No. 937 – Fall Down

Performer: Toad the Wet Sprocket

Songwriters: Todd Nichols, Glen Phillips

Original Release: Dulcinea

Year: 1994

Definitive Version: None

Maybe I’m an old fogie—OK, I AM an old fogie—but I’m not a Halloween guy. It was cool when I was a kid, but by the time I was 13, I was over it. I suppose if women dressed up in slutty costumes when I was younger, I might have been more into it as an adult. Unfortunately, that’s something of a recent (as in past 10 years) development, so I never got back into Halloween.

I’ve worn costumes recently for a charity event in Chicago. (I’m going to name it, because Mookie Jam is a worthy cause meant to raise money for artists who have MS, if you have a couple of extra bucks lying about.) But the last time I dressed up as anything specifically for Halloween was in 1994 shortly after Dulcinea came out. I did it to amuse my little brothers, Matt and Casey, who were 10 and 6 at the time. I also did it, because with the exception of a little construction paper, I already had everything that I needed.

So what to wear? In 1994 there was only one choice: I put on my Frank Thomas jersey, White Sox cap, black softball pants, knee pad, sanitary socks and cleats. I applied a little eye black and grabbed my mitt and the sign I made from the construction paper I bought. The sign told the tale: On Strike.

It was the fall of my discontent, so why not go with it? I even rang the doorbell trick or treat style and held up the sign when the door opened. Matt and Casey loved it, and with that, I retired from Halloween.