable.

Back in elementary school, you unashamedly beat up the eldest Robinson boy when he wouldn’t stop teasing you about your braces (yes, you had braces). He deserved it, yes, but you had broken the poor guy’s nose.

You nod along with Talia’s story, eyes darting over towards Chris once again. Danny eyes you suspiciously, fully aware of where your eyes are, but doesn’t comment on it. “Okaaaaaay,” he murmurs. “Well, I’m sure Eli Robinson isn’t planning on bullying you anymore, so buck up and talk to the rest of our guests!” “You never know. He might notice some teensy, tiny flaw, somehow, and start throwing hands,” Talia snickers. Danny rolls his eyes. He lets his arm drop from around your shoulders and calls Chris over. You glance over your shoulder as he gets up from the blue lawn chair slowly and starts heading over. Dodger pads up behind his master as he nears you. You whip your head back around to give Talia a pleading look, but she’s got her expectant eyes on Chris as he nears. ”Yes! Yes! Yes!” she squeals. “We haven’t gotten a chance to catch up with him yet!” No. No. No. No. No.

“Yeah?” Chris’s soft voice asks as he plants himself on your left. Your so-called best friend grins up at him like a fool as Danny, turning to Chris, begins to speak. “Can you babysit? Y/N’s afraid she’ll fistfight Eli if not properly supervised.” “Uh,” the blond glances down at you, a brow cocked as he takes a swig of his beer. “Yeah, I mean, any excuse to hang out with Y/N.” You shudder. Danny cocks an eyebrow. “This was supposed to be a punishment. I’m supposed to be killing two birds with one stone.” “What did I do?” Chris demands, raising his voice with a laugh. Talia still has that idiotic grin plastered on her face. It tells you that she remembers Chris and Danny’s banter just as vividly as you. “You’re sittin’ over there, obviously hung up on some mystery chick, and you won’t even tell me anything about her. You’ve been dropping vague comments about her for the past week and it’s getting annoying! Even Dodge’s pissed! Right?” You feel your heart drop as Danny glances down at Dodger and receives a sharp bark in response. “He said no,” Chris replies, obviously tense.  “Well, Dodger is a compulsive liar. I don’t know why I looked to him in the first place,” Danny retorts. Chris rolls his eyes, easing back into a comfortable posture as your brother continues on. “If you’re not gonna tell me anything about the girl, drop any hints about Age of Ultron, or do sports with me, what’s the point of being bro’s with a famous guy?” he sneers teasingly, his voice dropping into his frat boy impression when he says ‘bro’.

They joked like this all the time, especially since Chris got launched into stardom. Really, they loved each other. They were best friends. Danny was one of the many people outside of his family that Chris felt kept him grounded. And, well, Danny joked that Chris was just another guy to slowly schmooze into buying him a car, ‘like those YouTuber kids do’.

“God, where would you be if I hadn’t made it big?” “Playing Captain America, probably,” “That right?” Chris quips. You sigh. “Yeah. And probably gettin’ the girl, unlike you.”

Chris shakes his head. “No, trust me, you wouldn’t want her.” Danny narrows his eyes at Chris, an uncomfortable silence hovering over the four of you. Dodger whines impatiently before he nuzzles up to your leg. You reach down to pat him gently before he prances off, probably to attend a more... jovial conversation.

“D-Danny’s just being an asshole, Chris,” you stammer, trying to smooth over how uncomfortable this encounter had become. Talia sees this and speaks up, “... And this asshole is gonna drive me to get more alcohol since I’m sorta drunk and he is not.” Before Danny can come up with any defense, Talia grabs him by the forearm and yanks him towards the side gate. You glance up at Chris. “Sorry,” you say softly. “You’re his baby sister. I get it. Remember how much I used to mess with Scotty back in the day?” He shrugs. You let out a soft laugh. “I don’t remember anything as vividly as I remember when you convinced him to pee his pants on the front lawn,” you tease. Chris groans audibly. “It was so mean,” he says, trying to remain serious despite his laughter.

He points down to your half-empty beer. “Want another?” he asks. You chug down the remainder of your drink and reply with a short, soft-spoken ‘yes’. He grins. “Attagirl.” You follow him through the crowd, weaving between conversation circles, and up onto the patio, both of you dropping your empty bottles into the recycling bin as you make your way over to the oversized cooler. Chris kneels down and peels it open. You follow suit and the two of you gaze into the ‘Adults-Only’ red cooler expectantly. “Pick your poison,” he says softly, reaching for another beer. You shake your head. “Nothing’s jumping out at me,” you sigh, shaking your head. Chris lets the cooler close with a soft thud. “Well, now we have some thinkin’ to do. What would you want to drink for your last meal?” You lean back slightly, taken aback by how quickly he’d turned the conversation into a hypothetical in which you were on death row. “Uhm,” you ponder this for a moment before responding. “Somethin’ much stronger than a measly 8% beer.” You run your fingertips along the circular curvature of the bottom of his beer bottle. You don’t mean for the gesture to be so... obscene, somehow, but it is. Chris’s cheeks flush red. He stumbles over his words for a moment. “Wh-W-Wh... What do you have in mind?” he asks, swallowing hard. You cock an eyebrow. The man who can’t be moved is running full-speed into whatever he thinks you have planned. “Whiskey,” you reply, taking a step back. You make your way past him, shoulders brushing as you head through the sliding door and into the kitchen. Chris follows, like a lost puppy.

You sashay around the island counter and find yourself a glass. “Want some?” you ask, glancing over at Chris as he closes the sliding door behind him. He nods, setting his beer down on the counter absentmindedly. You reach up for a second identical glass and make your way over to the small alcohol tray and peruse for the exact whiskey you're looking for. You pour Chris’s first and hand it to him before pouring your own. “Thank you,” he says softly, holding his glass up. You give him a lopsided smile as you clink your glass with his and you both down your drinks. You pour another for each of you. The combination of your first beer and a glass of whiskey sends a familiar warmth through your veins. You let out a shaky breath. “Can I ask you something without it coming off strange?” he asks softly. You gaze up at him as you lean forward on your elbows over the island counter. He stands still on the opposite side, between two of the barstools. “Maybe. Ask away.” “Do you have a boyfriend down in New York?” he asks. You feel your body tense up, but you don’t let your being caught off-guard show through. “No, I don’t,” you purr, doing your best to keep a poker face. “Is this... mystery gal anything serious?” Chris watches you for a long time, throwing back his second drink. “She could be,” he replies, swallowing rather hard. You shake your head. “Crying shame,” you reply, straightening out and finishing off your drink. You can hear the soft sounds of the Teskey Brothers playing even from inside the house. “Why’s that?” You ignore his question, moving right ahead with yours. “Do I know her?” “Who?” “The girl,” you reply suspiciously. Chris shakes his head. “If I won’t tell Danny, what makes you think that I’d tell you?” “Because I love my bother, but he’s an idiot and you know it.” Chris lets out a hearty laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Yeah, you know her,” he says softly. You shake your head, smiling despite your heart aching. “Oh my God, just tell me already,” you practically beg. Chris sighs, setting down his glass with resignation. “She... I don’t think I should...” he says softly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for everyone to know about it yet. I’m not sure it’ll happen.” You gaze up at Chris with resignation. You know you’re not gonna get an answer out of him, so you yield. “I bet. Well, I’m gonna head back out, okay? I really don’t want a babysitter all day,” you reply sharply, not really listening when Chris retorts with some silly comment.

...

The homecoming party goes on for a few more hours before people start saying their goodbyes. You try not to make it obvious, but you are overjoyed that you get to sleep in your old bed again. You see Talia chatting with Danny in the hallway by the bathroom and you, without another word, shut the door behind Mrs. Robinson and make your way upstairs. You drag your feet somewhat as you make your way down the familiar hallway and finally stop in front of your old bedroom door. It’s cracked open slightly and your bedside lamp is on, to your surprise, so you push the door open a little further to see Chris gazing down into one of your photo albums. “You lost?” you singsong. Chris jumps about ten feet into the air, spinning around to face you. “S-Sorry, Y/N, I just... I remembered you had these. I should’ve asked, I know, but--” You hold a hand up to cut him off as you move to sit on your bed. “You’re acting so jumpy, Chris...” you comment. He sighs, shutting the dark blue photo album and pushing it back into its spot on the shelf. “I guess I am,” he agrees, sitting on the bed beside you. He’s silent for some time after that, gazing at his shoes as though they were the most interesting things in the world. You nudge his shoulder with yours to get his attention. He glances up at you and gives you a soft smile. “What’s up? C’mon, talk to me,” you say. “What do you mean?” “Don’t play stupid. I’ve known you my whole life.”

He nods. “Yeah...” “So tell me what’s been on your mind,” you say, laying a head on his shoulder. “I’m a really good listener, I promise.” Chris gives you a look, his breath hitching in his throat for a moment. “This girl, I’ve known her forever. Hell, I’ve liked her like this for a few years now. I’m just afraid it’ll--” “Ruin it if she doesn’t feel the same,” you sigh. Chris nods as his fingers lace in yours. It surprises you, but you don’t comment on it. You don’t want to spoil the moment. “Exactly...” he breathes. You watch his chest rise and fall rhythmically. Your heart rate rises steadily. “She probably does,” you say simply. Chris glances down at you. “What do you mean?” “There’s no reason she wouldn’t like you, Chris. You’re a sweet, funny, talented mama’s boy who believes in equality. Also, you’ve got a great ass and you play Captain America. If Tumblr loves you, then chances are she will, too,” you say thoughtfully, doing your best not to stumble over your words. Chris doesn’t say anything for a long time. He turns to face you a little more, one leg folded on the bed and the other over the edge of the bed. “Y/N,” he says softly. You mirror his position, your knee pressed against his. “Yes?” “Can I do something stupid right now?” he asks. He’s nervous. You’d never seen him this way before. “Maybe,” you reply, a sly grin on your face. Chris leans forward, eyes fluttering shut. You close yours as well, leaning in for a moment you’d only admitted to Talia about dreaming of. Your lips inches from one another’s, he pauses. ”You’re okay with this?” he asks. You nod. “I’m gonna need you to use your words, little lady.” ”Yes,” you reply firmly. Chris’s hand is on your cheek in an instant, steadying himself as he presses a kiss to your lips. Your arms shoot around his neck, his scruff scaping gently at your soft skin as you kiss him back, your entire body heating up. You feel Chris’s heart pounding against his skin as you press your chest flush against his. Just when his hands slide down to your waist, you begin to feel his innate dominance take over. He pushes you down onto your back, onto the bed. His hands slowly make their way up from your hips to your hair, which he tugs rather aggressively. But you’re no sooner pried apart by the sound of Danny’s voice echoing down the hall, Talia’s giggling along. Chris sits up straight, hands folded on his lap. You reel back into reality and leap forward for the photo album. You flip it open to a random page as you sit back down beside Chris, feigning a laugh. Chris understands and relaxes, pointing to a picture and asking some dumb question. Talia and Danny make their way over to your bedroom and stand in the doorway like proud parents. “Wouldja look at ‘em?” she hums. “Seems like just yesterday he was spraying her with a hose while she was wearing a white t-shirt.” “That was her to him, Daniel,” Talia snickers. “God, you’re the worst,” you glower, narrowing your eyes at Dennis the Menace as an all-powerful duo. “We can hear you,” Chris comments. “No dip, doofus,” Talia giggles. “Get out of my room, Danny!” you exclaim, getting to your feet. “I’m not in your room, Y/N!” Danny shouts back in a mocking tone, pointing down at the floor around your doorframe. “This is your room.” “Mooooom!” you roar, stomping your foot. “Daniel!” your mother calls from somewhere in the house. “I’m not in her room!?” “Danny, listen to your mother!” Mr. (Y/L/N) shouts from his bedroom, just down the hall. “Alright! Alright! I yield!” Danny cries, taking another step back. “Talia and I were just wondering if you guys wanted to go out back and start a bonfire. There are a lot of people from high school who couldn’t make it to dinner that wanted to see you today.”

You glance over at Chris and he shrugs. “You gonna stay?” “Yeah, sure. I’ll get Scott and Carly to come back,” he says, pulling his phone from his back pocket. You glance up at your brother, slamming the photo album shut. “Sure,” you reply. Danny nods and heads out down the hall, already sending out a mass text. But Talia doesn’t move. “Holy fucking shit,” she says softly. You cock an eyebrow at her before following her line of sight to Chris’s... ahem... prominent erection. Chris glances up, confused at first, but soon a realization washes over him. He yanks the photo album from you and presses it over his crotch sheepishly. “Please don’t tell Danny,” he begs.

[secretradiobrooklyn]

HALLOWEEN RADIO | 10.31.20

Secret Radio | Halloween special 10.31.20 | Hear it here.

Artwork by Paige, Liner notes by Evan except * means Paige

1. Sam the Sham - “Little Red Riding Hood” *

I had to make the case to Evan that this was a Halloween song, but I justify with the fact that 1.) this song uses the phrase “spooky ol’ woods” and 2.) many years ago, Sleepy Kitty played a festival on Cherokee Street that wasn’t a Halloween show but it happened to be the Saturday before Halloween. Recognizing our responsibility, we scrambled to throw together costumes and realized that if we just got a wolf mask and paws we already  had everything in our wardrobes to throw together the Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs LP cover drawing of Red and the wolf. Evan says he doesn’t like Halloween but it’s only because once he commits, he commits completely. One of my favorite moments of the night was spotting Evan that night, several hours after our set in the afternoon, having a completely serious and sincere conversation with a friend – wolf nose and paws still intact. This was pre iPhone days, but I tracked down an image and I’m gonna put it on our fake radio insta. Thus, Little Red Riding Hood is in fact a Halloween song. 

2. Roky Erickson - “I Walked with a Zombie”

Every year, reliably, Paige’s dad Ned tells us we should cover “I Walked with a Zombie,” and each year we somehow don’t do it. So this live version of the song is for him, just in case this is the closest we ever get. 

Halloween tag

3. Steve Martin - Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack - “Dentist!”

Sure, an alarmingly large and hungry, sharp-toothed plant is scary. But is it as terrifying as a dentist who delights in the pain he inflicts? “I thrill when I drill a bicuspid” — shiver!

4. Hocus Pocus soundtrack - “Sarah’s Theme”

Our definition of a good Halloween movie is way less horrifying than it is lightly spooky, so “Hocus Pocus” is just about ideal for our purposes. This is the sound of Paige’s delighted Halloween youth… though we also just watched it again. Holds up! 

5. The Beatles - “Mr. Moonlight”

Paige pointed out that this is essentially a religious song to the moon — a song of praise, devotion, and submission to a greater power. 

6. Quasi - “Ghost vs. Vampire”

I know that Quasi has had a long and illustrious career, but my fandom is frozen at this pinnacle of mystical bummerness. I learned so much about being creatively sad from Sam Coomes.

7. Rocky Horror Picture Show - “Sweet Transvestite” 

8. The Velvet Underground - “The Gift”

Didn’t realize this was a Halloween song until tonight. If Hitchcock is proper Halloween, which I vote a definite yes, then “The Gift” is ultra Halloween.

9. Bauhaus - “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” 

I feel like I have to say psychic hello to my friend Joseph Grady, who first introduced me not just to the coolness of Peter Murphy but to the allure of vampires generally. I wore my nails and my coats long. We talked about what the vampires were up to that night. We had some truly perfect nights together.

10. The Bitter Tears - “Murdered at the Bar”

An invaluable prize from being in a certain scene in a certain set of years in Chicago with the School of the Art Institute crowd — grad and undergrad. We all loved this song, and 15 or so years later, “we all” turns out to be a very specific and much-loved crew of people I miss and love. Except for Chris Shea, who I love and get to hang out with here in the city. This song is for him especially. 

11. Phantom of the Opera - Korean cast - “Point of No Return”

We had this epiphany accidentally. As I recall, we watched the movie version of “Phantom,” and I was distinctly not impressed, but then Paige put on the French-Canadian version and we were both fascinated by how different it was. That led us into Phantom Internationalé, wherein we just looked up versions from all over the world. It is amazing: each version is both militantly like and distinctly unique from the others. The Korean Phantom emerges as the most singular from among the versions we heard, and “Point of No Return” an emotional height.

Meet Me in St. Louis - “Tootie the Horrible”

One of the greatest Halloween scenes in the history of cinema in our book. 

12. Donovan - “Season of the Witch”

13. “The Dweller of the Cave” * I Found this tape at my parents’ house this summer while we were delayed in Illinois between March and whenever the van got fixed and we drove back. Rediscovering this tape may be why you’re listening to this whole fake radio spooktacular tonight. Hi to Stewart and Jill. 

14. Science Fiction Double Feature *

15. Dr. Who Theme Song*

16. Red Dwarf Theme Song* 

The previous 3 songs were woven into a medley for Sleepy Kitty’s KMNR Freaker’s Ball. It’s one of life’s great pleasures for a band to play Freaker’s Ball, we literally wound around a wooded road to find some Elk’s Lodge or something full of college kids DECKED THE HECK OUT in EPIC COSTUMES ready to freakin’ get down. Never have I been closer to being the band in the prom scene of a 90s movie than at a Freaker’s Ball. We met some rad folks through the KMNR scene, and if I’ve ever told you about my custom vocal pedals, Colin of CroyTone Audio was one of those rad folks we met one of those magical nights. Also, raise your hand if your love Red Dwarf!

17. Ghostbusters 

Paige: “I had this reflector, this flat reflector that was some scrap of something that Ned got from Honeywell. I would play Ghostbusters, and I was like: ‘This is a ghost trap.’ It was SO REAL to me. It was this flat reflector, like a bike reflector, and I would like, like, set traps. And I’d be like, ‘Don’t move my ghost trap!’ I would set the ghost trap, and it was like fishing for ghosts. But that was me playing. I would, like, wait. …I don’t know if it worked or not.”

“I’m not sure if this is me imagining this or not, but I’m pretty sure there was a day where I was like, ‘I feel like this trap’s not working.’ But I also feel like I was like, ‘But how would I know? They could be all inside. This is either full — or empty.’”

Vertigo soundtrack

18. The Fall - “Frightened”

“I don’t wanna dance, I wanna go home” — Fri-dund! 

19. Goblin - “Zombi” Title Theme

20. Karen Elson - “The Ghost Who Walks”

I think we got this record at Third Man Records when we were playing in Nashville. Sean’s new residence! 

Paige: “Karen Elson is tall, beautiful, an interesting musician, AND she has red hair. That’s crazy. What are the chances that you would have all of those things? Talk about a blue moon!”

21. Eartha Kitt - “I Want to Be Evil”

“The only etchings I’ve seen have been behind glass.” 

22. Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts - “The Pigeon”

“Old skies you flapped through are no more.”

We would like to give a heartfelt hello to Yona Schimmel, mostly out of reach for now. We mourn every missed knish.

23. Scott Walker - “The Seventh Seal”

Paige didn’t know this was a movie, she thought this was just a cool song about a guy playing chess with death.

24. Groovie Ghoulies - “(She’s My) Vampire Girl”

I love that he puts two Bazooka Joe jokes right in the middle of the song.

25. Black Sabbath - “Paranoid”

Sometimes you need priests to summon spirits. 

26. Fantasia - “A Night on Bald Mountain”

This is a song that seriously disturbed Paige when she was young. She thought that they did this whole demon thing every single Saturday. For me, it made such an impression that, when each of my young friends and I improvised who we were — “I’m Darth Vader!” “I’m a Cylon Raider!” my take was “I’m Night on Bald Mountain”! And I would open my arms wide and pretend that I was an entire sharp mountaintop transforming into a giant demon with wings, and I would always be the biggest and baddest and scariest creature of all, no matter what they thought. Bald Mountain beats Batman every time.

29. “Jump in the Fire”

Or as I say whenever the occasion warrants: “Jump in the show-AHH!” 

28. Rogers & Hammerstein “Pore Jud Is Daid”

29. Barry Adamson - “Something Wicked This Way Comes”

I cannot recall what brought this album to my ears… I suspect it was something I got in my inbox when I worked at The Rocket. This whole album is full of heavy musical grooves and heavy mental movement. It’s a rare pleasure in 

30. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Put a Spell on You”

This is straight-up one of my favorite recordings of anyone ever. And when I eventually saw it enacted in “Stranger than Paradise,” I was blown away by how fundamentally Eastern European it sounds. Every sound he makes with his voice creates new characters. 

31. The Shining, “Midnight, the Stars & You”

Happy halloween my friends, I wish we were all at an otherwordly dance together.