Friday, March 24, 2023

Runaways In The Movies


(image from the IMDb)

Our friend Chuck - the show's resident cinephile - stopped by the show this week to talk about movies featuring runaways. That was the show's theme - runaways. You didn't listen? What, you had better things to do on a Tuesday morning from midnight to 3am?

Listen if you want at the Self Help Radio website or at the KBOO website - Chuck's segment is the first interview, about a third into the show - & then use these handy supplemental links to enhance your viewing experience!

Here's the IMDb keyword list Chuck used to find the movies.
Here is his Youtube Playlist.
Here's a list of movies you can watch elsewhere for free.
Here is the Letterboxd list as well as Chuck's reviews on Letterboxd.

Remember to follow Chuck on Twitter to find out what films he's watching next!

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Self Help Radio 032123: Runaways

(Original image here.*)

Here's this week's show, about runaways, mostly metaphorical. It's pretty difficult to write songs I think about actual runaways. By the way, the most common definition for runaway I can think of - "a young person, especially a teenager, who has run away from home" - is number 5 (!) at dictionary.com. The number one definition is "a person who runs away; fugitive; deserter." Which is the original definition it had when it entered the English language, because of the sense of "running away," which one does from danger (or in a military situation). But in my lifetime, the "teenager" definition seems to predominate. I don't think that they take calls from deserters on the National Runaway Safeline.

Since this is a mostly ridiculous show, we don't get into that heavy stuff (we touch on it a bit) so apologies if some of it comes across as glib. We are just being goofy, we don't really want to be insensitive. Which is kind of the show's mantra, come to think of it.

Listen now at kboo.fm or at selfhelpradio.net. If you choose the show's website, you'll need a username (SHR) & a password (selfhelp). I think the KBOO site just recording 150 minutes of the show, so if you're the sort of weirdo who wants to hear three full hours of this, you'll need to go to the SHR website. Everything that happens on the show is below.

Take care of yourself!

Self Help Radio 230314: Runaways
"Runaway" Gail Ganley _Girls On 45: Volume 4_
"The Runaway" Jud Strunk _Daisy A Day_
"The Runaway" The Blackbyrds _The Blackbyrds_

introduction & definitions

"The Runaway" Danny O'Keefe _American Roulette_
"Runaway" The Passions _Thirty Thousand Feet Over China_
"Runaway" Gary's Gang _Runaway_
"Runaway" The Moodists _Two Fisted Art (1980 -1986)_
"Runaway" Adventures In Stereo _Adventures In Stereo_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops by to talk about films featuring runaways

"Runaway" Lush _Lovelife_
"Runaway" The Frenchmen _Sorry We Ruined Your Party_
"Runaway" Ladytron _Velocifero_
"Runaway" Bad Lieutenant _Never Cry Another Tear_
"Runaway" Yeah Yeah Yeahs _It's Blitz_

interview with Lawrence Roe, who helps runaway teens in Portland

"The Runaway" The Clarks _Restless Days_
"Runaway" The National _High Violet_
"Runaway" Imperial Teen _Feel The Sound_
"Runaway" Milk Music _Cruise Your Illusion_
"Runaway" Varsity _Fine Forever_

interview with Runaways Fan Club president Run Away

"Runaway" Joan Jett & The Blackhearts _Changeup_
"Runaway" April March _In Cinerama_
"Runaway" Beach House _Once Twice Melody_
"Runaway" Marlody _I'm Not Sure At All_
"Runaway Yeah" Eyelids _A Colossal Waste Of Light_

interview with Karl Amsterdam, who helps runaway teens in Kentucky

"I'm A Runaway" Tab Hunter _My Rifle, My Pony, & Me_
"My Runaway Heart" Carol Fran _Bluesoul Belles Vol. 1: The Complete Calla, Port, & Roulette Recordings_
"Runaway Child, Running Wild" The Temptations _Emperors Of Soul_
"He's Just A Runaway" Sister Sledge _All American Girls_
"God Save The Runaways" The Secret History _The World That Never Was_

a discussion of resources for runaways

"Billy Is A Runaway" Iggy Pop _New Values_
"Runaway Boys" Stray Cats _Runaway Boys_
"Runaway Blues" Randy Kaplan _Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie_
"Some Dumb Runaway" Kristin Hersh _Wyatt At The Coyote Palace_
"Runaway Strays" Spud Cannon _Squeeze_

conclusion & goodbye

"Runaway Jane" The Natvral _Tethers_
"Runaway Dog" Retirement Party _Runaway Dog_

* image licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Monday, March 20, 2023

Whither Runaways?

(image from here)

Here's the thing: runaways as a theme is pretty heavy. Running away is a hard decision for anyone to make, especially those who are young & have had traumatic experiences. In general, this is a light-hearted radio show & most of the songs about "running away" have nothing to do with those kinds of runaways. In fact, when I started collecting songs about running away - usually using the noun form "runaway" - I didn't even think about people who are running away from terrible experiences into possibly worse situations. The songs will mostly not be about that.

So please take this theme with a grain of salt. Not that you treat this show very seriously if you think of it at all, which almost nobody does. Still, I feel the need to issue a caveat. In case I offend, in case anyone thinks I am really putting out truthful information, in the very unlikely case anyone takes my dumb radio show seriously. Please don't!

In fact, you're encouraged to run away from it. Here's where you shouldn't be: tonight, from midnight to 3am Portland time, on 90.7fm in town, kboo.fm everywhere.

& that's all I have to say about that.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Preface To Runaways: It Is Happening

(image from Gurgle Merps)

Way back in 2021, when a lonesome Goodle Meeps car, armed only with a camera & a case of Red Bull, drove down Stark Street in SE Portland, it captured this little apartment building which featured a cafe & a photography studio on the first floor.  That photography studio would soon end its time in Portland, moving (according to its website) to West Linn, wherever that is. But it would be an opportunity for the little radio station that could, Freeform Portland, who moved in to that space in the fall of last year.

After spending its first years in what was basically a walk-in closet in the Baker Building up north (okay, it was two rooms & a hallway), it is absolutely amazing to have the space that - oh, well, you can't see - it's just the facade. I will have to take more pictures. Anyway.

Tonight! A Freeform Portland deejay will do his show live from the studio! Which means what exactly? It means we're coming to the end of recording-shows-from-home - the Dickenbock Report will be (I hope) live!!! this week.

Tonight, late-ish (the show is on from ten to midnight), I'll visit. If I don't report back about it, there is still work to be done. But I am strangely hopeful. It seems like it is happening!