The unhinged story of how jazz karaoke led to Julie Christmas waking up in bed with a tinned ham

Julie Christmas performing live in 2024 — (Image credit: Frank Hoensch/Redferns)

Cult post-rock hero Julie Christmas has told the story of how she woke up from a drunken stupor with a tinned ham in her bed.

Talking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer, the solo artist names the 10 songs on her dream playlist, one of which is Is That All There Is? by American jazz singer Peggy Lee.

“Peggy Lee had a rough life, but made music before the idea of being ‘unleashed’ like [noise rockers] The Jesus Lizard was a thing,” Christmas says to explain her selection. “When I heard Is That All There Is? for the first time, my heart stopped. This glorious woman with this voice was talking about nihilism!”

Christmas then offers a truly bizarre anecdote of drunkenly singing the 1969 track at a karaoke bar. “I never do karaoke but one night I had, like, 18 whiskies and said, ‘I’ll do Peggy Lee,’” she remembers. “Next thing I know, I woke up in my bed next to a canned ham that I’d won.”

In the same interview, Christmas also expresses her admiration for singer/songwriter Tom Waits, especially his 1985 song Singapore. She explains how a romantic drive from her home in New York City to New Orleans led to her finding an appreciation for the musician.

“I hated Tom Waits at first,” Christmas confesses, “but I had a girlfriend called Andrea who loved him. We went on a road trip with my sister from Brooklyn to New Orleans. While I was sleeping [in the car], Andrea, because she’s a fucking traitor, put on Tom Waits.

“I woke up in New Orleans, looked up and saw these ornate buildings with beautiful colours. There was something about the romance of that moment, with his voice as the soundtrack, that made Singapore one of my top listens for the next few years.”

Christmas rose to prominence in the noise rock band Made Out Of Babies, who split in 2012. She started a solo career with 2010 album The Bad Wife and released its long-awaited followup, Ridiculous And Full Of Blood, this summer. Metal Hammer gave the new album a glowing four-star review.

Journalist Alex Deller wrote: “Whether it’s scuttling, crunching, or throwing off showers of incandescent sparks, though, there’s a giddy, genreless joy to it all, ensuring Ridiculous And Full Of Blood upends every expectation you might have, while delivering one spine-tingling thrill after another.”

Christmas is also known for her work in post-metal supergroup Battle Of Mice, where she performed with former Neurosis members, and her collaboration album with sludge metal beloveds Cult Of Luna, Mariner (2016).

As well as featuring an exclusive interview with Julie Christmas, the new issue of Metal Hammer offers the story of new Nightwish album Yesterwynde. It also celebrates 20 years of Mastodon classic Leviathan and gives the stories behind the greatest Slayer songs. Order your copy now and get it delivered to your doorstep.

MHR391 cover Nightwish — (Image credit: Future)

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.