Self Help Radio 112525: Magda's Birthday Show 2025

Here it is, the annual birthday show I make for my wife. She said "Thank you for making a birthday show for me" drowsily as she drifted off to sleep. Marriage saved for one more year!

About a third of the songs on the show were from 2025. That includes older songs on new releases, like the Red Sleeping Beauty singles collection & the John & Yoko box set. Most of the rest were songs I just came across this year. I have a folder - this is true - full of birthday songs that I don't really like all that much. I always think one year I'll release a deliberately sub-standard birthday show, so that's why I keep them. But I continue to find birthday songs I like so - not yet!

Have a birthday party & listen to the show either on the KBOO web page or on the Self Help Radio web page. If you choose the latter, you might need the username SHR & the password selfhelp. In any event, bring your own hats & cake. I ate all the cake.

Happy birthday!

Self Help Radio Birthday Show 2025

"Happy Birthday" Mocca _Funfair_

"Happy Happy Birthday" Bitter Cherry Jam _Road To The Vegetablets_

"Happy Birthday" Red Sleeping Beauty _Pop Songs_

introduction & explanation

"Happy Birthday" Black Country, New Road _Forever Howlong_

"A Happy Birthday Song" John Tabacco _You Get Old - You Get Everything_

"Timmy's Birthday" The Firesign Theatre _Dope Humor Of The Seventies_

"Happy Birthday Yoko Ono (Jam)" John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory & Special Guests _Power To The People_

"Archie Stephens' Birthday Party" Shrug _Fresh Fish_

interview with Magda's 7th grade boyfriend Chad

"Birthday" Joni _Avalanches_

"I Don't Know Why Double Birthday" Saintseneca _Highwallow & Supermoon Songs_

"Happy Birthday Old Folk" Walter Brennan _Old Rivers_

"My 8th Birthday" Big Top Heartbreak _Deadbeat Ballads_

"Is It Worth It (Happy Birthday)" Cate Le Bon _Michelangelo Dying_

interview with Wojciech & Agnieszka, who were in the Polish community with Magda

"Happy Birthday Late" Starlings _Korda Komp 4_

"Song For Molly Parden (Happy Birthday Darling)" Johanna Samuels _Bystander_

"White Lady With A Birthday Party" Nicole Byer _Big Beautiful Weirdo_

"Happy Birthday" Tommy Crimes _Album_

"Picture Of The Birthday" Crawl Babies _Send My Badge! - Bluebadge Compilation Vol. 1_

interview with Oliver, who had been a grad student with Magda

"Bad Birthday Bash" The Vandals _When In Rome Do As The Vandals_

"Birthday" Snuff Redux _Birthday_

"Happy Birthday To A Bookworm" Ernie Kovacs _The Ernie Kovacs Album_

"Birthday" Warren Teagarden _Haiku Islands Volume Two_

"One More Trip Around The Sun" Cari Cari _One More Trip Around The Sun_

conclusion & goodbye

"Happy Birthday" Fats & His Cats _Die Singles 1962-1968_

"Birthday Bash" The Hants _Bible Belt Warbling_

"Pretend Birthday" Automatic Children _New Is Beautiful_

"Birthday Dream" Human Culture _Human Culture_

Whither Magda's Birthday Show 2025?

(image from here)

Nearly every year that Self Help Radio has been in existence - that's like 23 years now - I have dedicated a show to the love of my life - first when she was just my girlfriend, now as my wife - around the time of her birthday. Do I play songs that make me think about her? Do I share songs that we both love equally? Nope! I play songs about birthdays. She's still charmed by it tho.

What makes the show difficult for me is that I don't repeat recordings. Which is to say, I may play covers of famous birthday songs, but once I've played that recording of the song, I don't repeat it. So I need to find new birthday songs - either ones that have been released in the last twelve months or ones I have otherwise missed - on every birthday show. & that's a challenge!

You can find out how I do tonight on KBOO - 90.7fm in Portland, kboo dot fm everywhere - from midnight to 2am. Heck, it might even be your birthday!

Preface To Magda's Birthday Show 2025: I Got You A Card

Hope you like it.