Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Countdown To The Eleven Hundredth Post!
I am about to reach the eleven hundredth post on this Self Help Radio blog. Perhaps I should do something to celebrate. Though "1100" is not exactly the most exciting number to reach. It looks, actually, like something that could possibly be an expletive in the language of a binary-based alien. If I were an artist I would draw a couple of computer-like beings acting angry at one another & one of them flipping the other off with a keyboard which saying "1100!" Would anyone understand it? Besides not thinking it was funny, I mean?
I can't remember when I started this blog, but I suppose when the time comes I'll do another irritating calculation that only makes me happy. When I was a kid, I often got frustrated with myself for not finishing anything - for example, I'd make lots of "first issues" of little comic books & was particularly proud of my "To Be Continued!" final pages. But they were never to be continued. I moved on.
I'm not sure if my adult life is as filled with abandonment in the same manner, but boy I wish I could show my depressed thirteen-year-old self that I've kept up with something as long as I have with this blog! Or even the radio show. It'll be nine years this October. Nine years & three radio stations in three different states. I think that would make my thirteen-year-old self wet his pants.
Not that it was terribly difficult to make my thirteen-year-old self wet his pants. It's just an expression.
I can't remember when I started this blog, but I suppose when the time comes I'll do another irritating calculation that only makes me happy. When I was a kid, I often got frustrated with myself for not finishing anything - for example, I'd make lots of "first issues" of little comic books & was particularly proud of my "To Be Continued!" final pages. But they were never to be continued. I moved on.
I'm not sure if my adult life is as filled with abandonment in the same manner, but boy I wish I could show my depressed thirteen-year-old self that I've kept up with something as long as I have with this blog! Or even the radio show. It'll be nine years this October. Nine years & three radio stations in three different states. I think that would make my thirteen-year-old self wet his pants.
Not that it was terribly difficult to make my thirteen-year-old self wet his pants. It's just an expression.
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Show About Drums
Drums. The world's oldest & most ubiquitous musical instrument. Virtually every culture that exists or has ever existed has them. Your parents wouldn't let you have any when you were kids. Hippies ruined playing them for you forever. Most drummers you meet are very sweaty, nearly all the time(*). & yet you still think they're pretty awesome. Well, so does Self Help Radio.
In fact, here's an entire show about drums, drummers & drumming. It's not a show about specific drummers. It has lots of drumming, & some different kinds of drums, but only one drum solo, & that one is done by a child at a talent show recorded in the 1980s. In short, it's done the way Self Help Radio does things, which is most probably not the right way to do things, but it's too late now. I was traumatized at an early age by hippies at a drum circle.
The show is drumming its fingers, waiting for you, at the Self Help Radio website. It's divided into two parts: part one is beating the bass drum menacingly right here; the other is tattooing the snare right over here. The songs in the two parts are listed below. Like Neal Peart, this show can play its drums upside down.
* This is actually not true. But studies have shown that seeing a group of hippies in a drum circle makes the average person wish that there were no longer any drums or patchouli in the world.
(part one)
"A Child's Introduction To Drums" Ruckus Roboticus _Playing With Scratches_
"I Hear The Drummer (Tunng Edit)" Quincy & Xen Cuts Allstars _Ninja Tune XX Vol 2_
"Drummin' Man (Anita O'Day, vocals)" Gene Krupa _Juke Joint Jive_
"The Drummer Plays For Me (Hal Blaine & The Young Cougars)" Darlene Love _So Much Love - A Darlene Love Anthology 1958-1998_
"Drums" Michael Holliday _UK Teenage Jamboree Vol. 2_
"Drums" Jon & Robin _Do It Again! The Best Of Jon & Robin_
"Drummer Man" The Brady Bunch _The Kids From The Brady Bunch_
"Drummerman" Tonight _Tonight_
"Those Conga Drums" Jonathan Richman _Jonathan Sings!_
"The Drum" Slapp Happy _Casablanca Moon_
"She Bangs The Drums" The Stone Roses _The Stone Roses_
(part two)
"Drum Solo" The Talent Show _The Talent Show_
"The Ballard Of J Drummer" The Fall _The Light User Syndrome_
"Different Drum" Me First & The Gimme Gimmes _Blow In The Wind_
"Funky Drummer" James Brown _Star Time_
"Give The Drummer Some" Ultramagnetic MC's _Critical Beatdown_
"A Different Drum" Peter Gabriel _Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ_
"Just Like A Drummer" The Wave Pictures _Instant Coffee Baby_
"Your Brother's Drums" Pearly Gatecrashers _But Wait, There's More_
"Drum Beat For Baby" Weekend _La Varieté_
"Drum Machines Will Save Mankind" Mikrofisch _Masters Of The Universe_
In fact, here's an entire show about drums, drummers & drumming. It's not a show about specific drummers. It has lots of drumming, & some different kinds of drums, but only one drum solo, & that one is done by a child at a talent show recorded in the 1980s. In short, it's done the way Self Help Radio does things, which is most probably not the right way to do things, but it's too late now. I was traumatized at an early age by hippies at a drum circle.
The show is drumming its fingers, waiting for you, at the Self Help Radio website. It's divided into two parts: part one is beating the bass drum menacingly right here; the other is tattooing the snare right over here. The songs in the two parts are listed below. Like Neal Peart, this show can play its drums upside down.
* This is actually not true. But studies have shown that seeing a group of hippies in a drum circle makes the average person wish that there were no longer any drums or patchouli in the world.
(part one)
"A Child's Introduction To Drums" Ruckus Roboticus _Playing With Scratches_
"I Hear The Drummer (Tunng Edit)" Quincy & Xen Cuts Allstars _Ninja Tune XX Vol 2_
"Drummin' Man (Anita O'Day, vocals)" Gene Krupa _Juke Joint Jive_
"The Drummer Plays For Me (Hal Blaine & The Young Cougars)" Darlene Love _So Much Love - A Darlene Love Anthology 1958-1998_
"Drums" Michael Holliday _UK Teenage Jamboree Vol. 2_
"Drums" Jon & Robin _Do It Again! The Best Of Jon & Robin_
"Drummer Man" The Brady Bunch _The Kids From The Brady Bunch_
"Drummerman" Tonight _Tonight_
"Those Conga Drums" Jonathan Richman _Jonathan Sings!_
"The Drum" Slapp Happy _Casablanca Moon_
"She Bangs The Drums" The Stone Roses _The Stone Roses_
(part two)
"Drum Solo" The Talent Show _The Talent Show_
"The Ballard Of J Drummer" The Fall _The Light User Syndrome_
"Different Drum" Me First & The Gimme Gimmes _Blow In The Wind_
"Funky Drummer" James Brown _Star Time_
"Give The Drummer Some" Ultramagnetic MC's _Critical Beatdown_
"A Different Drum" Peter Gabriel _Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ_
"Just Like A Drummer" The Wave Pictures _Instant Coffee Baby_
"Your Brother's Drums" Pearly Gatecrashers _But Wait, There's More_
"Drum Beat For Baby" Weekend _La Varieté_
"Drum Machines Will Save Mankind" Mikrofisch _Masters Of The Universe_
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Whither Drums?
I don't think I have a favorite drum solo or even a favorite drummer. I tried to learn how to play the drums once but of course didn't want to practice all the time. Practice was boring. When I see musicians play I often imagine they don't practice at all, but I know they do. The first time I realized that a band had to play a certain song sometimes dozens of time before they got the recorded version I enjoyed it kinda blew my mind. It was probably listening to those Beatles' "Let It Be" session bootlegs. Then bands play the songs over & over.
I would "jam" with a couple of friends over a decade ago - me on the drums - friends I don't see or talk to anymore. I'm not entirely sure where they ended up. One of them was married with a kid, that's more common in my life these days, but not so much then. The other apparently came out of the closet & renounced his pals & lives perhaps in California. I kinda miss them, although if there's anything Facebook has taught me, it's that missing people is mostly more fun than finding out that their lives are as uninteresting as mine.
I named the band The Blames. A friend liked the name a lot. He even suggested the title for our first album: "Share The Blames." But the summer ended & we stopped practicing. It was obvious I wasn't going to be any good. One fellow moved cities with his wife & child. When I look back it seems like we played in a dingy, hot "practice space" a lot, but I'll bet it was just two or three times. They enjoyed smoking pot. I drank beer & chain-smoked cigarettes while I "drummed." I just don't have a natural aptitude for music. & I don't want to work toward it, to overcome my natural inability.
I am sometimes impressed by a drummer on a recording, even if he or she is a session drummer, only to discover that the drummer's resume is really, really dull. For example, I think the drumming on Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" is transcendent. But the drummer, Kenny Buttrey, mainly recorded in Nashville for middle-of-the-road country or folk artists. The Allmusic Guide calls his drumming for Dylan "perhaps his most significant work."
Tomorrow's show won't focus on particular drummers. It'll be songs about drums & drumming, & drummers in general. There might be a drum solo, but it won't be what you'd expect. Or maybe you don't expect anything. I am perhaps too presumptuous. Like I do.
New Self Help Radio! Tomorrow live at 7:30 am on 88.1 fm in Lexington, on wrfl dot fm all over the place! & of course archived later on self help radio dot net! Drums. It's a fun word to say. Drums.
I would "jam" with a couple of friends over a decade ago - me on the drums - friends I don't see or talk to anymore. I'm not entirely sure where they ended up. One of them was married with a kid, that's more common in my life these days, but not so much then. The other apparently came out of the closet & renounced his pals & lives perhaps in California. I kinda miss them, although if there's anything Facebook has taught me, it's that missing people is mostly more fun than finding out that their lives are as uninteresting as mine.
I named the band The Blames. A friend liked the name a lot. He even suggested the title for our first album: "Share The Blames." But the summer ended & we stopped practicing. It was obvious I wasn't going to be any good. One fellow moved cities with his wife & child. When I look back it seems like we played in a dingy, hot "practice space" a lot, but I'll bet it was just two or three times. They enjoyed smoking pot. I drank beer & chain-smoked cigarettes while I "drummed." I just don't have a natural aptitude for music. & I don't want to work toward it, to overcome my natural inability.
I am sometimes impressed by a drummer on a recording, even if he or she is a session drummer, only to discover that the drummer's resume is really, really dull. For example, I think the drumming on Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" is transcendent. But the drummer, Kenny Buttrey, mainly recorded in Nashville for middle-of-the-road country or folk artists. The Allmusic Guide calls his drumming for Dylan "perhaps his most significant work."
Tomorrow's show won't focus on particular drummers. It'll be songs about drums & drumming, & drummers in general. There might be a drum solo, but it won't be what you'd expect. Or maybe you don't expect anything. I am perhaps too presumptuous. Like I do.
New Self Help Radio! Tomorrow live at 7:30 am on 88.1 fm in Lexington, on wrfl dot fm all over the place! & of course archived later on self help radio dot net! Drums. It's a fun word to say. Drums.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Preface To Drums: Twelve Drummers Drumming
Well! The best laid pants of mice & men & all that. I had planned to scan a funny picture from one of my favorite comics, Pogo, with Albert the Alligator & Churchy LaFemme the turtle arguing about the twelve days of Christmas. But my scanner didn't want to work this morning. Frankly, it was amazing I found it among all the damn Pogo books I have. But never mind! Here's what Albert says at the end of it all:
"Next you sends TWELVE DRUMMERS --- So THAT was yo' game all along! All this other FOOFARAW was jus' ADVERTISIN' -- Advance men for these salesmen -- THESE DRUMMERS -- BRUSH SELLERS!"
They used to call salesmen drummers, from the phrase "drum up business," you see...
Oh, never mind. Stupid scanner.
"Next you sends TWELVE DRUMMERS --- So THAT was yo' game all along! All this other FOOFARAW was jus' ADVERTISIN' -- Advance men for these salesmen -- THESE DRUMMERS -- BRUSH SELLERS!"
They used to call salesmen drummers, from the phrase "drum up business," you see...
Oh, never mind. Stupid scanner.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Where O Where Did My Bloggerpants Go?
It's true, I was all ready to regale you this morning with another vivid dissection of my recurring nightmare where I find myself in the back row of a computer lab & find out the floor is all wet & there's a dilemma because we're on the second floor(!). As I cracked my knuckles & hunkered down at my computer, I found that Blogger (or as I like to call it, Blooger) was down for maintenance. Horrors! For how long? What's wrong? Oh God, what if I forgot my dream?
(I couldn't, really, because it's recurring. I was a little sleepy though. Not thinking straight. Which might explain why these blog entries are the way they are.)
(My cats tried to hand me a pen & some paper but they were just being jerks.)
Apparently, Blogger went down a couple of days ago & took thirty hours of posts with them. I think I was saved from the humiliation of losing an entry because I last wrote on Wednesday. The breakdown appeared to happen yesterday. & now Blooger is back, & I only noticed because I tried to write in the blog this morning. But what of the nice people who write every day? I think they must have been unhappy.
I'm not, though! I barely noticed. But boy am I glad I don't work at Blogger/Google/whoever owns it wherever they are!
Does anyone still want to hear about my recurring nightmare? It still doesn't end with me wetting the bed, as must as my psychiatrist wishes it would.
(I couldn't, really, because it's recurring. I was a little sleepy though. Not thinking straight. Which might explain why these blog entries are the way they are.)
(My cats tried to hand me a pen & some paper but they were just being jerks.)
Apparently, Blogger went down a couple of days ago & took thirty hours of posts with them. I think I was saved from the humiliation of losing an entry because I last wrote on Wednesday. The breakdown appeared to happen yesterday. & now Blooger is back, & I only noticed because I tried to write in the blog this morning. But what of the nice people who write every day? I think they must have been unhappy.
I'm not, though! I barely noticed. But boy am I glad I don't work at Blogger/Google/whoever owns it wherever they are!
Does anyone still want to hear about my recurring nightmare? It still doesn't end with me wetting the bed, as must as my psychiatrist wishes it would.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
New Intro!
I had a previous post where I put links up to all the intros for my show, & I mentioned that I have tended to make a new intro around this time every year to celebrate a "new season" or what-not. Since my show just moved from midnight Tuesdays to mid-morning Mondays, it seemed appropriate to make a new intro now. So I did. You can hear it if you listen to this week's show, or I can just put it up here. Either/or? Or.
You can listen to the new intro here!
As a public service, or in case you don't feel like clicking the link above, here are the links to the previous intros. How clever I am!
You can listen to the 2002 intro here.
You can listen to the 2003 intro here.
You can listen to the 2005 intro here.
You can listen to the 2006 intro here.
You can listen to the 2007 intro here.
You can listen to the 2008 intro here.
You can listen to the 2009 intro here.
You can listen to the 2010 intro here.
You can listen to the new intro here!
As a public service, or in case you don't feel like clicking the link above, here are the links to the previous intros. How clever I am!
You can listen to the 2002 intro here.
You can listen to the 2003 intro here.
You can listen to the 2005 intro here.
You can listen to the 2006 intro here.
You can listen to the 2007 intro here.
You can listen to the 2008 intro here.
You can listen to the 2009 intro here.
You can listen to the 2010 intro here.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Yielding To Temptation
Self Help Radio didn't resist the temptation this week to make a radio show about temptation. It was too tempting. It may have been tempting fate to put a show about temptation on as my first Monday morning show on WRFL, but as far as I can tell, no animals were injured in the making of the radio show. Unless you count my dogs & cats, & if you consider being deeply annoyed as "injured." My cats do.
The radio show tempts you in its regular place, on the Self Help Radio website. It is divided into two parts of more or less equal time, although the show is meant to be listened to in its entirety. Just saying. Part one is here & part two is here. I was tempted to make a part three, but I was rudely interrupted by the show after mine. The nerve!
The two parts are divided as follows:
(part one)
"Temptation (7" Mix)" New Order _Movement_
"Temptation" Screamin' Jay Hawkins _Cow Fingers & Mosquito Pie_
"Temptation" Tom Waits _Franks Wild Years_
"Temptation" Elvis Costello & The Attractions _Get Happy!!_
"Temptation" Jo Broadbery & The Standouts _Jo Broadbery & The Standouts_
"Temptation" The Sapphires _The Sapphires_
"Resisting Temptation" Wilmoth Houdini _Don't Stop The Carnival_
"Man's Temptation" Gene Chandler _Nothing Can Stop Me: Gene Chandler's Greatest Hits_
"Temptation Is Hard To Fight" George McGregor & The Bronzettes _Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation_
"Do The Temptation Walk" Jackie Lee _The Duck_
"Don't Let Temptation Turn You Around" Hank Ballard & The Midnighters _Don't Let Temptation Turn You Around_
(part two)
"Yield Not To Temptation" Bobby 'Blue' Bland _The Definitive Collection_
"Temptation's 'Bout To Get Me" The Rascals _See_
"Temptation Eyes" Grass Roots _Anthology 1965-1975_
"Fool For Temptation" The Contemporaries _Yeah Yeah Yeah_
"Temptation" Inner Light _A Lethal Dose Of Hard Psych_
"La Tentation Dans Ton Coeur" Les Amours _Romances 85_
"Temptation To Exist" The New York Dolls _Cause I Sez So_
"Temptation Of Egg" Giant Sand _Chore Of Enchantment_
"Temptation" The Itals _Early Recordings 1971-1979_
"Temptation Tide" Sebadoh _Bakesale_
"Temptation By Your Side" Bellavista _Bellavista_
I came home from the Monday morning show & promptly went to sleep. I certainly hope that is not the effect the show has on listeners.
The radio show tempts you in its regular place, on the Self Help Radio website. It is divided into two parts of more or less equal time, although the show is meant to be listened to in its entirety. Just saying. Part one is here & part two is here. I was tempted to make a part three, but I was rudely interrupted by the show after mine. The nerve!
The two parts are divided as follows:
(part one)
"Temptation (7" Mix)" New Order _Movement_
"Temptation" Screamin' Jay Hawkins _Cow Fingers & Mosquito Pie_
"Temptation" Tom Waits _Franks Wild Years_
"Temptation" Elvis Costello & The Attractions _Get Happy!!_
"Temptation" Jo Broadbery & The Standouts _Jo Broadbery & The Standouts_
"Temptation" The Sapphires _The Sapphires_
"Resisting Temptation" Wilmoth Houdini _Don't Stop The Carnival_
"Man's Temptation" Gene Chandler _Nothing Can Stop Me: Gene Chandler's Greatest Hits_
"Temptation Is Hard To Fight" George McGregor & The Bronzettes _Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation_
"Do The Temptation Walk" Jackie Lee _The Duck_
"Don't Let Temptation Turn You Around" Hank Ballard & The Midnighters _Don't Let Temptation Turn You Around_
(part two)
"Yield Not To Temptation" Bobby 'Blue' Bland _The Definitive Collection_
"Temptation's 'Bout To Get Me" The Rascals _See_
"Temptation Eyes" Grass Roots _Anthology 1965-1975_
"Fool For Temptation" The Contemporaries _Yeah Yeah Yeah_
"Temptation" Inner Light _A Lethal Dose Of Hard Psych_
"La Tentation Dans Ton Coeur" Les Amours _Romances 85_
"Temptation To Exist" The New York Dolls _Cause I Sez So_
"Temptation Of Egg" Giant Sand _Chore Of Enchantment_
"Temptation" The Itals _Early Recordings 1971-1979_
"Temptation Tide" Sebadoh _Bakesale_
"Temptation By Your Side" Bellavista _Bellavista_
I came home from the Monday morning show & promptly went to sleep. I certainly hope that is not the effect the show has on listeners.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Whither Temptation?
What is so tempting, after all? Certainly not my radio show!
I know the word has roots in Judeo-Christian history/theology. It has been secularized over time to just mean something like "an act or thing that looks appealing to someone," but temptation in the religious sense means something that will lead you astray. I'm sure that I'll be talking about that tomorrow.
OF COURSE there's a perfume called Temptation. Who wouldn't want to smell like a snake trying to make a woman eat an apple?
Or like a little baby trying to make a Victorian woman have a bite to eat?
You'll have to tune in tomorrow to hear Self Help Radio's show all about temptation, in the show's new time slot of Mondays from 7:30 to 9:00 am on 88.1 fm in Lexington, & online everywhere at WRFL dot fm.
I will of course archive it tomorrow during the day on the self help radio website. But you should listen anyway!
I know the word has roots in Judeo-Christian history/theology. It has been secularized over time to just mean something like "an act or thing that looks appealing to someone," but temptation in the religious sense means something that will lead you astray. I'm sure that I'll be talking about that tomorrow.
OF COURSE there's a perfume called Temptation. Who wouldn't want to smell like a snake trying to make a woman eat an apple?
Or like a little baby trying to make a Victorian woman have a bite to eat?
You'll have to tune in tomorrow to hear Self Help Radio's show all about temptation, in the show's new time slot of Mondays from 7:30 to 9:00 am on 88.1 fm in Lexington, & online everywhere at WRFL dot fm.
I will of course archive it tomorrow during the day on the self help radio website. But you should listen anyway!
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Preface To Temptation: Derby Day
Despite the homogenization of America, there are still places where things happen only in & around that particular place, where the populace places an emphasis on some event or series of events that is not shared with the country as a whole. In Kentucky, once a year, on the first Saturday in May, it's Derby Day, celebrating the Kentucky Derby. I've lived in Kentucky for nearly a year now & I will admit that I haven't seen a horse race yet. I am still not entirely sure it's not cruel to the horses.
Look at what people say when you ask online (for what it's worth) is horse racing cruel? A friend in town who works with horses, who's a vegan, swears to me she's never seen a lick of cruelty, but I am aware that personal anecdotes are usually mostly helpful to greedy televangelists (I know, an oxymoron) & snake oil salesmen. I don't have time for a detailed internets search. Could you help?
They did open the liquor stores at 8am today for Derby Day. I approve of such forward-thinking measures!
Look at what people say when you ask online (for what it's worth) is horse racing cruel? A friend in town who works with horses, who's a vegan, swears to me she's never seen a lick of cruelty, but I am aware that personal anecdotes are usually mostly helpful to greedy televangelists (I know, an oxymoron) & snake oil salesmen. I don't have time for a detailed internets search. Could you help?
They did open the liquor stores at 8am today for Derby Day. I approve of such forward-thinking measures!
Friday, May 06, 2011
A Change Of Scene
Didya hear the news? No? What news? I'm not talking about Bin Laden. You didn't hear about Bin Laden? Can I visit you in your hyperbaric chamber?
This is far less important news. Self Help Radio will be moving again - if you'll recall, we premiered on WRFL at a very early morning hour, & then we moved to Tuesdays at midnight. Starting this Monday - May 9! - we'll be on at 7:30 am Mondays. Why such an odd time? Because I prefer to do Self Help Radio as a half-hour show, & I'm doing Sugar Substitute from 6 to 7:30 so there.
The show will of course be archived (probably later in the day Monday) at self help radio dot net but you can listen live if you're awake &/or near a computer at that time.
I'm kind of excited because in radio parlance, it's "morning drive time." There's just so many ways to totally fuck this up!
This is far less important news. Self Help Radio will be moving again - if you'll recall, we premiered on WRFL at a very early morning hour, & then we moved to Tuesdays at midnight. Starting this Monday - May 9! - we'll be on at 7:30 am Mondays. Why such an odd time? Because I prefer to do Self Help Radio as a half-hour show, & I'm doing Sugar Substitute from 6 to 7:30 so there.
The show will of course be archived (probably later in the day Monday) at self help radio dot net but you can listen live if you're awake &/or near a computer at that time.
I'm kind of excited because in radio parlance, it's "morning drive time." There's just so many ways to totally fuck this up!
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Radio Shows Just Bounce
It's true, this week's Self Help Radio bounced in the door, bounced off the walls for about ninety minutes, then bounced away to some other place. It broke the vase, of course, & boy are we going to be in trouble when Dad gets home! I guess we're not supposed to be bouncing radio shows in the house.
The bounciest radio show you'll probably listen to all year is now available on the Self Help Radio website. As has been my custom, I've divided it into two parts - part one can be found right here & part two is conveniently located right here. What's in the two parts is at the end of this post.
As I announced on the show, Self Help Radio will be moving starting next week to Mondays at 7:30 in the morning. What? Where? How? More information will be forthcoming I swear.
The show:
(part one)
"Bounces" The Bran Flakes _Bounces_
"More Bounce To The Ounce, Part I" Zapp _In Yo' Face! The History Of Funk, Vol. 5_
"The Bounce" The Olympics _Dancetime_
"Birmingham Bounce" Amos Milburn _Vicious Vicious Vodka_
"Hadacol Bounce" Professor Longhair _Gettin' Funky: The Birth Of New Orleans R & B_
"Bouncin' Woman" Laurel Aitken _You Got Me Rockin' (The Blue Beat Years 1960-1964)_
"Big Bounce" Shirley Cadell _Hot Boppin' Girls_
"The Be-Bop Bounce" Martha Davis _Martha Davis 1946-51_
"Bounce Me Brother With A Solid Four" The Andrews Sisters _50th Anniversary Collection Volume One_
"Bouncing Babies" The Teardrop Explodes _Kilimanjaro_
"Bouncing" Thompson Twins _In The Name Of Love_
"Would I... Bounce Back" The Associates _The Affectionate Punch_
(part two)
"Bouncy, Bouncy" The Gargoyles _Steamflapper_
"Boing!" The Wedding Present _Hit Parade 2_
"Life Just Bounces" The Fall _Cerebral Caustic_
"Bounce The Ball (Do Da Dittle Um Day)" Louis Jordan _Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, Volume 1: 1938-1940_
"That's The Way The Ball Bounces" The 4 Seasons _A Brilliant Taste Of Doowop Vol. 2_
"Follow The Bouncing Ball" The Happenings _The Best Of The Happenings_
"Rubber Bouncy Ball" The Telephone Comedy _Panda Brain!_
"You Can Bounce Right Back" Donald O'Connor _Anything Goes_
"Billie's Bounce" Charlie Parker Quintet _Kansas City: Jazz City_
"Beethoven Bounce" Al Donahue & His Orchestra _Swingin' The Classics_
"Mia Mia Bounce" The Black Broadway Boys _Jazz & Hot Dance in South Africa (1946-1959)_
The bounciest radio show you'll probably listen to all year is now available on the Self Help Radio website. As has been my custom, I've divided it into two parts - part one can be found right here & part two is conveniently located right here. What's in the two parts is at the end of this post.
As I announced on the show, Self Help Radio will be moving starting next week to Mondays at 7:30 in the morning. What? Where? How? More information will be forthcoming I swear.
The show:
(part one)
"Bounces" The Bran Flakes _Bounces_
"More Bounce To The Ounce, Part I" Zapp _In Yo' Face! The History Of Funk, Vol. 5_
"The Bounce" The Olympics _Dancetime_
"Birmingham Bounce" Amos Milburn _Vicious Vicious Vodka_
"Hadacol Bounce" Professor Longhair _Gettin' Funky: The Birth Of New Orleans R & B_
"Bouncin' Woman" Laurel Aitken _You Got Me Rockin' (The Blue Beat Years 1960-1964)_
"Big Bounce" Shirley Cadell _Hot Boppin' Girls_
"The Be-Bop Bounce" Martha Davis _Martha Davis 1946-51_
"Bounce Me Brother With A Solid Four" The Andrews Sisters _50th Anniversary Collection Volume One_
"Bouncing Babies" The Teardrop Explodes _Kilimanjaro_
"Bouncing" Thompson Twins _In The Name Of Love_
"Would I... Bounce Back" The Associates _The Affectionate Punch_
(part two)
"Bouncy, Bouncy" The Gargoyles _Steamflapper_
"Boing!" The Wedding Present _Hit Parade 2_
"Life Just Bounces" The Fall _Cerebral Caustic_
"Bounce The Ball (Do Da Dittle Um Day)" Louis Jordan _Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, Volume 1: 1938-1940_
"That's The Way The Ball Bounces" The 4 Seasons _A Brilliant Taste Of Doowop Vol. 2_
"Follow The Bouncing Ball" The Happenings _The Best Of The Happenings_
"Rubber Bouncy Ball" The Telephone Comedy _Panda Brain!_
"You Can Bounce Right Back" Donald O'Connor _Anything Goes_
"Billie's Bounce" Charlie Parker Quintet _Kansas City: Jazz City_
"Beethoven Bounce" Al Donahue & His Orchestra _Swingin' The Classics_
"Mia Mia Bounce" The Black Broadway Boys _Jazz & Hot Dance in South Africa (1946-1959)_
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Tonight! The Show Just Bounces!
That's right, tonight's Self Help Radio will bounce right out of your speakers like one of those crazy magic rubber balls that would break everything in the living room before you could stop it. Seriously, Self Help Radio will break everything in your living room before you turn the radio off. Sorry about that. In advance.
So listen to the show about bouncing tonight at midnight in Lexington on the 88.1 frequency, & online everywhere at WRFL dot fm. I'll of course archive the show tomorrow on self help radio dot net, but you should really listen tonight while the show has its original bounce.
Also, there's some exciting news about Self Help Radio this week - I'll announce it on the show tonight, but I'll also tell you tomorrow.
Maybe it's not so exciting. I shouldn't oversell it. It excites me. Maybe it'll excite you. Listen tonight to find out!
So listen to the show about bouncing tonight at midnight in Lexington on the 88.1 frequency, & online everywhere at WRFL dot fm. I'll of course archive the show tomorrow on self help radio dot net, but you should really listen tonight while the show has its original bounce.
Also, there's some exciting news about Self Help Radio this week - I'll announce it on the show tonight, but I'll also tell you tomorrow.
Maybe it's not so exciting. I shouldn't oversell it. It excites me. Maybe it'll excite you. Listen tonight to find out!
Monday, May 02, 2011
Whither Bounce?
I see that Morgan Spurlock, who (I didn't know) is younger than I am (!), & whom I have to thank for making me stop eating fast food once & for all (I seriously haven't eaten at a fast food restaurant more than four or five times since I saw Super Size Me six or seven years ago) (& those four or five times were basically unusual situations where I simply had nowhere else to eat) has a new movie out about product placement. It has a long title & so far the reviews have been mixed
I mention this because there are perhaps some folks out there that imagine a show with the theme "Bounce" might be about the "American brand of fabric softener" made by Proctor & Gamble. If so, might this be an example of product placement on Self Help Radio?
Of course not! I'm on a non-commercial radio station! I have almost no contact with the outside world! I wouldn't know how to communicate with a corporation to get endorsements anyway. I only recently learned how to embed videos in this blog. Also, & I checked, there doesn't appear to be any fabric softener of any kind in the house. Apparently we enjoy the roughness of our fabrics. I would be a hypocrite if I were to endorse any product I didn't myself use. Or I'd be like everyone else, you know, for the money.
Just in case you were wondering. Self Help Radio's themes are not funded by anyone. It explains, really, the shabbiness of the show.
I mention this because there are perhaps some folks out there that imagine a show with the theme "Bounce" might be about the "American brand of fabric softener" made by Proctor & Gamble. If so, might this be an example of product placement on Self Help Radio?
Of course not! I'm on a non-commercial radio station! I have almost no contact with the outside world! I wouldn't know how to communicate with a corporation to get endorsements anyway. I only recently learned how to embed videos in this blog. Also, & I checked, there doesn't appear to be any fabric softener of any kind in the house. Apparently we enjoy the roughness of our fabrics. I would be a hypocrite if I were to endorse any product I didn't myself use. Or I'd be like everyone else, you know, for the money.
Just in case you were wondering. Self Help Radio's themes are not funded by anyone. It explains, really, the shabbiness of the show.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Preference To Bounce: Kinky Tonight!
Is it truly a regional thing, or is legendary singer/songwriter/book writer/gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman seriously unknown in this part of the world? I've asked a few of the kids at the radio station, but really no one appears to have heard of him, which is such a shame.
Fooey on them! Tonight the wife & I will be traveling to "Cin City" (which is totally what they should call Cincinnati, but which they instead tend to call "the Queen City") (bo-ring!) to the lovely Southgate House, which is actually in Newport, Kentucky, across the river, to see the Kinkster in all his glory. I saw him last with my buddy CJ Buchanan some time in the late 90s, & he was about the same as the first time I saw him. Actually, remarkably the same. His act does not literally get old.
I hope she likes him. I adore him. Now I must check to see whether the farmer's market will open today despite the rain!
Fooey on them! Tonight the wife & I will be traveling to "Cin City" (which is totally what they should call Cincinnati, but which they instead tend to call "the Queen City") (bo-ring!) to the lovely Southgate House, which is actually in Newport, Kentucky, across the river, to see the Kinkster in all his glory. I saw him last with my buddy CJ Buchanan some time in the late 90s, & he was about the same as the first time I saw him. Actually, remarkably the same. His act does not literally get old.
I hope she likes him. I adore him. Now I must check to see whether the farmer's market will open today despite the rain!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Self Help Radio Extra, April 2011
It's the end of the month so I suppose it's only right & natural that I make another ridiculous mix of music that exists outside my radio shows. Also, it may appear that the mix has some kind of theme, but it doesn't really. It's just a lot of songs that I've strung together in the hopes that it sounds fine together.
The mix is at the Self Help Radio Extra page. What's in the mix I've written below. I hope you enjoy.
"ABC Auto-Industry" Orchestral Maneuvres In The Dark _Dazzle Ships_
"ABC" Jackson 5 _Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971_
"A B & C Part Two" Death By Chocolate _Zap The World_
"AEIOU" Pizzicato Five _Ca Et La_
"A Rã" Joao Donato _The Story Of Bossa Nova_
"A Contraluz" Niza _Canciones De Temporada_
"A Nega Se Vingou" Walter Wanderley _Ultra Lounge Vol. 9: Cha-Cha De Amor_
"A Minha Menina" Os Mutantes _Os Mutantes_
"A Balair El Tape-Charleston" Lisa Carbon _Standards_
"A & P Commercial: The Death Penalty" National Lampoon _Buy This Box Or We'll Shoot This Dog: The Best Of The National Lampoon Radio Hour_
"A-La-Bridges" Harlan Leonard's Rockets _Kansas City: Jazz City_
"AC/DC Current" Benny Goodman Sextet _Charlie Christian: The Genius Of The Electric Guitar_
"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" Ella Fitzgerald _Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles_
"A La Carte" James Holloway _Las Vegas Grind Vol. 1_
"A Yuh (Hey You)" Uniques _Trojan Mod Reggae Box Set_
"A Yor Nokh Mayn Khasene" Klezmer Conservatory Band _Planet Squeezebox_
"AIDS Test" Chris Rock _Cheese & Crackers: The Greatest Bits_
"A/B" Telex _Neurovision_
"A-L'uomo" Mr. Electric Triangle _Kosmosis Of the Heart_
"A8 Km34" Funkstörung _Appetite For Disctruction_
"a550l" Novel 23 _RND_0.34873349921_
"A" Leila _Rephlexions_
"A.D.S.A." Vessel _South_
The mix is at the Self Help Radio Extra page. What's in the mix I've written below. I hope you enjoy.
"ABC Auto-Industry" Orchestral Maneuvres In The Dark _Dazzle Ships_
"ABC" Jackson 5 _Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971_
"A B & C Part Two" Death By Chocolate _Zap The World_
"AEIOU" Pizzicato Five _Ca Et La_
"A Rã" Joao Donato _The Story Of Bossa Nova_
"A Contraluz" Niza _Canciones De Temporada_
"A Nega Se Vingou" Walter Wanderley _Ultra Lounge Vol. 9: Cha-Cha De Amor_
"A Minha Menina" Os Mutantes _Os Mutantes_
"A Balair El Tape-Charleston" Lisa Carbon _Standards_
"A & P Commercial: The Death Penalty" National Lampoon _Buy This Box Or We'll Shoot This Dog: The Best Of The National Lampoon Radio Hour_
"A-La-Bridges" Harlan Leonard's Rockets _Kansas City: Jazz City_
"AC/DC Current" Benny Goodman Sextet _Charlie Christian: The Genius Of The Electric Guitar_
"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" Ella Fitzgerald _Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles_
"A La Carte" James Holloway _Las Vegas Grind Vol. 1_
"A Yuh (Hey You)" Uniques _Trojan Mod Reggae Box Set_
"A Yor Nokh Mayn Khasene" Klezmer Conservatory Band _Planet Squeezebox_
"AIDS Test" Chris Rock _Cheese & Crackers: The Greatest Bits_
"A/B" Telex _Neurovision_
"A-L'uomo" Mr. Electric Triangle _Kosmosis Of the Heart_
"A8 Km34" Funkstörung _Appetite For Disctruction_
"a550l" Novel 23 _RND_0.34873349921_
"A" Leila _Rephlexions_
"A.D.S.A." Vessel _South_
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Goodbye F! Hello G!
In the thirty-first (!) installment of my "I'll-die-before-I-complete-it" series, Indiepop A To Z, I finish the Fs with some faint finesse & gingerly gnaw at the ungainly Gs. G is a deeply unpopular letter, as I know since my name begins with a G. Some might say it ends with a G, though they might be mistaking my name for a participle or a gerund. Oh sure, G has given us garrulous, gentle, geek, goofy, good grief & grateful, but it also sadly gave us grotesque, gonorrhea, G.O.P., Garfield, & god. There are some things, those of us whose names start with G understand, for which we can never be forgiven.
This is a vain attempt to play lots of indiepop songs in alphabetical order & I will continue to do so unless you give me a good reason not to. The show exists in the way it went at the Self Help Radio web site. You can find most (I think all except one) of the previous "Indiepop A To Z" series in the show archives (scroll down to find the first ones, then work your way up). The show is divided in two parts as if hewed with a dull axe, & part one is here while part two is here. What songs & artists are contained in each part? I list that below.
Do I ever tell you thanks for listening? Because I should. Thanks for listening!
(part one)
"Brilliant Mind" Furniture _The Wrong People_
"Watery Moonlight" Further _I've Got It Now - A Popfest Compilation Cassette_
"Only One Life" The Future _Hit Music Only_
"I'm Lonely (& I Love It)" Future Bible Heroes _I'm Lonely (& I Love It)_
"Crying's What You Need" Future Conditional _We Don't Just Disappear_
"Love Is The Slug" Fuzzbox _We've Got A Fuzzbox & We're Gonna Use It_
"Flashlight" Fuzzy _Flashlight 7"_
"Bonnie & Clyde" Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot _Bonnie & Clyde_
"Baby Blue Volvo" The Galactic Heroes _How About San Francisco?_
(part two)
"Tugboat" Galaxie 500 _Today_
"Chardonnay" Game Theory _Lolita Nation_
"Sitting In The Park" Gangway _Sitting In The Park_
"Galaxy" Des Garcons Ordinaires _The Noise & The Melodies: The Pearl-Compilation_
"Ferry Across The Humber" The Gargoyles _Steamflapper_
"Bed & Breakfast" Garlands _Picnic Lightning_
"Why Did I Trust You?" The Garlands _The Garlands EP_
"Any Way" Gaze _Mitsumeru_
"Yours Forever" The Generationals _Actor-Caster_
"Shadow Of A Girl" Gentle Despite _Torment To Me_
This is a vain attempt to play lots of indiepop songs in alphabetical order & I will continue to do so unless you give me a good reason not to. The show exists in the way it went at the Self Help Radio web site. You can find most (I think all except one) of the previous "Indiepop A To Z" series in the show archives (scroll down to find the first ones, then work your way up). The show is divided in two parts as if hewed with a dull axe, & part one is here while part two is here. What songs & artists are contained in each part? I list that below.
Do I ever tell you thanks for listening? Because I should. Thanks for listening!
(part one)
"Brilliant Mind" Furniture _The Wrong People_
"Watery Moonlight" Further _I've Got It Now - A Popfest Compilation Cassette_
"Only One Life" The Future _Hit Music Only_
"I'm Lonely (& I Love It)" Future Bible Heroes _I'm Lonely (& I Love It)_
"Crying's What You Need" Future Conditional _We Don't Just Disappear_
"Love Is The Slug" Fuzzbox _We've Got A Fuzzbox & We're Gonna Use It_
"Flashlight" Fuzzy _Flashlight 7"_
"Bonnie & Clyde" Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot _Bonnie & Clyde_
"Baby Blue Volvo" The Galactic Heroes _How About San Francisco?_
(part two)
"Tugboat" Galaxie 500 _Today_
"Chardonnay" Game Theory _Lolita Nation_
"Sitting In The Park" Gangway _Sitting In The Park_
"Galaxy" Des Garcons Ordinaires _The Noise & The Melodies: The Pearl-Compilation_
"Ferry Across The Humber" The Gargoyles _Steamflapper_
"Bed & Breakfast" Garlands _Picnic Lightning_
"Why Did I Trust You?" The Garlands _The Garlands EP_
"Any Way" Gaze _Mitsumeru_
"Yours Forever" The Generationals _Actor-Caster_
"Shadow Of A Girl" Gentle Despite _Torment To Me_
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tonight! The Countdown Continues!
It's not really a countdown, though, is it. I mean, a countdown starts high & works its way to a lower number. The most famous countdown is the one that leads to a rocket taking off.
It's not a countup either. (I know, countup isn't a word.) I was thinking about famous countdowns & as an example my brain said, "Don't you count down when you're playing hide & seek?" Of course you don't, silly brain! You count up! Sometimes from five. Like in the famous Schoolhouse Rock video:
No, the Indiepop A To Z attempts to be like a - well - like an alphabetical list of something. Like if you go to the Wikipedia & look for a list of jazz flugelhorn players. (Note: they don't have an alphabetical list of jazz flugelhorn players.) (Nor do they have a list of indiepop bands & performers.) Such a list would probably be in alphabetical order. It would also probably tempt to me to do a series of radio shows. I shall restrain myself.
I guess I should call it "an alphabetical listing of indiepop players & performers." But that's a mouthful. It's just the indiepop a to z. I'm not even capitalizing it. That's how frankly unofficial & probably incomplete it is!
It's on tonight in Lexington on 88.1 fm & of course online everywhere on WRFL's website. If you miss it, I'll archive it tomorrow on self help radio dot net. But I'm giving you so much advance notice! Why would you miss it?
It's not a countup either. (I know, countup isn't a word.) I was thinking about famous countdowns & as an example my brain said, "Don't you count down when you're playing hide & seek?" Of course you don't, silly brain! You count up! Sometimes from five. Like in the famous Schoolhouse Rock video:
No, the Indiepop A To Z attempts to be like a - well - like an alphabetical list of something. Like if you go to the Wikipedia & look for a list of jazz flugelhorn players. (Note: they don't have an alphabetical list of jazz flugelhorn players.) (Nor do they have a list of indiepop bands & performers.) Such a list would probably be in alphabetical order. It would also probably tempt to me to do a series of radio shows. I shall restrain myself.
I guess I should call it "an alphabetical listing of indiepop players & performers." But that's a mouthful. It's just the indiepop a to z. I'm not even capitalizing it. That's how frankly unofficial & probably incomplete it is!
It's on tonight in Lexington on 88.1 fm & of course online everywhere on WRFL's website. If you miss it, I'll archive it tomorrow on self help radio dot net. But I'm giving you so much advance notice! Why would you miss it?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Whither Indiepop A To Z # 31?
It does seem a little hopeless, doesn't it?
This time, though, I shall finish the Fs. Here are some useless factoids about the Indiepop Fs:
I counted 120 bands whose name (or performers whose last name) started with the letter F. This includes the seven performers/bands I will be playing tomorrow night.
The first band was the Factory Owners. The last band will be Fuzzy.
I started the Indiepop Fs on the show that aired March 1, 2010. It means it took me over a year to finish the Indiepop Fs. (Which, you'll recall, have not yet been finished. But pretend it's so.) Part of the reason is that I've slowed down the occurrence of my "Indiepop A To Z" episodes. I do them only every four months or so now. I'd do them more if I were allowed to do them on WRFL when I do Sugar Substitute, but I must play music from the station's playbox so it can report to whomever we report to, & they would make the Indiepop A To Z seem a little disjointed.
I have no predictions about the Indiepop Gs. They could go fast, or they could take an equivalent amount of time. I don't think they'll be longer than the Fs, though. G is not a popular letter. After all, it's how my own name begins.
This time, though, I shall finish the Fs. Here are some useless factoids about the Indiepop Fs:
I counted 120 bands whose name (or performers whose last name) started with the letter F. This includes the seven performers/bands I will be playing tomorrow night.
The first band was the Factory Owners. The last band will be Fuzzy.
I started the Indiepop Fs on the show that aired March 1, 2010. It means it took me over a year to finish the Indiepop Fs. (Which, you'll recall, have not yet been finished. But pretend it's so.) Part of the reason is that I've slowed down the occurrence of my "Indiepop A To Z" episodes. I do them only every four months or so now. I'd do them more if I were allowed to do them on WRFL when I do Sugar Substitute, but I must play music from the station's playbox so it can report to whomever we report to, & they would make the Indiepop A To Z seem a little disjointed.
I have no predictions about the Indiepop Gs. They could go fast, or they could take an equivalent amount of time. I don't think they'll be longer than the Fs, though. G is not a popular letter. After all, it's how my own name begins.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Preface To Indiepop A To Z # 31: This Is Only A Text
One of the things I like to do when I do Sugar Substitute, which is the pop show after Self Help Radio, is playing instrumental music under my airbreaks, & I especially want to play music by people (living or dead) who are having a birthday the day of the show. Usually there are helpful sites, like this jazz birthdays web page, & of course Wikipedia, which give me names to look at for those days. But assuming that I keep doing Sugar Substitute for many years to come - not a guarantee, by why not? - I don't really want to play the same songs by the same birthday people as the years go by. There are not-very-good radio shows in Austin that used to do that. Hooray, it's a famous rock & roll star's birthday again. Whoop de doo. Bleh.
The biggest trouble is that many bands I love, including electronica artists, just aren't famous enough to warrant a personal page (as opposed to a band page) on the Wikipedia. Take this page for one of my favorite bands, The Lucksmiths - it lists the members, but not their birthdays. Oh, but when I looked at their own website, it does mention their birthdays. Okay, bad example. The point is, it's hard!
In case you're reading this unimportant whinge, & you know a decent web site that lists indie &/or electronica birthdays, can you comment here or send me an email at my Self Help Radio email? That would be swell.
The biggest trouble is that many bands I love, including electronica artists, just aren't famous enough to warrant a personal page (as opposed to a band page) on the Wikipedia. Take this page for one of my favorite bands, The Lucksmiths - it lists the members, but not their birthdays. Oh, but when I looked at their own website, it does mention their birthdays. Okay, bad example. The point is, it's hard!
In case you're reading this unimportant whinge, & you know a decent web site that lists indie &/or electronica birthdays, can you comment here or send me an email at my Self Help Radio email? That would be swell.