Lord Buckley’s “Scrooge” is the Best Version of ‘A Christmas Carol’

Lord Buckley's "Scrooge" might be my all-time favorite bit of holiday media. Let me lay it all out for you.   Some background, first. For years, I've been a fan of and regular listener to Backwoods, which is a weekly radio program that airs on 88.1 WMBR. That's MIT's college radio station. Backwoods is hosted by John Funke, who describes the show--on mic, every week--as "the best in vintage rock & roll, country & western, rhythm & blues." The website describes it as "more songs about Cadillacs and chickens."   John's show is my favorite thing on the radio and he's one of my favorite personalities in Boston. I said as much when I was celebrating my 25th anniversary on air. The show is consistently entertaining week in and week out. And once the holiday season rolls around, Mr. Funke rolls out the Christmas classics. One of those classics is Lord Buckley's take on A Christmas Carol, "Scrooge."   Lord Buckley's "Scrooge" is the Best Version of 'A Christmas Carol' When I first heard this on Backwoods, I was floored. It's an over-10-minute long, spoken-word delivery of the Dickens classic...in 1950's beatnik/hepcat slang. Because that was the angle of the Lord Buckley character, created in the 1940s by stand-up comedian Richard Buckley. It's hip and jazzy and even a bit royal. He is a "Lord," after all.   I always look forward to when John Funke plays it on Backwoods, and I always make it a point to put it on for my kids if they miss it. It's fast and funny and like nothing you've ever heard. Give a listen below, then dig into some more offbeat Christmas classics that I've put together for you to celebrate the season. "You can get wit' it if you want to. There's only one way--straight--to the road of love." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOLrZar3XRE