Xmastime...Honorary Python?

In the FANTASTIC Monty Python documentary Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut) Terry Jones talks about the difference music made in the movie, to the point that it seems 100% likely we'd never have seen the flick if he hadn't figured out how to make the music work.

THANK YOU TERRY JONES!!

"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), "are you capable of proving this theory yourself, therein putting you in the same company as Terry Jones who oh hold on was only a member of Monty Python?"

Sigh. Yes I am, faithful readers, YES I am:

I took a clip from the maybe-is-maybe-isn't-but-definitely-should-be mesmerizing New York Christmas 1976 - Super 8mm, which I'm grateful to have somehow stumbled into, and removed the music, therein presenting you people with two different movies: the ridiculous, and the hauntingly beautiful.

THE RIDICULOUS:

THE HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL: 

 

BREAKING: Paul McCartney Is a Great Bass Player

Smugly letting everybody know that you know that the best drummer in The Beatles was Macca is a tiresome trope soaked deeply in de riguer, but the last line in this paragraph seems overlooked: 

…by default, Paul took over the most difficult instrument to play with any originality in a rock 'n' roll band: the bass guitar.

Even with all of his incredible songwriting & singing and incredible ear for melody & arrangement, McCartney's bass is what was the differentiator between The Beatles and so many other great bands (to say nothing of how ridiculous it was he even put that much effort into the thing in the first place). 
 
A coupla years ago I told my bff ChatGPT (hey ChatCPT! 👋👋👋👋) I was putting The Moment Paul McCartney Agreed to Play Bass on my Top 5 Beatles Moments I Wish I Could've Seen list and here's what he said:

This is a sneaky all-timer.
It’s not sexy, but it’s foundational. Without that: No Hofner identity
No melodic bass revolution
No “second lead instrument” approach

It’s basically the moment the band’s sound ceiling gets raised.

👉 This is the kind of pick historians respect and casual fans overlook. Strong.

"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), “didn’t you back in 2021 broach the subject of a movie based on the moment this musical revolution kicked off, presumably what will surely be decades before anybody else catches up?”

Sigh. Yes I did, faithful readers, YES I did:

A better version of the movie Yesterday (which I reviewed here) would be revisiting the fateful moment when Paul picked up the bass after Stuart Sutcliffe left the band. Normally, John being the inferior guitar player would mean he'd be relegated to being the bass player, but him being the leader of the band allowing him to refuse, leaving it to Paul, forever changed the future of the band and rock and roll itself, as Paul went on to become the most inventive bass player of all time. With John on bass, how different would The Beatles have turned out?

I'd watch that movie!

Let me reiterate, 5 years later: I'd watch that movie! 

 

Trojan Top 20?

I asked my new BFF ChatGPT (hi ChatGPT 👋👋👋!!!) to list the 20 greatest songs on Trojan Records & I'll be honest, it's a great list. I marked my Top 5 in green and since I'm such a fucking great guy I went thru the trouble of creating a Spotify playlist for you people YES PEOPLE YOU ARE IN FACT VERY WELCOME!!!

 

WE ❤️ SUCH BRAVE GIRLS

I've been banging on about how incredible Such Brave Girls is and it's only just now I'm realizing that the two sisters on the show are sisters in real life, which makes total sense since this video of them doing a Q & A is funnier than 90% of shows I've seen in recent years. They seem to be the exact archetypes they play in the show; I'd definitely pay to watch a show of them in real life as well. 

SUPER BONUS: screen time with director Simon Bird, who of course was Will in The Inbetweeners! 🤗🕺🤣🇬🇧 

Also I'm in love with Kat Sadler DAMMIT THERE I SAID IT!!!! 

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The 2026 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

The world is a worse place because he inhabits it, but Trump's insane flop-sweating off-the-rails performance should win an Emmy, it's funnier than any stand-up special I've seen all year. Incredible.

 

Close, eckbailey 👍 🎬

A+. No Notes.

Cap Doffed du Jour

I haven't been this jealous of a The New Yorker cartoon since 2024. 🫡🙌🤣🤣🤣🤣

Still a Great Question.

Xmastime's This Motherfucker du Jour

If this motherfucker doesn't run for goddam president in 2028 then I'm moving to Greenland.

I hope you enjoyed today's Xmastime's This Motherfucker du Jour.

I remain,

Xmastime

XMASTIME FILMS

KIDS DON'T ROCK

Watch Previous Xmastime Films Here

Xmastime Rather Brilliant Concept Single Idea

First of all, let's all (and by that I mean you people) take a second to pat me on the back for my possibly having just invented the concept single; like a concept album, but just two sides of a 45.

I am still holding for the applause.

Thank you.

And here it is! And yes people, you most certainly ARE welcome! 🤗

 

Incredible du Jour

Such Brave Girls is the funniest show I can remember since What We Do in the Shadows, and right now I just noticed the one-sentence summary on the IMDB page:

Dysfunctional family sitcom that follows sisters Josie and Billie and their single mum Deb as they navigate life armed only with poor judgment and self-esteem exclusively tied to people who couldn't care less about them.  

Brilliantly crafted, and 100% dead-on. 🤣

Respect.

Whenever I notice that my upcoming Uber driver’s deaf I’m selfishly a bit relieved since it means he won’t be expecting any small talk, a guilt I'm happy to assuage with a bit extra on top of an already fairly generous tip, but it’s only now occurring to me to wonder what if they know that’s what I’m thinking, and it turns out young Narayen here isn’t deaf at all but instead knows how to enjoy a quiet ride himself while collecting some extra cash?

If this is true for even one Uber driver then as a bullshitter of all bullshitters amongst bullshitters, I respectfully tip my cap to them.

XMASTIME FILMS

THE NBA HYPE VIDEO FOR THE 1946-47 SEASON (Inspirational Version)

Watch Previous Xmastime Films Here

XMASTIME FILMS

THE NBA HYPE VIDEO FOR THE 1946-47 SEASON (Comedy Version)

Watch Previous Xmastime Films Here

Speaking of My List Of Things To Learn About

I can officially cross a few of these off my list from 2024!

Books/Written Shit
The Paris Review
Shakespeare
Robert Caro’s LBJ books (when he finishes in the year 2088)

Music
X
Kris Kristofferson - currently in love with his debut album
Love - raved about their first album running circles around the much-too-acclaimed Forever Changes

TV
The Muppets
Jay Ward Productions (subversive funny shit!)
Last of the Summer Wine
The Twilight Zone - zzzzzzzzzzz

Note to Self

I need to put Roger Price's drawings on my list of things to learn about. 🤗❤️🤣

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Fuck You Uber!

I'm incredibly stupid with money & generally have no idea what I’m paying for anything at any given moment and will never have any of it anyway but for some reason the line I refuse to ever cross is Uber's bullshit "gee so sorry your wait is so long but gee what do you know our super premium fuckwad much more expensive Uber driver is just around the corner from you right now!" and the other day I buckled down & refused to cave and WELL well well, what the hell do you know:

Baseball is Still Too @#$%ing Loud

Someone over at The Atlantic's bitching about how crazy stupid loud baseball games have become: 

That night, like every other night this season, the stadium looked, sounded, and felt like a European nightclub on New Year’s Eve: flashing lights; booming music; an in-game announcer taking to a 17,400-square-foot screen and imploring fans to make some noise, with fans happily obliging.

I’m old enough to remember when live baseball was largely devoid of artificial sound. This was when you could hear an entire stadium go silent for a particularly high-stakes at-bat, when big crews of in-game producers did not take any spare moment as a chance to play a pop song or advertise some inscrutable financial-services company, when stadium screens displayed the score and not a series of vaguely baseball-related TikToks. These days, baseball is wall-to-wall stimulation, from before the game starts until well after it ends.

"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), "didn't you bitch about how crazy loud baseball games had become all the way back in 2006?

Sigh. Yes I did, faithful readers, YES I did: 

1) I went to Yankee Stadium the other night with Rrthur (yes ladies, THAT Rrthur). Is there anything better than going to a baseball game? Nyet. The food, the open air, the bright colors of the field, everything's perfect. EXCEPT. What the fuck is up with the between-innings ROARING sound system - I wanna kick back, relax, talk to my buddy while the teams switch on the field and I'm barraged with this sound system that is apparently powered by jet engines. Are they scared that if there's not constant action on the field, I'll leave? IT'S BASEBALL - nothing EVER happens on the field!!!!! And then during big moments I've got the scoreboard screaming at me to get up and MAKE SOME NOISE!! GET EXCITED!!!!!! Jesus. Dude, I'm fucking excited already; I'm at the damn game! I know the bases are loaded and Jeter's up, I'm not fucking reading The Bridges of Madison County in the goddam stands. I know you're trying to distract me from the fact that I just paid $9 for a fucking hot dog, but enough.