Weekend Agenda Too young to die, not too old to dress up

To get into the Halloween spirit (you know, finding a reason to pretend you’re someone else, going out to have fun in costume, and all of that), Ell V Gore’s Elliot Jones is throwing a cover band spectacular. Called Death to T.O., the two-night event is set to take place at the Silver Dollar Room on Friday, Oct. 28 and at The Comfort Zone on Saturday, Oct. 29. We talked to Jones, and members of some of the other groups that will be playing musical dress up with him, about practicing the art of putting a microphone down one’s throat, whether bald caps can cover semi-afros, and much more.

Elliot Jones, Ell V Gore covering The Cramps Oct. 28
When The A.V. Club met up with Jones, he was drinking beer out of a Starbucks iced coffee container. “I was drinking on their patio,” he tells us, laughing. 
The A.V. Club: Why The Cramps?

Elliot Jones: I really love Lux Interior. I just want to wear some leather pants, straighten my hair, and put on some makeup. [Laughs.] 

AVC: How is your stage performance going to change?

EJ: There’s going to be a lot of sticking the mic down my throat. Werewolf stances. Growling. Crawling all around on all fours. 

AVC: Have you been practicing that microphone maneuver at all?

EJ: Oh yeah. I do it anyways, at band practice. I’ve been doing it forever! 

Tim McCready, Children In Heat covering the Misfits Oct. 28
The A.V. Club sat down with McCready in the museum of weird on Manning Avenue that he calls a home.
AVC: Would only bad Misfits fans say “Die Die My Darling” is their favourite Misfits song?

Tim McCready: No, that’s a good one. That’s the thing: They’re all so good. I won’t even listen to the new Misfits. I won’t give them a chance. Maybe it’s good, but it’s not Danzig. For me, everything in the early Misfits catalog is just perfect for what it is.

AVC: Are you excited to dress up like Danzig again? How do you feel when you put that devil lock in?

TM: Oh fuck, I love it. I wouldn’t want to do it every day, but I think it’s hilarious. The Misfits are a cartoon band. Even when they’re talking about gory stuff, they’re a cartoon band. Putting in the devil lock is like becoming a live cartoon. Like Rob Ford. I’d feel like an idiot if I was going to walk around like that during the day, though. I wouldn’t be stoked to go to work dressed as Glenn Danzig.

Josh McIntyre, Little Girls covering Smashing Pumpkins Oct. 29
The A.V. Club sat with McIntyre on a bench in Trinity Bellwoods, with his computer hacking bassist Tristan Bates, and discussed Billy Corgan costume strategies.
AVC: Have you got your costume together?

Josh McIntyre: Kind of. I’m deciding between several looks. We can go with the “bald cap, turtleneck, and trench coat” look. Or we could go with the “move to L.A. to date Jessica Simpson, Zwan” look! Probably not the latter, though.

AVC: It’s a little harder for you to become Billy Corgan than anyone else in the band because of your mocha complexion.

JM: But is there really a problem with going whiteface?

AVC: When are you going to go try on your bald cap?

JM: I’ve never tried on a bald cap before, so I don’t know if I can really contain this much hair. I don’t know if they’re made for the semi-afro look. 

Tristan Bates: If you can wear a toque you can wear a bald cap.    

Jon Schouten, Teenanger covering the Ramones Oct. 28
Schouten was too busy conducting Craigslist transactions to meet in person, so The A.V. Club talked to him over iChat sometime around lunchtime.
AVC: Are you excited to be Johnny Ramone for Halloween?

Jon Schouton: Yep, I’m totally excited to be a bigger asshole than I am in real life, if that’s imaginable.

AVC: We understand you’re going to get your hair done.

JS: I’m actually going to New York next week to get my hair cut by the very same woman who originally cut all the Ramones’ hair. 

AVC: How did that happen?

JS: I met her on a Facebook needle exchange thread. 

AVC: You bought a special guitar for this too right?

JS: By special you mean piece of shit right? Yeah, I found a copy of Johnny’s guitar for cheap, so I bought it. It’s actually pretty good. I’ll be selling it the very next day on Craigslist to pay for my New York haircut trip and reversing all the damage I do to myself that weekend.