As if the truth of this needed any more proof than it’s going up a week after New Year’s–a week after the unmarked second anniversary of the site. Personally, I feel like I hit a serious sophomore slump last year in terms of artistic output and progress, and it would only be further disheartening to look back at last year’s goals and see how many continue to dance beyond the horizon.
But even aside from the real life stresses and busy-ness eating up my life, there’s also the logistical problems of moving–the part where things go into boxes and become inaccessible, the part where maybe the office needs a touch of paint before being set up, the part where the internet may or may not be handily available right away–that impinge on updating the site.
So, for this year, I do expect more better things, particularly if my work schedule changes as I anticipate. Though the drought will continue for the immediate future, we’ll be coming back strong soon.
See you in February.
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I’m going to assume that by now you’ve all seen this xkcd cartoon. It’s been good for a fair number of communal chuckles, especially among those of us who have holiday music inflicted upon us with scant recourse. “But!” countered my lovely wife, “There haven’t been any good Xmas songs written since then. New Xmas music is always too complicated or weird.” She posited “Do They Know It’s Christmas” as the only singable Xmas song from outside the “boomer childhood” range–but having pulled up a video on YouTube, I’d strenuously argue that that very dated monstrosity stay relegated to the dustbin of history. (I’m willing to be persuaded otherwise by a decent cover, but I couldn’t get past the 90 second mark on that BandAid video.)
But that set me to thinking: Have there truly been no decent new Xmas (or hell, holiday songs generally) songs written since the early 70’s? (Note: This time-frame rules out Lennon’s tiresome “Happy Xmas/War is Over,” which gets some radio love on occasion.) And for a song to be decent, it’s at least got to be something A) enjoyable enough to listen to, even to far as to invite repeat listening, B) catchy, the sort of thing that might get stuck in your head and hummed under your breath, which lead to C) singable.
The answer: No, but I can’t think of many.
The best candidate has to be “Fairytale of New York” (1987). It’s somber and bittersweet, but as a song I’d put above any number of disposable frothy bits of nonsense, and I think it’s enduring popularity speaks to that.
For sheer fun and punky exuberance, I’d also stick “Oi to the World” (1996) on my list, and FWIW I’ve heard the No Doubt cover pop up occasionally on radio stations that are already predisposed to play No Doubt.
And, while it is in no way a Christmas song, I’d argue that “The Chanukah Song” (1994)–while perhaps not one for the ages–has had some surprising staying power. (Hilariously to my mind, it got the Neil Diamond holiday CD yanked out of rotation at our store once corporate realized it had a pot reference.)
So here’s where you come in, intrepid readers who have borne with me thus far. Can you think of any decent (see definition above, and yes, it’s still a subjective quality) holiday songs written since 1975? If so, please share them with the class.
Edited to add: And how could I forget, but perhaps the greatest Christmas song of all time: “Let’s Have a Partick Swayze Christmas”–because there’s no tradition like a new tradition.
First and foremost, it behooves me to mention that I am currently in the process of buying a house. Even if that did not entail a fair amount of work in and of itself, there is also the subsequent move to consider, with the Boxing of Things and the Disconnected Internet. I think you can see where I’m going with this. December here is shaping up to be but a pale shadow of what I’d hoped for, and our second anniversary will pass as well. I have “plans” to cartoon like a madwoman in my copious free-time the next few days. We’ll see how it goes.
On another matter entirely, my awesome former housemate, Annaliese Christman, has shepherded into the world a 2012 fan art calendar, theme of “Bros: Doing Bro things or just hanging out,” to which I’ve contributed. (The somewhat overstaturated Catman/Deadshot page, if you must ask.) It’s heavy on the anime fandoms, but there’s some pretty nice submissions, and I would be remiss not to mention it.
And, while this may only entertain me, Gavok over at 4thletter! made of sterner stuff than I, subjected himself to the Elf on the Shelf tv special. Cost? No man can say.
Today and yesterday were eaten by a minor upper respiratory “thing” of some sort. Most of yesterday I looked something like this:
Things have improved significantly since then. I’m still tempted to change my gravatar to that.