Neighborhood decor will tell you it’s that time of year. And the Halloween cabinet of seasonal songs is large and fun one. At first, there seemed a lot more formality than expected this year (two songs were about “Mr. Frankenstein,” another referenced “Mr. Ghost”).
There were a couple of songs about witches, nearly a handful about werewolves, and one about Vampira, There were demons and devils and probably the most about ghosts, even after dozens heard during the morning’s “Theme Park.”
The show have been cursed by the demons, though. The third segment begins with an unintended voice over music that may have ruined The Kingsmen’s “Haunted Castle” and cuts off abruptly in the middle of Paul Simon’s “The Werewolf” — just the kind of thing he was warning about.
We started with birthdays for Natalie Merchant, turning 63; B-52’s guitarist Keith Strickland, 73; and Bootsy Collins, 75, among others. And we paid tribute to country music’s John Anderson, who died last Wednesday at 71.
Here’s the archived show in three parts (including that marred third); the setlist follows:
Capital Radio October 26. 2026 1 – 4:20 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
- “Washington D.C.,” The Magnetic Fields
- “Come on, Aphrodite,” Natalie Merchant
- “Trouble Me,” 10,000 Maniacs
- “Carnival,” Natalie Merchant
- “The Fool,” Sanford Clark
- “Ramrod,” Duane Eddy
- “Buckaroo,” Duane Eddy, Al Petty, Al Casey, et al.
- “Didn’t It Rain,” Mahalia Jackson
- “Can We Go Home Now,” The Roches
- “Song for a Future Generation,” The B-52’s
- “Minds Under Construction,” Bootsy Collins & Buckethead
- “Lower on the Hog,” John Anderson
- “Halloween Dance,” Reverend Horton Heat
- “Mr. Frankenstein,” Peter & The Wolves
- “Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein,” Carlos Casal Jr.
PART II
- “Halloween,” Phoebe Bridgers
- “Halloween,” Morgan Wadę
- “Little Demon,” Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
- “Devil Got My Woman,” Skip James
- “A Night with the Jersey Devil,” Bruce Springsteen
- “Ghost Train,” Virgil Holmes
- “Ghosts,” The Jam
- “Mr. Ghost Goes to Town,” The Five Jones Boys
- “Black Ghost Blues,” Lightnin’ Hopkins
- “Ghostbusters,” Los Straitjackets
- “If You Have Ghosts,” John Wesley Harding and the Good Liars
- “There is a Ghost,” Marianne Faithful
- “Ghost Town,” The Specials
- “Walking with a Ghost,” Tegan & Sara
- “Loneliest Ghost in Town,” Southern Culture on the Skids
- “Little Ghost,” The White Stripes
- “The Ghost,” Fleetwood Mac
- “There’s a Ghost in My House,” R. Dean Taylor
PART III
- “Haunted Castle,” The Kingsmen
- “Haunted House,” Pixies
- “Haunted,” Shane MacGowan & The Popes with Sinead O’Connor
- “Haunted Feelings,” Rahsaan Roland Kirk
- “Haunted House,” Johnny Fuller
- “Witch,” The Bird and The Bee
- “The Witch,” The Sonics
- “Monster Hospital,” Metric
- “Bo Meets the Monster,” Bo Diddley
- “The Monster,” Bobby Please and the Pleasers
- “Werewolf,” The Frantics
- “The Werewolf,” Paul Simon
- “I Was a Teenage Werewolf,” The Cramps
- “I’m the Wolfman,” Round Robin
- “Vampira,” Bobby Bare
- “Rockin’ in the Graveyard,” Jackie Morningstar
- “I Scare Myself,” Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
- “Things That Scare You,” Neko Case
- “Running Scared,” Roy Orbison
- “Halloween Parade,” Lou Reed
Capital Radio returns Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. EST until after 4 on www.cygnusradio.com. The show can also be heard via the cygnusradio.com app, available free at iTunes or GooglePlay. Recent shows are available on demand at cygnusradio.com. Older shows are posted at Substack.com/@rogercatlin.