She's no grinch

Aimee Mann and friends revel in holiday humor

By Amy Formanski
Published: December 12th, 2007 | 10:47pm

December 11, 2007, in Chicago — Aimee Mann is no grinch, which she proved by performing in front of a glowing reindeer and Christmas trees at her second annual holiday show. At Chicago's Vic Theatre, Mann gathered a few friends — including Paul F. Tompkins from Best Week Ever, Nellie McKay, and Adam Levy — for a festive variety of music and comedy. Wearing a vest and tie, Mann looked tall and stylish on stage, and although she's known for her somber songwriting, the way she spoke to the crowd was upbeat and laid back.

With all the holiday cheer, a healthy dose of sarcasm kept the night from feeling too sugary. Scattered among songs by Mann, McKay, and Levy, the crowd was treated to short films about Mann trying to get John Krasinski from The Office, Will Ferrell, and Ben Stiller to take part in her Christmas show. The jabs at Hollywood warmed up the audience, who remained seated until they gave the performers a standing ovation after the encore.

Though more sedate than the usual rock show, the special guests provided plenty of laughs as McKay sang a hilarious tune about ending the slaughter of Christmas trees. Later, “the Hanukkah Fairy,” portrayed by comedian Morgan Murphy, stumbled onstage wearing a tutu and holding a beer and performed a raunchy rap. Levy's cover of Randy Newman's "Snow" was more somber than McKay's contribution, but touching.

Older Mann tunes like “Jacob Marley's Chain” and “I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas” fit right in with "Calling on Mary" from 2006's Christmas album One More Drifter in the Snow (Superego). Another original tune off Drifter, “Christmastime,” was written by Mann's husband Michael Penn and sung as a duet with Levy. Even old standards brought on the giggles. Mann mucked up the lyrics to “The Christmas Song” so that “tiny tots” were “being hung by a choir” and Tompkins spiced up “Baby, It's Cold Outside” by saying it hinted at “non-consensual sex” — but he ended the duet by reminding the audience that “No means no!” While hearing classics like “Save Me” and “Deathly” made me long for a whole show of Mann's original songs, her rendition of “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” made a great early Christmas present.