The year in pot: marijuana a hot topic in Myrtle Beach

With Saturday marking the annual occurrence of the national smoker’s holiday, 4/20 — named for the counterculture term created by a group of teens in the 1970s —  it seemed like the perfect time to talk about marijuana.

“Are you high?” you may be thinking. 

Why would I take on this hot-button topic, instead of sticking with the usual stream of entertainment-related matters?

Well, first of all, no. My days as a pothead are long behind me. 

But despite no longer representing the “stoner” community, my hazy memories of a misspent youth and the fact I’m a 4/20 baby — turning 33 on Saturday — have made for a continued interest in the matter.

And as far as its relevance, you really can’t deny the link between smoking pot and entertainment over the years. 

It’s become the subject of countless hit songs, its expanded the minds of musicians the world over and has fueled the fire for fans to enjoy their favorite entertainment in a whole different way.

The influence of this infamous herb seems to know no bounds, crossing genre lines and spanning generations to equally inspire old-school jazz, classic country, modern Rock, futuristic Funk and new age hip-hop.

Though the pitfalls of overusing drugs are apparent and there’s plenty of political issues to get hung up on with legalization, when you look at it from a purely creative standpoint pot’s benefits are apparent. 

But I’m not here to tell you that you need to try it in order to enjoy your music more or that you must smoke to make great art. 

The real the reason I’m addressing this so-called “gateway drug” is just to recap what’s been a wild year for marijuana locally and to spread the good vibes of the 4/20 celebrations being held around town this weekend. 

HIGH TIMES

Depending on where you fall in the debate over the drug it’s either been a groundbreaking or terrifying 12 months for you. 

With landmark legislation being passed in Washington and Colorado and a growing amount of data that suggests folks are softening to the idea of decriminalization, things continue to develop nationally. 

Though a full-on end to prohibition may  seem far fetched to most South Carolinians, the momentum started by voters out west must have local smokers salivating — well, as much as their dry mouths will allow — at the notion of legal pot someday in the not-too-distant future.

Locally, the past year also has been active for those who follow marijuana matters.  Here’s a look at a few of the most interesting pot-related stories in recent months:

1. Operation: Red Harvest

The most high-profile bust of the year took place as more than 30 members of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club were arrested in Murrells Inlet on April 30, 2012. 

This was the culmination of an 18-month investigation called "Operation: Red Harvest" which led to a variety of charges such as marijuana trafficking, manufacturing, sale and possession. 

Despite more than 200 indictments, nearly a year later little progress has been made on prosecuting those involved and much of the evidence confiscated from the group’s headquarters has been returned.

Our take: While it’s good to see law enforcement pursuing potentially serious illegal activities instead of just pulling over speeders on U.S. 501, outcomes like this may push some to question whether the time and effort spent on the “war on drugs” is worth the results. 

2. Big busts back-to-back

Another pair of busts that raised eyebrows were the seizure of large amounts of the drug in February. 
The first, occurring during a routine traffic stop in Conway, led to 50 lbs. of the drug being seized, with the subsequent bust netting 26 lbs. of cannabis federal postal inspectors confiscated from a package that had been mailed to Loris.

Though the two events were unrelated, the fact that they happened on back-to-back days makes you stop and think for a second about how much marijuana must be passing through our area on any given day.

Well, that and also about why someone was stupid enough to try and mail 26 lbs. of dope through the mail.

Our take: Even if law enforcement continues to make big busts, will it ever be enough to stop the drug’s use locally? Of course not. If there’s one thing smokers know how to do, it’s find more pot. 

3. NORML flames out

Last spring, a new and surprisingly active chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, began to gain some traction around town. 

Beginning in February and running through June, the group hosted a variety of shows and events with the help of local musicians in an effort to drive up membership and raise awareness about the legalization efforts in S.C. 

Despite plenty of interest from the community and a solid push for publicity, the group’s efforts sputtered out when its unofficial headquarters, Before 20 Smoke Shop in Carolina Forest, was raided after a complaint was filed about the shop selling illegal substances and bath salts. 

Our take: While its nice to see the enthusiasm this effort created around the music and arts scene, short-lived pushes seem to only stunt the growth of support for a cause and deter others from pursuing a similar path.

If local folks hope to make any real progress, it seems like someone needs to step up in a suit and tie and meet state lawmakers head-on, on their own territory instead of just rallying the tie-dye wearing crowd for a string of pot-friendly parties.

4. Synthetic pot sparks debate

The battle over synthetic marijuana in South Carolina also continued to make news this year. 

After a number of substances used to make the faux pot were banned in 2011, the issue was challenged by local head shop Purple Haze Smoke Shop that sought clarification on whether the Happy Shaman Herbs it sells were legal.

The request was thrown out and never received a judgement, but the issue of synthetics surfaced again in February when students at Socastee High School experienced seizure-like symptoms, rapid heartbeats and vomiting after ingesting synthetic marijuana at the school.

With that incident in mind, Surfside Beach has taken measures to draft an ordinance to make the sale, possession, transfer and manufacture of any synthetic or “alternative” drug illegal and continues to debate the issue.

Our take: Though the intention of keeping dangerous materials away from kids is a noble one, it’s doubtful that any ban or ordinance will have much of an effect on people’s ability to get illegal substances. 

After all, if they really want to, kids can always find new ways to get high from huffing paint or combining other household items that are perfectly legal.

5. Head shop boom

Another sign that the bud business is booming on the Grand Strand was a number of new head shops that popped up around town in the past year. 

In addition to the aformentioned Before 20 Smoke Shop that came and went in spectacular fashion, other shops such as Green Zone Smoke Shop on Kings Highway and even Triple M Smoke Shop, a collection of glass and other accessories nestled into a jewelery and acessories store in Coastal Grand Mall. 

Our take: Just like the beachwear stores which are always popping up in new spots around town, it seems that head shops will continue to build with no real end in sight. 

I can't imagine there's enough business to keep them all in the green, but with the huge influx of tokin' tourists in the summer perhaps more than a dozen smoke shops on a 60 mile stretch of sand isn't as ridiculous as it sounds.

WHERE TO CELEBRATE

For those looking to do more than just sit around watching “Cheech and Chong” flicks all day, there’s a variety of 4/20 parties worth checking out around town.  Here’s a look at some of events celebrating the spirit of the spliff this weekend:

1. 420 Fest

Borgata Bar, Surfside Beach with host its second annual 420 Fest from 4:20 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday.

Live entertainment includes The Dubber (Columbia), Sun-Dried Vibes (Rock Hill) and South Street (Charleston) as well as local acts Fireshot, ALLAREONE, Below The Bassline and Treehouse!

Call 839-9595 or visit treehousetheband.com

2. Reefer Madness

The Sound Hole will host “Reefer Madness” show on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. 

The all-metal lineup will feature seven out of town acts including One Mind, Kill The Host, Dellamorte, First Class Villian, Vital Mass, Skwirl Grinda and Along The Saluda. 

Get details here or call 712-1218 for details. 

3. Downtribe vibes

8th Avenue Tiki Bar & Grill in downtown Myrtle Beach will host a special 4/20 Party beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday. 

There will be plenty of good times and good vibe and live music from Downtribe providing a “classic Reggae experience” all night. No cover.

Call 712-2340 or visit 8thavetikibar.com

4. Smokin’ Bonghi

The Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet will celebrate 4/20 with a live performance from Charleston Reggae group the Ras Bonghi All-Stars performing from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday in its Marshfront gazebo. No cover to attend.

Call 357-9175 or visit hotfishclub.com.

5. Green Day

While it’s not officially a celebration of the day, the 6th annual Earth Day Music Fest at House of Blues from 4 to 9 p.m.  

Saturday will feature plenty of laid-back tunes for the 4/20 crowd including Josh Grant, Finnegan Bell, Wahoo Creek Band, Luke Cunningham and  an acoustic a duo called Greener Grass.

Check out earthdaymusicfest.com for more details

Learning what it means to be the Grand Strand's Best Band

"Grand Strand's Best Band" ... kind of has a nice ring to it.

It's snappy and easy to remember, it rhymes and it even sounds kind of official, right?

When I chose this title back in 2011, I didn't really put much more thought into than that. 

As a matter of fact, at that point I hadn't put a lot of thought into most of what I was doing. 

I was a fledging journalist who'd recently quit his steady-paying job at The Sun News to pursue an opportunity in the glamorous and lucrative field of promoting local music.  

After about six months of little interest and even less income I was desperately searching for anything that would get more people interested in ListenUp Myrtle Beach.

Around the same time, I was coming around to the realization so many area musicians have struggled with over the years. I was realizing that despite a wealth of talented original bands, Myrtle Beach was and likely always will be a cover band town.

So in a spark of inspiration — or perhaps just thanks to a case of March Madness — I came up with what I thought was an exciting idea. I took some of the area's top cover acts, slammed them into a bracket and called it a contest.

There was no real prize and nothing was on the line save for an interview with me and whatever bragging rights came with being called "the best" by an online publication no one had ever heard of.

But despite those undeniably low stakes of the initial Grand Strand's Best Cover Band contest, something funny happened during the voting. 

Our numbers doubled, then tripled and then quadrupled from the modest amount of visitors who'd been coming to our website.

Out of nowhere I had folks calling me to find out who the hell I was, I had people pumping out our links on social media and bands were printing bumper stickers with our address and a message to vote for them in the contest.

Suddenly it was as though people actually gave a damn that we existed and some were even going as far as treating us like we knew what the hell we were doing, simply because we'd given ourselves the permission to offer up a title.

It was after crowning the initial champion, The Mullets, that I really began to understand the power music can have over fans.

It was amazing to see friends, family and fans coming out of the woodwork to rallying support for their favorite bands — especially at a time when 90 percent of the folks I was talking to said that the local music scene was dead. 

With this overwhelming show of support in mind, I went to work over the next several months trying to shape ListenUp into something that could live up to the faux credibility we'd given ourselves.

I hit the pavement an went to shows 4-5 nights a week, I met as many musicians as possible and I listened to a lot of folks tell me all about what they loved and what they hated about our scene. I wrote a lot, shot a lot of photos, put together a few shows and even gathered folks for a couple meet-ups to talk about what was wrong with our scene and how to fix it. 

By the time 2012 rolled around, I was a year wiser, had learned a lot about our scene and felt like we'd made at least a little progress toward letting people know that "Myrtle Beach Music Is Not Dead."

So feeling confident that things were on the rise, we decided to crank things up a notch. We let fans begin to nominate their favorite bands (instead of just assigning them) and we rounded up a couple sponsors in The Bowery and Better Brands so that we could offer prizes and hold a live final event.

Once again we were wowed by the turnout and thrilled to see so many folks supporting the bands involved. 

However, with the added stakes and interest, camed added anxieties and accusations that gave a glimpse into just how seriously some people take their music and how tough it can be trying to make a living playing music in a tourist town.

Though I'm sure we rubbed a few folks the wrong by naming a mostly-unknown church band — The Little River-based RenoVation Band — the winners of that year's contest, I came away from the contest feeling great about what we'd accomplished. 

After all, we helped promote a really talent and nice group of folks and may have also facilitated the first-ever performance of a praise song on stage at The Bowery, and that alone was worth something.

Fast forward yet another year to this spring's contest. 

We'd recently become part of Waccamaw Publishers, so we now had a great team of folks on board to help us grab up sponsorships and we were printing a weekly entertainment guide in the newspaper which was helping us spread the word about local music to more people than ever.

We decided to include both cover bands and original bands, we got the area's top venue involved to host our live finals. Things were going great.

Then the voting began. Despite moving to what looked to be a much more sophisticated voting system, we had troubles from the get-go. 

Some fans were confused about the voting, some bands were unhappy about how it worked and some idiots were downright dishonest in their pursuit of trying to disrupt what we were doing.

I was once again suprised and overwhelmed by the direction this conest had taken us.

Suddenly, we weren't just some nameless blog doing fun and silly things to help the scene ... we were a "media outlet" that was running a competition between musicians, which by their nature hate to compete.

In a world that thrives on self-expression and supporting fellow musicians, we, like so many other businesses before us, were bastardizing what music was all about with a "battle of the bands" that put groups in head-to-head competition to determine who was the best.

What was designed to be a fun way to get people involved in supporting local music and a way to promote ALL the bands involved, was being looked at by some as a self-serving grab for web traffic and even worse a way to profit from the bands we were supposed to be supporting. 

While this notion is far from the truth, it's been enough to make me consider changing the way we do things in the future and to think that perhaps there's a better way to get people excited about all the great, up-and-coming local talent in our area without any of the hard feelings that come from a hard-fought competition. 

I must admit though, it's hard to imagine anything much better than the awesome night of music we had Sunday at this year's Grand Strand's Best Band live finals.

The talent on display from all four bands was just as good as any I've seen in this town and the joy and excitement I saw when we crowned Broken Strings, a very talented group of young musicians, this year's winners greatly outweighed any of the negatives of this year's contest.

Click to see full gallery from Sunday's show.

The fans who came out to support Conception of Being, Broken Strings, Peace Treaty and Bamboo Forest were all amazing and served as a great reminder of the purest purpose of playing music — to have a good time. 

At this point, I'm not sure if we'll do the contest again next year or what form it may take on if we do, but I'm definitely grateful for the lessons I've learned through putting it together and I wouldn't trade the support we've gotten from fans and readers for the world. 

And if there's one thing I've learned over the past three years of doing this it's that the Myrtle Beach music scene is definitely not dead — in fact, it may be more alive that ever. 

Chris Mowder, the founder and editor of ListenUp, has a decade of experience as an artist, writer and editor at daily and weekly newspapers. He’s worked in Myrtle Beach since 2006 and previously ran the Kicks! entertainment guide for The Sun News before starting ListenUp. Drop him a line at listenupmb@gmail.com. 

Don't knock 'Myrtle Manor' until you done seen it

"The rednecks are coming! The rednecks are coming!"

Though it’s not exactly revolutionary, the debut of TLC’s new show “Welcome to Myrtle Manor” this Sunday night sure does feel like the start of a war.

Since it was announced last year that crews were in town to film for a reality series, it seems like the whole town has been battling over the merits of a show that combines the finer points of “Jersey Shore” and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” but takes place right here in our own backyard.

Though I’m sure most are familiar with the debate at this point, just in case you’ve been living under a beach pail, let’s get you up to speed on what “Myrtle Manor” is all about.

Last summer TLC gathered up a group of locals, tossed them together in the former Patrick’s Mobile Home — now called Myrtle Manor — and turned on the cameras to capture "a slice of Southern beach life."

What they created was a 10-part docudrama series that chronicles the antics at this “five-star” trailer park with each hour-long episode taking viewers for a wild ride through the lives of these quirky mobile home residents.

Among its colorful cast of characters, “Myrtle Manor” features a pair of personalities familiar to those who follow local entertainment. There’s Myrtle Beach’s party king, promoter Taylor J. Burt, whose girlfriend, mother and dog are all featured on the show, as well as Shellie Rowell, the heavily-tattooed, Wiccan owner of downtown music spot, The Sound Hole. 

At face value, the whole thing sounds like just another piece of ridiculously harmless, throwaway TV that’s sure to be fun in its own twisted “guilty pleasure” sort of way. Just another hour spent staring at the boob tube, filling up the gap in your watching schedule between “Gypsy Sisters” and “Duck Dynasty.”

But as is often the case in this proud southern city we call home, its seems some of us can't just take things for what they are.

Instead, we dig deeper. We take things out of context and we examine the serious impact of things that aren’t particularly serious to begin with. 

After all, it’d be un-American not to blow this out of porportion, wouldn’t it?

While we could choose to embrace "Myrtle Manor" and the combination of high-class and low-class fun that makes the “Redneck Riviera” such an interesting place to live, many of us have instead turned to the interwebs, the local media or to the nearest water cooler to share our grievances with the show.

“It looks like another black eye for southerners. This can’t be good for tourism,” said one online commenter.

“I do not know how many people will want to visit Myrtle Beach once the reality show ‘Myrtle Manor’ airs,” wrote a Murrells Inlet woman in her letter to the editor of a local publication recently. “I fear that Myrtle Beach will become a late-night TV joke, and tourists will go elsewhere.”

Becky Robertson, the landlord of Myrtle Manor (Photos courtesy of TLC/ Zach Dilgard)These are just a few of the endless stream of negative comments out there from folks who’ve taken up the hobby of worrying about the show’s impact on our area’s biggest business. 

These folks, like countless other city officials and local businesspeople feel strongly that we must protect at all costs the sanctity of our city’s delicate image as a family-friendly vacation destination. 

They are the same ones who took back May by driving millions of biker dollars out of town in favor of a few fledgling family festivals. 

These same folks decided we should cancel the beloved Sun Fun Festival after 60 years, but continue to throw money at the non-event that is Can-Am Days just to keep up the perception that we care about our neighbors up north. 

They’re the same people who recently scoffed at the addition of a family-friendly wax museum because its design was too gaudy — seemingly not noticing the giant pyramid, the upside down house and the enormous globe nearby.

I could go on with further examples of this short-sighted thinking in the name of upholding our image ... but I won’t.

My point is, there are too many other things — new attractions, airport expansion, hotel prices — which have a direct impact on how families are spending tourism dollars, for people to waste time worrying about whether a silly TV show will change how people see our perfect little beach town.

Besides, if you take a minute to stop worrying so much about perception and actually look at the data, there’s plenty to indicate that shows such as “Jersey Shore” and “Honey Boo Boo” are actually having a positive impact on tourism in the areas where they film.

So, to all the locals offended by the sheer existence of a show like “Myrtle Manor,” it’s about time you stopped fooling yourself and opened your eyes.

It won’t take much more than a trip outside the county lines to realize most folks already see Myrtle Beach for what it is: A place with just as many trailer parks, cheap motels and discount beachwear stores as it has pristine beaches, top-notch eateries and world-class golf courses.

Does that mean the outside world thinks we're all trash? No! Does it mean they'll never visit here? Of course not.

It just means that they understand that the Grand Strand thrives on its "high brow meets low brow" version of coastal living and that without having both sides of the equation we just wouldn't be Myrtle Beach. 

I know I’m just a transplant — and a Yankee at that — but I’ve got a crazy idea for you. 

Instead of judging it before a single episode has aired, why not take a minute to turn on the TV Sunday and see what “Myrtle Manor” is all about? 

Sure the manufactured drama and the full-on fake plots of this “docudrama” series may not be for you, but if nothing else you’re sure to have a laugh and you’ll probably see someone (or something) you know.

And who knows, you may just get a look at a piece of Myrtle Beach you’ve never seen before — the one that embraces, not ignores, all the no-frills, simple fun our area has to offer. 

See more "Myrtle Manor" photos click here or visit http://myrtlemanor.com/

Chris Mowder, the founder and editor of ListenUp, has a decade of experience as an artist, writer and editor at daily and weekly newspapers. He’s worked in Myrtle Beach since 2006 and previously ran the Kicks! entertainment guide for The Sun News before starting ListenUp. Drop him a line at listenupmb@gmail.com. 

How early is too early for the holidays?

It's a question that seems to come up every year: "Is it really Christmas, already?"

If indeed the holidays do come earlier and earlier each year as many are prone to suggest, this may eventually become something consider as soon as we pack up our Labor Day barbecues.

As far as Myrtle Beach is concerned, it seems the beginning of the holiday season came this year before Halloween had even ended. 

As many folks were shaking off their midweek Halloween hangovers and still glued to the news watching the effects of Superstorm Sandy, they missed the transition from the creepy and the crawly to the jolly and the holly. 

Thanks to our tourism-driven economy and the eagerness of folks like The Carolina Opry, Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland and Dickens Christmas Show to get a jump on the season in early November, there was literally no time to ease into the realization that the season of miles-long gift lists and bad Christmas sweaters is upon us.

Coinciding with this blink-of-an-eye changeover was the end of daylight savings time and an unseasonably chilly stretch of weather, robbing us of the illusion of the "endless summer" that many transplants like to hold onto. (Did I mention this year's Endless Summer Festival in North Myrtle Beach was cancelled due to Sandy?) 

There have been a few moments of sun and warmth recently, but the way the calendar stacked up this year and a few too many cold, dreary days has many feeling as though we've skipped fall alltogether and headed straight into winter.

But, despite the illusion that we're further into the season than we actually are, it still seems too early to be completely wrapped up in the holiday season, right?

So, how early is too early for the holidays?

There's really no blanket answer to this question, but I think there are definitely some seasonal events that appropriate for early- and mid-November while others really ought to be left alone until December.

Let's run down a few quick examples of things going on around town to clarify what I'm talking about:

• Holiday shows: Personally, I feel like Nov. 1 is a little early here, but in this town there's no getting around the fact that productions such as "The South's Grandest Christmas Show" and Christmas on Ice serve as the unofficial beginning of the holidays.

The upside is that these shows actually are quite entertaining, so if you're local it's best to go now before the crowds of tourists begin to pack in later into December.

• Tree lightings: Both Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach will host their tree lighting ceremonies this weekend with The Market Common to follow next weekend.

On these, I say more power to you.

A tree lighting seems like the perfect way to kick off the season and announce to everyone that the holidays are here without beating folks over the head with holiday revelry. 

• Black Friday Deals: This is one of the biggest hot button issues among folks who complain about the holidays starting early. They see Tanger Outlets opening earlier and earlier every year (it now opens at 10 p.m. on Thursday evening) and they want wax poetic about the over-commercialization of the holidays.

I can fully understand why some — especially religious — folks feel that the true meaning of the season gets lost amid the price tags and wrapping paper. But wanting to deny folks of the chance to get out and stand in line to freeze with a bunch of other crazed, deal-seeking shoppers in this recession is just un-American.

For years, my grandmother has done her Christmas shopping in July ... what's the harm in giving a few extra hours to the folks who treat Black Friday shopping like the biggest sporting event of the year. If you don't like it, feel free to sleep in that day.

• Holiday lights: I've seen many of my neighbors working on their home lights displays already, and though I won't be doing so for another few weeks, I've got no beef with that.

However, I draw the line at the people who already have their inflatable snowglobes and lighted candy canes going 24 hours a day. It's great to be prepared, but I seriously see no reason in showing off how tacky your home can be and running up your electric bill until well after the Thanksgiving holiday is over.

After that, knock yourself out. I'm all for animatronic Santas and dancing reindeer. 

• Breakfast with Santa: My inspiration for this column was a Breakfast For Santa happening at Inlet Square Mall this Saturday (Nov. 17). When I saw the listing I had to double check two or three times to make sure it was correct. 

"Really? You're having breakfast with Santa already?" I thought. "Shouldn't Santa still be holed up at the north pole with his old fat butt working away on some toys?"

Now, I'm sure this is just a case of the mall wanting to beat out the crowded schedule of upcoming events and slide theirs in on a date where folks aren't too busy, but something about this stinks.

I think these are great events and I've taken my kids to them every year since they were born — we traditionally do it a Hard Rock Cafe, but there are plenty of other good ones — but the idea of doing breakfast with Santa now just seemed off to me. 

Who knows, perhaps your idea of what's appropriate for this time of year is vastly different than mine. 

But no matter how or when you choose to kick off your holiday season, there are definitely plenty of great ways to celebrate the holidays here, so make sure you get out and experience them with your family.

Just please ... wait a few weeks to break out your reindeer antlers and holiday sweaters, will you?

Read our listing of Holiday Shows or check the calendar for more ideas on upcoming holiday events. Want to try something new? Check out a pair of the beach's newest holiday attractions Holidays on the Boardwalk downtown and ElfWorks at The Market Common. 

There's an art to perfecting that last-minute costume

Since I was a kid, Halloween has always been my favorite holiday.

Not for the candy or the scaring — though these things surely added to the enjoyment as a child — but for the creativity conjured up during this time of year.

Unlike other holidays when your greatest goal is to gorge yourself on Turkey or spend all day guzzling green beer, Halloween is ambitious.

It's a holiday that's all about creating scary scenes in your front yard, carving elabroate designs into pumpkins and coming up with frighteningly fun and original costume creations. 

It's a time of year where self-expression is encouraged and even rewarded.

Whether it's a simple "attaboy" from your fellow revelers, an extra candy bar slipped to the kid with the super-cute costume, or a cool couple hundred bucks won in your local watering hole's contest, there are all sorts of signs that it pays to be creative with your costume.

Sure there are classics such as Pregnant Nun, Scary Clown and Overweight-Hairy-Guy-in-a-Diaper that never seem to go out of style, but in my mind finding the perfect Halloween costume is an ever-evolving process.

It takes having a good grasp on what's going on in pop culture, having a sense of humor and being willing to not care that you look ridiculous. 

Of course, that's just me.

If you're good-looking and in great shape the process is much simpler. Take the animal or superhero costume your child, nephew or little sister wore, adapt it to an adult version that shows as much skin as possible and you're all set.

After all, who needs creativity when you've got a six-pack?

But for the sake of argument let's assume that you are not bouncing between Planet Fitness, your job at the tanning salon and the laundromat all day and that you can't just slap on a swimsuit and some rabbit ears and call it a costume.

Perhaps, like me, you're still looking for pieces of your costume — or maybe the whole damn thing — with less than a week until Halloween.

That's OK. Some of the best ideas are created out of the desperation of an impending deadline.

Rockin' out as Kid Rock circa 2001.I once went as "The Crocodile Hunter" after stumbling upon a random safari hat in my roomates bedroom on the day of Halloween. 

Though traversing a frigid October evening in pair of tighter-than-a-tick khaki shorts might not have been the best idea, capitalizing on the ridiculous popularity of Steve Irwin (...God rest his soul) made me a hit amidst the drunken masses of Ohio University students wandering uptown Athens that night.

Other such last-minute options I've pulled off have included "Where's Waldo?," Kid Rock, Lil' Jon (with a mop for hair) and last year's Kenny Powers costume, which I thought was the perfect combination of obscurity, obsenity and Myrtle Beachy-ness.

Though not everyone I ran into recognized the curly mullet and cocky glare of HBO's "Eastbound & Down" antihero, those who did were more than enthusiastic about my stint as a Myrtle Beach Merman. It was that subtle recognition factor, almost like an inside joke or a secret handshake, that made it one of my favorite Halloween costumes ever.

Mean mugging it as Kenny Powers in 2011.Tasked with topping that this year, I've turned to no-brainer territory using a lighting rod of a character, Tim Tebow, as my inspiration.

After being informed that my "Jesus wearing a Tebow Jersey" idea may not have been in good taste, I decided on a different path and am currently in search of a wig and some boots to complete my "Tebowie" costume — emulating the David-Bowie-meets-Tim-Tebow character Jimmy Fallon created on his late night show ealier this year.

Is it the perfect costume? Who knows. I doubt I'll win any awards for execution and I'm sure to have plenty of folks ask "Who the hell are you?" But hey, it's unique, it's current and I think it's hilarious.

But maybe you're more of a "scary mask guy" or "historical figure guy" than "funny pop culture guy." My point is that making the perfect costume idea is simply a matter of being creative and finding something original that you'll enjoy wearing and that shows a bit of your personality.

Or, if you're still stuck, perhaps it's time to give up on originality and just grab one of this year's trendiest costumes. Mitt Romney, "50 Shades of Grey," Katniss Everdeen and the guy from the "Gangnam Style" YouTube video are all fairly simple solutions that are among the top sellers for 2012.

But before you slap down a couple buck to look just like everyone else, why not make one last trip to pick through whatever's left at the Imaginations or Spirit Halloween store first?  

Yes, that's a bit like you're starting your holiday shopping on Christmas Eve, but who knows, maybe you'll find that offbeat item that inspires the perfect costume for you. 

Living Loud is a column on music, entertainment and local living. Chris Mowder, the founder and editor of ListenUp, has a decade of experience as an artist, writer and editor at daily and weekly newspapers. He’s worked in Myrtle Beach since 2006 and previously ran the Kicks! entertainment guide for The Sun News before starting ListenUp. Drop him a line at listenupmb@gmail.com.