Mickey Thomas Presents "A Classic Christmas"

The pop-rock icon ditches the Starship for a sleigh this holiday season!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Scott Gordie yourself a merry little.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Christmas No the unmistakable vocals of one of the great
singers of the pop rock era. Mickey Thomas back here
with us on Nebraska's news, weather and traffic station News
Radio eleven ten kfab Mickey, good morning, Good morning, How

(00:32):
are you wonderful? It's great to have you back here
on the show. Not only were you on the radio
with us a couple of years ago before you guys
played Omaha at our big Memorial Park concert, but you
also made one of the greatest batches of pancakes in
the history of this program.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Good morning, honey, I made you gluten free eggnog pancakes
for breakfast.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
It's eggnog pancakes any time of year.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
That's funny. I love that. Well, it's good to be
back with you. What should we make today. I'm in Munich, Germany,
so maybe we'll make some strudel.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Oh you know, hey, uh, eggnog's strudel sounds fantastic. Mickey,
It's good to talk to you again here. First of all,
I know it's difficult for people to introduce you and
welcome you on their programs like he's a singer Jefferson
airplay Hefferson start Starship. Mike, how do you like to
be bill boarding when you've been a part of this

(01:30):
great band that's had so many different names.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Well, you know, I guess right now it's Mickey Thomas
a Starship because that's that's the way what I'm still
performing under. You know, I'm still touring and performing every
year and all over the world with Starship. My n
this band just with me. Now, I've been together for
my keyboard player and drummer been with me for thirty years,

(01:56):
I basically for twenty five years, so a guitarist to see.
So yeah, I guess Starship is the one that is
the most And plus you know we had the big
hits back in the mid eighties, so I'll take it.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
The knee Deep in the Hoopla album was one of
my favorites because I got that for Christmas at the
same time I got a double deck boombox and it's
so that was the first tape I listened to on
my Christmas present of a double deck stereo boombox, and
I put that in there and we built this city.

(02:30):
Written by one of the great lyricists of all time,
Bernie Toppin along with the rest of the guys there.
Martin Page was involved in that one came out of
the speakers there and that's just a great Christmas memory
for me. But now you've got a Christmas album. Tell
me about a classic Christmas?

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, it is. It's my first Christmas album ever, something
I've wanted to do for a long time, and it's
a It's called a classic Christmas because all the songs
on it are very traditional Christmas songs of the songs
that I listened to my youth that are close to
my heart. And I did it in Nashville last spring

(03:09):
with a producer named Danny Brazil who helped put together
all the players for me on the record. And yeah, man,
I'm really happy with it. It's very intimate recording, very
warm and nostalgic and kind of a throwback. I think
I tried to be true to the original versions of
the songs in the style of Andy Williams, Matking, Cole,

(03:32):
Frank Sinatra, you know, channeling my inner.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Creoner, right, And it's got to be tough to do
that because you think about, you know, the song we
just featured here, have yourself a merry Little Christmas. There
are so many people that want to make it their own.
We're going to change it up a little bit. I
don't want that song changed up. I want to hear
it just the way you sang it.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Yeah, I don't want I didn't want to change it
up too. That's one of the things that I don't
like is when people come of like rock up or
jazz Christmas songs. You know, I like to be true
to the original intent and you know, obviously it's my
voice and you know, which I think is hopefully is
pretty recognizable. But I try not to not to change

(04:16):
the original the original versions of the song, because that's
what attracted me to them in the first place. Is
try to create that warm, nostalgic atmosphere.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah, with great traditional Christmas songs, White Christmas, silver Bells,
the Christmas Song, and as we just heard, there have yourself,
A Merry Little Christmas and more. It's brand new out
as of just a few weeks ago, a Classic Christmas.
Mickey Thomas with us for a few more minutes here
on eleven ten KFA be another minute or so. Mickey,

(04:44):
what is one of your favorite Christmas memories from when
you were a kid.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Oh gosh, I guess I grew up in South Georgia,
so you know, we never we never got snow in Georgia, Georgia.
But one Christmas, I think what I was about it,
maybe seven or eight years old. It snowed enough that
had stuck on the ground on Christmas morning, and I

(05:10):
just remember I got a brand new bicycle for us
for Christmas that morning, and I just remember peddling around
that morning on my bicycle and having snow falling on
it and snow collecting on my bicycle. While I was
writing it. I guess that would be probably the one
that stands out the most in my memory of childhood.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Amazing, and I hope that that memory is every bit
of special to you. Is standing there with thousands of
fans in front of you singing beloved songs that we
all grew up with. Mickey Thomas, thank you very much
for singing these songs, including these new songs, on A
Class of Christmas. Always a pleasure to have you on
the program, my friend.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
Thanks so much. I appreciate it, and hopefully I'll talk
to you again very soon.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
Looking forward to it. Merry Christmas to you, Merry Christmas.
Scott By this morning's nine to eleven our news radio
eleven ten kfab