Ignoring the religious aspects (which most people will), Christmas is not about high culture. Indeed, for many of us, our formative years are spent whith Christmas encmpassing dreadful songs (I suspect that there is no song which I hate more than ‘Little Drummer Boy’), turgid primary school productions of the Nativity Play (youth and lack of funds are no excuse for poor production and shoddy acting – these people need discipline), Slade, Cliff Richard, and a plethora of overly sentimental schmaltzy films on tv. I’m okay with this, and inplaces, excepting ‘Little Drummer Boy’, can even run with it.
What I find surprising though, and I don’t really know if this has always been the case, is the deluge of crap in the gig listings for late December. In this week’s listings you have your choice of Olly Murs (I think he was on one of the talent shows, which is seldom a good start), Amy Winehouse’s Dad (seriously), Simply Red, The Saw Doctors, Status Quo, and so on and so forth. Wonderful.
Why is it about Christmas that makes people think that third rate entertainment is what they should spend their time and money on? I suspect that it may stem from the need to escape from family. For many, the prospect of spending 3-4 days trying to survive on board games and tv you wouldn’t have chosen may be too much, and even desparate third rate entertainment seems like an acceptable option. Just a thought.
So, if you’re tempted to buy your folks/brother/sister tickets to see some horrific novelty act-standard gig over Christmas, stop and think about it. Why make Christmas a time of Mick Hucknell and singing taxi drivers for us all?
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No More Workhorse 
Do you not like the ‘pa rump pump pump pump’ bit? I love that.
I always try and stick on the sufjan stevens one and low also at christmas, but my sister always takes them straight off and puts back on the one with george michael and slade. It really is tough going, i hid the cd one year, just to stop her playing it!
Nice to have you back blogging mister Sheedy (i presume!)
Actually that’s the bit that I probably hate the most. Awful.
I only get away with the Sufjan stuff briefly too, no idea why it seems to raise such objections, seems unfair. Slade, I mean for Christ’s sake.
Good to find the time again I’ve been remiss.
sadly, they think that its traditional to listen to bad music and bad tv at Christmas. Its actually very annoying to have to listen to the same songs year after year. there’s very little music that can stand a month’s listening every year, and george michael and slade certainly don’t fit into that category.
It is nice to see people like frightened rabbits, low and sufjan trying to break the rut of bad music.
I am luckily allowed Surfjan Christmas CD however one that might keep everyone happy could be the Vince Guaraldi trio. It’s Christmassy and Snoopy so most people get excited but it’s not horrible. Though we were a Perry Como family in my youth so we always have to have a bit of that.
http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Recording-Television/dp/B000000XDJ
My sister demands the christmas cd is on at all times for the duration of the three or four days we spend together. She’d play it at night if she could. She’s even stopped my cd after 30 seconds to put it back on. There is no compromise with her, its ‘last christmas’ or she goes mental!