Roxanne Tellier – Ho Ho Holiday Memories

“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop.”  “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” Oh NOes! Must be getting close to the holidays – the earworms are out in full force!

This will be the last DBAWIS column for 2019. Next time you see us, it will be a bright and shiny new 2020! Let’s hope that 2020 applies to our vision, rather than to our hindsight.

I’ve got a holiday gathering to go to this afternoon, and every year, it takes me a little longer to get ready to be serially hugged. But one of the perks of having written a weekly column for many years is that, now and again, we can reach back into those past ponderings and re-release them into the present, dusted off, re-edited, and ready to be digested anew.

For your Christmas reading, wonderment and wandering …. a few morsels from my past holiday tables …

Frank Gutch Jr: Brock Zeman: Six Degrees of Separation; Save the Carleton; Revisiting the Sacred Cow Syndrome; plus Notes…..

The name doesn’t have the rhythmic cache of Biff Pocoroba or Phil Villapiano, but it has its own feel to it.  Brock.  How many people have you met named Brock?  I’ve known a couple.  Well, one.  I’ve heard of a couple, though.  Zeman.  He’s the first one I’ve ever noticed.  I say noticed instead of heard of because as sure as the rains down in Africa (apologies to Toto— the band, not the dog), I will now meet a handful of Brocks and damned if every other person will be a Zeman.  I know.  Never met a girl named Debbie until I dated one, then every other new girl I met was a Debbie.  I’m ready, though.  I have practiced and have at least ten or so unique greetings for the Brocks and Zemans about to be unleashed on me.

Roxanne Tellier: It’s The War on Christmas, Carol

As hard as it might be to imagine holiday songs battling it out, the plain fact is … Christmas songs mean big bucks. Over and over and over again. A Number One Christmas song can mean early retirement for the writer, with a nice pension income supplemented every year in December.

Roxanne Tellier – But It’s Too EARLY!

I know, I know … it’s too early to be listening to Christmas and holiday music. But on Thursday I spent my birthday serenading senior citizens at their seasonal parties, and I haven’t stopped feeling a little festive ever since.

Roxanne Tellier: Ghosts of Christmas’ Past

Ah, Christmas! Here you come again, you saucy temptress. We know each other well, you and I. We’ve spent so many years together, both good and bad, happy and sad, flush with cash, or miserably penniless. I know you in all of your beauty, but I also know your dark side.

December babies, like myself, are all too aware of the deviousness of parents who tell you that your birthday is very important, but just so very near to Christmas. They’ll catch you on the flip side, they say, and presents will rain down upon you like … rain. They lie.

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC`s Of Rock`n`Roll – The Hall Of Shame

Last week we looked at the long list for the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2013. You know my thoughts and we`ll see what happens come December.

I have been to Cleveland a few times and have had a chance to go to the Hall of Fame on a couple of occasions. Maybe it is because I was Director of Marketing for the Hard Rock Café in Canada and have seen some of the greatest rock memorabilia of all time that I was not completely blown away by their collection. Maybe we are spoilt because there are great pieces all over the world and they are on public display.

Cam Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – Covers

I got an email yesterday from Paper Bag Records offering up a free download of “Paper Bag Records Vs The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars”. They have taken bands from their roster (Elliott Brood, Born Ruffians, Cuff The Duke, The Acorn and seven others) and covered the classic “Ziggy Stardust” album and even included the bonus track “John, I’m Only Dancing”. It got me thinking about cover songs, the good, the bad and the ugly.