Simple Tricks and Nonsense

So, one of the songs on that list of my favorite Christmas tunes I put together a year ago is an obscure little ditty called "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" by arena rocker Billy Squier. Something got me thinking about that song earlier today, so naturally I thought I'd poke around the InterWebs and see what I could come up with. I found the following clip, a "live" performance of the song Billy gave on MTV along with "the MTV chorus," i.e., anybody around the cable net's offices who was willing to appear on camera. It's a fun little video, full of genuine -- if goofy -- cheer, and if you remember the early days of music videos and the "vee-jays" who introduced them, you'll no doubt recognize some faces in the crowd. I gotta say, though... that sweater that Billy is wearing... oy. You'll never find a bigger apologist for the eccentric fashions of the Reagan Years -- I love and miss that decade with a fierce passion, and I'd still have my mullet and Members Only jacket if I could -- but that sweater goes beyond even my pale...