Dominik’s Radio Times

Show

RNR Christmas 1

Programme
Roots And Roads
Date
No date recorded
Length
58 min

About this show

Introduction

In this episode of Roots and Roads, Dominik takes a non-traditional and skeptical look at Christmas, focusing on the commercial nature and stress of the season. Key moments include a discussion on the commercial spirit of Christmas, a Czech country song reflecting the language of Dominik's parents, and a humorous admission regarding a song choice that may not fit the holiday theme.

Dominik presents a non-traditional and skeptical look at Christmas songs, discussing the commercial nature and stress of the season, including holiday travel. The programme features a profoundly cynical and anti-commercial selection by Tom Lehrer and a meditation on the time of Christmas by Bare Naked Ladies. Dominik also plays a song by the Golden Gate Quartet about Noah's Ark, though he humorously admits he is unsure why he chose it for a Christmas show. Additionally, he identifies the language of the group Feshardy as Czech, the language of his parents. The show concludes with a promise of a traditional Christmas show the following week.

Topics

  • Commercialism and cynicism regarding Christmas
  • The stress of holiday travel
  • Non-English language Christmas music

Participants

  • Dominik

Names are taken from the archive as written and may include spelling variants.

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Roots And Roads · Show Opening

Roots And Roads · Spoken extract

RNR Christmas 1

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Passages from the broadcast

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Even attempts to capture the true spirit of Christmas, as we celebrate it in the United States—that is to say, the commercial spirit—so I should like to offer the following Christmas carol for next year as being perhaps a bit more appropriate.

It just, it just struck me is that that that's what could happen on Christmas, and it's just possible I uh simply clicked in the wrong direction, but it was a great song, nevertheless, and.

Well, I'll tell you one thing. If I tell you anything, you ain't gonna hear this one when you visit the shopping center this Christmas year.

Selected music

Christmas, Part One: An Off-Centre Selection

  1. 1
    Christmas Single · Mitch Ben
    No sample is available for this selection.

    Why it was chosen take a slightly light-hearted approach to it as the first song

  2. 2
    Christmas Carol · Tom Lehrer
  3. 3
    Christmas Is Interesting · Jonathan Coulton

    Why it was chosen The presenter notes that "Christmas, as Jonathan Calton says, is interesting."

  4. 4
    Christmas Time · Bare Naked Ladies
  5. 5
    Christmas Time · Amy Man
  6. 6
    Driving Home For Christmas · Malin Mortenson

    Why it was chosen Christmas often involves a lot of traveling... which can be sometimes joyous, but very, very often stressful and dangerous

  7. 7
    Christmas Time · Natalie Dawn

    Why it was chosen songs about Christmas in a with a with an edge

  8. 8
    Why Can It Be Christmas Time All Year · Rosie Thomas
  9. 9
    Didn't It Rain · Golden Gate Quartet
    No sample is available for this selection.

    Why it was chosen possible I uh simply clicked in the wrong direction

  10. 10
    Silent Night · Nana Freelon And The John Brown Big Band

    Why it was chosen let's blues it up a bit here

  11. 11
    Untitled · Ella Fitzgerald
  12. 12
    Vánoční · Fesalce

    Why it was chosen regular segment about with a song not in the English language, and today... the language is the language of my progenitors

  13. 13
    We Free Kings · Roland Kirk
    No sample is available for this selection.

    Why it was chosen we haven't particularly paid much attention to all the heavenly and godly origins of Christmas

  14. 14
    Merry Christmas, Baby · Otis Redding

    Why it was chosen let's do it in style