jimmy eat world

A.V. Club: Happy Life Day, Y’all

in: viewing room

I must confess: I love Christmas.

I love hot chocolate and snowmen and giant marshmallows and gaudy light displays and crackling fires and hysterically overwrought (and often heartwarming) TV specials and Leslie Knope’s giftgiving. And I love the smell of a fresh-cut fir and the comfort of a cableknit sweater. And, most of all, I love this:

This guy, the storied (and oft-shat upon) Star Wars Holiday Special, has it all. From Chewbacca’s family (with my main man, Lumpy) and a Bea Arthur sing-along to the introduction of Boba Fett and a pseudo-psychadelic Jefferson Starship performance, this 1978 television special is a total gem from start to finish; Harrison Ford has long evaded questions about it, which is no surprise considering his tearjerking performance (“You’re…like family to me!”). Enjoy.

I was gearing up to write a post about the joy of modern Christmas music, but, let’s face it – come tomorrow, you’ll all be sick and tired of it all. Below, though, you’ll find my two favorite Christmas songs.


Jimmy Eat World, “Last Christmas”
From the O.C.’s “A Very Merry Chrismukkah” album (and the Wham! original)


Mariah Carey, “All I Want For Christmas is You”
(and, one of these days, I’ll tell you all why I like Mariah so damn much)

Maybe someday soon I’ll get a Christmas like this.
Because, I should admit, these are the window dressings I’ve always wanted.

For now, the happiest of holidays to you and yours. Merry Christmas, if that’s what you’re into, Happy Life Day to the wookies, Happy (halfway through) Hanukkah, et. al. See you all soon enough.

The Dunce Cap: Dec. 27, 2010

in: heavy rotation

Image from Toothpaste for Dinner

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 30: The sun is up – I’m so fizzy, I could burst! (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks)

1. “Mint Car” – The Cure
2. “Sun in an Empty Room” – The Weakerthans
3. “Happiness Writes White” – Harvey Danger
4. “Graduate” – Third Eye Blind
5. “New York, New York” – Ryan Adams
6. “The Sweet Part of the City” – The Hold Steady
7. “Back in the Saddle” – Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
8. “All the Young Dudes” – Mott the Hoople
9. “Work” – Jimmy Eat World
10. “Kick Some Ass” – Stroke 9
11. “You Gave Your Love to Me Softly” – Weezer
12. “Some Fantastic” – Barenaked Ladies
13. “Popular Mechanics for Lovers” – Beulah
14. “Magic Boyfriend” – Matt Pond PA
15. “Let’s Dance” – David Bowie
16. “Star Bodies” – The New Pornographers
17. “Doing All the Things That Wouldn’t Make Your Parents Proud” – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
18. “Atlantis” – Donovan
19. “Sugar Daddy” – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Broadway OST)
20. “More Adventurous” – Rilo Kiley
21. “To Be Surprised” – Sondre Lerche

Well, it’s the 30th Dunce Cap of all time, and it’s the last of the year – I feel like this should be a celebratory moment! As I talked about rather extensively in my last post, this is AN EXCITING BRAND NEW YEAR, and I am ready for all of the excitement and thrall I anticipate it will bring. This mix is themed!, and it’s really a sister post to the Dunce Cap’s New Year’s Resolutions.

Basically, these are 21 songs that I hope will define my 2011. You should mostly be able to catch the gist from the title, but a few may require some explanation and commentary. Many of these songs are actually kind of sad – they’re not literal representations of what I want, but they each have special significance to me. There’s also a division of sorts among songs. An explanation after the jump.

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