Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: Cole Porter's Birthday

(image from the Wikipedia)

Hardly anything is happening in the world, so tomorrow on The Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM, we take the time to celebrate the birthday of songwriter Cole Porter, born June 9, 1891.

We will of course feature musical reports - which is to say, his songs - but also a special report about Portland's annual Cole Porter Look-A-Like Contest. It would be unfortunate to miss such an hour of news.

Tomorrow! Sunday, June 9, noon to 1pm, on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm. Do tune in. It will be de-lovely.

This Week In Self Help (June 2 + 4 2024)

All the images of helicopters shared this week were taken by me with a kinda shabby camera I have that I use to take shabby pictures. I've taken lots of not-very-good images of helicopters is what I'm trying to say.

& yet we start with this week's overview of radio with The Dickenbock Report which aired Sunday the 2nd on XRAY. It was International Sex Workers' Day so I played songs about well you know. You can listen to + download the show at the Self Help Radio website directly by clicking here. Use the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access. You can also listen to the show at the XRAY FM website by clicking here. But you can't download it there.

As noted, the theme of Self Help Radio this week was helicopters. You can listen to that show at the Self Help Radio website by clicking here - same username/password situation mentioned above applies here - or you can listen on the KBOO website by clicking here.

The last hour on the KBOO website is my show Corporate Standardized Programming. This week I played lots of new releases. If you'd like to listen to it all by itself, you can do so at the Self help Radio website by clicking here. Again, it's already on the KBOO website with Self Help Radio. Again again, if you download it at the Self Help Radio you'll need to use the password.

And that was all! I mean, it's still a lot, but not nearly as bad as last week!

Self Help Radio 060424: Helicopters

While I was doing the show this morning I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu - had I done a show about helicopters before? I have been making Self Help Radio episodes for 22 years & I most definitely have repeated myself - both accidentally & deliberately - but that's why I created the page that lists all the themes I've explored. Helicopters as a theme wasn't there. I must have been remembering a radio I did in a parallel universe.

Which is sad. I had hoped that parallel universe me had found something more constructive to do with his time.

Meanwhile! We had a good time pretending to be whirling about in the sky for a couple of hours. We chatted with helicopter weirdoes, we heard helicopter songs, & I was very lucky it wasn't as loud as it could've been. My ears are a bit worn out. & I might need theme some more in my life.

Listen to the show either at the KBOO Self Help Radio page or at the Self Help Radio website. At the show's website, please use the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access. All the stuff that happened is listed below.

Self Help Radio Helicopters show

"Helicopter" Caspar Babypants _Sing Along!_

"Helicopter" The Not-Its! _We Are The Not-Its!_

"Whirly-Bird" Silver Apples _Silver Apples_

introduction & definitions

"Helicopter Honeymoon" Scrotum Poles _Messthetics # 105: DIY 77-81 Scotland I_

"Helicopter" XTC _Drums & Wires_

"The Helicopter Spies" Swell Maps _....In 'Jane From Occupied Europe'_

"Police In Helicopter" John Holt _Police In Helicopter_

interview with helicopter tour pilot Chris Dean

"Helicopter Helicopter" The Associates _Perhaps_

"Just Helicopters" The Wonder Stuff _Hot Love Now! E.P._

"Helicopter" Swirl _...One Last Kiss_

"N.Y. By Helicopter" The Rock*A*Teens _Baby, A Little Rain Must Fall_

interview with helicopter parent specialist Carl Donner

"When That Helicopter Comes" The Handsome Family _In The Air_

"Helicopter" Fairmount Girls _Tender Trap_

"Everywhere With Helicopter" Guided By Voices _The Best Of Guided By Voices: Human Amusements At Hourly Rates_

"Helicopter 666" Cobra Killer _Cobra Killer_

interview with helicopter stuntperson Craig Dunn

"Helicopters" The Crayon Fields _Animal Bells_

"Helicopter People" The Magic Whispers _Carousels & Music Boxes_

"Helicopter" Eros & The Eschaton _Weight Of Matter_

"Men In Helicopters" Adrian Belew _Young Lions_

interview with helicopter news reporter Cathy Darnell

"Helicopter" M. Ward _Transfiguration Of Vincent_

"Helicopter" Ora The Molecule _Human Safari_

"Helicopter" Earth Girl Helen Brown _Four Satellites Vol. 1_

conclusion & goodbye

"Here Come The Choppers" Loudon Wainwright III _Here Come The Choppers_

"Helicopters" Red House Painters _Red House Painters_

Whither Helicopters?

It is a shameful thing to admit, but the show this week started with a meme.

Maybe it's a meme? It certainly started with Facebook. Facebook is basically unusable to me at this point because I no longer can go to my general timeline & see what my friends are doing - it's filled with paid "suggested for me" things that I didn't chose & don't care about. What I do look at are the "Facebook memories" - I've been on Facebook for fifteen years so it's an accidental scrapbook where I can especially see pictures of my now-gone pets.

But also there are the arguably funny things I post. This is something I found on the Tumblrs many years ago that Facebook memories showed to me in February or March:

Sadly I don't know where it's from so I can't credit the creator! It did make me think if a radio show about helicopters would be fun. So I started to plan for one.

Inspiration is kinda stupid some of the time.

There's a Self Help Radio show about helicopters tonight on KBOO. That's midnight to 2am on 90.7fm in town & online at kboo dot fm. Hopefully it won't be too loud. But keep your head down.

Preface To Helicopters: Damn You John Mulaney!

It probably goes without saying that I plan my shows sometime in advance. I often get an idea & not return to it for weeks, months, even years. (My oldest folder on my computer where I save ideas is from 2010. To be fair, it isn't a very good idea.) Doing a show with the theme helicopters probably came to me in February, & I announced it on my website about a month ago.

Imagine my surprise when I took the time to watch John Mulaney's Netflix Show Everboy's In LA & discovered his third episode - which aired live May 7 but which I finally saw last week since I didn't watch the show live - was about helicopters.

Granted, his show was watched & continues to be watched by millions. My show, on the other hand, is heard by maybe three people - & not at a time. & granted, his show is always going to be better than mine - he had Joyce Manor on the show & Fred Armisen had a really sweet & cool segment with LA punks. But still I don't want to feel like a copycat!

Please accept my assurance that I did not plan a show about helicopters after seeing Mulaney's. Nor did he speed up his timetable because he knew I planned a show about helicopters in early June. We do not talk, John Mulaney & I. & a fake Bob Dylan has never called my show.

Now that that's out of the way - why a show about helicopters? I'll tell you tomorrow.