Listen to this episode of the Feliz Christmas Merry Navidad Podcast
Author: Manny Torres
Title:
Bing Crosby was the biggest name in Christmas and in music in the 20th century — hands down. Others will argue it might have been Elvis or Frank Sinatra or Johnny Cash or someone else. And they would be completely wrong. Bing was the one everyone else imitated.
Crosby’s story is classically American. He was a typical American kid born of middle-class folks in small-town Spokane, Washington who rose to fame due to the blessed talent of golden pipes. He came along during the emerging media technology of radio. He transitioned from radio to film and then to television.
The story of his fame as an artist is marked by many things but it is his Christmas creations that keep him remembered.
In a way, that is kind of a shame. Crosby’s talents were far more than that of just a singer. He was an innovator in the use of technology. He invented the laugh track. He pioneered the art of over-dubbing, the harnessing of recordings that allowed a singer to harmonize with himself — a technique that artists still widely use today in their recordings.
Crosby was a performer and he for years had to grapple with producers and networks over the quality of what he considered his product – himself. Long before Elvis slung a guitar low on his hips or Sinatra crooned into a microphone it was Crosby who showed them how to do that. Crosby fought the battles of corporate media to get them to see that the nuanced visuals of musical performing were critical to ultimate success.
But nothing was more important than the music. Crosby had to fight them continually on the “bigger picture” of how it all came together. There is a famous story of an epic battle waged with a producer who was more concerned with his toupee than with the song being performed. Crosby had to remind him that the listening radio audience was never going to see the hair piece.
These days, nearly fifty years since his passing, Bing is remembered for the song White Christmas. And well he should be. White Christmas continues to be the biggest selling single of all time and the defacto anthem of Christmas. No other song comes close to being performed or records as much by other artists as White Christmas. The song, of course, we spun into a movie starring — who else? — Bing Crosby.
The transition of Bing Crosby the radio star and recording artist into the Academy Award winning actor seemed to happen seamlessly. That transition was build on the fame that cast Bing Crosby as a trusted source. In an era with historical figures of politics and war looming large it was artist Bing Crosby who for well over a decade following World War II was the most trusted man in America.
Crosby also gets little recognition for his business savvy. He invested his riches in new technologies and in industries far away from his specialty. He was a huge name in horse racing, in golf and he helped to pioneer the frozen orange juice industry.
Crosby was ever forward-looking in his artistry. As he passed his prime he wisely embraced the idea of working with emerging artists. He partnered famously with Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. As he transitioned again from film into television he worked with stars ranging from Glen Campbell to Johnny Cash to Jose Feliciano to David Bowie — never letting his style outshine their own. The result is a catalog of beautiful and unmatched collaborations.
Christmas was a staple for Crosby and America seemed to celebrate the traditions of Christmas through Bing’s television specials of the 1960s and 1970s.
In all, Crosby’s career followed the arc of emerging media technology of the 20th century — from the early days of radio to the cable era of television.
His was a remarkable run that spanned better than half a century that forever connected him to Christmas.
Listen to this episode of the Christmas Hall of Fame Podcast
Author: Jeff Westover
Title: Podcast Bio: Bing Crosby
In their final bonus episode, the boys celebrate two seasons at once as they watch and review The Nightmare Before Christmas (available on Disney+). As they work to determine whether or not this is a Christmas Classic (Halloween Highlight?) they also discuss: creepypasta YouTube videos, Brian’s bad bits, Jon’s emo days, other stop motion feature films, Tim Burton’s Batman films, the feud between Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey, Greg Proops, and trying to figure who exactly this movie is for.
Season 2 of the podcast kicks off with a full lineup reveal on Nov. 2. Don’t miss it!
Wikipedia entry for this film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas
Listen to this episode of YuletideTV Podcast
Author: Chris, Brian and Jon
Title: Bonus Ep.10 – The Nightmare Before Christmas
Welcome to Episode 9 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I talk about an overlooked classic from 1972, “Merry Christmas From Sellstars,” by Takao Hirata and Sellstars. This is an album I discovered quite by accident. Its unassuming cover, which looks like a big square of loose-leaf paper, is one I passed by several times before curiosity finally got the best of me. I’m glad I gave it a chance because it’s a wonderful album.
Takao Hirata and Sellstars were a two-hit wonder from early 70s Japan. They managed to put together a fantastic album whose overall quality more than makes up for its brief, 31-minute runtime. The main attractions are the two medleys, but the remainder of the album is nearly as enjoyable, delivering an early 70s, Sergio Medes-esque Yuletide sampler that stays just funky enough to avoid falling into an Easy Listening lull. It’s a great blend of styles and I’ve listened to it countless times since I got it.
After toiling in obscurity for a few years, Takao Hirata burst onto the scene in 1971 with a huge hit, “The Devil is Hard,” then had a whirlwind of a year in 1972, releasing four full LPs and an even bigger hit, “The Bee Musashi Is Dead.” Their star quickly faded after that, but they remained popular enough with their fans to stage a fairly successful comeback in the 90s, and they enjoyed several years of success on the concert trail.
As I mention in this episode, “Merry Christmas From Sellstars” really exemplifies why I collect these albums and do this podcast. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed most about collecting Christmas music is when someone online uncovers a forgotten, long lost song or album. Occasionally, something really great will come to light, like Joseph Washington Jr.’s “Merry Christmas from Joseph,” an extremely obscure, 1980’s R&B album that got a proper re-release a few years ago. With the Japanese Christmas music, almost everything I’ve purchased would be considered obscure or unknown in the US. What pleases me the most, though, are the albums that are little known and hard to find even in Japan.
While “Merry Christmas From Sellstars” is far from the most obscure album I’ve found, it’s one that I’m certain hasn’t been heard much, if at all, in the US. It’s never been rereleased and can’t be streamed. It’s not listed on Discogs and you’re probably not going to see it on eBay. Tracking down and buying the nearly 50-year-old vinyl is truly the only way to hear it. For me, playing an album like this the first time is a real delight, especially when the music turns out to be as good as this is. An even bigger thrill, though, is putting together a podcast episode about it and sharing it with others. I might not have the biggest listenership in the world, and I don’t have any illusions about making money from this, but I truly enjoy getting to present these artists to those of you who are listening.
As I mentioned in the episode, here’s the link to the video of Chieko Baisho’s “Reminiscence,” followed by Takao Hirata and Sellstars’ hits, “The Devil is Hard,” and “The Bee Musashi Is Dead”:
Takao Hirata and Sellstars, “The Devil is Hard”
Takao Hirata and Sellstars, “The Bee Musashi Is Dead”
As always, thanks for listening. Next month, I’ll be featuring the 1986 compilation, “Winter Lounge.” There were some fantastic Christmas compilations put out in Japan in the 80’s, and this is one of the best. It features a diverse array of artists and includes one of my favorite Japanese Christmas songs. You don’t want to miss it. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or recommendations, feel free to send them my way. Also, be sure to check out some of the other Christmas podcasts mentioned in this month’s episodes. They’re a great way to keep Christmas going year-round.
Any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.
Remember, I’ve added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you’d like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!
Listen to this episode of the Holly Jolly Xmasu Podcast
Author: Holly Jolly X’masu
Title: Episode 9 – Takao Hirata and Sellstars
On this episode, we’ll try and settle the debate about the film the Nightmare Before Christmas…is it a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie? Also we’ll count down the top five Christmas sketches from Saturday Night Live, remind you to order your Christmas cards, and we’re in the home stretch of our made for podcast Christmas movie, “A Bomb For Christmas.”
00:00 – 01:43 Intro
01:43 – 03:16 We Need a Little Christmas Now
03:16 – 11:31 Five Golden Things (SNL Christmas Sketches)
11:31 – 15:09 All I Want For Christmas Is News
15:09 – 35:24 Is It A Christmas Movie? – Nightmare Before Christmas
35:24 – 48:05 A Bomb For Christmas (Act 6)
48:05 – 50:15 Wrap Up
50:15 – 53:00 Outtakes
“We Wish You A Merry Christmas” United States Marine Band
“Jingle Bells” Performed by Kristen Nowicki
(The embedded player for the episode is bellow the links)
2020 Christmas Cardshttps://www.zazzle.com/collections/2020_christrmas_cards-119169232100976374
ALL Our Customizable Christmas Cards
https://www.zazzle.com/collections/all_christmas_cards-119050933992275132
The Soundtrack Show about the Music of Nightmare Before Christmas Episodes
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-the-soundtrack-show-29021108/episode/the-nightmare-before-christmas-the-music-51964234/
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-the-soundtrack-show-29021108/episode/the-nightmare-before-christmas-the-music-52266798/
Fosters Holidays Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/fostersholidays/
Weird Christmas
https://weirdchristmas.com/
Music for “A Bomb for Christmas” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sounds for for “A Bomb for Christmas”
https://freesound.org/people/mhtaylor67/sounds/126044/
https://freesound.org/people/anagar/sounds/267931/
https://freesound.org/people/SubwaySandwitch420/sounds/540770/
https://freesound.org/people/Adam_N/sounds/330274/
https://freesound.org/people/daveincamas/sounds/26269/
https://freesound.org/people/daveincamas/sounds/44772/
https://freesound.org/people/nothayama/sounds/172497/
https://freesound.org/people/Anaponce/sounds/535211/
https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/451054/
https://freesound.org/people/kyles/sounds/405310/
All music and sound in “A Bomb for Christmas” licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Listen to this episode of the Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast
Author: Tim Babb
Title: CWFC 072 – Nightmare Before Christmas: Halloween Movie or Christmas Movie?
Family history in Christmas is something everyone has. In fact, the stories of family at Christmas can possibly be the most cherished family memories we possess.
In this merry episode of the Merry Little Podcast we take it to a very personal level when it comes to Christmas history as we discuss the sharing and retention of our family Christmas stories.
We have all been there when it comes to these things. We’ll sit around at or after the funeral of a loved one and we’ll tell their stories. Each life is unique, so these stories in simple and great ways carry supreme value not because they may be unusual but because they involved people we love.
How much more special is that when you combine the stories of family with the celebration of Christmas?
The pursuit of family history is one of the most popular Internet hobbies online. FamilySearch.org claims more than 200 million visits a year as they continue to add billions of new records online of ancestral research value.
Across the globe as millions work to find their roots through hard data of names of people, places and dates of life transitions there is one component that can hardly been indexed and cataloged and searched online: personal stories.
I’m no different than anyone else. This episode is as much about creating a family record of a few of our simple Christmas stories as it is a means of creating a podcast for you, Merry Listeners. These podcasts, after all, are a personal archive me and some day, after I’m pushing up daisies, they will no doubt be of value to people who might call me their ancestor.
So this is an episode of personal history — of Christmas celebrated.
What can you do to preserve your family stories of Christmas? After all, not everyone has a podcast, right?
Of course there are many ways. But the hardest part does not seem to be the creative effort it requires. It’s actually just the time and effort to just make a record.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Use the season to create the record. When family is gathered “roll tape!”, as they say. Set up the video camera or flip on the phone and just start talking.
2. Give family history as a gift. It can be as simple as a frame picture or photo album to copies of an old journal. These personal gifts tend to not only be long-remembered and cherished but they also spur good discussion and memory sharing in families.
3. Involve the young and the old. Storytelling is an art that has never gone out of fashion. Add that element to your holiday meals and gatherings.
There are a billion ideas out there. But the honest truth is that once you share and create records they tend to take on a life of their own. We just need to get them started.
Listen to this episode of the Merry Little Podcast
Author: Merry Podcaster
Title: Family History in Christmas
It’s hard to imagine an American holiday table without the ubiquitous orange-crusted custard made from strained, spiced and twice-cooked squash. Join host, Glen Warren, as we explore the history and origins of that wonderfully creamy custard-like dessert: pumpkin pie.
Website: https://www.seasonseatingspodcast.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seasonseatingspodcast
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/seasonseatingspod
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/seasonseatpod
Email: seasonseatingspodcast@gmail.com
Sources:
Christmas can be quite nostalgic for so many of us. The traditions, songs, aromas or ornaments can trigger memories and feelings. Documentarian and broadcast engineer Jeff Carter joins Rikki Meece to talk about the power of nostalgia.
Listen to this episode of the Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe Christmas Podcast
Author: Rikki Meece and Mary Richards, Christmas Podcasters
Title: SBMX Christmas Nostalgia Part 1
In the fourth episode of 12 Days Pod, Dan and Cara discuss why this movie is shot at such a strange angle, Cara’s appreciation for Ron Howard, and which Hogwarts House the Grinch belongs to.
—
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/12dayspod/support
Listen to this episode of 12 Days Podcast
Author: 12 Days Pod
Title: 4. How the Grinch Dismantled Capitalism
What’s up, dudes? Jason Rhodes from Holidays Unknown joins me this week to discuss the wonderful animated ” The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree”! This is a good one! There are the rhyming couplets, Papa’s big toe, a spinning axe thrown by an eagle that looks like the glaive from “Krull”! I mean, what an ending! Don’t forget to vote in Gag Me with a Spoon! Can’t miss this one!
Listen to this episode of Totally Rad Christmas
Author: Gerry D
Title:
Listen to this episode of Christmas Time in the City
Author: Chris & Kris
Title: Halloween in New York City
Jack from Total Christmas Podcast joins us for this big minute where the Ancient Elf officially declares Claus will be from here on known as “Santa Claus”. Jack gives us a UK fan’s perspective of growing up with the movie and more about the actors who played elves Groot (Don Estelle), Gooba (Melvyn Hayes), and Goobler (Dickie Arnold). Join us as we discuss Minute 30 of Santa Claus: The Movie (1985).
Our Podcast Website: https://binstoybin.wixsite.com/binstoybin/santa-by-the-minute-podcast
Total Christmas Podcast: https://www.totalchristmaspodcast.com
Listen to this episode of Santa By the Minute Podcast
Author: santabytheminute
Title: Minute 30 – Officially Santa (w/ Jack from Total Christmas Podcast)
Disclaimer: This podcast contains spoilers and swears.
Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to follow us on social media: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
If you love our show, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. You get early access to episodes, bonus content, and rewards at every level! This helps us with our production costs and to create even more holiday cheer!
Thank you for listening and have a very merry NetfliXmas!
All our links in one place: http://linktr.ee/netflixmaspodcast
Listen to this episode of the NetFlixmas Podcast
Author: netflixmaspodcast
Title: Christmas with a Prince, feat. Jacob Erdman – The Book was Spicier
Halloween and Christmas meet together in space!
Today’s episode is an interview with author and classic science fiction/fantasy author Ray Bradbury’s official biographer, Sam Weller. He has just published a new collection of gothic short stories called Dark Black. It’s a book that will get you into the Halloween mood! There’s also a new audio drama podcast called The Way We Haunt Now. https://hauntnowpod.com/
In the episode we talk about these two short stories – if you’d like to read them you can find them online. They are pretty short and won’t take long to read.
The Gift https://classic.esquire.com/article/1952/12/1/the-gift (the picture that Weller talks about in the interview is also on that page.)
The Star https://sites.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/TheStar.pdf
The Way We Haunt Now https://hauntnowpod.com/
Dark Black https://hatandbeard.com/products/dark-black
Artist Dan Grzeca: https://www.dangrzeca.com/
A Lot Like Christmas: https://www.amazon.com/Lot-Like-Christmas-Stories-ebook/dp/B01N6RFENJ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=A+lot+like+christmas&qid=1603205945&sr=8-2
Contest Winner! Congratulations to Rachel Rogers, she has won the Scrooge Ornament!
Listen to this episode of the Cozy Christmas Podcast
Author: ArtK
Title: Christmas in Space! with special guest Sam Weller
Weekly episodes in the Ber Months continues! This week Todd is joined by Glen Warren of the Seasons Eating Podcast for this installment of Christmas Conversations.
Seasons Eatings is a podcast that discusses the history and preparation of all the food we love at the holidays.
Follow Seasons Eatings on:
Listen to this episode of Christmas Clatter
Author: Todd Killian
Title: Give Me Dressing With Turkey Smashed In There
What’s up, dudes? This week I head down Papa Elf Ln and talk “Newhart” with Todd Killian from the Christmas Clatter Podcast! It’s a perfect blend of coziness and humor! No Larry, Daryl, and Daryl? That’s ok! We’ve got no room at the inn for Joe and his pregnant wife as well as the Wiseman brothers! Don’t forget to vote in Gag Me with a Spoon! Gotta catch this ep!
Listen to this episode of Totally Rad Christmas
Author: Gerry D
Title: Ep 33 – Newhart (w/ Todd Killian)
What’s up, dudes? 2020’s been a crazy year, so here’s a bonus episode for you! I got to talk with Stefanie Davis, the director of the new Christmas film “The Christmas Ride”! We really get into it! Wanna know how it was made? Sit back, listen, and marvel at this masterful mumblecore movie! Ooh! Alliteration! I should do that more often! Don’t forget to vote in the To the Max segment! Check it out, and be sure to catch “The Christmas Ride” when it comes out!
https://youtu.be/Y45euwomp9g
Listen to this episode of Totally Rad Christmas
Author: Gerry D
Title: Bonus Episode – The Christmas Ride (w/ Stefanie Davis)
In the first full-length episode of TGI Podcast, we talk about the Season 3 episode of Full House titled Divorce Court. Will the first episode be deemed a “You got it dude!” or a “No way Jose”? Tune in to find out!
Listen to this episode of the TGI Podcast
Author: Matt Eurich
Title: A Full House Halloween: Divorce Court
