9 - Bad Religion - Christmas Songs

Alright, back to my public service obligation to the universe. Here's such a thing Mrs. Bottle didn't know existed.

This year's theme is loosely "why did they make a Christmas album?" Some are unexplainable, some are actual albums that just happen to be about Christmas, The Killers took the unique approach of compiling one single a year over a decade. Tonight we step through the looking glass and wrestle with the Jabberwocky. I'm convinced it exists only because it shouldn't exist.

What's truly baffling is that Bad Religion's Christmas Songs isn't actually sarcastic (except for the sucker punch of American Jesus at the end). Maybe we need a refresher on irony.

It's not dramatic irony. They know how bizarre it is that they are intentionally singing Christmas songs.

It's not situational irony. The intended effect is clearly to point out the contradiction of overtly religious ceremony as performed by an erudite punk rock band.

It's not verbal irony. There's absolutely no indication of disbelief. If it's verbal irony, it's drier than Bob Newhart with tuberculosis.

It's not cosmic irony like Alanis Morissette likes.

It's not classical irony, 'cause who reads ancient Greek treatises on rhetoric?

It is in fact romantic irony. 

Hey, Bottle. I didn't know that Romantic Irony was a thing, and now that i do i still have no idea what that could possibly mean.

Ok. I'll try to explain it. All irony is an interruption of discourse, a sudden change in the rules of communication. Now imagine that Peter Falk is your grandpa and he interrupts the story to remind you that you're listening to Bad Religion sing really great punk versions of Christmas songs. They don't believe in angels or that some baby let his dad's friends kill him because he didn't think it was fair to punish everyone just because some ancient lady ate an apple and realized she didn't have any clothes on, but they aren't making fun of it either, now are they? 

What they're really doing is asking you if American Christmas is somehow any different than American Jesus, and wondering out loud who's getting taken advantage of in this situation. Remember, there's an entire army who will blindly follow along, and even though you try not to be we are of the same plague.

Plus, you can enjoy the Yule Log version, where Greg silently reads a gigantic book filled with pictures of animals and makes faces at the camera while the album plays. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWI42TdA29w&feature=youtu.be

A desperate plea for recognition from my facebook friends: french hens, i mean albums to go. Any suggestions, or are you just going to let me drive this bus wherever i feel like?


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