Have Yourself A Killer Little Christmas
When I daydream about the holidays, many images besides the typical visions of sugarplums dance in my head. Like the touching moment in the Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas?" video when future has-beens Boy George, Paul Young, and Bananarama link arms and warble about starving Africans. Or the A Very Brady Christmas TV movie rerun that I insist on watching every year. Or the scene in the South Park Christmas special in which Jesus and Santa sing Duran Duran's "Rio" for no good reason. Or that other South Park scene when the kids stage an art-rocky school play minimally soundtracked by Philip Glass.
Yep, these are fairly unusual, non-traditional Christmas memories...but hey, we all celebrate the season in our own way.
Which brings me to the Killers. One of the most festive-minded bands around, every year Brandon Flowers and his little helpers release a holiday single. And each year--much like Brandon himself, with his ever-changing facial hair and Bono complex--the output evolves.
2006's "A Great Big Sled, as seen above, was a relatively traditional affair, but 2007's kooky-krazy "Don't Shoot Me Santa" was about as non-traditional as it gets, featuring Brandon Flowers as a cheap cardboard hand puppet and rocking a truly gawd-awful Christmas sweater that even Bill Cobsy or Bridget Jones's Mark Darcy wouldn't dare wear. Plus, Santa Claus was recast as a great unwashed, red-bearded, trailer-park-dwelling, axe-wielding psychopath...
Then in 2008 came a true Christmas miracle, when the Killers teamed with Elton John and the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant for "Joseph, Better You Than Me," eschewing the cuteness of "Sled" and freaktastic festiveness of "Don't Shoot" for a simple, solemn nativity theme.
And finally, this year the Killers are having a very Feliz Navidad with "¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!" featuring Wild Light and Mariachi El Bronx.
As with all of the Killers' Christmas songs, proceeds from "¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!" will go to the (RED) organization, which is dedicated to fighting AIDS in Africa. "We're thrilled to be releasing our fourth Christmas song with (RED)," says Killers frontman Brandon Flowers. "(RED), through the Global Fund programs it supports, has made great strides in providing care to those affected by AIDS throughout Africa, and it's our honor to continue to contribute to that cause."
Oh, if only more rock bands were bursting with as much holiday cheer and good will as this band. Have yourself a Killer little Christmas, everyone!
you know you love me.
That's really weird.
But I like it! :]
I agree with #3.!
Genius!
Let it be known that the Killers are awesome, talented, and orginial. All traits that Panic most certainly DO NOT HAVE.
This video is awesome, and I love the Killers.