Holiday album releases sometimes have a sense of pandering to them. "I'm a pop star. Here's me singing the nineteen-millionth cover of 'Jingle Bell Rock.' Please give me money."
The comedian and singer Matt Rogers understands this dichotomy of the holiday hit—part grotesque cash-grab, part unfathomably genuine cheer—better than anyone. His new album, Have You Heard of Christmas?, mines that tension for tragicomic gold.
"Also It's Christmas," the album opener, announces this satirical spirit blithely, with an exhortation to "play this song seasonally!" "Rum Pum Pum" turns the little drummer's beat into a sexy club anthem: "Saw your name on the naughty list highlighted in red / Now you're up in the club in someone else's sweat." Over the course of Have You Heard..., Rogers poses questions that poke at the edges of Christmas lore: "Is it weird to hook up on Christmas day?" "How does it feel to be the hottest female in Whoville?" And, "Why does Santa needs so much lube for his sleigh?"
Matt joined Nate and Charlie to share how his pop writing draws from sketch comedy rhythm, the influence he drew from both Ariana Grande and the Lonely Island, and how he accidentally created a sincere holiday hit in the middle of making a comedy album.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Beatles get back to their roots
Taylor, Adele & Silk Sonic’s broken hearts club (with Brittany Luse)
Snotty Nose Rez Kids on hip hop and Indigenous protest
The State of the Pop Union
Why ABBA songs just hit different
The Healing Power of Pop with Esperanza Spalding
Janet Jackson's Legacy After 'Control' from It's Been A Minute with Sam Sanders
James Bond's Spycraft Sound
James Blake & The Return of Harmony
Sparkle spoke out against R Kelly. It cost her her career.
ICYMI: The Mystery of Montero AKA Lil Nas X (feat. Take A Daytrip)
Deja Vu: Why Olivia Rodrigo keeps giving up songwriting credits
CHVRCHES and the sound of 80s horror
From Taylor Swift to Bon Iver, Aaron Dessner Finds Meaning in Musical Community
Modern Classics: Carina del Valle Schorske on Cat Power's "Manhattan"
The Joy of Music Festivals
The Beauty and Horror of Insane Clown Posse's Summer Festival
How Coachella took the Woodstock look
Modern Classics: Mark Ronson on Ginuwine's "Pony"
Summer Hits: Jack Antonoff on Bleachers “Stop Making This Hurt”
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Good One: A Podcast About Jokes
Vulture Festival Podcast
The Vulture TV Podcast