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The Creepiest Band Ever?
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
They didn’t write their own songs at least, but when you examine the hit recordings of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, this late 1960’s pop/soft rock band, a few things jump out at you, or at least they should.
First, when I say “creepy,” I’m not talking about the obvious gothy-kitsch of the 90’s Marilyn Manson, who turned out to be a true creep, and I’m not talking either about the more obvious and campy “They’re Coming to Take Me Away” (Napoleon XIV) as strange and unsettling as it might be. And yes, “creepy” is a subjective term. I find Ted Nugent pretty creepy, but Ozzy has always made me laugh. I’m sure plenty of people back in the 70’s looked quizzically at Bowie and Marc Bolan, and there are those who find Mick Jagger’s lips a bit unnerving.
So, none of us can really help what creeps us out — we have experiences, impressions, fears, dreams, and nightmares to take us there.
Yet, as I look back over the music of my life, I realize that some songs, some bands, that I loved as a teen and pre-teen are just plain out there, scoring as high on the creep factor/quotient as anything could, only I didn’t see or feel the creep in the moment.
I got to thinking about this issue after reading Andrew Grant Jackson’s absorbing study, 1965: The Most…
