What I learned Today #3" Cielito Lindo

Despite having plenty of access to Latino culture as a resident of a major metropolis, I still have not for the life of me been able to learn much Mexican folk music. You know, the songs that define the culture for an entire nation, yet here in America they're rudely appropriated from their original context to sell stuff or in an attempt to be funny. You know: "I dance! I dance! I dance! Upon a Mexican hat!"

Recognition usually comes to me out of the blue. Today I'm listening to ancient records on WFMU's "Antique Phonograph Music Program" for Jan 13. The announcer intros a song from 1924 he calls "Beautiful Heaven." It's a Latin tinged orchestra instrumental, which suddenly leads into the familiar chorus of "Ay, Yi, Yi, Yi!" Hey! I know this tune. Some searching around the title finally informs me that yes, it is a Mexican folk tune, originally titled "Cielito Lindo."

As the Wikipedia article I linked to will inform you younger kids, this tune is better known to us Anglos of a certain age as the "Frito Bandito" song. Hope I can remember at least its proper title when I hear it again.

Yes, as a kid I had a sticker with this artwork on my dresser drawer.

A few of my favorite Holiday sounds

Rather than another rant about the general awfulness of selection on radio stations that go "all Christmas songs" before Halloween, let's check out some links to favorite aural treats:

"Sound Opinions," NPR's rock'n'roll talk show, is scheduled for a visit from DJ Andy Cizran, who each year presents a collection of found vinyl Christmas oddities. The show airs Friday, Dec. 21, and a podcast should be posted to the site linked shortly afterward. It'll also be available on iTunes (eyes right for the link), but go to the website for a link to a full 60 min. mixtape download of "Seance with Santa."

My current favorite music show is freeform radio station WFMU's Saturday show, Fool's Paradise, a full two hours of early garage rock, schlockabilly, R&B and more Salvation Army finds by artists even I've never heard of! This link, when clicked sometime after Dec. 22, will let you stream that day's Christmas show. Roll over, Brenda Lee, they'll be rockin' around more than a Christmas Tree (the Dec. 15 show has an interview and choice rarities by the late Ike Turner).

Speaking of WFMU, their incredible "Beware of the Blog" still has, for your listening pleasure, ripped tracks from both volumes of Rhino Records' "The Rhino Brothers Present - The Worlds Worst Records," issued in 1983 or so. As a bonus, there are the four tracks of the Temple City Kazoo Orchestra's "Some Kazoos" album. Fair Use dictates these links will only be "live" for a brief while, so check 'em out now, even if they aren't holiday-themed.
Only trouble is, the .mp3's for Vol. 2 seem to not include "Paralyzed" by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Fear not, for they had already ripped both sides of the original Mercury single here!

And here's the greatest radio Christmas story since, well, Jean Shepard's "A Christmas Story." Author David Sedaris reads his "The Santaland Diaries," about his experiences as an elf at Macy's Santaland. It repeats often on NPR's "This American Life," but here's a link to the program where it first appeared. The iTunes link at right has the current week's show (I'm feeling all linky today).


And Shep's story was drawn from several radio reminiscences, so there's no single radio show to hear the "original" on, but the site above has lotsa podcasts of original radio shows.

As the Beatles said, "Happy Kringle!"