RICHARD PRYOR IS SANTA CLAUS

“Kid, if you want a firetruck, then burn down your house.”

Hunter S. Thompson Sets A Christmas Tree On Fire

FROM THE DESK OF WAYNE EWING [www.hunterthompsonfilms.com]

NOTE: THE VIDEOS WERE NOT SHARING PROPERLY SO I RE-UPPED THEM FOR THIS POST. I HAVE NO INTENT OF UNETHICAL USE OF MR. EWING’S FOOTAGE.

The Christmas Tree

December 12th, 2010

Hunter had a soft heart for Christmas. He loved to receive and give gifts, and his were lots of fun. I still have a kitchen clock he gave me that announces each hour with a different bird call. “Have you learned which birds are at each hour yet?” he often inquired. But, I never have figured out the sequence, even though they keep calling from the kitchen more than a decade later, reminding me of my mischievous friend.

Every December there was a Christmas tree decorated in the living room at Owl Farm, and in January, Deborah Fuller – Hunter’s dedicated secretary for two decades – would take down the tree, but leave it either on the porch or by the wood pile out front in case Hunter wanted to burn it.

On January 9, 1990, Hunter had a visitor from Time Magazine, a reporter who Deborah remembers by a first name of Allen, but his surname has been lost unless he happens to read this and corrects the record.

“Let’s give the journalist a memorable experience to write about,” declared Hunter. “He needs to learn how to burn the creosote out of a chimney. We can’t run the risk of a chimney fire during the year.”

Of course, there’s a fine line between burning the creosote out of a chimney and starting a creosote fire that burns at 2100 Degrees Fahrenheit and sounds like a jet airplane taking off just before it explodes through the sides of your chimney and burns down a log cabin style house like Owl Farm.

In preparation, Deborah gathered all the fire extinguishers in the living room, while Hunter set up a video camera since I wasn’t there to shoot it. (I was back East, finishing a TV special for NBC News with Tom Brokaw called “The New Hollywood.” Believe me, Hunter was a hell of a lot more interesting to hang out with than Tom Brokaw, but as they say in show business: “Theater is life. Film is art. TV is rent.”)

I used some of Hunter’s Christmas tree video in Breakfast with Hunter when Ralph Steadman reads from a 1995 Time/Life book titled “The Enigma of Personality” which so far as I know is the only printed reference to the burning of the Christmas tree other than interviews in which I have mentioned it. Allen the Time Magazine reporter seems to have produced only this anecdote for the book and nowhere else from his 1990 winter’s journey to Owl Farm, but somebody please correct me in the comments section below if I’m wrong on this point.

Visitors to Owl Farm usually came in search of an experience with Hunter that would make a good story whether they were journalists or fans, and Hunter always delivered. But, the story wasn’t necessarily what they expected. In this case, Hunter got more than he bargained for as well; you can see how desperately he pokes at the burning Christmas tree, trying to contain the raging fire. The heavy wooden mantle still has the burn marks to this day.

Before he put the tree in the fireplace, there was a small fire burning already. The mass of the tree almost snuffed out the first fire when he jammed it in, so Hunter threatened to splash lighter fluid on it. In the original video, you can barely hear Deborah and Allen screaming, “NO, HUNTER DON’T DO IT” above the Cowboy Junkies playing “Misguided Angel” at maximum volume over the array of living room speakers.

I said ‘mama he’s crazy and he scares me
But I want him by my side
Though he’s wild and he’s bad
And sometimes just plain mad
I need him to keep me satisfied’
(lyrics by Margo Timmons & Michael Edward Timmons)

Hunter gets a bit of lighter fluid onto the tree, and then throws a match after it, creating the conflagration you see in the film and then in the aftermath below. The flames were coming out of the top of the chimney in a four foot cone of fire, like the exhaust of a jet engine. Hunter, Deborah and Allen retreated to the front porch where Hunter taped the inferno with pride. No one remembered to carry out the manuscript of the latest book in progress which was lying on the living room table.

PFU CHRISTMAS COLLECTION PART 4: FAMILY RESCUE VERSION

This is a mix designed to allow you to listen to decent Christmas music without your family giving you trouble. It’s very handy, trust me.

PFU #011 – Family Christmas Music Emergency Mix [for 2009]

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TRACK LIST:

Johnny Cash – Not Cool to Kill on Christmas
Toni Stante – Donde Esta Santa Claus
Huey ‘Piano’ Smith & The Clowns – All I Want For Christmas
Squirrel Nut Zippers – My Evergreen
Toots & the Maytals – Christmas Feeling Ska
People Like Us – Everyday
New Pornographers – Joseph, Who Understood
Jackie Gleason – Christmas In Paris
The Wailers – She’s Coming Home
Josh Rouse – Christmas with Jesus
Kay Martin & Her Body Guards – My Santa Daddy
Nina Simone – Chilly Winds Don’t Blow
Jimmy Butler – Trim Your Tree
The Bird And The Bee – Carol of the Bells
Teenage Fanclub – Christmas Eve
The Staple Singers – Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas
Erlend Øye – Last Christmas
Eddie Cochran with The Holly Twins – I Want Elvis For Christmas
Yo La Tengo – Winter A-Go-Go
James Brown – Sweet Little Baby Boy [Parts 1 & 2]
Henry Mancini – Snowfall
Bob Dylan – Winterlude
Ramsey Lewis Trio – Egg Nog
Vaughn Monroe – Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Danièle et Michèle – J’ai vu maman embrasser le père Noël
Lighnin’ Hopkins – Happy New Year
Johnny Cash – Here Was A Man

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KURT COBAIN & WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS

When you are looking for cheer, there’s no one better than these two.

SPECIAL GUEST CHRISTMAS MIX: PROXY’s HOLIDAY ARMAMENT VOL. 5

Proxy (ne Todd Buker) is amazing. He’s an electronic music dynamo, a crack designer, master digger of crates, acclaimed theater director, and all around winner. PFU has featured him on our Christmas mixes before mashing up Billie Jean and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on our very first mix.

Here’s another one of his exceptional creations.

He sent me his annual Christmas mix and I had to share it. The tracks are numbered on the files, so please sort the mix by track number and listen to this in order. It’s a Christmas Program of amazing (and family accessible) holiday music and extremely rare seasonal nuggets. This is a great mix.

PFU #G001 – PROXY’s HOLIDAY ARMAMENT VOL. 5 [2011]

The Free Design & the USAF Dance Orchestra – The Now Sound of Christmas
Broadcast – Winter Now
Bela Lugosi – Snowkenstein
Herman Apple – Let it Snow
Baby Pac Man – Snowflakes & Frozen Lakes
Mangus T. Cook – Snow Bunny
Janette Eden – You Turn Me On (And Light Me Up)
Jimmy McCracklin – Christmas Time [Pt. 1]
Pattie Marie Joy – Space Age Santa Claus
Ambassador Record Corp Ensemble – Donner & Blitzen
Harvie June Van – Dasher
Preston Penn – Little Pee Wee
The Legend of the Monkey Santa Claus
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Santa [Alt Version]
Cordell Jackson – Rock N Roll Christmas
Snowflakes [Pt. 1]
Good King Wenceslas
Larry Rivera – Menehune Santa
Jimmy McGriff – The Christmas Song
Ben Light and His Surf Club Boys – Christmas Balls
Jimmy Jones and the Versatiles – Christmas is a Drag
Sonny Boy Williamson – Christmas Morning Blues
Mary Denise Cawley – The Day That Santa Cried
J.J. Barnes – Snow Flake
Mary White – Christmas Bells
Jingle Bells [Live]
Walter “Crybaby” Stone & the Tradewinds – Christmas Time Again
Santa Claus, That’s the Signal
Eric Idle – Fuck Christmas
The Christmas Holidays are Over…and Reprise

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PFU’s CHRISTMAS COLLECTION: PART 3 [CHRISTMAS 2009]

My personal favorite.

PFU #010: CHRISTMAS 2009

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TRACK LIST

Neil Hamburger – Cranberry Sauce
The Mistreaters – Santa Stole My Baby
Fat Daddy – Fat Daddy
Twice As Much & Vashti – The Coldest Night of the Year
James Brown – Hey America
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – All I Want For Christmas
Dean & Britta – He’s Coming Home
The Phi Mu Washboard Band – Chilly Winds
Elvis Presley – Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Dr. Octagon – Moosebumps
Holly Golightly – Christmas Tree’s On Fire
The Shangri-Las – Good Taste Tip #3: Gift Receiving
George Harrison – Ding Dong, Ding Dong
Nina Simone – I Am Blessed
The Halo Benders – Snowfall
Dion McGregor [Sleep Talker] – Snowflakes
Dick Dale – Hava Nagila
Pebbles & Bam Bam – Snowflakes
Floyd Dixon – Empty Stockings
Galaxie 500 – Listen, The Snow Is Falling
The Davis Sisters – Christmas Boogie
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
The Harlem Children’s Chorus – Black Christmas
Merle Haggard – If We Make It Through December
Archers of Loaf – Assassination On X-Mas Eve
Mae West – My New Year’s Resolutions
Pharoah Sanders – Prince of Peace

A GREMLINS’ CHRISTMAS

Hardee’s gave these 45’s out (!) with kid’s meals in the 1980’s. I just remembered. Then I realized all of mine were gone. Then I went to you tube. Cheesy but good.

A CHRISTMAS STORY by DAVID SEDARIS

I made my mother listen to this during Thanksgiving Dinner. It worked. Top-notch Sedaris.

SIX TO EIGHT BLACK MEN (A CHRISTMAS STORY)

PART 1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

GREAT CHRISTMAS BLOGS!

Here are a list of other bloggers that keep my holidays interesting and lead me to all kinds of outstanding musical and cultural holiday discoveries. Check them out!

http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/

http://falalalala.com/

http://christmasagogo.blogspot.com/

http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/

http://therealbigrockcandymountain.blogspot.com/

http://bongobells5.blogspot.com/

http://www.jinglebellrocks.com/

http://77santas.blogspot.com/

http://santasworkingovertime.blogspot.com/

http://sanityclauseshanty.blogspot.com/

http://merryandbright.blogspot.com/

http://hif-fi-holiday.blogspot.com/