I NEVER WANTED TO BE A SPATULA

I'm from the United States of kiss my ass.
Saint Etienne: You're in a Bad Way

"Little Drummer Boy". It occurs to me I really like it. I can think of plenty of reasons maybe it's not as good as other Christmas songs I really like-- it's not super festive, and there are some terrible versions-- so I guess it must be a partly sentimental attachment. My parents have this really old, like, antique toy drummer boy from my grandma, and if you turn the little key in his back the guy still beats on his drum. Hell, sometimes he does this for no reason at all, which I've assumed was just because he's so old, but which Joe Tangari points out probably means he's haunted.

Pa rum pum pum pum.

I wish I could remember all the Christmas tapes my parents would play in our house and car-- there were only three or so main ones, and we still play 'em every year-- but Julie Andrews was the biggie. And there was some kind of compilation; I forget who was on it. Oh, and another one was this nice man Stu Boyer playing the pipe organ. (I don't think I've mentioned it on here before, but my dad used to own a pizza restaurant in Sacramento called Pizza & Pipes, and there was a pipe organ in it.)


The life you save may be mine.
Thom Yorke: Last Flowers

Turns out other people have childhood memories of Pizza & Pipes-es of various names, too, from completely different parts of the country. The way they describe theirs-- long tables, families eating, pitchers of beer, often totally packed and awesome, worst pizza ever-- is surprising to me, because it's pretty much like my own recollection. (Also, like the beer garden in my old Queens neighborhood.) Except in my version it's the best pizza ever. (And at the beer garden it's kielbasa.) There was also a children's play area with games and rides and stuff. One of them was called the Chuck Wagon or something and still is what I find myself mentally picturing when trying to determine whether to say "off the wagon" or "on the wagon" when talking about pretty much anybody. I recall the children's play area, and the restaurant's being in Sacramento, turned out not to be the best ideas once the '90s hit and the world got so litigious that lobbyists could use the trend to turn public sentiment against the right to sue the rich and powerful when they do shitty things (not talking about mom and pop here, obv).

This is all as bizarre to me as it probably is to you. I imagine most people haven't even actually seen a real Wurlitzer pipe organ-- the info on this one seems about right-- but seriously, the whole setup was amazing. All those keyboards, all those pipes, lots of other fun instruments on the walls that the organist could control with a push of the proper pedal. I used to ask him to play "Tomorrow" from Annie.

So anyway, yeah, no idea why people used to do this except it must've been a way to go out and drink beer and still keep the kids entertained. Dad also owned one in Fresno, and I remember interviewing some band that was originally from there (forget which one, maybe they moved to Silverlake?) and them recalling getting high and going there. Anyway the economy went bad soon after, and my dad had to close both restaurants, and that was that.

Off to Nashville. "Are you a surfer." Naaahh I lived near the mountains. "Ohh a mountain surfer." Naaahh they have that it's called snowboarding. SCREECH BANG CRASH.

My days of free pizza were over.


Save yourself some misery and get away from here.
Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gayle: You and I (karaoke version by Piet & Tonny Kamper)

but the funny thing is he read the tracks and said that guy may be french canadian because he thought a song was titled in french. the song was "Kanske Ar Jag Kar i Dig". that song is SO not french. its swiss. quit flirting and do your job guy at borders ! youre suppose to be intelligent and cultured. FOR SHAME !

...OR WERE THEY??? Stay tuned next week for more tales from Marc's past derailing Christmas critical musings, when I should be doing year-end stuff and everything else, ALL AT ONCE, and OK enough late-night coffee!!!!!!!!!!!

"Skinny Love" is to Edwin McCain as.

embedding disabled, sorry
I'm too full for tears, eat drink, sleep smoke, tobacco & coke.
Van Morrison: Streets of Arklow --> You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River (two Veedon Fleece songs, live in 2006)

I don't usually feel compelled to write about musician's deaths (last time may have been Elliott Smith). Maybe I've got a problem dealing with the idea of death, maybe most of the musical ones you read about have either lived long lives or done things that made their demises predictably self-inflicted, but I just can't add anything to the conversation without coming off cretinous either way. This Pimp C thing? Has me really bummed, doing boring pointless stuff like listening to "One Day" multiple times, and I still don't even want you to talk to me about it. Well, maybe just Tom. RIP.