Holiday Post #1: The Songs

There's a little tradition here @ Drifting into Deep Water that actually predates Drifting into Deep Water by about a couple years. We started composing Holiday themed songs in 2008 w/ "All I Want for Christmas is Cash." In 2009, there was "Have a Swinging Christmas Time." Then last year we composed, begging your indulgences, a 2nd "all I want" song: "All I Want for Christmas is a Shotgun."

Before we get to this year's installment, I thought I'd give you a list of our Top 5 Kitschy Christmas Songs of All Time!!! It's these songs that influenced the writing of my songs the most. Enjoy... & then enjoy this year's song.... & then remember er to keep the nominations coming for your
#5: "Chewbacca's Silent Night"
#4: "Christmas in Hollis"
#3: "Holly Jolly Christmas"
#2: "Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey
#1: "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"

Now, w/o further ado, your 2011 Drifting into Deep Water Christmas song:

"Larry the Christmas Llama"

There's a village on on mountain top
In the Andes of Peru
Where they celebrate the holidays
Just like me and you
But the cliffs are steep upon those peaks
And the wind is oh so chill
So Santa found some local help
To guide him o're the hills

He's Larry the Christmas Llama
He helps to lead the way
He's Larry the Christmas Llama
Guiding Santa's sleigh

You know the eight reindeer
And you know all their names
And the ninth w/ his shiny nose
Shunned from all of their games
But they all join together
And I'll tell you why
To pick on poor Larry
Cuz Larry can't fly

He's Larry the Christmas Llama
He helps to lead the way
He's Larry the Christmas Llama
Guiding Santa's sleigh

Now the hills are steep and rocky
And the snow is blowing cold
So it takes a healthy llama
To lead a team so bold
The first time on those high peaks
The other nine did see
That they should quit their hi jinks
And let young Larry be

He's Larry the Christmas Llama
He helps to lead the way
He's Larry the Christmas Llama
Guiding Santa's sleigh

He's Larry the Christmas Llama
He helps to lead the way
He's Larry the Christmas Llama
He makes the season gay!

Holiday Post #1: Robin Hood, Whitey, & Christmas Songs

I watched the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe Robin Hood the other night. I'd been wanting to see is since it came out, but for one reason or another, I'd put it off a while. Before I go further, it must be known that I'm a fanatic for Robin Hood films. I've posted before about Zorro, Pirates, Sci/Fi, well, here's the obligatory Robin Hood post... because the people asked for it... don't ask which people; those who asked, know who they are.

As far as Robin Hood movies go, the new one is pretty good. I still stand behind the Kevin Costner one though. He does a ridiculous job, but the writing is good, & that cast is fantastic. The worst part of the Costner one is that shit song by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting. Of course, the Errol Flynn one is the best, the Daffy Duck one is good, but let's not forget the Disney one w/ the fox. The BBC did a new series a few years ago which was fun, but no one would ever mistake it for something w/ any semblance of period accuracy. The emo hair was silly & the black leather trench coats made the Columbine shooters more than a tad envious.

*Keira Knightly made a tv Disney one called Princess of Thieves... news flash: it sucks.
*I watched a few scenes from Boobs in the Woods on youtube. It's not bad. It's a fun pantomime stage show w/ some pretty silly bits.
*Men in Tights is funny, but I have to admit, I'm not a huge Mel Brooks fan.
*The same year as the Mel Brooks and the Kevin Costner, there was a version w/ Patrick Bergen & Uma Thurman. Sip it.
*Robin of Sherwood was a period-accurate BBC series in the mid-1980s. My biggest problems w/ it is its picture quality. It needs a nice restoration to brighten up the colors a bit. Maybe it's just the reality of filming in England that makes things look constantly rainy.
*Robin & Marion is a fun little movie w/ Sean Connery & Katherine Hepburn. If you haven't seen it, check it out.
*Robin & the Seven Hoods: You get the Chairman of the Board as a 1930s style gangster version of Robin Hood in Chicago... complete w/ musical numbers. don't check it out.
*A 1950s TV version from the BBC is alright. The sets/budget/acting/writing suck, but that's the fun.
*Ivanhoe w/ Robert Taylor & Elizabeth Taylor is fun. I saw it as a kid & still watch it whenever it's on.
*The Douglass Fairbanks silent one is good, but it's not often that one watches a silent movie.

So there you go. Those are the ones I've seen. There are plenty of other, some that I am putting in my queue tonight. I doubt I'll get to them any time soon, but I'm sure I'll get to them some time.

Moving on, The Whitey Morgan & the 78's show in Ypsi on Saturday has become the Whitey Morgan & the 78's show in Maumee, OH on Saturday. That means we won't be able to make it. They'll be in Detroit in a couple weeks though, so check them out there if you too can't make it south of the border.

what's this all have to do w/ Christmas? I'm glad you asked. We're going out to Matthes Evergreen Farm tomorrow to get a tree. In order to get ready, I brought the decorations up & Stephanie started decorating today. This also mean that we got the holiday CDs out, including Dylan's Christmas in the Heart. This also means that I started writing this year's new tune. keep coming back to see the new song soon. Spoiler alert: it deals w/ guns... lots & lots of guns!I still don't get the wig... weird