Ed Wood Wednesdays, week 285: The weird, wild music of 'Necromania' (1971)

The music in Ed Wood's Necromania (1971) is drawn from a number of sources.

Back in 2019, I assembled a soundtrack album for Ed Wood's 1971 pornographic film Necromania and posted it to SoundCloud for other fans to enjoy. Following the template of the 1995 Orgy of the Dead soundtrack from Strangelove Records, I took the audio directly from the movie itself and included both music cues and dialogue excerpts. Response to the project was, let's say, muted. While I personally find this subject quite fascinating, it's not necessarily of much interest to the average person. Even many Wood fans steer clear of Eddie's adult movies, so the prospect of a Necromania soundtrack is not all that appealing to them.

Nevertheless, in 2026, I am bravely revisiting the topic. Music identification has come a long way in seven years, and it is now possible to find the actual titles and artists of the songs heard in the movie. At least some of the time, that is. I should clarify, for those who haven't seen it, that Necromania relies entirely on stock music. That's no surprise. While Bride of the Monster (1955) has an original score by Frank Worth, most of Eddie's classic films such as Glen or Glenda (1953) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) use so-called library music. 

Ed Wood Extra! A 'Necromania' soundtrack album

Ric Lutze and Rene Bond in Ed Wood's Necromania.

Remember record stores? I sure do. When I lived in Joliet, IL, there was a great one called the Crow's Nest. It's long gone now, killed off by streaming. But in its heyday, it was one of my favorite places in the world. Sometimes, I went in there looking for a specific album, but generally, I'd just browse through the racks and see what they had. I found a lot of cool stuff that way, including the 1995 soundtrack album for Orgy of the Dead from Strangelove Records. Jaime Mendoza Nava's catchy, eclectic lounge-exotica score deserves to be immortalized on a shiny plastic disc.

I recently revisited another Ed Wood movie, Necromania and heard how much memorable music there is in it, too. Record stores and compact discs probably aren't coming back, so I did the next best thing. I created a virtual Necromania soundtrack album on SoundCloud. You can listen to it right now, and I would really appreciate it if you did.

John Waters' Mondo Trasho: The Soundtrack (updated for 2017)

Divine carries Mary Vivian Pearce in this ad for John Waters' "gutter film," Mondo Trasho.

Little Richard, the film's patron saint.

After several years of making experimental short films like Hag in a Black Leather Jacket and Eat Your Makeup in the mid-to-late 1960s, Baltimore filmmaker John Waters finally took the feature-length plunge in 1969 with his dreamlike, almost plotless epic Mondo Trasho. But in those days, Waters was operating on such a low budget that he couldn't even afford to record synchronized sound as he was filming. His first full-length talkie, Multiple Maniacs, was released in 1970, a full 43 years after The Jazz Singer. But just because Mondo Trasho was shot silently, that doesn't mean it's a silent film. In fact, the 95-minute comedy has an incredible soundtrack pieced together a few seconds at a time from records in John Waters' personal music collection. The trouble was, he never got permission to use any of this stuff, meaning that Mondo Trasho has never seen legitimate release on DVD or any digital format. It never will.

The range of music used in Mondo Trasho is stunning. Waters clearly has an ear for rock and R&B, stuff recorded back when the music was raw and vital. Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, James Brown, and Ike and Tina Turner are all represented here. In fact, Little Richard, Brown, and the Turners can be said to dominate the soundtrack. But Waters uses plenty of classical and operatic music, too. Among the composers who unwittingly contributed to Mondo Trasho: Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. And then there are total oddities, like Lyda Roberti's "Take a Number From One to Ten" and Mae West's "Treat 'Em Right." And who can classify such recordings as "Visage" by Luciano Berio?

I've been fascinated with Mondo Trasho's soundtrack for the last twenty years, and I've spent plenty of time in used record stores and online forums trying to identify each and every last scrap of music used in the film. Now, I'm happy to say that I have assembled a list that is as complete as I can make it at this time. I've published various versions of my Mondo Trasho soundtrack over the years, but this one makes all others obsolete.

A few notes before we begin. I have decided to catalog every distinct bit of audio that I can detect in Mondo Trasho. This includes occasional sound effects and instances of so-called "wild track" dialogue recorded by Waters and his actors, including Divine, Mink Stole, Pat Moran, and David Lochary. You will notice that many of the songs are repeated, some multiple times. Waters generally uses "Slow Walk" and "Come Go With Me" for the film's many traveling scenes, for instance. A siren and some gunshots from "Riot in Cell Block 9" are heard over and over again as well, as are some strange bleeps and bloops from "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" by Buchanan & Goodman. I have tried to denote those instances in which a live version of a song is used. The items printed in red are the last few stragglers, the pieces I still cannot identify fully. Corrections, comments, suggestions, and additions are more than welcome.

That being said, let's have some fun.

Crucial Update for 2017: Well, ladies and gentlemen, the day of reckoning has arrived. A John Waters superfan named Tyler Henry has compiled a downloadable 110-track playlist of every piece of  music in Mondo Trasho. And, bless my soul, I think he's managed to track down every last scrap of audio in the film. Tyler talks all about the project in this Facebook post. After all these years, it would appear that the hunt for Mondo Trasho music is now complete. For posterity's sake, I've updated my playlist to reflect these new findings.

Prologue/Opening Credits

• "Jack the Ripper" - Link Wray And His Ray-Men

Bonnie Walks to the Bus Stop and Rides the Bus

• "Short Shorts" - The Royal Teens
• "Life Savers Girl (from Mondo Cane)" - Riz Ortolani
• "Pomp and Circumstance, March No. I" - Sir Edward Elgar
• "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" - Jo Stafford

In the Park

• "I'm Following You" - The Duncan Sisters
• "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" - Elvis Presley
• "Sitting In the Park" - Billy Stewart
• Donizetti: Anna Bolena, Act II: "Piangete voi?" - Maria Callas
• "Strangers in the Night" - Frank Sinatra
• "Little Bitty Pretty One" - Thurston Harris

The Shrimping

• Bloch: "Sonata for Violin and Piano (1920): III. Moderato" - Isaac Stern and Alexander Zakin
• "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)" - Perry Como
• "It's Almost Like Being In Love (live)" - Judy Garland
• "See You Later, Alligator" - Bill Haley and His Comets
• "Ricochet (Rick-O-Shay)" - Teresa Brewer

Divine Enters in the El Dorado Cadillac

• "Long Tall Sally (live)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Tutti Fruitti (live)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "The Girl Can't Help It (live)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Long Tall Sally (sax solo)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos

The Car Accident

• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Leader of the Pack" - The Shangri-Las
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Strange Things Happen" - James Brown

On the Run with an Unconscious Girl

• "I Want You To Be My Girl" - Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
• "It Only Hurts For a Little While" - The Ames Brothers
• "I Want You To Be My Girl" - Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
• "Riot in Cell Block 9"- The Robins
• "No Particular Place to Go" - Chuck Berry
• "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" - Jerry Lee Lewis
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Two Faces Have I" - Lou Christie

Shoplifting Shoes from the Thrift Store

• "Finger Poppin' (live)" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Riot In Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "The Girl Can't Help It (live)" - Little Richard
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Night Train (live)" - James Brown
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "Marche Slav" - Tchaikovsky

The Laundromat and the First Miracle

• "Under the Moon of Love" - Curtis Lee
• "Poor Fool" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Rite of Spring" - Igor Stravinsky
• "Holy Holy Holy" - Alan Dean (from Songs of Faith LP)
• Monologue by Divine
• Sound effect: bells ringing
• "Holy Holy Holy" - Alan Dean 
• "The Girl Can't Help It (live) - Little Richard
• "The Angels Listened In" - The Crests
• "You Turn Me On" - Mae West
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin

The Cadillac is Stolen

• "Rip It Up" - Elvis Presley
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "Riot In Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Oh Lonesome Me" - Don Gibson
• "Waddle, Waddle" - The Bracelets
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "It's Almost Like Being In Love (live)" - Judy Garland
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin

Mink Stole/Mental Hospital Dragnet

• "Visage (for tape)" - Luciano Berio and Cathy Berbarian
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "I Got Stung" - Elvis Presley
• Puccini: "Tosca: Presto, su! Mario!" - Renato Tebaldi
• "I Almost Lost My Mind" - Pat Boone
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Combination of the Two" - Big Brother and The Holding Company
• "Tell The Truth (sax solo)" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Riot In Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement
• "I Got Stung" - Elvis Presley

The Mental Hospital/Mink's Topless Dance

• "We're Off to See the Wizard" - The Wizard of Oz Cast (Judy Garland and Ray Bolger)
• "Visage" - Luciano Berio and Cathy Berberian
• "I Feel A Song Coming On (Live at the Palace)" - Judy Garland 
• "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" - Little Eva
• "Visage" - Luciano Berio and Cathy Berberian
• "Take a Number From One to Ten" - Lyda Roberti
• Fats Gonder's intro to James Brown 'Live' at the Apollo
• Take A Number From One to Ten" - Lyda Roberti
• "What'd I Say (Parts 1 and 2) (live)" - Ray Charles

The Second Miracle: Escape from the Snake Pit

• "Holy Holy Holy" - Alan Dean
• Monologue by Divine
• Sound effect: bells ringing
• "Holy Holy Holy" - Alan Dean
• "The Angels Listened In" - The Crests
• "Earth Angel" - The Penguins
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 and 2)" - Buchanan and Goodman
• "I'm Blue (The Gong Gong Song)" - The Ikettes
• "Tutti Fruitti (live)" - Little Richard
• "Ready Teddy (guitar solo)" - Elvis Presley
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)" - Wilson Pickett
• Sound effect: phone ringing
• Dialogue by Pat Moran and Divine

Getting to the Doctor and Robbing the Cab

• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin (overlaid with Divine yelling, "Taxi! Taxi!")
• "Woo-Hoo" - The Rock-A-Teens
• "(I Need Some) Money" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• "Life Savers Girl (from Mondo Cane)" - Riz Ortolani
• "See You Later, Alligator" - Bill Haley & The Comets
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings

In the Doctor's Waiting Room

• "Black And Tan Fantasy" - David Rose And His Orchestra
• "You Tickle Me Baby" - The Royal Jokers
• Excerpt from Justine, or the Misfortune of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade (from 1966 recording) - "Help! Help, someone!"
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• Excerpt from Justine, or the Misfortune of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade
• Sound effect: whistle
• "Comedians Gallop" - Kabalevsky
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• Excerpt from Justine, or the Misfortune of Virtue by the Marquis de Sade
• "Rumble" - Link Wray
• "Coronation March" - Giacomo Meyerbeer
• "Rumble" - Link Wray
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement

Dr. Coat Hanger's Dreadful Experiments

• "Trouble (live from 1968 comeback special)" - Elvis Presley 
• "Jenny, Jenny (live - stage patter)" - Little Richard
• Dialogue and narration from Justine, or the Misfortune of Virtue by the Marquis De Sade

WOMAN: These monsters are going to use me in one of their dreadful medical experiments! 

MAN: Care for a girl? Ha ha. My dear fellow, I thought you knew me better than that! Ha! My extreme taste for certain pleasures causes me to sacrifice at whatever altars are available. And I often imagine that a girl is actually a boy and use her accordingly.

SECOND MAN: Let me inspect your veins.

• "True Fine Mama (live -stage patter)" - Little Richard
• "Fantasie in F Minor, KV 608" - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• "Dr. Feelgood" - Aretha Franklin
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings (overlaid with monologue by John Waters)

Shootout in the Waiting Room

• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels
• "Get A Job" - The Silhouettes
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics
• "Oh, Baby, Don't You Weep (Live - Royal Theater)" - James Brown
• "He's So Fine" - The Chiffons
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics
• "Please Please Please (live at Royal Theater)" - James Brown
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "A Fool for You (live in Texas)" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins (lyrics used for the first time)

Bonnie in Peril!

• "Along Came Jones" - The Coasters
• "A Fool for You" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Along Came Jones" - The Coasters
• "I'm Moving On" - Ray Charles
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement
• "Love at First Sight" - Roddy Jackson
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand") - The Shangri-Las
• "Bertha Lou" - Clint Miller

On the Run with Dr. Coat Hanger

• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Mars, Bringer of War" - Gustav Holst
• "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" - Perry Como
• "Rescue Me" - Fontella Bass
• "I Feel Good" - Shirley and Lee
• "Lollipop" - The Chordettes
• "I Feel Good" - Shirley and Lee
• "A Letter From Tina" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Angel Baby" - Rosie and the Originals
• "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison
• "All I Could Do Was Cry" -Ike and Tina Turner
• "A Letter From Tina" - Ike and Tina Turner
•  "I Feel Good" - Shirley and Lee
• "Goodbye to Love" - The Marcels

They're a Twosome Again/In the Pigsty

• "Rumble" - Link Wray
• "Ride of the Valkyries" - Wagner
• "Holy Holy Holy" - Alan Dean
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• "Catulli Carmina: Chorus/Actus I" - Carl Orff
• "Maybe" - The Chantels
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman

Back to Reality, Such as it Is

• "Here I Stand" - The Rip Chords
• "Going Out of My Head" - Little Anthony and the Imperials
• "Surfin' Bird" - The Trashmen
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• Dialogue by Mink Stole and David Lochary
• "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" - Jerry Lee Lewis 

Mink Stole (left) and Mimi Lochary in Mondo Trasho.

As a little bonus, here is a transcription of the dialogue between the two gossipy ladies played by Mink Stole and Mimi Lochary at the end of the film. Mink provides her own, post-dubbed voice, but Mimi's lines are done by her son, David. In this scene, the two ladies stand at a bus sop and pass judgment on Mary Vivian Pearce's character, who has just materialized in front of them.

LADY 1: Is that a boy or a girl? 

LADY 2: Is it a faggot? 

LADY 1: It's a dyke. 

LADY 2: No, it's a hippie.

LADY 1: A communist? 

LADY 2: Perhaps it's a drag queen. 

LADY 1: Or a wash rag queen. 

LADY 2: It's probably a speed freak. 

LADY 1: Or a pothead. 

LADY 2: Or a muffin queen. 

LADY 1: Look at her. It's just a whore. 

LADY 2: Or maybe a gold digger. 

LADY 1: She's a hustler. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or some sort of intellectual. 

LADY 1: She's probably a rimmer. 

LADY 2: Hmmm. Maybe a speed freak. 

LADY 1: A chicken queen. 

LADY 2: Or a shrimp freak. 

LADY 1: But, but it could be a narc. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or maybe a beatnik. 

LADY 1: Or a junkie. 

LADY 2: Yes or an acid-head. 

LADY 1: Or a spade. 

LADY 2: Or just a gigolo. 

LADY 1: Just a flower child. 

LADY 2: Yeah, a shit-kicker. 

LADY 1: Or a red. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or a glamour girl. 

LADY 1: Maybe she's some just sort of snob. 

LADY 2: Yeah. Maybe just some Polack. 

LADY 1: Or a warmonger. 

LADY 2: Yeah or an S&M queen. 

LADY 1: Oh, it's just a teenager. 

LADY 2: Yeah, maybe it's one of those Hell's Angels. 

LADY 1: You think it's a baby butch? 

LADY 2: It could be a fag hag. 

LADY 1: Or maybe it's a b-girl. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or a closet queen.  

LADY 1: A hair hopper. 

LADY 2: Yeah, maybe a movie star. 

LADY 1: Well, she's a dropout of some sort.  

LADY 2: Yeah. What is that word? Uh, dingleberry. 

LADY 1: Or a draft dodger.  

LADY 2: Yeah, or maybe just a runaway.  

LADY 1: Or some sort of, you know, peacenik. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or a hooker. 

LADY 1: Or she's one of those Yippies.  

LADY 2: Mmmm. Maybe it's one of those jet-setters. 

LADY 1: But I'll bet it's just a whore. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or maybe a dinge queen. 

LADY 1: A rimmer. 

LADY 2: Yeah, or a size queen. 

LADY 1: A hustler. 

LADY 2: Oh, she makes me sick. 

LADY 1: Whore. 

(Having heard enough, Pearce's character clicks her heels together, a la Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and magically disappears.)

LADY 2: What is that? 

LADY 1: Oh my god! Isn't that disgusting? 

LADY 2: Let's wait for the bus somewhere else! 

LADY 1: This whole thing has just made me sick. 

LADY 2: Me, too. Let's move up here. Maybe we can wait for the bus in peace.

(They walk to the next corner as the film ends.)

The first 'Wizard of Oz' soundtrack album was neither a soundtrack nor an album. Discuss.

This artwork is from a later reissue of the 1940 Decca sides.

When MGM's The Wizard of Oz was first released in 1939, it did not actually get a proper soundtrack album for a darned good reason: such things were not technically possible at the time. The long-playing or LP record capable of holding several songs per side was not introduced until 1948 by Columbia. The crucial format change made the modern concept of the album possible, more or less. Before this innovation, a vinyl record only had enough storage space for about one song per side. If a label wanted to group a whole slew of songs together, it would package several individual 78 RPM discs together in a book-like binding. These collections were called "albums" because of their resemblance to photo albums. That's where the term originates. Decades later, in 1979, the innovative post-punk band Public Image Ltd. sort of revived this concept with its sophomore album, Metal Box, which was originally released in the form of three separate 12" discs packaged in metal film canisters.

Decca's Wizard of Oz cast album from 1940

When John Lydon and his cronies did this in the late 1970s, it was an attention-grabbing stunt. But back in the early 1940s, it was the industry standard for so-called "albums" to consist of several short-playing discs bundled together. Interestingly, such a marvelously clunky release counts as the first-ever attempt to compile an official Wizard of Oz soundtrack. Decca Records, the label that a few decades hence would infamously turn down The Beatles, released what it called an "Original Cast Album" for the lush MGM musical, though the only cast member of the film involved with the project was Judy Garland, who provided vocals for two tracks, "Over the Rainbow" and  "The Jitterbug," the latter of which was notoriously deleted from the film.

To add further authenticity to the Decca recordings, the vocal arrangements were done by Ken Darby, who also worked on the film, and Oz songwriter Harold Arlen portrayed the Scarecrow on at least one track. The orchestra, meanwhile, was led by Victor Young, a multi-talented, Chicago-born violinist, composer, and conductor who worked on such films as Shane, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Paleface, and many others. Decca's Oz album, which has been dubbed a "pre-soundtrack" even though it came out after the movie, contained eight tracks spread out over four discs, plus a six-page foldout brochure and stills and photos explaining the plot of the film. From the photos I've seen, it's a pretty deluxe package and a neat souvenir. For a mere $12,500, you can own Judy Garland's personal copy, if you so desire.

A reissue of the Decca material.

Now that the actual recordings used in the MGM film are commonplace and easily available, complete with outtakes, alternate versions, and Herbert Stothart's score, the 1940 Decca recordings have fallen out of favor and are no longer in print. The two tracks with vocals by Judy Garland are available as part of a compilation called Over the Rainbow: The Decca Singles,  while the other six songs are sadly neglected these days. 

But Decca's Oz material had a healthy afterlife for about four decades, being reissued time and time again by the label, sometimes paired with Decca's versions of the songs from the 1940 Walt Disney production, Pinocchio. A few of those Pinocchio tracks, incidentally, feature vocals by Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards, who voiced Jiminy Cricket in the animated film. Apparently, Decca's strategy back then was: get at least one real person from the movie, preferably the one whose voice would be hardest to imitate. The most recent iteration of the Decca album came out in 1980. Since then, nothing. This material is not commercially available in 2015, except as a collectible on Ebay.

Happily, this little slice of Wizard of Oz history has not entirely vanished from the Internet. All eight tracks are available on YouTube to those who go looking. What's especially interesting about these recordings, apart from the participation of Garland, Darby, and Arlen, is that many of the tracks feature newly-composed introductions. Just as in the movie, the songwriting credit on the album only goes to Harold Arlen and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Perhaps the original composers wrote these new sections themselves. It's certainly possible. Additionally, there are segments of "Muchkinland" on the album that are sung rather than spoken as they are in the film. In those cases, the melodies match those from the demo recordings made by Arlen and Harburg during preproduction on Oz. That suggests to me that perhaps the songwriting duo was more heavily involved in the Decca sessions and may well have written those new intros. In any event, it's a nice little footnote to movie and music history.

Can You Guess the Lyric Based on Terrible Microsoft Paint Art?

Song lyric #1

Song lyric #2

Okay, so here's how this works. I took two lyrics -- not titles, mind you but lyrics -- from famous songs and then illustrated them as crudely as possible in Microsoft Paint. Your job is to try to ID either of the songs based on the drawings. Your only hint is that both of these songs are used in the movie The Big Lebowski, though they may not necessarily be on the soundtrack album. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. Anyway, post your guesses (if you have them) in the comment section below this article. "And report back to us as soon as it's done."

Aaaaaaaaand..... GO!

John Waters' Mondo Trasho: The Soundtrack!

At last, this "gutter film" has a "gutter soundtrack."

Hello, moviegoers!

I'd like to share with you the result of a project I've been working on since the late 1990s at least. That was when I first started getting into the films of Baltimore's one-of-a-kind cult auteur John Waters. In 1969, Waters completed his first feature-length film, a surrealist comedy called Mondo Trasho. It's a dreamlike, almost arty black-and-white film about the misadventures of Bonnie (Mary Vivian Pearce), a vacant blonde "fashion fanatic" who staggers into the path of an oncoming '59 El Dorado Cadillac driven by Divine, the plus-size, cross-dressing star of most of John Waters' films from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Waters couldn't afford to have synchronized sound when he made Mondo Trasho, so he shot 90 minutes of silent footage and then assembled a soundtrack from dozens of snippets of records -- rock, R&B, classical, country, and more -- along with a few bits of dialogue recorded by his actors. The result was an incredible sonic collage that has fascinated me for years. I tried to identify all the songs he used and piece together an unofficial "soundtrack album" one song at a time. I'm still not done with it, but I have a version that is thorough enough to share with the public.

Prologue/Opening Credits

• "Jack the Ripper" - Link Wray

Bonnie Walks to the Bus Stop and Rides the Bus

• "Short Shorts" - The Royal Teens
• Sound effect: dogs barking
• "Pomp and Circumstance, March No. I" - Elgar
• "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" - Jo Stafford

In the Park

• "I'm Following You" - The Duncan Sisters
• "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" - Elvis Presley
• "Sitting In the Park" - Billy Stewart
• "Il Pirata: Oh! S'lo Potessi/Col Sorroso D'Innocenza (Act II)" - Philharmonic Orchestra
• "Strangers in the Night" - Frank Sinatra
• "Little Bitty Pretty One" - Thurston Harris

The Shrimping

• "Sonata for Violin and Piano (1920): III. Moderato" - Isaac Stern
• "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)" - Perry Como
• "It's Almost Like Being In Love (live)" - Judy Garland
• "See You Later, Alligator" - Bill Haley and His Comets
• "Ricochet (Rick-O-Shay)" - Teresa Brewer

Divine Enters in the El Dorado Cadillac

• "Long Tall Sally (live)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Tutti Fruitti (live)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "The Girl Can't Help It (live)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Long Tall Sally (sax solo)" - Little Richard
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos

The Car Accident

• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5." -Heitor Villa-Lobos
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Leader of the Pack" - The Shangri-Las
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Why Does Everything Happen to Me? (live)" (aka "Strange Things Happen") - James Brown

On the Run with an Unconscious Girl

• "I Want You To Be My Girl" - Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
• "It Only Hurts For a Little While" - The Ames Brothers
• "I Want You To Be My Girl" - Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
• "Riot in Cell Block 9"- The Robins
• "No Particular Place to Go" - Chuck Berry
• "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" - Jerry Lee Lewis
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Two Faces Have I" - Lou Christie

Shoplifting Shoes from the Thrift Store

• "Finger Poppin' (live)" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Riot In Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "The Girl Can't Help It (live)" - Little Richard
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Night Train (live)" - James Brown
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "Marche Slav" - Tchaikovsky

The Laundromat and the First Miracle

• "Under the Moon of Love" - Curtis Lee
• "Poor Fool" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Rite of Spring" - Igor Stravinsky
• "Holy Holy Holy" - traditional hymn
• Monologue by Divine
• Sound effect: bells ringing
• "Holy Holy Holy" - traditional hymn
• "The Girl Can't Help It (live) - Little Richard
• "The Angels Listened In" - The Crests
• "You Turn Me On" - Mae West
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin

The Cadillac is Stolen

• "Rip It Up" - Elvis Presley
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "Riot In Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Treat 'Em Right" - Mae West
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Oh Lonesome Me" - Don Gibson
• "Waddle, Waddle" - The Bracelets
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "It's Almost Like Being In Love (live)" - Judy Garland
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin

Mink Stole/Mental Hospital Dragnet

• "Visage" - Luciano Berio
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "I Got Stung" - Elvis Presley
• Tosca: "Presto, su! Mario!" - Renato Tebaldi
• "I Almost Lost My Mind" - Pat Boone
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Combination of the Two" - Big Brother and The Holding Company
• "Tell The Truth (sax solo)" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Riot In Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement
• "I Got Stung" - Elvis Presley

The Mental Hospital/Mink's Topless Dance

• "We're Off to See the Wizard" - The Wizard of Oz Cast
• "Visage" - Luciano Berio
• Excerpt from a Judy Garland performance: "Whatever you said, it's all right with me!"
• "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" - Little Eva
• "Visage" - Luciano Berio
• "Take a Number From One to Ten" - Lyda Roberti
• Fats Gonder's intro to James Brown 'Live' at the Apollo
• Take A Number From One to Ten" - Lyda Roberti
• "What'd I Say (Parts 1 and 2)" - Ray Charles

The Second Miracle: Escape from the Snake Pit

• "Holy Holy Holy" - traditional hymn
• Monologue by Divine
• Sound effect: bells ringing
• "Holy Holy Holy" - traditional hymn
• "The Angels Listened In" - The Crests
• "Earth Angel" - The Penguins
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 and 2)" - Buchanan and Goodman
• "I'm Blue (The Gong Gong Song)" - The Ikettes
• "Tutti Fruitti (live)" - Little Richard
• "Ready Teddy (guitar solo)" - Elvis Presley
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin
• "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)" - Wilson Pickett
• Sound effect: phone ringing
• Dialogue by Pat Moran and Divine

Getting to the Doctor and Robbing the Cab

• "Slow Walk" - Sil Austin (overlaid with Divine yelling, "Taxi! Taxi!")
• "Woo-Hoo" - The Rock-A-Teens
• "(I Need Some) Money" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• Sound effect: dogs barking
• "See You Later, Alligator" - Bill Haley & The Comets
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings

In the Doctor's Waiting Room

• "Black And Tan Fantasy" - David Rose And His Orchestra
• "You Tickle Me Baby" - The Royal Jokers
• A woman saying, "Help! Help someone!"
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Help! Help, someone!"
• Sound effect: whistle
• "Comedians Gallop" - Kabalevsky
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Help! Help, someone!"
• "Rumble" - Link Wray
• "Coronation March" - Giacomo Meyerbeer
• "Rumble" - Link Wray
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement

Dr. Coat Hanger's Dreadful Experiments

• "Trouble" - Elvis Presley
• "Jenny, Jenny (live - stage patter)" - Little Richard
• Long stretch of prerecorded dialogue. One of the actors may be John Barrymore. 

WOMAN: These monsters are going to use me in one of their dreadful medical experiments! 

MAN: Care for a girl? Ha ha. My dear fellow, I thought you knew me better than that! Ha! My extreme taste for certain pleasures causes me to sacrifice at whatever altars are available. And I often imagine that a girl is actually a boy and use her accordingly.

SECOND MAN: Let me inspect your veins.

• "True Fine Mama (live -stage patter)" - Little Richard
• "Fantasie in F Minor, KV 608" - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• "Dr. Feelgood" - Aretha Franklin
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" - The Shangri-Las
• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings (overlaid with monologue by John Waters)

Shootout in the Waiting Room

• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels
• Sound effect: whistle
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels
• Excerpt from unknown R&B song: "Owwww! Sometimes the going get a little tough!"
• "He's So Fine" - The Chiffons
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics
• Excerpt from unknown R&B song: "Owwww!"
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Blue Moon" - The Marcels 
• Excerpt from unknown R&B song: "Owwww!" 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Western Movies" - The Olympics 
• "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 
• "Riot in Cell Block 9" - The Robins (lyrics used for the first time)

Bonnie in Peril!

• "Along Came Jones" - The Coasters
• "A Fool for You" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Along Came Jones" - The Coasters
• "I'm Moving On" - Ray Charles
• Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, First Movement
• Excerpt from unknown pop record: "I almost flipped when she looked my way. I tried to think of the right thing to say."
• "Remember (Walking in the Sand") - The Shangri-Las
• "Bertha Lou" - Clint Miller

On the Run with Dr. Coat Hanger

• "Come Go With Me" - The Del-Vikings
• "Mars, Bringer of War" - Gustav Holst
• "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" - Perry Como
• "Rescue Me" - Fontella Bass
• "I Feel Good" - Shirley and Lee
• "Lollipop" - The Chordettes
• "I Feel Good" - Shirley and Lee
• "A Letter From Tina" - Ike and Tina Turner
• "Angel Baby" - Rosie and the Originals
• "Kansas City" - Wilbert Harrison
• "All I Could Do Was Cry" -Ike and Tina Turner
• "A Letter From Tina" - Ike and Tina Turner
•  "I Feel Good" - Shirley and Lee
• "Goodbye to Love" - The Marcels

They're a Twosome Again/In the Pigsty

• "Rumble" - Link Wray
• "Ride of the Valkyries" - Wagner
• "Holy Holy Holy" - traditional hymn
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• "Catulli Carmina: Chorus/Actus I" - Carl Orff
• "Maybe" - The Chantels
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman

Back to Reality, Such as it Is

• "Here I Stand" - Wade Flemons and The Newcomers
• "Going Out of My Head" - Little Anthony and the Imperials
• "Surfin' Bird" - The Trashmen
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Flying Saucer (Parts 1 & 2)" - Buchanan & Goodman
• Dialogue by Mink Stole and David Lochary
• "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" - Jerry Lee Lewis 

P.S. - John Waters did not purchase the rights to any of these songs, so Mondo Trasho cannot be legitimately released on DVD. The cost would be prohibitive. Mondo did have a VHS release in the 1980s, though, and bootleg copies are fairly easy to find.

(today's zomby) AND EVERY VERSION OF THE SONG "PSYCHO" I COULD FIND

You can usually tell what kind of day I've had by the joke (or lack thereof) in each day's Zomby.

And now, today's Zomby...

Let's keep the grim mood going with one of the darkest songs ever written, "Psycho" by blind San Antonio street musician Leon Payne (1917-1969) a.k.a. "The Blind Balladeer." The song was written in the late 1950s, but the most famous recording is probably a 1973 cover by Jack Kittel. This track was featured on the soundtrack of the Bill Murray movie Larger Than Life.



But that's just the tip of the psychotic iceberg. Ten more demented cover versions after the break!

(today's zomby) AND TWO GREAT SONGS MISSING FROM THE "SOMETHING WILD" SOUNDTRACK

Hey there, citizens.

Have you ever purchased a movie soundtrack album, only to be disappointed that it does not contain the song from the movie you wanted most? Then you can understand how I felt when I purchased Something Wild: Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack and found that it was missing my two favorite songs from the movie. That movie has something like 40 songs in it, but the album only has 10 tracks. I think I returned the soundtrack to the store the very next day. I kind of regret it now because the ten remaining songs are pretty good.

But this is a day for fixing past mistakes. Below you will find those two songs I really wanted: "Wozani Mahipi" by the Mahotella Queens and "Ooh! Waah!" (a.k.a. "Ooh! Aah!" or "Ohh! Ahh!") by The Fabulous Five. I invite you now to listen and enjoy.







Fairy tales can come true. It can happen to you.