Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Book Lovers Day

August 9 is National Book Lovers Day, so you ought to celebrate by listening to a radio show - & why not a radio show about National Book Lovers Day? That's what we'll report on on The Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM. Commentary, drama, a book report, & many musical reports about books & reading.

That's Sunday August 9 from 11am to 1pm on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm in Portland, xray dot fm everywhere. Tune in - maybe someday someone will write a book about it!

This Week In Self Help: August 2 4 + 6

A normal-ish week with a bonus sub show thrown in!

Sunday August 2. The Dickenbock Report on XRAY. A show about subways on some subway anniversary. You can listen to that show here.

Tuesday August 2. Self Help Radio on KBOO. The theme was petals. You can listen to that show here. Or you can listen to that show here.

Tuesday August 2. Corporate Standardized Programming on KBOO. Lotsa new releases. You can listen to that show here (after Self Help Radio). Or you can listen to that show here.

Thursday August 4. I subbed Musica Tropical on KBOO. Mainly played lots of Brazilian music from the early 1980s. You can listen to that show here.

It is at this point that I realize I am done listening the radio shows I did this week & have nothing more to say.

Self Help Radio 080426: Petals

This is a radio show about petals. It features lots of songs about petals, plus a conversation with two "flower freaks" & with a sculptor. Hidden within is a joke about petals, a limerick about petals, & an old poem about petals. Unfortunately I also talk a lot. But that's just how these radio shows - even the ones about petals - go.

You can listen to this show now or whenever you want to hear a radio show about petals (which must be a very specific thing) at the KBOO website or at the Self Help Radio website. Almost everything that happened on the show is noted below.

Did I also mention the flower with the world's largest petals is discussed? Yeah, I kept that one in my back pocket. Thought it would get you if nothing else did.

Self Help Radio Petals Show

"You've Got Me Pickin' Petals Off Of Daisies" The High Hatters _I'm A Dreamer, Aren't We All?_

"White Petals From A Rose" Lee Smith & His Rangers _Zodiac Archive Series, Vol. 6: Cosy By The Fire 1945-1956_

"Pickin' Petals" The Avons feat. Tony Brent _Pickin' Petals_

introduction & definitions

"Daisy Petal Pickin'" Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs _Sugar Shack_

"Pick The Petals" Maureen Evans _Like I Do: The Sixties Recordings_

"It's For Love The Petals Fall" Georgie Fame & The Harry South Big Band _The Whole World’s Shaking (Complete Recordings 1963-1966)_

"Yellow Petals" Roger Earl Okin _Piccadilly Sunshine Part Seventeen (British Pop Psych & Other Flavours 1966-1969)_

"Petals" The Soul Benders _Storm In The Garage_

"Petals Fall" Wheatstone Bridge Band _Cloudy_

interview with Portland Flower Freaks Violet & Rich

"Rose Petal Knot" Eyeless In Gaza _Caught In Flux_

"Sprinkling Petals Into Hell" Section 25 _Love & Hate_

"Petals & Razorblades" Bandit Queen _Hormone Hotel_

"Heavy Petal" Madison Electric _Indie Aid Abroad: A Little Help For East Timor_

"Rose Petals, Incense, & A Kitten" Loveletter _Beethoven Chopin Kitchen Fraud_

"Petals" The Primitives _Spin-O-Rama_

interview with sculptor Mark Damon

a telephone call interrupts!

"15 Petals" Elvis Costello _When I Was Cruel_

"Petal" 50 Foot Wave _Golden Ocean_

"Peonies & Dahlia Petals" Stamen & Pistils _End Of The Sweet Parade_

"Rose Petal Ear" Califone _Roots & Crowns_

"Petal Alphabet" Broadcast _Spell Blanket (Collected Demos 2006-2009)_

"Petals" Tops _Sugar At The Gate_

interview with sculptor Mark Damon

"The Petal House" Alondra Bentley _Ashfield Avenue_

"Heavy Petals" Laura Veirs _The Lookout_

"Petals" Yowler _Black Dog In My Path_

"Petals Of The Flower" Diane Marie Kloba _Red Sun_

"Rose Petal Sunset" Scenic Route To Alaska _Time For Yourself_

"She Pulls The Petal From The Flower" Yeah Yeah Noh _21 Songs For John_

conclusion & goodbye

"Petals" Froth _Outside (Briefly)_

Whither Petals?

Spring lasts longer in Portland than anywhere else I've lived. Or maybe Winter lasts longer & Spring takes its time getting started. In my neighborhood there are so many people with gardens & so many flowers & so many trees that blossom & get their blossom petals everywhere. They will literally litter the sidewalk. Cars will be covered in them. Frankly they make a mess.

Luckily I guess they're organic.

Someone I know asked me to take some pictures of the flowers this spring to send to her, so I did, & she made a comment about the petals of a particular bloom. The word "petal" got stuck in my head. I know I've done a show about flowers before (where each song was the name of a different flower). (Turns out I've actually done that twice.) I've done shows about roses. About daffodils & sunflowers. & maybe some I can't recall. But have I ever done a show about petals? I have not!

Hopefully there are still some petals around to enjoy it.

It's happening tonight! Midnight to 2am. On KBOO - 90.7fm in Portland, kboo dot fm everywhere.

Preface To Petals: Petaluma

(found on Wikipedia)

So yeah, the show this week is about petals. Looking for songs about petals, I sometimes find songs about Petaluma. Which Wikipedia tells me is "a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area." (I don't think I've ever visited.)

Does the name of the town have anything to do with petals? No, sir. The Wikipedia tells us, "Petaluma's name comes from the Miwok village named Péta Lúuma that was located on the banks of the Petaluma River."

But surely there's someone in that town who may want to make a pun on the "petal" in Petaluma - like maybe having a "Petaluma Petal Festival" or something like that? Nope.

What I did find in my very limited search was a business called Petal Town Flowers. That would be cool, calling Petaluma "Petal Town." I also found an Instagram user called Petaluma Petals whose page announces "I am learning to photograph plants (& other things) in Petaluma, CA & anywhere else life takes me." I don't have an Instagram account so I can't access this page but I applaud this obvious pun. I will almost certainly use it in the show.

But sadly no songs about Petaluma. The town's name has nothing to do with petals, & that's what this week's show is about.