Screamin’ Jay Hawkins :: Monkberry Moon Delight

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I recently wrapped up reading Mark Binelli’s 2016 tome Screamin’ Jay Hawkins All-Time Greatest Hits. Part novel, part historical account, the book offered Binelli a chance to explore the enigmatic singer, and the excellent author dug  far deeper than his trademark 1956 hit “I Put a Spell on You.” Over his many decades, Hawkins excelled at crafting a myth from his own life, employing theatrical absurdity and over the top humor to achieve transgressive power. He was exceptionally good at spotting macabre brilliance — on 1979’s Screamin’ the Blues, he applied his one of a kind touch to Paul and Linda McCartney’s 1971 jam “Monkberry Moon Delight,” from Ram, one our favorite records of all-time at Aquarium Drunkard HQ. His take — like his persona and outlandish career — was truly original. words / j woodbury

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