Speed Of Sound Explores "Monster Mash": How A James Brown Dance Move + Boris Karloff's Frankenstein Created A Halloween Classic

The story is a collision of two youth culture obsessions: classic monster movies from Universal Studios and rock-and-roll dance records inspired by "The Twist." As televised packages of Frankenstein, Dracula and more classic monster movie hits spawned lunch boxes, model toy sets, fan zines and more, a bevy of dance records were inspiring kids to hit the floor: The Watusi, The Locomotion, The Frug and, of course, The Twist.

Inspired by the novelty song "Alley-Oop" — based on a newspaper cartoon caveman — Bobby Pickett, who had been honing his celebrity impressions with his band on the nightclub circuit, thought he could put together a hit based on the movie monster craze. Incorporating elements from hits that came in the wake of The Mashed Potato dance craze (a dance invented by the great James Brown), he donned his Boris Karloff impression and created "Monster Mash."

On Speed Of Sound, Greenberg  "artfully treats every twist and turn as inspired shop talk” (AV Club) as he considers the sociological, technological, and musical contexts of some of music’s most remarkable and unlikely success stories.

Last week, Greenberg appeared on KCRW's Press Play to discuss the connection between Chic's hit "Good Times" — one of the final smashes of the disco era — and the introductory hip-hop hit "Rapper's Delight." Listen to that here: https://kcrw.co/3iUMOtr