Tag Archives: comedy death ray

Holiday Triumphs: Funny or Die’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

I considered adding “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” to my list of Holiday Horrors. It does meet most of my criteria for a terrible holiday song. It’s not a very good song, for one thing. It’s extremely dated, musically and spiritually. And in its effort to be sympathetic, it sounds insensitive. (“Tonight thank god it’s them instead of you!”)

However, I decided that “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, for all its clueless brand of charity, actually did help people. Then again, such reasoning didn’t stop me from blasting Bob Dylan’s terrible Christmas album, which was also done completely for charity. I guess even more important (for comedic purposes, anyway) is that the song has become such a punchline over the years, treated to so many parodies and skewered in so many forums, that attacking it seems as cliche as attacking airline food.

Especially when it’s been redone by much more capable minds than mine. So I’m gonna turn my frown upside down and highlight a hilarious remake of the song put together by Comedy Death Ray. The cast is a veritable cornucopia of comedy (and comedy-friendly) gods: Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Paul F. Tompkins, Aimee Mann, Rob Huebel, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Weird Al, Doug Benson…it would be easier to list which alt-comedy giants aren’t in this thing!

Actually, it would not be easier to do that. I just got tired of writing all those names.

My favorite moments: Patton Oswalt leaving mid-verse to field a cell phone call. Thomas Lennon calling into the song as David Bowie, while getting a blow job from Mick Jagger (played by Ed Helms). And the rap interlude by Cracked Out, authors of such deathless hip-hop anthems as “Are You Ready to Get Fucked (By Us?)” and “Fuckin Ya Moms in the Ass”.