What’s up, dudes? Duane from Tinsel Tunes is here with me to talk about the 1984 Christmas mega hit “Last Christmas” by Wham! This catchy tune still holds a spot on most terrestrials radio playlists to this day!

Wham! soared onto the charts in ‘84 with several memorable pop songs when George Michael dreamed about having a Christmas hit. One day, while watching football, the melody came to him. Of course, he ran upstairs to his room to record it his idea, and by the end of the night, he had written a killer tune!

Featuring melodic synths and steady drum machines, the final song competed with Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” for the UK Christmas #1. The music video boasts cinematic scenery, and tells the story of a jilted love. Of course, it ultimately lost the battle for #1, but Wham! donated the proceeds to famine relief efforts anyway.

Poppy synthesizers? Check. Ugly Christmas jumpers? Got ‘em. Ski resort meet up with your ex and her new boyfriend? Well… so grab your skis, settle in for a cozy Christmas, and jam out to this episode on “Last Christmas!”

Tinsel Tunes
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Townshend Lights

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What’s up? Alex P. Keaton is back, and he learns—or re-learns—all about Christmas spirit! I’ve got Jeff Fox from Name That Christmas Special with me to talk Family Ties “Miracle in Columbus!” Alex’s heart grows three sizes!

In this sixth season seventeenth episode, Skippy gets Alex to fill in for him as a mall Santa. The capitalistic Santa Alex meets a little girl named Michelle who wants nothing more than for her father to be home for Christmas. Of course, this bums Alex out to the max.

Subsequently in the mall locker room, the real Santa appears and comforts and encourages Alex. Moved by his speech, he finds Michelle and her mom and invites them over for Christmas Eve. Miraculously, Michelle’s dad appears at the Keatons’s door. All’s well that ends well!

Mallory and Jennifer in elf costumes? Check. Skippy as an abominable snowman? Got it. Michael and Elise decorating a cactus? It got better. So grab your Santa suit and, “Ho Ho Ho,” to this episode on Family Ties “Miracle in Columbus!”

Name That Christmas Special
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What’s up, dudes? It’s the greatest store ever to an ‘80s kid! Yes, it’s Toys “R” Us, the category killer! Today we’re talking the Toys “R” Us Christmas Dream Book 1985!

Toys “R” Us goes all the way back to 1948, when Charles Lazarus opened a little Washington, D.C. shop called Children’s Bargain Town, selling baby furniture. Eventually he pivoted from cribs and strollers to playthings. In 1957, Lazarus opened the first store under the Toys “R” Us name, built like a supermarket for toys—long aisles, stacked shelves, self-service shopping, and wall-to-wall kids’ stuff.

This book provides a huge variety of toys. From ThunderCats to Cabbage Patch Kids, there’s something for everyone. The My Little Pony Dream Castle provided hours of fun, and Snake Mountain gave the evil warriors a lair to lure Eternian Heroes. Of course, Sectaurs Hyve playset towered over all of them!

Gobots Command Center? Check. BMX bikes? Rad! My Buddy? Wherever you go, he goes! So grab your Voltron Force figures, throw them in your Sling ‘Em Fling ‘Em Wrestling Ring, and circle your favorites in this  Toys “R” Us Christmas Dream Book 1985!

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What’s up, dudes? We had a blast covering the last few movies, so we’re continuing our live commentary series! This time it’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and it’s awesome! Anthony Caruso from ‘Tis the Podcast, CJ Bélanger from Rose Suchak Ladder, and I have a blast with this watch along!

‘Tis the Podcast
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Rose Suchak Ladder
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What’s up, dudes? Advent is here, and it’s time to prepare for Christmas! Fr. Thom Crowe from ‘Tis the Podcast is here with me to discuss the differences between Catholic and Orthodox Advent liturgies!

How long is each one? Which one omits parts of the Ordinary? Are they both strict fasts? We get into all of it! There are striking similarities and glaring differences. The sanctoral and temporal cycles overlap, and function as a weak analogy of the hydrostatic union.

The West has more structural variation and variable parts parts, but the East has the stricter fast. We delve into the Mass/Divine Liturgy and the Office/Hours. After that, we tackle popular Advent devotions from both traditions. St. Nicholas definitely gets some play!

Gloria in excelsis? Nope. Te Deum? Uh uh. Benedicamus Domino? Definitely! So grab your folded chasuble, switch it out for a broad stole, and chant along to this episode on Catholic and Orthodox Advent liturgies!

‘Tis the Podcast
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What’s up, dudes? There’s nothing like a Christmas jazz house song to kick off a party. I’ve got Steve Beech of Uplifting House Sessions with me to dive into the opening track of Winter Warnerland! Yes, we’re talking Jeff Lorber “God Rest the House!”

Jeff Lorber is an American keyboardist and composer specializing in jazz and fusion. After attending the Berklee College of Music, he played with Michael Brecker and John Scofield. Eventually he started Jeff Lorber Fusion and released his first album in 1977. He frequently played on Rhodes, Minimoog, and Prophet 5 keyboards. He subsequently went solo and had several singles on Billboard Dance charts.

As the Winter Warnerland liner notes state:

“He’s the guy who first brought you Karen White with their smash hit, The Facts of Love. Kenny G, his former sax player and right now is one of the hottest session cats out there. You can hear his magic touch on current hits from U2, Pebbles, New Edition, Giant Steps, New Shoes, The California Raisins, Sheena Easton and Jeffrey Osborne. Those are just the ones he’s played on this month. And you know he’s saving up the good stuff for his next WB LP due sometime in 89. Even though he’s a busy guy, he managed to crank out a hot house mix version of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen for us. Turn it up!”

Driving bass line? Check. Syncopated version of the melody? Got it. Minor pentatonics, blues scale embellishments, and occasional chromatic triplets? Definitely! So grab your Yamaha GS-1, and jam out to this episode on Jeff Lorber “God Rest the House!”

Uplifting House Sessions
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What’s up, dudes? I’ve got Anthony Caruso from ‘Tis the Podcast and Jeremy Phelps the Alamo City Santa with me to dig into Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. That’s right! It’s the classic “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!” Will he ever kick the football?

Charlie Brown gets a phone call from Peppermint Patty, who invites herself, Marcie and Franklin  to  Chuck’s house for dinner. As it turns out, he is not having dinner and can’t  cook anything. Consequently, Linus suggests that they prepare a meal for their friends before they go to grandma’s, and recruits Snoopy and Woodstock to help. The gang then prepare a feast of toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks, jelly beans, and sundaes.

After the guests arrive, Linus leads the group in prayer  before Snoopy serves the meal. Peppermint Patty, who expected turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving food, angrily yells at Charlie Brown, who leaves the table dejected. Marcie berates her and apologize to Chuck for her. Realizing that he and Sally are late for the Brown family dinner, Charlie Brown explains the situation over the phone to his grandmother, who invites all his friends to come along for dinner.

Pilgrim dog? Check. Clueless imposing friend? Yep. Cannibalistic bird? Only Woodstock! So grab your popcorn, make some toast, and  enjoy Thanksgiving with your friends to this episode on “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!”

‘Tis the Podcast
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Alamo City Santa                                                                IG: @alamocitysanta

Etsy: North Pole General Store

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What’s up, dudes? Mike Westfall of Advent Calendar House and Tim Babb from Can’t Wait for Christmas are with me to talk all about the genius that is Al Yankovic! Even Caleb Cote from Insert Reference Here pops in to dive into Weird Al “Christmas at Ground Zero!”

The song is a throwback to the Phil Spector “wall of sound” era, full of bari sax and keyboard layers. Of course, in Al fashion, he copies the style to perfection. Harmonically, it’s a simple I-vi-ii-V chord progression reminiscent of the 1960s.

Lyrically, the song is awash in Cold War nuclear disaster tropes. Yankovic’s label, Scotti Brothers Records, insisted that he record a Christmas album. However, after Yankovic presented the song to his label, they relented, because it was “a little different from what they were expecting.” After the song was written and recorded, Yankovic wanted to release the song as a commercial single, but Scotti Bros. refused. Eventually, Scotti Bros. released the song as a promotional single and then commercially.

Sleigh bells ringing? Check. Trimming the tree? Uh huh. Atom bombs dropping? Only if it creates new mutants! So load your gun and suck and cover to this episode on Weird Al “Christmas at Ground Zero!”

Advent Calendar House
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Can’t Wait for Christmas
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Insert Reference Here                                       Bsky: @forgetfulfrasier

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Weird Al “Christmas At Ground Zero” (w/ Mike, Tim & Caleb)

What’s up, dudes? We had a blast covering the last movie, so we’re doing another live commentary! It’s A Christmas Story, and it’s awesome! Anthony Caruso from ‘Tis the Podcast, CJ Bélanger from Rose Suchak Ladder, and I have a blast with this watch along!

‘Tis the Podcast
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Rose Suchak Ladder
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