Hey! You! Get Off of My Roof! - Part 9

Two weeks from today is Christmas Day, and we're well past the half-way mark in our look at the 42 tracks on my latest holiday mix, "Hey! You! Get Off of My Roof!" Today I've got a little background on three more tracks including a new one by an old if somewhat out-of-tune friend. Without further ado, it's up, up and away . . .

Track 28
O Come All Ye Faithful, Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow (2005)

Few artists better typify the sound of my annual holiday mixes than the inimitable Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow, whose unique stylings have been featured on eight of my previous compilations. Sadly, there's not a whole lot of information out there about Barstow and his music, and I've already reported on most of it in previous posts on this blog. But while little of what I offer today is new, it's certainly a pleasure to repost some of the most relevant items again today.

Barstow was discovered in the early 1990s at an open mic night in a New York City neighborhood bar by keyboardist Larry Goldings. Goldings instantly knew that he'd found something special, or at least unique. What is it that separates Barstow from the rest? I guess that depends on your own individual taste and musical sensibilities. But from where I sit, jazz journalist John Kelman captured the magic of Mr. Barstow's oeuvre pretty well in his oft-cited 2005 review of Barstow's classic first (and, to date, only) album, published in All About Jazz:

Every now and then an artist emerges whose vision is so unique that it creates an entirely new musical paradigm. Stretching the realm of technique by introducing harmonic or rhythmic contexts far removed from the norm, they’re often unappreciated in their time, but the passage of years can ultimately bring recognition for their genius. Ornette Coleman was one such artist. Now we have singer Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow.

In the years following his chance discovery of Barstow at some low-end dive, Goldings worked tirelessly to capture the musical essence of this heretofore hidden talent for the enjoyment of a wider audience. The result, recorded in Goldings' home studio, was an album of Christmas classics and non-holiday standards called Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow:  A Bowtie Christmas and More.

The following 2008 infomercial gives the uninitiated a little peek at what they were in for:

As Kelman explained in his groundbreaking review:

Some musicians spend years on technique, working hard to hone accepted skills like pitch and time. Barstow dispenses with such limitations. His interpretive sense is so unorthodox that once you hear his renditions of classic Christmas tunes including "Joy to the World," "The First Noel," and the tongue-in-cheek "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," you’ll never see them the same way again.

This year's "Bowtie" track offers a one-two punch combining his renditions of "O Come All Ye Faithful" in both English and Latin. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you can appreciate the occasional offbeat gem by the likes of Florence Foster Jenkins or Mrs. Miller, Johnny might well be for you, too. (Warning, there are still a couple of Barstow tunes I haven't yet shared, so there may be more to come.)

Hear Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow's "O Come All Ye Faithful"

Track 27

Jingle Bell Rock, University of Michigan Children's Psychiatric Hospital Band (1978)

Way back in 2007, one of my first holiday compilations featured a rather unique version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," the classic holiday song introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 film "Meet Me in St. Louis." The version I used in my 2007 mix "Let's Trim the Christmas Tree" was performed by patients in the Inpatient Music Therapy Program of the University of Michigan Medical Center's Children's Psychiatric Hospital. I'd found the song on the album "Christmas at C.P.H.," a 1978 release that contained 15 holiday songs performed by young psychiatric patients as part of their musical therapy. Track 27 of this year's mix is another of the 15 songs on that 44-year-old album, "Jingle Bell Rock."

In the 44 years since "Christmas at C.P.H." was recorded, music therapy has become more widely recognized within the medical community. In short, it uses music therapeutically to address physical, psychological, cognitive and/or social functioning for people of all ages. It is typically practiced by credentialed professionals that use clinical and evidence-based music interventions to help set and achieve individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship. Because Music Therapy is a powerful and non-invasive medium, unique outcomes are possible. I suspect that holiday music therapy can be particularly helpful, and it's certainly pleasant to hear.

Track 26

Holiday Greetings, Michael Caine

I've used these short little holiday greetings on pretty much all of my annual mixes as a way of breaking up the longer tracks and giving some quick recognition to various celebrities. But it isn't always easy to find as many of these clips as I'd like. I found a few more about a month ago, including one by famed English actor Michael Caine. Caine has been making movies since 1956, and while he's scheduled to turn 90 years old in March, he isn't ready to retire yet. To date, he's appeared in over 75 feature films, winning Academy Awards as Best Supporting Actor in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999).

Caine relocated to the United States for nearly a decade in the 1980s due to escalating British income tax rates, but he has spent most of his life in the United Kingdom and is often cited as one of his native country's archetypical actors and cultural icons. In fact, Caine is frequently parodied for his speaking style and his habit of citing interesting but useless trivia in general conversation. His friend Peter Sellers often did impressions of Caine that frequently included the phrase "not many people know this," which has now become something of a catchphrase for him. 

I'm sure many Americans would happily return Caine's gracious holiday greetings and wish him the very best for 2023.

Hear Michael Caine's Raw Commentary on his film "The Muppet Christmas Carol"

I'll be back with more sometime soon. When will you be decorating your Christmas tree this year?

My Latest Holiday Mix -- "My Christmas Time Philosophy" -- Is Now Available

My 14th annual holiday mix CD is now ready and available for your listening pleasure on my Mark's Holiday Mix CDs website. It's titled My Christmas Time Philosophy, it contains 32 tracks and it runs for just under 80 minutes. If you've listened to any of my previous mixes you'll no doubt recognize a few old friends who've made this latest ride, including such unmistakable talents as Red Sovine, William Hung and Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow who are responsible for "That Night in Bethlehem," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Silent Night," respectively. (What, nothing by Wing this year?!)

Over the next six weeks or so I'm going to try to offer a little background on all 32 tracks, as has been our custom. This will include music from Blondie, the BoDeans, Dick Van Dyke and Jane Lynch, and The Weather Girls, so be sure to check back from time to time between now and New Year's Day. In the meantime you can download a copy of the complete track list and listen to the entire mix over at my holiday music website. Let's hope this will be a happy holiday season for all.

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. 

It's Christmas Time Again, Part 3

Today we look at the next three tunes on my 2017 holiday mix, titled It's Christmas Time Again! 

Track 9
Holiday Message from President and Mrs. Barack Obama (2016)
To hear a good many Republicans tell it, the Obama Family was on the front lines of the War Against Christmas throughout their entire tenure as the nation's First Family. Not only did the President and First Lady stubbornly refuse to use the word Christmas themselves, but they somehow outlawed its use by others as well. Of all the bilge peddled by the Right during the past decade, the fictional War on Christmas has got to be among the craziest lies of all. In truth, of course, the Obamas threw themselves into the Christmas scene each year and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Track 9 is a brief excerpt from the President's eighth annual Christmas message in December 2016 (Listen HERE.). It sure doesn't sound like someone conducting a war against Christmas. And despite what you may have heard, the Obamas frequently wished people a "Merry Christmas." You'd have to be crazy or stupid to think otherwise.



Track 8
Let It Snow, Mark Jonathan Davis as Lt. Hikaru Sulu (1995)
Mark Jonathan Davis is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, singer and radio producer who sometimes performs under the name Richard Cheese. Davis has released nearly 20 albums as Cheese over the past couple of years, mostly with his band, Lounge Against the Machine. In the late 1990s, Davis recorded a couple of holiday songs as Lt. Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek, a character previously made famous by George Takei. In each case, the appearance of the word "fire" in the lyrics leads Sulu to launch some kind of attack from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. The first song to get the Sulu treatment is "Let it Snow," with another to follow as Track 15.



Track 7
Excuse My Christmas, by Jan Terri (2013)
If you've heard any of my previous holiday mixes you're probably familiar with some of my favorite featured artists — performers  like Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow, Red Sovine, and Wing, just to name a few. I've featured these folks most prominently because they're such original characters, and while their records may not be as wonderfully memorable as "White Christmas," their stuff is pretty damned memorable for other reasons. (Oops, my bad. Wing's also done her own unique version of "White Christmas," too.) Well, this year we welcome a new member to this inspirational group of artists, and her name is Jan Terri.

The track featured on this year's mix was the first single from Jan's 2011 album "The Wild Ones," and it's called "Excuse My Christmas":


 

Isn't that something? Jan's got quite a following on the internet, no doubt the result of the amazing collection of original material she's produced in a career that's spanned well over 20 years. She may not be the most glamorous entertainer in the business, and sometimes her lyrics do come across as rather pedestrian, but as Paul McCartney once famously observed, "What's wrong with that?"

One of Jan's most outspoken fans is a guy named Chris Canote, who's recently posted several videos with and about the singer. Frankly, I find Chris irritating as hell, but it's only due to his in-depth reporting that we know from Jan herself what "Excuse My Christmas" is really about.  Ready?  "I don't know." That's what she says. Well, when you really think about it, what else could she possibly say?



Finally, in order to give everyone a bit more perspective on Jan's career, I thought I should post what is perhaps her best known record — the 1991 release "Losing You." This is Jan Terri's "Born to Run," — her "I Want to Hold Your Hand."  Check it out:



Wow. I mean — WOW! Want to see more?




OK, here's just one more. I want to save some for later, after all. Why? Because Jan's recorded at least one additional Christmas song and I'm guessing I'm going to want to use it on a future compilation.

Deck those Halls, Part 2 (Tracks 4-6)

We've just started to examine the 42 songs on my latest holiday mix, Deck those Halls, and being that this is only the second installment in our series, the spotlight today is on Tracks 4 through 6 -- three cute little clips that we can handle with dispatch. Don't believe me? Just watch . . .

Track 6
Merry Christmas, Loopy Lu, by The Kaisers (2003)

I can't remember where I first heard this song, but I know that for at least a year I was under the impression that it was at least 20 years old and that The Kaisers were a very talented American band from the 1960s or thereabouts. Well, they're not. They're a successful and talented Scottish beat band formed in 1992 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Known for their lengthy and amazingly energetic shows, The Kaisers recorded six albums before disbanding in 2002. "Merry Christmas, Loopy Lu" is a fun,pop-style tune that really does seem to have come from a different age, don't you think? I've listened to a number of their other records now, and they certainly were good.

Track 5
Christmas Is Great, by Gentlemen on Escalators (2014)

This is another song I discovered on Stubby's House of Christmas, where it earned barely a mention: 

"Gentlemen On Escalators' single is stupid and yet... "

That was it -- well, those few words and a download link. Yet such is the power of Stubby's that even the least consequential offhand mention can yield results. I have to agree with Stubby's assessment. This is a stupid little song, and yet there's something powerful in its simple and straightforward assertion. I haven't heard anything else by the group, but I have a strong feeling that I wouldn't like it if I did. For the fifth track of this year's mix, however, they're perfect.

Track 4
Holiday Greetings from the Producers of Tarzan
I have no idea where this track came from, either, but it cracks me up all the same. The announcer sounds like it could be Johnny Carson. What do you think?





We'll be back tomorrow with more. Hope to see you then. 

Is There Really a Santa Claus, Part 10

I hope everyone had a pleasant pre-holiday weekend and managed to enjoy at least part of it away from the shopping malls. Continuing our look at the contents of my latest holiday mix, here's some information about the next three tracks:

Track 28
Santa Claus on a Helicopter, Wing (2010)
Before I offer any thoughts on this little number, I think you should have a chance to see it on video in its original, unvarnished form. Steel yourself. It's not for the faint of heart:



Wow, huh? Take a moment to recover whilst I slowly give you some background about this very unique artist. (Yes, I know the word unique means "one of a kind" and therefore can't properly be modified by an adjective like "very," which describes degree — but, hey, c'mon … if there was ever a singer who's "very unique," it's got to be Wing, right?) Anyway …

Wing has appeared on my various mixes six times with five different songs. (I inadvertently used her version of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" on both Don't Wake the Kids (2005) and Stop Singing Those Dreadful Songs (2006). It was so good, I guess I just got carried away!) This puts her in second place among frequently featured artists, right behind Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow (7 tracks) and just before Red Sovine (4). Raised in Taiwan, Wing emigrated to New Zealand sometime before the most recent turn of the century. She settled in the Auckland area, where she began to sing on a volunteer basis at various hospitals, rest homes and sanatoria. Several patients apparently urged her to record an album, and, not subject to the oversight of a conservator or guardian yet herself, Wing obliged them with Phantom of the Opera, a collection of songs from the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. This was followed by a string of CDs featuring various assortments of standards and popular hits. Despite, or perhaps because of, her unconventional style, Wing's recordings began to attract increasing numbers of fans, largely via the internet. In 2005, she expanded her repertoire by recording a series of tribute albums to various groups including the Beatles, the Carpenters, Elvis Presley and AC/DC. That same year, she guest starred as herself on an episode of South Park, called Wing. The singer's first U.S. performance took place in San Francisco on her one-stop "Wing Over America" tour in 2007, and she returned in 2008 to perform at the popular SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. She's also appeared on television many times, including a live performance of Michael Jackson's hit "Beat It," which you really have to see to believe.

In recent years, Wing's style has evolved in a somewhat different direction as a result of her collaboration with writer/producer Rappy McRapperson. The two first joined forces on the CD Stop the Nonsense (2010), which was followed in quick succession by Wing Sings For All The Single Ladies And Raps For All The Safe Parties (2010) and Carols, Rap and Sing; A Beautiful Christmas (2010). These releases were marked by an emphasis on original songs with topical messages to today's young people. For example, "Stop Smoking Crack" warns against recreational drug use, while "Safe Computer" has something to do with computers (I think): 

Computer sing,
Computer swing.
Computer walk,
Computer moonwalk.

Yeah lets go,
Wiki, Wiki, Wiki, Wiki, Wikipedia.
Wiki, Wiki, Wiki, Wiki, Wikipedia.
Firewall make our computer safe.
Computer.

Stuck up in the clock,
Looking fast like that,
Then safe computer,
Safe computer.
Internet,

Thirty minutes conversation,
Save it.
A good life.
Live it.
Computer dance,
We just beat it.

© Copyright - wing han tsang / wing han tsang (885767652927)

Wing has released 22 albums and EPs to date, including two holiday CDs. The first of these, Everyone Sings Carols with Wing, features ten carols, including three that are sung in Chinese. "Santa Claus on a Helicopter" appears on Wing's second holiday release, Carols, Rap and Sing; A Beautiful Christmas, which, as Wilson and Alroy's Record Reviews point out, is one of the few album titles to include a semicolon. The album consists of just five tracks. Wing was clearly going for quality over quantity. One of the five tracks is her version of "Hallelujah," written by the great Leonard Cohen and originally released on his 1984 album Various Positions. Here, too, Wing's version is extremely unique (see ¶2, above). You've almost certainly heard the song before, It's been featured in dozens of movies and TV shows and recorded by more than 300 different artists. The song is the subject of a fascinating book, The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" (2012), by former Rolling Stone critic Alan Light. I don't believe anyone but Wing has recorded "Santa Claus on a Helicopter" to date, but then again the truly great songs can sometimes seem a little too intimidating to attempt.

A few final thoughts:  First, Wing offers a unique (there's that word again) "singing service" to her listeners and fans. For a modest fee, Wing will call the phone number of your choosing and sing one of her songs to the person you identify. I had her call a friend of mine on his birthday several years ago to sing him the "Happy Birthday" song, and I'm pretty sure he has yet to recover from the experience. Details on the service are available HERE. Second, despite the my snarky comments, I honestly like Wing. True, I can't tolerate her singing for more than 10 or 15 seconds at a time, but when you consider her as a complete package, there's something especially endearing about the woman. She seems to love what she's doing and her enthusiasm is contagious. Moreover, she genuinely appears to care about others, whether it's the invalids she sang to at her first sanatorium performance or the stoner teens she's trying to reach with her heartfelt anti-crack message. Mark me down as a "Wing nut." It's not the first time I've been on such a list. Finally, there are actually three different versions of this year's mix in circulation, one of which features a short "hidden track" that follows Wing's offering. If you're lucky enough to have received the version with this hidden track, you'll know right away who performed the track and what it's about. In fairness, I have to admit the underlying piece was edited slightly, but the result is probably a more honest statement about the speaker's true beliefs than the original version was.

Track 27

Santa's Coming on a Whirlybird, by Little Lance and His Friends (1960)
Unfortunately, I don't have very much information to share about this track, which I accidentally stumbled across a few years ago on the Dr. Demento website. Demento, otherwise known as Barret Eugene "Barry" Hansen, is a radio broadcaster and record collector who specializes in offbeat and novelty records. He hosts a weekly internet show that features episodes that are largely organized around specific themes. At least one or two of the shows each December boast holiday themes, and they're a good source for unusual Christmas tunes and holiday comedy. I happened to spot "Santa's Coming on a Whirlybird" in one of my files shortly after I'd selected Wing's helicopter-related nightmare for this year's mix, and I thought the two songs belonged together.

Track 26
Merry Christmas, by Sue and Mike (1971)
This little number has got to be among the oddest of the many odd lots I've featured on my various mixes, and once I fill you in a bit on its history it's going to seem that much odder still. Its origins trace back to a post on Beware of the Blog, run out of free-form radio station WFMU-FM, broadcasting at 91.1 FM in New York and 90.1 FM in the Hudson Valley. There aren't a whole lot of free-form radio stations left today in this land of the free, and that's an awful shame. There aren't many blogs like Beware of the Blog, either. Over the years, it's been the source for more than a few of my holiday mix tracks as well as a bunch of graphics, movies and soundbites I've used elsewhere. The posts are less frequent and less interesting than they used to be, but it's definitely worth a look.

The short clip on my mix was created using the raw audio that was posted on the blog on December 26, 2010. One of the blog's regular contributors collects reel-to-reel tapes that he's found at various garage sales, thrift shops and elsewhere, many of which contain fascinating slices of life,. This was the case with some tapes that were apparently recorded during the 1971 Christmas season by a couple of graduating college students from Omaha, Nebraska, named Sue and Mike. The two had been married for around a year, and it sounds as though the tapes were made to be sent to their parents to make them feel as though they were a part of their holiday festivities.

What struck me most as I listened to their tapes was how different they seem compared to today's college students. Had I not known they were finishing college, I would have guessed they were much older. Of course, if they were making the tapes for their parents, they were no doubt trying to sound more serious and mature than they may have been; but they seem more middle-age in their outlook than young 20-somethings. Consider for a moment how much our culture has changed from their time to today — music, movies, TV, fashion, design, media, technology. My mind hurts just thinking about it.

The excerpt I've included in my mix was actually repackaged from the raw audio by San Francisco producer Matt Valerio, also known as Bomarr, or, formerly, the Bomarr Monk. He creates a dynamic new holiday mix each year, and the clip I chose was first released on his Wild Xmas with Bomarr, vol. 6. I really like what he came up with:




Of course the big question that remains is what ever happened to Sue and Mike? Despite the efforts of several curious WFMU listeners, they have yet to be located. Assuming they were in their early 20s when they made their tapes, they'd be around 65 years old today. Wherever they are, we know they had a lot of fun during the long-ago Christmas season of 1971.

I didn't include this clip on this year's mix, but Bomarr released a second clip from the Sue and Mike chronicles, which you can hear below:




Read the Beware of the Blog Posting about Sue and Mike's Holiday Tapes

Listen to Sue and Mike's Christmas 1971 Tape, Part 1

Listen to Sue and Mike's Christmas 1971 Tape, Part 2

Listen to Sue and Mike's Christmas 1971 Tape, Part 3

Listen to Sue and Mike's Christmas 1971 Tape, Part 4

Visit the Bomarr Blog, featuring Bomarr's Wild Xmas Mixes 

Is There Really a Santa Claus, Part 9

As part of our ongoing review of the 39 tracks on my latest holiday mix, today we take a quick look at Tracks 23 through 25:

Track 25
Winter Wonderland, Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow (2004)

This is the seventh "song" by Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow to make its way onto one of my holiday mixes, which makes him the most frequently represented artist (followed by Wing with five "tunes" and Red Sovine with four). Like the previous selections, this track is from Bowtie's 2004 classic A Bowtie Christmas, which features not only 10 classic holiday carols, but 14 additional time-tested standards, including "Mack the Knife," "Oh Danny Boy," and "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover."

I posted some information about Barstow two years ago in connection with the appearance of his song "The First Noel" as Track 29 of my Here Comes Santa Claus CD. I'm not sure how much more there is to add, as there isn't much information about his artistry in general circulation. As for the song, this is the second time "Winter Wonderland" has appeared on one of my mixes. The first version was recorded by Oliver Crumb and appears on my 2011 mix, Gee, Whiz . . .  It's Christmas (Again!). The song was written in 1934 by Felix Bernard, who wrote the music), and Richard B. Smith, who wrote the lyrics.

In its original version, the song’s bridge included the following lyrics:

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
then pretend that he is Parson Brown.
He'll ask, "Are you married?" We'll say, "No, man,
but you can do the job while you're in town!"

When the song was first released in the 1930s, itinerant ministers of various Protestant denominations known as parsons traveled the countryside to perform marriages and other services for those who needed a minister and lacked the resources to find one of their faith on short notice. The original bridge suggested that the couple at issue had to marry in some haste. This was considered an inappropriate topic by some, which may be the reason subsequent versions of the song featured the following, less controversial lyrics:

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
and pretend that he's a circus clown.
We'll have lots of fun with Mister Snowman,
until the other kiddies knock 'im down! 

The following late-night television commercial gives you some additional flavor of Bowtie's work:



He's certainly one-of-kind, wouldn't you say?


Track 24
I Like Christmas, Franklyn MacCormack (1950)

Franklyn MacCormack

"Hello there. Welcome to the old study. Won't you come in? So nice to have you here on a night like this, when we can share a dream together as the night grows late."

— McCormack's Nightly Radio Greeting

Franklyn MacCormack (1906-71) was the longtime host of a popular radio show called The All Night Showcase on WBBM and WGN (720 AM) in Chicago. The show ran from 11:05 pm to 5:30 am six nights a week, and MacCormack was its self-styled "host and companion" throughout the late 1950s until his death, on the air, in 1971. It featured moody, thoughtful music, including lots of outstanding jazz, interspersed with stories, observations and poetry. MacCormack developed a considerable following among late-night listeners, and his mellifluous baritone was a perfect match for the atmosphere he worked to create.  

In addition to his radio program, MacCormack produced an impressive number of records, many of which tried to recreate the feel of his radio program by combining music and spoken word selections. "I Like Christmas" was released as a 45 RPM single in 1950. The B-side was called "My New Year's Wish for You," which is available on my second New Year's collection, titled Ringin' In a Brand New Year. I love old radio programs, and it sounds to me as though Franklyn MacCormack had a winner.

Listen to Franklyn MacCormack's All Night Showcase from 8/15/64

Listen to Franklyn MacCormack's All Night Showcase from 6/27/65


Track 23
Hallmark Christmas Countdown (2013)

This comedy track was broadcast during the 2013 Christmas season on NBC's Saturday Night Live. It's a parody of the types of shows often featured on the Hallmark TV channel. Many of the channel's shows are very good, but there's also a fair amount of lower-quality, predicable fare as well. Take a look at this:

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CHROME USERS (12.13.14): I haven't been able to figure out why, but the SNL videos I've posted no longer seem to be playing in the Chrome browser. They appear to work fine in Internet Explorer and Firefox, and they worked in Chrome until about 36 hours ago, but they no longer seem to. I'm not the most tech savvy guy in the world, but I am looking into the problem and will try to correct it. For now, however, you might try an alternate browser if you have problems with Chrome. Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Is There Really a Santa Claus? Part 1

I make it a strict policy to stay close to home and hearth on the day after Thanksgiving. You won't catch me within five miles of a “Black Friday” event — especially since this madness now seems to go on for a week or more each year. Moreover, there's a special reason to think twice about dashing from mall to mall today. A group of concerned citizens is urging people to boycott Black Friday as a way of protesting the failure on Monday of a Missouri grand jury to indict the police officer who shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown last August. I can't speak to the correctness of that decision as I wasn't on the grand jury and am unfamiliar with the evidence that was presented. But this holiday season will be a lot less jolly in far too many homes as the result of racism and race-based hatred and violence, and I'm ready to back nearly any non-violent means of calling attention to this scourge and demanding equal justice regardless of race. I trust all good people are in agreement on this one, so let's make that fact clear. Thanks for listening. Back now to our regular program, already in progress.

I’ll be using this blog once again this year to share some personal thoughts and background about each of the various tracks on my latest holiday CD. As in previous years, I'm hoping to look at two or three tracks at a time, starting today with the first three tracks and continuing to the last one sometime just before Christmas. I’ll probably post on other topics from time to time throughout the period, and I don’t plan to post every day, but by the time Santa arrives we should have shared a little something about all 39 tracks. I’ll cover the tracks in reverse order within each post so that the final list will appear in true reverse order.

With all that out of the way, what do you say we get started?

Track 3

Holiday Greetings, by Smokey Robinson (2009)

This was Alonso's crackerjack kitchen crew, with Smith 

in front, and me in back wearing the red T-shirt.

I went to college in Baltimore many years ago, and to help cover expenses I worked as a cook several nights a week at a popular neighborhood restaurant called Alonso’s in Roland Park. It wasn't fancy, but they served great food at reasonable prices, so we did a brisk business. It wasn't always easy juggling classes and work, but I was glad for the opportunity to leave campus life behind to spend time with local people, and the free meals helped, too. The kitchen was run by a crusty middle-aged black woman who was known to everyone simply as “Smith.” Raised in the Deep South, Smith was a straight-laced tyrant who ran a tight ship and brooked no nonsense from anyone. She specialized in the sort of home-style fare I’ve always enjoyed, and her soft-shell crabs and crab cakes helped put Alonso’s on the map. What I remember best about Smith, however, was that she was absolutely crazy in love with Smokey Robinson. Whenever one of his songs came on the radio, she’d not only whoop and swoon, but literally start to shake like a parishioner who’d caught the Holy Spirit. I’m not sure, but I think she was occasionally even talking in tongues. It’s been years since I’ve seen her, of course, but whenever someone mentions Smokey Robinson or I hear one of his songs, I instantly think of Smith. I miss those days, and I wouldn’t have traded them for anything.

Track 2
Rock Around the Christmas Tree, by Daniel Johnston (2006)

Daniel Johnston

My taste in music isn't easily categorized, and I've always had a thing for the offbeat and esoteric — much of which would today be called "outsider music." Definitions of this style vary, but "outsider music" is generally said to include material written and performed by artists from outside the established music industry whose work ignores typical conventions either due to the artist's lack of formal training or as an intentional comment on mainstream sensibilities. I've included offbeat music on previous holiday mixes by such outsider artists as Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow, Wing and Wesley Willis, and I've usually done so for comedic effect. In some cases, I've seen nothing wrong with that. In Bowtie's case, for example, I'm pretty sure he works with his tongue in cheek — that is, he deliberately flouts accepted musical norms to be funny. I'd say Wing falls in that same category, as her own website compares her style to William Hung, '60s star Mrs. Miller, and Florence Foster Jenkins, three unconventional artists universally regarded as having little or no musical talent. In certain other cases, however, I'm more conflicted. Consider the late Wesley Willis, for example — and Daniel Johnston. Both of these two men were clearly blessed with a certain amount of innate musical talent. Sadly, however, they both also suffer from mental illness — in Johnston's case, reportedly, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I'm not a clinician, but it seems evident to me that Johnston's music is colored by the effects of these disorders, which makes it difficult to know whether enjoying his songs for their offbeat style isn't in fact making a cruel joke of his disability. I've been following Johnston's career for years, ever since I first came across his song "Christmas in the Loony Bin." I was attracted at first by the title, which sounded sufficiently bizarre to fit in really well on one of my mixes. After listening to the song, however, I knew I couldn't use it. It wasn't funny in the least to me. Indeed, it was sung in a gut-wrenchingly honest voice that obviously understood the tragedy of spending one's holidays in a psychiatric ward, while at the same time falling sway to the redemptive power of the season and the promise of a better day. 

I've learned a good bit more about Johnston and his music since that initial listen, and I've developed a more balanced view of his work in the process. Raised in a fundamentalist West Virginia household, Johnston displayed a natural talent for music and art from a young age. He was something a loner as a child, and he spent long hours alone drawing, playing piano and writing music. After graduating high school, he enrolled in a Texas Christian college, but dropped out before the end of the first semester. From there he moved to Ohio where he started closses in music and art at Kent State University and began making homemade cassette recordings of his songs and music. In the early 1980s, Johnston moved to Austin, Texas, where he got a job at McDonald's and became known for distributing his homemade cassettes. In time, he attracted the attention of the local media and built a significant fan base by playing shows in local bars and clubs. In 1985 he was featured on the MTV program The Cutting Edge, and soon afterward arrangements were made for him to record a professionally engineered album in New York City. Unfortunately, this coincided with a worsening of his mental illness, and in 1990, he was committed to a mental hospital following an episode in a private plane his father was piloting. Apparently believing he was Casper the Friendly Ghost, Johnston removed the keys from the plane's ignition and threw them out the window. His father managed to successfully crash land the plane, but the incident sidelined Johnston's musical career just as it was beginning to take off.

Johnston was eventually released from the hospital, and he's continued to write, perform and release CDs over the past two decades. "Rock Around the Christmas Tree" appears on his 2006 CD "Lost and Found," and while it's a little rough around the edges, I thought it would get this year's mix off to a boisterous and rowdy start. Johnston is a big fan of the Beatles and he loves rock and roll, so it's neat to hear him performing material like this. He's probably better known, however, for his slower, more introspective songs, which are striking for their honesty and lack of artifice. These qualities are evident in the Tiny Desk Concert performance Johnston did for NPR a couple of years ago, so while it doesn't have anything to do with Christmas exactly, I thought I'd add it as an introduction to his material:




Visit Daniel Johnston's Website, "Hi, How Are You?"

Watch the Documentary "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" for free on Cackle

Watch Daniel Johnston at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2014

Listen to Daniel Johnston Sing "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Shop for Holiday Cards Designed by Daniel Johnston


Track 1
A Recorded Message, by Daniel Johnston (1988)

This short track appears on Johnston's album Merry Christmas, which was recorded during a period when his mental health was beginning to show signs of increasing instability. Despite the title, and the fact that it was released in December 1988, most of the material on the album has little or nothing to do with Christmas. I've always found this track fascinating for its endearing self-assurance ("Perhaps you can comfort one another about my absence by consoling each other about it and talking about how much you miss me.") and professed concern for its unnamed intended recipient(s). It certainly seems sincere, and what's wrong with starting things off with words like this:

And so I say unto you, Merry Christmas and a Happy, Happy New Year!

Incidentally, the incredibly talented Bomarr worked up a very special version of this track several years ago with a perfectly groovy musical backdrop featuring the one and only Johnny Largo on the Optigan. You can enjoy it HERE just as if it were 1973 all over again.

Finally, before leaving the subject of Daniel Johnston altogether, here's a short film he apparently made with some friends approximately 30 or more years ago. I like its message, too:





Back soon with information about Basil Marceaux, the former Tennessee gubernatorial candidate who really likes Christmas a lot but hates gold-fringed flags.

C'est Noel, Part 8 (Tracks 21-23)

Here's some background and random thoughts about the next three tracks from my 2013 holiday mix, C'est Noel!:

Track 23
WrestleMania Christmas, by The Yule Logs (2011)
I've posted previously about The Yule Logs, a great group from Chico, California billed as "the hardest working band in snow business." This track is from their 2011 album You Ruined Christmas, and, according to the band's drummer, Jake Sprecher, it's based on a true story:

When I was six years old I desperately wanted WrestleMania for Nintendo, as I was obsessed with the WWF. Christmas day at my Gram's house I began snooping under the tree till I found what I was certain was a video game, and tore part of the wrapping to be sure. Indeed it was WrestleMania. But then I had something of a freak-out, and decided that instead of being caught red-handed, I would take the present out to the backyard and bury it in the dirt. Later that evening as our entire family was opening presents, my Gram confusedly said something to the effect of, "Jacob, I think you're missing a present." I tried to play it off, ran out back and unearthed WrestleMania. I then brought it back inside and promptly began to weep like the child that I was.

Touching story, huh? Well, not really. But The Yule Logs have no peers when it comes to putting out first-rate holiday music, featuring both classic and original tunes. This song's a good example of that, and I urge you to buy one or more of their records to brighten your home during the holidays. The MUSIC page on their website contains a list of available albums, and you'll find links to various online vendors under each of the album pictures.

I used to love professional wrestling myself when I was a kid, although that was before wrestling really caught on in the 1980s. Back in my day, wrestling was a cheaper and more tawdry affair starring fat, out-of-shape villains; crazy, ill-tempered "managers" and a svelte, pre-steroid version of Vince McMahon, who played the role of a mild-mannered announcer. In honor of the good old days, here's an old-fashioned recipe for holiday cookies from the craziest of the crazy managers, the late "Captain" Lou Albano. (CAUTION: Do NOT make these cookies at home, or anywhere else for that matter.)  If you watch carefully, you'll see a very brief cameo by McMahon at the 0:30 mark, and a longer, more twisted appearance by former villain George (the "Animal") Steele:




Track 22
I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, by Wing (2006)

I've used 398 different songs on my various holiday mixes to date, but only a handful of performers show up on the cumulative track list more than once. Six different songs by Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow have appeared on previous mixes I've circulated, which puts him in first place, followed by William Hung and Wing, who are tied for second place with four appearances each. This year's mix includes the fourth track I've used from Wing, which she calls "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas," also known simply as "White Christmas." The song was written by Irving Berlin in 1941, although there's apparently some dispute about where it was written. Several reports suggest it was written at the La Quinta Hotel in California's Coachella Valley, although Phoenix's Arizona Biltmore Hotel claims Berlin wrote it there. There appears to be general agreement about where and when it was first performed in public:  Christmas Day 1941 on NBC Radio's Kraft Music Hall show by Bing Crosby. Crosby's performance was well-received, but it wasn't until the following year when the song was featured in the Paramount film Holiday Inn  that it really caught on. At first, it was overshadowed by another song from the Holiday Inn soundtrack, but as Fall arrived, it started to climb the record charts, eventually reaching the #1 position, where it remained for 11 weeks. "White Christmas" charted again when it was released several years later, reaching the #1 spot in both 1945 and 1946. One factor that probably accounts for its phenomenal success is its popularity with American soldiers during World War II. After all, the song played to people who were feeling melancholy ("Just like the ones I used to know") and eager for images of home ("Where the tree tops glisten"). For many years, this was the uncontested champion of the bestselling single contest, with total worldwide sales of over 50 million copies (100 million, including copies that were sold on various LPs in addition to the 45 RPM single version). In recent years, the song's faced competition from Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind 1997." But according to the latest Guinness Book of World Records, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" retains the title of bestselling single of all time, an honor it's held consistently since the Guinness people published their first records book in 1955.  This song has been recorded by hundreds of acts over the years, but I guarantee you've never heard a version of it quite like Wing's.

Track 21
Santa Claus Is a Black Man, Akim and the Teddy Vann Production (1973)

I'm indebted to John Waters for introducing me to this song – and for lots more, if I'm going to be honest about it. This one appeared on the wonderful album A John Waters Christmas, along with several others I've used previously such as "Little Mary Christmas," by Roger Christian; "Happy Birthday, Jesus," by Little Cindy; and Tiny Tim's version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."  This is sort of ironic because Teddy Vann wound up suing Waters for including the song on his album without first securing the proper approvals and making arrangements to pay for using it on a commercial venture, although it's likely Vann's real beef with Waters was the fact that Waters had called the song a "crackpot carol" and a "lunatic holiday song." I can't agree with Waters about those descriptions. "Happy Birthday, Jesus" is a crackpot carol; "Santa Claus is a Black Man" is a delicious period piece that represents what Teddy Vann was all about – namely, multiculturalism, joy and respect. Vann, who died in 2009, is a Brooklyn record producer who won a Grammy in 1991 for co-writing the Luther Vandross smash "The Power of Love/Love Power." He was one of the early adherents to the Black Consciousness movement of the 1960s, although he was also quick to celebrate the history and achievements of people of other backgrounds, too. I understand he learned Yiddish so he could communicate more readily with some of his older Jewish neighbors. This song features his daughter, Akim, who claims to have seen Santa Claus in the living room with her mother the previous evening. She reports that Santa looked like her Daddy in that he was black, handsome, had an Afro, and was really out of sight. This is one of the few songs I've heard that wishes its listeners both Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanza. It's a great holiday song by any measure, and I can't imagine why it's not in the heavy airplay rotation at radio stations across the country at this time of year. Oh yeah, that's right – we need to hear that abomination by Wham! more often.


BULLETIN! BULLETIN!  (12/16/13):  I've just seen the tail end of a story Chris Hayes reported on MSNBC tonight concerning a brewing dispute about Santa Claus's race. It seems Fox TV personality Megyn Kelly recently reported that both Santa and Jesus Christ are white, and that because these are indisputable facts, there can be no further debate on the subject. Because this report calls into question one of the many assertions made by this blog (see "Santa Claus Is a Black Man," above) I feel compelled to investigate. I haven't time to do this vital story justice tonight, however, so I'll simply post a link to the Media Matters report on the story and promise to add a new post when I'm able. 



More tunes from C'est Noel! examined tomorrow!