Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Robert Drake’s The Night Before But Were Afraid To Ask

This December 24th will mark the 33rd (!) anniversary of Robert Drake’s The Night Before on WXPN. From midnight to midnight — on the air and streaming here at xpn.org — Robert will present his annual program that’s “a curated collection of holiday tunes right from Robert’s personal library.” Having started out as a two-hour show, which then blossomed into a 12-hour one before achieving its final form as a 24-hour marathon broadcast, the show is now one of Philadelphia’s — if not the world’s — most beloved holiday radio shows. 

It is also a massive undertaking for even one year, let alone 33. And with those years of hard work and muscle memory, Robert has attained a lot of very specific knowledge — knowledge he was kind enough to share with us when we chatted with him this week. 

Joey Sweeney: What do you do to prepare physically as you get ready to be on the air for 24 hours straight?

Robert Drake: The biggest challenge for me is to get sleep before the start of my marathon. As longtime listeners of XPN know, my sleep patterns are a bit out of whack anyway (what with The First Cup at 5am and Land of the Lost Friday nights) plus filling in on the Morning Show, etc. 

That said, on the 23rd I tend to force myself to stay in bed for much of the morning/afternoon. A mixture of bad TV and a sleeping dog next to me helps me nod off so that, by the time my alarm hits at 7pm, I’m ready to tackle the mountain ahead of me. While I am on air for 24 hours, I’m actually in the studio by 10pm or so, just to get things set up for the broadcast — so, on average, I’m usually awake for 30 hours each year. 

JS: What do you do mentally? What kind of prep goes into the program before you hit the air?

RD: I have special programming elements that I’ve collected over the years that I pepper into the special, designed to allow me a chance to step away from the studio and rest my voice. I always think of Jerry Lewis and his Telethon; how he’d toss it to local affiliates so he’d have time to recharge backstage in Vegas. 

JS: How much coffee do you routinely drink throughout the program?

RD: This was an equation I finally figured out several years ago. I used to plow myself with coffee from the start, but then I’m bouncing off the walls — and that does not make for good radio, much less good visuals on the JingleCam! So now, I brew a pot of coffee around 5AM and have my first cup around the same time I usually do — and perhaps a couple more cups over the next several hours. By 3pm, I’m done with my caffeine intake! 

JS: Do you sneak in any kind of disco naps or anything?

RD: Easily one of the most-asked questions and no, I am up throughout the duration. If I napped, I fear I’d never wake up in time, or wake up groggy. I’ve decided that allowing my normal wear-and-tear show through on air is part of the charm of taking over a radio station for 24 hours.

JS: Have you developed any sort of knowledge about what you need (or don’t need) to be eating through all of this?

RD: Sugar helps – haha! I don’t eat much during the show since that would just make me tired. So, I nibble on crackers or cookies and have one sandwich around Noon (while Striking Twelve is playing on air). 

JS: About how many songs get played?

RD: Due to a few hours of special elements that I broadcast, I would estimate that I spin about 300 songs from Midnight to Midnight. 

JS: What are the records that year in, year out, have generated the most listener response?

RD: There are two categories here: Night Before Classics and Night Before Novelty. From the classics group, folks can’t wait for me to play things like “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl and “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses. 

In the novelty group, a producer named Mojochronic whipped up a very cool instrumental years ago, “Yuletide Zeppelin,” that mashes Zep classics with Christmas carols. That ALWAYS gets reactions. 

JS: Are there any new holiday classics?

RD: In the broader sense, no. Mariah has made sure of that as she sucks the holiday air out of the room, and it’s so hard for good holiday songs to get pushed to the new classics status. Which is a shame since artists like Sia and even Ben Folds have put out some amazing holiday albums that deserve that spotlight.

JS: Conversely, are there any holiday classics that are banned from the program?

RD: Longtime listeners know that I don’t play any “singing animals”… so no chipmunks, dogs, cats or even killer reindeer. I also tend to avoid too many of the overplayed songs — there’s so much else out there, I want to showcase everything! Finally, I do NOT play Wham’s original version of “Last Christmas.” If someone is gonna get ‘whammed’ on the final day, it’s NOT going to be because of ME and XPN!

JS: Do you have a favorite year/show amongst the three-plus decades of doing this program?

RD: Every year is humbling, since I truly am amazed I’m still doing this and that folks still want it. What started out as a personal outlet for me to play my collection has grown into an international celebration of unity and love. I’ve heard from folks who listened during their first year together and now introduce me, electronically, to their grandkids. The bond I have with the fans of The Night Before truly demonstrates the magic of both the holiday and of radio. If it’s up to me, I’ll never stop presenting this program

JS: If you weren’t doing this show every Christmas Eve, what on Earth would you be doing?

RD: Honestly, sleeping. I’ve celebrated Christmas in a room by myself for thirty-three years! I don’t know if I could handle a group setting (hahaha!).

Robert Drake’s 33rd annual edition of The Night Before on XPN – a 24 hour takeover of the radio station — airs Midnight to Midnight, every minute of Christmas Eve, December 24th. Also tune into The Night Before The Night Before – Tuesday, December 23rd starting 8pm ET, complete with a countdown until the clock strikes midnight and The Night Before on XPN begins!