Rhubarb Cake, 12/23/99, 9 AM-noon on WFMU

hosted by Douglas

Noh ex-mist forge on keys

background music: Stephen Vitiello: Uitti

reading: Naomi Shihab Nye: "Famous"

Gaji: Hungry Children (Are The Last Beasts On The Ground)
   the beat of an Amsterdam squat pummels through to Japan
The Original Tropicana Steel Band: Funky Abbey Road
   not a Beatles cover--a cover of something, but what?
The Fall: No X-Mas For John Quays
   and when is the last time Mark E. celebrated himself?
Erica Pomerance: You Used To Think
   the hippie dream, with the flu
Atom & His Package: What WE Do On Christmas
   refutes the blood libel and reveals the holiday secret of the Jews

Dim Sum Clip Job: X-Mas
   the ultimate Christmas piece: two minutes of smashing ornaments
Rocket From The Crypt: Tarzan
   quasi-Lieber-Stoller via BTO produces a heterosexual "Lola"--really
8 Bold Souls: Third One Smiles
   the Philly cosmic jazz spirit franchised out to Chicago
Ravi Harris and the Prophets: Path of the Blazing Sarong
   hooray for sitar funk
Boys From Nowhere: Rocket To Nowhere
   borrowed nihilism, sandpapery and tasty

Melt-Banana: White Christmas
   this is a funnier band than anybody realizes; here they spell it out
The Fugs: I Saw The Best Minds Of My Generation Rock
   yes, it's a setting of "Howl," and it rocks more than TMBG's
Beck: The Little Drum Machine Boy (edit)
   not the first time he's been confused about cultural identity
Anthony Moore: Erhu
   sometimes people concentrate on very little things
Eog: Solid Liquid
   Dutch post-Ae electronics, but isn't everything post-Ae now?
Some Other Dimensions In Yo La Tengo: Now 2000, pt. 1
   the Philly cosmic jazz spirit franchised out to Hoboken

James Brown: The Christmas Song, version 1
   how he sings it in his tuxedo
James Brown: The Christmas Song, version 2
   how he sings it when he rips the tuxedo open
James Brown: Let's Make This Christmas Mean Something This Year
   the extra "this" is very, very James
James Brown: Tit For Tat (Ain't No Taking Back)
   he attempted to make this a standard, via his supporting cast
James Brown: I'm Your Christmas Friend, Don't Be Hungry
   "The story of Christmas is as old as time itself"
James Brown: Hey America
   "God gave his son, let us celebrate with wine... hava nagilah... volaré..."
James Brown: Funky Christmas Millennium
   "Sittin' at my computer! Phone, cell, beeper or fax!"

Bird Nest Roys: Ain't Mutatin'
   secular, serious, swoony, strummy
The Man Machine: Bonjour Action Jeans
   spazz-shriek performance of the ad theme all '80s kids know
Dicky Williams: In The Same Motel
   on the wrong end of a cheatin' song--but what was he doing there?
Alice Despard: Walk
   the buzzing bassboard on this one makes it
Warn Defever: Maybe
   a crumpled version of Ida's "Maybelle," itself a Carter tribute

Cristina: Things Fall Apart
   some people get very grim at this time of year
Granville Williams Orchestra: Santa Claus Is Ska-ing To Town
   and some people get downright tropical
Smart Went Crazy: Con Art
   and some people are ice-cold no matter what the season
Sandy Bull: Blend
   got more calls than anything else I've played
Mombasa: African Hustle
   like that machine that translates something one way, then back

Aki Tsuyuko: Sprout
   not simple, but as clear as a thin green pane of gelatin
Rare Earth: (I Know) I'm Losing You
   clouded over with the accoutrements of vanilla fudge
Williams Fairey Brass Band: Cubik
   808 State cover, yanked giggling from its idiom
Blake Xolton: Merry Christmas
   he can't help but feel displaced, even in his own castle
Karin Höghielm: Vocalis
   two minutes of silvery thinness
De La Soul: Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa (single version)
   "do you like that song?" one caller asked incredulously; yes
Vic Godard and the Subway Sect: Ambition
   a forgotten, wobbly side-note of a hot loud moment

The Youngsters: Christmas In Jail
   taking any opportunity to be bitter and drunk
Culturcide: Depressed Christmas
   pure horrifying hilarious catharsis

questions? mail me!

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