Episode Seven of Radio Free Charleston at New Appalachian Radio is our Christmas special, featuring new holiday tunes and an hour taken from the 1989 Radio Free Charleston Christmas Spectacular. Our first hour is largely made up of music that appeared on the Christmas episodes of Radio Free Charleston since the video incarnation appeared in 2006. I’ll tell you about the vintage stuff when we get to the second hour of the playlist.
Update: You can listen to this show now in the Voices of Appalachia archive HERE.
This makes our second Christmas show this week, since we debuted the Christmas episode of the Radio Free Charleston video show here in PopCult yesterday. Making things more confusing, this week’s radio show was recorded first. Between the two of ’em, you ought to be able to get all Christmas-spirited out the ying-yang.
You can listen to Radio Free Charleston’s new audio incarnation streaming at 10 AM and 10 PM on Tuesdays (and again at midnight Thursday and 2 AM Saturday night) at New Appalachian Radio, part of Voices of Appalachia. If you miss it, check our the archives for previously-aired shows.
Hour One of our Christmas Special Playlist:
Melanie Larch/Diablo Blues Band “Please Come Home For Christmas”
Marium Bria Naughty Christmas”
Frenchy and The Punk “All I Want For Christmas Is A Time Machine”
The Laser Beams “Up On The Rooftop”
The Bob Thompson Unit “Festival”
Charleston Gay Men’s Chorale “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
The Renfields “Merry Christmas To All”
Clownhole “Deck The Halls”
Prank Monkey “The Chipmunk Song”
Joseph Hale “Let’s Put The X in Xmas”
2012 Cast of “Mary” “Lord of Mercy”
Rowan Maher “Child, My Child”
Pepper Fandango and Lee Harrah “Baby It’s Cold Outside”
Todd Burge with Joseph Hale “Merry Methmas”
Hour Two of this week’s show was inspired by the themed hour of last week’s episode. While dumpster-diving in the RFC radio archives, I came across the 1989 RFC Christmas show, including in-studio guests, specially-recorded Christmas songs, weird bumpers and even the infamous holiday commercial for Budget Tapes and Records where I did all three voices.
Right before Christmas that year we had a vicious cold snap, and making matters worse, Christmas fell on Monday, which meant that my show was airing live, at 2 AM the morning of Christmas Eve. You’ll hear a few arcane references to those events hidden among the mumbling and studio chatter.
What was remarkable was that people managed to show up in the studio between 2 AM and 4 AM on the morning of Christmas Eve.
The Playlist for the second hour of this show includes:
“Jam theme”-a special rendition of the Radio Free Charleston theme song, recorded at The Charleston Playhouse and featuring most of the Charleston Playhouse Quartet, with the addition of Stephen Beckner, who provides a wintery spoken interlude.
A commercial for Budget Tapes & Records where I provide all three voices, including the ghost of Bing Crosby.
Go Van Gogh “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
Stephen Beckner and John and Tim Rock from Go van Gogh, live interview in the studio.
Go Van Gogh attempts at Christmas carols
Three Bodies (Kris Cormany, Brian Young, Brian Lucas) live interview in the studio
Three Bodies “Three Bodies”
“Why Do We Have To Work Skit”- It took years to realize that this wasn’t really funny.
Clownhole (Sham Voodoo, Flair) Christmas message with the accapella punk “Deck The Halls”
Charleston Playhouse Jam Session “Jingle Bells”
Plugs for “The Last Ride,” the final concert by Brian Diller and the Ride, which happened one week after this show first aired.
Mad Scientist Club “I Saw Santa Claus”
Gary Price Christmas wishes from The Swivels
Hour three opening for the show
Charleston Playhouse Jam Session interview with John McIntyre leading into “Heaven and Mud/Train Wreck The Halls/Will The Circle Be Unbroken”
Gary Price from The Swivels, pre-taped interview in the production studio
Clownhole in the studio, rambling semi-interview
Go Van Gogh in the studio, going off the rails a bit.
Go Van Gogh “Big Bottom (accapella)”–this was considered appropriate for the holiday for some reason.
Wrap up with Melanie Larch singing “Ave Maria” from 2006.
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