Totally Rad Christmas!

What’s up, dudes? It was 1989, and the Griswolds had an amazing and quirky holiday staycation adventure with fantastic music woven throughout! Kevin Williams from ‘Tis the Soundtrack joins me to discuss the fabulous song selection and Badalamenti’s orchestral score to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation!”

A supposed 10th Anniversary Edition soundtrack CD was released by Warner Brothers in print-on-demand kiosks for their Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park. Apparently, only seven thousand of the twenty thousand allotment were sold, and so the rest were shipped back to Warner Brothers. A company acquired the lot in a bulk sale, and decided to sell them online. Or did they? Spoilers: the entire story was a hoax to help sell bootleg copies of the album. One piece of music—a Christmas Medley—allegedly by Badalamenti is actually by John Williams from the “Home Alone 2” score!

The score to the movie was indeed composed by Angelo Badalamenti, known for his eerie, synth-heavy, atmospheric work with director David Lynch. Badalamenti wrote an unobtrusive orchestral hit peppered with comedic polkas and uptempo motif-laden piano trios. The glockenspiel Advent calendar theme is ethereal, while the orchestra weaves traditional carols through search section seamlessly.

The needle drops are timed to perfection with hits by the Moonglows, Bing Crosby, and Gene Autry. Mavis Staples flawlessly sings the gospel-tinged pop titular song “Christmas Vacation.” It’s a shame there hasn’t been an official release!

Animated intro music? Check. Sweet string melodies? Got ‘em. Tuba lead over a guy in a bathrobe? Definitely! So grab your Discman, put on your headphones, and listen to this episode on the music of “Christmas Vacation!”

‘Tis the Soundtrack
YouTube: @TisTheSoundtrack
IG:  @tisthesoundtrack

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What’s up, dudes? It’s a St. Patrick’s Day Christmas when Shawn Robare from Cult Film Club, Crestwood House, and Plastic Rocket Pop and I talk the 1981 Rankin Bass special “The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold!” Written by Romeo Muller, it was originally conceived as a St. Patrick’s Day special, but was retooled and released in December instead. Oh, and the word Christmas is just thrown into random sentences.

One hundred years ago, two leprechaun clans existed. Their gold, unfortunately, attracted the banshee Old Mag the Hag, who used her shapeshifting abilities to cause a rift between the clans. Blarney Kilakilarney, leader of the gold-mining faction, asks Patrick, Lord of the Leprechauns for help. Subsequently, he tricks Mag into turning to tears, and Blarney plants a pine cone atop her puddle. The pine cone, taken from a tree planted by St. Patrick himself, grows into a beautiful tree. Meanwhile, present day sailor Dinty Doyle chops down the tree to use for Christmas. The oblivious boy accidentally releases the banshee, who immediately resumes her quest for gold. Consequently, Blarney gives the gold to Dinty, who is almost instantly tricked by the banshee into giving it to her. Luckily, she doesn’t reach it by Christmas morning and turns to tears! Weird, right?!

Powerful leprechaun wizard lord? Check. Weather controlling shape shifting banshee? Got it. Brightly colored clogs made by the O’Clogjiggers? Yes, but only if they can be distributed amongst the Irish people! So grab your gold, dig up your Christmas tree, and sail into this episode on “The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold!”

Cult Film Club
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Twitter: @CFCPod
IG: @cultfilmclub 

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What’s up, dudes? She’s the anthropomorphic cat that adorned all our stationary! That’s right! We’re talking a Hello Kitty Christmas! Ashley Dunbar from The Magic of the Season is with me to dive into the Grinch rip-off episode of “Hello Kitty’s Furry Take Theater!”

It’s Christmas time, and Scroogenip (Scrinchnip?) is aghast at all the yuletide cheer. Determined to avoid the season and cause chaos, she steals the town’s decorations. After Kitty and friends decorate the enormous tree for town square, Scroogenip swipes that too—and everyone else’s trees too! The town seems unphased, so she ups the ante by dressing as Santa Paws and taking all the presents! Realizing that the best part of Christmas is giving, Hello Kitty and gang go caroling and handing out presents. They give a Christmas cookie to Scroogenip/Scrinchnip and it melts her icy heart. She immediately returns the gifts and decorations, Grinch-style.

The Grinch? Yep, played by Catnip. Cindy Lou Who? Uh huh, performed by My Melody. Santa? Well, it’s none other than Grinder. So grab your Santa costume, climb up on the roof, and slide down the chimney to this Hello Kitty Christmas episode!

The Magic of the Season
IG: @themagicoftheseasonpodcast

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What’s up, dudes? There are a lot of classic Christmas commercials! They’ve shaped our perception of the Christmas season since we were little. Vinnie Brezinsky from Huey and Bax and Nicholas Pepin of Pop Culture Roulette join me live to watch some lesser known ‘80s Christmas commercials!

Cool Spot rides a toy fire truck in a 1988 7Up commercial. Young versions of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lea Thompson, and Elizabeth Shue regale us with carols in a 1982 Burger King commercial. Oh yeah, McDonald’s sued Burger King because of it as well. Meanwhile, Joey is making homemade garland with a needle and thread and Kix cereal. He’s snacking too!

Artists send holiday wishes to “Blue Christmas” by Elvis in an MTV commercial. The Dillard patriarch cradles his granddaughter in a cozy Christmas scene. Then a choir sings, “Hello, Taco Bell!” in their best Handel impression. A Radio Shack announcer describes an inordinate amount of radio variations and Woolworth shows children playing with toys.

Santa sleds on a Norelco razor top while a woman looks through her Hallmark cards and blushes at the one ‘the hunk’ sent her. A grandpa helps his grandson fall asleep via phone and AT&T’s great service. The Muppets unexpectedly show up with Polaroids as well. Finally an ‘80s robot shills for Toys R Us, Tom Bosley talks tools for Sears, and Pizza Hut reminds us how amazing their pan pizzas are! 

Catchy jingles? Check. Cheesy, saccharine messages? Of course. Muppet shenanigans? Definitely! So grab your razor, head to Burger King and enjoy this episode on lesser known ‘80s Christmas commercials!

Pop Culture Roulette
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Twitter: @popcultroulette
IG: @popcultroulette

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What’s up, dudes? Adam Pope from Wizards! The Podcast Guide to Comics and The Retro Network (Geekster) is here to talk about the unbelievable phenomenon that was Teddy Ruxpin! It’s Ken Forsse’s terrific talking teddy bear…no, Illiop! In fact, there was a even a special presentation book with matching Santa outfit called "Teddy Ruxpin's Christmas!" 

In the land of Grundo, the anthropomorphic bear Teddy Ruxpin and his Octopede friend Grubby help us earthlings to celebrate Christmas. They immediately launch into a medley of carols: “Here we Come A’Wassaling”, “Deck the Halls", "The Holly and the Ivy", and "Good King Wenceslas.” Newton Gimmick and friends join up with the duo, and the gang sing a special Grundo version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Grubby jokes of running out legs while keeping track of days in the song, and Gimmick begins a medley of “Carol of the Bells” and “Jingle Bells.”

Ever the comedian, Grubby complains his ears are still ringing. Meanwhile, the friends are joined by another group of carolers. They perform “O Christmas Tree” and Gimmick subsequently suggests that Teddy and Grubby tell the story of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The choir bids us farewell singing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”

Cassettes? Check. Books? Need ‘em. Obligatory Santa outfit and carol sing? For sure! So grab your Illiop, call your Octopede friend, and sing along with this Teddy Ruxpin Christmas episode!

Wizards!
Twitter: @WizardsComics
IG: @wizards_comics
FB: @TRNsocial

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What’s up, dudes? Christmas in the Underworld was NOT my idea! That’s right! It’s a Percy Jackson Christmas in this bonus episode with my daughter, Little #1! We get into two PJ short story adventures!

In “The Sword of Hades,” the demigod children of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—are gathered in the Underworld by Persephone. Percy, Thalia, and Nico use an enchanted flower to follow a thief and retrieve Hades’s newly forged sword. They fight off Keres, Melinoë the goddess of ghosts, and the Titan Iapetus. The trio retrieve the sword, even if the Underworld didn’t get into the Christmas spirit.

On December 18, 2020 in La Repubblica, Riordan published “Un Natale Mezzosangue.” Percy and Nico shadow travel to Florence during the pandemic to find a perfect gift for Annabeth. They find the shop of the last Etruscan god Charu. He gives Percy a magical bracelet in exchange for the answer to a question. Percy’s answer—that Christmas is for everyone, especially in times of difficulty—placates the deity. Nico and Percy head back to New York with a perfect gift!

Titans? Check. Gods? Yep. Cheeseburgers? Only from McHale’s! So grab Riptide, put on your Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and shadow travel to a Percy Jackson Christmas!

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What’s up, dudes? It's the Hallmark Ornament Premiere, so I’ve got the Christmas Cousins, Chad and Seth, here to talk the 1987 Hallmark Dreambook—all 24 pages of it! That’s right! We get into baubles and finials and cameos! Oh my! We talk our personal collections and which ones from 1987 we own! Spoilers: I have the entire Norman Rockwell cameo set from 80-89! Or do I? Guess you’ll have to listen to find out! Paddington Bear, Snoopy, and even the Grinch make appearances, too! So bust out your tree and ornaments, put on the Time Life Treasury of Christmas, and travel back to 1987 with this episode!

Christmas Cousins
FB: @ChristmasCousinsPod
Twitter: @XmasCousinsPod
IG: @christmascousinspod

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What's up, dudes? Blessed Candlemas to you all! In honor of Season 4 and the end of the Christmas Cycle, let’s listen to Estonian Orthodox composer Arvo Pärt’s tintinnabuli setting of the “Magnificat” from 1989. This is a prime example of holy minimalism. So the melody is mostly done in diatonic stepwise motion, while harmonies arpeggiate a tonic triad. The piece is broken up into solo and tutti sections. 

Then I dive into Rad Santa’s mail fannypack to answer some questions.

Finally, we take a step back through season 4 to hear about its top 10 most downloaded episodes. And for kicks, we talk about the top 20 most downloaded episodes ever!

So buckle up, and take a dive back through some of the best of the season!

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 What’s up, dudes? One of the greatest duos in music, it's Daryl Hall and John Oates! Well, in 1983 they released a Christmas single. Ken Kessler from Sounds of Christmas joins me to talk all about their version of "Jingle Bell Rock!"

Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly referred to as Hall & Oates, were an American pop rock duo who ruled the airwaves in the '80s. By the fall of 1983, they were one of the biggest music acts in the United States. They had five Number 1 singles to their credit, two consecutive Top 10 albums, and were one of the biggest names on MTV! They released their cover of Bobby Helms's 1957 classic "Jingle Bell Rock" in time for Christmas, and MTV played the heck out of the video. The duo recorded two versions: one with Hall singing lead and one with Oates singing lead. Likewise, there were two versions of the video. The video is known for its campy, over the top gestures and costumes, including guitarist G.E. Smith as grandma!

Lime green pants? Check. Deranged Santa? Uh huh. Party patrons bopping up and down to the music? Definitely! So grab your sweater, bring your gift, and head down to the party with this episode!

Sounds of Christmas
FB: @SOCMusic
Twitter: @SOCMusic
IG: @socmusic

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What’s up, dudes? Remember the Centurions? Kenner released the 7” Centurions line in 1986. The figures had cybernetic Exo-Frames with a number of hardpoints on the surface, onto which the various parts of their Assault Weapon Systems attached. In the accompanying Ruby-Spears cartoon, personnel on the orbiting space station Skyvault beamed the AWS to the team.

London Editions Magazines published Centurions comics in the UK. Despite the vague near future label, the UK comic firmly establishes the year as 2087 in issue #8 in the 4 page story entitled ‘Time Trap.’  

In fact, it’s New Year’s Eve 2087, and even on Skyvault the turn of the new year is eagerly awaited. Max, Jake, and Crystal have only 2 ½ minutes before midnight, and Crystal beams Jake up to Skyvault to celebrate the New Year with his friends. Just as Jake is teleported aboard, he discovers everything in a state of suspended animation. Yes, everyone of his friends is frozen in time. Investigating with the space scanner, Jake discovers that time hasn’t stopped, just slowed down almost to a halt. Doc Terror apparently fired a Time Stasis beam at Skyvault causing some sort of time distortion. Not knowing how to operate Skyvault’s defense systems, Jake instead opts to use Ace’s Orbital Interceptor AWS. He’s not used to handling space missions though, and he flies erratically. Fortunately, this prevents Doc Terror from locking his weapons on him. Jake fires a multi-particle missile at Doc Terror’s Flying Fortress, disabling it and shutting down the beam. Free from the time stasis, Crystal beams Jake aboard, and the team ushers in the new year.

Weapons? Check. Teleporters? Yup. Dracula? Umm… So put on your Exo-Frame, yell Power Extreme, and dive into this episode on the Centurions!

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