If you dare...

Christmas time is here

Over the years I have realized that one almost needs to separate Christmas-Advent from x-mas, the winter holiday. I like almost everything about the religious festival, but have issues about the public holiday. But once you are able to separate the two and not feel like Santa has hijacked Christ, then it is easier to enjoy the whole thing. It is still a time that brings people together and encourages people to be nicer to each other. I still has lights twinkling and cold biting and hot beverages...

But then there is Christmas music. I'm sorry, but I hate most christmas music. Why? For the same reasons that I dislike most Pop music. It is made up of cheap, repetitive tunes that are meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Even the songs that were once decent have been played to death on the radio by top 40 artists. Not only do musicians use this season to do their usual amount of artistic rape, but they even do it to beloved carols that are meant to promote religious themes. When I hear some moron singing "oh come ye merry gentlemen" it makes me want to puke. Does Josh Groban really know what it means when he sings "to save us all from Satan's power when we had gone astray? O tidings of comfort and joy...." I dont think he does.

But... still. There are some christmas songs that I like. I enjoy most traditional renditions of Advent Carols, especially those done by choirs. And I am learning to separate songs about the Christmas season from Carols and appreciate them in their own way, either for their kitchness or their nostalgia. I can especially appreciate them if they are original songs or original covers. So... with this in mind, here is, in listening order...

Ryan's Christmas Mix 2008:

1) It starts off rockin' to the sound of The Kinks, "Father Christmas"

2) Then we go to the Beatles' "All you need is Love," a song that isn't officially christmas themed, but it has to do with love and the strings are playing Greensleeves at the end.

3) Ron Sexsmith, plays a "Maybe this Christmas" rendition that is almost as good as his last name.

4) Continuing with the same sweet vibe as before, we move on to "All that I want" by the Weepies.

5) Missing someone during christmas seems like a common theme, as Coldplay plays "2000 Miles" by the Pretenders.

6) Who would thought that the same group that wrote "Zero" or "If there is a God" would write a Christmas song, but Smashing Pumpkins' "Merry Christmas" is actually quite pretty.

7) Next up: "The Christmas Song" by the Raveonettes. A song good enough to make me want to find other stuff by this nordic group.

8) Sufjan Stevens is famous for his christmas songs and deserves to be on this list if not by the large amount of songs to choose from. "That was the worst Christmas Ever" is a very beautiful piece.

9) Continuing with stories about bad holidays, Tom Waits gives a gravely and tender "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis"

10) I have no idea who Tom McRae is, but I like "Wonderful Christmas"

11) Pedro the Lion tends to sing incredibly heartbreaking christmas songs, but I found a second rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" that I really like.

12) Ending on a religious note, we go with Sufjan Stevens hauntingly beautiful "Holy, Holy, Holy." The old hymn never sounded so earnest and reverent as it does with his soaring harmonies.

(My favorites from that mix are 4, 5, 7, 8, 12)

Many of these songs can be legally downloaded from THIS WEBSITE's "12 plays of christmas songs". I linked the first one, the other 11 are linked on the page. Happy hunting and Merry Christmas.

Encounters in the city

I walked into one of the local quick-e marts on Paseo de la Florida the other day. In Spain, they are referred to as "Chinos." Which literally means "chinese." These chinos are relatively new additions to the urban landscape here, only appearing after I left for college and immigration skyrocketed. But now they are a part of life; the little corner store that sells basic goods, exchanging price for convenience. But anyway, I was on my way to Jessica's house to make supper when I realized I had forgotten an ingredient. I popped into the store and quickly grabbed what I needed. As I was about to leave, a middle aged, latin american, transvestite approached me. He, dressed and make-up'ed as a she, was quite polite as he asked me if I would be so kind as to help him read something. He held out a small notebook containing a different number and name scrawled on each page. "What does this name say?" he asked me, pointing to a page.
I squinted at the handwriting and gave it my best shot, "Maria Jimenez," I told him, the tone of my voice that sheepishly admitting "your guess is as good as mine." He thanked me, I turned to the register and paid for my stuff. I turned towards the door and the man in makeup came over again.
"I'm sorry" he said, "could you tell me what this other name says?"
I nodded, "Mario Fernandez".
"And this one?" he said, flipping to the next page.
"Susana Dominguez"
He flips a page again, "I'm sorry, what about this one?"
By now it has dawned on me. I wasn't being consulted on deciphering shoddy penmanship. This person didn't know how to read! Each number had been written down in different handwriting, as if written by its owner at some point. I looked at the man in front of me. He was about 5' 5'', one of the many south american immigrants that had come to Spain in the last few years. His features were very indian, as they say, and I wondered how a chubby little colombian man had ended up in Madrid, and how he had then traded in his native american garb for a middle aged woman's dress and lipstick.
Feeling sorry for the guy, I continued through his booklet looking for his sister's phone number. We went through Spanish sounding names, Latin American names, businesses, clinics, cosmetic surgeons, hair removal centers, etc. No luck.
"I must have torn that page out sometime" He said in a voice that was slightly too high from hormone therapy. "Thank you so much." He shook my hand; his palms too rough for someone wearing a dress like his.

delay the return with music

I know. I've been gone. But so have most of you. The blogging world seems to have come to a halt, or at least until this week, when a few people decided to update their long forgotten pieces of web real estate. I swear something a bit more interesting is coming up, but for now I will comment on my Last.fm page.
For those of you who don't use it, it is a great little web application that keeps track of what you listen to, allows you to compare and show others, as well as look for music that is similar to your own tastes.
Anyway, according to the application. Here are a few interesting facts about my music habits:

The top listened artists:

1 The Beatles
2 The Smashing Pumpkins
3 Over the Rhine
4 Ryan Adams
5 Ray LaMontagne
6 Simon & Garfunkel
7 Regina Spektor
8 Bob Dylan
9 Oasis
10 Radiohead
11 Ben Harper
12 Tegan and Sara
13 Jeff Buckley
14 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
15 Pedro the Lion

Of course this list doesnt take several factors into account, such as what I listened to before the program a few years ago. If not, Simon and Garfukel would be higher on the list. But so would MxPx for that matter, if you go back far enough. Also it doesnt take into account those artists that I listen to on CD usually. Caspian, Ray Lamontagne, Dylan, Buckley... all would have more points.