Article, Schmarticle...

AllYourLogosAre
ThemVille


Mr. Kenney's finest of the fine guys have started their full-court, faux-journalistic press and it is starting to upset people.

Including, it would appear, some the bamboozled subjects how have been pounded into the tips of the war room's propaganda javelins.

James Keller of the CP has the story of one such dupee, this one from Lotusland, in the Canadian Press:

A Vancouver chef who was featured in an article produced by Alberta’s “energy war room” says he’s furious he wasn’t told that the Canadian Energy Centre was created and funded by the provincial government.

Donald Gyurkovits, president of the Canadian Culinary Federation, said his group strives to stay out of politics and he never would have participated if the writer who contacted him explained the background of the centre. Several other people interviewed by the war room have also said they were not told about its ties to the Alberta government and critics have questioned why the centre’s writers have been describing themselves as reporters...


Which is fair enough as far as the lede to a bit of 'straight journalism' push backfrom Mr. Keller and his editor(s) goes.

But...

Who made the legitimizing decision to call the original war room piece an 'article'?

Why not, instead, call the thing what it really was?

If you get my drift.



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Tip o' the toque to David Climenhaga of the always excellent 'AlbertaPolitics.ca'.
Way off-topic...It was great to meet reader D. and friend with his dogs down at the beach today...Hope next time to get a chance to chat with partner P. as well!


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 24....'Fairytale Of New York'

ChristmasEveWithOrWithout
ADrunkTankVille


Apparently, the real reason for the songs ultimate emergence was Pogue's banjo player Jem Finer's wife who didn't like his first version. As a result, Finer wrote a second one:

..."I had written two songs complete with tunes, one had a good tune and crap lyrics, the other had the idea for 'Fairytale' but the tune was poxy, I gave them both to Shane and he gave it a Broadway melody, and there it was"...


Go figure.

Here's E. and me giving it a go...




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The Advent Jukebox, Day 23....'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'.

TheChangeWasMadeUptownWhenThe
BigManJoinedTheBandVille


While this tune was first made famous by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in 1934, for me and mine it will always bring up all the very best memories of the late, great Clarence Clemons.

Here's my lullabyified version...





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The Advent Jukebox, Day 22... 'Baby, Please Come Home'.

NevermindTheSpector
OfPhilVille


While Ellie Greenwhich and Jeff Barry (pictured above) wrote it, and the not yet completely insane wall of sound man Phil Spector produced it, it was Darlene Love that made this song famous, both originally and later, over and over and over again (for good reason), on Letterman.

Here's Bigger E's version...




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The Smartest Guys Amongst Rubes.

NoPropIsGoodProp
EverVille


From last week's news...

The Alberta government's energy "war room" says it will change its logo after it was revealed on Twitter Wednesday the logo already represents an American tech company.

The logo is identical to Massachusetts-headquartered Progress Software, with the exception of colour. Canadian Energy Centre went with a blue and white palette, while the tech company opted for lime green.

In a statement Thursday, the energy centre called the design debacle an unfortunate situation.

"We understand this was a mistake and we are in discussions with our agency to determine how it happened," said Tom Olsen, chief executive officer and managing director...

Hey!

I've got an idea, particularly given that Enron is kaput and, presumably, won't sue Mr. Kenney's and his minions...

'Nuff said?


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Header have you scratching your amygdala?....This.


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 21... 'The Parting Glass'

TheresNoneMoreScott'sThanThe
ScottsAbroadVille


Look.

I know that the Clancy Brothers and their buddy Tommy Makem, who made this tune famous in the not so distant past, are Irish.

But it turns out that the tune, and especially the (ever changing) lyric goes all the way back to 17th century Scotland.

Imagine that.

Anyway, while I'm most partial to the Wailin' Jenny's a capella take, here's my version...




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Why here?...Well, it's a tune to sing with your friends and family at the time of their (or your) leaving, which on the front end of the holidays seems a long way off, but it's coming...Oh, and just in case you were wondering, there's a wee bit of Mic Christopher thrown in there at the end - couldn't help myself.


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 20.....'Winter Wonderland'

ThatDoesn'tEvenLookLike
ParsonBrownVille


The image above is of littler e. and her friend from days gone by.

Not even a hint of snow in central Lotusland this year so far.

The mountains look to be loading up though...



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Back in real time(s)....e. just came home from college tonight...In addition to all these so-called holiday song covers, the tap dancing will now commence in earnest.


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 19...'Run Rudolph Run'

WhizzingLikeASabre
JetVille


Sure, there's the C. Berry version, but me I'm partial to Skynryd's.





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The Advent Jukebox, Day 18... Jingle Bell Rock

NeitherWilkesNor
BoothVille


'Jingle Bell Rock' was first recorded by early rockabilly guy Bobby Helms. And while it immediately got airplay and the Dick Clark TeeVee treatment the tune was not immediately a hit.

In fact, it didn't go gold until five years later.

Of course it is now a classic that everyone has covered, including a version by Hall and Oates that trumpeted by an Anon-0-Mouse on the comment threads recently.

Here's me and E. doing the lullaby(ish) version..



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And before the grammar nerds and/or my grade 3 teacher Mrs. Griffiths go bonkers, the E. and me reference, above, was entirely purposeful....OK?

Bonus reel...All 13 of the first half of the Jukebox together...Lullaby caroling!





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The Advent Jukebox, Day 17.... 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree'.

BrendaLeeIsComing
OnStrongVille


Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded this Johnny Marks tune in 1958.

Since then it has sold 25 million copies and has landed on the charts again this year.

Bigger E. makes like Ms. Lee and takes the lead on this one...




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Subheader given you an earworm that needs scratching Mr. O'Reilly?.....This!
And here's a special bonus....All of the first thirteen days of the Jukebox, all together!




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The Advent Jukebox, Day 16... 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'

There'sNoHopeWithout
CrosbyVille


The guy who made this tune famous is also the reason the denim tuxedo was invented by Levi Strauss and Co.

And here's the good part...

It was all the fault of a snooty Vancouver hotel desk clerk:

'...Singer Bing Crosby was very fond of Levi's jeans and was wearing his favorite pair while on a hunting trip to Canada with a friend in that year. The men tried to check into a Vancouver hotel, but because they were wearing denim, the desk clerk would not give them a room; apparently denim-clad visitors were not considered high-class enough for this hotel. Because the men were wearing Levi's jeans, the clerk did not even bother to look past their clothing to see that he was turning away America's most beloved singer (luckily for Bing, he was finally recognized by the bellhop). LS&Co heard about this and created a denim tuxedo jacket for Bing, which we presented to him at a celebration in Elko, Nevada, where Bing was honorary mayor...'






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The Advent Jukebox, Day 15.... 'The Christmas Song'

Bob Wells and Mel Torme wrote this one in Los Angeles during the blazing hot summer of 1945.

And, according to Torme at least, the lyric was all about trying to 'stay cool by thinking cool'.

Regardless, the it is now a bonafide classic.

Here's a lullaby version...




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Nat King Cole didn't record the tune until the following summer despite the fact that Torme and Wells rushed over to Cole's manager Carlos Castel almost immediately after writing it, a task that took only 45 minutes...
Here's the Velvet Fog singing the tune with a hopped-up Judy Garland (keep your eyes peeled for a then still young 'Lucille Two' sighting)...


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 14... 'Silent Night'

ADifferentGruberEntirely
ButATroubadourNonethelessVille


Because it just kind of feels like that kind of evening...

Eleven more sleeps!




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The other Gruber is Dave 'Gruber' Allan, the infamous Mr. Rosso on Freaks and Geeks, who also played one of the duelling troubadours on that other show that Amy Sherman invented.


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 13... 'Christmas Time In The Mountains'

ShouldIPlayBallWithTheDogs
OrWalkAwayVille


I honestly can't tell if this little tune is beautifully cynical or cynically beautiful.

Either way, it is now most definitely one of my holiday favourites...



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It's a Will Oldam 'Palace Songs' song that was oft-covered by the Swell Seasonists.
Image at the top of the post is Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps....I was going to post an image from the Christmas Mountains in New Brunswick, but what happened there not long ago is just too depressing, for this time of year at least.
What's this Advent Jukebox business all about?....Well, the idea of a homemade 'song a day'-type advent calendar/jukebox came to me in late November a few years ago....And when the tunes began they were, essentially, lullabies for our oldest kid who was half a continent away cramming for final exams...Now, well, the whole thing just seems to be a bit of a tradition, if such a thing is possible on the ever changing interweb of everchanging platforms 'n things.


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 12...'Silver Bells'

ThereIsNoSnowCrunchingInLotusland

ThisYearVille


The time has come to get a little more traditional..



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And, just in case you missed it, this tune was first sung Fred Mertz as the acervic Santa before Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell come by and syrup it all up...Ya, that's right, Fred Freaking Mertz (a.k.a. William Frawley)....Check it out!

What's this Advent Jukebox business all about?....Well, the idea of a homemade 'song a day'-type advent calendar/jukebox came to me in late November a few years ago....And when the tunes began they were, essentially, lullabies for our oldest kid who was half a continent away cramming for final exams...Now, well, the whole thing just seems to be a bit of a tradition, if such a thing is possible on the ever changing interweb of everchanging platforms 'n things.

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The Advent Jukebox, Day 11....'Blue Christmas'

He'sGoing
ToGracelandVille


By the time I was becoming aware of the world, for real, it was already the early '70's.

Which meant that I slagged a then fake-fat Elvis mercilessly when our Mom played his Christmas album over and over every year.

I still feel pretty bad about that...



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Just in case you need it, here's the Blue Hawaii version of the real thing.
What's this Advent Jukebox business all about?....Well, the idea of a homemade 'song a day'-type advent calendar/jukebox came to me in late November a few years ago....And when the tunes began they were, essentially, lullabies for our oldest kid who was half a continent away cramming for final exams...Now, well, the whole thing just seems to be a bit of a tradition, if such a thing is possible on the ever changing interweb of everchanging platforms 'n things.


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 10....'Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time'.

What'sThisAdventJukeboxThingAnyway
SeeExplanationAtTheBottomOfThePostVille


Back in the days when YouTube was still young and unweaponized, there were a bunch of kids that did all kinds of covers and collaborations and stuff, many of them on ukulele.

One of the more memorable ones was a cover of the Sufjan Stevens holiday song 'Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time' by a young woman named Molly Lewis.

Like much that was good about the digital days of yore, that version seems to have disappeared from the Interwebz.

However, Ms. Lewis, who I always get a kick out of, is still doing her (many) things...Here.

Anyway, you all are in for a treat as Bigger E. takes the vocal on this one...



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If you want the real thing by the still somewhat-of-a-whiz-kid, Mr. Stevens, who spent five years recording 100 holiday songs so that he would 'appreciate Christmas better' it's here....If you want to see Ms. Lewis do her thing while serenading Stephen Fry (yes, that Stephen Fry), at Harvard University no less, check this out.
What's this Advent Jukebox business all about?....Well, the idea of a homemade 'song a day'-type advent calendar/jukebox came to me in late November a few years ago....And when the tunes began they were, essentially, lullabies for our oldest kid who was half a continent away cramming for final exams...Now, well, the whole thing just seems to be a bit of a tradition, if such a thing is possible on the ever changing interweb of everchanging platforms 'n things.
And as for that image at the top of the post...Who knew that the TeeVee versions of Jeeves and Wooster were actually running the Tosser division for the Peaky Bloody Blinders...


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The Advent Jukebox, Day 9....Vincent

What'sThisAdventJukeboxThingAnyway
SeeExplanationAtTheBottomOfThePostVille


Sure, van Gogh painted 'The Starry Night while looking east, out out of his monastery/asylum window in the wee hours of a June morning in 1888.

But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a holiday season quality about it.

And, heckfire, Robert Wells and Mel Torme wrote that tune that Nat King Cole made famous about chestnuts roasting and all that while lounging around a pool during a blistering Los Angeles heatwave in 1945.

So...

Go figure.

Anyway...here's my take on the American Pie guy's ode to Mr. van Gogh...



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Looking for the real thing...Check out this great live version.
What's this Advent Jukebox business all about?....Well, the idea of a homemade 'song a day'-type advent calendar/jukebox came to me in late November a few years ago....And when the tunes began they were, essentially, lullabies for our oldest kid who was half a continent away cramming for final exams...Now, well, the whole thing just seems to be a bit of a tradition, if such a thing is possible on the ever changing interweb of everchanging platforms 'n things.

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Advent Jukebox, Day 8....Murder By Mistletoe.

What'sItAllAboutAlfie
SeeTheBottomOfThePostVille


Why?

Because every holiday song setlist needs a good murder ballad.

That's why..



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For the Brothers Felice, this one goes all the way back to the days of Simone.
What's this all about?....The idea of a homemade 'song a day'-type advent calendar/jukebox came to me in late November a few years ago....And when the tunes began they were, essentially, lullabies for our oldest kid who was half a continent away cramming for final exams...Now, well, the whole thing just seems to be a bit of a tradition, if such a thing is possible on the ever changing interweb of everchanging platforms 'n things.


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Advent Jukebox, Day 7....White Christmas

White Christmas was written by Irving Berlin.

And, according to his daughter and NPR, it's both areligious and an immigrant song:

..."It's very evocative: the snow, the Christmas card, the sleigh, the sleigh bells," she says. "It's very evocative, and it's entirely secular."

Christmas was not exactly a holiday that Irving Berlin grew up celebrating. He was born in Russia, the son of a cantor, and his first language was Yiddish.

Emmet says that her father's experience as an immigrant in America led him to conclude that Christmas was not as much a religious holiday as a cultural one.

"As a Russian Jewish immigrant, when he came to the United States, Christmas was an American holiday to him," she says. "It was like every American holiday. It was a fresh, new experience for him."....


Who'd a thunk it.

Me, I just felt the need to think of the snowy season given how grey Lotusland has been, on and off, the last few days...




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Advent Jukebox, Day 6....Little Drummer Boy

Had no idea that 'The Little Drummer Boy', originally titled 'Carol Of The Drum' was first recorded by the von Trapp Family Singers, pre-Julie Andrews edition, in 1951.

Weirdly, it does make a strange kind of karmic sense though.

Here's my take..



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And then, of course, there is that super weird, and somehow still fabulous, Bing Crosby/David Bowie version....Seriously.



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Advent Jukebox, Day 5....Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis

Something very, very weird happens to your psyche when try to channel Mr. Waits, even if only for a few minutes.

Heckfire.

Even 'Silent Night' goes sideways..



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Need the real thing?...Here's Tommy!...Neko Case' cover is a real change of pace though.



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Advent Jukebox, Day 4....Hallelujah.

Is it the most seasonally appropriate tune from the sincere L. Cohen?

Probably not, for all kinds of reasons that include the actual lyrics.

And then there is the fact that you could make a pretty good case, at least from a weather point of view here in Lotusland, for 'Famous Blue Raincoat'.

Anyway, here's my version..



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Many, many great covers  of 'H' out there...And, despite the slight aura of over-the-toppishness, this version from young Mr. Wainright is still a favourite....Alternatively, you could always go all in for the full Buckley.


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Advent Jukebox, Day 3...The Christmas Waltz

You all are in for a treat today because our eldest kid, Bigger E., takes the lede on this one...



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Image at the top of the post is E. busking in Gastown awhile back...I really enjoy doing this with her, but she loses money when I'm around...All joking aside I envy her given that she is now making a living doing exactly what she wants to do which is to sing.


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Advent Jukebox, Day 2...Star, Star.

This is likely to be the least 'Christmassy' of all this year's Advent Juke tunes.

To be honest, other than the fact that Glen Hansard seems to pull it out every holiday season and pair it with another song on the list that most definitely is rooted in all things Christmas, both good and bad, I'm not really sure it belongs here, particulary given Hansard's oft-repeated on stage explanation that it is:

"...Dedicated to the moment between drunk and sober...That moment when you suddenly understand James Joyce with perfect clarity..."

Which, I reckon, is the state of mind, in numerous guises, that all young kids worth their salt are looking for at one time or another.

Come to think of it, maybe Dickens and Roul Dahl had their most famous seasonal/wintry characters look for it as well.

Anyway, with all that said, here's my take, lullabuyed, on Mr. Hansard's Vincent/McLean-free starry night song ...

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Image at the top of the post is Mr. Joyce himself playing the guitar....The folks at Open Culture have the story.




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Advent Jukebox, Day One...River.

There is nothing like the magic of Ms. Mitchell to get you into the spirit of just about any season.

So, with that in mind, here's my ultra lo-fi version of her song of joy and peace (and, of course, longing)...



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Image at the top is of my kids and me, back when they were young and I was too, apparently (at least that's what I'll agree to when forced to look in the mirror in the morning)...If memory and finger position on the fret board serve, we were doing this very tune when the photo was taken.
You'd rather have the original?...It's here.




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