With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.
Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.
I enjoy paying taxes. With them I buy civilization.
January 11, 2008 - 1:37 a.m.
I could just fill this entry with being hard on myself for procrastinating all day. Let’s just make believe I did that and move on.
Does that help? I think a little. It really does upset me quite a bit.
As you can see I can’t really write about what I did as I didn’t do anything.
This morning at breakfast I was eating a peanut butter omelet and I did realize something I like about myself. I am the opposite of jaded. I can get delight from the same thing over and over again. Almost every day I get amazed at how much I enjoy my own cooking. What makes this even odder is that I only make a small variety of dishes and I don’t get tired of them. I feel great every time people compliment me on my French toast bread pudding. Each time is like the first.
I know these all have to do with food but it applies to many things. Food is just easy to talk about. I could talk about people but that always has complications. Here is an example of something that has nothing to do with food or people. Last night coming home I had a great view of the area of the sky around Orion. I’ve seen that a zillion times in my life but I still stood there and stared and did a mental checkoff of all the stars in the Winter G.
The asterism of the winter G or winter 6 should help with the identification of other constellations. Start with Capella, the brightest star in the pentagon-shaped constellation of Auriga the charioteer. Then move through Castor and Pollux in Gemini the twins; on to Procyon in Canis Minor, Sirius in Canis Major, Rigel in Orion, Aldebaran in Taurus, and back to the constellation Orion to pick up Betelguese and completing the asterism.
That quote is from the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium.
I get happy every time I think about A Batnose Festivus. As all the copies have been sent out, well except for Deirdre’s and she doesn’t read this it is safe for me to give what are essentially the liner notes now (How did you like that segue). He are the songs on the mix with a little info on the songs and my relationship to the artist if any.
- The Festivus Song – David Ippolito: I’ve met David a few times when he opened for Christine Lavin. He is known as the guitar man. Whenever the temperature is above 50° on the weekend he goes out into Central park and plays. He draws crowds of several hundred people and can early a living busking and selling selling CDS. This song isn’t on any of his albums but on his website. Christine knew I would want it for my CD and sent me a link to it.
- Hark the Herald Angels Sing – The Concert of Notre Dame (CND) Concert Choir: I knew two people in the choir, Carey and Megan. Carey gave me a holiday CD they recorded years ago. Songs from it have appeared on every edition of A Batnose Festivus.
- Bride of Christ – Cindy Kaplan: Cindy performs this every year at the Jewmongous shows and before that What I like about Jew. It is something else I don’t get tired of. Every time I hear her sing,
I’m Mrs. Christ
I laugh.
Bride of Christ,
Cindy Christ,
I’m Mrs. Jesus H. Christ - How Beautiful are the Feet – The Kennedys: The Kennedys originally did this as part of the Downtown Messiah. It is pretty much a straight version true to Handel’s original. They recorded it on Sloan Wainwright’s Christmas CD, On a Night Before Christmas. I don’t think I need to go into my relationship with Pete and Maura. I have been requesting that they record their own holiday album, in particular I want them to do a Saturnalia or Sol Invictus song. Who else could do that since Dave Carter died?
- Peanuts Chistmas – Butch Ross: This is an instrumental version that Butch does on his mountain Dulcimer. It isn’t on any of his CDs but it was on his MySpace. Butch is one of the original The Budgiedome performers.
- Jesus was a Dreidel Spinner – Jill Sobule: I had no idea that Jill was Jewish till her Holiday CD, It’s the thought that counts. Jill is one of the most intelligent and original songwriters. I’ve talked to her on a number of occasions but I don’t think she has the faintest idea who I am. I’d love to get her for the Budgiedome. I
- Silver Bells – Gandalf Murphy: People that I really respect go crazy over Gandalf Murphy yet most of the times I’ve seen them they didn’t overly impress me. The biggest exception was when they did Sloan Wainwright’s Christmas show and they totally blew me away. Part of the difference is that the whole band was there and they rocked out. Usually I’ve seen them do more acoustic shows. They do nothing radical in their performance of this old chestnut but they bring it to life and make it their own.
- The River – Madeleine Peyroux: Joni Mitchell didn’t write it as a Christmas song but it is becoming a holiday standard. My regular readers know how much I love Madeleine. She’ll break your heart when you hear her sing this.
- They Tried to Kill Us (We Survived Let’s Eat) – Sean Altman: The ultimate Jewish holiday song. It pretty much summarized quite a few holidays, Passover, Purim, and of course Chanukah.
- Feast of Lights – They Might Be Giants: Marti informs me that neither of the Johns is Jewish but Flansburg’s wife is. I found this on collection of Chanukah songs, Festival of Light2.
- Burn Down the Christmas Tree – Abbie Gardner: Abbie needed someone really cynical to help her write this so she recruited Carolann’s husband Mark Berube. If you got totally sick of the holidays this is the song for you. I gave but Abbie and Carolann and Mark copies of A Batnose Festivus 3 . The song was on Abbie’s MySpace but was not downloadable so she emailed it to me.
- Silent Night – Butch Ross: Another instrumental. Perhaps that is why Butch is the only solo artist to have two songs on this collection.
- I’m Going to Take My Shoes off – The Klezmatics with Chava Albertson: The first of two songs in Hebrew on the mix. I’m always on the lookout for a good Chanukah song. I found this on Feast of Light.
- Sleigh Ride – CND Concert Choir: A secular holiday song by the girls at the Catholic school. They still sing like angels.
- A Soalin’ – Cadence Carroll: I just noticed this, the real religious Christmas songs are all by people I know personally. Perhaps I need that to overcome my anti-religious feelings, or perhaps it is a coincidence. This is also on Sloan’s Christmas CD. Cadence is Sloan’s percussionist. I don’t think I’d have bought the album if it didn’t have songs by Cady and Pete & Maura. I’m glad I did, the album is good. Next year I’ll have to include one of Sloan’s songs.
- I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Dave’s True Story: A few years ago DTS put out three holiday Eps designed to be given has gifts. I bought them and misplaced them. When I told them about it they gave me a bunch they still had in stock. DTS are one of the bands I’ve been friends with the longest. I’ve known them for about 14 years.
- Peace for Christmas – Hope Machine: I hope that this song isn’t as timely next year. Hope Machine has never played The Budgiedome which is odd as they are part of Tribe’s Hill and camp about 30 yards away from us. They are our good and friendly neighbors. I think I’ll have to correct that next year and have them play. I found this cut on a holiday CD that Arlon Bennett gave me; Hudson Harding Sampler – Happy Holidays: Volume 2. There are a lot of good artists on the CD including Budgiedome alumni; Jud Caswell, Randall Williams, and Spook Handy.
- The Long Walk Home – Jud Caswell: This is also on the Hudson Harding Sampler. Jud is an award winning songwriter who I’m sure will become far better known. He has a great mix of humor and sincerity.
- Holiday Time in New Orleans – Dukes of Dixieland: I found this on the Putmayo Christmas CD. I had never heard of the song or the band but it has that real Nawlin’s feel.
- Elves – Christine Lavin: This is just a little piece of fun that Chris had with her looper. It is found on her Holiday CD, The Runaway Christmas Tree
- Erev Shel Shoshanim: I have no idea who recorded this. I ripped it last year and I can’t find the CD now. I’m sure it will turn up as I clean up my room. It is simply one of the most beautiful songs every written. It was written in the year I was born, 1957. It is the second song in Hebrew on the CD.
Shubert’s Ave Maria – Debi Smith: If it was good enough to provide the finale for Fantasia it is good enough to close A Batnose Festivus 3. This recording is from Debi Smith’s new album, Soprano. They are all songs she sings in her operatic as opposed to her folk singing voice. It is a 2 disk album with one disk being all Christmas Songs. I picked this up the last time I saw her with the Four Bitchin’ Babes.
So that’s it. I posted the compilation on The Art of the MixThe Art of the Mix. You can find it on my Personal Page along with my other mixes. Who else has posted there?
I’ll go a bit math nerd on you now and talk some numbers. The CD has 22 tracks by 20 artists.
5 are performers that have played the Budgiedome; The Kennedys, Abbie Gardner, Butch Ross, and Jud Caswell.
2 acts had members that played the Budgiedome: Carey Farrell from the CND Concert Choir and Kelly Flint & Jeff Eyrich from Dave’s True Story.
1 was a performer that was scheduled to play the Budgiedome but got sick; Christine Lavin
How about a breakdown by type of song: Some of these overlap.
Festivus Carols – 1
Religious Christmas Songs – 5
Jewish Christmas Songs – 2
Other Jewish Songs – 4
Secular seasonal standards – 4
Pop Folk Classics co-opted by the holidays – 1
Anti – Christmas songs – 1
Singer/songwriter Christmas songs performed by the songwriter – 3
Funny Songs – 6
Songs in foreign languages – 3
When I came up with the idea for this entry I considered it a cheater. I ended up being much longer than my usual entries and took me far longer to write. On the other hand there was almost no mental effort. That is what makes it cheating.
I’m not going to play – What’s on my CD changer because that would be too much of the same thing.
Good news tonight I found my missing Iain Campbell Smith CD! It was in one of my boxes of CDs, I just didn’t catch it before. I’ll listen to it tomorrow.
Before I go to sleep I’m going to try and clean up the industrial waste left over from my producing CDs and cards. There are failed cards and failed CDs all over my floor.
I just realized I’m not going to do that tonight. I am way too tired. I’ll do it tomorrow. I really will. I promise. OK I hope I do it. It will make me feel much better if I succeed.
The International Jewish Banking Conspiracy - October 07, 2008
On the Road to Westchester County - October 06, 2008
Inside the Madison Square Studio - October 05, 2008
I'm a Bosniac and I'm debating like I've never debated before - October 03, 2008
Islands in the Stream of Consciousness - October 02, 2008
Email me: GordonLew at gmail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. Horvendile January 11, 2008
