Nov 7

Nov 7 It's Halloween (II)

Donald Trump, New York City, Performances, Public Declarations, The Age of Trump

“Spooky, scary skeletons
Send shivers down your spine
Shrieking skulls will shock your soul
Seal your doom tonight”

— Andrew Gold, Spooky, Scary Skeletons from Halloween Howls: Fun and Scary Music (1996)

“I can’t seem to face up to the facts
I’m tense and nervous and I can’t relax
I can’t sleep ‘cause my bed’s on fire
Don’t touch me, I’m a real live wire
Psycho Killer
Qu’est-ce que c’est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh-oh-oh
Psycho Killer”

— Talking Heads, Psycho Killer from Talking Heads 1977

The Village Halloween Parade steps off at 7:00 PM, but not for me. I spent an hour among the parade participants capturing images as everyone made final adjustments to their hair and costumes. Then, as In prior years, I headed to the intersection of 6th Avenue and 4th Street, where basketball courts line the eastside of the street and the IFC Center occupies the westside. Just as I got into position, huge flood lights popped on, further illuminating the intersection. I still used flash, but I appreciate the assist.

Some parade participants take a topical approach to their costuming. In 2021, I saw people dressed as Covid molecular structures while others carried gigantic syringes. Given my political bent, I always hope for lots of takes on Donald J. Trump and other Trump Administration officials. Once again, parade participants largely left Trump and Company lying in the proverbial gutter (where they belong). Only as I went through my image files did I see a Donald J. Trump mask. Even then, I had to look closely at the image. This particular Trump mask looked more like Frankenstein then Trump.

After what has transpired over the two year, I expected to see dozens of people dressed as ICE agents, possibly dragging by the hair someone who was dressed as a migrant along the street as the ostensible ICE agent beat his prize with a truncheon Much to my surprise, I saw no one masquerading as an ICE agent, but I did see one person carrying a sign made of corrugated cardboard calling out ICE.

In retrospect I suspect most participants were looking for relief from Trump’s nonstop onslaught, which would explain why I didn’t see Jeffrey Epsteins, J.D. Vances, Marco Rubios, and other ghouls associated with Trump’s regime. People apparently needed a respite from the chaos, which meant very few political references tonight

As usual, Chucky, the Joker, Freddy Krueger, Ghostface, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers were out in force. Many of those coming as horror film characters build their costume around store-bought masks. To their credit, however, they did a fantastic job of embellishing the mask’s effect with clothing and detailing that they assembled from stuff found in thrift shops or their attics. I always wonder whether those dressed as Leatherface (aka Ed Gein) are carrying prop chainsaws, or whether they stopped at Home Depot to pick up an authentic one.

Regrettably, I saw one unfortunate incident. Before the parade arrived at my location, someone threw three eggs at two or three NYPD officers standing within feet of me. Whoever pitched the projectiles will not be starting for the Yankees. The officers managed to dodge the incoming missiles. I was pleased to see three or four officers leap over the bicycle rack barricades into the crowd. But given the depth of the crowd, I was unable to determine whether they collared the culprit.

Given the large crowd, many of whom may have had a beer or two before arriving, there is always the potential for things to get out of hand. To everyone’s credit, however, the spectators were well-behaved. Aside from tonight’s egg incident, I have never seen anyone get out of hand, which probably explains why so many parents take their kids to the parade.

Many participants prove that nobody ever dies once a persona enters pop culture’s domain. A few years ago, Gilligan and the Skipper made an appearance. I saw the pair in the distance this year. Along the way, I ran into Superman, Edward Scissorhands, the Exorcist, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, the Ghostbusters, Gort (from the Day the Earth Stood Still), and dozens of other characters mined from our collective experience.

As usual, I missed the photographer favorite—the Michael Jackson Thriller float and Zombie dance routine. Every year, more and more photographers gather in front of what has to be the parade’s most popular entry. As the zombies arrived, all I saw was a two-deep line of photographers stretched in front of the chain separating them from the zombies. I did manage to capture a few images from the side, but even that was difficult. Whoever puts the Thriller ensemble together each year, does a helluva job. Hard to believe the video is now 43 years old, proving again that once something enters the cultural zeitgeist, it never dies.

As for their strategy, I suspect parade officials decided to split the Thriller spectacle into several separate groups. I heard Jackson’s Thriller three times during the parade’s run. At least one of the groups was dancing on an elevated truck platform rather than in the street.

Going forward, I have two suggestions for parade officials. First, those participating in the parade should put their damn phones away. You are dealing in illusion. Louis XVI, Boris Karloff, and Chucky did not have smartphones. If they don’t, officials should admonish participants about visibly displaying phones. Second, while doing so may not be practical given the large numbers of participants, but the puppeteers should wear black, hooded robes. While the puppets are one of the parade’s highlights, puppeteers dressed in jeans and sneakers undercuts the spectacle.

To photograph the parade, I walk against the marchers as they head northward. Every year, I have high hopes of attending the afterparty—this year it was held at the House of Yes in Brooklyn. Nine stages were rocking until 5:00 AM. Sounds like a great rave, but after close to two hours of people streaming at me, I was once again exhausted when the parade wrapped. It is such an intense experience, producing a euphoric sensory overload.

As I have done each year, I headed to Tribeca for a late supper at Odeon. Why do I return each year to Odeon? The streets in Tribeca are empty, and this restaurant has the best shrimp cocktail and roasted half chicken in the city.

Rather than rattling on, I’ll let my photographs speak for the parade, the participants, and my experience. While they provide a sense of what the parade is all about, the only way to experience it is in the flesh, which is a bit risky because there are lot of flesh-eating beasts out on Halloween.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]