Comedian Matt Rogers gets honest about the real reason why celebrities make Christmas albums
Rogers joins Q’s Tom Power to discuss his debut album, Have You Heard of Christmas?
A few years back, Matt Rogers saw an opportunity to make a Christmas special that was a bit more honest about the real reason why so many artists and celebrities make Christmas music.
"I was watching an interview with Mariah Carey, as I'm wont to do … [and] I think the interviewer sort of said the quiet part out loud," Rogers tells Q's Tom Power.
"She was like, 'You know, Mariah, your Christmas content is so iconic every year, and you really did something smart there — you make money off of it every year.' And I thought it was so funny that they said the quiet part out loud right there with the capitalism of it all."
With the help of his musical director and boyfriend at the time, Henry Koperski, Rogers wrote an entirely original Christmas show making fun of the concept of the celebrity Christmas album.
"Wow, I guess I'm participating in and satirizing this capitalist machine that is Christmas."- Matt Rogers
Rogers, who's best known for co-hosting the pop culture podcast Las Culturistas with Bowen Yang, says the show was a hit in New York City, so he decided to start touring it.
"I finally did it as a special last year on Showtime, and then the record deal followed shortly after that," he says. "You know, it's been pretty fruitful for me, just like Mariah, so suddenly I'm like, 'Wow, I guess I'm participating in and satirizing this capitalist machine that is Christmas.'"
But Rogers isn't completely cynical about the festive season.
"I always say my project both celebrates and drags Christmas, because it's very aware of the fact that these pop stars and musicians can't all possibly have this passion for this holiday," he says. "What they have a passion for is money. I think the record labels are the ones being like, 'Hey, by the way, you love Christmas.'
"But by the same token, it is such a warm and cuddly and friendly and fun time of year. So what I think has helped my project is I do get to stand by the comedy and that … we all participate in this, like, very, very, very about the bottom line culture, which is Christmas, but also there are the wonderful parts of it…. It just has an entire landscape to be explored musically and comedically, which I love. And, you know, it doesn't take itself too seriously, at least on my record. I can't speak for Josh Groban."
WATCH | Matt Rogers's interview with Tom Power:
The full interview with Matt Rogers is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. He also talks about finding a voice in comedy, his wildly popular podcast Las Culturistas, and competing for a job on Saturday Night Live against Bowen Yang. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Matt Rogers produced by Glory Omotayo.
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