OS89 - Chill Christmas

Ever since I was a tot with a tape recorder, I attempted to make annual mixtapes as others might try to fashion handmade Christmas gifts. As my studios got better the quality of the tapes got better. They progressed from cassettes to CDs to digital on and on into the future.This year, to avoid too much extra work during the holidays, I’m, posting the 2010 offering “Professor Mikey’s Chill Christmas” basically in it’s original version. It’s been offered to public radio stations via the Public Radio Exchange for 15 years. CHILL Fact #1 — The Coldest Planet“Quick chill check: the coldest planet in our solar system isn’t Pluto — it’s Uranus. Temperatures there dip to nearly minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s cold enough to make a snowman reconsider his life choices.”The format is similar to the semi-regular Old School offering save for a particular detail. For the original Christmas tapes I did most of not all of my talking in the opening couple of minutes, leaving the rest of the hour (sometimes longer) as one long set. None of this “that was here come” radio jive. Huh-uh! My take was people might like to hear me saying Merry Christmas ya’ll for a bit, then they would prefer I shut up and give them a nice long stretch of hits, misses, quirky unknowns, comedy, lost commercials, and anyything else that might seem needed to complete an audio fruit cake.CHILL Fact #2 — Coldest Temperature on Earth“The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit, measured in Antarctica in 1983. At that temperature, exposed skin freezes in seconds — which is why nobody hosts Christmas there.”So journey with me now back to 2010. It’s not all oldies, there are a lot of 2008 and 2009 Indie Yule offerings in there. Obama was in his second year in the White House, as the snow gently fell upon the Rose Garden.CHILL Fact #3 — Coldest Drink on Record“The coldest drink ever served? A martini chilled with liquid nitrogen can hit temperatures below minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s technically drinkable… briefly… and best enjoyed by people with very good dental insurance.”Key Issues for Americans in 2010:Economy & Jobs: The top concern, with widespread worry about unemployment (nearly 10% nationally, higher for youth/minorities) and creating jobs after the recession.National Security: Defending against future terrorist attacks remained a high priority.Budget Deficit: Growing concern about the national debt and government spending.Energy: Dealing with the nation’s energy problems was a key concern, though slightly less than the year before.Financial Stress: Money, work, and the economy were major sources of stress for individuals.CHILL Fact #4 — Why Winter Sounds Quieter“Snow absorbs sound. That’s why winter nights feel hushed and intimate — like the world put down its phone and leaned closer to the music.”CHILL Fact #5 — Chill Before the Fridge“Before refrigerators, people cut blocks of ice from frozen lakes and stored them in sawdust. In some places, that ice lasted all summer. Which explains why old-time cocktails were so serious about their chill.”Major Events Shaping Concerns 2010:Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: A major environmental and political disaster that dominated headlines, leading to criticism of the government’s response.Affordable Care Act (Obamacare): Passed in 2010, it sparked national debate and division over the government’s role in healthcare.Political Polarization: The rise of the Tea Party movement reflected deep partisan divides, particularly around economic issues and government’s size.Here is some of the original CHILL language:The word “chill,” as it relates to weather, was first used in England sometime before the 12th century. Thomas Beckett himself might have said the word CHILL to describe a sensation of cold accompanied by shivering. Chill, as in to chill out, took another 800 years to properly evolve. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Modern slang, it was first used in the Reagan era, around 1982. As an intransitive verb, used mainly in the United States, the modern definition of CHILL means “to become less tense, relax.”A little later in linguistic history, the Urban Dictionary reports an expanded version of the term “chillin’ like a villain.” To wit, to relax in such an overtly leisurely manner that one mimics the actions of a criminal who is so removed from society because of his evil deeds that he has no choice but to surrender and retreat into a state of absolute serenity. Example: “I’m so chillin like a villain I’m just illin.” To rest like one has no care in the world. To unwind and relax as though a major burden has been lifted.Thanks for reading Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL! This post is public so feel free to share it.The new meaning of chill puts a whole other twist on this year’s seasonal soundtrack. Become less tense? Relax? Absolute serenity? Can you think about that kind of stuff at the craziest, coldest time of the year? Perhaps. That would be the true meaning of this year’s mix tape. Put the lunacy on hold. Replace the nerves with some no guilt serenity. It’s going to be a cool Christmas. That’s what the next 700 megabytes are all about. Lay back and have a hang out attack. Musically it’s a mixed bag of a mix tape, no specific genres, no heavy messages. No pressure, no worries, just rest assured, as we take the world off 78 and drop it down to 33. We’ll start off with the Eels followed by the Department of Eagles. It’s time for Professor Mikey’s CHILL Christmas.MUSIC NOTESAlex Gimeno owned an underground comic book store in Miami before he made a career decision to make money off his massive record collection. He became the DJ Ursula 1000, and that was his remix of Julie London’s classic “I’d Like You for Christmas.” Long before the advent of mix tapes and the theme of a Chill Christmas, the idea of a little holiday quiet was conveyed quite well by Franz Gruber, when he was asked to put a poem by Father Josef Mohr. The idea was to play the song on Christmas Eve in 1818 at the appropriately named Church of St Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria. They needed something they could play on guitar, the story goes, because little Austrian mice had nibbled holes in the pipes of the church organ. Silent Night has been recorded over 300 times. This version I’m pulling off a 1990 collection of jazzy holiday favorites from the Blue Note Label called Yule Struttin. It’s by Stanley JordanThat’s MY CHRISTMAS PRAYER, offered up in the early 90s by the British trio St Etienne. Led by singer Sarah Cracknell, they formed in search of a sound that echoed that of swinging London, with a dreamy twist. Moving a little east from London, we find the East Hertfordshire district, which includes a tiny hamlet that would be a great place from where to mail your Chill Christmas cards. Imagine a postmark from “Cold Christmas.” Our next song could be put in the nostalgia category, if it wasn’t such a downer. You know what they say, nostalgia is when you remember the good parts, history is when you remember the bad. Decide for yourself and Sufjan Stevens takes us back …That was the worst Christmas everCHILL Fact #7 — The Chill Sweet Spot“Psychologists say the temperature most people find ‘comfortably cool’ is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit — cool enough to feel alert, warm enough to stay cozy. In other words, perfect listening weather.”Catching you up on the playlist, the group Pilate did a fabulous cover of the Pogue’s signature song, Fairytale of New York. The bit about wishing your dog talks on Christmas eve came from the Alakan DJ on Northern Exposure. The traditional O Come O Come Emanuel received an update from Belle and Sebastian. One of the original Split Enz, Neil Finn, sang about a Sweet Secret Peace, and In the Bleak Midwinter was done by Lauren Laverne. Still to come, Teenage Fanclub and The Apples in Stereo, but as far as breaks go, my holiday is about to begin. Professor Mikey here, hoping you’ve enjoyed this Chill Christmas, and wishing you a calm quiet holiday and reminding you that things will go better in the new year, you just have to find the right music. Support your local artists, your local record stores, and your favorite independent radio station. Peace out on earth…Professor Mikey's OLD SCHOOL is a reader-supported publication. It makes a great gift to take out a year’s subscription for someone you would love to rock. This holiday season remember to CHILL and consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. 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