Interview With The Waitresses' Chris Butler
No Christmas season would be complete without the infectious and endearing classic tune "Christmas Wrapping," (originally recorded in 1981) which through its insightful lyrics gives an examination of relationships in a post-holiday world.
Waitresses' singer, the late Patty Donahue, weaves her unique brand of story-telling as she transcends from a Dickensish grump ready to skip the whole holiday season, to the realization there are still some rituals and customs worth preserving. This universal theme is part of what has solidified this song into the lexicon of Christmas carols. Well, that and its definitively new wave brilliance, complete with the long-lost art of rocking saxophone riffs.
Chris Butler, Waitresses founder, songwriter, musician and producer, explains the process of writing this song, how he himself has been transformed by it and why its popularity has grown over the years to be included in films like Fred Claus, Merry Christmas Drake and Josh, numerous covers and its ubiquitous presence from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve.
Chris a fixture in the Akron/Kent, Ohio music scene (The Pretenders, Devo, Pere Ubu, Joe Walsh) was also a member of the quirky art rock band, Tin Huey. Tin Huey, often overlooked, but never unappreciated have re-released Before Obscurity: The Bushflow Tapes and we discuss the merits of obscure music from years gone by. Oh, and feel free to enjoy the 4-plus minutes of us dancing, a gift from us to you!
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