That Guy on TV - John Graham's Blog, Resume, and Hootenanny
That Guy on TV - John Graham's Blog, Resume, and Hootenanny

27 Days Until Christmas

I’ve got a deep collection of Christmas albums that started around 2005 when I was writing for a website that doesn’t exist anymore. Record companies would send us free copies of new Christmas releases in exchange for reviews. We were always hungry for content, so it was a fair trade. We might have even given “VeggieTales – The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree” an ironic spin.

I’ve added to the collection with my own money each year and I’m going to highlight some of my favorites between now and December 25. Let’s start with a Christmas song that’s huge in the UK – so popular that it comes back onto the charts every year since 2007, but it’s mostly unknown in the US. “I Wish it Could Be Christmas Every Day” was originally released by the glam band Wizzard in 1973.

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1970s, Music
November 28, 2020 | 1:42 pm

Wait, There Are Two Versions of that Christmas Song?

Children of the ’80s know well that in 1983, Daryl Hall and John Oates remade the classic Bobby Helms Christmas hit “Jingle Bell Rock” … but did you catch on that you’ve been hearing two versions of the song for decades? Even two versions of the music video? Like the Mandela Effect in reverse, every once in a while, you hear an alternative universe version of “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Here’s the one you probably hear most with Daryl on lead vocals, the A-side of the 45.

Then, there’s the flipside of the 45 with John at the mic. Every once in a while, I’ll hear this one slip into the mix on a radio station. Way back when, MTV would play both versions.

They saved money on the videos by having both Hall and Oates keep their mouths shut until about ninety seconds in. That way, they could use all the same footage. Right after Santa appears is when the two videos split off. Jump both versions to 1:30 to see where they go off on their own paths.

For my Orlando friends, that’s Charlie DeChant, aka Mr Casual, holding the toy saxophone. He’s been in the band since 1976, playing both sax and keyboards. Charlie lives in Orlando and if there wasn’t a global pandemic, you could book him and his band, The Kings, for your holiday party.

1980s, Music, Orlando
November 27, 2020 | 5:36 pm

You Mean That Isn’t … ?

It’s the spring of 1986. You jump into your Chevy Monza, click on your Pioneer AM/FM/cassette player, and “Beat’s So Lonely” comes on. Yeah, it sounds like Billy Idol in his Elvis crooner phase, but it’s Charlie Sexton, who recorded this very ‘80s blend of rockabilly and new wave when he was just sixteen.

There’s no shame in thinking it’s Billy Idol. “Beat’s So Lonely” was produced by Keith Forsey, who handled all the big Billy Idol hits – including “To Be a Lover,” “White Wedding,” “Hot in the City,” and “Rebel Yell.”

Forsey also co-wrote and produced “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” for “The Breakfast Club,” Simple Minds’ biggest hit and a song that Billy Idol actually turned down. John Hughes, of course, directed “The Breakfast Club” so it’s not a coincidence that “Beat’s So Lonely” ended up in Hughes’ “Some Kind of Wonderful” – although not actually on the soundtrack album.

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1980s, Music, You Mean That Isn't...?
November 9, 2020 | 3:50 pm

1994 in 3:30

The Hood Internet specializes in mash-up remixes and has been boiling down “The Year in Music” as YouTube videos, starting with 1979. That’s the latest up above, 1994 condensed to three and a half minutes. Sure, you remember Notorious B.I.G, but MC 900 Ft. Jesus too?

I’d guess your favorite remix will depend on when you graduated high school or found those 4-5 CDs that got you through your early 20s. I guess that’s why I’m partial to 1986.

I’ll confess though that the remixes get smoother as more hip-hop enters the pop charts and there’s more digital production.

1980s, 1990s, Music
October 29, 2020 | 12:09 pm

You Mean That Isn’t … ?

If you heard “Call to the Heart” on the radio in 1985, it sure sounded like Journey – those vocals, those keyboards, – but it was actually Giuffria, five guys with big hair and tight pants out of Washington, DC. The first single off Giuffria’s eponymous album, “Call to the Heart” peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot 100. That put it three slots higher than “Foolish Heart” from Steve Perry, the guy who was actually in Journey.

Bandleader and keyboardist Gregg Giuffria later formed House of Lords and eventually moved into the casino business. He was even original co-owner of the Biloxi Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Guitarist Craig Goldy joined and left Dio several times. Bassist Chuck Wright had been in Quiet Riot before Giuffira, rejoined a few times, and is in the current touring version of the band. Drummer Alan Krigger toured with Ike Turner and is now in The Hollywood Allstarz with former members of Quiet Riot, Bonham, and Dio.

What about singer David Glen Eisley? He married actress Olivia Hussey in 1991 and has continued working as a singer and actor. In the late 1990’s, Eisley co-wrote and recorded “Sweet Victory,” a rock ballad that was released as part of a royalty-free library music package – songs available for commercials, TV, or movies. That’s how Eisley’s voice ended up in SpongeBob SquarePants’ mouth for the 2001 episode “Band Geeks.”

1980s, Music, You Mean That Isn't...?
October 17, 2020 | 11:28 am
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About John

John Graham is That Guy on TV – an Emmy-winning producer/writer/host and owner of Mosquito County Productions, based in Orlando, FL.

Over the years, John has produced YouTube videos with millions of views, worked with Muppets and Princesses, won two regional Emmys for travel reporting, interviewed celebs from Ariana Grande to Hillbilly Jim, and done thousands of live news broadcasts. (You know it’s me writing this, right?)

Get ahold of me at John@thatguyontv.com

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