A Theme Time Christmas

There's just 48 days left of the holiday shopping season, and what to get that Theme Time Radio Hour fanatic in your household?

Dreamtime has come up with some, ahem, themed gift ideas for the most discerning fan tastes, and for anything from champagne to beer budgets. Anybody could think of the Baseball episode on CD, or gifting that special person with a subscription to XM Radio, but only at Dreamtime will you find these.

1. An iPod Retro Radio

A retro radio show deserves retro listeners, and what better way to show your head is in the past, no matter where your body may be, than with an iPod disguised as a vintage portable radio?

Go haunt a few flea markets or thrift shops, or maybe you'll find one squirreled away in the family closet. Bring your iPod along for sizing purposes until you find that perfect radio. Take the radio apart, gut it out, drop some foam in, route the cables.

Go show off.

Price: The cost of one vintage portable radio and your time and effort. Full instructions are here.




2. The Theme Time Radio Hour Poster


XM and/or bobdylan.com may eventually release a print edition of this Jaime Hernandez poster illustrating vignettes from the Big City, but if you don't want to wait, the 2 x 1 1/2'- foot 72 dpi image is available here.

Download the puppy, save it to some portable media like a CD or thumb drive and hie yourself off to your friendly neighborhood print shop. If you don't have one you already patronize, Kinkos (now owned by FedEx) is an option in most of the U.S. But any print shop willing to do a one-off poster will work.

Price: Kinkos in-store poster printing prices begin at $30. I used a heavy-duty poster stock that brought the price up to $55. Backing and framing will run you extra.




3. The Outlaw Blues Hat

Any TTRH wannabee-DJ is going to be looking good come Christmas morn wearing this hat inspired by the custom Outlaw Blues model Mr. D. sported on the 2004 Newsweek cover and during a 60 Minutes interview. And we have it direct from Tex Carbone that Our Host has worn it more than once in Studio B.

"As is the original, the 'Outlaw Blues" is made of specially dyed 'Silver Belly' 100% Fur Felt, with a lanky ''moonshiner' styled and shaped crown, and wide brim, which we then sidewindered on both sides in a 'West Texas' style fender fold..."

Price: $430 from Baron Hats.

4. A 6-Pack of Select Beer

If your gift recipient is like ol' Hank from the Drinking episode and likes a beer with a single throw switch, go empty out a cardboard 6-pack and refill it with a selection that could include Irish Red, Murphy's Stout, Newcastle Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stella Artois, and Beck's. Or you could simply hop over to the Gift Specialists and order that Special Someone A Big Fat 6-Pack of California micro-brewed beer.

Price: From $20-$30 dollars




5. Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton

Our Host recommended this one back in the Tears episode. The perfect gift for that family reader - or relative with gender issues - on your gift list.

Billy Tipton was ajazz pianist who played in clubs throughout the Midwest for nearly 50 years. Upon Tipton's death it was discovered that the five-times-married father to three boys was biologically female. More info can be found at the author's site, which includes recordings of Tipton's music and voice.

Price: Paperback- $11.90 at Amazon.com.




6. Samson's Diner

If money is no object, Dreamtime has the perfect gift selection for you. Buy a diner and rename it Samson's. Imagine the look of delight on your hubby's (or hubbette's) face when they walk outside on a snowy Christmas morning and find this baby in the driveway!

So where do you find a diner for sale, you ask? No prob, answers Dreamtime. Just hop on over to the American Diner museum where you'll find listings for everything from the Sunrise Diner in Jim Thorpe, PA ($42,000) to the Gateway Diner (pictured above) in the Netherlands (105,000 Euros or B.O.) Learn how to make the world's strongest cup of coffee, and not only is this destined to be the best Christmas Gift Ever, but it will also become a revenue stream! Who could ask for more?

Price: From $6,000 to $113,00 or more depending on condition and location. Moving expenses and coffee extra.


7. People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938


Know someone who has a yen to play Theme Time deejay, but who just can't seem to settle on a theme? Buy them this 3-CD box set, and they'll have a disastrous radio show nearly ready to go. Add some trivia on the Titanic and Johnstown Flood, a poetry reading of Lord Byron's The Destruction of Sennacherib, maybe an email from The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, stir well and voila! Instant Theme Time.

Price: CD Box set - $46.99. Selections as mp3 downloads - $0.99 ea. From Amazon.

8. 2008 Hybrid Cadillac Escalade

Because we can't say it any better, here's the blurb from Automobile Magazine:

"Attention hip-hop stars, professional athletes, and fat-wallet extroverts of all stripes: The new Cadillac Escalade is here. And to go along with your diamond-studded earth shoes, the Cadillac Escalade will go hybrid in the 2008 model year, along with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. GM claims a 25 percent increase in fuel economy."

Estimated Price: $54,875 - $57,430


9. Figgy (or Figi) Pudding

However you want to spell it, it spells Christmas according to Our Host! But who has the time to make one from scratch like Bob? Dreamtime stepped into the breach and found a pre-made Figi for the well-meaning but time-challenged.

According to the description at the appropriately named figis.com, it's "spice-laden, loaded with raisins, and deliciously drenched in brandy. It's so good that wassailers made a song of it… and, though this pudding has no figs in it, it lives up to the tribute! Add the included Brandy Butter Hard Sauce for ultimate Figi goodness. Avail. Oct. 15th thru April."

Price: 2 lb. Figi Pudding $29.99

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