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Santa's Got A GTORodney Bingenheimer, aka Rodney On The ROQ, is not a performer but rather a legendary, elfin Los Angeles disc jockey - the self-proclaimed "Prince of Pop" and "Mayor of the Sunset Strip." Through his longstanding shift on Los Angeles' powerful KROQ-FM, Rodney figured prominently in the development of American west coast punk, new wave, and power pop. His taste in music jives strongly with my own - aggressive but pop-friendly rock 'n' roll (cf. The Best Of Rodney On The ROQ, 1992). My interest was piqued, then, when I stumbled upon Santa's Got A GTO! Rodney On The ROQ's Fav X-mas Songs (1997) while surfing the interwebs.

Frantically searching, I finally scored a copy - though I half expected it to be the usual mixed bag of indie rock throwaways. Most of the bands were obscure even to a nerd like me, and they are even more obscure decades hence. But, I was in for a very big, very pleasant surprise, because Santa's Got A GTO is a true delight - a consistently pleasing mix of pop-oriented tunes sure to delight fans of the genre. If you, too, relish punky power pop and pithy alternative rock, you'll love Santa's Got A GTO.

Almost half of the songs on Santa's Got A GTO had been previously recorded, including Redd Kross' rare 1991 single "Super Sunny Christmas" - as bright and irresistible as the title suggests - and the Jigsaw Seen's trippy 1989 take on "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," which sounds like the Beatles filtered the old carol through the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black." Rodney reaches back to 1984 for Wednesday Week's jangle classic "Christmastime Here (Could Never Be Like That)" (from A Midnight Christmas Mess), and he picks up an insanely rare song by British shoegaze heroes Ride, "Like A Snowflake." It's a new holiday version of their 1990 song "Like A Daydream," and they only sold it at a 1991 fan club gig in London.

Redd KrossSeveral tracks on the album were clearly culled from Rodney's vast collection, none more vital than the Ramonas' storied title track. Formed in San Francisco in 1987, the band started as good friends who loved the Ramones, and they literally drew straws to see who would play what instrument since none of them were musicians! The Ramonas claimed to be "the first all-female Ramones tribute band in the world," and they first released "Santa's Got A GTO" as a cassette tape for their fan club in 1990. It's reputation grew as it got picked up by dee jays like Dr. Demento looking for cool stuff to play at Christmas, and its inclusion on Santa's Got A GTO locked down its place in history. It didn't hurt that part of Bingeheimer's schtick was the 1967 Pontiac GTO he drove around Hollywood, but it's an amazing performance chock full of references to the Ramones, of course, plus a nod to John Waters' cult classic Female Trouble when the girls complain that Santa didn't bring them "cha cha heels."

But, more than half of the songs on Santa's Got A GTO were recorded specifically for the CD, including tracks by artists as prominent as Germany's Nina Hagen, New Zealand's Cranes, future Brian Wilson collaborators the Wondermints, and former Go-Go Jane Wiedlin's short-lived band, Frosted. But, two songs deserve special mention. Home Grown was a ska-cum-pop punk band from Orange County, California, and their "Christmas Crush" is a horny comedy of errors culminating with cries of "Santa, get off of my girlfriend!" Pencil Test, meanwhile, was a one-off project by Bill Bartell, aka Pat Fear, founder of Los Angeles punk band White Flag. He wrote "Runaway Christmas" with Steve McDonald (Redd Kross) and Ken Stringfellow (Posies), who might have also played on the song (no musician credits are given). The song tells a sad story set in Rodney Bingenheimer's early 70's salad days, when he ran the trendy English Disco on the Sunset Strip and helped foster the Runaways, the all-girl teenage band that gave the world "Cherry Bomb" and Joan Jett.

Released by little Dionysus Records, Santa's Got A GTO was issued only on compact disc and given a limited release at best, but copies aren't terribly scarce - try Amazon, Discogs, or eBay. The album was, by the way, a tribute to Rodney's mother, Marian A. Bingenheimer, who died the previous year. Proceeds were meant to defer costs associated with settling her estate, but producer Aime McCrory later wrote, "The CD didn’t raise the money any of us hoped for."

Rodney On The Rock Presents... Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2Santa's Got Another GTO

Exactly 20 years later, we got a sequel, Rodney On The Rock Presents... Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2, released on vinyl by garage rock specialist Gearhead Records, as well as for download and streaming (with two additional tracks). It's cut from the same cloth as the first volume, with a mix of new and recent pop punk and power pop, and Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2 is another strong, consistent album, with almost every track a winner - and almost all of them original songs.

But, it's arguably a smaller project, with a much greater emphasis on West Coast bands and no marquee stars (unless you count CJ Ramone, which he certainly does). That said, by this point, changes in technology had turned all but the most popular music into "niche" markets. In 2017, most people would have heard of, say, Lady Gaga, Talor Swift, and Kanye West, but beyond that our common musical language had been greatly diminished by "narrowcasting," the decline of traditional media, and the rise of streaming and social media. So, if you were already a fan of the kind of music found on Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2, you would most certainly recognize names like the Donnas, Lisa Mychols, and the Dollyrots - even if your average 20-something would not.

The Donnas' "Up On The Housetop" gets rescued from an obscure 2009 budget CD, and it's a fantastic glam punk tranformation of a silly old carol. Lisa Mychols' "Wake Up Christmas" (one of the digital bonus tracks) is yet another exhuberant, original holiday song from someone who's practically made a career out of it. I consider Lisa the unofficial queen of power pop, and the song was a teaser for her fine 2017 EP, Winter Is Here, her first major holiday offering since she announced herself with Lost Winter's Dream in 1990. The Dollyrots, meanwhile, had been cranking out near-annual holiday singles since 2008, and in 2016 they steamrolled Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You." It showed up the next year on Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2, and the band later collected all of their singles on A Very Dollyrots Christmas.

DollyrotsAnyway, there are too many highlights to mention them all (see list below), but I have a few particular favorites. The Mansfields from Colorado Springs contribute two tracks. The first, "Broke On Christmas Again," dates back to their 2003 album Loud, Fast, Punk, Trash, Rock 'n' Roll, and it's a real hoot - a Ramones-meet-Social-Distortion rant about being, well, broke on Christmas (again). However, their second contribution (the other digital bonus track) is just about the only throwaway on the album - a serviceable, psychobilly cover of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" that adds little to the proceedings. But, it's worth noting that guitarist Doug Mansfield created the colorful, amusing cover art for Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2.

I also really enjoyed the crunchy "Merry Christmas To You" by UK Christian punk rockers Peter 118, which (mostly) avoids proselytizing, and "I'm On The Naughty List" by Frankie And The Studs, led by the daughter of Gilby Clarke from Guns 'N Roses. Kristeen Young describes her music as "prunk" - a blend of progressive rock and punk - and "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" (from her 2009 Tony Visconti-produced album Music for Strippers, Hookers, And The Odd On-Looker) sounds like Kate Bush if she'd been born 20 years later and grew up listening to Elastica instead of Genesis. And then, Kat Meoz's "Christmas In Hollywood" serves as the theme song for Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2, name-checking all sorts of L.A. landmarks and begging "Santa, can you ask Rodney to play my song on his show?"

Surprisingly, Blondie drummer Clem Burke shows up on no less than two tracks on Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2. The first, "Helluva Christmas," is by the Tearaways, a group from Santa Barbara, California that had been recording since 1981, with Burke coming on board in 2016. The second is more of a unicorn. It's a rousing cover of "Little Drummer Boy" by the Glitter Critters, a group dreampt up by Rodney Bingenheimer himself. In 2014, he asked four of his favorite musicians - Burke, Prima Donna bassist Kevin Preston, and vocalist Christa Collins and guitarist Rik Collins from the Woolly Bandits - to record some songs. Rodney premiered "Little Drummer Boy" on his KROQ Christmas show, and the band planned to release a 3-song, 7-inch single in March 2015, but I've seen no evidence that actually happened...

Finally, I have two points of order. First, the opening and closing tracks from the first volume of Santa's Got A GTO are repeated on the second: the Ramonas's title track and "The Characters Visit Rodney," a silly skit featuring the disc jockey and a band he frequently promoted on his show. Second, note that the album is presented by Rodney On The "Rock," not "ROQ." Earlier in the year, Bingenheimer had been let go by KROQ after years of declining popularity, reduced to broadcasting at 3:00 a.m. But, he landed on his feet - until he didn't (more on that below).

Rodney Bingenheimer Presents "All Year Party!"Hey, Kids, Let's Make A Record!

At some point, I discovered that Santa's Got A GTO had a prequel of sorts - Rodney Bingenheimer Presents "All Year Party!" (1984) - though only a few of the songs were about Christmas. With members of X, the Ramones, Blondie, the Go-Go's, Los Lobos, and the Plimsouls all pitching in, the LP is more a testament to Rodney's impressive sway than a musical accomplishment. It's great fun, though, consisting mainly of local L.A. bands, including Nikki & The Corvettes and the Screaming Sirens, performing very festive music.

However, one song alone on All Year Party! justified my purchase. "Every Day's A Holiday With You" features the percolating rhythms of Unit 3 (whoever they are) supporting the nearly atonal (but very sexy) Venus (whoever she is). Ms. Venus warbles enthusiastically about her lover - who's as good as Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, and Halloween combined! Hubba hubba hubba! (Much later, I learned that Venus was actually a pre-teen girl, which made me feel a bit creepy, but that explains her lack of pitch control. Apparently, it was something of a joke to have someone extremely underage sing suggestive songs like "Beer," "Pajama Party," and "B.O.Y.S." Ah, the 80's....)

Plus, we're also treated to Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon's rockin' recitation of Clement Moore's poem "The Night Before Christmas." Annette & Frankie, of course, were known for sexy-but-wholesome movies like Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), and they originally recorded the song as the b-side to their 1981 single "Together We Can Make A Merry Christmas." Both sides of the record sounded like they were intended for use in a Disney theme park. Instead, All Year Party! took Annette & Frankie's 1981 vocal and laid it on top of a brand new backing track by - believe it or not - the Ventures. Wow!

Lisa Mychols

All Year Party! has one more Christmas song, but it's more of an acquired taste. "Merry Christmas" was a 1980 single by L.A. scenester Blake Xolton with the Martians, a band featuring the sons of legendary session guitarist Barney Kessell - plus backing vocals by Charlette Caffey of the Go-Go's. "Merry Christmas" sounds a little like contemporary New York "no wave" icons Suicide, but more than a little like celebrated English noise purveyors Jesus & Mary Chain - several years before the fact. The lyrics, meanwhile, are the usual holiday piffle with just a hint of perversion.

Now, those aren't the only great songs on All Year Party! But, they're the only ones that address Christmas - which is the point of this website, after all. Notably, the album includes a couple of tracks by Rodney & The Brunettes, a semi-pseudonymous project featuring Bingenheimer and two of the biggest names from the halcyon days of New York punk. The first is a cover of the classic car song, "Little GTO," cut as a single in 1978 with Blondie (ergo, the Brunettes joke). The second is a cover of the Beach Boys' "Surfin' Safari," but with the Ramones (all of whom are actual brunettes).

All Year Party! was released by short-lived Martian Records and pressed only on vinyl. Sadly, it has never been reissued in the digital age, but for students of punk, it's an artifact well worth digging up. Also note that, technically, it is "Volume 1" of what we can only assume was intended to be a series. But, there never was another edition.

The Jigsaw SeenPostscript

Some years later, Rodney Bingenheimer got snared in the #MeToo movement that sprang up largely due to the rise of Donald Trump and the fall of Harvey Weinstein. Rodney was often associated with rock impressario Kim Fowley, whose biggest accomplishment was helping create, and then manage, the Runaways in the mid-70's. Fowley already had a rather unsavory reputation, and shortly after his death in 2015, Runaways bassist Jackie Fox claimed he raped her at a party in 1975 - a claim disputed by some, but confirmed by others.

Compared to Fowley, however, Rodney Bingenheimer was a beloved celebrity - despite the fact that he had been part of the Hollywood "groupie" scene during the swinging 60's and 70's, mostly procuring girls for rock stars. In 2003, he was the subject of a (mostly) fawning documentary, Mayor Of The Sunset Strip, and he got a star on Hollywood Boulevard in 2007. After Bingenheimer's gig at KROQ finally ended in 2017, he became a DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage, the hipster satellite radio station run by widely respected musician and actor Steve Van Zandt.

All that came crashing down in 2023. First, Runaways songwriter Kari Krome sued Bingenheimer and the estate of Kim Fowley for a sexual assault that occured in the 1970's when she was just 13. Then, an article in Rolling Stone detailed accusations against Bingenheimer from five more women, including former Go-Go's guitarist Jane Weidlin, that Bingenheimer sexually assaulted them when they were under age. As I write this - about a year later - there have been no significant developments (legal charges or judgments), though Bingenheimer responded in the Kari Krome case that the sexual acts were consensual and, besides, the statute of limitations had run out - which seems fishy. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • - All Year Party (1984)
  • Every Day's A Holiday With You (Unit 3 With Venus, 1984)
  • Merry Christmas (Blake Xolton & The Martians, 1980)
  • 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Annette & Frankie with the Ventures, 1984)
  • - Santa's Got A GTO (1997)
  • The Christmas Angel (Cranes, 1997)
  • Christmas Crush (Home Grown, 1997)
  • Christmas Time (Boss Martians, 1997)
  • Christmastime Here (Could Never Be Like That) (Wednesday Week, 1984) Top 100 Song
  • Deck The Halls (With Boughs Of Holly) (Geolyn, 1997)
  • Frosty The Snowman (Frosted, 1997)
  • God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Jigsaw Seen, 1989)
  • I Don't Believe In Santa Claus (Methadone Cocktail, circa 1993)
  • Like A Snowflake (Ride, 1991)
  • Mary X-Mas (Nina Hagen, 1997)
  • Runaway Christmas (Pencil Test, 1997)
  • Santa Doesn't Come To Little Jewish Children's Houses (Yid Kids, circa 1988)
  • Santa's Got A GTO (Ramonas, 1990) Top 100 Song
  • Santa's Sack (Diaboliks, 1997)
  • Silent Night (Olivia Barash, 1997)
  • Ski Party (Wondermints, 1997)
  • Super Sunny Christmas (Redd Kross, 1991)
  • 'Til Next Hanukkah (Velouria, 1997)
  • - Santa's Got A GTO Vol. 2 (2017)
  • All I Want For Christmas Is You (Dollyrots, 2016)
  • Broke On Christmas Again (Mansfields, 2003)
  • Christmas In Hollywood (Kat Meoz, 2017)
  • Christmas Lullabye (CJ Ramone, 2017)
  • Helluva Christmas (Tearaways, 2017)
  • I Won't Be Home For Christmas (Kristeen Young, 2009)
  • I'm On The Naughty List (Frankie And The Studs, 2017)
  • It's Almost Christmas Time (Karen Basset, 2013)
  • The Little Drummer Boy (Glitter Critters, 2014)
  • Merry Christmas To You (Peter 118, 2015)
  • My Name Is Santa And I'm A Punk Rocker (Launch Control, 2016)
  • This Christmas (Color TV, 2016)
  • Up On The Housetop (Donnas, 2009)
  • Wake Up Christmas! (Lisa Mychols, 2017)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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