(Original image here.)
Recently someone asked me if I had any episodes of Self Help Radio that were my favorites. I don't know if I do, but I do know that I enjoy making some more than others. This week's show, for example, was hella fun to do. My interview guests were great, I like so much of the music, & what's more, I loved looking for songs about the postal service. I tried to stay away from "letter" songs - that's probably another theme, & I've already done a show about love letters. & I discovered that, although I wanted to maybe have a section about postcards, there are so many of those that they'll easily make another show. I also should send more postcards, but that's neither over here nor over there.
Today's show was probably also propelled by nostalgia - I certainly used to write a lot of letters & I have many if not most of the letters I received stored in a closet somewhere. I didn't get them out to look at them for this show, but I did daydream about writing letters again.
In any event, I hope it's a funformative (if that's a word, which it isn't) look at one of our country's great institutions. There were so many songs! I had to leave stuff out, like the Monty Python bit about opening a new mailbox but you can watch that here. Michael Palin is amazing in this.
Meanwhile, have a listen to today's show, which (like I said) I enjoyed making. It's of course at the Self Help Radio website & you will of course need the username & password available on that page to listen. (It's SHR & selfhelp.) All the songs & all the interviews on the show are listed below.
Oh! & I'm sending it postage due! Sorry.
the show:
"Mail" Morphine _B-Sides & Otherwise_
"The Postman Rides His Bike" Chemistry Set _Chemistry Set_
"Mailman Bring Me No More Blues" Buddy Holly _The Memorial Collection_
introduction & definitions
"Mailman" Roya _Roya_
"A Hymn For The Postal Service" Hefner _Breaking God's Heart_
"Mailman's Sack" Tiny Bradshaw _The Train Kept A Rollin'_
"Mailman Blues" Lloyd Price _Lawdy Miss Clawdy_
"Night Mail" Public Service Broadcasting _Inform - Educate - Entertain_
interview with mail carrier David Fructher
"US Mail" Olympics _Dance Floor Winners Vol. 1_
"Please Mister Postman" The Beatles _With The Beatles_
"Twistin' Postman" The Marvelettes _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 1: 1961_
"The Postman" The American Analog Set _Know By Heart_
"Mailman" The Legendary Pink Dots _Plutonium Blonde_
interview with entrepreneur Lorenzo Schwab
"The Mail Must Go Through" Roosevelt Grier _The Liberty Records Story_
"The Mail Will Go Through" Tom Paxton _Bulletin... We Interrupt This Record_
"Stealing People's Mail" Dead Kennedys _Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables_
"Romance By Mail" Scars _Author! Author!_
"Lost In The Post" The Wombats _Proudly Present A Guide To Love, Loss, & Desperation_
interview with the Rev Dr Howard Gently
"Postman's Knock" Spike Milligan _The Spike Milligan Collection_
"She Was Only The Postmaster's Daughter" Durium Dance Band _Listen To The Banned_
"Waitin For The Evenin' Mail" Sissle & Blake _Ragtime: 1900-1930_
"Mailman" The Primary 5 _Ave Marina: Ten Years Of Marina Records_
"Postal" Piano Magic _Writers Without Homes_
Marge Most interviews the inventor of e-mail
"Postal Blue" The Softies _The Softies_
"Please Mister Postman" Dorotea _Hit Music Only_
"Postman Song" Ratboys _AOID_
"Return To Sender" Elvis Presley & The Jordanaires _Girls! Girls! Girls!_
"Doggin' In The U.S. Mail" Mike Seeger & Alice Gerrard _Mike Seeger & Alice Gerrard_
conclusion
"Mailman Blues" Sleepy John Estes _Working Man's Blues_
"Hey, Mr. Postman" Ella Mae Morse _Barrelhouse, Boogie, & The Blues_
"It's Time For The Postman Rings" Martha Davis _Martha Davis 1946-1951
post mortem
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