Lockdown! at the Disco #29: The Winter Episode

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Ooh, it’s cold, honey! 

TRACK ONE: California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas

Hiya! Get your cold little butts in here and shut that door will yer? You’re letting all the hot air out! You’re listening to episode #29 of Comics Youth Radio presents Lockdown! at the Disco and I am your chilly jack frost of a host – Amy Roberts.

Opening the show there was the unparalleled California Dreamin’ by The Mama & The Papas and we’re playing it because that’s one of the finest songs about winter ever recorded and this is the Winter episode, where we’re gonna be chatting about our fave things that make us feel wintery, why some songs have that crisp winter vibe, and also playing our fave winter jams!

As per usual, this is our weekly content disclaimer that while effort is made to keep Lockdown! at the Disco a cleancut, family friendly affair that sometimes the odd word or idea might slip through within the script or the songs that we play which might be fully appropriate for younger listeners so parental discretion is advised.

Now - Winter gets a bit of a bad reputation, all things considered. Especially when compared to other seasons. And, don’t get me wrong – Winter comes with a lot of challenges. It’s a season that can really badly affect a lot of people’s physical and mental health and it’s also a season that can feel extremely dark and cold and endless and relentless.

And you’re probably sat there at this point listening to me here and being like, Well damn Amy – why even do an episode about it if it’s all doom and gloom? I’ll tell ya!

Winter has its challenges, sure. But it also has a lot of great things going for it too. It’s a season full of care and romance. It’s a season that can force us to take stock and take care, and it’s a season that can remind us of our resilience and our strength in the face of challenge.

It’s also a season that reminds us that change sometimes requires a little bit of struggle – some difficult conditions and experiences, perhaps – but that the payoff is major. So, come snuggle up around the piano here – distanced, of course – because we have two gorgeous Winter songs here which talk very wonderful about such things.

Starting with “December” by Regina Spektor.

TRACK TWO: December – Regina Spektor
TRACK THREE: Winter – Tori Amos

That was “Winter” by Tori Amos, and it’s a song basically about growing up and how scary it is to make decisions for yourself in choosing the pathways of your life. The things you do and love, the people you spend time with, and the person you want to become – not to mention the harsh ways that we can sometimes treat ourselves when making these decisions and choosing these paths.

We can blame ourselves for missed opportunities or for not doing something the way that we would have liked to. But we grow and we learn and we change. And that process is almost seasonal.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Amos discussed the song and in particular zoned in on the line about the white horses that are still in your bed, and she said (QUOTE): “The ‘White Horses’ are your dreams … Opportunities? Roads that you thought you would go down and haven’t experienced, and all these potential experiences are gone now. Those doors are closed. And [it’s about] imagination – the belief that your imagination can take you to places.

The magical world having gone from your world, which to me there’s nothing more painful than that – when you can’t access your magical world. There was a moment when I thought I was too young to not be able to access that anymore.

But I’ve noticed over the years that a lot of teenagers feel locked out of that world. They don’t know how to get back anymore because in trying to become an adult you feel like you have to circumcise the magical world.” (END QUOTE)

Tori Amos is off her head and I love her. But what she’s saying there is also pretty much true. It’s like that thing that Ally Sheedy says in The Breakfast Club where she goes, ‘When you grow up, your heart dies’. Which is melodramatic, of course. But it can also be true if you choose to grow up in such a way in which you do abandon that magic of your youth, and close your heart off to it.  

And of all the seasons, Winter is by far the most magical. But that’s only true if you continue to allow it to be so. If you lose your sense of magic then the Winter can be little more than a harsh, relentless season of cold and darkness and everything that comes with those things.

But if you keep your heart open to magic then Winter can be such a glowing, vibrant season. It has a unique sense of warmth too it amidst the chilliness and though in nature, Winter is typically a season of death – where things crumble and wither – there’s also something very beautiful about seeing that process of the natural world heading into hibernation and that blank slate as it readies itself for rebirth and round two.

For many of us as we grow up, we can become so jaded by the world and only see the negatives. Winter is a great reminder to root out the positives and even the briefest or weakest of glimmers in the darkness. There is always magic and beauty and wonder in everything if you choose to keep yourself open to it.

And now, we have a track requested by Tom. This is “Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles.

TRACK FOUR: Hazy Shade of Winter – The Bangles
TRACK FIVE: The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead – Owen Pallett

That was “The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead” by the magnificent Owen Pallett and while that song has no direct connection or reference to Winter, it just has a winter vibe to it. Like, it feels so icy and sombre and romantic, and those are all vibes that I tend to associate with Winter which can be super chilly, and sad, but also comes with that certain sense of romance to it as well.  

We’ve been chatting about songs that feel wintery in our Safe Spaces group and the conversation turned in general to songs that simple feel seasonal.

Our resident self-proclaimed Hozier lesbian Rosa made the great point that Hozier’s back catalogue of songs is actually extremely seasonal and that his albums and songs really strongly evoke and represent particular seasons.  

Rosa elaborated on her theory and told us, QUOTE:

“wasteland, baby!” is a winter song for sure, just like “take me to church” is. They have very similar vibes to “Holocene” by bon iver which is also a winter song. like there is no way they were written when it wasn’t snowing.

BUT “from eden” is absolutely a summer song, it reminds me of sunshine shining through my big massive window in my room (because although i DO live in a mouldy council house, the windows take up almost a whole wall in width and it’s amazing).

“Cherry wine” is autumn and reminds me of sleepy cottages that are candle lit while it rains all over the crunchy leaves outside, and makes them all soggy. “Someone new” is somewhere between spring and summer (and is my favourite ever) so it’s probably like midnight on the last day of spring.  

you know that time when it’s too hot to sleep and ur just straight vibing because u can’t sleep but the knowledge that in the morning, you’ll see the sun and the trees and that forces you to be happy because nature. END QUOTE! 

And I absolutely agree with that wholeheartedly. I think we all have certain songs or albums or artists that we associate with a particular season or weather pattern. Sometimes those vibes can we quite subjective and the seasons that we feel and hear in a piece of music might not be the same one that someone else experiences when they listen to it.

But even before Rosa was talking about Hozier in context to winter tunes and how he writes seasonal songs, I’d already added this next track to this week’s playlist because it really does carry the vibe of being sat in a cold, drafty, and uncomfortable room. It feels like winter. And – this could be my synesthesia talking – but there are days when this song wafts through my speakers and it almost smells like when someone comes in from the outside and they have that icy smell of cold and damp and frost on them when they take their coat off.

Drink it in, friends. This is “Take Me To Church” by Hozier:

TRACK SIX: Take Me To Church – Hozier
TRACK SEVEN: This December – Ricky Montgomery

That was “This December” by Ricky Montgomery and it was also requested by Rosa who asked for it for herself and fellow Safe Spaces member Haribo. Rosa says of the artist,

“ricky montgomery kills me because i got into his music when i was 13, which was just after they came out and i was having a terrible time and so naturally i now sob every time i hear mr loverman (which thanks to tiktok is now a lot)”

And Ricky Montgomery came up in conversation because myself, my wonderful pal and co-worker Emily, and Haribo inadvertently got onto chatting about Rosa’s theory that every lesbian gets to pick one man who, in her words, “makes music with an acoustic guitar and sticks with him”.

She elaborated, QUOTE, “Mine is Hozier but Emily’s is 100% Harry Styles, meanwhile my girlfriend has gone with the more niche choice of being a ‘Twilight Soundtrack’ lesbian  which, although those albums are not only men with acoustic guitars, it is mostly so.” END QUOTE.  

Haribo also added that they have two of these guys – the aforementioned Ricky Montgomery AND Tom Rosenthal. Ain’t nothing wrong with it! The more the merrier. Take as many acoustic guitar playing men and add them to your troupe.

And I will keep all of my noise making men as part of my posse. And on that note, this is the delectably noisy Animal Collective with a big, wholesome bowl of dream soup with this track called “Winters Love”:

TRACK EIGHT: Winters Love – Animal Collective
TRACK NINE: Danny Says – Ramones

That was “Danny Says” by Ramones, which is a rare love ballad written by Joey Ramone to his girlfriend during a California Winter where he speaks about how much he misses her, but you know – he’s got a job to do being a Ramone and all and his manager – Danny Fields – won’t let him just drop everything to see her.

And that’s a very Winter vibe I think. There’s something about Winter that makes all of us very sentimental and full of feeling. There’s certainly something about this season which makes us re-evaluate our priorities – you know, our work life balance, maybe? Or the relationships we have with family, friends, or romantic pals.

Maybe it’s because so many of us hunker down and hibernate a little in Winter that makes us pause and reflect on our lives and the directions we’re headed. But all of it makes us feel a whole bunch about ourselves and others.

I hope this is also the case for you but I’m very much someone who has to pull the positives out of everything. And as and when I do reflect on things in the winter, I don’t dwell on anything sad or disappointing – I take what I can learn and I route around inside it to pull out the good. Because even in the most harrowing, awful, and challenging experiences and situations, there is always good to be found. And it’s important to dig deep for that good when you reflect.

And Winter is very much a reflection of that idea: it’s the ultimate season of extreme light and extreme dark. And that’s the balance of everyday life that every person experiences. Take it with both hands and only keep the things that serve ya!

And with that in mind, we had a chat in out Safe Spaces group about what our fave things about Winter are. And these are all things which – when the day feels extra chilly and biting and difficult – can really help you to just feel good and nice about things.

So, Tom told us that his fave thing about Winter is getting to wear nice, warm clothes. And as a recent convert to the joys of a beautiful, thick sweater, I’m very much inclined to agree on that one. There’s something beautiful about heading out into a super cold day and being completely wrapped up and snug for it.

Emily agreed and stated that she loves wearing lots of layers and her trusty winter boots. And she also loves how the outside makes her feel so awake because the cold air is like a fresh mint!

Which is an awesome point. I can get a little groggy when I’m feeling burnt out and can experience migraines and that cold air is so soothing and therapeutic for when I’m feeling like that, so I completely agree on that one too.

Haribo stated that their fave thing is ‘the small chocolate you chomp everyday’ – in reference, I assume, to the joys of a December advent calendar. We’ve all got one at the moment in the Comics Youth office courtesy of our lovely boss and it’s such a treat to open up a new window every day and to enjoy a nice sweet treat.

I especially love the days when I haven’t been in the office for a little bit and I get to open multiple windows and eat multiple chocolates!

My favourite thing about Winter is getting enjoy really hearty meals. Especially in the evening – I love enjoying a nice spiced warm drink, a hearty meal, and wrap all my blankets around myself while I watch something on TV with a nice cosy ambience on the go.

I don’t know if we’re down for any snow or not this winter, but there’s definitely something to be said about being the first one to walk in a fresh sheet of snow in the morning, too. Ooh, that’s a vibe! I’m imagining the crunch beneath my boot and it’s making me feel GOOOD.

Please dream of playtime in the snow with my sweet boy Elliott Smith here and “Angel in the Snow”:

TRACK TEN: Angel in the Snow – Elliott Smith
TRACK ELEVEN: Cold – The Cure

That was the ever cheerful The Cure with “Cold” because – Winter. That’s how we roll! And it is very, very cold today, folks! I feel like I need to start wearing some gloves indoors. It’s gotten to that stage of winter already and I am aghast at it!

And that’s it for another week! Lockdown! at the Disco will now be taking a two week break – I’m taking some annual leave next week to go and be festive with my fave and after that we’re going to be busy putting together The Stay Safe Club box #2 so it can be sent out and delivered to you all as soon as possible.

Our next episode after that will be available to listen to on Spotify, iTunes, and Mixcloud on Tuesday 22nd December and it’s going to be our holiday special! So we want requests for your fave festive feelgood tunes – and remember, we’re here to celebrate any and all end of the year festivities, whatever your beliefs!

And we also want some festive shoutouts! What do you recommend we eat, watch, listen to, read, or play during the xmas break? Let us know via amy@comicsyouth.co.uk and we’ll try our darndest to give you a holla.

Our episode after that will be all about new beginnings and a 2020 year in review where we’re gonna ignore all the bad stuff that’s happened this year, and celebrate the good! Tell us what you’ve enjoyed about this year – what’s kept you going and made you happy? Email me! Share it in the Discord channel if you’re part of our Safe Spaces group! 

Don’t let this lonely broad do it alone!

Until then, remember: Everything is not cool, but it can be: Stay safe, stay sassy, and stay warm out there! This is a wild cover of “Winter Wonderland” by Cap’n Jazz and this is Amy Roberts signing off…byeeeeeeeeee…

TRACK TWELVE: Winter Wonderland – Cap’n Jazz