If you've followed my mixes, website or blog over the past 20 years, you probably know that I've featured a bunch of material from the 2004 album Hung for the Holidays, by former American Idol contestant William Hung. Hung was a young civil engineering student at U.C. Berkeley when he skyrocketed to fame following his unsuccessful audition for the hit Fox show performing the Ricky Martin number "She Bangs." His spirited performance was brutally panned by the judges, especially Simon Cowell, who called it "grotesque," adding, "You can't dance, you can't sing, so what do you want me to say?" Cowell wasn't necessarily wrong, but Hung's response touched a nerve with many viewers: "Um, I already gave my best," he said, "and I have no regrets at all."
During the next several years, Hung enjoyed considerable publicity and a fair degree of commercial success. He released three different records, the first of which, Inspiration, sold over 200,000 copies and reached #32 on Billboard's Hot 200 Albums Chart. His career as a recording artist fizzled out within a couple of years and Hung was forced to deal with a variety of challenges in the years that followed, but he maintained a positive outlook and persevered. In addition to taking jobs as a math teacher, professional gambler and analyst for the L.A. Sheriff's Department, Hung has also worked as a motivational speaker.
To mark the 20th anniversary of Hung's American Idol appearance (can it really have been that long ago?) Jamie Loftus' "Sixteenth Minute of Fame" podcast recently featured a two-part retrospective of his life and career. It's a fascinating look at an especially interesting character in our popular history and it's told with understanding, kindness and respect:
I confess I originally included Hung's holiday tunes on my mixes for comic relief. He's not a talented singer and his material is good for a cheap laugh. But there's a far more important message I now see in his performances. He enjoys singing and is courageous and smart enough to take chances in life and do what makes him happy. I admire William for that, and hearing his spirited rendition of some holiday classics gives me some real joy as well.
Continuing with our review of the 37 tracks on this year's holiday mix, here's a look at the next batch of songs and clips:
Track 31 Excerpt from "A Visit from St. Nicholas," read by Ed Asner (1987)
As noted earlier, we lost three stars of The Mary Tyler Moore Show this year: Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod, and one of my favorite celebrities of all time, the great Ed Asner. Asner, of course, played newsman Lou Grant two different TV series: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77), half-hour sitcom based in a Minneapolis TV station; and Lou Grant (1977-82), a one-hour drama based in a Los Angeles-based daily newspaper. Asner won Emmys for his work on both series and others as well; in fact, he won more performance-based Emmys than any other male actor.
Asner was also known for his political activism and generous support of a wide range of charitable causes. In the early 1980s, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild, a job previously held by Republicans George Murphy and Ronald Reagan. During his tenure as SAG's president, Asner actively opposed President Reagan's policies in Central and South America while advocating for union members and the less fortunate in this country and elsewhere.
Upon learning of Asner's death, filmmaker and activist Michael Moore recalled as follows:
When I was making my first film, Roger & Me, I was broke, so I wrote to some famous people to ask for help. Only one responded: Ed Asner.
“I don’t know you, kid, but here’s 500 bucks,” said the note attached to the check. “Sounds like it’ll be a great film. I was an autoworker once.”
Asner loved to work, and he played hundreds of other characters in addition to his iconic Lou Grant role. Generations of children know him for voicing the role of widower Carl Fredricksen in Disney's animated film Up! I'm not sure if this was intentional or happenstance, but he had significant roles in at least a dozen popular Christmas movies, including the Emmy-winning 1977 TV film "The Gathering." Remarkably, he played Santa Claus himself in at least half a dozen movies and TV shows, including the hit film Elf (2003).
Asner remained active to the very end — in fact, he was posting tweets just a couple of days before he died this past August 29. Ed was a powerful presence in the world and we won't soon see his like again.
When actor Jamie Farr was hired to appear on the new CBS TV series M*A*S*H in 1972 he was scheduled to appear in a single episode as Maxwell Klinger, a corporal who wore female clothing in the hope that he'd be discharged from the service as unfit for duty. The Klinger character proved popular, however, and Farr was asked back for several additional episodes until by the fourth season of the popular program he became a regular cast member.
M*A*S*H has always been one of my favorite shows, and while Klinger was never one of my favorite characters I've always thought that Jamie Farr seemed like an awfully good guy. Unfortunately, his work as Klinger seems to have permanently typecast him and he's had trouble landing other work. Believe it or not he's now 87 years old, and I know everyone will join me in extending him our warmest holiday wishes this year, too.
Track 29
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Arthur Treacher (1966)
Arthur Treacher was an English stage and film actor best known for his portrayal of butlers Jeeves in a series of Shirley Temple movies and Constable Jones in the classic Disney film Mary Poppins. He's also known for his work as announcer and sidekick on the Merv Griffin Show from 1965-70. I guess what I remember him best for is the chain of fast food restaurants to which he lent his name starting in the late 1960s. Arthur Treacher's featured fried fish, fried chicken and chips (french fries), and at its peak the chain boasted more than 800 stores. Today, only one remains.
Treacher's version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was recorded as part of a holiday album released in 1966 by "Merv Griffin and his TV Family." The collection also included songs by Frankie Michaels, who had won a Tony Award earlier that year for his role in the Broadway show Mame; actor David Soul; Gilbert Price, operatic baritone and actor; and, of course, several by Griffin himself. This track was ultimately released as a single and selected by Billboard magazine as one of the standouts of the holiday releases that year. I don't know that I'd give it that much credit myself, but it's a cool little number and a good representative song from its time.
Track 28
Little Drummer Boy, William Hung (2004)
I'll likely be back tomorrow with some quick thoughts on one or more of the six remaining tracks on this year's mix.
What is it about us that simply loves being outraged about one thing or another? The feeling goes way back in time and typically gets expressed in connection with trivial matters and the expressions of marginal groups, who, in a deliciously ironic twist, are usually strengthened by the dunderheads who try to silence them. That's the standard set-up in this country anyway. In less tolerant lands, the blasphemers are often shot before anyone can debate the issue. But we'd rather shake and swoon in our affected indignity. Today's post features a short piece about five holiday songs that sparked significant outrage among various constituencies. Of course you and I know it's barely scratched the surface. You want to hear outrageous? Come back after you've listened to 20 minutes of Wing, or William Hung!
Yesterday's post included a passing reference to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the awesome Brooklyn-based band that's attracted considerable attention in recent years for its enthusiastic celebration of the classic soul/funk sound of the 1960s and '70s. Their 2009 release "Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects" is one of only three tracks I used twice on two separate holiday mixes (Here Comes Santa Claus and Christmas Is Cancelled This Year), and since the others are by Wing and William Hung, I'm not sure they should really count. Well, yesterday's mention led me to do poke around a bit to see what the group has been up to lately, and I was thrilled to discover that they've recently released their own version of the Bing Crosby classic "White Christmas" – a raving send-up that has little in common with the plodding and sentimental original we all know so well. The folks at Cole Haan are promoting the song as part of their holiday campaign, so we're likely to be hearing bits and pieces of it as the season moves along. But there's nothing like seeing and hearing a great song from start to finish, so – ladies and gentlemen: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings:
