Broadcast quality MP3 (labeled as #355 -- 39 MB)
Decent quality MP3 (labeled as #355 -- 13 MB)
This year's Christmas show bears a certain relationship to last year's Christmas show. The name of that certain relationhip is "identity." (Yes, I stole that one from Peter Schickele/PDQ Bach.)
The show contains brief commentary by me, five satiric seasonal songs, and one imitation Broadway "big production number." All take a comic but critical view of American hypocrisies, religiosity, commercialism, class warfare, and other Christmastime traditions.
I'm especially fond of the pseudo- "big production number": Stan Freberg's 1958 masterpiece, Green Chri$tma$. The audio fidelity is very good even by today's standards; the production is rich and sophisticated; the script is witty; and the message (alas) is still relevant.
Other contributionsare by Hugh Blumenfeld, Simon and Garfunkel, Anne Feeney, Roy Zimmerman, and Tom Lehrer.
Bah! humbug! and merry Christmas to all!
