THE CHINESE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS
AUDIO
THE CHINESE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS (The Day The Music Died) BBC Radio 2, 29 November 2003
THE CHINESE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS (Full Length Original Version) 2003
GENERAL INFO A Christmas-themed song Gary performed in the fourth episode of Series 1 of The Day The Music Died. BROADCAST DETAILS BBC Radio 2, 29 November 2003 (13.03 - 13.30 pm) RECORDING INFO Recorded at 27 Maude Terrace, Walthamstow: 18 November 2003 (backing track) and 24 November 2003 (vocal and final mix). INSPIRATIONS Japan circa 1980-81, notably Nightporter and Ghosts, and the early solo work of David Sylvian (especially his 1987 album Secrets of the Beehive and a single he did in 1989 called Pop Song). Also, now I think about it, The Man With The Child In His Eyes by Kate Bush. WHAT IT’S ABOUT A Chinese ghost who always visits around Christmas time WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT This was just very simply about Gary doing a Christmas song. I thought it would be funny if David Sylvian did a Christmas record - someone so wilfully arty doing something so commercially-minded - and it just seemed so obvious it would be a piano dirge about a Chinese ghost. Probably the quickest and easiest song I’ve ever written. And almost certainly the quickest and easiest I ever recorded. ANECDOTES & TRIVIA This is one of only two songs I wrote for The Day The Music Died that I’ve ever sung live. THOUGHTS & FEELINGS Arguably one of only three or four songs I wrote for that series that were any good, I’ve always felt very warm about this one, probably because of its stupid simplicity. Plus I genuinely couldn’t believe people were paying me to do a bad David Sylvian impression on national radio in 2003. As for the chat with Andrew in the broadcast version - I have to confess, I can’t stand listening to myself on the radio. It’s never as good as the experience of actually doing it, so I can’t judge it objectively. But it seems very relaxed. Maybe a bit too relaxed. I’m surprised there’s nothing in there about how disgusted Gary might have been with himself for writing a song so unrepentantly commercial. But I like the rapport that’s starting to build with Andrew. His distaste for Gary at this point is barely disguised, which gives it a nice emotional undercurrent.
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END CREDITS (The Day The Music Died) BBC Radio 2, 29 November 2003
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VIDEO
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THE CHINESE GHOST
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THE CHINESE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS (The Day The Music Died) BBC Radio 2, 29 November 2003
THE CHINESE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS (Full Length Original Version) 2003
END CREDITS (The Day The Music Died) BBC Radio 2, 29 November 2003
GENERAL INFO A Christmas-themed song Gary performed in the fourth episode of Series 1 of The Day The Music Died. BROADCAST DETAILS BBC Radio 2, 29 November 2003 (13.03 - 13.30 pm) RECORDING INFO Recorded at 27 Maude Terrace, Walthamstow: 18 November 2003 (backing track) and 24 November 2003 (vocal and final mix). INSPIRATIONS Japan circa 1980-81, notably Nightporter and Ghosts, and the early solo work of David Sylvian (especially his 1987 album Secrets of the Beehive and a single he did in 1989 called Pop Song). Also, now I think about it, The Man With The Child In His Eyes by Kate Bush. WHAT IT’S ABOUT A Chinese ghost who always visits around Christmas time WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT This was just very simply about Gary doing a Christmas song. I thought it would be funny if David Sylvian did a Christmas record - someone so wilfully arty doing something so commercially-minded - and it just seemed so obvious it would be a piano dirge about a Chinese ghost. Probably the quickest and easiest song I’ve ever written. And almost certainly the quickest and easiest I ever recorded. ANECDOTES & TRIVIA This is one of only two songs I wrote for The Day The Music Died that I’ve ever sung live. THOUGHTS & FEELINGS Arguably one of only three or four songs I wrote for that series that were any good, I’ve always felt very warm about this one, probably because of its stupid simplicity. Plus I genuinely couldn’t believe people were paying me to do a bad David Sylvian impression on national radio in 2003. As for the chat with Andrew in the broadcast version - I have to confess, I can’t stand listening to myself on the radio. It’s never as good as the experience of actually doing it, so I can’t judge it objectively. But it seems very relaxed. Maybe a bit too relaxed. I’m surprised there’s nothing in there about how disgusted Gary might have been with himself for writing a song so unrepentantly commercial. But I like the rapport that’s starting to build with Andrew. His distaste for Gary at this point is barely disguised, which gives it a nice emotional undercurrent.
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OF CHRISTMAS

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