Iggy Pop, Carla Bruni, Madeleine Peyroux, Rufus Wainwright, Emilie Simon, more on Christmas Album

[bananas]

http://www.stubbyschristmas.com/1/post/2011/10/nobody-said-thered-be-iggy-pop.html

NOBODY SAID THERE'D BE IGGY POP
10/22/2011

<snip>

In addition to singing "Little Drummer Boy" on Legrand's upcoming "Noel Noel Noel", Iggy also joins forces with Rufus, Madeleine and Emilie for "Noel D'Espoir" (which literally translates as "Christmas of Hope" but might possibly be "Amazing Grace"). Backing the singers is a 16 piece big band and a 34 piece orchestra. Engineering was done by Lawrence Manchester, known for his work with Diana Krall. The Japanese edition is expected to have at least one bonus track.

<snip>

1. Jamie Cullum – Let It Snow
2. Teddy Thompson/Rufus Wainwright – White Christmas
3. Madeleine Peyroux – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
4. Madelaine Peyroux/Rufus Wainwright/ Iggy Pop/Emilie Simon/– Noël D’Espoir
5. MIKA – Vive Le Vent
6. Emilie Simon – Santa Baby
7. Carla Bruni – Jolis Sapins
8. Iggy Pop – The Little Drummer Boy
9. Ayo – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
10. Imelda May - Silent Night
11. Coeur de Pirate - Noël Blanc

[jeepnstein]

1. I'll buy that one!

Christmas is really more of a commercial thing than a Christian holiday these days. If you want to get fussy about it you could say that the New Testament never mentions celebrating Jesus' birthday as a mandatory event. You can either worship God over the holiday or you can worship your consumer products, up to you.

Not that any of that matters. I think that sounds like a really interesting album.

[trotsky]

2. The New Testament doesn't indicate Jesus' alleged birthday as being in the winter, either.

So if you're celebrating that event on Dec. 25, you're celebrating a date the early church arbitrarily picked, most likely to help convert the dirty pagans who were partying for Saturnalia or some such event around the real reason for the season, the winter solstice.

[jeepnstein]

8. Yeah.

And add to that we're not supposed to observe Pagan holidays and it all gets more than a bit sticky. I have friends, for instance, who refuse to take part in Trick or Treating because it's some kind of Pagan tradition. Myself? I try to keep it in context. As long as I'm not worshiping the day or making some kind of deity out of the Great Pumpkin I see no harm in a bit of foolishness with the kids.

My friends call me a buzz kill over Christmas. Honestly, I feel it's just far too big of a deal these days. It is nice to have something in late December to make up for all the mud and freezing temperatures but there's nothing magical about that date. If it were such a big deal they would have spelled out the date of His birth in more detail. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy a nice family gathering on December 25. Oh, and we take in strays so you're as welcome as anyone, Trotsky.

[cleanhippie]

3. Was there a point to this post or was it just informational and why does it belong in R&T?

:shrug:

[bananas]

4. Christmas is a Christian religious holiday and therefore this post is appropriate for R/T.

"Christmas" and "Christian" are named after Jesus Christ, a religious figure.
I can't believe I actually have to explain this.
:wtf:

[cleanhippie]

5. So was there a point you wanted to discuss?

I mean, this IS a discussion forum.


I can't believe I actually have to explain this.
:wtf:

[bananas]

6. Well...

This sounds like a really good album, and I thought other people might be interested in it.
The first response already confirmed that.

I posted it in the R/T forum because, as I've stated a number of times in the past, this forum would benefit greatly from discussion of religious music, art, architecture, poetry, etc.

Religious expression encompasses much more than insulting people who disagree with you, which seems to be the main form of "discussion" here.

[cleanhippie]

7. So start a discussion about religious art, music,etc...

I'm game for that.

Can you elaborate why you think this album is so good?

Disclaimer: You are getting into the area of "Art", and as an aspiring "artist", there is no such thing as good or bad art, just what appeals or repulses us as individuals. Art can influence two people in completely different ways, and there really is no right or wrong answer.

[bananas]

9. I did start a discussion about religious music - thanks for joining in!

The reasons I think this album will be good:

I really like the voices of some of the singers - Simon, Bruni, Peyroux in particular, and I think their voices will sound really well on these Christmas carols.

Iggy Pop is a whole different genre from them, so it will be interesting to see how he gets integrated in. It's kind of like when Robert Plant and Alison Krauss did an album, a lot of people were pleasantly surprised. One person I know became a fan of Led Zeppelin after that album, she previously couldn't understand why anyone could possibly like Led Zeppelin, but the collaboration allowed her to hear with a new ear and gain new understanding and appreciation. This change of mind came through listening to music, not through rational discourse.

[bananas]

10. So what kind of art are you aspiring to?

The words "aspire" and "inspiration" are from the same root as "spirit".
What inspires your artwork?
Can a soulless automaton aspire to be an artist?
Can a soulless automaton be inspired?
These are serious questions, you may have heard that John McCarthy passed on, he spent a lot of time trying to get computers to pass the Turing test.
I used to study AI, and I'm not convinced the Turing test is sufficient.
Just because there's no measurable difference doesn't mean there isn't an important difference.
For example, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=228&topic_id=80226&mesg_id=80249

[cleanhippie]

11. Well, I've been on a journey to activate and utilize more of my right-brain.

Working on another degree, paid for with my GI Bill, so I've been taking some classes that will do that. Two semesters of drama, that was really cool. I now have a new appreciation for the work that actors do and see movies and TV in a very different perspective.
I'm currently taking a drawing class, and it has been very enlightening. 5 weeks ago, I could barely draw a stick figure and just last night, I produced an 18 x 24 of a rigatoni in charcoal, utilizing the entire value scale. Not ready for my own show, but I am amazed at what am now able to do.

[bananas]

12. Reality...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=210x46043