.
.
Are you
ready for a cornucopia of crazy Christmas comedy and a stocking stuffed with
Santa’s special songs ‘n’ such? Good, glad to hear it! These are my gifts to
y’all, which ya better open prior to December 21st, as that date brings the
Mayan Calendar to its conclusion and all Earthly life with it. (Well, ‘I Can
Dream, Can’t I?’)
.
Let’s
start with something truly beautiful and work our way down to
hell from there.
.
Perhaps
the only new Christmas song I’ve heard in the last couple decades that really
wowed me was this:
.
Trans-Siberian
Orchestra - Christmas Canon (Video)
.
.
.
The very
first time I ever heard Brenda Lee’s hit ‘Rocking Around The Christmas Tree’,
it played on my car’s radio. I was driving east on Ocean Park Boulevard
.
Yep, I
was a new Brenda Lee fan. (Years later I attended one of her concerts in the Los Angeles
.
.
Well,
below is another Brenda Lee Christmas song I like a lot. Listen for that little
“hitch” in her voice every time she sings the word “WALKIN’” – it drives me wild!
.
Winter
Wonderland - Brenda
Lee
.
.
.
Speaking
of the radio, I have a cassette tape of me from many years ago requesting that
a Phoenix DJ play that version of ‘Blue Christmas’ by Porky Pig. I didn’t know
that the dude I was yakkin’ with on the phone was the DJ and that he was
recording my voice as I was requesting the song and would broadcast it over the
airwaves a short time later. I asked him, “Who does
that song, ‘Blue Christmas’, by Porky Pig?” He answered, “Porky Pig”. Well,
ask a dumb question...
.
Blue
Christmas with Porky Pig
.
.
.
.
I own the
compact disc ‘Dr. Demento Presents The Greatest
Christmas Novelty CD Of All Time’, and it contains some real classics,
the following three being my favorites. I gotta start with the best – a Cheech
Y Chong comedy skit. I only play it in December but I quote from it all year long:
.
.
.
.
This next
one features a dog named Makie performing Yogi Yorgesson’s classic Xmas novelty
song. Makie ain’t no Porky, but you’ll enjoy his shtick if you “paws” long
enough to give it a chance:
.
.
.
Alright,
this last comedy sketch from the Dr. Demento CD, ‘CHRISTMAS
DRAGNET’ by Stan Freberg and Daws Butler, requires a little background
info in order to be fully appreciated. ‘Christmas Dragnet’ is a spot-on spoof
of the legendary ‘Dragnet’ TV series Christmas episode (‘The Big Little Jesus’
- 1953). In order to really “get” the spoof, you must be familiar with the
original.
.
My Ma
bought a soundtrack LP of Dragnet’s 1953 ‘The Big Little Jesus’ episode, and
listening to that during the Christmas season became a Holiday staple in the
McCarthy household. I no longer have a record player, but I do display the
album as a Christmas decoration every year, and I listen to the soundtrack
which I have recorded on a cassette tape.
.
.
Below is
Dragnet’s original Christmas episode divided into 3 parts, and it’s a good story, except that it doesn’t include any tattooed
women and martial arts scenes, which
obviously marks it as something ancient.
Seriously, you really need to
know the original Dragnet episode in order to fully appreciate the ‘CHRISTMAS
DRAGNET’ spoof. So, here’s the original:
.
Dragnet -
The Big Little Jesus ( Part 1 of 3 )
.
.
.
Dragnet -
The Big Little Jesus ( Part 2 of 3 )
.
.
.
Dragnet -
The Big Little Jesus ( Part 3 of 3 )
.
.
.
And now
for the spot-on spoof:
.
.
.
.
‘SCROOGE’,
the 1970 musical starring Albert Finney, is hands down and head and shoulders
above any other version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ on film. Until you’ve seen it,
you really have no idea just how great the Charles Dickens story can be.
.
Scrooge -
December The 25th
.
.
.
I’ll
close this blog bit with the band that opened it – Trans-Siberian Orchestra –
performing a very powerful, hard-rocking version of one of my very favorite
Christmas songs, ‘Carol Of The Bells’:
.
Carol of the Bells
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Higher Quality
.
.
.
And
finally, a little reminder that Jenny Baranick’s book ‘MISSED
PERIODS AND OTHER GRAMMAR SCARES’ is “The Most Sex You Can Have While Improving Your Grammar”,
and it would make an excellent
Christmas gift for the semi-literate lover chained to the mattress in your bedroom. A full review of it can be found
by clicking HERE.
.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
.
YE OLDE
COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem
attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read:
"posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com,
so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
.
STM,
ReplyDelete>>...as that date brings the Mayan Calendar to its conclusion and all Earthly life with it. (Well, ‘I Can Dream, Can’t I?’)
There's a hint of honesty in that statement, I think. I've had the same dream. As the lyrics from 'Red Angel Dragnet' say, " Some day a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets." I'm not sure if that's a Bible quote or not but I bet there's something quite close to it. This is bad. I'm quoting song lyrics from 'The Clash'. The end must be near!
______________
Thanks for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. My blood pressure just dropped a couple of points. Those little girls can sure hold a note.
Always loved Brenda Lee's version of 'Rocking Around the Christmas Tree'. It was years before I realized it was Brenda Lee and not a young Wayne Newton. That's the first time I heard that great Brenda Lee version of 'Winter Wonderland'. I'm a little partial to Jewel's version. Nice Alaskan girl. Her version has a sort of country 'twang' to it...
Jewel's Winter Wonderland
She has a nice set of yodeling skills too. Not sure who that brunette was at the beginning of the video, so here's a better view of Jewel. At least the song title is Christmas appropriate.
More Jewel
Now that I think about it, I spent a year in the Aleutian Islands in AK and never once saw anything that resembled a 'Jewel'. I guess they keep their 'Jewels' in Anchorage or Juneau...away from the riff-raff.
______________
"Ma-ma-ma-ma-cita, donde esta Santa Cleese...the vato wit da bony knees..."
Cheech said,"Oh, yeah, man, they were really freaks, man. As a matter of fact, they all moved up north together, y'know." I wonder if he was referring to the Brownies from the South Pole?
I looked up the word "curt" in the dictionary to see if Jack Webb's picture was there. It's not, but it should be.
SigToo
MASTER SIG II ~
ReplyDelete>> . . . There's a hint of honesty in that statement, I think.
More than a hint, I’m afraid.
>> . . . I've had the same dream. As the lyrics from 'Red Angel Dragnet' say, "Some day a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets." I'm not sure if that's a Bible quote or not but I bet there's something quite close to it.
Ha!-Ha! No, it’s not from The Bible but I happen to know where IT IS from:
Robert De Niro says it in the movie ‘Taxi Driver’. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard that song, but I’ve seen ‘Taxi Driver’ a number of times and recognized that line the moment I read it in your comment.
>> . . . Always loved Brenda Lee's version of 'Rocking Around the Christmas Tree'. It was years before I realized it was Brenda Lee and not a young Wayne Newton.
:-)
‘Little Miss Dynamite’ was dy-no-mite! Wayne Newton was . . . girlie.
Hey, I was surprised to find that I DID like that version of ‘Winter Wonderland’ by Jewel. It was a “COOL” video, too.
>> . . . Now that I think about it, I spent a year in the Aleutian Islands in AK and never once saw anything that resembled a 'Jewel'. I guess they keep their 'Jewels' in Anchorage or Juneau...away from the riff-raff.
The Alaskan authorities probably began shipping all their “jewels” in the Aleutian Islands to Anchorage and Juneau the moment they learned you’d purchased an airline ticket.
Mixing the Brownie from the Dragnet spoof with the Cheech Y Chong skit, eh? A new Christmas comedy mash-up!
I love Cheech Y Chong’s classic stuffs – grew up with it. For me, a lot of the humor is in the details – like mentioning Pacoima, the vato names of Santa’s (less well known) reindeer, etc. And often it’s not even WHAT is said but the WAY in which it is said. And then sometimes it’s BOTH, like: Santa “makes himself real small, you know? Like a real small guy…”
Hey, Sig Dos, can you submit your Email address in a comment? I won’t post it. I’ll just copy the address and then delete the submitted comment. Thanks!
~ D-FensDogg
‘Loyal American Underground’
Great choices. I really like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The Porky Pig is precious and Little Miss Dynamite is cute (It doesn't take much to drive you wild now, does it?)
ReplyDeleteBut Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong take the cake or should I say Christmas Cookie. These guys are hilarious. I don't think I've heard this bit before.
I have the flu and it's time to lay (or is it lie) down again, so I'll be back to view the 'Dragnet' stuff later.
SigToo said...
ReplyDeleteGood catch. I didn't connect the dots with the lyrics. The name Travis comes up in the song too.
I don't want to muddy up the Chriatmas theme here with Clash and Taxi Driver but I do remember a scene when Travis pushes over his TV set. I think that might have been the point in the movie where the viewer realizes that Travis has reached the point of no return. Been a long while since I've seen that movie. Too many real life Travis's in the news now.
The last couple of Christmas theme posts brought back some good memories. Even a distance memory of seeing that Scrooge movie during a class field trip at one of the nicest theaters I've ever been to in Boston (complete with curtains and balconies) percolated to the surface.
MASTER SIG II ~
ReplyDeleteI published your comment for about 30 seconds, just long enough to copy the Email address [Thanks!], and then I deleted it and re-posted the rest of it, minus the Email addy.
Hey, no problem discussing ANYTHING - Christmas theme be hanged. Believe me, when A-DogG and I were commenting back and forth on my short-lived Amazon blog, there were no holds barred, and every blog bit was just the trunk from which many branches sprang. I love seeing how far and wide a conversation can grow from it's original little (chest)nut.
Ya know, the name of that Clash song you mentioned sounds really familiar to me, and I'll bet that once upon a time I owned the album it appeared on. I don't recall the lines from 'Taxi Driver' in it (or a reference to Travis Bickle), but then I don't recall the song at all. However, that name - 'Red Angel Dragnet' - seems to spark something in the deep, dark recesses of my memory.
In my teens and maybe very early 20s, I owned a total of 3 Clash albums. (Don't know why I owned that many, because I never really liked them a whole lot.) But I had their debut album (which I believe I purchased as a British import), I had the (double album?) 'London Calling', and the one with 'Rock The Casbah' on it (can't remember the album title, but I did like that song).
Is 'Red Angel Dragnet' on one of those albums. My guess is it's on the last one I mentioned.
Man, if you saw 'SCROOGE' on a class field trip, you must be pretty old. Obviously you weren't in school any time after our wicked federal authorities invented the 'Separation Of Church And State' lie. Because Tiny Tim's comment, "God bless us, every one", would never be heard on a school field trip today. Also, in 'SCROOGE' there is a Nativity Set displayed on the fireplace mantle of Bob Cratchit's house. Certainly that would be considered a violation of the phony 'Separation Of Church And State' dogma if the school allowed you to see it.
How old are you, Ol' Sig?
~ Ol' Stephen
FarAwayEyes ~
ReplyDelete>>...I really like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Some years ago I bought the album with the song 'Christmas Canon' on it, but I was very disappointed to find it was the ONLY song on the entire album done in that style. Most of the rest of it sounded like 'Prog Rock' to me, and I eventually sold it at a Zia record exchange store.
>>...Little Miss Dynamite is cute (It doesn't take much to drive you wild now, does it?)
Just a little dynamite.
I LOVE Brenda Lee! If I had been older, I would have attempted to woo her (and probably would have gotten myself h-arrested as a "stalker"). Do you know she married a non-celebrity farmer? Talk about "down to earth"! How many celebrities have married a nobody-farmer?
I would have been happy to marry Brenda and become "Mr. Lee". I would work all day in my Chinese laundry shop, and spend all night listening to Brenda whisper sweet nothings in my ear. WHAT A LIFE!
>>...But Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong... I don't think I've heard this bit before.
REALLY?! Sheesh, what a sheltered life you've lived. 'Santa Claus And His Old Lady' is probably my second favorite of all their skits. Number 1 has to be 'Pedro And Man At The Drive-In'. Third might be 'Earache My Eye!'
They were so funny! I quote them pretty regularly, but probably few readers know who I'm stealing from. Have you ever seen where I've written, "Tell 'em you heard it here first on Roller Derby"? If so, that's straight from Cheech Y Chong.
Did you see the blog bit I wrote for 'STUFFS' a few years back in which I displayed photos of a brick wall here in Phoenix that someone had graffiti'd with the names "Cheech And Chong"? Crazy. Only in PHX.
I should have explained earlier, when yakking with Sig, that the reason the mention of "Pacoima" in 'Santa Claus And His Old Lady' tickles me is that Pacoima is a suburb of Los Angeles that is almost totally Hispanic (and many of the Hispanics there are "illegals").
Sorry to hear you're sick. Well, at least you remained well while on your big trip to "the states". Get well PRONTO!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
>How old are you, Ol' Sig?
ReplyDeleteF**k**g Ol'... and far from pleased about it. I was 39 years old 11 years ago. It's like being mad about the weather. I know you're a little older so thanks for that. Of course, it isn't the age, it's the miles as someone once said.
'Red Angel Dragnet' was on the 'Combat Rock' album. I wore out the cassette back when I was 39+11-28 years old. I'm just doing the math to prevent senility from setting in.
Merry CLASHmas
I like the drummin' on this tune. Sort of has a "hitch" like Brenda Lee's "walkin'"...but far more punk-like, of course.
______________________
I wonder if every classroom in America had an "In God We Trust" sign hanging on the wall years ago? Back in elementary school, every day started with the Pledge of Allegiance too.
The elementary school principal was one of the best because he believed in an all-around education which included traveling into the city to watch 'Scrooge'. And no student left the sixth grade without receiving the latest Webster's Dictionary. He had kids walking down the hallway holding their ankles or doing some sort of weird duck-walk if they really screwed up. He would probably be arrested for doing that now.
SigToo
Part 1 Of 2:
ReplyDeleteMASTER SIG II ~
I took a break from working on my 2012 Khristmas Kards (yeah, yer on the list) to check my blog. Saw yer comment, published it, poured myself a Jim Beam & Sunny Delight (times r tough & I can no longer afford 7-Up as a mix) and settled in to reply:
I didn’t mind 30, or 35, 40, or 45. But 50! That was some hard sh!t! From the time I was in elementary school, I always associated 50 with “Old” and “Grandpa”. So, when I hit 50, that was definitely the beginning of the end for me. And trust me, SigBro, it doesn’t get any better; you don’t get “acclimated” to it:
50 + 3 = Old + 3.
The good news for me, though, is that I’m pretty sure I won’t see 54. And even if I do see 54, I’m almost certain I’ll be too six-feet-deep to send out Christmas cards at this time next year (praise God!). In other words: “The End Is NEAR” – for me, anyway. You? Yer on yer own!
I just read your latest blog bit, ‘Monkeys, Cockroaches, And Twinkies’, and it left me wondering why you even bother to read the crap I post. You write much better stuffs than I do! Why do you even waste time reading my B-list posts?
>> . . . 'Red Angel Dragnet' was on the 'Combat Rock' album.
Yep! That’s one of the three I owned – the one with ‘Rock The Casbah’ - so I was right! I knew the title of that song seemed really familiar! I checked out the lyrics and found this: “One of these days, I'm gonna get myself organizized.” That also comes straight out of ‘Taxi Driver’. It’s something De Niro says to Cybill Shepherd.
When I heard it, I remembered ‘Red Angel Dragnet’ immediately. I also remembered why I didn’t like it way back when: The Clash was pulling a ‘Sting standard’: the fake “Jamaican” bit by a Brit. In other words, hyper-White boys trying to sound Black-mon. It always irritated me. (I remember seeing The Police perform live at the Whisky-A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip, right about the time ‘Roxanne’ was just hitting the alternative radio playlists, and before Sting realized he was actually a Black Jamaican in a White Englishman’s body. Yeah, Sting is a Black Jamaican just like Obama is a half-Black Christian! One’s a White Liar, and the other’s a Half-White Liar.)
For a short while, I got wrapped up in the Punk scene. But it didn’t take me too long to realize that most of the Punk musicians had no more musical talent than I did, and then I dropped out and sold back their records. The Germs, X, The Circles Jerks, The Sex Pistols – they all scammed me for a couple years before I got wise.
Continued Below...
Part 2 Of 2:
ReplyDeleteBut, to this day, there are still two Punk songs that I still think “rock” good (I’m not counting ‘Rock The Casbah’, which was too commercial for ‘Punk’, although I still like it). One is ‘Submission’ by the Sex Pistols, and the other is ‘Aloha, Steve And Danno’ by Radio Birdman.
Hardly anyone in the U.S. knew about Radio Birdman, an Australian band, but I played the hell out of their ‘Radios Appear’ album.
>> . . . I wonder if every classroom in America had an "In God We Trust" sign hanging on the wall years ago? … Back in elementary school, every day started with the Pledge of Allegiance too.
I don’t recall that sign, but we also started each school day with ‘The Pledge Of Allegiance’ which included the mention of God. Also, our school assemblies and public performances did not shy away from referencing God. Our Christmas programs included songs like ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Away In A Manger’. It was only some years later that the atheists realized they could use the totally phony ‘Separation Of Church And State’ dogma against us, and that the equally phony (and equally demonically-possessed) Republicans-in-power would let them get away with it.
It took me decades to come to the realization that the Democrats and Republicans, despite all their publicized ‘Phony Phights’, are BOTH totally (and consciously) dedicated to the will of the devil! (This last presidential election has taught me that things are even far worse than I had previously believed regarding the working in concert of the Democrats and Republicans. I previously believed that there was not a nickel’s worth of difference between them, but I now know that they are really two sides of the exact same PENNY! The Republican party is every bit as evil and demonically-devoted as is the Democrat party. Both parties equally represent the Prince of Hell!)
On that happy note, I’ll close. My Christmas cards may be late in arriving this year but . . . whatever.
Great comment, Sig!
~ D-FensDogg
‘Loyal American Underground’
ReplyDeleteI've seen trans siberian orch. once. Great show. Still haven't seen the musical version of the Dickens tale. But I'm in the process of getting them all, so why not.
Br'er marc
Yeah, BR'ER, from what I've heard, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra puts on a grand show.
ReplyDeleteMusically they're probably a bit too "heavy" for my tastes these days, but apparently they are true "entertainers" in terms of their light shows and stage effects.
I've also heard that their concerts are particularly LOUD!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Well, the Great McCarthy-Sheboyganboy Musical Divide is in evidence again. Always nice to explore it, but the fact that it there is too bad.
ReplyDeleteI am not a Trans-Siberian Orch fan, and even less so now that you've shown me that they stole Pachelbel's Canon and turned it into a Christmas song. When I was in my "classical ONLY mode" in high school, Pachelbel's Canon was still fabulous, but not popular as it is today. Today, it is everyone's favorite classical melody.
I've never been even CLOSE to liking Brenda Lee. The little hitch in her voice drives me wild, also. Just not in the same way.
The little of Cheech and Chong I've heard is sort of funny - in its stoned way. But I've never heard a C&C album or seen a C&C movie. Never been stoned, never tried a joint or any drug of any kind. So their stoned shtick never appealed to me. I "like" them and can appreciate what they are doing, but I am not of their wavelength.
The Makie the dog/Yorgesson vid was cute, and its a good one.
PORKY PIG? Now you're talkin'! GREAT JOB by the PP imitator!
The Dragnet spoof was fun and right on. Watching the actual Dragnet episode was even more fun.
Scrooge with Finney WAS an excellent version. My favorite was (like all old people think) the Alistair Sim version. Since I am older than any other of your devoted readers, I speak with the authority of your elders.
My favorite Christmas album by far is one released by James Taylor about two years ago. His take on each song is fantastic. Here is a sample (In the Bleak Midwinter):
Thanks for keeping the conversation going.
BTW - After your comment I read Sigmund's latest blog bit, and it IS excellent!
Saw the 'Dragnet'. First one was nice. Second was funny. 'Scallions are the same as green onions', who knew - Ha, ha, ha. And see, there are other people who do not believe in Cincinnati and Cleveland.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the bottom of the Christmas Stocking, I think you missed one. Gonna try the LINKY thing again.
Polka Bob
An accordion, polka beat; makes the Pollock in me want to get up and dance. Actually, that party kind of reminds me of Christmas at my 'Busha's'(Polish Grandma's) house.
Absolute proof or proof absolutely that I'm incompetent; I cannot get that Linky thing to work. This time it's underlined but not blue and goes no where, but then I bet you already knew that.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to see it go to Youtube and put in 'Bob Dylan Must be Santa'.
SHEBOYGANBROTHER McSIXGUN ~
ReplyDelete>>...Well, the Great McCarthy-Sheboyganboy Musical Divide is in evidence again.
Ha!-Ha! Yes, it is, and ever will be. It's almost comical now how much you and I disagree on all non-Jazz music and bands. (And I haven't even gotten back to you yet with my opinion of Bryan Adams... Oops. I mean 'The Killers'.)
>>...I am not a Trans-Siberian Orch fan
You didn't even like that powerful version of 'Carol Of The Bells'? Sheesh! 'The Great McCarthy-Sheboyganboy Musical Divide' NEVER gets filled in.
>>...Cheech and Chong...
Well, I've never been stoned either - no drugs except the liquid variety - but I've known many stoners very well, and Cheech Y Chong often crack me up.
I would choose the Alistair Sim version of 'A Christmas Carol' as second best. But, as good as it was, it's head, shoulders, and torso beneath the Albert Finney version, in my op.
If you were attempting to post a link to a James Taylor song, it didn't take.
I would be willing to have my mind changed, and I love Christmas music so much that I'm not overly discerning when it comes to performers. I'd certainly be willing to give a James Taylor Christmas album a chance, but... he had/has such a bland, ultra-white bread voice that he was never a big favorite of mine. I loved 'Fire And Rain', and 'You've Got A Friend' was nice in a bland, ultra-white bread kinda way. But most of his stuffs just seemed like Chinese food to me: It never quite filled me and I was hungry for some starch 'n' soul food soon after.
If there's one Brenda Lee album that might change your mind about her, it's probably the self-titled 'BRENDA LEE' from 1991. There's some great stuffs on that, which was a more mature departure from her early stuffs. ('Some Of These Days' totally kicks butt, and there's a lot of other really good, more subdued songs on that collection.)
OK, trivia question for ya: What classic Rock 'N' Roll 'driving song' mentions Brenda Lee and one of her hit songs in it?
I'll give you a hint . . .
no, I won't!
:-)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
FAE ~
ReplyDeleteWell, your link didn't work (again). I'm pretty sure you're doing it right though, because otherwise it wouldn't have ANY of the characteristics of a link (e.g., underlined when the cursor touches it, etc.)
Maybe you'll just post a URL to 'Polka Bob' for us to copy and paste into our browsers?
Incidentally, there are a couple really funny things in that "real" Dragnet episode. One is when that little boy says about the suspect, "Oh, he was pretty old" and then when pressed for an age, he says, "About forty".
Another line I like is, "Why didn't you buy her a catcher's mitt?" I used that one on Nappy just a few days ago when he bought a certain "someone" a slow cooker.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
POSTSCRIPT: Now that you've seen the 'Big Little Jesus' Dragnet episode, go back (if you have a chance) to that final blog bit I posted at 'STUFFS' and see if you see anything 'Big Little Jesus-y' in it.
FAE ~
ReplyDeleteIt seems you were writing your last comment to me at the same time I was writing my last comment to you.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Well, you just DID get back to me on The Killers, so no need to waste the cells on the tips of your fingers writing more via email. Good thing I didn't actually send you the album for Christmas. And that Bryan Adams shot was a low blow!
ReplyDeleteJust for your edification and my amusement I'll give you a Killers Christmas song
(minus the "linky thing" ha ha. By the way, it is excellent. Just wanted to let you know beforehand, so's you twasn't predisposed to hatin' it, as usual):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cglLJJ0Czo8
SHBOYGANBROTHER McSIX ~
ReplyDeleteWhaddaya mean that was a low blow? You like Bryan Adams, don't you? (Don't you be-a tellin' me ya don't like Bryan Adams, mate!)
Off to work I go, so I'll check out that Killers Khristmas Kut later tonight.
Hey, not even a guess as to which classic Rock 'driving song' mentions Little Miss Dynamite (Brenda Lee) and one of her old hit songs?
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
No, I'm NOT a Bryan Adams fan. I don't hate him and I thought his two big hits were nice and catchy, but he was a pedestrian musician and songwriter that didn't resonate with me. I have not listened to either of his hits or any of his songs since they came out. I DO think he is criticized more than he deserves... sort of "Michael Bolton-ized." Bolton doesn't deserve the mocking he gets, either (though I not a fan of him, for sure!)
ReplyDeleteAs for Lee, I had no idea about it. NONE. I assumed that whatever song was written about her must have been written by another musician that I didn't care about or I'd have been aware of the song.
So I looked it up. From WIKI:
"Chuck Berry wrote a song about Lee on the album St. Louis to Liverpool. She was also immortalized in Golden Earring's 1973 hit "Radar Love": "Radio's playing some forgotten song / Brenda Lee's 'Coming on Strong'." She was also remembered as a heroine to Burton Cummings on his 1978 album "Dream of a Child" in the song "Dream of a Child," including the lines "When I was a child, dreamed that Elvis Presley, was standing on the corner, kissing Brenda Lee", and in the closing line, "I love Brenda Lee / Brenda Lee loves me / yeah...". Ben Vaughn wrote and released "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" in 1985, which has also been covered by Marshall Crenshaw."
There you have it. More than one song written about her. I was surprised that she is mentioned in Radar Love, which I like. I'd not listened closely to the lyrics and wouldn't remember anyway.
You like Golden Earring, right? If so, there's one we both like.
By the way, I DO like David and David quite a bit after buying the album on your strong recommendation... so there are a FEW points of rock we agree on. Just not many.
I just wandered over here from another blog... that was singing your praises. A tribute. Cool, huh? I found quite a smorgasbord of goodies in your post to keep me smiling, but I've gotta say, what really cracked me up is your statement about not putting up with "bovine excrement". What can I say? I'm a real sophisticated gal. Nice to meetcha. As Arnie said, "I'll be bock."
ReplyDeleteSHEBOYGANBROTHER McSIXGUN ~
ReplyDeleteI just assumed you MUST like Bryan Adams because I don’t. Also, because to me The Killers sounded like “generic 1980s Rock”, which is the way I think of Bryan Adams’ sound. Sorry, Bro. (And what’s with that name? ‘The Killers’? Who or what do they kill? Might as well have called themselves ‘The Rockers’.) We do much better on Jazz - minus Metheny - and politics and literature, and . . . everything else.
[:-)
>> . . . There you have it. More than one song written about her. I was surprised that she is mentioned in Radar Love, which I like. I'd not listened closely to the lyrics and wouldn't remember anyway.
Yes, Bro, “Brenda Lee’s Coming On Strong” from ‘Radar Love’ is what I was looking for. ‘Radar Love’, perhaps the greatest “driving” Rock song ever.
>> . . . You like Golden Earring, right? If so, there's one we both like.
Ha! Well, hold on there, Bub – not so fast!
I love ‘Radar Love’ (how could any red-blooded American not? – never mind the fact that Golden Earring is a Dutch band) but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a fan of the band. In my youth, I owned 2 or maybe 3 of their LPs. The album with ‘Radar Love’ (titled ‘Moontan’ or ‘Moon Tan’ – whatever) did nothing for me. ‘Radar Love’ was the only song on the collection that really grabbed me. And I actively disliked their biggest hit, ‘Twilight Zone’ from 1983.
HOWEVER . . . in my teens, I LOVED their album ‘Grab It For A Second’ (GIFAS), which is one of only a small handful of albums I owned as a teen and still have today on CD. In fact, when I first learned that ‘Twilight Zone’ was by Golden Earring, I was shocked by how awful they sounded compared to their great ‘GIFAS’ album, which had 8 songs on it and every one’s a winner. Below are two of them, which I’m sure you won’t like because I do (HA!) . . .
Movin’ Down Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgSjAXerXqU
Cell 29:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMOEXHkbgXg
(Not sure if the audio’s bad on that one or if it’s just my crummy speakers.)
>> . . . By the way, I DO like David and David quite a bit after buying the album on your strong recommendation... so there are a FEW points of rock we agree on. Just not many.
Yeah. So few we can count ‘em on one hand. Oh well, such is life. We’re friends, and that’s what is important.
~ D-FensDogg
‘Loyal American Underground’
SUSAN FLETT SWIDERSKI ~
ReplyDeleteGreat name! Seriously!
Let's see now - testing my 'Classic Rock Trivia' knowledge, without cheating and Googling...
‘Flett’. I think his first name was Dave. Dave Flett? He was a major player/songwriter in Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
‘Swiderski’ just rolls off the tongue like a great vodka.
‘Susan’ - well, very 'American Girl-Next-Door' name. Maybe not an overly "sophisticated" name but it has a rich history.
Yeah, three great names that sound great together.
As for “Bovine Excrement” – I can’t take credit for it. In the 1980s I was the “spiritual leaven” of a 6-dude Los Angeles drinking gang called ‘The League Of Soul Crusaders’.
Then the first of the six decided to get hisself married (idiot!) and the gang’s unofficial leader, Torch, was called upon to give the eulogy at the wedding reception. Torch decided he wanted to start his speech by reading a poem I had previously written about the gang. It was titled (not too surprisingly) ‘The League Of Soul Crusaders’.
The only problem was that one line in the poem went: “And they don’t accept East Coast bullshit; poking fun at Brooklyn accents.”
Well, Torch knew he couldn’t use the word “bullshit” in front of Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and little children. So when he read the poem, he replaced “bullshit” with “bovine excrement”.
Since that time, I have encountered other “writers” using the expression “bovine excrement”, but Torch – at Pooh’s wedding reception – was the very first person I ever found utilizing that euphemism.
Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to return and comment. Sooner or later I pretty much piss everyone off, but you’re welcome here until that day comes when I insult you or something or someone you love.
[:-)
~ D-FensDogg
‘Loyal American Underground’
The Killers took their name from a logo on the bass drum of a fake band in the music video for the New Order song 'Crystal'. It is seen best at the 1:17 mark of the "official" video on youtube. Totally unimportant fact, but you asked.
ReplyDeleteAs for what their sound: every musician we dislike we could characterize in bad terms, and each one we like we could use glowing words to describe. To you, "generic 80s rock." To me, I hear "post-punk revival" or "indie rock" with superb lyrics. Stuff I wish I was talented enough to write. (To use your terms:) Maybe in my next life I'll be a musician and write lyrics, and maybe in yours you'll like them! Or maybe not.
SHEBOYGANBOY SIX ~
ReplyDeleteHa!-Ha! Touche!
Earlier, I described James Taylor's voice as "bland and hyper-white bread". And YOU would describe it as... what? (Don't say "soulful" or I'm gonna whup ya with a Marvin Gaye stick! :)
However (and honestly), I read that poem you wrote about the bridge when the friend of your son died. Remember? After writing THAT, you're seriously going to try to convince me that you don't think you have the talent to write song lyrics at least as good as what The Killers publish? SERIOUSLY?!
When I find the time, I may look up the lyrics to some of those songs you linked me to, to find out what they're really singing. (One can only discern a limited amount of the words in loud Rock 'N' Roll songs.) I should probably reserve my opinion until I've investigated the lyrics somewhat.
But based on what I was able to discern after hearing each of those three Killers songs twice, I truly doubt that you have less wordsmithing talent than the primary songwriter(s) in The Killers.
Frankly, I think there has only been a very small number of truly gifted lyricists in Rock 'N' Roll - the words to most Rock songs ARE fairly pedestrian. After Dylan, Waits, Todd Snider, and early Springsteen, the quality of lyrics in Rock songs drops off dramatically (although there were some other good lyricists, such as Jim Croce, and at times Warren Zevon and Rickie Lee Jones, et al.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I'm glad you like my name, but I'm afraid I'm not important enough to have an alias. That's just ME. Lots of luck pissing me off, too. I'm married to a Vietnam grunt vet/retired engineer, and it'd be pretty tough to top him for being an outrageous straight-shooter who doesn't give a good diddle about being P.C.
ReplyDeleteSUSAN ~
ReplyDelete>>...I'm afraid I'm not important enough to have an alias.
Oh, I'm sorry, but if that's the case, I won't be able to speak to you anymore. It would be very bad for my reputation if anyone saw me conversing with someone not important enough to have an alias. But best wishes for the rest o' yer life!
>>...I'm married to a Vietnam grunt vet/retired engineer...
Oh, well then it's ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED that I'm going to piss you off. But not this year. Early in 2013. I have a series of blog bits planned that are going to piss EVERYONE off. It needs to be said, and I'm the guy who's going to say it. (I don't want to write it now, in the middle of the joyful Christmas season... so I'll wait 'til early 2013.)
After I post this aforementioned series, I will need to duck and run because I probably won't have a single friend left, but an abundance of enemies.
However, for now anyway, let's be friends.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
That was an outstanding Christmas line-up that surpasses most TV Christmas specials.
ReplyDeleteI'd never seen that Porky Pig clip before but that was great. It reminded me of the "Crying" scene in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.
I'm looking forward to the 2013 series that will piss everyone off. How can you top some of the posts that you've already done?
And just in case we don't make it past this coming Friday, you might want to check out the Apocalypse Blogfest. Here's the link if you're interested:
Apocalypse BlogFest
I'll bet you could add something very meaningful to this one.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
Thanks, BOIDMAN!
ReplyDeleteI never saw Lynch's 'Mulholland Drive', but I was on the real Mulholland Drive many times - most often at night, most often with my buddy Kelly/"Andy", and most often after "adult beverages" had been consumed. Those were definitely 'E-Ticket Rides'.
Hard to believe, I know, but the early 2013 blog bit series will be more inflammatory than anything else I've ever posted. After that, I will be required to go into hiding. (Although no government-authorized Witness Protection Program will have me.)
And thanks for the link to the 'Apocalypse Blogfest'. I hadn't heard about that, but I'll check it out.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Arlee Bird's comparison between Porky Pig's 'Blue Christmas' and 'Llorando' struck the funny bone...in a weird, bizarre sort of way. Gotta love it (and Naomi Watts too).
ReplyDeleteSilencio!
__________________
STM and Sheboyganboy 6, thanks for the compliments regarding Monkeys, Cockroaches, and Twinkies post.
>>I just read your latest blog bit, ‘Monkeys, Cockroaches, And Twinkies’, and it left me wondering why you even bother to read the crap I post. You write much better stuffs than I do! Why do you even waste time reading my B-list posts?
Panning for gold is a waste of time?
__________________
I was on the 'Stuffs' site the other day and could have sworn I heard 'Key Largo' coming through the speakers; the "we had it all, just like Bogey and Bacall" tune. Really.
__________________
Did you find Lizzy Borden in your mailbox recently? She was folded multiple times and stuffed into a brown envelope. First Class mail, of course. She wouldn't have it any other way.
SigToo
MASTER SIG II ~
ReplyDeleteI'd never seen-a-scene from 'Mulholland Drive' before. I guess we could call that one 'When Lip-Synching Goes Wrong'?
>>...Panning for gold is a waste of time?
When you're already living in a mansion made o' gold? Definitely!
>>...I was on the 'Stuffs' site the other day
Hey, stay outta there! That property has been abandoned and is very dangerous. You kids shouldn't be playing around there. Didn't you see the 'No Trespassing' signs? Why don't you kids go to the park and play?
>>...and could have sworn I heard 'Key Largo' coming through the speakers; the "we had it all, just like Bogey and Bacall" tune. Really.
I love that song! I do recall posting a video to it on the blog, but now I couldn't begin to guess where or why. (Sometimes I'd just post stuffs during a momentary flash of inspiration, and then almost immediately forget all about it.)
>>...Did you find Lizzy Borden in your mailbox recently?
I did... Ha!-Ha! ...I'm literally laughing out loud as I type this because I JUST NOW, THIS INSTANT, remembered something...
I think that's why I asked you to send me your Email address. I wanted to contact you privately to say "I received it" and "Thank you!" But then, in the time it took you to send the address (which was, like, maybe one day), I completely forgot why I had asked for it. SHIT, man, it's HELL to get old!
Anyway... sorry for neglecting to acknowledge receipt of it (I did, however, get halfway there), but I read every single article in the paper.
I was eager to read two of the other articles advertised as being Inside ('100 Years Ago, They Didn't Discuss Lesbian Affairs' 16L, and 'Paint Or Blood? Burning Dress Restudied' 18L) but was sorry to find that those were in the section you had not saved. DOH!
Anyway, Lizzie was a lezzy, she was guilty of the murders, and the dress she burned was covered in blood, not paint! That's my authoritative opinion based on intensive hunches which have been scientifically proven to be 98.99% accurate 18% of the time. Now what else do ya want me to learn ya about Lezzy Borden?
Sometime in the next few days, I'll Email something to ya, just so you'll have my Eddress in case ya ever want it. Unless, of course, I forget. (Is there any type of alcohol that is supposedly good for improving one's memory? I think I heard about one once but...)
Yak Soon, Sig...
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'