Damage Report 2011 XMASsacre

2011 disclaimer: Since facebook seems to have improved at maintaining its "pages" and "events" over long periods of dormant time--that is, all the stuff I did laast year is still there, as it was, including the specific event page of X-MASsacre VIII)--this year, all the pre-X-MASsacre activity went on at facebook. A facebook account is *not* required to see all the information associated with the page or event, but one does need a facebook account to "like" WXYC X-MASsacre (please, do!), write on the wall, *post* pics, make comments, or to "officially" join/attend the event (i.e., admit to all facebook you intend to listen to some of the show!). Hopefully anyone who had been relying exclusively upon this page for X-MASsacre updates saw the facebook feed in the right column and didn't miss a thing! I have the sense that blogger is still overall more reliable in terms of lifetime, so this blog will remain here, and will be updated, even if it is currently acting as rather a sort of back-up.

Now on to the damage report!

I admit the spirit of X-MASsacre was slow to infect me this year, even though I knew well-in-advance it had been successfully instilled in vivo. The symptoms took hold roughly 48 hours prior to transmission, thanks to a nudge from the Germ Warfare Repository, conveniently located right next-door to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault...


This year, perhaps surprisingly for the first time, we had a repeat winner for All-Time Favorite Holiday Tune. The Pogues' "A Fairy Tale Of New York," a perennial nominee since the very first X-MASsace, as well as the 2007 winner, was first into the race, but shortly afterwards was languishing in a tie with multiple other single entries for about two hours, then during the last 45 minutes of voting, a ballot hailing from New York City, itself, helped push it past "Christmas Time in Hell" (Satan, The Dark Prince), both of which surpassed Jethro Tull's "Christmas Song," and the rest of the tunes which had been nominated, but received no additional votes.

All of this year's nominees for All-Time Favorite Holiday Tune:

A Fairy Tale Of New York* - The Pogues *(2007 winner)
Christmas Time In Hell - Satan, The Dark Prince
Christmas Song - Jethro Tull
Happy Ghoul Tide - Ray Oddis (!)
Christmas Wish - NRBQ
The Christians And The Pagans - Dar Williams
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko
Father Christmas - The Kinks *(2009 winner)
Little Drummer Boy* - Bing Crosby & David Bowie *(2002 winner)
Last Christmas - WHAM!
I Am Santa Claus* - Bob Rivers *(2010 winner)

(!) Since this was the first time I'd ever heard of "Happy Ghoul Tide," and it was not on any of our station's discs and I did not have it on any of my discs, it did not get played, yet it is still a valid nomination. Nominees need not be in our collective libraries. You know, for anybody wondering about that. That said, if this request had been sent via email or to the facebook page in advance, it probably could have been actively included. Please drop off requests, *any*time, year-round, through email or the facebook page or even in comments on this blog. When and if we begin preparations for X-MASsacre-X, requests will much more likely be included in the setlist if we learn of them before the show actually starts. This applies for all requests, but goes x10^6 for anything truly unusual, rare, or out-of-print. Since there are so many different ways to submit advance requests, I must assume last minute requests and entries for truly rare cuts are from first-time listeners. If you are a repeat listener, and you truly want people to hear your brilliant, original, rare request, you will contact us in advance! Thanks! In conclusion, if we can find this Ray Oddis tune, we *will* play it, when and if we do an X-MASsacre-X.

(There are a few requests that I hurriedly scribbled on the All-Time Favorite tally sheet, which I'm pretty sure they were simply requests, especially by the way I wrote them down, *but* if you were the person who called it in, and it was supposed to be a nominee, let me know... I'll amend the above list.)

So once again, now for the ninth time, we've had a successful sleigh of air-waves, thanks most especially to all the people who called in with requests, votes, and enthusiasm, as well as all the happy people who played with us on facebook. Join us there, and invite all fellow fans of the celebrations of December. The page and event is only active a couple weeks each year, so no one has to worry about us clogging the newsfeeds on a regular basis.

Finally, here is the text-based flowsheet of this year's damage:
2011 XMASSACRE IX
...and click da pic--pull the pin, if you will!--to get blasted over to the associated facebook event page....



Hope everyone had a very, very, very, very, very, very, very happy/grim, warm/frostbitten Solchrismachannakwanyaksmasuhzaastice!


From the same guy that brought us the superlative Slayer holiday light show of 2009, here's my pick his !3 offerings! this year: