121024: Hobos

(Original image here.*)

Nope, didn't see any hobos on the way to the show this morning. Nor did any come by - despite the show being like a siren song for any hobos nearby. But it was a chilly night. & foggy. & some hobo songs are sad!

But golly there are lots. & I also talked to some folks about hobos. But mainly there were lots of songs about hobos. Now there are probably more of them than there are hobos.

Hobo or nobo, you can listen now at the KBOO website or at the Self Help Radio website. For the latter you will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp. Lots of stuff happened on the show - most of what happened is noted below.

Be safe out there!

Self Help Radio Hobo Show

"Hobo Blues" Peg Leg Howell _Atlanta Blues (Big City Blues From The Heartland)_

"Georgia Hobo" The Cofer Brothers _Hard Times Come Again No More Vol. 1 (Early American Rural Songs Of Hard Times & Hardships)_

"Big Rock Candy Mountain" Harry McClintock _Folk Song America: A 20th Century Revival_

introduction & history

"Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train" Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra _1931-1932_

"Hobo's Meditation" Jimmie Rodgers _The Singing Brakeman_

"The Hobo's Dream Of Heaven" Wilf Carter _Cowboy Songs_

"Hobo Blues" Yank Rachell _When The Sun Goes Down: The Secret History Of Rock & Roll_

"Hobo Blues" John Lee Hooker _The Ultimate Collection: 1948-1990_

interview with sociologist Dr. Bert Hendrix

"King Of The Road" Roger Miller _King Of The Road: The Genius Of Roger Miller_

"My Heart Is A Hobo" Lena Horne _Songs By Burke & Van Heusen_

"Millionaire Hobo" The Fantastics _Fabulous Memories_

"Hobo" The Catalinas _Doo-Bop-Jivers Vol. II_

"Two Hoboes" The Journeymen _New Directions In Folk Music_

"Only A Hobo" Bob Dylan _The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased 1961-1991)_

interview with local business owner Henry Beard

"The Dying Hobo (American)" Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger _The Long Harvest (Record Seven)_

"Hobo Bill's Last Ride" Merle Haggard _Same Train, Different Time_

"The Hobo Song" John Prine _Bruised Orange_

"Hobo Girl" Quartette _Quartette_

"I Am A Lonesome Hobo" Thea Gilmore _John Wesley Harding_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops by

"Hobo Blues" Seasick Steve _Dog House Music_

"Last Of The Hobo Kings" Mary Gauthier _Between Daylight & Dark_

"Hobos In The Roundhouse" Bill Isles _Early Risers_

"Hobo's Lullaby" Billy Bragg & Joe Henry _Shine A Light: Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad_

"The Last Hobo" Tom Paxton _Boat In The Water_

conclusion & goodbye

"King Of The Hobos" Country Dick Montana _The Devil Lied To Me_

"Hobo's Dream" The Dead Sailor Girls _Rolling Sea_

"The Hobo Girl" Fruit Bats _The Ruminant Band_

* "Bakersfield, California. On The Freights. Helping A Newcomer Hop A Freight" is licensed under Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal.

Whither Hobos?

(image from this article)

Do hobos still exist? The National Hobo Museum in Iowa says they don't. But articles like this one - The Life Of A Modern Hobo - would beg to differ. & asking the question online leads to lots of personal anecdotes - one person even said they recently met one at a party! I've always known I don't get invited to the best parties but now there's proof.

When did I decide to make a show about hobos, tho? It might have been while listening to a stand-up comedian using the word "hobo" as a punchline. (If only I could remember the comedian or the joke.) Or it could have been seeing a hobo in a movie or a television show. (If only I could pinpoint which movie or which television show.) Or it could've been listening to Jimmie Rodgers last summer when I went down a rabbit hole full of songs featuring yodeling. It was one of those. It was all of those. Something or many things hinted to me that it might be fun doing a radio show about hobos. & so I shall.

Tonight! From midnight to 2am! On KBOO! 90.7fm + kboo.fm. I'll be leaving hobo glyphs all over the city so you can find it!

Preface To Hobos: God Rides With The Hobos

(image by Alyssa Schukar from here)

This is my confession: I've never been terribly obsessed with hobos. When I was somewhat young, I was familiar with the song "Big Rock Candy Mountain." Not being aware the song was something of a joke - not quite a parody, but maybe a little of a satire - it seemed very odd to me that in the perfect world of the hobo, there would be jails & railroad bulls & mean dogs, etc. Again - I wasn't a terribly perceptive kid.

Mostly though I never dreamed of running away, hitchhiking, riding the rails, etc. I found all that incredibly terrifying. & I felt that way because my mother was terrified of the world so she warned me & all my siblings about every possible danger all the time, & every disaster was a "told you so" moment. In fact, she would make things up just to terrify us. Listen:

When my little brother & I were kids, she refused to let us go to the men's room alone in places like movie theaters. She said, "There's a man in there waiting to cut your go-go off!" (My mother called penises "go-gos." I don't know why. It's something my sister & I laugh about all the time.) Despite being unable to understand not just why someone would want to do that, but also why that would be allowed, I dutifully followed my mother into the ladies' room with her. Deeply embarrassing for everyone except my mom.

The best thing about this week has been listening to lots of songs & reading about hobos. Am I more into them now? A little. Would I consider riding the rails one day? No way. My mother still lives in my head. & I suspect her voice will get even more insistent the older I get.