OC Weekly Staff Mixtape Picks

Marc Hirsh Fleming and John, "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop" (available for download at www.flemingandjohn.com/audio/winter_wonderland.mp3): "A bad lounge act covers 'Winter Wonderland.' The music shifts into a cheesy Casio version of 'Misty Mountain Hop' . . . with the lyrics to 'Wonderland.' And then something . . . happens. The band enters, the drums pound like thunder, Fleming McWilliams wails like Plant, and what started out as a silly goof becomes one of the best goddamn Zeppelin covers ever as a result of the band playing the absolute shit out of the song, Christmas lyric or no Christmas lyric."

Dan Maguire: Meat Puppets, "I'm a Mindless Idiot," Meat Puppets II, (SST, 1983): "It's 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 23, and you still haven't made it out of the freaking mall parking lot. The white Astrovan in front of you (the one with all the 'W' stickers) is letting every line-cutting asshole keep you from the exit, which is already showing a seamless line of brake lights in every conceivable direction. 'Lake of Fire' is rightfully blasting from your rattling car stereo. The track ends, the line starts to inch by, and 'I'm a Mindless Idiot' comes on. You crack a smile. Possibly the only song that perfectly accompanies slamming your brakes at 10 mph."