So I'm not a big fan of Christmas songs and I have noticed this year that I have pretty much avoided them. Not sure if I'm lucky or I've arranged my life to avoid them. I saw a tweet about Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmas time that made me laugh. I can't find it now but I think I pretty much recreated it:
Wonderful Christmas Time sounds like a when you're involved in a pagan ritual and then the relatives walk in the room:
The Mood Is Right
The Spirits Up
We're Here Tonight
And, That's Enough
SIMPLY HAVING!
A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME!
Drop 'em if you got 'em.
I'm hereby putting everyone on notice that they need to start thinking about their top 10 songs of the 2010's. It'll be my first FMD after the new year.
I know it's entering the holiday season when I stop getting so pissed at Zune for throwing Christmas music into my random mix. #toolazytoseparateplaylists
I'm looking forward to playing at the St. Louis Low Brass Collective's holiday play along again this year.
Here's one of the times I played with them -- I'm in red in the back row pretty much straight behind the conductor.
One of the biggest treats is playing along with the four trombonists from the St. Louis Symphony; if you saw the trombone version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that was going around earlier this year, three of them were participants in that.
The day after that, we have the annual Hallelujah Chorus; last year we had plenty of trombones and needed tenors, so I say instead (in white behind/left of candles)
My daughter started playing trombone. She hates it, but we hear that about most things in her life these days. I think it's largely the teacher in this case.
Anyway, anytime I pick it up to make noises, I get wore out in a hurry from all the blowing. I don't know how you do it!
Well, you have to breathe periodically!
You know,....this is helpful advice in so many circumstances.
I will say however, I went to Trailer Trash's Trashy Little Christmas Show two weeks ago and it was a blast. Although I didn't go this year, The New Standards Christmas event is very good too. Mostly because the musicians are so good. I just don't need to hear Christmas songs bombarding my day-to-day ongoings.
Bad Religion's Christmas EP is about the only way I'll listen to Christmas music after I found out it existed last year, with a few exceptions.
Is this it?
For Your Love - The Yardbirds
When I Think of You - Janet Jackson
Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
I Wont Back Down - Tom Petty
Sweating Bullets - Megadeath
Look At Little Sister - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Kiss Off - Violent Femmes
Poison Ivy - Von Bondies
Karn Evil #9 - Emerson Lake and Palmer
Clock Strikes Ten - Cheap Trick
Yes, thanks! Much better than my re-creation but I got the essence down.
This is on the list of songs I would pay to not have to hear every fifth song during the holidays. Do people like this song?
I like it *shrug*
yeah, it's pretty harmless. UNLESS IT"S PLAYED FIVE TIMES AN HOUR. But yeah.
I consider it one of the worst abominations ever committed to magnetic tape.
It's an earworm that I can't shake, I can only hope to keep in remission.
Even reading the title or thinking too hard about it reactivates the worm and I'm stuck.
I've got extreme coping mechanisms set up to deal with this, to keep me from thinking the song's tune or title.
Gah I'm too close.
Seconded
There's a new Christmas song in our house this year. The jalapeno started taking Japanese lessons recently, so we're working on this gem:
And for when the jalapeno starts taking latin:
On my own, I try really hard to avoid Christmas music until at least December. But ... everyone else in my house just loves Christmas music and we’ve settled into an annual routine of buying & decorating the Christmas tree on Black Friday. I used to grouse about it, but it just made me feel somewhat shameful/petty/silly.
In the end, I got more tired of being called a Grinch than I did of hearing the music, so I‘ve tried to embrace the
madnessspirit. It ain’t about me. However, if they want to put on Christmas music, I surreptitiously switch it to my own playlist - heavy on jazzy, classical, piano or otherwise instrumental versions of the standbys. In the car, I graciously* tune into the seasonal Holiday station if asked, but otherwise keep my own counsel.*keep my negativity to myself.
Christmas music literally makes my wife ill. Sometimes if we're out at a store and their music is too loud she has to go to the car before she vomits or passes out. More than anything the music reminds her of stress of the holiday but also consumerism and also trauma from this time of year.
Thankfully I only like listening to it for a few days which I can do in my car.