Join in, swing your pants

The Monkees go A Cappella - with highly impressive results. Merry Christmas, pop chums!




Riu riu chiu, la guarda ribera;
Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera,
Dios guardo el lobo de neustra cordera.

Riu riu chiu, la guarda ribera;
Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera,
Dios guardo el lobo de neustra cordera.

El lobo rabioso la quiso morder,
Mas Dios poderoso la supo defender;
Quisola hazer que no pudiese pecar,
Ni aun original esta Virgen no tuviera.

Riu riu chiu, la guarda ribera;
Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera,
Dios guardo el lobo de neustra cordera.

Riu riu chiu, la guarda ribera;
Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera,
Dios guardo el lobo de neustra cordera.


Este qu'es nacido es el gran monarca,
Christo patriarca de carne vestido;
Hemos redemido con se hazer chiquito,
Aunqu'era infinito, finito se hiziera.

Riu riu chiu, la guarda ribera;
Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera,
Dios guardo el lobo de neustra cordera.

Riu riu chiu, la guarda ribera;
Dios guardo el lobo de nuestra cordera,
Dios guardo el lobo de neustra cordera.

Pop Quiz, hot shots

Just in case you were in any doubt as to the the sheer wondrousness of the internet age, I give you, in its entirety, the Christmas Eve 1984 edition of Mike Read's Pop Quiz!

The Christmas Alternative (Spotify Playlist #10)

Chriiiistmas time, mistletoe and wiii- not on my watch! Have a good one!

Glam Chops - Born In The USA

Typically, I'm about three years late with this, but what a brilliant version!



Eddie Argos it

It's Wright but it's not good

We're very quick as a nation nowadays to become outraged by the latest insensitive or deliberately provocative comments from high-profile celebrities, gathering in our thousands on Twitter or newspaper websites' comments sections to register our displeasure and to demand a public apology and/or the culprit's immediate resignation or sacking. I can't usually get too worked up about this sort of thing as, well, I have a pretty inappropriate (or just plain puerile) sense of humour myself. Life's too short, and all that.

But this week there has been one instance of such ill-judged behaviour that has genuinely annoyed and, dare I say it, outraged me. It came courtesy of Channel 5 presenter Matthew Wright on his daytime magazine programme The Wright Stuff. During a review of the morning's newspapers, one of his guests pointed out an article about the murder last week of 16-year Liam Aitchison on the Isle of Lewis, the first such case in the area for some 40 years. Wright's reaction was to yell "There's been a mur-der!" in an ersatz Taggart-style comedy Scottish accent, before repeating himself and laughing heartily at the brilliance of his wit.

Now, quite understandably on this occasion, this provoked an outraged response from viewers of the programme - including Liam Aitchison's distraught father - and hundreds of complaints to the regulator; and this in turn led to Wright issuing a grudging, cursory, passive-aggressive half-apology on the following morning's programme. But he couldn't resist getting an Alan Partridge-esque hubristic dig in immediately afterwards, telling those who'd organised campaigns to report him to Ofcom to "Grow up, folks". Oh, the irony.

Weally wockin'

Right then, it's, what, December 7th, so I think I'm just about OK to start with the Christmas stuff. And what better way to begin than with Rock 'n' Roll Santa, a spot of inspired lunacy from Jan Terri. Yo La Tengo covered this song but I'd never have heard either version had it not been for resident Christmas songs guru Spike, so ultimately she's responsible! (I suspect this'll be a song that you'll either love or hate. Me, I love it!)



Jan Terri - Rock 'n' Roll Santa mp3

Goodnight Australia

November 23rd was a sad day for fans of light-hearted Antipodean TV music quiz shows as it saw the final edition of the Adam Hills-hosted Spicks & Specks, after seven years and 266 episodes. If you've never seen it, Spicks & Specks was basically Never Mind The Buzzcocks without the malice or a penchant for humiliating blameless members of the public. (Please tell me Buzzcocks doesn't still do that godawful identity parade.)

Anyway, here is the star-studded* final episode of Spicks & Specks in all its glory. (*Don't worry if you're from outside Australia and don't recognise many of the faces, as you'll enjoy the show regardless.)