The best Christmas song to cook to, according to Anthony Bourdain
It’s tempting to agree with the claims that culinary expert Anthony Bourdain was “the original rock star” of the celebrity chef world. Guided by a rebellious streak throughout his life, his various TV shows and journalistic pieces were replete with profanity, critical rebukes toward other celebrity chefs such as Paula Deen and Bobby Flay for their commercialised inauthenticity, and a background indulging in every illegal substance imaginable, a reputation for proactively puncturing the lofty pedestal of the culinary and restaurant world certainly qualifies the ‘bad boy’ tag he’s labelled with.
But “rock star” suggests ego and self-centred vainglory. While Bourdain had a healthy amount of the former, his entire worldview was grounded in a sincere exploration of the human condition, a universalism he embraced in the many dishes around the world he’d try without prejudice. Not content with just sampling their culinary offerings, Bourdain would immerse himself in the cultures who hosted him, as documented in the seminal A Cook’s Tour TV show, Bourdain deprecatingly surmising: “I travel around the world, eat a lot of shit, and basically do whatever the fuck I want.”
Another distinguishing feature of Bourdain’s career was popular music’s prominent presence. Always forging a unique intersection between his love of punk and rock with his cheffing skills, Bourdain enjoyed as much a reputation for excellent curatorial taste as he did foodie heavyweight.
His father exposing him early to music as a Columbia Records employee, one’s record collection formed a crucial first impression for the young Bourdain, telling the Archive of American Television: “Music was who you were… If you showed up at school with a Cream or a Yardbirds album under your arm, it said something.”
Featured on PBS’ The Mind of a Chef, Bourdain revealed his personal selection of songs he loved to cook to. While some expected choices crop up like New York luminaries The Velvet Underground or Johnny Thunders, an eclectic scope of artists features across Roxy Music, A Tribe Called Quest, Bill Withers, and John Barry’s orchestral theme for You Only Live Twice. When it comes to his song of choice when preparing the turkey for Christmas dinner, there’s only one track Bourdain includes.
There’s debate as to whether the piece can be described as a holiday song as such but tenuous festive appeal aside, Bourdain’s inclusion of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 1983 hit ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ points to an appreciation for the winter season’s more introspective mark of the year.
Reworked as the ‘Forbidden Colours’ single featuring Japan’s David Sylvian on vocal and lyrical duties, Sakamoto’s haunting cut pushed electronic music to greater heights of critical appreciation yet.
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, featuring Sakamoto and David Bowie in the starring role and directed by Nagisa Ōshima, is based on veteran Laurens van der Post’s experiences in the Second World War’s Pacific Theatre, exploring the experience of POWs under the Japanese Imperial Army and Capt. Yonoi’s path to redemption. An intriguing source for a Christmas hit but a selection perfectly in keeping with Bourdain’s nose for musical innovation and explorations of the human condition.
