Duo host funk-metal graveyard smash with ghosts, ghouls, keytar-playing skeletons
Funk legend Bootsy Collins and masked guitar wiz Buckethead have teamed for an absolutely bonkers cover of Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s Halloween classic, “Monster Mash.”
The pair’s rendition transforms the wholesome, jangly boogie of the original tune into a revved-up funk-metal hybrid, replete with big riffs and scorching guitar solos. There’s also a sheer delight in the way Collins’ milks every word of his vocal performance as he narrates the goings-on at the graveyard smash.
Collins and Buckethead’s cover of the “Monster Mash” also comes with a equally ridiculous video, directed by Ouiwey Collins, which features a packed cast of ghosts, ghouls, vampires, Frankenstein monsters and, because why not, a skeleton shredding a keytar.
In a statement, Collins explained his life-long love of the “Monster Mash” and how he and Buckethead decided to cover the song: “I believe I was 11 years old and was a big Boris Karloff fan-junkie. In fact, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney and Vincent Price — all the big monsters — were my heroes. When I heard ‘Monster Mash’ recorded by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett in 1962, it became my all-time superhero theme song. I always wanted to record it, and do something special with it. Buckethead and I have been talking about it for over a decade, and I finally said we can’t wait any longer — let’s do the mash now! So I went to my lab late one night and funked some sheet up, and, boom!”