Category: paro”deus” (pop tunes into Xmas)

Being an alien is more avocation than occupation. And while rocketing the sky is a pretty cool job, let’s consider that great heroic calling of astronaut.

Let’s get past Tiny Tim, one of our pop culture astronauts. “Zoot Zoot Zoot Here Comes Santa in His New Space Suit” pretty much tells the whole song. It’s an oddity. It’s a novelty. Even i can’t find much to love in this mess.

Valentine Green sways into electric pop with “Space Station Santa” hitting all the right notes to make a funny novelty song. But he does it make it seem effortless, like he’s got one for any topic–just need a location… I’m hearing.. space station?

Austrilian cabaret singer Jeff Duff goes experimental with his warbling “Santa Claus is an Astronaut.” If you are reminded of Bowie, he has done his odd job. Jeff met him in Sydney and even performed a revue of his shows for years. [Consider his later mashup Ground Control to Frank Sinatra album, hoo hoo boy.]

But, if you want to get Major Bowie, let’s turn to the great parodist of our Xmas times: Joel Kopischke. “Ground Control to Santa Claus” delivers exactly what you would hope it would do. Strap in.

Was it all the way back in 2013 Ylvis wanted to know about foxes saying things?

I guess it seems longer ago.

So many parodies, so many.

Academically, we have Vicki Daglian and Colleen Kiernan’s 2nd grade class positing “What Does the Elf Say?” I smell a ringer. The actual vocals can’t be some average seven-year-old!

Homegrown The Jaybirds, freaks out about the Elf on the Shelf in their “What Does the Elf Say?” This is fairly normal among parents.

Mat Moody gets an E for Elfort with his “What Does the Elf Say?” He also gets major support/budget for his mediocre satirizing skills.

Shoal Creek Community Church proves that many missionaries have wicked keen wits and bombastic musical numbers, but i’m not sure why their set up for their “What Does the Elf Say?” parody starts with such a creepy Eyes Wide Shut Christmas costume party.

Jared O delivers the goods on the best note-for-note parody, helped with clumsy accents and long cheeked bros in chorus lines, cluttered with clips of Will Ferrell. There’s a low bar for “What Does the Elf Say?” but i enjoyed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Hqja7Wm00

Bubba Watson of The Golf Boys played a small joke of ‘Bubba Claus’ into a pretty good parody album or two. Here is his run on Garth Brooks “Elves Have Jolly Faces.” Sorry about the stupid chipmunk-elf voices background.

While we’re on the FuMP topic, Moneyshot Cosmonauts do a damn fine funny Bette Midler parody delineating all the woes of those poor little myths. Good stuff.

Let’s make fun of those poor little elves!

Robert Lund, big on FuMP (the Funny Music Project), underrepresented on Youtube, has many wonderful parodies starring the wee oppressed.

“Cookies for My Elves, Milk for My Reindeer” boogies down.

“Who Let the Elves Out” goes little beyond the obvious title.

“Undead Elves” is his new bit. It Fosters the People pretty well, but the video is too fanboy serious, and a bit gratuitous. And it’s mostly Santa who’s gonna eat you. Enjoy if you can. (Not the credit roll.)

In the fancy land of parodeus (parodies of pop songs into Xmas fun), Bob Rivers stands tall. Here he takes on the Beatles with “All You Need is Elves.” Despite the love, the ad libs indicate trouble in toy land.

Edging out of rockabilly, true country singer Toby Keith (‘Shoulda Been a Cowboy,’ ‘How Do You Like Me Now?!’) builds on the Harley Davidson image of the guy in red with “Hot Rod Sleigh.”

Coming in ahead by a novelty nose are Robert and Janita Baker with their fine fiddlin’ fun on top of ‘Hot Rod Lincoln’ entitled “Hot Rod Sleigh.” It’s one of those line by line parodies, but have you heard it before?

White, as with all colors (and it is all colors in a light sense), means more than hue. Here it means power. A power that does not allow for others. Or ruins everything for its own selfish gain.

Tom Latourette responds to Fox News’ Megyn Kelly averring that “Santa Claus MUST be White” with appropriate lounge lizard style. Hey!

And then Lauren Mayer gets irving berliner with “(Megan Kelly’s Dreaming of a) White Christmas.” A homey singalong reminiscent of the opening of All in the Family.

Chiming in also are the drag cappella group Kinsey Sicks with “I’m Dreaming of a White Santa.” Well, of course you are with your daddy issues, dear.

Going pop country protest on the same topic, Greg Gower sings “Christmas White.” It’s catchy and only mildly angry. What musical fun!

Tweaking racism, Sean Hardin and Jared Mathis play the WASP rap game for the holidays in “White Boy Christmas.” They do know making fun of Caucasian ignorance foments the differences–don’t they?

This, sadly, leads us to the inevitable “White Trash Christmas” made a big deal by Bob Rivers. No redneck joke was left unturned. An actual white trash version is posted by Ryley Olsen. Laff trax! Exploding sound effects! More fun (with a Louisiana twist) is “White Trash Christmas” as posted by don’tlOOkback’s channel. Austin Church goes seriously gravelly country as if he had a message the liberals needed heedin’ with “Another White Trash Christmas.”

More on point, The Jody Dean Singers (as featured on KLUV) parody Wild Cherry with “Play that Christmas Music, White Boy.” It’s mass market radio humor like you like it! Satire about the whole culture of Christmas.

Turkeys come and turkeys go, but the Christmas goose was historically more important to the solstice table. Turns out, geese and ducks are not so easily domesticated and forage hither and yon. More importantly, they start putting on the fat when it gets icy–and that’s the part you want to eat to survive a frosty Winter.

The trad you might remember is “Christmas is Coming (The Goose is Getting Fat).” This is an underplayed carol, so we’ll notice a couple fun versions; one with a folksy almost-Caribbean rondele rhythm from the Muppets, one a ’70s bit o’ fun by The Manhattan Transfer, one multi-dimensionally millennialism by Jon Kennedy from those groovy Reindeer Room albums.

Fat geese have an option according to Johnny Bower (and the Rinky Dinks). “Honky the Christmas Goose” gets musical, and of course helps Santa. That’s always a guaranteed way out.

That tasty dish of goose as a special treat around the holidays is ages old as evidenced by Kate Rusby’s “Christmas Goose,” a rollicking barn burner. The same tune by Katherine Noyes smacks of old country sufferings and blessings and class struggle. Merry & Olde!

The Korn Kobblers cornered the cornball backhills cornpone back in the ’40s (Spike Jones by then had lost his Homer AND his Jethro and their art form while solo (duo?) was too polished to be truly corny) and show it with their “Don’t Give Me No Goose for Christmas.” Grandma’s got some hands on her!

But you chust haff to check out Stan Boreson & Doug Setterberg whooping it up (with the same lowbrow humor) (yet updated to Anne Murray levels of parody) with “Christmas Goose (Snowbird).”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8y6qsg_JI