President
and Mrs. Barack Obama Record a Holiday Greeting to the Nation to Mark Their
First Christmas in the White House
I guess Donald Trump misspoke when he alleged that neither President nor Mrs. Obama ever said "Merry Christmas" during their tenure in the White House.
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.
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.
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.
As a history buff and avid reader about all things presidential, I'm always interested in seeing the White House Christmas card each year. Well, President Obama and his family released their 2016 holiday card last week, and naturally it's become the subject of a lot of discussion. Why? Because it features a family picture rather than a more general depiction of the White House in winter.
It is believed that President Calvin Coolidge was the first president to commission a holiday card back in 1927. Since then, there's been an official White House card every year. The styles vary widely, of course depending on a host of factors. Interestingly enough, the Obamas are on the third presidential family to feature a picture of themselves on the card. President and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt featured family pictures at least half a dozen times. Oddly enough, while the Roosevelts typically signed their cards as "The President and Mrs. Roosevelt," there were two years (1936 and 1941) in which the White House card came from "Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt," with no mention of the President at all.
The only other White House card to feature a picture of the current occupants was the first card sent by President and Mrs. Hillary Clinton in 1993. Truth be told, it wasn't a particularly good picture of the Clintons, although it certainly looked better than any of the grim portraits of the Roosevelts. But it can't hold a candle to the photograph on this year's card, which captures the class, grace and poise the current First Family brought to the White House.
This year's card includes the following message:
"As our family reflects on our many happy years spent in the White House, we are grateful for the friends we've made, the joy we've shared, and the gifts of kindness we've received.
"We wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season and a wonderful new year."
I've got a feeling that the new year's going to become mighty horrifying real quick beginning on Inauguration Day.
