If you’re blocked on ideas for a Halloween costume this year, maybe you should go as a famous musician — someone easily recognizable. Here are some ideas and tips to help get you noticed at the party or in the costume contest. And if you really want to sell it, you must get into character as well as costume. Remember: don’t just dress the part, BE the part.

Ozzy Osbourne — Leather pants, no shirt, heavy black eyeliner, bed-head hair and a dazed deer-in-the-headlights look, all while carrying around a headless rubber bat. For full effect: spill fake blood down your chest and keep the head of the bat in your mouth.

Slash — The Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s look has stayed the same since the ’80s and it’s one everyone under 50 knows: Black leather top hat with long, curly black hair flowing out from underneath, black leather vest and pants, and big, round dark sunglasses. For full effect: strap on a Les Paul guitar.

Elvis Presley — Older, fat Elvis always trumps young, skinny Elvis for a costume: white jumpsuit with a pillow stuffed down the midsection, heavyweight boxing championship-style-belt  big, gaudy gold-rimmed sunglasses, thick sideburns to match your thick, black ’70s hair. Tip: Don’t forget the cape…and scarves to dry off your sweat and hand to the ladies.

Dolly Parton — This one is all too easy, isn’t it? Boo-foo blonde hairdo, too much lipstick, blush and eyeliner, 1970s polyester blouse with paisley designs tucked into blue jeans and the largest bra you can find stuffed with rolls of tissue paper.

A Flock of Seagulls guy — Nobody knows this guy’s name, but even the youngsters may recognize this quintessential ’80s New Wave look, as it’s recently shown up in a ubiquitous car insurance commercial: Parachute pants, tucked-in puffy white shirt and, most importantly, silly winged out hair jutting out dramatically to the sides and pulled down to a ridiculous beak point over the forehead.

Johnny Cash — Black shoes, black socks, black pants, black leather belt, black long-sleeved shirt and slicked-back black hair. Tip: Using the deepest, darkest baritone voice you can muster, give everyone you meet a dark look and say, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

Bruce Springsteen — Born in the USA-era look: Blue jeans with a red baseball cap sticking out of the back pocket, tight white t-shirt, short, black curly hair, accentuated under bite, Esquire guitar slung backwards over the shoulder. Tip: Point to the sky and count off, “UNNH! THOO! FREE! FWAH!” before letting everyone know you were born down in a dead man’s town.

Katy Perry — Wig with long straight blue hair, painted traffic cones over your chest with lit sparklers sticking out, sexy candy stripe nurses uniform with short skirt. Tip: Carry a Tickle Me Elmo doll with you.

Gene Simmons — Dress like Batman (sans helmet), complete with a bat cape, then paint your face white with black bat wing markings around your eyes and wear a long, black curly wig with a section of hair pulled up on top. For full effect, break open capsules of red food dye inside your mouth and stick out your tongue a lot.

Elton John — Circa-1970s look: receding hairline, Captain America outfit, round glasses with sparkling jewels in the wide rims and platform shoes. Or, you could wear a flowery Vegas burlesque dancer’s outfit, as long as you master the hairline, glasses and platform heels. Note: a female could pull this costume off rather well with a baldycap and receding hairline male wig, or other creative alternatives.