Al Minion's Rockin' House Party Podcast

Dear Minions:

Is it the Holidays already? (Gasp!) It seems “only yesterday” when that happened last. Come one, come all to today's “Al Minion's Rockin' House Party.” Today we'll have 2-pack hours with the best Holiday Music on the planet. Of course we'll have all the holiday classics, but we'll also have those songs that aren't often played. So what are YOU wanting for?

You'll hear songs from George Thorogood And The Destroyers, Adam Sandler, Blackmore's Night, Christmas 2000, Chuck Berry, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Family Of Love, Harry Potter, Jethro Tull, Bobby Helms, John Mellancamp, Jose Feliciano, Loreena McKennitt, Mannheim Steamroller, PDQ Bach, Ray Stevens, Smashing Pumpkins, South Park, Sweetwater, The Beach Boys, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Twisted Sister, and Weird Al Yankovic … just to name a few of the many groups we'll feature.

I'll even sing on 3 songs for your pleasure (or amusement).

Every religion and every culture has a “Genesis” and an “End Time” belief. The Norse Tales were a very powerful and widespread pagan belief which predates Christianity, and were the prevalent notion affecting the geographic locations now known as Germany, France, the UK, Ireland, and all those various countries once inhabited by The Vikings. The Norse Legends tell that life is cyclical and everlasting, a theme in all the great religions of the world. The Norse Legends are living legends – passed down by aural traditions – which permeate the cultures of all of the above mentioned countries. Consisting of roughly 3 dozen unified short stories, in the 13th Century, a Scandinavian scholar collected these mostly Icelandic tales and for the first time wrote them down. It is interesting to note, that although written down, there are so many variations of each tale, because there are so many different interpretations and translations. Also, because these epics are “living stories” many lesser-told newer tales are found. They form the basis of Wagner's Operas and Tolkien's Ring novels … as well as the wonderful evolution of Asgard Tales as told by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. These tales have even influenced Star Trek as the Klingon alien warrior race is based on The Vikings belief in a warrior heaven. It doesn't take much to see that the Viking's belief in Valhalla matches the fictional Klingon belief of Stovakor. At this time, I'd like to dedicate my version of two of these Norse Tales to my friends Rose Searcy and Maryanne McKenna, who have the courage, convictions, wisdom, and strength of all those who walk in the path of Thor himself.