Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Flashlight Day

December 21 is National Flashlight Day. Is it because it's also the longest night of the year? When one might conceivably most need a flashlight? Actually, we don't know. We haven't started doing research for the show yet. We're going to start cramming tonight. After a few drinks. Don't tell Dick Dickenbock! We told him we'd have his copy ready by show time. & maybe we will.

The show is happening tomorrow - Sunday, December 21 - from noon to 1am on 91.1+107.1fm in Portland & online everywhere at xray dot fm. Here's hoping we have enough batteries for the entire show!

This Week In Self Help (December 14 + 16)

As the year winds down, as I take the time to reflect on all the radio shows I've done in 2025... Nope. Don't have time for that! I am doing two (2!) radio shows today! I gotta go work on them!

How did this week go? I'll tell you.

The Dickenbock Report. XRAY FM. It was Monkey Day.
Listen on the XRAY website. Listen on the Self Help Radio website.

Self Help Radio. KBOO. It was Howard Gently Year Four Concluded.

Listen on the KBOO website. Listen on the Self Help Radio website.

Corporate Standardized Programming. KBOO. More artists we lost in May 2025.

Listen on the KBOO website (after Self Help Radio). Listen on the Self Help Radio website.

Remember: for the Self Help Radio website, use username SHR + password selfhelp.

Now I have to go make some radio shows!

Self Help Radio 121625: Howard Gently Year Four Concluded

Thus concludes a year of Self Help Radio in which Howard Gently appeared on the vast majority of shows. These are his 115th to 126th appearances on the show, & I can't help be amazed at how funny & fresh he kept the character. The bit about towers had me rolling on the floor.

There's not much else to say except I hope this shows my gratitude & appreciation for my friend Russell giving so much of himself to my dumb show. If he had had the time & space to develop Howard Gently for some other medium, it would've made him famous.

Listen to the show either at the KBOO website or the Self Help Radio website. If you choose the latter, make sure you use the username SHR & password selfhelp. Everything that happened on the show except my airbreaks is listed below.

As Howard Gently might have said, "Yule."

Self Help Radio Howard Gently Year Four Concluded Show

"The World In Color" Russell Miles _The World In Color_ (Self-Released, 1986)

"Don't Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk" The Cramps _Psychedelic Jungle_

Howard Gently on the theme "Sidewalks"

Howard Gently on the theme "Christmas 2017"

"A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" Gene McDaniels _The Very Best Of Gene McDaniels_

Howard Gently on the theme "A Hundred Things"

"Evenings Of Damask" Tyrannosaurus Rex _Unicorn_

Howard Gently on the theme "Evenings"

"Time To Evolve" Bill Hicks _Rant In E-Minor_

Howard Gently on the theme "It's Time To"

"Poisoned Rose" Elvis Costello _King Of America_

Howard Gently on the theme "Roses"

"Tower Of Song" Leonard Cohen _I'm Your Man_

Howard Gently on the theme "Tower"

"Reaching Into In" Ken Nordine _How Are Things In Your Town?_

Howard Gently on the theme "Outreach"

"I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (& Throw Away The Key)" Billie Holiday _Lady Day: The Master Takes & Singles_

Howard Gently on the theme "Keys"

"Night Mail" Public Service Broadcasting _Inform - Educate - Entertain_

Howard Gently on the theme "Silent Retreat"

"The Hall Of Mirrors" Kraftwerk _Trans-Europe Express_

Howard Gently on the theme "Sixteenth Anniversary"

"The Unguarded Moment" The Church _Hindsight 1980-1987_

Howard Gently on the theme "Moments"

Whither Howard Gently Year Four Concluded?

The year 2017 had the most appearances of the Rev Dr Howard Gently of any year from 2014 to 2022 that he appeared on the show. So much so that it's taken four episode of Self Help Radio to play them all. We'll finish that year tonight.

Howard Gently was a creation of my late friend Russell, who improvised interviews with me to air on my show. This is a celebration of him. He was a dear friend & the funniest person I have ever known.

The show is happening tonight from midnight to 2am on KBOO - 90.7fm in town, kboo dot fm everywhere. & letting Dr Gently have the last word, I hear him say: "Ahimsa."

Preface To Howard Gently Year Four Concluded: Sun Haze

This is a photo taken I think in Lexington Kentucky. I am not sure where. But I stumbled onto it recently.

This week I continue playing bits made for my show in 2017 & 2018 by my friend Russell who is no longer with us. I know he enjoyed making these improvised segments. I don't think he thought they might be enjoyed later. I want to prove him wrong.

He is a person I miss so very much.