Self Help Radio 082423: Neptune

(original image here)

Yesterday I said there were more songs about the god Neptune than the planet Neptune. So after the shows was done - & not counting the music over which I spoke or the interstitial bits, which were all about the planet - I counted ten (10) about the planet, nine (9) about the god, & two (2) that could be about either. I really wish I could've done an entire show about the planet though. & I could've, if I'd played more instrumentals. But for whatever reason I don't want to do that on Self Help Radio.

The interviews though were skewed heavily in favor of the planet - 3 to 1. I do so adore the planet Neptune. I'm glad I've been alive when we got a chance to take a look at it. & I hope one day we discover that it truly does rain diamonds there.

Anyway, you'll have to settle for a radio show. It's at the Self Help Radio website right now. Use the username SHR & pass the password selfhelp to access. Listed below are all the songs I played & all the things that happened in-between. Hope you enjoy!

Self Help Radio Neptune Show

"Have You Heard The Latest News From Neptune" Sun Ra & His Arkestra _In The Orbit Of Ra_

introduction & definitions

"Gloire À Toi Neptune!" Tri Yann _Abysses_

"Neptune" Ian Brown _Golden Greats_

"Neptune" Glenn Tilbrook _Transatlantic Ping Pong_

"The Neptune Freeze (feat Fred Schneider)" Ursula 1000 _Esoterique_

interview with the god Neptune (!)

"Neptune" Barry McGuire _Barry McGuire & Featuring Members Of The New Christy Minstrels_

"Father Neptune" Anna & Elizabeth _Anna & Elizabeth_

"Neptune" Terrible Sons _Half Awake, Half Asleep_

"Neptune's World" Strapping Fieldhands _Gobs On The Midway: Singles 1991-1995_

interview with Paul Norton, who says he's visited Neptune

"Neptune Sun" The Ghost Ease _Raw_

"Neptune" Higher Authorities _Neptune_

"Diamonds On Neptune" Old 97's _Twelfth_

"Nervous On Neptune" The Aqua Velvets _Nomad_

interview with Queen Neptunia of Neptune (!!)

"Neptune's Daughter" The Divine Comedy _Promenade_

"Neptune's Daughter" Bert Jansch _Crimson Moon_

"Neptune's Daughter" Dennis Driscoll _Voices In The Fog_

"Neptune's Daughter" Luminescent Orchestrii _Neptune's Daughter_

interview with astronomer Peter Nance

"Kidnapped By Neptune" Scout Niblett _Kidnapped By Neptune_

"Neptune City" Nicole Atkins _Neptune City_

"Neptune Song" Ghost Camp _Great Lakes_

conclusion & goodbye

"Neptune" Motorbass _Pansoul_

"Peace On Neptune" UFOm _Aliens Are Real_

Whither Neptune?

(image from the Wikipedia)

Neptune is the eighth & last planet in our solar system (sorry Pluto!). Neptune is also the name of the Roman god of the seas. That Neptune gave the planet Neptune its name although the planet Neptune existed long before humans who invented Neptune. We have no idea what the planet Neptune was called before the god Neptune gave it his name. Maybe Poseidon?

Neptune was discovered in 1846 even though we're pretty sure it was there before that. I like the fact that they continued to give the planets Roman names even though I would've picked Neptune over Uranus when named Uranus. No one know who Uranus was! Plus, that's a Greek name, not a Roman one! Anyway. It's weird to think we've only known about Neptune for less than two hundred years. But it's even weirder that we never even saw close-up pictures of Neptune until Voyager 2 paid the planet a visit in 1989. That's in my lifetime!

Here's a confession: there are more songs about the god Neptune than the planet Neptune. So be ready for that. Also: there are more instrumental songs - in the jazz, rock, New Age, & electronica idioms - about Neptune than ones with vocals. We need to find a place for them!

Listen to Self Help Radio's show about Neptune (both the god & the planet) today on Freeform Portland from noon to 2pm. In Portland it's on 90.3+98.3fm & everywhere (maybe even on Neptune?) it's at freeform portland dot org. Something for the fans of the planet & fans of the god both!

Preface To Neptune: Intro Doc

If I did this right, embedded above is a video by Astrum about the planet Neptune, which is this week's theme. The direct link to the video is here. It's a very nice & delightfully succinct overview of a planet about which we knew very little until around 1989. It's true! I liked it so much I snatched samples of the vid to play throughout tomorrow's show.

Now, the show tomorrow will also be about the god Neptune, after whom the planet is named. But I'm an astronomy geek. I should probably look for a YouTube doc about the god Neptune. But I also probably won't.

Toys

This was a disappointing day, in ways that would seem dumb to you & so I won't bore you with the details. I spent a lot of it listening to music for this week's Self Help Radio - which is what I do most Tuesdays. As the day came to a close, I thought of the blog & that I had nothing really to say, & when I really have nothing to say, I go look at pictures I've taken on this day in the past few years. I started taking pictures when I realized I had a digital camera, & that was spring 2014. By August 22, 2016, we were living in Fort Worth.

It being summer, we needed to wake early to walk the dogs - it's sad to realize that of the four we had at the time, two of them are no longer with us. I had looked at maps & come up with what I hoped was a decent dogwalk to satisfy the wife. I did not. She found the route I had picked "dirty." So she suggested we walk under the highway to a neighborhood she liked, near an elementary school.

One of the homes near the school had two windows full of toys. I took a picture. I titled it "Toys." It looks more like stuffed animals, doesn't it? Oh well.

Let's hope tomorrow is a bit better than today. Today was disappointing.

The Charm Of Cinema

(image from the IMDb)

We had one charming show last week - why, you can still listen at the Self Help Radio website! - & in-between the songs, our resident cinephile Chuck talked about movies featuring a certain kind of charming - hypnosis! After you've listened, take advantage of what is almost certainly an untreated obsessive/compulsive condition & check out the following links:

Here is his YouTube playlist of films & trailers.

Here is his Letterboxd list.

Chuck's instructions: "Click on the 'read notes' icon - I have put links to the youtube videos, where the film may be streaming for free, & the occasional bit of other information."

Here are his Letterboxd reviews.

Here is the IMDb list of films available to stream for free.

Here is Chuck's IMDb keyword list.

& remember Chuck is on Twitter, on Bluesky, & on Substack.

Chuck will return in a few weeks!