IF MACBETH'S witches brewed up a cauldron of Brian Fetzer stew, they'd need more than just eye of newt. They'd need a dash of R.L. Stine, a pinch of Stephen King, a spoonful of John Denver and a full cup of Captain Kangaroo.
Fetzer, a Salt Lake singer/songwriter, has carved out a niche for himself as Utah's "ghost singer.""I've always had an interest in what I call the `true spirit' of Halloween," says Fetzer. "What I mean by that is an interest in what lies beyond. I like monsters, but I like friendly monsters. I like a monster with a frightening visage but a good heart inside. `Sesame Street' is a favorite."
Fetzer, who has written more than a thousand songs since his folk-singing heyday in the '60s, has slowly evolved into the local Monster Man. He does Christmas material and Christian material, of course, but his spooky tunes are what click with the kids. "A Ghost Is Looking at Me," "Don't Get Funny with a Mummy," "Happy Pumpkin Day" and "Calypso Halloween" are just a few of the songs that link clever lyrics with melodies that lodge in the mind.
Most of the songs accompany Fetzer's stories. He does extensive research on Salt Lake ghosts and haunted haunts, then - once a year - invites a group of kids to the Salt Lake City Cemetery for his "Brian Fetzer, Alive and In Concert." There, Fetzer tickles their funny bones with his music and chills their innards with tales about Salt Lake City's haunted museums, churches and the town's own "Phantom of the Opera," the musical ghoul of the Capitol Theatre.
"People tend to confide in me," he says. "Out of the blue they'll start relating their encounters with ghosts."
Can he separate the sociable ghosts from the satanic ones?
"I think so," he says. "I figure if a ghost is doing something frightening, it's a bad ghost. If it's playing music and entertaining people, it's probably a pretty good ghost."
Has he ever seen one?
"No, but I've felt their presence many times."
The road to these personal "shadow lands" has been a long and winding one for Fetzer. A child of the '60s, he grew up "loving songs with meanings." Down the years he's formed several bands, branding them with names like Images, Eclipse and B.J. and Company. He spent some time in Nashville "trying to get a foot in the door," then spent time in Hollywood "trying to get another foot in the door." Eventually he returned to Utah' where he's self-produced more than a dozen albums and has had a modicum of success, once opening for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and also doing another gig at Abra-vanel Hall.
But the ghost business seems to be a natural for him. A glance around his turn-of-the-century house reveals a collection of classic horror videos, some fascinating fantasy artwork and a general appreciation for things that go bump in the night.
Brian Fetzer is the uncle who walks up behind you at family reunions and goes "Boo!"
"After I went to Hollywood, I began to realize how important it is for me to be in control of what I'm doing," he says. "I'd like to do an album of ghost songs. In fact, I'd like to keep the ghost thing going year round. Nothing says you should only deal with ghosts on Oct. 31st."
Where Fetzer's interest takes him will be fun to see. He has enough talent to dig his own grave and people seem intent on giving him enough rope to hang himself.
Though it must be said that one gets the feeling the angels - indeed - are on the singer's side.
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Don't Get Funny with a Mummy
By Brian Jackson Fetzer
I.
Way down in Egypt
Where the Pharaohs ruled
There's an eerie story
That they say is true.
To fool around with tombs
Is really taboo
Cause a mummy's kind of funny
'Bout his solitude.
Chorus:
Don't get funny with a mummy, boy;
Or a mummy might get funny with you.
Don't get funny with a mummy, girl,
Or a mummy might get funny, it's true!
He might come out of the ground
Just to chase you around,
This spooky man
With the Band-Aids and the frown.
II.
Well, they're all wrapped up in the afterlife
And they don't like hassles
And they don't like strife
So if you come to visit
Keep your hands off their gold
Cause the police down there
Are three thousand years old.
Chorus
III.
Well you can talk about the curse
But that ain't the worst
Cause what about the demons of the mind?
Hey, if you be real rude
And do what you shouldn't do
Then who knows who might be a followin' you.