It's f#$in hot! How hot is it here on the East Coast? Well, it's so hot that . . . .well, it's hot! So, in order for you, the adoring TV Squad fan-base, to feel just a tad bit cooler while you watch an egg fry on the pavement I thought I'd spread a little early Christmas cheer around.
If you look back at the history of television Christmas specials perhaps the weirdest pairing of two individuals appeared in 1977. This was when Bing Crosby invited a young British singer named David Bowie to appear on his Christmas special. According to the David Bowie FAQ site Bowie was invited to the show after several people, including Crosby's kids, mentioned him. Bing decided to duet with David on Little Drummer Boy, but then added Peace on Earth for Bowie because he felt that it matched the younger man's singing voice. Bing took an immediate liking to Bowie and even gave him his phone number after the show's taping.
One month after the special finished taping Bing Crosby died, and the public didn't see the performance until after his death. However, once it aired it became a best-selling single (on a 45-rpm, you remember those) and a perennial music video. And now, thanks to the newfangled Internet, you can see it as many times as you want. So, put on that turtleneck sweater, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and snuggle up in your flannel blanket for this chilly Christmas treasure.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-03-2006 @ 2:56PM
Karen said...
God, this was amazing. I was already a huge Bowie fan when he appeared on Bing's Christmas special, and I remember sitting through all the conventional Big Star crap to get to the moment when Bowie would appear. My parents were really amused. And then it was SO COOL. Bowie's contrapuntal "Peace on Earth" to Bing's "Drummer Boy" refrain was so unexpected, and none of Bowie's cool was diminished, despite how very deferential he was to the older man.
Bless YouTube for making stuff like this live forever!
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