I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Part 12

With just a little more than 10 days left to go until the big day, it's time to resume our look at the tunes on my latest holiday compilation, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today." Here's some background on the next three tracks:

Track 31
We Wish You a Merry Christmas, George Carlin and Ringo Starr (1990) 

One tends to miss an awful lot of fun without kids in the house. Yeah, I suffered through PinkFong's "Baby Shark" jingle last year like everyone else on the planet, but I suspect it's a very different experience to hear it non-stop for a month, as several of my parenting friends patiently explained to me. Similarly, I can't claim to know too about the popular PBS children's show "Shining Time Station," which I understand was inspired by a British program called "Thomas the Tank Engine." "Shining Time Station" first ran on PBS from 1989 through 1993, with subsequent reruns on Nick, Jr. and a variety of other cable and streaming services.

"Shining Time Station" is as popular with educators and parents as it is with children. The basic premise is simple and straightforward. According to Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker:  "It's an old-fashioned show that creates a gentle, lulling atmosphere to convince children that life is fun and that trains are the way to travel." True enough.

During the show's first season, the key role of the train conductor was played by Ringo Starr, who  was nominated for a Daytime Emmy award for his work. Starr was replaced at the start of the second season by comedian George Carlin, and a holiday special featured both gentlemen was produced to bridge the transition. This short clip was taken from the holiday special:

There's so much I could say about each of these two guys, as I genuinely admire them both and have enjoyed their work for years. 

I first heard of Carlin as a kid in summer camp when an older camper regaled us with his bit about the "seven dirty words" you can't say on TV.  That caught my attention because it was titillating and forbidden. Of course, Carlin's work was far more than that. It was consistently sharp and insightful — and he was unfailingly courageous. He told truth to power and got away with it, for the most part, because he draped his biting observations in comic clothing. In describing religion as "the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims" (his "religion is bull****" rant) he took aim at the clergy with memorable precision. To the end, Carlin reminded us that the American system was intentionally designed to maintain the ruling class at the expense of the typical Trump voters. If you haven't seen the 2022 HBO documentary "George Carlin's American Dream," I recommend it.

I first knew Ringo as the drummer for one of my two favorite bands, The Beatles. (I also loved The Monkees.) He also sang lead on one of my favorite Beatles songs, "Yellow Submarine." I suppose most folks would consider Ringo to be the least consequential of the four Beatles, but in the 50-odd years since the group's breakup he's clearly established that he's got both staying power and class. He's had a couple of #1 hits as a solo artist, he's acted in movies and on TV, and he's toured with multiple variations of his popular All Starr Band. 

I included a song of Ringo's, "C'mon Christmas," on my 2008 mix "Home for the Holidays." I've also featured a couple of songs about Ringo — "Ringo Bells" by Three Blonde Mice, also from my 2008 mix, and "Ringo Deer" by Gary Ferrier from my 2016 mix "Let It Snow." 

Ringo and George Carlin teaming up to share Christmas greetings may not be the biggest holiday blockbuster of all time, but it does my hippie heart good to hear them.

Watch the Shining Time Station Holiday Special (1990)

Hear George Carlin Tell Johnny Carson About His Arrest for Saying the Seven Dirty Words

Track 32
Plasma for Christmas, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band (2008) 

While the group's name might lead you to think otherwise, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a three-piece, Indiana-based country blues group consisting of Reverend Peyton on guitar and vocals, "Washboard" Breezy Peyton (his wife) on the washboard and Jacob Powell on drums. This song served as my introduction to the group. I'd received the album "A Very Standard Christmas" as a gift in 2006, and it featured this one as well as Harley Poe's "It's Christmas Time Again," which I used as the title track of my 2017 mix.

(L to R): Powell, Breezy and the Rev

Reverend Peyton started playing guitar at the age of 12. After a friend told him his noodling around had a blues-like quality, he worked to immerse himself in country blues and tried unsuccessfully to develop the finger-picking technique that animated much of the music of that style. After playing guitar at his high school graduation party, he awoke with his hands in terrible pain and was told by doctors that he would never be able to play guitar again. Following a frustrating year of abstaining, Peyton had surgery and was able to regain his strength and play better and more easily than before. While recovering from surgery he met Breezy, who shared his interest in country blues, and the two began writing, performing and eventually recording together and with Powell.

In 2008, the group signed with Los Angeles based SideOneDummy Records, for whom they recorded four albums. They subsequently recorded a string of other albums for several different labels and have built a significant following by maintaining a busy touring schedule. Their must recent album, "Dance Songs for the Hard Times" reached #1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.

I've been holding on to "Plasma for Christmas" for years and just never managed to find a spot for it on earlier mixes. Sadly, with the Trump team preparing to take over the federal government I'm guessing my choice to include the song on this year's mix will make me look rather prescient in short order.

Watch the Video for "Raise a Little Hell" by Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band (2015)

See the Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band Perform "Poor Until Payday" (2018)

Track 33
Merry Christmas Is All I Hear, Donald Trump and David Pakman (2024) 

Like millions of others, I was despondent following Trump's electoral victory last month. Much of my sadness and anger stemmed from the willingness of so many to overlook or minimize the never-ending stream of hateful and ridiculous lies he told. One of the silliest and most idiotic of his lies was that the Democrats had somehow made it illegal for people to say "Merry Christmas." He claimed that neither President Obama nor his wife ever used the phrase, which was a preposterous slander. And he pledged that if he was elected he'd make it OK for ordinary folks to say "Merry Christmas" without being carted off to jail.

I've tried to minimize the mention of politics on this year's mix, but I couldn't resist including this short clip, which features Trump's pledge along with an apt retort from political commentator David Pakman. I enjoy listening to Pakman's show, which is available on YouTube, among other places. He's a reasonable and exceptionally well-informed podcaster whom I hold in high regard.

Listen to The David Pakman Show via His YouTube Channel

Eight more tracks to look at and 10 days in which to do it. I'll be back with more before you know it.

Christmas Cheer - Part 3

Track 8
Journey to Christmas Island, The Rosebuds (2012)

I first mentioned this awesome group here 11 years ago in a short but rave review of their 2012 album Christmas Tree Island. I noted then that two of the album’s tracks — “Xmas in New York” and “Melt Our Way Out” — were already on my list of all-time holiday favorites, and that each of the 11 other tracks were “bona fide holiday treats.” I’m no less enthusiastic about the album today, which leaves me scratching my head as to why it’s taken me so long to include a second song by The Rosebuds on one of my compilations. (“Melt Our Way Out” was featured on my 2017 mix, It’s Christmas Time Again.) I truly have no idea; I’m just glad to rectify the oversight with the final track from their album, which is called “Journey to Christmas Island.” (I guess you can’t properly call this the title track as the journey here is merely to Christmas Island. Also, this tune is about a journey, not a land mass, in contrast to the album, whose title specifically refers to a location, Christmas Tree Island. Are these two completely different islands, or was the word “Tree” inadvertently dropped from the title in the track listing? Considering the track is an instrumental, I don’t suppose it really matters too much.)

Like Dillon Fence, The Rosebuds formed in North Carolina. Principal members Ivan Howard (vocals, guitar, drums, bass, keyboards and programming) and Kelly Crisp (vocals, keyboard, drums, guitar and accordion) met in college in Wilmington, NC and eventually settled in Raleigh after marrying and forming the band. Like Dillon Fence, the Rosebuds achieved considerable popularity as an indie band and also claim a particular affinity for holiday music. Unfortunately, like Dillon Fence, they’ve also disbanded. Their follow-up to Christmas Tree Island, the 2014 release Sand + Silence, was their final album. They divorced in 2012. Howard is currently pursuing a solo career on the West Coast, while Crisp works as writer on the East Coast.

The Rosebuds were active from roughly 2001 through 2014, and during this period they released over a dozen LPs and singles. I can’t claim to have heard them all, but they have a unique and pleasant indie sound. True Christmas music fans should really consider adding Christmas Tree Island to your collection, although the intimacy and tenderness that makes the album so special take on an edge of sadness knowing that Howard and Crisp are no longer together.

Track 9
Holiday Greetings, Former President Ronald Reagan and Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney

I’ve been interested in politics going back pretty much as far as I can remember, and my interest was warmly encouraged by the adults in my family. Near as I can tell, our family has always been pretty much solid New England Republican in its orientation. New England Republicans confound the GOP faithful in other parts of the nation by staking out relatively liberal positions on issues involving race, disarmament and individual liberties. They tend to hold views closer to the traditions of Presidents Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt than Richard Nixon or Ronald Reagan.

Like many people, college introduced me to new ideas and perspectives and by the end of my freshman year I’d become the family’s first registered Democrat. After graduating college I spent ten years as political activist and neighborhood organizer in Boston, and I’ve remained a stalwart Democrat. To my great surprise, my Dad, a Republican banker, moved considerably to the left in his later years. In January 2008, the day before he died, he told me he was supporting Senator Barack Obama for president. My younger brother, a former Reagan partisan, is now staunchly anti-Trump and working for a green business in Maine.

I have many friends and a few relatives who are still Republicans, as is their right. It’s a free country. But to me, there’s a big difference between members of the Republican party and members of the Trump cult. I never agreed with Ronald Reagan about much, but I respect that he was doing what he thought was best for the country. I hold a similar view of Liz Cheney, the courageous Republican who served as vice chair of the U.S. Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack. Actually I respect Cheney a great deal, because she was willing to lose her seat in Congress to oppose Donald Trump and bring to light the facts behind the horrific attack on our nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021, which Trump promoted. Unlike Reagan, Trump couldn't care less what's best for our country. He seeks to benefit only his own twisted self-interest.

This track was produced by Representative Cheney as a holiday message last December. It consists of an old Christmas message of Ronald Reagan’s followed by a short greeting of her own. The entire track represents a point of view that has all but disappeared from our land, which is tragic.

Track 10
MAGA Christmas Chipmunks, Patrick Fitzgerald (2022)

There’s an awful lot of history behind this next track, which uses one of the most recognized holiday songs of all time to take a swing at three of the most embarrassing characters to ever serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. The track was released last December by comedian and content creator Patrick Fitzgerald, who describes himself as the “[p]oor man's Randy Rainbow[,]” and “Weird Al [Yankovic] without the accordion or talent.” I’d say he’s a good bit more talented than he lets on. In just a little over two minutes he manages to pretty much mop the floor with GOP Representatives Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Green and it’s done in such a light-hearted way you can almost picture the three of them laughing right along with the rest of us.

The track is based, of course, on the classic novelty hit “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” originally released in 1958 by American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor Ross Bagdasarian under the name David Seville. Bagdasarian, who wrote the 1951 Rosemary Clooney hit "Come on-a My House," had spent the balance of the decade trying to come up with a suitable follow-up hit but things weren’t going well and by 1957 his funds were running out. On a whim, he decided to purchase a fancy new tape machine that allowed material to be recorded at a variety of different speeds. Recording at higher speeds produced funny, high-pitched voices, which led Bagdasarian to create a song called “Witch Doctor,” which was released by Liberty Records and became his first chart-topping hit. He continued to fool around with the recorder to create a fictional trio of chipmunks that he named after the top brass at Liberty Records – Simon, Theodore and Alvin, and their first single was a smash hit at the end of 1958, selling over 4.5 million copies in just seven weeks and topping the Billboard Hot 100 for two of them. In fact, “The Chipmunk Song” was the last holiday tune to top the Hot 100 until Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hit the top spot in 2019.

My Dad bought me a copy of “The Chipmunk Song” sometime during the mid-‘60s and I nearly wore it out on my little record player. He was a pretty good sport about it most of the time, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t his all-time favorite record.

Bagdasarian did pretty well with The Chipmunks franchise, which eventually produced not only several additional hit records but a number of movies, a weekly Saturday morning cartoon series and a variety of television specials.

We're doing pretty well so far, having offered a few notes about the first 10 tracks on this year's mix before December 1. We've got 27 tracks to go and 24 days in which to describe them. Call me Pollyanna, but I think things are looking good.

I've often used the words Pollyanna or Pollyannaish to describe irrepressible optimists and those who tend to find the good in everything. I'd love to be one of them, though I fear I'm not cut out to be. I learned only today that this word comes from the 1913 children's novel Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter. In the book, a young orphan named Pollyanna Whittier is sent to live with her stern spinster aunt in Vermont following the death of her father, who had taught her the values of gratitude and appreciation before he died. Pollyanna used those lessons to create what she called "The Glad Game," which involved finding something to be grateful for in every situation, no matter how grim. For example, upon receiving a set of crutches rather than a doll as her Christmas present at the missionary home, Pollyanna decided to feel good about the crutches because she didn't need to use them. In the book, Pollyanna shared her outlook with the rest of the adults in the Vermont town she later settled in with her aunt. I'd say I have a lot to learn from young Pollyanna. 

I'll be back soon with info about my next three tracks.

Fox News Is At It Again

 

One holiday tradition I don't respect is the annual promotion by Fox News of the so-called "war against Christmas." According to Fox, Democrats are trying to destroy Christmas by preventing people from celebrating or even acknowledging the holiday. As evidence, they cite the widespread use of the greeting "Happy Holidays," which they see as disparaging Christmas. They've repeatedly promoted Donald Trump's nonsensical thoughts on this topic, including Trump's repeated and thoroughly debunked assertions that Barack Obama never once wished anyone a "Merry Christmas" while he was president. Of course, there are thousands of videos of President Obama not only using the phrase but openly celebrating Christmas in church and elsewhere. 

This week, Fox host Jesse Watters, a preposterous buffoon whose sole purpose at the network appears to be terrifying his elderly viewer base with fabricated and preposterous claims, launched his annual holiday meltdown by decrying a couple of cheap decorations now on sale at Target. The first is a nutcracker doll with a rainbow flag. The second is an ornament depicting Santa as a black man in a wheelchair. To hear Watters' sneering account, such toys threaten our very existence as a nation. No need to worry about Donald Trump's 91 indictments, attempts at witness tampering or Nazi threats, the real danger we face is a plastic toy model of a disabled black Santa.

The principal focus of this blog is holiday music, and I try to avoid politics for the most part. But we're facing a vitally important choice over the next 12 months and there are powerful forces seeking to install a fascist dictatorship in the United States and they'll stop at nothing to win. They've managed to win the support of millions of our fellow citizens by promoting fear and chaos through ridiculous lies like the alleged war on Christmas. Please take the time to educate yourselves about what's really going on!

My Christmas Time Philosophy, Part 3

Let's continue with the next three tracks on this year's mix:

Track 9
I Like Christmas (But I Can't Stand the Cold), by Tangarine (2013)
Tangarine is a Dutch folk duo consisting of twin brothers Sander and Arnout Brinks. They've been playing and writing songs together since they were 12 years old, and initially served as their own promoters and business managers as well. They were signed to the Excelsior label in 2013 and subsequently released an album called Seek and Sigh and this non-album holiday track:



Track 8
Hanukkah Hymns, by the Cast of Saturday Night Live, featuring Alec Baldwin (1998)
Alec Baldwin's been a key SNL player for the past couple of seasons portraying an appropriately idiotic Donald Trump, but he's got a history with the show that goes back many years. In fact, he's hosted the show a record 17 times -- more than any other performer. The eighth track on My Christmas Time Philosophy is an audio version of a 1998 clip featuring Baldwin as the pitch man for a fictional holiday album called Hanukkah Hymns:




Track 7
Jingle Bell Rock, by BoDeans (1989)

I first heard of the band BoDeans way back in 1987 -- not in connection with anything the band had done per se, but rather because a couple of the founding members sang back-up for Robbie Robertson on several of the tracks from his first wondrous solo album, Robbie Robertson. Sam Llanas (credited as Sammy BoDean) also appeared on the video for one of the album's most memorable tracks, "Somewhere Down the Crazy River," which was directed by Martin Scorsese:



It's a long way from the sultry summer heat of that track to the snowy world of the Christmas song, but I remember reading once that BoDeans had cut a few Christmas tracks over the years and so I went searching for them as I started pulling together the tracks for this year's mix. The first of the two BoDeans tracks I've included this year is a tune called "Jinga Bell Rock," which was released in 1989 as a double-sided 45 RPM single backed by a tune called "Christmas Time." I'm embarrassed to say that the track list for most of the CDs I distributed this year refers to this track as "Jingle Bell Rock," which, of course, is not correct. "Jinga Bell Rock" is an infectious tune that's likely to get stuck in your head for a long while once you listen to it, but I can think of far worse tracks to have stuck there.

Back someday soon with more.

It's Christmas Time Again, Part 6

These next three tracks will drag us across the half-way point for this year's mix, so let's get right to it:

Track 19
Christmas Seals Promotional Spot, by George Takei

George Takei

After adding the two Mark Jonathan Davis clips featuring Lt. Hikaru Sulu on the bridge of the Enterprise (Tracks 8 and 15 from this year's mix), I did a quick internet search to see if I could find any holiday-themed audio featuring George Takei, the actor who played Lt. Sulu on the Star Trek series. This Christmas Seals promotion was the first and best clip I found, although the "Oh myyyy" tagline at the end wasn't in the original promo, but rather copied and added from one of Takei's many appearances on the Howard Stern program. The rich baritone of Takei's "Oh My" has become something of an audio meme of Takei's, and well it might be. It's an appropriate comment on this actor's rather amazing career history. As a child, he was forced into a World War II internment camp in California due solely to his family's Japanese heritage. As an adult, he became a moderately successful actor, best known for his work on Star Trek. But it's only in the past decade that he's reached the highest levels of popular recognition and popularity, and that's due primarily to his coming out as a gay man and his tireless advocacy for the rights of the LGBT community. Takei's odyssey is well-described by a recent New York Times profile about his role as a gay icon. It's hard not to be wowed by how much progress he and the rest of us have made over the past 75 years. But as Takei himself would no doubt agree, it's frightening to contemplate how precarious this progress truly is as a result of the current administration in Washington.


Track 18
Mrs. Claus's Kimono, by Drive By Truckers (2009)
I believe this is the very first track on any of my 20-plus holiday CDs over the past 17 years to merit a parental warning, but I included it nonetheless because I've become such a fan of the group that recorded it. They're called the Drive-By Truckers and while they're currently based in Athens, Georgia, the two lead vocalists who also write most of their songs (Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood) are both from the Shoals region of Northwestern Alabama, and their home state plays a prominent role in a lot of their music. The band got started a little over 20 years ago and they've built up a loyal following as a result of their heavy touring schedule and substantial library of fine material. I'm embarrassed to say that I knew little about the band until I happened to hear a few tracks from their powerful album American Band shortly after its release in 2016. It's a courageous album in a bunch of different respects, from the opening notes of  "Ramon Casiano," which tells the story of the militant former National Rifle Association leader who shot a 15-year-old Hispanic youngster near the Mexican border to "Baggage," in which Patterson Hood reflects on his own struggles with depression in the wake of comedian Robin Williams' suicide. It's a driving, guitar-based album marked by the band's deeply-held political views, the proud Southern sensibilities of its members and the conflicts that sometimes arise between these two powerful forces. The track that first caught my attention was "What It Means":



I've always enjoyed introducing friends to new music I like, and its been years since I've followed the music scene closely enough to be able to do that very often. About the closest I can come today is sticking the occasional odd track on one of my holiday mixes, which I'm not above doing. After falling hard for this band last year I was determined to find something holiday-related that I could use on last year's compilation, "Let It Snow," but the only track I could find was this crazy number about a guy who conspires with red-nosed Rudolph to get Santa arrested on drug charges so he can bed Mrs. Claus. It was way too raunchy for my holiday mix, I thought -- after all, there are lots of kids who listen to these things. In fact, I'm certain that at least a couple of my friends have yet to listen to a one of them but rather give them immediately to the little ones to play.

But that was last year, and things sure have changed a lot in the past 12 months. God knows the children of this country have been exposed to lots worse than a couple of risque lyrics since Mr. Trump took the oath of office, and unlike most of his shameful shenanigans, this song just a made-up story. Well, come to think of it, nearly everything he says seems to be a made-up story, too. Anyhow, I doubt that this song is going to hurt anyone . . . and it's a whole lot of fun.




Track 17
We Three Kings, by Rev. Horton Heat (2005)
I would have bet anything that I'd included at least one track from the good Rev. Horton Heat on one or more previous mixes of mine, but I've just checked and it seems this is the first. Rev. Heat, of course, is the stage name of both musician Jim Heath and his Dallas-based psychobilly band of renown. Their 2005 album We Three Kings is a treasure trove of Christmas classics that are just off enough to be interesting but not so odd as to raise a whole bunch of eyebrows if you were to bring it along to a holiday gathering (speaking hypothetically, of course). Try bringing a copy of Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow's album  to your next party and see how well that works out!

* * *

Tonight is Christmas Eve — a night of pure magic for most kids and for many adults as well. None of us is ever too old to search for and even to find some small doses of magic from time to time. Whatever you do and whoever you are I hope you can find some in this wonderful season and that when you do, you can pass it on.

Back soon with more jottings on the remaining 18 tracks of this year's mix. 

Let It Snow!, Part 9

Here's the next batch of comments:

Track 30
Person of the Year:  Pope Francis, by Dr. John McLaughlin (2014)

For the past 34 years, there was one unshakeable constant in American politics — namely, whatever was going on in the world, you could hear it discussed over the weekend by Dr. John McLaughlin and his fellow panelists on The McLaughlin Group. The phrase "unshakeable constant" isn't mere hyperbole either, as McLaughlin was on the set in the center chair without missing a single weekly episode throughout the program's 34-year history. 

McLaughlin, a former Jesuit priest who ran for the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island as a Republican "peace" candidate, grew slightly frustrated with politics while working as a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon. He quit his White House job shortly after Nixon quit his, and then he quit the priesthood, too. (McLaughlin, that is, not Nixon. Nixon never was a priest, hard as that is to believe.) In time, McLaughlin drifted from politics to the media, working as a local talk show host in Washington, D.C. and then accepting a job as Washington editor for the National Review. He created The McLaughlin Group in 1982, and I started watching it almost from the start. 

McLaughlin's style was unique. He often came off as a self-important, pompous, and ill-tempered know-it-all, but there was just enough of the imp in him to pull it off without being off-putting. He leaned pretty sharply to the right, but he claims to have voted for President Obama at least once, and I always felt as though he kept a relatively open mind about many things.

Dr. McLaughlin died this past August at the age of 89, and I was very sorry to see him go. The short clip I included is one of him declaring Pope Francis as his "person of the year" during The McLaughlin Group's year-end awards show in 2014. He references the Holy Father's pronouncement that animals can go to Heaven, adding that this gave him hope that his beloved dog, Oliver, would be waiting for him there. Let it be so. Amen.

Track 29

Christmas with Donald Trump, by The Private Gentlemen's Yacht Club (2015)

According to their website, The Private Gentlemen's Yacht Club is

an elite group of individuals who meet regularly to share our love of luxury yachts. Occasionally we have been known to write songs and make videos in order to break up the monotony of our luxurious lives.

They must have had at least a little free time on their hands these past couple of years, as they not only recorded this neat parody of a Donald Trump Christmas album, but a host of other social commentaries, including the song that's currently featured on the front of their website, "All I Want for Christmas Is a Shotgun." (CAUTION: This and most of their material features strong language.)

The group is British, the style is irreverent the politics are leftish, but they nail it on the head in a sloppy sort of way more often than not.


Track 28
Christmas in Chicago, by Leon Russell (1972)

Leon Russell was another true original we lost this year —  a singer, songwriter, musician, and producer who was responsible for a host of solo records and collaborations over the years. In fact, over the course of his nearly 60-year career he recorded more than 30 albums and over 400 songs, including tunes with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Beach Boys; and from Bob Dylan to Joe Cocker. The early 1970s were a particularly active period for Russell, when he helped launch the career of Elton John and scored with the best-selling album Carney, which featured the hit single "Tight Rope." He wrote songs for The Carpenters and Helen Reddy, and helped The Gap Band to begin their successful career. He also wrote "This Masquerade," a stunning song that won the Grammy "Record of the Year" honors for George Benson in 1977, and "Lady Blue," a song he recorded himself that still gives me shivers whenever I hear it. He also recorded "Christmas in Chicago," which I added to this year's mix in his honor. This man was a giant, and he will be missed.

I'll be back with more sometime soon. Enjoy Christmas Eve by doing something special.

Let It Snow!, Part 6

Here is some background and other thoughts on the next little batch of songs from my latest annual mix of holiday audio treats:

Track 20
Donald Trump Loves Christmas, by Donald Trump (2015)

This may be small potatoes compared to the lengthening list of miserable appointments and horrifying decisions President-Elect Trump has made since Election Day, but I'm still deeply troubled by his willingness to not only jump aboard the preposterous "war on Christmas" bandwagon, but to urge it on to ever-increasing speeds and levels of dishonesty.

Lord knows I have no objection to a presidential candidate discussing a genuine love of Christmas, and I'm sure that the President-elect and his family truly love the holiday, just as he claimed at the Values Voters Summit in the September 2015 speech from which this track was excerpted. But to suggest that he can somehow require businesses to use the phrase "Merry Christmas" is preposterous. There's no question but that over the years there's been an increase in the use of more generic greetings such as "Happy Holidays," but that's driven primarily by the judgments of individual businesses that choose to appeal to a wider audience of customers. Interestingly enough, Trump's own business uses generic greetings, as does Trump himself in tweets and similar social media communications.

Talk of the so-called "War on Christmas" highlights both the fundamental dishonesty of this country's right wing and the President-elect's willingness to pander to its least intelligent members. To hear the right-wingers and Fox News tell it, President Obama and his rad-lib socialist baby-killers have all but criminalized the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas." One Fox News commentator recently claimed that neither the President nor the First Lady has so much as uttered the miserable word "Christmas" since they first entered the White House eight years ago, a claim that's soundly debunked by the following video compilation:

Sure, lots of commercial enterprises favor "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas" these days, including the Trump Organization itself. That's because our country is becoming increasingly diverse, and it makes good business sense to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Neither President Obama nor the Democratic Party gives a damn how you address your holiday guests or holiday cards, and to suggest they're trying to destroy Christmas is just a bunch of malarky.

Listen to Fiona Apple's NSFW Anti-Trump Christmas Song

Track 19
To Heck with Old Santa Claus, by Loretta Lynn (1966)

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn is among the most popular country music recording artists of all time. She recorded her first hit, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl," in 1960, and since then 11 of her songs have hit #1 on Billboard Magazine's weekly country music charts. In 1980, the Academy Award-winning biographical film about her life titled "Coal Miner's Daughter" became one of the top films of the year and the Academy of Country Music named her "artist of the decade" based on her work in the 1970s.

"To Heck with Ole Santa Claus" was written and recorded by Lynn for her first Christmas album, "Country Christmas," which was released in 1966. It also appears on "20th Century Masters, The Christmas Collection:  The Best of Loretta Lynn," and her latest album, "White Christmas Blue," which was just released this past October.

Track 18
Christmas in the Country Promo, by Johnny Dollar (1968)

This little gem was one of four promotional tracks released on a single record in 1968 titled "A Special Christmas Card." Each of the four tracks featured a different country recording artist droning on about the wonders of country music over the same dreary musical bed. What exactly did the four artists have in common? They all shared the same manager, Dick Heard, who was also the founder and president of the Royal American record label. All four tracks were posted on WFMU's late lamented "Beware of the Blog," which served up a slew of sensational off-the-wall tracks over its 10-year run. The blog was shuttered in July of 2015, primarily due to a lack of volunteer contributors, and, I'm guessing, a dwindling supply of postable material. After all, there's only so many bizarre clips, cuts and stories out there, and "Beware of the Blog" coughed up more treasures than you can believe. Happily, its rich archives are still available for your perusal at the same old address. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Track 17
Sleigh Bells, Reindeer, and Snow, by Rita Faye Wilson (1955)

This is Ms. Wilson's second appearance on one of my holiday mixes. Two years before she recorded this song, back when she was known as "Little Rita Faye," Wilson recorded another Christmas tune in that same full-throated voice that makes this track such a treat. I included that earlier track, "I Fell Out of a Christmas Tree," on my 2010 mix, "Winter Wonderland" — in fact, it's one of my favorite tracks on the mix. Each of these Christmas tracks faded from public consciousness shortly after their initial release, but that didn't stop this plucky young woman, who continued to record for the next several years. Ironically, she achieved her greatest popularity when this track was included on a John Waters compilation of odd tunes and crank numbers several years ago. I've featured a number of tracks off the Waters collection on my various mixes, mostly as a joke. But this one's no joke. Her voice is strong and memorable, and she seems to have gained a certain maturity since her 1953 release. Give it a listen and see what you think.

Listen to "Sleigh Bells, Reindeer and Snow," by Rita Faye Wilson

Let It Snow!, Part 2

Here's some background on the next three tracks from my latest holiday mix:

Track 6
You're a Mean One, Mr. Trump, College Humor Website (2015)

What can I say about this one? It was a whole lot funnier when it first came out, because, well, nobody thought he had a ghost of a chance to be elected President then, right?



Want More Like This? Watch "How the Trump Stole Christmas"

Track 5
Holiday Greetings from Ricardo Montalbán (1971)

Montalbán (R) with his Fantasy 

Island costar Hervé Villechaize

Ricardo Montalbán (1920-2009) was a Mexican-born actor who enjoyed considerable success in the movies and on television beginning in the early 1940s and continuing until shortly before his death. One of the few Mexican-American actors to work pretty much continuously through the 1940s and '50s, Montalbán is perhaps best known for his starring role as Mr. Roarke in the ABC television series Fantasy Island. I like these short holiday messages from various celebrities as they usually make for successful segues from one song to another and break things up pretty well. I especially like the greetings from the one-hit wonder sorts of public figures, mostly for the irony. Unfortunately, my supply is dwindling down to a precious few.

I like this clip because Montalbán goes out of the way emphasize his Mexican heritage and ends his holiday message by asking us all to "get well soon." While Montalbán has been dead for seven years and couldn't have imagined the results of this year's election, I'd like to think he's hoping our country recovers quickly and completely from our recent episode of collective mental illness.




Track 4
'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Art Carney (1954)

This is a track I've meant to include on one of my holiday mixes for several of the past dozen years or so and yet never quite did. I'm not sure why I haven't found a spot for it before now, because it's a great version of a beloved classic by an actor I've long enjoyed — Art Carney. This song was actually released as the "B" side of a holiday 45 RPM single titled "Santa and the Doodle-Li-Boop," which was released on the Columbia label in 1954. I've always thought of Carney as an actor, based on his work in The Honeymooners, his Academy Award-winning performance in Harry and Tonto (1974), and his many other roles on television and in the movies. But he also enjoyed considerable success as a recording artist, particularly during the 1950s, when released many albums and singles geared toward younger listeners.

This particular song, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," is based on the classic poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," which was first published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to Clement C. Moore. It's not only a holiday classic, but it's largely responsible for the general acceptance of Santa Claus as one of the key characters in the holiday pantheon. The poem has been recorded by hundreds of different artists over the years in a variety of styles, but Carney's version is particularly memorable. A number of critics have lately described it as the "first rap" record, as it was delivered in syncopation and accompanied by only a single jazz drummer. 

Carney was previously featured in this blog for his role as the department store Santa in "Night of the Meek," a classic holiday episode from the original "Twilight Zone" television series that first aired in 1960. 

Listen to John Cleese's Version of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Hear Michelle Obama read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Hear President and Mrs. George W. Bush Read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Watch Art Carney in the Honeymooners episode "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"


Introduction to Track 4
'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Tammy Grimes (1985)

For the past five years, I've included a number of tracks at the end of each new holiday mix in honor of certain talented entertainers who died during the preceding 12 months. We seem to have lost too many great entertainers this year, including several I was unable to honor for want of a suitable audio clip to include.

One change I have made this year is to place the various memorial clips throughout the mix rather than bunching them together at the end.

Actress Tammy Grimes died on October 30 at the age of 82. She was well-known in our household as she attended the girls' summer camp my godmother and grandmother ran in New Hampshire when she was a teenager. I knew her best for her role as the successor host to E.G. Marshall on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, which I listened to as a child and have enjoyed ever since. Grimes enjoyed great success on the stage and in the movies, and I wanted to at least note her passing here.

Listen to Tammy Grimes' reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Let It Snow!, Part 1

I mentioned in a previous post that I'll be doing a fair amount of traveling during the next several weeks, which will make it difficult to post on a consistent schedule. But I'm committed to at least trying to fulfill this blog's primary purpose.

You see, I started this blog several years ago as a way of sharing a little background on the various songs and audio clips that comprise my annual holiday music mixes. As it happens, I had extra time on my hands in each of this blog's first several seasons, which allowed me to not only discuss every track on each annual mix but to also post about a variety of other holiday-related topics. Things were more hectic last year, and as a consequence, I wasn't even able to finish examining the various tracks on my 2015 mix, Deck Those Halls! I hope to strike a better balance this year. It's unlikely I'll be posting on topics outside of the new mix, but I'd like to at least be able to offer a word or two about each of the 37 tracks that are on it.

This evening's post is coming to you from Cleveland, following a surprisingly relaxing five-hour drive from Indianapolis, where I spent last night and most of today. President-elect Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence spent a good part of today about a mile away from where I was working. May God help us all.

Let's turn now to the task at hand — a look at the tracks on my latest CD. I typically post on two or three tracks at a time, working my way from the front to the back. The tracks in each day's post are presented in reverse order so that the final list, if assembled chronologically as daily posting clusters, would yield a list in true reverse order. Please don't ask me to explain why that's important or what it even means because if I ever did know I can't recall just now. OK. let's get started!

Track 3
Coming Up Christmas Time, by the Hanna-Barbera All-Stars (1991)

The Hanna-Barbera All-Stars

Track 3 on this year's mix was originally written for the Hanna-Barbera television special "Casper's First Christmas," which first aired on NBC on December 18, 1979. It's sung by a collection of well-known Hanna-Barbera characters, including Yogi and Boo Boo Bear, "Quick Draw" McGraw, Huckleberry Hound, Doggy Daddy, Augie Doggie and Snagglepuss. The singing begins as the group drives through the countryside in an open convertible at the beginning of the special. No explanation is offered as to why Yogi and Boo Boo were involved. As bears, one would normally expect them to be hibernating by Christmastime.

The song was used again the following season at the beginning of another Hanna-Barbera seasonal special called "Yogi's First Christmas," although, in this episode, it's sung by Snagglepuss, Huckleberry Hound, Augie, and Doggie Daddy while Ranger Smith is bringing them to the Jellystone lodge. When they sing the song again a few minutes later, it awakens Yogi and Boo Boo from their hibernation. This repurposing of the song appears to have been done without too much thought, as a number of the characters who sang the song in the Casper special were nowhere to be seen when it's trotted out again for Yogi's program. But it's an upbeat and energetic little number that seems just right for one of the opening spots in this year's mix.

The version I use is from Hanna-Barbera's Christmas Sing Along, a holiday compilation released in 1991. Curiously, one of the lines sung by "Quick Draw" — "To make sure I get what I want, I buy my gifts for me" — is omitted altogether in the now-out-of-print 1991 version. I guess it came off as rather contrary to the Christmas spirit.

Track 2
From All of Us to All of You, by Jiminy Cricket and Friends (1958)

Jiminy Cricket

The second track on this year's mix features one of my very favorite Disney characters, Jiminy Cricket. As a child, I had a had a number of phonograph records with various Disney stories on them, and the one I listened to the most was the story of Pinocchio. Jiminy Cricket played a leading role in the story — in fact, I think he pretty much told the story, didn't he?. Of course, it's been years since I've listened to the record, but I sure remember my favorite song on it, "Give a Little Whistle":

When you get in trouble and you don't know right from wrong,

Give a little whistle! Give a little whistle!

When you meet temptation and the urge is very strong,

Give a little whistle! Give a little whistle!

Take the straight and narrow path, and if you start to slide,

Give a little whistle! Give a little whistle . . .

And always let your conscience be your guide! 

"From All of Us to All of You" harkens back to that same era. It's the title track to a holiday television special that first aired on ABC on December 19, 1958. The original animated program was organized as a series of Christmas cards from various specific Disney characters. In subsequent years, the program was recycled and filled with additional clips to promote whatever new features Disney had planned for the coming year. In 1986, large portions of the original were repackaged and released on home video under the title "Jiminy Cricket's Christmas." Compared to most of the other titles in Disney's U.S. catalog, this feature has been largely forgotten. It remains very popular in Scandinavia, however. In Sweden, for instance, it's still broadcast every Christmas Eve, and it continues to attract blockbuster audiences comparable to major football contests in this country. 

Track One
Introduction/Jingle Bells, The Lawrence Welk Orchestra (1972)

Among the greatest influences in my young life were my two grandmothers. Both descended from proud Yankee families that had been in New England since the early 17th century, and while they were extremely different from one another in temperament, they each flew in the face of convention by pursuing full-time careers and holding positions of significant influence at a time when women seldom did. My paternal grandmother graduated from Wellesley College in the early 1920s and after a brief career as a Broadway actress traveled half-way around the world alone to teach English in China. She returned to New England after marrying an American banker, but he promptly lost everything in the Great Crash of 1929 forcing her to return to teaching to support the family. By the mid-1930s, she had become headmistress of one of New England's most prestigious preparatory schools for women, a position she held for over 25 years.My maternal grandmother toured this country for years with the famous Tony Sarg Marionette Company, and later ran a popular girls' summer camp in New Hampshire. Not surprisingly, my grandmother the headmistress was unfailingly proper and formal. My maternal grandmother, by contrast, was a little more free-wheeling. When my grandfather died in 1970, she turned his bedroom into a sort of rec room with mod-style plastic furniture, orange shag carpeting and pop art posters on the walls. Yet despite this admirably modern sensibility, she adored Lawrence Welk. No matter what else may have been happening around her, everything stopped at 8 p.m. every Saturday when Welk's "Champagne music makers" came on TV. The only time I recall her being cross with me was when my brother and I made fun of the show and its principal sponsor, Geritol. We thought Welk's schtick was hopelessly square, and we'd seen I Love Lucy's Vitameatavegimin episode often enough to have a pretty good handle on what Geritol was all about.

Of course, The Lawrence Welk Show is an easy target of ridicule. Even today, years after the death of its well-known host, Saturday Night Live routinely parodies its stale and somewhat stilted style. One of my favorite clips on YouTube features two of Welk's typically square "all-American" duos singing "One Toke Over the Line" completely oblivious to the fact that they were essentially copping to smoking trees. Welk wins points in my book, however, for his willingness to poke fun at himself. In 1969, for example, the show opened its 15th season by having Welk appear dressed as a hippie and announcing he'd had it with playing the "square" polka and champagne music that had made him famous. The change didn't last long.

I wish I could say that I've matured to become a genuine fan of Welk's style of entertainment, but frankly I still find it ridiculously saccharine for my taste. Yet it harkens back to a simpler and less frantic time, and that's always kind of nice:



Here's the television version of the track that opens this year's mix:

 

I chose it in my grandmother's honor, and I'm confident it's an opening she's going to enjoy.

Back again soon with a beat-inspired classic from Art Carney and a short homage to one of the better-known campers from the summer camp my grandmother and godmother ran for 50 years.