Social Awkwardness Around Vampires
Another thing happened during my car drive out to Cleveland a few weeks ago. I re-listened to Sting's Dream of the Blue Turtles album. When "Moon Over Bourbon Street" came up, I remembered all those 1980s songs inspired by Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles novels (from 1976). I went online looking for a list of them, the Anne-Rice songs specifically and also songs about vampires in general. I have to say I don't find vampires particularly interesting, scary or sexy. I think this is because the first few vampires I was made aware of were in comedy moves like Love at First Bite and Transylvania 6-5000. And because of the other sweet, kooky vampires on Sesame Street (The Count who loved math) and on cereal boxes (Count Chocula who could helpfully turn plain milk into chocolate milk). The vampire in all his or her incarnations seemed a bit too much. It's no unrelated reason that "energy vampire" has come to mean any annoying person who drains your e...