I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: GURR-“Christmas One and Only” (2018).

I really enjoyed Gurr when I saw them live this year.  I wanted to see what their studio music sounded like and I found this release called the Christmas Business EP.  Two songs that feature Eddie Argos from Art Brut.

This second song has a poppier riff (More guitar than bass) and a happier vocals style with the Gurr women singing “Christmas coming into town all the kids are frantically screaming / Christmas coming into town its all about love, oh this is the season.”

Even the hard-hearted Eddie Argos finds his Grinch heart melting this year.

It begins with him saying “Sat around the Christmas tree sorry about my misery” and this rather amusing line: “My favorite thing about Christmas time used to be finishing everybody’s glasses of wine.”

But after some cheerful lines from Gurr, he has a change of heart:

“I never liked Christmas, but since I met you I want to grab it with both fists and give it a big kiss.”

There’s also this very nice ending sentiment

“good or bad this year is nobody’s business / I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.”

Thank you Eddie.

This short song (also less than 3 minutes) ends with this amusing comment:

Die hard is a Christmas film and so is Die Hard 2 / I want to drink some Glühwein and watch them both with you.

Cheers!

Check it out here.

[READ: December 1, 2019] “Torre Del Mirador”

This year, S. ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar.  This is my fourth time reading the Calendar.  I didn’t know about the first one until it was long out of print (sigh), but each year since has been very enjoyable.  Here’s what they say this year

The Short Story Advent Calendar is back! And to celebrate its fifth anniversary, we’ve decided to make the festivities even more festive, with five different coloured editions to help you ring in the holiday season.

No matter which colour you choose, the insides are the same: it’s another collection of expertly curated, individually bound short stories from some of the best writers in North America and beyond.

(This is a collection of literary, non-religious short stories for adults. For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.)

As always, each story is a surprise, so you won’t know what you’re getting until you crack the seal every morning starting December 1. Once you’ve read that day’s story, check back here to read an exclusive interview with the author.

Want a copy?  Order one here.

I’m pairing music this year with some Christmas songs that I have come across this year.

This story (translated by Margaret Jull Costa) seemed very familiar and I have to wonder if I’ve read it anywhere before.  I loved it for how weird and engaging it was.

One morning, the narrator is awoken by a phone call.  The caller tells him that he was close to having a nervous breakdown and he needed to talk to someone.  The narrator is annoyed at being woken up and assumes it is a prank from one of his friends.  But the caller tries to clarify.  He says that his wife was making his life miserable–always telling him how ugly he was.  She said she hated his face.  He got so fed up that he left her. He rented the apartment across from their villa and has been spying on her ever since.  He tells the narrator that he picked his number at random.

The narrator tells him to just go back to his wife.  But the caller says he can’t.  He asks if the narrator ever wondered what it would be like after he died–at first his wife was upset and concerned, but she soon seemed to be happier.  And since everyone assumes he’s gone for good, he can’t possibly go back.

Finally when the narrator tells him it will be alright, the caller says no, he has a different face.  He went to a plastic surgeon to make himself look less ugly.  He’s also been training himself with a new voice.

The caller says he knows people want to hang up on him, they think he’s a practical joker.

But the narrator says no, he’s actually quite interested.  He just asks that the man not call back early in the morning.

The narrator also wants to tell his cousin, a filmmaker about this crazy idea–he thinks it would make an interesting film.

The narrator and his cousin track down the house and notice that it’s for sale.  They take a tour and act impressed with the place.

Just then a man comes out from a back room.  The narrator is convinced it is the caller–now in disguise.  But while they are there, a man rings the bell claiming to be her husband–with a newly designed face.

The story gets weirder from there but is also thoughtfully amusing at the same time.

I would absolutely read more form Vila-Matas.

The calendar suggests that we please enjoy this interview with Enrique Vila-Matas, by Veronica Scott Esposito at Tin House, responsibly.