Tuesday, November 22, 2005

"Happy Christmas yer Arse..."

I like Christmas music. This may come as a shock to…nah, everyone knows that I like Christmas music. The music I tend to like the most though, not so merry and bright. One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Fairy Tale of New York” as sung by mybeloved Shane MacGowan (of the wonderful Pogues) and the lovely Kirsty MacColl (you may remember her as the “Electric Landlady”). Sadly, Kirsty died in a tragic incident a few years ago. The circumstances surrounding her death have raised many questions and her mother has campaigned tirelessly for inquiries into her daughter’s death. This year Shane MacGowan has re-recorded “Fairy Tale of New York” to raise money for “Justice for Kirsty.” When I read this article I thought I should have mixed feelings about such a thing. I actually don’t. I have no beef with Kate Moss and I like that this is being recorded to help a mother struggling to reveal the truth. I hope I can track it down before Christmas because, quite frankly I can not resist any Christmas song that rhymes maggot with faggot. And really how many Christmas songs begin with the phrase “It was Christmas Eve babe, In the drunk tank?”

Kate may get too much press. She may be really skinny. But it appears to me that she mostly just lives her life and it’s the press who makes a big deal about her. I don’t recall seeing photos of her swanning about, mostly she seems to be either posing (she is a model after all) or going about her business while the paparazzi go mad around her. Mind you, I don’t pay much attention to her but she doesn’t appear to me to be like some other “celebrities”, doing horrible things and blaming someone else. Please, correct me if I am wrong, I honestly don’t know and actually don’t care but it seems that she has done stuff like getting caught doing drugs and then she went into rehab, who amongst us hasn’t? Oh. Right. I haven’t but whatever. My point is, who the heck cares?

I love the song, I don’t know that we needed a new version of it but I think it will benefit a good cause. Give the original a listen this Christmas. I promise it will make you laugh and then be really horrified that you did. It’s a keeper, this one.

3 comments:

Chris said...

That's almost creepy -- "Fairytale of New York" is my favorite Christmas song as well. The video was on a special "Pop-Up Video" show on VH1 last year and I learned that the NYPD choir didn't know "Galway Bay", so they sang a different song. I'll check out the new version.

Jodi said...

Dude, you (and Chris) are just so much cooler than me. I've never heard this song and I got lost in your post when you started talking about Kate Moss. It's just me being daft again, I'm sure. (And making lack of sleep, and maybe the fact that it is 34 degrees where I am right now!!!)

ren said...

see chris? WE'RE COOL. i don't know about you but i don't hear that all that often. jodi, i bet you do know it when you hear it. i am pretty sure it has made it on to one of my christmas mixes and if it didn't, it certainly will this year. stay warm, kid. sometimes i have to sleep in a hat when i go back east. we've got the thin california blood now.