List Envy

Guest

Sara-Mae Tuson

Writer of young adult novels, producer for a boutique podcast company, copywriter and editor.

Fable Gazers Season 2: Heyer Today

Sara-Mae Tuson (@saramaetuson) | Twitter

Writer and podcaster Sara-Mae Tuson kicks off a double-bill of brilliant women in literature. This week, Mark and Sara-Mae discuss under-appreciated female authors.

Sara-Mae is a writer who’s turned her natural storytelling abilities into podcasting magic. Her previous work, The Sugar Baby Confessionals picked won bronze in the Best Sex and Relationship Podcast at the 2019 British Podcast Awards, and she’s now working on a series all about the life and work of her first pick.

Mark and Sara-Mae discuss the value of being talked up to in literature, the perception of romance in literature, and the industry’s apparent reliance on classifying work, and putting authors and their work in boxes.

Here’s Mark’s appearance on Your Own Words, in which he talked about Grinny by Nicholas Fisk, and a little about Gene Kemp.

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Sign up to the weekly newsletter so you never miss a list, and for Mark and Sara-Mae’s Goodreads recommendations.

Sara-Mae’s picks

In order of discussion:

Georgette Heyer

Sara-Mae is a fan of the often looked-down-upon genre of regency romance, and considers Heyer to be the gold standard. This Wimbledon-born woman wrote not only romances, but thrillers, with over 50 novels to her name.

Elizabeth von Arnim

Von Arnim makes Sara-Mae’s list thanks to the elegence and insightfulness of her work. She wrote from the late 19th to the early 20th century, was a modern thinker, and at one time the breadwinner.

Mary Stewart

Sara-Mae picked this 20th century thriller and romance novelist for her vivid writing, her scene-setting, and her ability to place ordinary people into difficult situations, allowing them to do extraordinary things.

Barbara Pym

Sara-Mae’s next pick is described as “forever being forgotten, and forever revived”. Another author who derived meaning from the ordinary, Pym was once described as the most underrated writer of the century.

Cynthia Voigt

Voigt’s book The Runner was an eye-opener for Sara-Mae, as it gave her permission to worry less about conforming to society’s expectations.

Nancy Mitford

“Nancy the novelist” was a joint fifth pick for Sara-Mae, who wonders how much her writing would have been informed and affected by her life and her other (in)famous sisters.

Mark’s pick

In order of discussion:

Victoria Wood

Mark picked Wood as his first selection, as her writing work can sometimes go unappreciated. As well as an accomplished songwriter and musician, Wood was a highly successful standup, and through Acorn Antiques , Dinner Ladies and the mockumentaries in As Seen on TV , has created enduring comic characters.

Nicole Perlman

Mark’s second pick is a co-writer of Guardians of the Galaxy , Captain Marvel and Detective Pikachu. As a comic book screenwriter, her name isn’t usually up in lights, hence her addition to Mark’s list.

Gene Kemp

Mark picked this children’s and young-adult writer as a name he fondly remembered from his past, even if he seemed to be unable to recall any of her actual books. Kemp wrote about everyday characters living mundane lives, but brought out the drama through their inner monologues.

Abi Morgan

The creator of the TV show The Hour , and screenwriter for The Iron Lady is Mark’s fourth pick as a writer whose work many of us have enjoyed, especially within the UK, but that we don’t necessarily always attribute to the correct source.

Tamora Pierce

Mark delves further back into his childhood for his final pick, choosing to highlight Tamora Pierce and her Wild Magic book series.

More of Sara-Mae

You can find Sara-Mae’s podcast work under the Fable Gazers banner. Her current series is Heyer Today, tracks the life and work of Georgette Heyer.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

Ben Smith

He solves the puzzles and bakes the cookies. Co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast.

Ben Smith (@BenMSmith) | Twitter

Thrill to the sounds of podcaster and movie-lover Ben Smith, sharing his top five shlockbusters with Mark Steadman. You won’t believe your ears! List Envy, in select theatres now.

Ben is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast with previous guest Mike McComb, and hailing from the same state as Mystery Science Theater 3000 has a keen eye for a film that’s so bad it’s good. But that’s not all the Cannon studio had to offer; some of the work is surprisingly meaningful, if buried under piles of rubble caused by explosions set off by breakdancing ninjas.

Get Extra Envy in your inbox

Sign up to the weekly newsletter so you never miss a list, and for some links to help you get your next bad movie night off the ground.

Honourable mentions

Love Streams

Street Smart

Rockula

Masters of the Universe

Spoiler alert

Mark especially is quite liberal with the spoiler sauce in this episode, so if you plan on watching any of these films, just be warned that the element of surprise — at least in terms of plot — might be diminished.

Ben’s picks

In order of discussion:

The Apple

Also known as Star Rock for some reason, The Apple is a 1980 film telling the story of a global Eurovision competition equivalent. It’s a musical turned up to 11.

Breakin’

The film that spawned a thousand spoof sequel titles (yes, this is the one that had the sequel called Electric Boogaloo), Breakin’, from 1984, is the “save the rec center” story told through the medium of breakdancing.

Ninja III: The Domination

This time, the ninja is a woman! In 1984’s Ninja III, the main character is possessed by the spirit of a fallen ninja who must seek to regain his/her honour, sometimes on a golf course.

Invasion USA

This Chuck Norris vehicle from 1985 is essentially why we have Chuck Norris jokes. With Invasion USA, Norris was able to make the jump from karate star to full-on action star. If you only see one movie that destroys a mall in Atlanta this year, make it this one.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Lifeforce

Mark’s top pick, from 1985, also makes Ben’s list. The film has a good pedigree in both its writer and director, and is a Anglo-American collaboration based on a novel. But perhaps it was the bonkers premise that means it’s been relegated to something close to B-movie status.

House of the Long Shadows

This tongue-in-cheek horror from 1983 is a who’s who of British stars from scary movie days of yore. It’s also set in Wales, so that’s nice.

Runaway Train

This Jon Voight number from 1985 was based on an Akira Kurosawa film that never got off the ground. It’s a tense prison escape movie that turns into an action suspense story with the kind of heroic ending you just don’t see anymore.

Barfly

1987’s Barfly stars Mickey Rourke as a smart writer whose only real ambition is to make enough money from his work to buy the next round. It’s a rare departure into considered drama, for the studio.

More of Ben Smith

Ben is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast, and you can follow him on Twitter @benmsmith.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

Ben Smith

He solves the puzzles and bakes the cookies. Co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast.

Ben Smith (@BenMSmith) | Twitter

Thrill to the sounds of podcaster and movie-lover Ben Smith, sharing his top five shlockbusters with Mark Steadman. You won’t believe your ears! List Envy, in select theatres now.

Ben is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast with previous guest Mike McComb, and hailing from the same state as Mystery Science Theater 3000 has a keen eye for a film that’s so bad it’s good. But that’s not all the Cannon studio had to offer; some of the work is surprisingly meaningful, if buried under piles of rubble caused by explosions set off by breakdancing ninjas.

Get Extra Envy in your inbox

Sign up to the weekly newsletter so you never miss a list, and for some links to help you get your next bad movie night off the ground.

Honourable mentions

Love Streams

Street Smart

Rockula

Masters of the Universe

Spoiler alert

Mark especially is quite liberal with the spoiler sauce in this episode, so if you plan on watching any of these films, just be warned that the element of surprise — at least in terms of plot — might be diminished.

Ben’s picks

In order of discussion:

The Apple

Also known as Star Rock for some reason, The Apple is a 1980 film telling the story of a global Eurovision competition equivalent. It’s a musical turned up to 11.

Breakin’

The film that spawned a thousand spoof sequel titles (yes, this is the one that had the sequel called Electric Boogaloo ), Breakin’ , from 1984, is the “save the rec center” story told through the medium of breakdancing.

Ninja III: The Domination

This time, the ninja is a woman! In 1984’s Ninja III , the main character is possessed by the spirit of a fallen ninja who must seek to regain his/her honour, sometimes on a golf course.

Invasion USA

This Chuck Norris vehicle from 1985 is essentially why we have Chuck Norris jokes. With Invasion USA , Norris was able to make the jump from karate star to full-on action star. If you only see one movie that destroys a mall in Atlanta this year, make it this one.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Lifeforce

Mark’s top pick, from 1985, also makes Ben’s list. The film has a good pedigree in both its writer and director, and is a Anglo-American collaboration based on a novel. But perhaps it was the bonkers premise that means it’s been relegated to something close to B-movie status.

House of the Long Shadows

This tongue-in-cheek horror from 1983 is a who’s who of British stars from scary movie days of yore. It’s also set in Wales, so that’s nice.

Runaway Train

This Jon Voight number from 1985 was based on an Akira Kurosawa film that never got off the ground. It’s a tense prison escape movie that turns into an action suspense story with the kind of heroic ending you just don’t see anymore.

Barfly

1987’s Barfly stars Mickey Rourke as a smart writer whose only real ambition is to make enough money from his work to buy the next round. It’s a rare departure into considered drama, for the studio.

More of Ben Smith

Ben is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast, and you can follow him on Twitter @benmsmith.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

Mike Mccomb

Mike has been writing about TV online since 2008, when he started the blog WTF Little House on the Prairie? The blog was a project to practice writing about television analytically prior to getting an MA in Television-Radio-Film from Syracuse University, or as he likes to call it “TV Camp.”

The EuroWhat? Podcast | A Eurovision Song Contest Podcast for Americans

Mike McComb (@Rube_Goldberg) | Twitter

TV writer Mike McComb joins Mark to discuss the bizarre and beautiful magic of this European musical tradition. Enjoy this episode, and don’t forget to have a drink on Terry in song 9.

Mike is a Eurovision aficionado, having come to it via the Sounds Like Teen Spirit documentary. He’s not let being American and thus being geofenced out of most live broadcasts steer him away, as his work on the EuroWhat? podcast will attest.

Get Extra Envy in your inbox

Sign up to the weekly newsletter so you never miss a list, and for some unmissable Eurovision recommendations you won’t get elsewhere.

Mike’s picks

In order of discussion:

Stockholm, 2016

Both Mark and Mike felt that this year’s ceremony was the epitome of everything that’s wonderful about Eurovision, especially the sense of humour.

Copenhagen, 2014

This was Mike’s second pick as it was an iconic year for the contest, seeing Austria’s Conchita Wurst absolutely nail it, and bringing us more memorable and mockable Eurovision moments.

Baku, 2012

Mike appreciated this final from a European education perspective. It gave us the singing grannies, delightfully clunky hosts, and a consistent fan favourite in Euphoria, which was another winning song for Sweden.

Malmö, 2013

This was a surprise entry for Mike, but it snuck in as it was simply a solid year. The opening reintroduced the Parade of Nations, but perhaps the year was marred by a little too much dubstep.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Düsseldorf, 2011

Mark enjoyed the high level of earnestness from this year’s final, the host’s entertainment appeal, and the songs. For Mike, there was a consistency issue throughout the night, with all the favourites finishing in the first half.

Tel Aviv, 2019

Mark picked the 2019 final for its focus on interesting staging, and because he felt they didn’t try to go overboard with the showbiz sparkle, but instead were quite humble and sweet in places. Iceland’s entry was legit terrifying, though.

Oslo, 2010

Mark thought 2010 was a nice year, and felt it marked the beginning of a transition into the knowing, semi-ironically-detached period the content is now in. It was the first contest where Mike got fully invested, so it has a special place in his heart, too.

More of Mike McComb

Mike is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast, and you can follow him on Twitter @rube_goldberg.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

Mike Mccomb

Mike has been writing about TV online since 2008, when he started the blog WTF Little House on the Prairie? The blog was a project to practice writing about television analytically prior to getting an MA in Television-Radio-Film from Syracuse University, or as he likes to call it “TV Camp.”

The EuroWhat? Podcast | A Eurovision Song Contest Podcast for Americans

Mike McComb (@Rube_Goldberg) | Twitter

TV writer Mike McComb joins Mark to discuss the bizarre and beautiful magic of this European musical tradition. Enjoy this episode, and don’t forget to have a drink on Terry in song 9.

Mike is a Eurovision aficionado, having come to it via the Sounds Like Teen Spirit documentary. He’s not let being American and thus being geofenced out of most live broadcasts steer him away, as his work on the EuroWhat? podcast will attest.

Get Extra Envy in your inbox

Sign up to the weekly newsletter so you never miss a list, and for some unmissable Eurovision recommendations you won’t get elsewhere.

Mike’s picks

In order of discussion:

Stockholm, 2016

Both Mark and Mike felt that this year’s ceremony was the epitome of everything that’s wonderful about Eurovision, especially the sense of humour.

Copenhagen, 2014

This was Mike’s second pick as it was an iconic year for the contest, seeing Austria’s Conchita Wurst absolutely nail it, and bringing us more memorable and mockable Eurovision moments.

Baku, 2012

Mike appreciated this final from a European education perspective. It gave us the singing grannies, delightfully clunky hosts, and a consistent fan favourite in Euphoria , which was another winning song for Sweden.

Malmö, 2013

This was a surprise entry for Mike, but it snuck in as it was simply a solid year. The opening reintroduced the Parade of Nations, but perhaps the year was marred by a little too much dubstep.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Düsseldorf, 2011

Mark enjoyed the high level of earnestness from this year’s final, the host’s entertainment appeal, and the songs. For Mike, there was a consistency issue throughout the night, with all the favourites finishing in the first half.

Tel Aviv, 2019

Mark picked the 2019 final for its focus on interesting staging, and because he felt they didn’t try to go overboard with the showbiz sparkle, but instead were quite humble and sweet in places. Iceland’s entry was legit terrifying, though.

Oslo, 2010

Mark thought 2010 was a nice year, and felt it marked the beginning of a transition into the knowing, semi-ironically-detached period the content is now in. It was the first contest where Mike got fully invested, so it has a special place in his heart, too.

More of Mike McComb

Mike is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast, and you can follow him on Twitter @rube_goldberg.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

George Chachanidze

Host of the Snappy-Tech YouTube channel.

Fundraiser by George Chachanidze : George is smartphone-less for a year!

George Chachanidze 📵 (@g_chachanidze) | Twitter

Mark gets wobbly-wobbly and timey-wimey with tech YouTuber George Chachanidze.

The pair started by discussing their favourite incarnations of the Doctor, and then their favourite — or least favourite — companions.

Spoilers abound

If you’re not caught up with Doctor Whoand you intend to, be warned that Mark and George will spoil the hell out of it for you.

Honourable mentions

The Family of Blood

Kerblam!

The Empty Child

The Eleventh Hour

Mummy on the Orient Express

George’s picks

In order of discussion:

Heaven Sent (S09E11; Peter Capaldi)

This highly dramatic and Groundhog Day reminiscent episode takes place shortly after the death of the Doctor’s companion Clara, and is pretty much entirely a monologue. The names of the two episodes got mixed up in the recording: Heaven Sent (the one Make and George both like) is the first in a two-parter that concludes with Hell Bent (which George does not like, and Mark couldn’t remember).

Blink (S03E10; David Tennant, Freema Agyeman)

Blink is regarded by many Whovians as the best of the revival. It introduces the Weeping Angels, who are older than the universe, and zap you back in time to feed off the energy displaced by the life you would have led. Or something.

Midnight (S04E10; David Tennant, Catherine Tate)

Another Doctor-heavy episode, this takes place on the planet of Midnight, which is made entirely of diamonds. It has a horror movie feel, but is almost a bottle episode (in as much as bottle episodes are often made out of a necessity to keep an eye on the budget.)

Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (S04E08-9; David Tennant, Catherine Tate)

This two-parter introduces space archeologist River Song, who would be an important recurring character across multiple Doctor incarnations. It also introduces the Vashta Nerada, a species of space piranha

Dalek (S01E06; Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper)

This episode reintroduces the Daleks in a Utah bunker filled with alien bric-à-brac. It brought them back defeated and weakened, which laid the groundwork for a new generation to be terrified by them all over again.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Father’s Day (S01E08; Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper)

This episode came early on in the reboot’s run, and takes place in 1987, wherein Rose saves her dad from being hit by a car, only to unleash a squadron of time-devouring pterodactyls called reapers.

The Beast Below (S05E02; Matt Smith, Karen Gillan)

This steampunk episode takes place on Starship UK, which carries England, Northern Ireland and Wales — but not Scotland — on the back of a giant space whale, who is kept in perpetual agony to ensure it keeps moving. The finale of the episode see the Doctor’s companion Amy realise that the whale would’ve carried the citizens regardless, because it couldn’t stand to see the children cry.

The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit (S02E08-9; David Tennant, Billie Piper)

This two-parter takes place on a planet that we believe to be Hell, and where the villain is the actual devil. It introduced the Ood, and wasn’t afraid to make religious points (given that this is a show for children).

World Enough and Time (S10E11; Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas)

The first in a two-parter that sees Bill become a Cyberman, Mark picked this for very specific reasons.

More of George Chachanidze

You can follow George on Twitter, find him and Paul on YouTube discussing tech, and follow his journey living a life without a smartphone.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

George Chachanidze

Host of the Snappy-Tech YouTube channel.

Fundraiser by George Chachanidze : George is smartphone-less for a year!

George Chachanidze 📵 (@g_chachanidze) | Twitter

Mark gets wobbly-wobbly and timey-wimey with tech YouTuber George Chachanidze.

The pair started by discussing their favourite incarnations of the Doctor, and then their favourite — or least favourite — companions.

Spoilers abound

If you’re not caught up with Doctor Who and you intend to, be warned that Mark and George will spoil the hell out of it for you.

Honourable mentions

The Family of Blood

Kerblam!

The Empty Child

The Eleventh Hour

Mummy on the Orient Express

George’s picks

In order of discussion:

Heaven Sent (S09E11; Peter Capaldi)

This highly dramatic and Groundhog Day reminiscent episode takes place shortly after the death of the Doctor’s companion Clara, and is pretty much entirely a monologue. The names of the two episodes got mixed up in the recording: Heaven Sent (the one Make and George both like) is the first in a two-parter that concludes with Hell Bent (which George does not like, and Mark couldn’t remember).

Blink (S03E10; David Tennant, Freema Agyeman)

Blink is regarded by many Whovians as the best of the revival. It introduces the Weeping Angels, who are older than the universe, and zap you back in time to feed off the energy displaced by the life you would have led. Or something.

Midnight (S04E10; David Tennant, Catherine Tate)

Another Doctor-heavy episode, this takes place on the planet of Midnight, which is made entirely of diamonds. It has a horror movie feel, but is almost a bottle episode (in as much as bottle episodes are often made out of a necessity to keep an eye on the budget.)

Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (S04E08-9; David Tennant, Catherine Tate)

This two-parter introduces space archeologist River Song, who would be an important recurring character across multiple Doctor incarnations. It also introduces the Vashta Nerada, a species of space piranha

Dalek (S01E06; Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper)

This episode reintroduces the Daleks in a Utah bunker filled with alien bric-à-brac. It brought them back defeated and weakened, which laid the groundwork for a new generation to be terrified by them all over again.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Father’s Day (S01E08; Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper)

This episode came early on in the reboot’s run, and takes place in 1987, wherein Rose saves her dad from being hit by a car, only to unleash a squadron of time-devouring pterodactyls called reapers.

The Beast Below (S05E02; Matt Smith, Karen Gillan)

This steampunk episode takes place on Starship UK, which carries England, Northern Ireland and Wales — but not Scotland — on the back of a giant space whale, who is kept in perpetual agony to ensure it keeps moving. The finale of the episode see the Doctor’s companion Amy realise that the whale would’ve carried the citizens regardless, because it couldn’t stand to see the children cry.

The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit (S02E08-9; David Tennant, Billie Piper)

This two-parter takes place on a planet that we believe to be Hell, and where the villain is the actual devil. It introduced the Ood, and wasn’t afraid to make religious points (given that this is a show for children).

World Enough and Time (S10E11; Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas)

The first in a two-parter that sees Bill become a Cyberman, Mark picked this for very specific reasons.

More of George Chachanidze

You can follow George on Twitter, find him and Paul on YouTube discussing tech, and follow his journey living a life without a smartphone.

Links

Support the podcast

Guest

Daz Wright

Every ounce of his being is focussed on discussing video games, cats and the popular music of the day. He live in Moseley in Birmingham.

Daz Wright (@dazwright) | Twitter

Daz Wright

The Christmas season begins with Mark talking to Daz Wright of Moselele, about the best songs to ring in the festivities.

Daz is a musician, and a founder-member of the Birmingham-based ukulele group Moselele. He’s also a big fan of Christmas, and delivered a sack full of joy to the List Envy studio, along with an honest-to-goodness Christmas cracker and actual sleigh bells.

Whamageddon

The pair discuss this real-world survival game. Like many pure things, Whamageddon has been co-opted by the corporate world, so we’ll stick with the original rules rather than those imposed by the Bauer Media corporation, who have attempted to make it their thing recently.

The object is to go as long as possible without hearing the original version of Wham!’s song Last Christmas (you won’t hear that version in this episode, so you’re safe).

It runs from Dec 1st until Christmas eve.

As soon as you recognise the song, that’s it, you’re out, and play resumes for you next year.

If you’re deliberately sabotaged, bad luck, but that’s not the spirit of the game. You’re still out, but the saboteur is a dick.

Honourable mentions

Mel Smith and Kim Wilde — Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

Mike Oldfield — In Dulce Jubilo

Pretenders — 2000 Miles

Sia — Puppies are Forever

The Wombles — Wombling Merry Christmas

Bob Dylan — Must be Santa

Eels — Everything’s Gonna be Cool This Christmas

Garry Glitter — Another Rock ’n Roll Christmas

Wizzard — I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday

Daz’s picks

In order of discussion:

Slade — Merry Xmas Everybody

This is, for Daz, a perfect Christmas song, as it falls into one of the main categories: nostalgia, a description of the Christmas day or event, and a shameless emotional trigger… and perhaps it embodies all three.

The Oasis cover Mark refers to was not done for the BBC’s Live Lounge series, but for the NME in a joint venture with the War Child charity.

Elton John — Step into Christmas

A late addition to Daz’s list, Step into Christmas is nothing if not meta, opening with the line “welcome to my Christmas song”. Daz calls it shameless, but you can be the judge.

Wham! — Last Christmas

You were promised that your ears would remain a Wham!-free zone, so the demonstrative track for this segment is brought to you by courtesy of the Crazy Frog (who still has 6.5 million YouTube subscribers). Daz enjoys that Last Christmas embodies the spirit of the day (as per his third category of Christmas song success).

Mariah Carey — All I Want for Christmas is You

Despite Daz describing Mariah’s vocal opening as “warbling nonsense”, he enjoys the chunka-chunka piano that follows… and frankly, who doesn’t? This easily satisfies the “emotional trigger” item of Daz’s Christmas song checklist, and who among us doesn’t want to be wholly owned by a quasi-religious semi-fictional wizard?

The Weather Girls – Dear Santa, Bring Me a Man this Christmas (Part 1)

Following on from, and largely borrowing from the success of It’s Raining Men, Dear Santa, Bring Me a Man this Christmas (Part 1) is pretty much the same song, but festive. If you haven’t watched the video, now’s your chance.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Greg Lake — I Believe in Father Christmas

Mark enjoys this quiet and conemplative ballad, that Daz describes as one of the more musically interesting festive offerings. But sadly, the line “the Christmas we get, we deserve” was not enough to make it Christmas #1, which ended up that year being Queen.

The Waitresses — Christmas Wrapping

Mark feels there is a “Dickens quality” to this story song (to be fair, it does start with the line “Bah humbug”), about loneliness and romance, leading to a joyful and merry Christmas day.

The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale of New York

Anyone who’s offended by the lyrics towards the end of this song has our axe, and there’s an argument to be had around the specific meaning of the word in that time and context, but for now, let’s focus on the fact that it’s a winter banger, and a wonderful piece of Christmas melancholia.

Johnny Mathis — When a Child is Born

It took eight songs before the pair got to one that actually described the li’l baby Jesus, but here we are. It’s.a crooner’s song, and pretty sappy, but it does fall squarely in that mid-70s bracket that seems to categorise Christmas songs.

Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews - Baby It’s Cold Outside

If you’re offended by any of the lyrics in this song, you’re a child and you don’t know what grown-up words mean (sometimes two consenting adults can do something naughty and that’s OK). Mark gravely prefers the cover over the original as he believes it packs more personality and fun.

More of Daz Wright

Join Moselele twice a month at the Prince of Wales pub in Moseley, Birmingham,...

Guest

Daz Wright

Every ounce of his being is focussed on discussing video games, cats and the popular music of the day. He live in Moseley in Birmingham.

Daz Wright (@dazwright) | Twitter

Daz Wright

The Christmas season begins with Mark talking to Daz Wright of Moselele, about the best songs to ring in the festivities.

Daz is a musician, and a founder-member of the Birmingham-based ukulele group Moselele. He’s also a big fan of Christmas, and delivered a sack full of joy to the List Envy studio, along with an honest-to-goodness Christmas cracker and actual sleigh bells.

Whamageddon

The pair discuss this real-world survival game. Like many pure things, Whamageddon has been co-opted by the corporate world, so we’ll stick with the original rules rather than those imposed by the Bauer Media corporation, who have attempted to make it their thing recently.

The object is to go as long as possible without hearing the original version of Wham!’s song Last Christmas (you won’t hear that version in this episode, so you’re safe).

It runs from Dec 1st until Christmas eve.

As soon as you recognise the song, that’s it, you’re out, and play resumes for you next year.

If you’re deliberately sabotaged, bad luck, but that’s not the spirit of the game. You’re still out, but the saboteur is a dick.

Honourable mentions

Mel Smith and Kim Wilde — Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Mike Oldfield — In Dulce Jubilo

Pretenders — 2000 Miles

Sia — Puppies are Forever

The Wombles — Wombling Merry Christmas

Bob Dylan — Must be Santa

Eels — Everything’s Gonna be Cool This Christmas

Garry Glitter — Another Rock ’n Roll Christmas

Wizzard — I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday

Daz’s picks

In order of discussion:

Slade — Merry Xmas Everybody

This is, for Daz, a perfect Christmas song, as it falls into one of the main categories: nostalgia, a description of the Christmas day or event, and a shameless emotional trigger… and perhaps it embodies all three.

The Oasis cover Mark refers to was not done for the BBC’s Live Lounge series, but for the NME in a joint venture with the War Child charity.

Elton John — Step into Christmas

A late addition to Daz’s list, Step into Christmas is nothing if not meta, opening with the line “welcome to my Christmas song”. Daz calls it shameless, but you can be the judge.

Wham! — Last Christmas

You were promised that your ears would remain a Wham!-free zone, so the demonstrative track for this segment is brought to you by courtesy of the Crazy Frog (who still has 6.5 million YouTube subscribers). Daz enjoys that Last Christmas embodies the spirit of the day (as per his third category of Christmas song success).

Mariah Carey — All I Want for Christmas is You

Despite Daz describing Mariah’s vocal opening as “warbling nonsense”, he enjoys the chunka-chunka piano that follows… and frankly, who doesn’t? This easily satisfies the “emotional trigger” item of Daz’s Christmas song checklist, and who among us doesn’t want to be wholly owned by a quasi-religious semi-fictional wizard?

The Weather Girls – Dear Santa, Bring Me a Man this Christmas (Part 1)

Following on from, and largely borrowing from the success of It’s Raining Men , Dear Santa, Bring Me a Man this Christmas (Part 1) is pretty much the same song, but festive. If you haven’t watched the video, now’s your chance.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Greg Lake — I Believe in Father Christmas

Mark enjoys this quiet and conemplative ballad, that Daz describes as one of the more musically interesting festive offerings. But sadly, the line “the Christmas we get, we deserve” was not enough to make it Christmas #1, which ended up that year being Queen.

The Waitresses — Christmas Wrapping

Mark feels there is a “Dickens quality” to this story song (to be fair, it does start with the line “Bah humbug”), about loneliness and romance, leading to a joyful and merry Christmas day.

The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl — Fairytale of New York

Anyone who’s offended by the lyrics towards the end of this song has our axe, and there’s an argument to be had around the specific meaning of the word in that time and context, but for now, let’s focus on the fact that it’s a winter banger, and a wonderful piece of Christmas melancholia.

Johnny Mathis — When a Child is Born

It took eight songs before the pair got to one that actually described the li’l baby Jesus, but here we are. It’s.a crooner’s song, and pretty sappy, but it does fall squarely in that mid-70s bracket that seems to categorise Christmas songs.

Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews - Baby It’s Cold Outside

If you’re offended by any of the lyrics in this song, you’re a child and you don’t know what grown-up words mean (sometimes two consenting adults can do something naughty and that’s OK). Mark gravely prefers the cover over the original as he believes it packs more personality and fun.

More of Daz Wright

Join Moselele twice a month at the Prince of Wales pub in Moseley, Birmingham, to play popular songs of the day. And be sure to join them on Sunday December 22nd where they’ll be singing Christmas songs in the beer garden of said pub. Mark will be there, and we hope you will too. You can also follow Daz on Twitter.

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Guest

Jon Hickman

Host of You Don’t Look Like a Runner, Thread, and Beware of the Leopard. Writer at Paradise Circus, and 101 Things Birmingham Game the World.

jonhickman (@jonhickman) | Twitter

Hi I'm Jon!

Fellow podcaster Jon Hickman joins Mark to cast aside things from our adolescence that we can get by just as well without.

Jon co-hosts the hilarious and often genuinely moving – no pun intended — fitness, running and tech podcast You Don’t Look Like a Runner with Nick Moreton, and Thread with Mark.

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Jon’s picks

In order of discussion:

Kevin Smith movies

The director-turned-podcaster Kevin Smith sidled onto VHS screens in the early 90s with films like /Clerks/ and /Mallrats/. He made them for a specific generation, but now they’re all grown up, is it time to leave those films behind, or is it enough to just not get excited about new ones?

The pop charts

Jon picked the pop music countdown as his second item, possibly in an effort to dump pop before pop could dump him. Nevertheless, it has become something of a cultural oddity in the era of streaming everything, so can we safely leave the pop charts behind? And what’s to be done about the Christmas single?

Graham Linehan

Linehan co-created two iconic sitcoms for Channel Four in the UK, but his recent history has been marred by unpleasant online behaviour. But the work stands, and on this Mark and Jon hold firm.

The Cheeky Nando’s

Who doesn’t love a nice bit of chicken and chips? And why must the idea of fast casual dining be a joke among snooty older people? These are the questions that need answering, but thankfully, Jon is on the case…. to ask them, if not to come up with a concrete answer.

Mark’s picks

In order of discussion:

Smash Mouth

In the late 90s, you couldn’t turn on a radio or seemingly watch a film without hearing a large man shout “SOME!” at you. Yes, /Allstar/ was a big hit, but by remaining consistent in its output, is the band serving its audience or allowing them to move on without them?

Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks was a hero to most (in their late 30s to mid 40s)., but he never meant shit to millennials. For so many, his work was a cultural touchstone whose effects ripped throughout comedy. He was also a misogynist and a cultural snob, so perhaps it’s time to let him rock out on the lake of fire in his by himself.

American Beauty

This Mendes -directed, Spacey vehicle was a firm favourite of the late-teenage Mark, but even without the lead actor’s stain, it’s a pretty marred picture by today’s standards.

The chip on his shoulder

This is something that may appeal to many, and is worth taking a listen to, as it probably doesn’t translate all that well in text.

More of Jon Hickman

You can follow Jon Hickman on Twitter, and add 101 Things Birmingham Gave the World to your Christmas wish list.

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