Whither Eagles?

(Image by Goggla, found here)

Why wouldn't one do a radio show about eagles? Who asks that sort of question in America? (Maybe I shoulda waited to do this show in July...)

It's at this point I remind you that one of my dumb rules about Self Help Radio is that the theme relates to songs not bands. So unless The Eagles wrote a song about eagles, you won't hear the Eagles on this show. But also I confess I am not a fan of the Eagles so even if the Eagles wrote a song about eagles you probably wouldn't hear a song by the Eagles on the show.

Why do a show about eagles in May? Seriously, I only just realized I should've waited. But a while back when I was looking at some children's videos on the Youtube about some other theme, the algorithm took me to a video called something like "Ten Interesting Facts About The Bald Eagle." I didn't make it past the animation or the pleas to like & subscribe but it did make me wonder whether there were enough eagle songs I liked to make a radio show about eagles.

Turns out there were & that show is happening tonight! Midnight to 2am. On 90.7fm in Portland & online everywhere at kboo dot fm.

Listen if you love America! & remember: the NSA is listening so they'll know when you're not listening.

Preface To Eagle: I Think It's An Eagle?

Sometime ten years ago I started taking pictures with my wife's cheap digital camera. Just things I thought were interesting around the neighborhood. Though I have a slightly better digital camera now with which I take pictures, I haven't become a skillful photographer by any stretch of the imagination. I still take pictures & share them on my personal Facebook page & over on the show's Tumblr page.

What has turned out to be handy is that when I have a theme - like "eagles," which will be this week's show - I can go to the folder where I store the images & I can type a name into my window's search bar & lo + behold there might be an image which fits the theme. The search engine is pretty powerful - it will find the word I typed in the pictures. What this means is I don't have to use someone else's images in these Self Help Radio things I do. Mostly they're mine - if they're not, I tell you so.

But look at this. The image above - which I took in December 2014 & which I entitled "Murca," came up when I typed in the word eagle. I don't think it looks like an eagle - do you? I think it more resembles a smooth dragon. But whatever. I needed an image for this blog entry & I've never seen an eagle in real life. Even though we have plenty around here.

Why a show about eagles? I'll answer that tomorrow.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: Frog Jumping Jubilee Day

(image from Goodreads)

May 19 is Frog Jumping Jubilee Day. Down in Angels Camp in Calaveras County, California, thousands will gather this weekend (well, have gathered, as the event is happening as we speak) to have fun & commemorate the story that launched the career of Samuel Clemens. More information about that event (there's still time to attend!) is at their website.

Tune in to the Dickenbock Report tomorrow as we report not only on the event but frogs in general. We want to give context. In addition to many musical reports, we'll also have a live remote from a reporter on the ground at the Jubilee. Sadly, it's not Dick Dickenbock. He's afraid to get warts.

Tomorrow! Sunday, May 19, noon to 1pm, on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

We sincerely hope no frogs will be hurt in the making of the program.

This Week In Self Help (May 12 + 14 2024)

Despite some difficulties I managed to make three radio shows this week & even have some recorded proof of that. Though I did a show with the theme "arrested" I wasn't hassled by the police at all! They actually hardly ever come around anymore. Seems like something offended them & hurt their feelings.

Please don't get arrested, but do listen to this week's show, which you can access with this direct link right here. You will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access. & you can download it!

You can also on the KBOO website, here is that link. No password needed.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I played music of musicians whom we've recently lost. If you'd rather listen to it/download it from the Self Help Radio website, here is the link for that. Same username & password for Self Help Radio apply.

The Sunday before all that was The Dickenbock Report, a show about hospitals on National Hospital Day. No, I wasn't in the hospital either. We were reporting the news! The show is on the Self Help Radio web page linked here, & also on the XRAY web page.

Someone's at the door - oh no it's the cops!

Self Help Radio 051424: Arrested

Something terrible happened to this week's Self Help Radio, & it's not just that the show happened & no one stopped it. The show did happen. I was there. But sadly there's no recorded evidence of it. My recording device failed to capture the show. The KBOO website failed to record the show. I assume the show as it aired is lost forever. But!

Because the fake interviews are prerecorded, & because I have a sense of the nonsense I spout on the air, I went ahead & rerecorded my airbreaks for the show & that's what you can listen to, should you want to listen, linked on the Self Help Radio & KBOO websites.

The show this week had the theme "arrested." Is there someone who might put out a warrant for my arrest due to my criminal carelessness & probably illegal stupidity? Gosh I hope not. But I should perhaps stop talking now & call my liar - I mean lawyer.

The show! Listen at the Self Help Radio website (remember the username SHR & the password selfhelp) or at the KBOO website (no passwords needed but you can't download the show). Lots of music + talk on the show - that's all listed below.

Oh no will I need a bail bondsman?!?

Self Help Radio Arrested Show

"Your Under Arrest (For Stealing My Heart)" Ray Price _The Honky Tonk Years (1950-1966)_

"You're Under Arrest" The Shirelles _The Collection_

"Arrest Me" Jamo Thomas _Popcorn's Detroit Soul Party_

introduction & definitions

"Advice On Arrest" The Desperate Bicycles _New Cross, New Cross_

"Arrested" Blouse _Imperium_

"The Under Arrest Joke" Mike Birbiglia _Thank God For Jokes_

"She Got Arrested" The Interrupters _Say It Out Loud_

interview with police offider Margaret Potter

"Under Arrest" Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs _No Help Coming_

"You're Under Arrest" S.W.A.T. _Deep Inside A Cop's Mind_

"Love Arrestor" Bobby Goldsboro _Honey_

"How High The Mountain (Ronnie's Theme)" David Cross & Bob Odenkirk _Mr. Show: The Complete Third Season_

"Arrested" The Accused _Messthetics # 103: DIY 77-81 Midlands I_

interview with fingerprinter Mark Parker

"Arrested For Driving While Blind" Z.Z. Top _Tejas_

"I Wanna Make An Arrest (Acoustic Demo)" Martha Wainwright _Come Home To Mama_

"Under Arrest" Debbie Harry _KooKoo_

"Citizen's Arrest" Wolf Colonel _Intercontinental Pop Exchange No. 1_

"Highway Patrol" Junior Brown _Guit With It_

interview with cop's son Matty Peterson

"You're Under Arrest" Serge Gainsbourg _You're Under Arrest_

"Under Arrest (feat. Young MC)" Sly & Robbie _Silent Assassin_

"You're Under Arrest" Benjamin Zephaniah _Rasta_

interview with author Milt Pullman

"Cordial Arrest" International Airport _You Don't Need Darkness To Do What You Think Is Right_

"House Arrest" Field Medic _Grow Your Hair Long If You're Wanting To See Something That You Can Change_

"Blah Blah Blah" Lenny Bruce _To Is A Preposition; Come Is A Verb_

"Finally I Can Get Arrested In This Town" Frenzal Rhomb _The Cup Of Pestilence_

conclusion & goodbye

"Can't Get Arrested" Lloyd Cole _Bad Vibes_

Whither Arrested?

(That time Kirk arrested Spock. Image from here.)

Why a radio show with the theme "arrested"? Was I recently arrested? Or someone I know? No. But I am about to confess to something that is almost as nerdy as that picture up there from TJ Hooker featuing Leonard Nimoy as the guest star. It's this: I am kinda obsessed with the show Criminal Minds. It's not because of the stories, which are absurd, but because the characters are superheroes. The minute they're called onto a case, they're going to solve it. A serial killer's been murdering people for 27 years & has never been caught? The team gets to town & they've caught him in a couple of days. That's amazing. I joke that they should assign them to older mysteries, like the Kennedy Assassination. They'd figure that out in a jiffy.

But I noticed one night - I watch about two episodes a week, time & whiskey permitting - there aren't a lot of arrests on the show. On Law & Order, you're guaranteed at least one arrest per episode. But more often than not, the criminal on Criminal Minds dies before getting their day in court.

It seems I found myself missing the process of arrest. So I decided to do a show featuring lots of arrests. & that's what's happening tonight.

Yes tonight! From midnight to 2am on 90.7fm in Portland & online everywhere at kboo dot fm. In-between songs & interviews I'll be asking for her during our Spring Membership Drive. If you can help, please do so!

Preface To Arrest: Proud To Have Never Been Arrested

(Comic by Glen Baxter)

It's a dumb thing to be proud of, not being arrested. I've been stopped by cops - when I was younger, they seemed to let me off with warnings more often than not - always in the case of speeding. But as I've aged, the most interactions I've had with law enforcement is speeding tickets. & maybe a little more when I worked at a Seven-Eleven, where they wanted free stuff - especially donuts.

& it's not that I'm proud of being a good boy. There have certainly been situations where I might have been in a lot of trouble if I'd been caught - especially stealing things. But I wasn't caught. Cops were never called. I never got arrested.

That being said, I've never really done anything that would've actually landed me in jail. Never drove drunk (more than once or twice). Never assaulted anyone. Never killed anyone. Never embezzled a large amount of money. & when, in the depths of the pandemic, I got caught running a light by a traffic cam, I paid the money to sit through a sixty-minute "education" seminar on Zoom in which the internet froze several times & the movies they tried to show were utterly ineffective. But the charge was expunged from my record!

& heck yeah I know people who've been arrested. It doesn't sound like fun. It's bad enough the government knows where I live & makes me pay all the taxes. Imagine if there were a box checked somewhere for "public indecency" because I urinated outdoors! I don't want that. Luckily I didn't do that.

So what the hell will I talk about on the show tomorrow? Ha ha! I won't be doing most of the talking. As usual! Despite what everyone thinks!

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Hospital Day

(One of my absolute favorite moments from Community)

May 14 is National Hospitals Day. A good day to be in the hospital? No! It's never a good day to be in a hospital! People die there! But it is a good day to listen to the Dickenbock Report.

Join us tomorrow as we report on hospitals including a book report, oral reports, & of course musical reports. If we're lucky we won't get any long stories about Dick Dickenbock's time in hospitals. A person his age has spent a bit of time in the hospital. But how many stories about jello & mean nurses can one take?

Join us for our second afternoon show, Sunday, May 12, noon to 1pm, on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

As always, consult your doctor if the Dickenbock Report makes you violently ill.

This Week In Self Help (May 5 + 7 2024)

People love unicorns in Portland. & why wouldn't they? Unicorns live here in the Pacific Northwest. I am only surprised that they don't have a regular radio show about them!

Of course, they were the theme on this week's Self Help Radio. Lots of unicorn songs & conversations. Did you miss it?  Well! Here's a direct link to the episode. As always, you will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

If you'd rather listen to the show on the KBOO website, here is that link. No password needed.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I played lots of new releases. If you'd rather listen to it/download it from the Self Help Radio website, here is the link for that. Same username & password for Self Help Radio apply.

The Sunday before all that was The Dickenbock Report, a show about lemonade on National Lemonade Day. It was the show's debut at the Sunday noon timeslot. I have no idea how it went - you wanna listen & tell me? It is on the Self Help Radio web page linked here, or if you'd like you can listen at the XRAY web page.

Or wait - maybe not tell me. It probably went terribly. & I don't need to know that!

Books & Movies About Unicorns

Hey! We had some great guests on this week's Self Help Radio, including our favorite librarian & our resident cinephile! Let me list for you for what the latter two shared on the show this week - which was about unicorns. Listen to that show at the Self Help Radio website or at the KBOO website - & then explore these links:

(all images from Good Reads)

Carole (our favorite librarian) talked about three books:

The Very Short, Entirely True History Of Unicorns by Sarah Laskow & Sam Beck

Unicorns 101 by Cale Atkinson

& Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great ( & its sequels) by Bob Shea

Read them all for more unicorn understanding & then visit the links by our resident cinephile Chuck.

(image from the IMDb)

(Chuck's links are more complicated than Carole's)

Chuck's Youtube playlist.

Chuck's Letterboxd list.

Chuck's Letterboxed reviews.

IMDb list of films available to stream for free elsewhere.

IMDb keyword list.

Chuck on Bluesky.

Chuck on Twitter.

Gosh I hope there's a lot of unicorn enjoyment to be found here!

Self Help Radio 050724: Unicorns

How I hope this show was as magical as its subject! I'm a big unicorn fan from way back - I think maybe the first time I read about them in a creative way was in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders Of Pern series. But you couldn't really avoid them - & they're so freaking cool.

Luckily my librarian friend Carole was around to talk about books about unicorns & our cinephile friend Chuck was around to talk about movies featuring unicorns. Plus I talked to a unicorn hunter & to a person intimately familiar with unicorns - because (as you doubtless know) there are plenty of unicorns here in the Pacific northwest!

You can listen to the show now at the Self Help Radio website. Use the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access. You can listen also on the KBOO website. It's all magical. Everything that's on the show is listed below.

Please enjoy the unicorn magic!

Self Help Radio Unicorn show

"The Unicorn" The Irish Rovers _The Best Of Shel Silverstein His Words His Songs His Friends_

"Always Be A Unicorn" Helen Austin _Always Be A Unicorn_

"I Was Born (A Unicorn)" The Unicorns _Unicorns Are People Too_

introduction & definitions - featuring Mythos The Historian

"She Was Born To Be My Unicorn" Tyrannosaurus Rex _Unicorn_

"The Last Unicorn" Swirl _The Last Unicorn_

"The Iceberg & Unicorn" Cleaners From Venus _Back From The Cleaners_

"Unicorns" June Tabor & Martin Simpson _A Cut Above_

our librarian friend Carole stops by!

"Unicornio" Mercedes Sosa _Mercedes Sosa_

"Unicorn" 'Weird Al' Yankovic & Wendy Carlos _Peter & The Wolf/Carnival Of The Animals - Part II_

"The Unicorn" Tele Novella _Poet's Tooth_

"Unicorn" The Dodos _Grizzly Peak_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops in!

"Unicorn Man" The Aardvarks _Stax '68: A Memphis Story_

"Behold The Indian Unicorn" Robin Williamson _Mirrorman's Sequences 1961-1966_

"The Unicorn" Donovan _HMS Donovan_

"Unicorn Tolerance" The Mountain Goats _Goths_

interview with unicorn hunter Pete Bachmann

"There Should Be Unicorns" The Flaming Lips _Oczy Mlody_

"Unicorn Song" Veronica Lipgloss & The Evil Eyes _The Witch's Dagger_

"Mr. Unicorn" Brown Hornet _KVRX Local Live Volume One: Cooking By Strobelight_

interview with Patty Birch, who's had many experiences with unicorns

"Hornless Unicorn Anthem" The Mathletes _#$@% You & Your Cool_

"Gay Unicorn" Gay Against You _Muscle Milk_

"The Lion & The Unicorn (BBC Session)" Skip Bifferty _The Story Of Skip Bifferty_

"The Lion & The Unicorn" The Men They Couldn't Hang _The Domino Club_

conclusion & goodbye

"Gryphons & Unicorns (feat. Marjolein Teepen)" Ton Scherpenzeel _The Lion's Dream_

"Unicorn Harpoon" Pink Skull _Zeppelin 3_

Whither Unicorns?

Why is the show today about unicorns? Why does there need to be a reason for someone to do a show about unicorns? Why aren't all radio shows about unicorns?

But of course there's a reason for unicorns being the theme tonight. & it's because I made a mistake.

My mistake was that, while I was planning shows for The Dickenbock Report - the other theme-based show I do - I accidentally looked for themes on the days that Self Help Radio was on. April 9 is Unicorn Day so I planned a Dickenbock Report about that. The problem was, The Dickenbock Report was on April 7, not April 9 - April 9 was a Self Help Radio day. A different show was planned for that day. & I had to find a different day to explore on the Dickenbock Report.

Man was I bummed. Then I thought, hold on. I can just do a show about unicorns on Self Help Radio! Why the hell not? So I planned for tonight's show.

& that's why the theme is unicorns!

Tune in tonight - really Tuesday morning - from midnight to 2am on 90.7fm & kboo dot fm for a radio show about unicorns! Guests galore! & the next intro premieres!

Preface To Unicorns: Who Doesn't Like Unicorns?

(comic by Ellis Rosen)

Is it because people associate unicorns with little girls & with hippies that some people don't like them? I told a couple of folks that I was going to do a show about unicorns & eyes were rolled at me. Imagine that!

While I don't think I went through a "unicorn phase" where I obsessed about them, I was always happy to see them/read about them. But I was very happy when introduced to Lady Rainicorn in Adventure Time.

My wife was so enamored with her that I put that name for her on my phone, which has caused more than one person to ask, "Why Lady Rainicorn?" Or maybe it's just happened once. With our vet in Fort Worth. She had never heard of Adventure Time. It was a bit embarrassing. Anyway.

The story of the unicorn show is good one. Come back tomorrow & I'll tell you it.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Lemonade Day

The first Sunday in May is National Lemonade Day. The first Sunday in May this year is May 5. & on Sundays in Portland, it's the Dickenbock Report. Join us tomorrow as we report on lemonade the drink on lemonade the day including musical reports & a special report about allegations of something suspicious happening at Portland's lemonade stands.

Please note that the Dickenbock Report is no longer a morning news program, as we have been moved to later on the schedule. We are now an afternoon news program. Listen to us at our new time, Sunday, May 5, noon to 1pm, on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

Be aware that due to inflation, lemonade is far more expensive now that you remember.

This Week In Self Help (April 28 + 30 2024)

Here's a picture of a rainbow I took earlier this year. I like rainbows. It has nothing to do with this summary of the nonsense I got into on the radio this week.

On Self Help Radio on KBOO, I had the seventy-fourth installment of my never-ending, very silly Indiepop A To Z series. I went from Saloon to Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. We will spend a long time in the letter S. Anyway, here's a direct link to the episode. You will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

If you'd rather listen to the show on the KBOO website, here is that link. No password needed.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I played a bunch of new reissues by the Guerssen group of labels. If you'd rather listen to it/download it from the Self Help Radio website, here is the link for that. Same username & password for Self Help Radio apply.

The Sunday before all that was The Dickenbock Report, a show about superheroes on National Superhero Day. The show is also on the Self Help Radio web page linked here, or if you'd like you can listen at the XRAY web page.

The Dickenbock Report moves to noon on Sundays starting this next week. Imagine! I can sleep in on a Sunday!

As always, thank you for listening!

New Intro Time Again Again Again Again Again Again Again Again Again Again Again Again!

(Yeah, Columbo shows up. This is a screen grab from a DVD I own.)

It is time once again to make a new intro for my show. I actually have been working on it for a while - all year, really - but now is the time to put it together. I do it every year around this time. No big deal, right?

WRONG! Earlier this year (or late last year) I mustered up the courage to ask Amelia & Rob of the Catenary Wires & Swansea Sound (among other amazing bands) if they might record a new "Self Help Radio" jingle for the beginning of the show. The one I have used for years was recorded by people I worked with back in Austin & I couldn't even remember one of the person's names. They very kindly agreed & they returned with three (3) (!) different versions! I couldn't choose one. So I will rotate them throughout the year. I cannot thank them enough.

The rest of the spots are the same. I wish I could've done three different ones! But I did not. Would you like to hear them? After you listen to the first one, you can stop on the others after the jingle. They are all the same except for Rob & Amelia's lovely singing. I hope you dig.

The 2024 Self Help Radio Intro (Version 1)!

The 2024 Self Help Radio Intro (Version 2)!

The 2024 Self Help Radio Intro (Version 3)!

It would be remiss of me not to say you can hear more of Amelia & Rob's music on the Catenary Wires bandcamp page & the Swansea Sound bandcamp page. Or just freakin' Google them, they are musical heroes of mine & real life musical legends!

(Oh yeah I normally link all my old intros but didn't want to do that this time around. You can listen to all of the previous intros on last year's blog announcement page.)

Self Help Radio 043024: Indiepop A To Z # 74

(all images from Discogs.)

Someone once asked me if I thought anyone listened to these indiepop shows. I said I didn't know. The person said, "It's like if you did a polka a to z." Thinking better of it, the person added, "Only probably more people would listen."

The series has its own momentum & I have a touch of the ol' OCD so I am happy to return to it every four months, even if there's no guarantee it will ever end. I honestly can't believe I've made it to the letter S. I got from Saloon to Scotland Yard Gospel Choir this time around - it doesn't seem that far. Will there be ten or more episodes with the letter S? I am not concerned. It's so far in the future! I have a show next week to work on.

This week you can find the show naturally at the Self Help Radio website. You'll need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to listen tho. Would you prefer to listen to it on the KBOO website? By all means click there! The songs I played are listed below in glorious alphabetical order.

PS - it's our Spring Membership Drive - maybe help us out if you can?

Self Help Radio Indiepop A To Z # 74

"Le Weekend" Saloon _(This Is) What We Call Progress_

"Green Light" Salteen _Pop American Style_

"Bubba Da" The Salteens _Short-Term Memories_

"Black Minds, White Lies" Salty Pirates _The Kids At The Club: An Indiepop Compilation_

"Kate" Sambassadeur _Coastal Affairs_

"The Day Is Mine" Sandalwoods _The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 2_

"Turquoise Mini" The Sandcastles _Tales From The Riverbank_

"Hope Springs Eternal" The Sandkings _Welcome To England_

"Klein International Blue" Sandy Dirt _Sandy Dirt EP_

"Summer Blues" Sarah Goes Shopping _Sharon Signs To Cherry Red_

"Mike's Dollar" Sarandon _Kill Twee Pop!_

"Dear Josie Love Robyn" Sarge _Charcoal_

"Alcohol" Saturday Looks Good To Me _All Your Summer Songs_

"California Girls" The Saturday People _The Saturday People_

"Get In, Get Out" Daniel Saturn _The Sound Of Young Sweden (Volume 2)_

"Happy Trails" Saturn V _Skycycle_

"Apples" Saturnine _Pleasure Of Ruins_

"Old Town" Say Sue Me _Where We Were Together_

"Goodbye To All That" Scale The Heights _Goodbye To All That_

"FuturePop" Scarboro Aquarium Club _Poisoned_

"Poor Flowers" Scarlet Drops _Scarlet Drops 1984-1992_

"Golden, It Is, Beautiful" Scarlet's Well _Gatekeeper_

"Do I Love You?" The School _Wasting Away & Wondering_

"Oz Lotto" School Damage _A To X_

"The Sharks" The School Uniforms _Some Oxbow_

"American Standard" Schrasj _Schrasj_

"D.H. Lawrence Wasn't A Mexican" Scissor Fits _Taut? Tense? Angular? & Other British Rail Sandwiches_

"Then (& Not A Moment Before)" The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir _The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir_

Whither Indiepop A To Z # 74?

It hailed in Portland today. In some places it might be considered a sign, but it's snowed in Portland in April so it just was one of those, "Hail, really?" moments. I went outside with my dogs & almost slipped on the deck. That wouldn't be a sign of anything but an example of what a klutzy dolt I am.

Imagine though if I had fallen! Portland would've been spared tonight's Self Help Radio! Alas, I'm probably going to be able to make the show so let me tell you, it's the first of my usual thrice-a-year returning to the Indiepop A To Z series. I have started the letter S. I suspect I will be there for a while. There will be some nice tunes in delightful alphabetical order.

Midnight to 2am. 90.7fm. kboo.fm online. There's not much else to say. Tune in!

Preface To Indiepop A To Z # 74: The Saga Continues

What more can I say? I've done this 73 times already. I'll do it lots more.

Here's a picture of my cat Bluto who's very twee. Enjoy it.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Superhero Day

April 28 is National Superhero Day. While Dick Dickenbock believes all radio journalists are superheroes, we report the news in our secret identities. Therefore we are reporting on superheroes tomorrow as well as playing musical reports about various superheroes.

Tomorrow morning, 9-10am, Sunday April the 28th, on the Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

Stay tuned at the end for a special announcement about the future of the show!

This Week In Self Help (April 19, 21, + 23 2024)

Up there is the picture I used for this week's show announcement, I manipulated it & added the SHR logo, trying to make the image one of delirium. It caused someone on the KBOO web page to say, "That image is visually painful."

Delirium was the theme of this week's Self Help Radio. I was probably too delirious during that show. Here's a direct link to the episode. You will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

If you'd rather listen to the show on the KBOO website, here is that link. No passwords needed.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I continued the theme of "delirium" with mostly instrumental pieces that I had collected for the show. If you'd prefer to listen to that show on the Self Help Radio website (please remember the username/password combination above), here is the link for that.

The Sunday before all that was The Dickenbock Report, a show celebrating libraries on Thank You For Libraries Day. The show is also on the Self Help Radio web page linked here, or if you'd like you can listen at the XRAY web page.

But even before that - a week ago! - I subbed the KBOO show The Songcircle & played ninety minutes of new releases. You can find it both on the Self Help Radio page & on the KBOO page.

That was a busy week. Maybe you can find something you'd like. Thank you for listening!

Delirious Films

(image from the IMDb)

This week's episode of Self Help Radio had the theme "delirium" & our resident cinephile Chuck stopped by to chat about a few films in which delirium is featured. You can listen to that show at the Self Help Radio website! (You can also listen at the KBOO website too.)

Chuck has prepared some supplemental links - much more in-depth than his brief appearance on the show. To wit:

The Letterboxd list of movies he watched for the show.

The YouTube playlist of films & trailers.

The IMDb keyword search page.
& the IMDb list of films available to stream for free elsewhere. Chuck has a caveat: "There is duplication with of some on YouTube but quality is usually better, & their availability may be for limited time."

Chuck posts about the films on his social media sites: Twitter,  Bluesky, & Substack. If you follow him, he'll almost certainly follow back.

Did that make you delirious? Maybe sit down & have some water?

Self Help Radio 042324: Delirium

Among the things that can cause delirium are: sleep deprivation, drugs & alcohol, pain, mental illness, & radio shows. Radio shows?!? But we're just exploring delirium! Damn you Web MD!

It was a delirious show & there was so much music (including some delirium-inspired instrumentals) that they bled into the third hour I was on the air. That's on the website as this week's Corporate Standardized Programming.

Okay. Listen if you're feeling stable at the Self Help Radio website. (You'll need the username SHR & the password selfhelp.) Or if you'd like, you can listen to all three hours over on the KBOO website. Everything that happens on the show is below. Please enjoy.

& if you can help KBOO out during our Spring Membership Drive!

Self Help Radio Delirium Show

"Recitar! Mentre Preso Dal Delirio... Vesti La Giubba (From I Pagliacci)" Enrico Caruso _Historical Recordings 1906-1914_

"Delightful Delirium (vocals, Helen Forrest)" Artie Shaw & His Orchestra _1939_

"Tu Mi Delirio" Astrud Gilberto & Walter Wanderley _A Certain Smile A Certain Sadness_

introduction & definitions

"Delirium Tremens" Christy Moore _Christy Moore_

"Delirium" Gaye Bykers On Acid _The Nosedive EP_

"Delirious Night (Rough Mix) (Vocal)" The Cure _Disintegration_

"Delirious" The Brilliant Corners _What's In A Word_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops by!

"Delirium" An April March _Woke Up Smiling_

"Aerodeliria" The Loud Family _Plants & Birds & Rocks & Things_

"Drug-Induced Delirium" The Cannanes _The Cannanes_

"Lager Delirium" Bad Manners _Heavy Petting_

interview with Carla Davidson, who has an interesting relationship to Prince's song "Delirious"

"Delirious" Guy Forsyth _Do Me Baby! Austin Does Prince_

"Delirium" Case / Lang / Veirs _Case / Lang / Veirs_

"Delirium" Minnie Birch _Delirium_

"Delirious" Sunspire _Delirious_

interview with candymaker Cordelio Delgado

"Delirious" Cindy Wilson _Realms_

"My Delirium" Ladyhawke _Ladyhawke_

"City Delirious" Lionrock _City Delirious_

"Avante Delirio" Saulo Duarte _Avante Delirio_

interview with Delirium Auditorium proprietor Cedric Dial

"Delirious" At The Spine _Vita_

"Delerium" Paul Benoit _Beautiful Lies_

"Delirium Passes" Anand Wilder _I Don't Know My Words_

"Delirious" No & The Maybes _No & The Maybes_

conclusion & goodbye

"Delirious" The Church _Further/Deeper_

"Flash Delirium" MGMT _Congratulations_

Whither Delirium?

(image from here)

Look at that brain up there! Delirium is a complicated thing! Surely that's enough to have the subject deserve a radio show!

But perhaps you expect more from me. I'm sure you don't, but play along. I was listening to Adam Ant a few weeks back. I was kinda charmed by the rhyme from the song "Desperate But Not Serious." He rhymes "serious" with "delirious" - "your kisses drive me delirious," is the line. I started thinking about the word - the adjective, not the noun - which led me to the Prince song. Having recently had to deal with issues with old family members with dementia, I found I had associated the word "delirious" with mostly unromantic - mostly unhealthy - moments in life.

When I find myself thinking of something too much, it's very likely that I'll find a radio show in there somewhere. I started looking around for songs about delirium & feeling delirious. What I've found will be on tonight's radio show.

Which is on KBOO - 90.7fm in town, kboo dot fm everywhere - from midnight to 2am. I haven't had much sleep today so I might be a bit delirious myself. In its unhealthy meaning.

Preface To Delirium: Oh You Just Know I Gotta Talk About The Endless

(from Sandman # 63)

It had been many years since I'd read a comic when a girl I was seeing in the mid-90s turned me on to the new Sandman. I knew Wesley Dodds. But this was different. & fun.

Especially the concept of The Endless. Though I just went to find the link there I tried not to see all their names - can I remember them? Dream, Death, Desire, Destiny, Destruction, Despair, & of course Delirium. Delirium used to be Delight!

This is not something I'll have occasion to mention on the radio, so I'm mentioning it here. It has been years since I've read the original Sandman comics but I have read a few more recent ones & still find the mythology rich & delightful. It doesn't make me delirious tho.

Did Delirium show up on the Netflix series? I don't think so. I liked that a lot too - it took a few episodes though. Death was great.

Anyway, I don't have much to say. I'm an admirer. But the comic wasn't the inspiration for the show. You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out how that came about.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: Thank You For Libraries Day!

That picture above, captured from Goober Malps, is a picture of my childhood library. It wasn't my first library - I'm sure that that was in my elementary school, & I loved it lots - but it was the one in my neighborhood from around the time I was ten years old, & it was within walking distance of where I lived. I have memories of carrying books to & from there. & I could walk into it now & find my favorite things.

Except it's closed. It was called the Ridgewood Branch Library of the Nicholson Memorial Library System of Garland, Texas, & it closed permanently in 2009. I hadn't visited it since I was in high school.

But libraries remain important to me & to everyone at the Dickenbock Report so it's our pleasure to note that April 21 is Thank You For Libraries Day. Which is our top report of the show tomorrow.

Yes! Tomorrow morning, Sunday April the 21st, on the Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

Lots of gratitude for libraries tomorrow!

This Week In Self Help (April 14 + 16 2024)

One website calls this building - the Textron Tower in Providence RI - the ugliest skyscraper in the state.

But it wasn't mentioned on this week's Self Help Radio, which had the theme "providence" which included lots of references to the city & guests who purported to be from there. Here's a direct link to that show. You will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

If you'd rather listen to the show on the KBOO website, here is that link.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I played an hour of new releases. If you'd prefer to listen to that show on the Self Help Radio website (please remember the username/password combination above), here is the link for that.

Chronologically first tho was The Dickenbock Report, this week a Spring Fund Drive show about Perfume Day. If you have a little to spare & want to help out you can do so here. If you just wanna listen to the frickin' show there are two options: the Self Help Radio web page or the XRAY web page.

As always - thank you for listening!

Self Help Radio 041624: Providence

(original image of Providence by David Wilson here)

This week's show - which has the theme "providence" - turned out to be more about the town of Providence, Rhode Island, rather than the "providence" that means "divine guidance & care." But of course the founders of Providence, Rhode Island, named it because they felt settling their was part of their god's "merciful providence." Could it be that both meanings apply? Is a show about providence which features mostly songs about Providence still about providence since it was named for that kind of providence?

Does it matter? Naw. It's just something to write about because I got space to fill. I was thinking of counting which songs were about the town & which were about the supernatural stuff. But I didn't. Maybe you can make a game of it?

Listen to the show when you want at the Self Help Radio website. Make sure you use the combo SHR/selfhelp to access. Or you can listen on the KBOO website. Your choice. It's a couple hours long, you can see all the songs & interviews below.

Now I need to go visit Providence again!

Self Help Radio Providence Show

"Providence" King Crimson _Red_

introduction & definitions

"Providence Help The Poor People (with Henry Townsend)" Big Joe Williams _Big Joe Williams & The Stars Of Mississippi Blues_

"Lake Providence Blues" The Harlem Hamfats _Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order, Vol. 1_

"A Letter To The People Of Providence (1648)" Wallace House _The Patriot Plan: Growth Of Human Rights In Colonial America_

"Providence" Sonic Youth _Daydream Nation_

"Providence" Morphine _Postcards From America (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)_

interview with Providence mayor Rene Ingersoll

"Providence" Jack Frost _Jack Frost_

"Providence" The Rosemarys _Providence_

"Providence" The Love Language _The Love Language_

"Providence & Bourbon" Girl Haggard _Country & Eastern_

interview with president of the Providence Chamber Of Commerce Robert Insley

"Providence Girls" The RI Love Song Warriors _Rhode Island Girls_

"East Providence Girls" The RI Love Song Warriors _Rhode Island Girls_

"Providence" Buddha On The Moon _The Last Autumn Day_

"Providence" Snoozer _Winter Stops All Sound EP_

"Providence" Earth Heart _Homesick_

interview with Father Richard Icke of the Providence diocese

"Providence" Duchess _Duchess_

"Providence" The Manhattan Love Suicides _The Manhattan Love Suicides_

"Providence" Pujol _United States Of Being_

"Full Faith In Providence" Villagers _Fever Dreams_

interview with my friend Reggie Innes, who's never visited Providence

"Providence, RI" Nickel Eye _The Time Of The Assassins_

"Providence" Cheerleader _Almost Forever_

"Ghost Of Providence Pt. 1" Bike Thief _Ghost Of Providence_

"Providence Portal" Annie Hamilton _The Future Is Here But It Feels Kinda Like The Past_

conclusion & goodbye

"Providence" Harpeth Rising _Shifted_

"Providence" Purple Ivy Shadows _White Electric_

Whither Providence?

(In Providence, they like to set the water on fire. Image from here.)

One of the things I'm very happy about is that no one - seriously no one - cares enough about this show to ask me, "Say, why is that your theme this week?" Even the folks with whom I make the fake interviews, who improvise based on the theme, wonder to me, "Why is the theme this week that?"

Please don't think I'm accusing anyone of being incurious or apathetic - I'm certain outside of a listener accidentally tuning in or my funny friends being funny, & with them even barely that, there are vanishingly few people besides me who even think of Self Help Radio. 

& most certainly I am not complaining. I do my level best to make as good a show as I can every week & if the best attention or interest my best efforts can garner is virtually no one thinking or caring about the show, what else can I do? Luckily I make the show mostly for me.

But also luckily it means that when there are times when I have a theme - like providence - & don't entirely remember why I chose the theme, I know it will frustrate no one because, as I've said, no one really cares. Did I pick a theme because of a city I visited? Or because of the challenge - are there two hours worth of songs I like about providence? Or something else? I simply don't know. & am not worried about saying so because, after all, who gives a shit? Nobody!

& that's about the number of folks who'll tune in tonight from midnight to 3am on 90.7fm in Portland & at kboo dot fm everywhere, even Providence, Rhode Island, where the river is on fire!

Preface To Providence: Hey, I've Been To Providence!

(a snapshot of Providence from Gurgle Merps)

It's true! In the fall of 1997, I accompanied two folks from KVRX to Providence for the NACB conference there. I believe it was November. It was snowing in Providence. We didn't do much sightseeing. I think we walked over to Brown University - it was closed but what were we going to do, sit in on a class?

We were a little bored so I paid for the three of us to go up to Boston to meet some people I knew from a Usenet group. It was cold in Boston but no snow. I enjoyed the train ride up there, & seeing Harvard, but remember virtually nothing about the experience. Here's a picture of me in Boston:

Look at me, clean shaven (ish) with cigarette in hand!

One nice memory of Providence was, the first night there, bar-hopping near the hotel & the places being packed. & asking someone where we could get something to eat & being told there was a late-night pizza place across the highway, which we went to.

A colleague of my wife lived in Province & hated it. But I'd kinda like to go back.

Is that the reason for the show, though? A memory from 27 years ago? Nope!

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: Perfume Day!

(found many moons ago on a Tumblr blog somewhere...)

April 14 is "Perfume Day" so tune into the Dickenbock Report on XRAY for information as well as musical reports about those odiferous concoctions.

It's also the XRAY Spring Fund Drive  so expect some reporting about that as well as pleas for financial support. Should you want the Dickenbock Report to remain a trusted independent source for Sunday morning news, you can donate here.

Again, that is tomorrow morning - Sunday April the 14th - on the Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

Unfortunately there is no evidence that listening to this show will make you smell better.

This Week In Self Help (April 7 + 9 2024)

(comic from lolein.com)

Here's a brief summary of what I did on the radio this week. It may be helpful with the authorities in coming prosecutions. I'll cop to it! I did it all!

Self Help Radio had the theme "can't wait." The show aired Tuesday morning from midnight to 2am. Here's a direct link to that show. You will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

If you'd rather listen on the KBOO website, here is that link.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I played an hour of new releases. If you'd prefer to listen to that show on the Self Help Radio website (please remember the username/password combination above), here is the link for that.

Finally - but chronologically first - The Dickenbock Report this week reported on the awkwardly named International Snail Papers Day. I would have preferred it be called International Newspapers Day as what I played was songs about newspapers. Also, no one uses the phrase "snail papers." No one. You can listen to it on the Self Help Radio web page here or if you'd prefer to listen to the XRAY web page, here is the link for that.

Thank you for listening!

Self Help Radio 040924: Can't Wait

The title of the image above, to which I added the Self Help Radio bear, is called "Can't Wait To See What You Turn Out To Be." It seemed appropriate to use for this show.

This show! So many things people can't wait for! In addition to all the songs, I also spoke with four people who told me what they can't wait for. To say that I was expecting something different would be an understatement. People who want to be on the radio are odd.

Listen to the show now or whenever - no need to wait - at the Self Help Radio website or at the KBOO website. You'll need a username & password to listen. Try SHR & selfhelp. Everything that happened on the show is listed below. I can't wait to hear what you think! Actually, I can. Let's just never speak of this show again.

Self Help Radio Can't Wait Show

"Can't You Wait Till You Get Home" Frankie 'Half Pint' Jaxon _The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records 1917-1927, Volume 1_

"I Can't Wait" Ray Stanley _The Chess Rockabilly Story_

"Love Can't Wait" Kim Roberts _Let's Go - Joe Meek's Girls!_

"I Can't Wait" Painted Faces _Anxious Color_

introduction & definitions

"I Can't Wait ('Till I Grow Up)" The Boyd Sisters _Girls Will Be Girls Volume 1_

"I Can't Wait To Love You" Jan & Dean _All The Hits: From Surf City To Drag City_

"I Can't Wait" The Mamas & The Papas _The Mamas & The Papas_

"I Can't Wait" Willy McDougal _Don't Turn Away_

"I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face" Dusty Springfield _Where Am I Going_

what Abel can't wait for

"Can't Wait To See You" Arthur Adams _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol, 10: 1970_

"I Can't Wait Till Summer Comes" Martha Reeves & The Vandellas _50th Anniversary - The Singles Collection 1962-1972_

"I Just Can't Wait To Hold You" Petula Clark _Warm & Tender_

"Can't Wait To See You Again" The Buckeye Politicians _Look At Me Now_

"Memories Can't Wait" Talking Heads _Fear Of Music_

what Chad can't wait for

"I Just Can't Wait" Leon Rosselson & Roy Bailey _That's Not The Way It's Got To Be!_

"I Can't Wait Too Long" Barrington Levy _Poorman Style_

"Just Can't Wait" The J. Geils Band _Flashback: The Best Of J. Geils Band_

"Can't Wait For September" Erl Dalby & Pyramid _Their Music Goes 'Round Our Heads_

what Barb can't wait for

"I Can't Wait That Long" The Brilliant Corners _Somebody Up There Likes Me_

"I Can't Wait" Luna _Lunapark_

"Can't Wait For Summer" The Best Wishes _Shoebox Full Of Love EP_

"I Can't Wait" The Sundays _Static & Silence_

"I Can't Wait" Brassy _Got It Made_

what Dale can't wait for

"I Can't Wait" Johnny Tucker _Seven Day Blues_

"Can't Wait For War" Brodka _Clashes_

"Why Can't It Wait" Lou Barlow _Reason To Live_

"I Can't Wait" Ceramic Animal _Sweet Unknown_

"I Can't Wait" Miesha & The Spanks _Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi_

conclusion & goodbye

"Just Can't Wait (feat. Lumi HD)" Sam Redmore _Universal Vibrations_

"I Can't Wait" Ric Ocasek _Beatitude_

"Methu Aros Tan Haf (Can't Wait Til Summer)" Gorky's Zygotic Mynci _Introducing Gorky's Zygotic Mynci_

"Love I Can't Wait" The Sponsors _Sponsors_

Whither Can't Wait?

(One of my favorite Maakies strips - scanned from a book.)

It bears reminding that I've been doing this dumb radio show for over twenty years now. While I don't have an actual count, I think it's safe to say I explore maybe forty or so new themes a year. That means I've explored at least 800 different themes. Probably more. But let's be conservative.

At some point I realized I might get a little bored if the themes I chose were all nouns - trains, weather, whiskey, kisses. Not that I would always prefer difficult or obscure themes - but that I might not want to limit myself in that way. & at some point, I began to have themes that were phrases. Phrases like "can't wait."

You might think this was a conscious thing, a way to open up the possibilities for the show but not really. It just sorta happened. I don't know when. But it seems like it was early on.

A few weeks ago I was at a place waiting to pick up some food & there was a person outside who was on the phone - I assume they were on the phone, you know, nowadays folks don't hold the phone to their head, they just talk so the person might have been hallucinating or something - but the person kept responding to the caller (or the voice only they could hear) "Can't wait!" They must've said "can't wait" a dozen times. When I came home, I found myself responding to things my wife said with, "Can't wait!" She did not seem to notice that was a weird way to comment in conversation.

& then it became an idea for a radio show. Which will become an actual radio show tonight.

Midnight to 2am on 90.7fm KBOO here in Portland, kboo.fm everywhere.

Preface To Can't Wait: Oh, I Can Wait

(from this Twitter account)

The expression "can't wait" - I guess it's an idiom - according to the Collins Dictionary means - well they put it in a sentence - "If you say that you can't wait to do something or can hardly wait to do it, you are emphasizing that you are very excited about it & eager to do it."

As I thought about writing this, I wondered what there was that I can't wait for. At the moment my wife is out of the country, so I think I can't wait for her to get back. But since she's usually here, I don't often feel that way. I don't think I am often in a situation where I can't wait for something.

You might ask, "Don't you get excited about radio shows?" I do, I get nervous even, but I know they're in my future & I know there's a bit of work that is required for them, so I can wait because I need the time.

Is this something that happens when one gets older? One loses the magic of anticipation? As I kid I couldn't wait for some classes to end, for some movies to come out, for summer to come, for the weekend to come so I didn't have to go to school or wake up early. Except for situations like my wife being away like she is now, I honestly don't think there's anything I can't wait for. I can wait.

Waiting is something that one grows used to, really. Maybe not comfortable with, nor happy with. But it's built in to so many experiences that over time one simply accepts that there's waiting involved.

Wow that's depressing. I won't talk about this during the show. Yikes.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: International Newspaper Day!

The official name of tomorrow's holiday is "International Snail Papers Day," which is baffling because no one calls newspapers "Snail Papers." No one except the person who invented the holiday. This person is also the sort who tried to give themselves a nickname when they were a kid & everyone said, "Nope." So at the Dickenbock Report we'll have reports, including musical ones, about newspapers.

Again, that is tomorrow morning - Sunday April the 7th - on the Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

Tune in for the only newsmagazine on XRAY on Sunday mornings! Or read the paper, which is probably more appropriate.

Tired Films

(image from the IMDb)

This week's episode of Self Help Radio had the theme "tired" & our resident cinephile Chuck stopped by to chat about a few films not about people who are tired but things that are tired. He wanted to showcase films with car chases. You can listen to that show at the Self Help Radio website!

Chuck has a series of links that he'd like you to explore.

Here is the Letterboxd list of movies he watched for the show.

Here is the YouTube playlists of films & trailers. (This is just part one, the other parts are linked to this however.)

Here is the IMDb page from which the list was sourced.

Here is the IMDb list of films available to stream for free elsewhere. He notes, "There is duplication with of some on YouTube but quality is usually better, & their availability may be for limited time."

Chuck posts about the films on his social media sites: Twitter,  Bluesky, & Substack. If you follow him, he'll almost certainly follow back.

With all the films Chuck watches, how is he not tired all the time?!?

This Week In Self Help (March 31 + April 2 2024)

Although I no longer do three shows on three stations, I currently do three shows on two stations. In case you've missed what I've been up to this past week, here are the most current of those shows.

Self Help Radio had the theme "tired." The show aired Tuesday morning from midnight to 2am. Here's a direct link to that show. You will need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

If you'd rather listen on the KBOO website, here is that link.

The KBOO link also includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming (which follows Self Help Radio). On that show, I played twelve songs by twelve artists we've lost recently. If you'd prefer to listen to that show on the Self Help Radio website (please remember the username/password combination above), here is the link for that.

Finally - but chronologically first - The Dickenbock Report this week reported on Eiffel Tower Day with songs & information about that famous structure. You can listen to it on the Self Help Radio web page here or if you'd prefer to listen to the XRAY web page, here is the link for that.

Thank you for listening!