Self Help Radio 031418: It's A Reach

(Original image here.)

It's hard reaching out.  Especially if, for whatever reason, your arms are tired.  Even your metaphorical arms.  Plus, so much of what you want to reach for is basically out of reach.  Then you're fucked.

& that phrase, "it's a reach"!  "Why, Gary," I've heard too often, "that's a bit of a reach."  Of course!  Trying to understand is reaching!  So much is hard to grasp!  You sometimes need to reach to grasp!  I don't know why I'm getting so worked up!

Now I'm thinking I should've called the show "a bit of a reach."  Well.  Regrets & all that.

The show, such as it is, is over at the Self Help Radio web site.  Username/password info is there too.  It's in two parts, & what's in the two parts (each about sixty minutes long) is listed below, including the ridiculous interviews.  I hope you enjoy.

(part one)

"Reaching" Jeffrey Lewis _A Turn In The Dream Songs_
"Reach Out Lorraine" Wyatt _80, 90, 100 M.P.H._
"Way Out Of Reach" The Manhattan Love Suicides _Burnt Out Landscapes_

"She Reached For A Light" Robyn Hitchcock _Uncorrected Personality Traits_
"I Reach For The Light" The Raspberries _Fresh_
"Reaching Into In" Ken Nordine _How Are Things In Your Town?_
"I Can't Reach You" Petra Haden _Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out_
"Reach Me (Don't Forget)" The Girls At Dawn _Call The Doctor_

interview with the Rev Howard Gently

"Reaching Out" Jasmine Minks _Scratch The Surface_
"Reach For It" George Duke _In Yo' Face! The History Of Funk, Vol. 4_
"Reach Out (& Give Me Your Hand)" Tickled Pink _Texas Funk: Hard Texas Funk 1968-1975_
"Reach Out I'll Be There (Stereo Promo Version)" Diana Ross _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol 11A: 1971_

"Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" Solomon Burke _The Very Best Of Solomon Burke_
"Outta Reach" She _Wants A Piece Of You_

(part two)

"Just Out Of Reach" The Zombies _The Zombies Collection_
"Out Of Reach" The Primitives _Out Of Reach_
"Just Out Of Reach" The Jesus & Mary Chain _Automatic_

interview with sci-fi/fantasy writer David Fruchter

"Reachin' Pete" Memphis Minnie _Queen Of The Country Blues: All The Published Sides 1929-1937_
"It's Like Reaching For The Moon (with Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra)" Billie Holiday _The Essential Brunswick Recordings_
"Reach Out For Me" Nancy Wilson _The Look Of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection_
"Reach For The Top" The Frantics _Frantic Times_
"Reach For The Sky" Fat Tulips _Take Me Back To Heaven EP_

interview with rapper MC Tsirhc

"To Reach Me" The Go-Betweens _Liberty Belle & The Black Diamond Express_
"Reaching For The Stars" Television Personalities _The Strangely Beautiful E.P._
"Wanna Reach You" Lunchbox _The Magic Of Sound_
"Reach For Your Gun" The Monochrome Set _Volume, Contrast, Brilliance... Singles & Sessions, Volume 1_

"Reaching Forward" Those Dancing Days _Daydreams & Nightmares_
"Reach Out, Yvonne" Easy _Never Seen A Star_

Whither It's A Reach?

(Image from this place.)

The story of this week's show's theme is one of intrigue & thrills, which will take us to three continents, involved the governments of at least twelve countries, & will require seven days to make the perfect amount of sense.

No, wait.  I was just listening to the record by She - this one - & digging the song "Outta Reach," & it reminded me of two songs with the same or similar names that I hadn't thought about in forever - one by the Jesus & Mary Chain, another by the Primitives - & I thought, "Can I do an entire show with the theme 'out of reach'?"

Songs were collected, but it became pretty apparent that I wasn't going to get away with that.  So I expanded the reach of the theme to include all kinds of reaching.  Once I reached a specific number of songs, I decided to do the show.  That'll happen tonight.

Tonight!  Omigosh!  From 9-11pm eastern on 93.9 fm WLXU in Lexington, or online everywhere.  You don't even need to reach out - the show will come to you!

Preface To It's A Reach: This Definition

According to the Wikipedia, a reach (geography) is "a length of a stream or river, usually suggesting a level, uninterrupted stretch.  The beginning & ending points may be selected for geographic, historical or other reasons – & may be based on landmarks such as gauging stations, river miles, natural features, & topography."

The same article mentions that there are "334 place names in the US with the characterization of a named 'reach,'" but only gives one example: Hanford Reach.

For some reason, I feel like I knew about this definition of the word "reach" before I first saw this definition although if you had asked me to define "reach" I wouldn't have necessarily given this particular one.  Which leads me to believe one of two things: a) my brain doesn't work & it's convinced about something that isn't true, or 2) in my life I have been somewhere that someone has described as a "reach."  If it's the second one, then I can't really remember where that might be.  Moreover, I'm not able to find any of the 333 other place names using the word "reach" in a simple manner.

What I have found is an acronym.  This is the case with REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, & Restriction of Chemicals, the acronym of which would actually be REARC.

Now, REACH of Fort Worth doesn't actually appear to be an acronym, though its descriptive subtitle, "Resource Centers on Independent Living," feels like it wishes it were the expanded acronym.  But that might be ReCoIL.  Which I am cool with.

& there a United Nations initiative called REACH which seems to do good work that's pretty immune to my snark.

Wait!  I may have found something.  According to this website, which focuses on revitalization efforts pertaining to the San Antonio River called the San Antonio River Improvements Project, or (SARIP):

SARIP is comprised of four distinctive reaches: The Museum Reach, a four-mile segment of the river from Hildebrand Avenue south to Lexington Avenue; the Downtown Reach, a segment of the original River Walk from Lexington Avenue to Houston Street; the Eagleland, a one-mile segment from South Alamo to Lonestar Boulevard; & the Mission Reach, a eight-mile section of the river extending from Lonestar Boulevard south to Loop 410 South.

The thing is, I've only been in San Antonio like five times in my life.  Are there signs on the riverwalk that say "Downtown Reach"?  Because that's the sort of thing that would settle in the low-import puzzle section of my brain.

Or are there sections of the Colorado & Trinity called "reaches" that I can't seem to find just stumbling around online?

Not sure.  But this has gone on long enough, don't you think?

Good Lord What Is It With The Song "Take On Me"?

Every time I turn around, I find someone online making another, somewhat specialized version of the song "Take On Me."  Here are three I've found recently.

This is "fingerstyle guitar":



Here's a for lack of a better word "classical" version:



Oh shit, here's the song in twenty different styles!



What the fuck?  Is this song as truly beloved as all that?  Or just easy to play?

Do I really want to know?

Birdie

You can't write from a place of anger.
Can I write from a place of coffee?
A what?
A coffee shop.  A place of coffee.
No one calls a coffee shop "a place of coffee."
It was my understanding that most adjective-noun combinations could be effectively rendered as "noun of adjective" without much confusion.
Like "hall of pool"?  Or "bread of cheese"?
I'm sorry, English is not my second language.
Did you say "second language"?
Yes.  It's my first language.
Oh, I get it.  You therefore believe you are allowed to make rules about the language with impunity, then.
With who?
With whom.
Who is whom?
Close.  It's "who is who."
Who is who?
Very nice.  Now we're Abbott & Costello.
Not my intention.  Instead, I wanted to...
Hold on.
What?
Are you writing this down?
So?
How do you write so fast?
Shortcake.
Shorthand, you mean?
Yes, well, "cake" means "hand" in shortcake.
But why are you writing this down?
For Birdie.
Who's Birdie?
The one who reads these things.
Why does Birdie want to read you arguing with me?
Birdie is possessed of a rare & interesting desire for all things.
Sounds like a creep.
Yes, that too.
Why haven't I met Birdie?
We've all met Birdie.
What's he like?
Cool, acute.  Aloof, perceptive.  Knows how to read a room, knows how to finish a book.
Are ours the only conversations he enjoys?
I'm sure others record their conversations for his perusal.  I don't know many of his friends.
Are we his friends?
No.
...
Hello?
I am leery about saying more.  I wanted this to be among friends.
What were you saying earlier about anger?
You just seemed a little angry that you hadn't finished your short story.
Shirt story.
Excuse me?
I was writing a story about a shirt.  But it might have turned into a novella.
Yeah, Birdie can fucking have this.