This was the Christmas mix I prepared this year, spread across two CDs. The “A” side is (slightly) smoother, the B disk jumpier and rowdier, especially towards the end. If you don’t know Ed Harcourt’s version of “In the Bleak Midwinter,” it gives you a totally different sense of his other work; you might think he’s like Five for Fighting, but he’s really like Randy Newman or Eels. Likewise, Alison Krauss’ silly and sensual “Shimmy Down the Chimney” is a far cry from her Americana croonings.

CHRISTMAS SONGS: Disc A

1. Dianne Reeves: Christmas Time Is Here

2. Charles Brown: Merry Christmas, Baby

3. The Irish Tenors: Joy To The World

4. James Brown: Let’s Make Christmas Mean Something This Year Parts 1 & 2

5. Eddie Cantor: The Only Thing I Want For Christmas (Is Just To Keep The Things That I’ve Got)

6. Bing Crosby & David Bowie: Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy

7. KT Tunstall: 2000 Miles

8. Evan Dando: Silent Night

9. Ella Fitzgerald: O Holy Night

10. Al Green: I’ll Be Home For Christmas

11. Brook Benton: Soul Santa

12. Mary Chapin Carpenter: Christmas Time in the City

13. Santa Claws & the Naughty But Nice Orchestra: Hell’s Bells (Tribute to AC/DC)

14. The Three Tenors: Winter Wonderland

15. Victoria Williams: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

16. Ella Fitzgerald: O Come All Ye Faithful

17. Faith & The Muse: A Winter Wassail

18. The Fleshtones: Canadian Christmas

CHRISTMAS SONGS: Disc B

1. Sammy Davis Jr.: Christmas Time All Over The World

2. Marvin Gaye: Purple Snowflakes

3. Big Dee Irwin: I Wish You A Merry Christmas

4. Twistin’ Kings: Xmas Twist

5. Rufus Wainwright: Spotlight On Christmas

6. The Chipmunks: Hang up Your Stocking

7. Eddie Dunstedter: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!/Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

8. Alison Krauss: Shimmy Down The Chimney

9. The Fleshtones: You’re All I Want For Christmas

10. John Cale: Child’s Christmas in Wales

11. The Temptations: Christmas Everyday

12. Piney Gir: A Cheery Christmas

13. The Winter Sounds: McAdenville (Christmastown)

14. Eddie Rabbitt: Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

15. Suzy Bogguss: Two-Step ‘Round The Christmas Tree

16. Yo Yo Yo Kids: North Pole Homies

17. Bad Religion: Silent Night

18. Ed Harcourt: In The Bleak Midwinter

19. The Butties: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

20. KT Tunstall: Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas In Hawaii)

The Poor Boys II aren’t particularly gifted. But they were told to come and play for us, so they did. And did their best, until they got fed up at a crowd they weren’t used to—a civilized one, not the backyard sleepover throng they’re used to in the teen underground scene—and tried to shake things up with a ten minute drum solo.
Not a precision-machine prog-rock drum solo, mind you. Just ceaseless banging by all three band members, on whatever was within reach. They hit and slapped drums, guitar cases, keyboard casings, each other, the bald head of a man too close to the stage…
It ended when someone offered to buy them a drink. After which the rest of PB2’s set sounded positively melodic and upbeat.

Defeat and Death of Ahab at the Bullfinch… Invasion from the East at Hamilton’s, invading twice, at 9 & 11 p.m…. Various Activities (that’s a band) at D’ollaire’s…

I can’t afford a plane. I book a bus. It will take four days.

Received a blizzardy blur of Christmas pop this past week, nearly none of it ironic or snotty. Lots of clever arrangements and efforts to update or honor classic tunes of the season, but nothing pat or snide, as could well be expected from those who wear black and never leave their bedroom recording studios.
AM & Shawn Lee have an EP, Holiday Happiness & Cheer that unwinds like a High Llamas album, with respectful rebuildings of lounge-pop sounds, repeating themes and lush instrumentals of songs you’ve already heard with vocals. Only two tunes to contend with here—two sweet and sweetened versions of the Charlie Brown Christmas opening number Christmas Time is Here, then three versions of the original “I’m Home for the Holidays, stripped down and then stripped down further.

The bands Kisses and Keep Shelly in Athens conspired to create the “Narrow Elevator Christmas Muzak Mix” of eerily squeaky and serene dance music. It’s a full 50 minutes of music—er, muzak—which I’ve blissed out to while typing. More furtive than festive, but sounds like a cold swirly still night in the winter.

I’ve also spent time this week trying to figure out if “Jasper Christmas” by the harmony-vocal quirk ensemble Pearl and the Beard is a Christmas song, or just about a guy with Christmas as a surname. “I don’t wanna stay,” it yowls.

Life Itself—A Memoir
By Roger Ebert (Grand Central Publishing, 2011)

Roger Ebert the writer and critic once again beats back Roger Ebert the celebrity punchline, and provides an enlightening and intelligent commentary on what matters in modern life.

I read this book sideways, heading straight to the Russ Meyer and Sex Pistols bits, then browsing incessantly before doubling back to tackle the book as a whole. I cheated myself of a soldly structured and balanced autobiography. Considering that he’s been on the top of his chosen profession (film critic) for decades, and hobnobs regularly with the rich and famous, he’s remarkably centered and not ego-driven. This book accesses his professorial side, not his “At the Movies” persona (which he’s certainly taken advantage of in some of his earlier books.) There aren’t surprises here—we know Ebert’s been sick for years, that many trusted friends and colleagues of his have died, that his career glories include both popularizing the craft of film criticism and earning a Pulitzer for his own practice of it. This is a book of reactions rather than revelations or provocation—how Ebert felt when certain things happened. He’s so thoughtful and articulate that he makes a life largely spent writing at a desk into a wondrous adventure.

Septemberish weather notwithstanding, it really felt like Christmastime today. Walked around the city and it was a village. Did some last-minute shopping, and had forgotten how many friends I had who worked in those shops. I’ve known some of these people for decades.
The streets were quite but not deserted. The students vamoosed days ago. It feels like a village now. Everybody knows each other, smiles, wishes happy holidays, is happy to have customers in the shop. The check-out folks at the library were merry. The tellers at the bank, even though they were caught up in a computer calamity that only allowed them to process one transaction at a time, while holding their breaths, they still were upbeat.
Toothless babies smiled at me. The girls got off the schoolbus beaming, after a half-day at school spent eating cupcakes and watching the puppy opus Santa Buddies. We shopped yet more—restaurant gift certificates from our favorite restaurants, such as Miya and Mamoun’s.
We wrapped gifts. We made cookies. If the visions of sugarplums don’t exactly arrive, we’ll be fine. Could have used snow (the Channel 8 guy had our hopes up earlier in the week) but that’s not a dealbreaker. Happy Christmas regardless, in our havenly hometown.

Selected story titles from the 192-page full-color trade paperback collection Archie Christmas Classics:

Slide Guide
Snow Mistake
Fire Bugged
Come Onna My House
Shocking Stocking
Not Even a Moose
Those Christmas Blues
A Head Start
Generous to a Fault
Code Three
Gift Collection
Do No Evil
More Pull Than Talent
Go For Broke
Boxed In
R is for Rooked
Black Book Bonanza
A Christmas Tale
Prize Surprise
Treed
It’s Not the Gift
Ode to Santa
Temptation
Shopper Comes a Cropper
The Greatest Gift (Parts 1 and 2)
Tree Spree
Spirit Sprite
Tree Travail
And the text story Christmas Jeer.

The ‘60s-vintage Ode to Santa features The Archies—in this case, just a trio of Archie on guitar, Reggie on drums and Jughead on keyboards—upsetting the establishment with their modern take on Christmas carols. “They grab every opportunity to clamp down on us younger generation cats!,” Archie complains.
Sample lyric:
Rock it, Santa, Shake it loose
While we stuff our Christmas goose
Bring those goodies, that’s your bag
As we sing the reindeer rag.

Hard to know what constitutes an Archie Christmas Classic—I could reel off dozens of stories which didn’t make the cut here—but Ode to Santa qualifies like crazy.

The woman at a table right near the stage wouldn’t stop reading her magazine, so Sonny Blitt brought the show right to her. First he mocked her from the stage, making fun of the fact that she was plainly ignoring him. Then he leapt offstage to actually interview her about her apathy—didn’t she realize that her seat was being coveted by folks actually interested in watching him play? She answered that her disinterest was genuine—she was here on a date, not to see Sonny Blitt play, and the date was late. (The date never showed up, but that’s another story.)
So Sonny ultimately invited her right back onstage with him. And, good sport that she was, she went.
Then sat right down in the corner of the stage, by the amp, and went right back to reading her magazine.

Johnny Dooit and Dickus the Third at the Bullfinch… Evardo and Jo Cheese at Hamilton’s… Nine Tiny Piglets at D’ollaires…

I need to book a plane flight.

Parenthetical Girls, Parenthetical Girls Save Christmas. I have no problem with bands which wish to return to the moody, dark strains of previous centuries, using their own special modern sound gadgets. I’m an “Old King Wesceslas” kind of guy, and in its own way Parenthetical Girls are that kind of regal. They’re looking for the shimmer in the snow, and it’s a long cold search. Dig the titles: “Christmas Past.” “Post-Christmas Time.” “There’s Always Tomorrow.” A “name your price” download three-song here.