With just 19 fear-drenched sleeps until Halloween, it’s worth noting that The Pumpkin Dance man will celebrate his tenth year of confusing and amusing people in unequal measure.
It all began with a video of a dancing chap – comedian Matt Geiler – dressed in a black unitard and a pumpkin mask. It was for an Omaha news segment which was broadcast on the evening October 31, 2006. A couple of days later, it appeared on YouTube and then the internet decided to have some fun. By taking the piss.
Today, a search for ‘pumpkin dance’ will give you over 6000 results. But none will be as heavy as one of its most recent additions.
- Meshuggah's track-by-track guide to The Violent Sleep of Reason
- Every Meshuggah album ranked from worst to best
- Remember the Meshuggah horse?
- Bassist Homer Simpson plays Meshuggah in new mashup
In the original clip, Geiler was cavorting to the beat of Ray Parker Jr’s Ghostbusters single, but against all odds, it syncs almost perfectly to Meshuggah’s Bleed, a track taken from the band’s 2008 obZen album.
So, if you’re stuck for a Halloween fancy dress outfit, you can achieve this look for about the price of a fancy cup of coffee. But until then, watch this djent-fueled interpretative dance.
Matt Geiler is now based in Los Angeles. Meshuggah pass through the city on October 19. What we’d give to see him dance onstage alongside vocalist Jens Kidman.
