'Mid the California flora, I'll be lighting my menorah

[vovat]

I just (as of writing the rough draft of this paragraph) heard a weird commercial. They played a broadcast of a baseball game that cut off at an inopportune moment, and there was a message saying to deposit 25 cents for the next three minutes, or whatever. Then the announcer said something along the lines of, "We believe that you shouldn't have to pay for radio." I can only assume that this is intended to dissuade people from getting satellite radio, but it makes no sense. I don't think paying for satellite radio means you won't be able to listen to the regular radio stations. I mean, yes, they're a competitor, but it's still weird. Not to mention that I seriously doubt any subscription radio broadcasts have you pay by the minute. When cable TV started, did the major networks run a commercial like that? Or am I totally wrong, and this wasn't aimed at satellite radio at all?

rockinlibrarian recently did the "seven songs you're enjoying" meme, and listed almost all Christmas songs. Following her, example, I'm going to list seven holiday-related songs I've been enjoying as of late:

1. O Little Town Of Bethlehem - The Young Fresh Fellows--Probably the best version of this song I've ever heard. The Fellows totally rock.
2. (I'm Spending) Hanukkah In Santa Monica - Tom Lehrer--I believe this was unreleased until the box set, The Remains of Tom Lehrer, came out. Most of it consists of rhyming Jewish holidays with place names. It's a fun song.
3. The 12 Gifts Of Christmas - Allan Sherman--And a Japanese transistor radio!
4. Merry Christmas - Wesley Willis--Christmas gives me harmonization.
5. Thanks For Christmas - XTC (or, more accurately, the Three Wise Men)--About the only XTC song that ever seems to be played in public places, aside from the occasional "King For A Day."
6. Merry Christmas Emily - Cracker--From their best album, Forever.
7. Careless Santa - Mono Puff--I don't really even like this song that much, but everyone who was on the tmbg.org list eight years ago knows that you should never forget it.

Comments

[travspence.livejournal.com]

Don't laugh at me but I always get Cracker confused with Candlebox.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I don't really know anything about Candlebox, but I've probably gotten other bands with similar titles confused before. I know bethje sometimes mixes up the Posies and the Pogues.

[zaph.livejournal.com]

What about Careless Santa? That should be on the list.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking of putting on "Spitting Contest" instead.

[arfies.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Can you upload the Tom Lehrer song? The only one I've heard holiday-wise is "A Christmas Carol."

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about uploading, but I can send it to you if you'd like. It'll have to wait until the weekend, though, as I don't have access to it now.

[arfies.livejournal.com]

That'll work. Thanks!

[vovat.livejournal.com]

What address should I use to send it?

[arfies.livejournal.com]

lizzieb_starr@yahoo.com

[revme.livejournal.com]

Weird -- where's "O Little Town Of Bethelhem" from? I've never heard that one.

And yeah -- satellite has broadcast radio running scared. I don't have XM, but I've heard a little bit of it, and... I dunno; it's OK, but I don't quite get why you'd pay for that instead of just getting a tape deck, since everything I've heard on it is "song/ad for how awesome satellite radio is/song/ad for how awesome satellite radio is/something about what else you could be listening to on one of the other 9000 channels of satellite radio/ad for how awesome satellite radio is/song". So... yeah. The audio is better than I'd been led to believe, but not quite as good as tuned-in-properly-FM. So... yeah. I don't know. And, yeah, that ad IS pretty stupid.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Weird -- where's "O Little Town Of Bethelhem" from? I've never heard that one.

It was something I picked up on the Internet a few years ago. The album info says it's from something called "A Lump of Coal." I can send it to you if you'd like, but, as with arfies' request, not until the weekend.

[revme.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool -- that'd be awesome! Thanks!

[skylark-king.livejournal.com]

Some of the Christmas songs I've been listening to in rotation include The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York," Sun 60's "Merry X-Mas" and The Vandals version of "Oi to the World" (the No Doubt version sucks)

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've heard those Pogues and Vandals songs, and they're pretty cool. I didn't know No Doubt did a version of the latter, but I'm not surprised it sucks, since I think they generally suck anyway. I don't believe I've ever heard anything by Sun 60.