Self Help Radio 051123: Tilt

Here's a confession: this week's Self Help Radio was not live. I would've loved to do it live. I had planned to do it live. But. We got a new puppy. & the wife is out of town. & he does not like to be left alone. "But Gary," you say, "he probably needs to learn to stay in his crate yadda yadda blah blah." No he doesn't. He deserves every happiness & I couldn't enjoy two hours on the radio knowing he was barking & crying the whole time. There will be plenty of challenges in his future, I will not be one of them.

Anyway, I recorded the show Thursday. While I was editing, he & I were often playing tug-of-war. He needs to stay with me at all times because he is not potty trained. & that's another thing!

What? Radio show? Oh yeah. It's at the Self Help Radio web page (username SHR, password selfhelp). You can listen any time. The theme was "tilt." Lots of folks helped out. You can see their contributions below.

Please enjoy. It was all for the puppy.

Self Help Radio Tilt Show

"Tilt" The Howling Hex _Knuckleball Express_

"Tilted" Kristian North _Passion Play_

"Tilted" Sugar _Beaster_

introductions & definitions - featuring the Definition-O-Tron 3000!

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Leo & The Prophets _Flashback - Volume 4_

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Trapper Schoepp _Bay Beach Amusement Park_

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Glo-Worm _Glimmer_

"Tilt A Whirl" Piney Gir _Mr. Hyde's Wild Ride_

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Alyeska _Crush_

interview with tilt-a-whirl enthusiast Aubrey Tanner

"Tilted Crowd" Packs _Woah_

"Tilt" Scott Walker _Tilt_

"Full Tilt Boogie (Pt. 1)" Uncle Louie _Uncle Louie's Here_

"The Tilt" 7th Wonder _Thunder_

interview with jousting/tilting booster Sir Toby Dwyer

"Don Quixote" Gordon Lightfoot _Don Quixote_

"Tilting At Windmills" Weddings, Parties, Anything _Roaring Days_

"Tilting At Windmills" Tree Fort Angst _Last Page In The Book Of Love_

"Tilting Windmills" The High Llamas _Cold & Bouncy_

interview with Tilt Collective founders Dobbin & Bacon Tyler

"Tilt-A-Whirl" The New Duncan Imperials _Loserville_

"Tilt-A-Whirl Girl" The Push Stars _Meet Me At The Fair_

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Slobberbone _Crow Pot Pie_

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Burnside Project _The Networks, The Circuits, The Streams, The Harmonies_

"Tilt-A-Whirl" Bright Eyes _Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was_

a visit from our resident cinephile Chuck
+ conclusion & goodbye

"Tilt" Joe Jackson _Colour Collection_

"Tilt" Edward Ball _Catholic Guilt_

"Tilt You Up!" Enon _Lost Marbles & Exploded Evidence_

"Full Tilt" The Not-Its! _Kidquake_

"Tilt" The Monochrome Set _Charade_

Whither Tilt?

("Dream Of The Rarebit Fiend" Sunday strip by Winsor McCay, March 9, 1913 found here)

Yes, the theme of this week's show is "tilt." Not "tilting." "Tilt" can be a noun, you know. It just feels more like a verb. Oh look! It just now occurs to me that italics is tilted text. Wow. Um. Where was I?

In discussion with someone recently, I breathed a sigh of relief that I don't have to fill three hours with songs about a particular theme anymore. However, I do seem to be choosing themes which might not even fill two hours. & so it is with "tilt." I of course have two hours of songs which involve that word. But I couldn't have filled three hours. Not even close.

Why the theme? You might want to blame Edward Ball, since I was listening to his album Catholic Guilt a lot recently. Or maybe Scott Walker, whose album Tilt kind of haunts me. Or maybe I'll never know why I chose the theme "tilt." I just know it's happening today.

It is? Yes! From noon to 2pm Portland time on 90.3+98.3fm in town & online at Freeform Portland dot org. Lots of music! Lots of talk! Lots of tilting!

Preface To Tilt: Jousting Around

(from the Wikipedia page on jousting)

These past few days I've been a single dad & am trapped in a house with a puppy who hasn't been potty trained. It's been exhausting. So I have nothing to really say about tilting vs jousting, whether they're synonyms, or whether tilting is a form of jousting or vice versa. I do like this, from the Wikipedia entry linked above:

They met each other roughly with spears, & the French squire tilted much to the satisfaction of the earl: but the Englishman kept his spear too low, & at last struck it into the thigh of the Frenchman. The earl of Buckingham as well as the other lords were much enraged by this, & said it was tilting dishonorably; but he excused himself, by declaring it as solely owing to the restiveness of his horse.

If you had to have a subtitle for tomorrow's show, it would doubtless be "tilting dishonorably."

Four Years Ago, In Idaho

Four years ago today, we were on the road from Twin Falls, Idaho, to Portland, Oregon. My wife had a minivan with lots of stuff crammed in it - including three dogs. I had our little Prius with three cats. I documented that drive here on the blog, starting with this post. If you're curious.

So today is the four-year-anniversary of arriving in Portland. I have no regrets. I love it here. I love the people, I really love the food, I really really love the radio stations that let me help out. It's funny, I thought I might not be able to make the drive - we drove five hundred miles a day - but now I really don't think I could make that drive. But it's cool - I don't plan on going anywhere.

At some point outside of Boise - where we stopped & ate - I was falling asleep & my wife noticed & she called me (she was in front I think). It probably saved my life - or kept me from a dumb accident. But look at that road up there! Until we made it to the mountains of eastern Oregon it was a little dull. At least you could drive terrifyingly fast!

The Nicest Thing

We recently adopted a kitten & a puppy. I might have mentioned them already. We have three other animals - two dogs & a cat - all around the age of ten. The old dogs don't like the new cat but have had experiences with cats so don't mess with him. The old cat is fond & protective of the new cat. But the new puppy is generally disliked by all three of the Old Guard. So what happens?

The new puppy (Pete) & the new kitten (Bluto) become buddies, that's what happens. It's the nicest thing. They play too - it seems Pete is a little rough, but when I try to pull Bluto to safety, he goes back to play.

Last night I needed to check on Pete, & discovered him in the living room:

They just like each other. Again - it's the nicest thing! I hope it lasts.