Self Help Radio 081723: Charm

(original image here)

Can a radio show be charming? Of course! Can Self Help Radio be charming? Not on your life! But can Self Help Radio do a radio show about charm? It not only can - it did!

This week's show had oodles of charm songs as well as charming interviews with charming folk & our charming resident cinephile Chuck even talked in-between the songs about movies featuring a kind of charming - hypnotism! We find it all very charming & hope you're charmed by it too.

Listen to the show on the Self Help Radio website. Remember the username (SHR) & password (selfhelp)! Everything that happened on the show is listed below - except Chuck's movie recommendations - they happened in-between the songs.

Also, we didn't talk about the show Charmed. I'm sorry. Or am I?

Self Help Radio Charm Show

"Good Luck Charm" The Marvelettes _The Tamla Sound Of The Marvelettes_

"Hidden Charms" Howlin' Wolf _The Howlin' Wolf Anthology_

"Charms Of The Arms Of Love" Alice Clark _Alice Clark_

introduction & definitions

"Prince Charming" Adam & The Ants _Prince Charming_

"Pedigree Charm" Lora Logic _Pedigree Charm_

"This Charming Man" The Smiths _Hatful Of Hollow_

"Dangerous Charms" The Delmonas _Dangerous Charms_

interview with Sal Arp, who's suing the makers of Lucky Charms

"Lucky Charms" The Moldy Peaches _The Moldy Peaches_

"Lucky Charm" Helium _Ends With And_

"Lucky Charm" The Apples In Stereo _Fun Trick Noisemaker_

"My Lucky Charm" The Postmarks _Memoirs At The End Of The World_

interview with charm school dropout Seth Akins

"Charm School" Elvis Costello _Punch The Clock_

"Charm School" Would-Be-Goods _Spring Fever_

"Charm School For Damaged Boys" Shilpa Ray _Portrait Of A Lady_

"Charm" Shoulders _Trashman Shoes_

interview with charm school headmistress Sandy Astor

"The Charm Song" Momus _Hypnoprism_

"How Charming" Dollys _Low Year_

"Charmless Man" Blur _The Great Escape_

"Those Charming Men" Club 8 _Nouvelle_

interview with snake charmer Samuel Atwell

"Snake Charmer" The Frowning Clouds _Listen Closelier_

"Charmer & The Snake" The Velveteers _Nightmare Daydream_

"Your Charms" Cinerama _Cinerama Holiday_

"Charms Around Your Wrist" The Softies _It's Love_

conclusion & goodbye

"Charms & The Girl" The Dentists _Powdered Lobster Fiasco_

"Charm Bracelet" All Girl Summer Fun Band _Summer Of '98_

"Use Your Charms" The Magick Heads _Transvection_

"Clever, Charming" The Service Economy _Hey! Where'd The Summer Go?_

Whither Charm?

(I scanned this ages ago from an old comic book.)

Prince Charming told me his favorite song was "This Charming Man." When introduced to someone, he would say, "Charmed, I'm sure." He had tested out of charm school. Was his favorite cereal Lucky Charms? Oh I didn't ask.

Somewhere along the way I began to be charmed by lots of songs about charm, almost certainly beginning with the Smiths song, which I listened to a lot after Andy Rourke's death. It was just a matter of accumulating a lot of charm songs, like the charms above for jewelry, until I felt the moment was charmed enough to have a show about charm. & that moment is today!

Listen from noon to 2pm Portland time to Self Help Radio on Freeform Portland. It's on the air in town at 90.3+98.3 fm. & we're online everywhere at freeform portland dot org. You'll hear lots of music & lots of conversations - including one with a charm school dropout & one with a snake charmer!

Do tune in - I find you so charming!

Preface To Charm: Oodles Of Charm

From Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast Of Champions:

The show tomorrow is about charm, you see. I don't have oodles of charm, alas.

What The Hell Update For Corporate Standardized Programming Too

The other other show I do is called Corporate Standardized Programming & it airs on KBOO from midnight to 3am on Tuesday mornings/Monday nights. Because of an issue with my show change needing to be approved by a committee, the show is still called Self Help Radio on the website. But it's very much not Self Help Radio.

While looking at the site last night, I noticed that the show isn't being recorded & archived on the website. I don't know why that is. But since I record the show at home, I uploaded recent episodes (tho not last night's yet). In case you've been missing the show - & you didn't know you can listen to it at the Self Help Radio website.

It's a show I enjoy doing because it's focused on music. I don't talk much. & I can do things like pay tribute to artists who have recently passed. I also like to play long songs. Long songs in the middle of the night.

To sum up: Corporate Standardized Programming hasn't moved, but the web page on the KBOO website is mostly updated. That's all. That's my dumb update for this show.

Update For The Dickenbock Report

There is a program I do on XRAY called the Dickenbock Report. Like Self Help Radio, I've done this show on three stations in Portland - it started on KBOO, went to Freeform Portland, & is now on XRAY. It's very much like Self Help Radio in that it is theme-based, except it's done as though it's a newscast/news magazine. Mostly it's the same though.

The show has recently aired very early in the morning, 5-7am on Saturdays. It started in April & it soon became apparent that it was going to be a lot - meaning that I would have to go to sleep early on Fridays & wake early on Saturdays. I am not good at going to sleep early - I'm not really very good at going to sleep, to be honest. So as the months wore on, I was sleeping less & less. & waking earlier to work on the show.

Realizing I might not be able to keep up this pace, I suggested that the show might move when the new cycle started in August to a different time slot. & I said I would be glad to lose an hour - I am already doing two other shows, you know. & this has come to pass.

Starting next week, on Sunday August 20, the Dickenbock Report airs at 9am. Just for an hour. It should be fine. I might could do odder themes - I am very happy with last week's show about sewing machines, for example.

& so - the Dickenbock Report is on Sundays now on XRAY FM at 9am. Just thought you should know.