SOUNDTRACK: REGINA HELCHER YOST-“Up on the Housetop” (2008).
I am introducing my selection of new (to me) Christmas music with this bizarre (and topically appropriate) entry. I heard this song on NPR’s Holiday music show from 2008 (it’s in the 2009 show as well, but the 2008 version includes the CD opening!). So Winston is, apparently, the pug on the cover. And this version of “Up on the Housetop” (a song I didn’t recognize but have since heard other version of which makes this even stranger) is a (mostly) instrumental one.
The main melody is played on a tin whistle with flute, accompaniment. But that’s not the only accompaniment, because Winston chimes in throughout the song. He makes barks and growls and whines and, at the very end of the song he barks in tune with the beat (or should I say his barks were placed in time with the beat). Despite how goofy it is, the whistle is done very well and the song is actually quite pretty.
Normally NPR tells you a lot about the artists that they play, but not a word was given about Regina. Here’s what I found out about this CD: “A fun CD featuring beautiful traditional Christmas flute melodies played by internationally acclaimed flutist Regina Helcher Yost and accompanied by her pug dog, Winston to help support the Pug Rescue of North Carolina.”
Amazon has samples of tracks online. While I think this track is cute, “The 12 Pugs of Christmas” may be the most interminable version of that interminable song I have ever heard (and I only heard 20 seconds of it). But there you have it.
Ho Ho Woof.
[READ: December 6, 2013] Dog Shaming
Typically by the time a blog gets a book, the blog has outlived its usefulness, or funny-ness. I don’t know how long Dog Shaming has been around (not very long I don’t think). I only visited the site once, but I was delighted by the premise and the entries. So when I saw this book at the library I knew I had to check it out.
This is the perfect blog-into-book thing. There is a very brief introduction which explains the origins of the site (something I never bothered to find out online). It also talks about what a huge phenomenon Dog Shaming is (I guess). And implies that the site will live forever (I think it’s good they got a book deal when they did).
But snarkiness aside, this book is really frikkin funny. Evidently it is largely photos that were unused on the site (I’m not sure why they were unused, as it implies that one or the other was not good enough for the photos), but whatever, it’s nice that the book isn’t just the web site. It also says that there are fan favorites from the site included. As I said I’ve only visited once, so I don’t know which is which. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 