Yo ho ho, merrrry crimbo-mass everybody!
So here it is - my final Christmas at home before going away. An endless succession of grey wintery days has ushered in their glamourous, decorated, but ultimately empty-headed cousin: December 25th.
What a bloody disappointment! There is no snow. Instead we have the usual festive accompaniment of drizzle. After bravely holding out for most of the autumn, my immune system finally "did a Channel Islands" and surrendered its defences to man-flu a few days ago. I spent all of yesterday cocooned in blankets on the couch being fed cups of tea by the Duchess and listening to 60s music stations on digital radio. What bliss.
Right now I'm drinking coffee with whisky in it and trying to finish off a song I've been writing. My parched vocal chords have reduced my singing voice to a heron-like honking sound, which will no doubt make for interesting listening!
But every cloud has a silver lining, even the ones carrying festive drizzle. My mum's cooking a splendiferous dinner later. I'll hide upstairs ignoring all the crap TV, then I've got the Mighty Boosh Live and Borat DVDs to look forward to tonight. As well as some rather excellent CDs (Brian Wilson's Smile and a Woody Guthrie album), a music voucher from my cousin Al, a Match of the Day quiz game and the rest of the Jack Daniels bottle that thus far has been subsidising my coffee enjoyment! It's not all doom and gloom.
Merry Christmas to you dear reader, wherever you may lay your hat and declare your home. I hope there are loads of little sausages on your Christmas dinner (or chipolata-shaped buboes of quorn if you is a vegetarianist) and that you are promptly set upon by a sexually attractive person of the opposite gender holding mistletoe! Well here's hoping eh.
Merry Christmas! If you ever want to discuss the finer points of smile or hear the original 60s Beach Boys bootlegs - just let me know! I am a Brian Wilson geek head. See you soon.
ReplyDeleteCheers Jo, happy crimbo! I think this will let me comment you back, a la Myspazz. Hope you had a groovy time in the Lakes.
ReplyDeleteWhat to say about Smile, other than... blooooody nora! It's epic in the truest meaning of the word. I really must investigate his post-Beach Boys back catalogue when I get time.
With so many rock stars from the 60s dying young (like Hendrix f'instance) it's to his immense credit that Brian Wilson survived his troubles to make this album. I just wonder what it sounded like when he recorded it back in the 60s. Charlie Manson on bongos etc. (probably!) I heard a story about Brian Wilson randomly making the orchestra wear firemen's helmets during a recording take!
The 2004 version sounds spectacular anyway and there's so very much to take in on one listen. If it was a meal it would be a sunday dinner and a nut roast and a Havana cigar and a blancmange all rolled into one. And that's quite an album!
See you in a week or two no doubt.