Comic Satire for Christmas (2013 Edition)

New World Notes #303, 27:15 (December 24, 2013)

Broadcast quality MP3 (37 MB)
Decent quality MP3 (13 MB)

(Not satire: a real ad)

In Brief

Some brief commentary by me, five seasonal satiric songs, and one satiric imitation Broadway "big production number." All take a comic but critical view of American hypocrisies, religiosity, commercialism, militarism, class warfare, and other Christmastime traditions.

I'm especially fond of the pseudo- "big production number": Stan Freberg's 1958 masterpiece, "Green Chri$tma$."  The audio fidelity is very good even by today's standards; the production is rich and sophisticated; the script is witty; and the message (alas) is still relevant.

Other contributions by Hugh Blumenfeld, Simon and Garfunkel, Anne Feeney, Roy Zimmerman, and Tom Lehrer.

Playlist:

• Hugh Blumenfeld, "Long-Haired Radical Socialist Jew"
• Simon and Garfunkel, "Silent Night / Six O'Clock News"
• Anne Feeney, "Brave New Christmas"
• Roy Zimmerman, "Buy War Toys for Christmas"
• Stan Freberg, "Green Chri$tma$"
• Tom Lehrer, "A Christmas Carol"

(Same here!)