Happy Clucking Holidays
 |
This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (January 2009) |
| Happy Clucking Holidays | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Studio album by Dirk Keysser | |
| Released | November 1, 2002 |
| Genre | Christmas, Comedy |
| Length | 14:00 |
| Label | Happy Clucking Holidays Inc. |
| Producer | Dirk Keysser |
Happy Clucking Holidays is a comedy album of Christmas songs performed by Dirk Keysser. Billed as "the greatest album of Christmas music clucked by a human chicken ever," it was originally released in 2002.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Keysser, a software services manager at Fordham University in New York City,[1] recorded 14 minutes of material in ten Christmas season songs on Happy Clucking Holidays. He replaced the lyrics with chicken clucking, and used a variety of background musical arrangements.
Keysser has performed chicken-inspired Christmas music twice on the “Is This Anything?” segment of the Late Show with David Letterman, clucking “Joy to the World” on December 17, 2002, and “Deck the Halls” on December 17, 2003.[2]
[edit] Reception
Happy Clucking Holidays has received somewhat wary reviews. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution commented, "You just haven't been annoyed until you've been annoyed by Dirk Keysser clucking out the melody to 'Little Drummer Boy'."[3] The Contra Costa Times remarked, “You have not known fear and hatred until you have heard a man clucking like a chicken to 'Silent Night' - with feeling."[4]
More positive feedback came from USA Today which noted, “The gaping hole in Christmas catalogs for carols sung in a chicken voice is filled by this eclucktic 14-minute collection.” [5] And Jack Cafferty, on the CNN program American Morning, commented the recording had value “because we're really lacking in Christmas carols sung by a chicken.” [6]
[edit] Future releases
Following the release of Happy Clucking Holidays, Keysser announced plans to release poultry-inspired albums based on the classical music compositions of Maurice Ravel and Sergei Prokofiev.[7] To date, however, Happy Clucking Holidays remains the only recording featuring Keysser’s chicken music.
[edit] Track listing
- "Deck the Halls" – 1:13
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – 0:59
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – 2:38
- "Carol of the Bells" – 0:48
- "Silent Night" – 2:02
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" – 1:26
- "Little Drummer Boy" – 2:03
- "Ode to Joy" – 0:39
- "Winter Wonderland" – 2:30
- "Joy to the World" – 0:32
[edit] References
- ^ “Fordham IT,” Fordham University
- ^ “Is This Anything?” Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
- ^ “The Holiday Sounds,” November 28, 2003, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (fee access required)
- ^ “Happy Clucking Holidays,” Anecdotage.com
- ^ “Making a holiday album list,” USA Today, December 18, 2003
- ^ “The Spirit of Regifting,” CNN (transcript), December 25, 2003 (library card access required)
- ^ “Storyville,” The Independent on Sunday, December 14, 2003
