Self Help Radio 020718: It's Time To

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In conversation with my therapist, I expressed unhappiness when my mind makes up themes that aren't very exciting or just don't make a lot of sense.  Our conversation went something like this:

ME: Why can't I do shows with simple themes like cars or cats or countries?
MY THERAPIST: Penis envy.
ME: What?
MY THERAPIST: It's a classic case of penis envy.
ME: But I have a penis!
MY THERAPIST: (looking over his notes) I knew that.
ME: Can we talk about the show, please?
MY THERAPIST: Are you sure you have a penis?
ME: Please don't make me show it to you again.
MY THERAPIST: Hold on, I need to make a note for myself about what I should talk to my therapist about.
ME: For fuck's sake.
MY THERAPIST: Language!

In any event, the show with the theme "it's time to" came & went & unfortunately was captured for posterity.  You be the judge of its value, I am already working on the next one, which luckily has the straightforward theme "roses."  But of course that's another problem: the more straightforward themes have far more songs.  I have over three hundred to listen to!

Please enjoy this week's Self Help Radio over at Self Help Radio dot net.  Password/username required, they're on the site.  Two hours of program divided in two, what's on both parts is listed below.

It's time to forget this ever happened.

(part one)

"The Muppet Show" The Muppets _Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3: 70s & 80s_
"It's Time" The Times _Pop Goes Art!_
"It's Time" Cessna _This Is Stereophonic Sunshine_
"It's Time" BMX Bandits _BMX Bandits Forever_

"Time To Change" Michael Carpenter _Right To Chews: Bubblegum Classics Revisited_
"Now's The Time To Fall In Love" Dick Robertson with Gene Gardos & His Orchestra _Brother Can You Spare A Dime? Great American Songs Of The Depression_
"Time To Get Ready" The Bats _The Law Of Things_
"Time To Scream & Shout" Múm _Smilewound_

interview with television host David Fruchter

"Time To Lose" The Thermals _More Parts Per Million_
"Time To Go" Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs _You Can't Buy A Gun When You're Crying_
"Time To Ring Some Changes" Richard Thompson & Linda Thompson _RT: The Life & Music Of Richard Thompson_
"Time To Chill" DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince _He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper_
"It's Time To Get Funky" D-Mob featuring LRS & DC Sarome _Turn Up The Bass 4_

(part two)

interview with the Rev. Dr. Howard Gently

"Time To Get Up" Los Microwaves _Life After Breakfast_
"Time To Name The Dog" Great Plains _Length Of Growth 1981-89_
"Time To Listen" Film School _Fission_
"Time To Evolve" Bill Hicks _Rant In E-Minor_
"Time To Wait" Tall Dwarfs _The Sky Above, The Mud Below_

interview with writer Owen Schur

"Time To Go" La Sera _Music For Listening To Music To_
"Time To Get Away" LCD Soundsystem _Sound Of Silver_
"It's Time To Go Now" Gladys Knight & The Pips _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 7: 1967_
"It's Time To Go" The Organ _Sinking Hearts_
"Time To Move Along" The Northern Lights _No Time_
"It's Time To Come Home" The Rentals _Lost In Alphaville_

"Goodnight, Sweetheart, It's Time To Go" The Platters _The Magic Touch: An Anthology_
"Buddy It's Time To Go" Earl King _Earl's Pearls: The Very Best Of Earl King (1955-1960)_
"Now It's Time To Say Goodbye" Kitchens Of Distinction _Capsule (The Best Of KOD 1988-94)_

Whither It's Time To?

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Look.  We talked it over.  We had a long conversation which felt like a meeting & yes, other people were brought in.  I won't say it didn't get a little heated from time to time.  At some point someone made a 12 Angry Men joke & that amused half of us.  Suddenly it was dark outside & no one wanted to be there & there was a baby crying & no one knew where the cat was & I swear I had a panic attack but at the end of the night we all agreed that we might as well do the damn show even though let's face it, it's a dumb theme.

It's time to?  Seriously?

Seriously.  Tonight on WLXU 93.9 fm in Lexington & online at Lexington Community Radio Dot Org, Self Help Radio will dutifully fill in the blank at the the end of the statement "It's Time To ______."

When is it time to listen?  Oh yeah, from 9-11pm eastern.

Preface To It's Time To: First Pledge Drive Show Postmortem

As I was saying yesterday, I am terrible at raising money.  I actually told a story last year about an experience selling candy for a middle school organization, which I will repeat here:

Finally - & this may have happened in 1982, because it feels like something that would have happened at the end of the year - I was in Beta Club - it's where I met Russell, I was very amused by his heckling at the dire meetings we had - & occasionally we were told we had to sell stuff for whatever club budget shit.  In this case it was M&Ms.  I lived in an apartment complex with lots of poor people, who knew a fifty cent box of M&Ms was no deal at all when you could walk to the Minyard's & get them for twenty cents, so I didn't sell many.  I actually barely tried.  I hated selling things.  I had tried before, tried to solicit newspaper subscriptions & just hated it.  Hated knocking on doors & hated pushing products.  I helped my mother at a convenience store, I would wait while people picked out what they wanted to buy & then came to me.

When the time came to collect, I returned a nearly-full box to the Beta Club sponsors.  One of them - the same woman, I believe, who was my Yearbook Club sponsor - was furious with me.  She accused me of not trying, of being lazy, of being indolent.  I told her, because I couldn't really see the point, that I didn't enjoy & wasn't very good at selling things, & if it was a condition of my membership that I sell a certain amount of M&Ms to be in the Beta Club, I guess I wouldn't be in the club.  She just stared at me, then gave a cry of exasperation, & left.

You see, I didn't really understand about things like service groups & college applications back then - how could I?  None of my siblings had gone or would go to college, & my mother was a working-class woman raised in Germany, where none of her family would have even dreamed nor had the opportunity for higher education.  I didn't really know what Beta Club was for.  I didn't like the meetings, I didn't like the parties - although my friend Russell tells me that it was one of the parties where we sat in someone bedroom & talked about the Beatles.  I vaguely recall that.  That's how a friendship was born.

Russell was watching, too, when I gave back the M&Ms & explained myself.  I looked at him & saw him wide-eyed.  It may be why I remember the story.

Nope, I never got better at the selling thing, & eventually just flat-out refused, offering my services in other capacities for organizations that needed them.

My experience with Pledge Drives has been equally dire.  Later I would learn more about the process, but we had occasional drives on KVRX, at which I did dismally.  I was not in a happy emotional place for Pledge Drive failure in those days.  Pledges Drives at KOOP - which we called Membership Drives - were pretty bad, too.  On one occasion, my then-girlfriend Magda made a big donation because you could hear me despair on the air.  I felt so grateful to be at WRFL where students fund the operation - & I was dreading being on KNON because they rely on listener support way more than any station I've ever been at.

So how'd I do?  I was saved from a dismal start by a kind person who became an KNON Elite Music Sponsor.  I also discovered some friends made donations online, which I appreciated.  So it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  But there's always next week!

But I'm not going to worry or fret about that just now - I have Self Help Radio tomorrow!

Tomorrow Is Eek!

Yes, tomorrow is my first Tuesday Morning Blend as its regular host, but - this is where it gets hairy - it's all a Pledge Drive Show.

What? Yes! It's the KNON Winter Pledge Drive!  Click that link & support community radio in Dallas - & maybe mention the Tuesday Morning Blend?

Back to me, though: do you see the predicament I am in?  I am going to be doing my first show.  But I am going to be on the radio begging people for money.  Which is fine, but the sort of people who are most likely to give money to a radio show are people who are familiar with the host - & the previous host of the Tuesday Morning Blend, as I mentioned yesterday, is immensely beloved.

But of course I can't not ask for money, KNON is listener supported, & it needs every dollar it can get.  It will be perfectly understandable if no one donates tomorrow.  I accept that.  Except.

Holy shit my self-esteem will take a beating if no one gives anything to the show!  My history with pledge drives is that I am not good at them.  So, frankly, the show tomorrow might be brutal.

Wanna listen?  It's on from 7-9am central on 89.3 fm in Dallas & online at knon dot org.

Seriously.  It's going to be brutal tomorrow.

Shift Change

This was in the KNON newsletter on Friday:

What's going on?  Did Gary & Jason have a falling out?  Did someone get fired?  What the hell?

No, Jason & I didn't have a spat, nor did anyone get fired.  Nil, who has hosted the Tuesday Morning Blend on KNON for quite a while, has left the station for personal reasons.  She has been absent a while but had to make it official last week.  Meanwhile, Jason, who has been helping me with the Wednesday Morning Blend, wanted his own show - & should have it! - but couldn't do Tuesday mornings.  My schedule is a lot more free - plus I was feeling weird about having two shows on the same day.  I know, it was in two different cities, in two very different stations, on two wonderful community stations - but still, that much Gary in a day is not a good thing for anyone.

So, this Tuesday, I am moving to the Tuesday Morning Blend while Jason begins his solo performance on the Wednesday Morning Blend.  Like with taking over Pippin's show (he who previously hosted the Wednesday Morning Blend), I have very big shoes to fill - Nil did radio in a way that I don't, & maybe can't, engaging with local musicians & connecting with the community.  (You can see how wonderful things were on her Tuesday Morning Blend Facebook page.  I will create another one for my version of Tuesday Morning Blend.  She doesn't need me mucking up her wonderful radio world.)

You see, I'm more from the old, lonesome fellow in a deejay booth playing music school of radio.  But I have learned much from Nil's show.  I hope I don't disappoint the people who loved listening to her!

Maybe you'll listen this Tuesday?  I'll mention it on the Self Help Radio Facebook page & on the show's Twitter feed.  But I'll talk more about the Tuesday show here tomorrow.

PS Would you like to be subscribed to the KNON Newsletter?  You can do that here!