Self Help Radio 081324: Chaos

What a chaotic show! In content & subject matter mostly. I was especially conscientious about making sure there were smooth transitions & the like. Couldn't let a chaos show get too chaotic!

One thing I am aware of - the chaos will descend soon enough whether we like it or not. We have forces in our world today who love chaos & who use it for their own duplicitous & often nefarious ends. Being aware of the chaos may be helpful in preparation. My radio show today for me at least was a reminder of that. Plus I played songs I liked & had fun talking to weirdos.

Listen for yourself! The show is now over on the KBOO web site. It's also on the Self Help Radio web site where you can download it if you want. Just remember to use the login SHR & the password selfhelp to access. Everything that happened on the show is below.

It's like organized chaos!

Self Help Radio Chaos Show

"Chaos Waltz" Web Of Sunsets _Chaos Waltz_

"Chaotic Shampoo & Strange Rock & Roll" Peter Sellers & The Hollywood Party _50,000 Glass Fans Can't Be Wrong_

"Chaos Heart" OSees _Intercepted Message_

introduction & definitions

"Ab (Chaos Is Bliss)" Strangelily _A Strange Film, Featuring You & I_

"The Chaos" The Futureheads _The Chaos_

"Soliloquy Of Chaos" Gang Starr _Daily Operation_

"Fear & Chaos" The Black Creatures _Wild Echoes_

interview with Chaos Princess actor Diane Faulkner

"We Are The Chaos Bros." The Lurkers _Fulham Fallout_

"Chaos Bros." Die Toten Hosen _Love, Peace, & Money_

"Chaos Engine" Pinback _Pinback_

"Chaos Panic" Yellow Magic Orchestra _Kyoretsu Na Rhythm - Characters: The Best Of YMO_

interview with KAOS Fans creator Dave Ferguson

"Chaos & Disorder" Prince _Chaos & Disorder_

"Chaos" The Sylvers _The Sylvers_

"Chaos" Minuit Machine _Infrarouge_

interview with former god of chaos Doug Fisher

"Involved In Local Chaos" The 49 Americans _E Pluribus Unum_

"Elegant Chaos" Julian Cope _World Shut Your Mouth_

"Chaos" Louisahhh _The Practice Of Freedom_

"Chaos" New Young Pony Club _The Optimist_

interview with chaos magician Dean Fishburn

"Chaos" Stump _A Fierce Pancake_

"You're A Reflection Of Infinite Chaos" Outrageous Cherry _Our Love Will Change The World_

"Chaos" The Erics _Chaos Made Pretty_

conclusion & goodbye

"Chaos Arpeggiating" Of Montreal _Innocence Reaches_

Whither Chaos?

Tonight's program is another show conceived in those dark days of June after the first debate when it seemed like we might have to have another four years of a presidency that I don't think I could have survived. I was miserable with the administration that led this country from 2017 to 2021 & almost had a nervous breakdown on election night 2020 when the outcome was in doubt.

Things have changed since June & while I am not so naïve that everything will be perfect if the new contender wins, I know I won't be utterly destroyed by the return of someone I believe would cause irreparable harm to the country in which I live & in which I was born & grew up. You may disagree with me & that's fine. I am sorry if this causes you the misery I will avoid. But it's my radio show & my perception of the future became quite dark - catastrophe, loneliness, chaos. I think the theme next week continues in this bleak vein.

But the show I think will be kinda fun because I am doing better thank you. So tune in to a radio show about chaos tonight on KBOO - 90.7fm in Portland & online at kboo dot fm. The chaos lasts from midnight to 2am. & if we're lucky goes no further!

Preface To Chaos: Another Failed Attempt At A Regular Feature

(all images from the IMDb)

No, this isn't a preview of our resident cinephile Chuck coming on the show this week to talk about films involving this week's theme, chaos. Chuck previews his films over on his Twitter account, but he doesn't preview them on this blog ever. Also, I'm way too literal. Chuck will watch a film for a show about, I don't know, racecars & there'll be one scene in the movie that has a racecar in a pile of kids' toys, but he won't review "Racecar Story" because it wasn't tagged with "racecar" on the IMDb even though it's obviously about racecars. Not that I'm complaining! Except about me!

What I'm pointing out is that a couple of weeks ago, I recommended a movie based on the week's theme. I thought, hey, maybe I can do that this week. So I looked for films with chaos in the title. The pictures above were the first six I found on the IMDb. It's not that I've never seen any of these movies - I haven't - it's also that I've never even heard of any of them.

So. It seems. I'm not going to be recommending a film this week. Or in this space in the future. Because. I'm bad at it. Like, really really bad at it.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: August 11 Birthdays

We're at that point in the news cycle, called "the doldrums," where nothing of excitement is happening with the news. Yes, there's an election going on. Yes, we had sports things. Yes, there were hurricanes & stuff. But it's just so hot outside.

As a salve for this, on The Dickenbock Report tomorrow, we'll celebrate some notable people born on August 11. Mainly people no longer here to celebrate birthdays. Lots of them, in fact, friends of Dick Dickenbock he misses a great deal. We'll have cake at the XRAY studios, but it's just for staff - you'll need to supply your own for the occasion.

Noon to 1pm on 91.1+107.1fm in Portland, xray dot fm everywhere. Happy birthday to you!

This Week In Self Help (August 4, 5, + 6 2024)

That image above was downloaded by me from the Internets over eight years ago. I have no idea from where & I have no idea who created it. It's brilliant & I'm sad I can't tell you anything about its creator(s).

What I can tell you about is what I did on the radio this week. The usual stuff plus I subbed a show. Let's do it in chronological order.

The Dickenbock Report aired on Sunday on XRAY. It was International Owl Awareness Day so I played songs & talked about owls. Who? Owls! If you give a hoot, you can listen to the show on its XRAY web page. You can also listen + download the show at the Self Help Radio website. Please remember that you'll need a username (SHR) & password (selfhelp) to access that file from the SHR website.

On Monday I spent a couple of hours on the radio playing sounds by new releases that are outside my usual indie world. Sadly, because it was a sub show, it's not archived at the KBOO website, but you can see the playlist here & you can listen + download the show here. Please remember that you'll need a username (SHR) & password (selfhelp) to access that file from the SHR website.

Self Help Radio this week, as you probably know because of the image at the top of this page, had the theme "loneliness." You can listen to that on its KBOO web page. Or you can listen + download the show at the Self Help Radio website. Please remember that you'll need a username (SHR) & password (selfhelp) to access that file from the SHR website.

The show on the KBOO website contains this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming, in which I played lots of cool new indie releases. If you'd like to listen to that show all by itself, you can do so at the Self Help Radio website. Please remember that you'll need a username (SHR) & password (selfhelp) to access that file from the SHR website.

& that was the week that was on the radio.

Loneliness In The Movies

(image from the IMDb)

Our resident cinephile Chuck stopped by the show this week, which had the theme loneliness, & chatted with us about films tagged with loneliness on the IMDb. You can listen to that show at selfhelpradio dot net if you haven't already & once you've heard Chuck talk, please make use of these handy links (as he says, there are lots of them this week) to supplement his visit:

Here are the YouTube playlists of films & trailers:

Part 1 (1914-1969) | Part 2 (1970-1985) | Part 3 (1986-1999)

Part 4 (2000-2006) | Part 5 (2007-2012) | Part 6 (2013-2017) | Part 7 (2018-2024)

Here is Chuck's Letterboxd list. Here are his Letterboxd reviews.

(Chuck tells us put the links to available videos in the notes for the films plus where they are available to stream for free.)

Here is the IMDb keyword search list. Here is his IMDb list of films free to stream (many are also on YouTube).

Chuck has a Twitter account & a Bluesky account where he has posted about some of the films. If you like what you see, follow him! He usually follows you back.

So farewell loneliness! You have lots of movies to watch now!

Self Help Radio 080624: Loneliness

Loneliness is part & parcel of radio. While you might have many people listening, you are in general alone in a room with lots of humming equipment & very rarely with other humans. Okay, that's kind of the old-style deejay way. Some people do radio with friends. Some have talk shows. Some take callers. But the sort of the radio I do has always been tinged with a kind of loneliness. I remember a volunteer at Freeform Portland telling me she didn't think being on the radio would be so lonely.

It seems natural therefore to have a radio show about loneliness, yes? & that's what happened this morning on Self Help Radio. Songs about loneliness - not necessarily songs about being lonely - plus a discussion of movies featuring loneliness & three callers who shared with us their situation with loneliness.

Listen to the show now either at the KBOO website or at the Self Help Radio website. If you choose the latter, please remember the username & password to access/download the files. Those are SHR & selfhelp respectively.

Did the show make anyone feel less lonely? Oh dear me no.

Self Help Radio Loneliness Show

"All Is Loneliness" Moondog _More Moondog_

"Loneliness Is A Well" Anita O'Day _The Complete Anita O'Day Verve/Clef Sessions_

"Loneliness Hurts" Bobby Bland _Ain't Nothing You Can Do_

introduction & definitions

"Miss Loneliness" Mitty Collier _Shades Of Mitty Collier: The Chess Singles 1961-1968_

"What's With This Loneliness" Chuck Jackson _Good Things_

"Pit Of Loneliness" Gene Chandler _The Brunswick Years 1966-1969_

"Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive" Merle Haggard _Untamed Hawk: The Early Recordings Of Merle Haggard_

"Bad Fog Of Loneliness" Neil Young _Live At The Cellar Door_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops by!

"Loneliness" Tuxedomoon _Half-Mute_

"The Well Of Loneliness" McCarthy _The Well Of Loneliness EP_

"Loneliness Is A Gun" The House Of Love _The House Of Love 1986-88: The Creation Recordings_

"Please Help The Cause Against Loneliness" Sandie Shaw _Hello Angel_

"Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness" John Prine _Great Days: The John Prine Anthology_

first caller to talk about loneliness: Chris

"Loneliness Finds Her Own Way" Clem Snide _Your Favorite Music_

"Loneliness" Robert Forster _Warm Nights_

"If Loneliness Was Art" Allo Darlin' _Allo Darlin'_

"Loneliness Is Better When You're Not Alone" Hello Saferide _Introducing..._

"Loneliness Kills" Boat _Tread Lightly_

second caller to talk about loneliness: Benny

"Love Or Loneliness" Math & Physics Club _I Shouldn't Look As Good As I Do_

"Loneliness" Nouvelle Vague _I Could Be Happy_

"Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets" Morrissey _California Son_

"Loneliness Is Power" Sallie Ford _Soul Sick_

third caller to talk about loneliness: Ariel

"Loneliness Is Cruel" Willernie _Betty_

"Loneliness Has No Home" Parkington Sisters _Collide_

"Loneliness & Sweet Romance" The Frank & Walters _Greenwich Mean Time_

"The Loneliness Of A Middle-Distance Runner" Belle & Sebastian _Sing... Jonathan David_

conclusion & goodbye

"Loneliness" Motorama _Dialogues_

"Loneliness On The Run" Metronomy _Small World_

Whither Loneliness?

(Image by Beth Scupham from here.)

First off, I want to say that I'm amazed it's taken me this long to do a show about loneliness. I did a cursory search of my list of explored themes on the website but not a thorough one so I might have done this before.

Second off, I thought initially this would be an easy show. I thought I'd just play songs in which people talked about how lonely they were. But I discovered there were lots of songs in which people mentioned loneliness. The word, separate of "lonely." So I decided to focus on that. Which still means lots of people singing about being lonely, but also making poetic pronouncements about loneliness.

Third off, this was a show I had been thinking about a long time. It was finally decided that I do it - & then I completely changed the whole thing! It actually became about loneliness not just being lonely. What a goof I am.

The Self Help Radio show about loneliness happens tonight from midnight to 2am on 90.7fm in Portland & online at kboo dot fm everywhere. Yes, I'll be doing it alone. Radio had a great deal of loneliness all around.

Preface To Loneliness: Let's Hear From An Expert

That Peanuts comic is from May 19. 1959. I scanned it myself from the Complete Peanuts. It's almost like an introduction to this week's show. I have really nothing else to add.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: International Owl Awareness Day

August 4 is International Owl Awareness Day. If there's one thing Dick Dickenbock is aware of, it's owls. They seem to follow him around. He is happy to support owl propagation & rehabilitation initiatives. To that end, tomorrow on the Dickenbock Report on XRAY fm, we'll report on owls, including of course musical reports. We have heard from various sources that the owls are not what they seem.

That's noon to 1pm on 91.1+107.1fm here in Portland & at xray dot fm everywhere. The owls themselves would have appreciated an evening or late-night broadcast, but we are an afternoon newsmagazine!

This Week In Self Help (July 26 28 + 30 2024)

That's my cat Bluto sitting in my chair. He's mad that this week's Self Help Radio - which had the theme "catastrophe" - didn't feature a single cat. He reminded me that you can't have a catastrophe without a cat. So I'll feature him right now.

We have to go back an entire week to encapsulate my week in radio. I subbed the Songcircle on KBOO last Friday & I played a bunch of songs that all mentioned each day of the week at least once. You can listen to that show on the KBOO website. Or you can listen to it/download it from the Self Help Radio website directly by clicking right here. As always, you'll need a username (SHR) & a password (selfhelp) to access any file from the Self Help Radio website.

On Sunday, there was an episode of The Dickenbock Report which had songs about Miami since it was the anniversary of that city's incorporation. You can listen to that show on the XRAY website. Or you can listen to it/download it from the Self Help Radio website by clicking right here. Remember! Username SHR + password selfhelp!

Speaking of Self Help Radio - the show about catastrophe aired Tuesday morning. You can listen to that show on KBOO website. Or you can listen to it/download it from the Self Help Radio website by clicking right here. I'm not repeating the username/password. Nope. I'll only do it twice.

Speaking of repetition - the KBOO show is three hours long because the hour after Self Help Radio is a show called Corporate Standardized Programming. This week I played music by artists who died in early May of this year. If you'd like to listen to that show separate from Self Help Radio, you can do so by clicking right here.

Okay, that's all. I need to go now, Bluto is being pretty cat-a-strophic to my chair! Bluto! Bad kitty!

Self Help Radio 073024: Catastrophe

A caller tonight: isn't a Self Help Radio episode about catastrophe redundant ha ha ha? No, sir, that would be a show with the theme what a mess.

Truly your average episode of Self Help Radio doesn't rise to the level of catastrophe. But we managed some songs about catastrophe as well as some nice interviews. See those details below.

You can listen to the show in two different places: on the KBOO website & on the Self Help Radio website. If you choose the latter, make sure you use the username SHR & the password selfhelp to listen/download. Otherwise it might be - well, not a catastrophe. Maybe just a relief.

Self Help Radio Catastrophe Show

"Major Catastrophe" Katch 22 _Major Catastrophe (The Katch 22 Story 1966-1969)_

"Catastrophe Kids" The Brooklyn What _Hot Wine_

"Romanticized Catastrophe" Sallie Ford _Soul Sick_

introduction & definitions

"Catastrophe" Maow _The Unforgiving Sounds Of... Maow_

"Catastrophe" The Rondelles _Fiction, Romance, Fast Machines_

"Catastrophe" Moviola _The Year You Were Born_

"Catastrophe" Rainer Maria _Catastrophe Keeps Us Together_

interview with journalist Thomas Veller

"Dear Catastrophe Waitress" Belle & Sebastian _Dear Catastrophe Waitress_

"All Out Of Catastrophes" Marissa Nadler _For My Crimes_

"Catastrofuk" John Cale _EP: Extra Playful_

"Catastrophe" Swingin' Utters _Drowning In The Sea, Rising With The Sun_

interview with philosophy professor Dr Tim Vought

"My Last Catastrophe" The Smoking Trees _The Archer & The Bull_

"Catástrofe No. 17" Le Mans _Modapop: Fantasías Veraniegas - Colección Elefant (2003-2004)_

"Catastrophe" Helado Negro _Invisible Life_

"The Full Catastrophe" Anthony Quinn/Mikis Theodorakis _Zorba The Greek (Original Soundtrack)_

"Eco-Catastrophe Blues" Brewer & Shipley _ST11261_

interview with writer Todd Vale

"Pop Catastrophe" Boss Hog _Cold Hands_

"Triple Catastrophe" Beezus _Lives Of The Saints_

"Candy Colored Catastrophe" Redd Kross _Redd Kross_

"Gong Of Catastrophe" Osees _Protean Threat_

interview with self-help writer Tanya Vicks

"The Catastrophists" Parlour Steps _The Hidden Names_

"Carol's Catastrophe" Ed Hale & The Transcendence _The Great Mistake_

"The Pop Catastrophe (feat. Brede Rorstad)" Worm Is Green _Push Play_ 

"Catastrophe" Nous Non Plus _Menagerie_

conclusion & goodbye

"O.D. Catastrophe" Spaceman 3 _Sound Of Confusion_

Whither Catastrophe?

(image by Paul Davis from here)

Most of the time I'm not entirely sure where the ideas for my radio shows come from. Usually it's something I notice in songs I've been listening to - a strange, unexpected repetition of an idea, a word, a phrase. Lots of times it's something more direct - I wanna do a show about this. Rarely - too rarely - it's something someone suggested. I wish I got more suggestions. But lots of times I just can't remember. I write down (or create a folder on my computer) the word or phrase that's the idea for the theme & can't recall why I did that.

But I suspect I know when I thought I should do a show about catastrophe. The show isn't political, though I obviously have my political leanings. I think I thought "catastrophe" might be a good theme when I finally saw clips of Joe Biden in the June debate with the other guy. The four years that other guy was President were not happy years for me. I saw Biden's performance as the prelude to an electoral catastrophe. One the country might not survive. & most probably my brain said, "Wallow in this, you fool. Make a show about it."

It does not matter that the likelihood of such a catastrophe has been reduced. I don't mind when my negative predictions don't come true. But I am stuck with a show about catastrophe. & don't worry! says my sadistic brain. Something sufficiently catastrophic will happen soon enough!

It could be tonight's show! Midnight to 2am on 90.7fm in town & online at kboo dot fm. Be safe. Sleep through it.

Preface To Catastrophe: A Movie Recommendation

(image from the IMDb)

No, this is not a recommendation from Self Help Radio's resident cinephile Chuck. Yes, this might be the first time I've explicitly recommended a movie on this blog. Maybe I should do that for every one of these prefaces. I'll think about it. Meanwhile.

Here's a sweet Australian rom-com from the mid-90s. It had a couple of firsts for me - it was the first time I saw actors Radha Mitchell & Frances O'Connor. & it may have been the first rom-com I saw in which there were gay characters who were part of the romantic element (I think it's about two couples but I'm not entirely sure at this point) of the film & not relegated to supporting characters (or part of a gay movie). I found it charming & ridiculous & probably put it on my recommended movie shelf when I worked at a video store in the late 90s.

It's funny, I actually found the movie in its entirety online a few months ago but it seems to have since disappeared. Rats. Chuck is better at this than I am! But if you see it around & you like movies like this, maybe think of my recommendation. As far as data goes, it has a 6.4 on the IMDb & a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes (though 51% for critics yikes). But this review of the film from the Guardian has a nice take: "Two decades on it’s a wonderfully spritzy dialogue-driven work to revisit, full of oomph & chutzpah."

It's almost thirty years old now however. But I watched some of it online a few months ago & remember it fondly. & it features some small catastrophes!

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: A Show About Miami

(vintage postcard of Miami, found here)

On July 28, 1896, the city of Miami, Florida, was incorporated. To mark that day, the Dickenbock Report (128 years later) will report on the city of Miami.

Sadly, I was not sent there on assignment. Or gladly? It's probably a little warm there at the moment. Instead, I'll be in the also unusually warm XRAY studios from 12-1pm tomorrow playing songs & talking about Miami. That's on the air in town at 91.1 & 107.1fm & online everywhere (presumably even in Miami) at xray dot fm.

Dick Dickenbock may not show up - he thinks we're trying to get him to retire there!

This Week In Self Help (July 21 + 23 2024)

(found here)

That's an image of Austin's newsweekly the Austin Chronicle from 1988 which I almost certainly picked up at a record store & read at that time but I have no memory of it whatsoever. I kinda want to read (reread?) the article about Austin's "alternative radio" - there was no community or college station in Austin at that time. I don't think their archives go back that far tho.

Meanwhile! I returned to Portland after a week in California to make these radio shows this week:

On the Dickenbock Report on Sunday, I celebrated Belgian artists on National Belgian Day. You can listen to that musical survey either on the XRAY web site or downloading the show from the Self Help Radio website. If you do the latter, please use the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

On Self Help Radio on Tuesday, I played more of my favorite music from 1988. You can listen to that show on the KBOO website here, or download the show directly from the Self Help Radio website & please remember SHR + selfhelp to access.

The KBOO show includes this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming which featured an hour of my favorite hip hop from 1988 but if you'd prefer to listen to that as a separate file, you can download it directly from the Self Help Radio website. See username/password info above.

& that was the week that was.

Self Help Radio 072324: 1988 (Continued)

(All images from Discogs)

Here it is, another couple of hours of my favorite music from 1988. It may not surprise you I have another hour's worth of songs that I could've played. & maybe I'll play them! But probably not on Self Help Radio.

Of course I haven't started planning for the 1989 show but I do wonder if there is another year of music as important to me as 1988. As I have discussed here & on the show, the year changed a lot of what my life was like. I went from a lonely fellow who pined over girls to one starting a relationship that would last for a time. Though I read a lot, it was the music that informed my life. I would walk through the empty streets of Garland, Texas, in the dead of night in the summer of 1988, listening to music on a Walkman. It may be the way I still see myself thirty-six years later.

Which leads me to say: I should warn you that I reminisce a lot on the show. Maybe in the small chance you do listen you can zip past those parts.

Listen? But how? Either at the KBOO web site or at the Self Help Radio website. Should you choose to listen at the latter, make sure you have the username SHR & the password selfhelp handy. The KBOO file includes an hour of my favorite hip hop from 1988; it's a different show on the SHR website.

Back to the regular goofiness next week.

Self Help Radio 1988 (Continued) Show

"Ghosts Of American Astronauts" The Mekons _So Good It Hurts_

"When Harpo Played His Harp" Jonathan Richman _Modern Lovers 88_

"Turning Of The Tide" Richard Thompson _Amnesia_

"Turkish Song Of The Damned" The Pogues _If I Should Fall From Grace With God_

"Chant Of The Paladin" Dead Can Dance _The Serpent's Egg_

"King Of Soul" The Wolfgang Press _Bird Wood Cage_

"Peek-A-Boo" Siouxsie & The Banshees _Peepshow_

"Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me" The Brilliant Corners _Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me_

"Shimmer" The Flatmates _Shimmer_

"I'm In Love With A Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist" Another Sunny Day _I'm In Love With A Girl Who Doesn't Know I Exist_

"Sunshine Thuggery" The Siddeleys _Sunshine Thuggery_

"Looking For Lot 49" The Jazz Butcher _Fishcotheque_

"Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste" Galaxie 500 _Today_

"You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" Kirsty MacColl _You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby_

"It's Only Life" The Feelies _Only Life_

"You Will Be Loved Again" Mary Margaret O'Hara _Miss America_

"Charlotte Anne" Julian Cope _My Nation Underground_

"Martha's Harbour" All About Eve _All About Eve_

"The Camera Loves Me" Would-Be-Goods _The Camera Loves Me_

"Balloon Man" Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians _Globe Of Frogs_

"Indian Summer" Beat Happening _Jamboree_

"Burst" The Darling Buds _Burst_

"Bitter End" Felt _The Pictorial Jackson Review_

"Surfaround" The Fizzbombs _The Surfin' Winter EP_

"Christine" The House Of Love _The House Of Love_

"She Paints" Biff Bang Pow! _Love Is Forever_

"The Train" The Nits _Hat_

"Return To Yesterday" The Lilac Time _The Lilac Time_

Whither 1988 (Continued)?

Hey! That's an embarrassing picture of me with blonde hair in the summer of 1988! I really am grateful taking pictures was so expensive back then - there would be so many more humiliating selfies of me than I could handle if I were twenty in 2024.

Anyway... 1988 was a very important year for music for me. So much great music was released then that I needed a whole other radio show to continue to play what I loved. (The first installment, which I played six months ago around the time of my birthday, you can listen to here if you want.) I think I found over six hours of songs to play. But I won't continue with this theme after this. I better make it count!

It's tonight. Midnight to 2am. On 90.7fm in Portland & online at kboo dot fm. There's no way that doofus up there knew he'd ever be on the radio!

Preface To 1988 (Continued): Archaeology

The screenshot above is from I guess a promotional film for UT Austin in 1988. This week on Self Help Radio I am revisiting my earlier theme of my favorite music of 1988. Why? Because it was a very important year of music for me. Way too much music I love to fit in one two-hour show.

This video on Youtube tries to capture the UT campus in 1988. Interestingly, the Erwin Center has been demolished. I never saw a concert there - I decided at some point not to see shows in arenas - but I did go there once to add/drop classes. I also spent very little time on Sixth Street when I lived in Austin. Mainly I would walk down that way getting to KOOP, which was for a time on 5th & San Jacinto. But I walked down 6th because that's where the bus let off.

May I speak a little about the Texas Union Theatre? There was a delightful programming of movies there - I must've seen hundreds of films there - especially series - I watched five John Cassavetes movies in a row there - as well as numerous foreign films - it was easy to get to, it was free, & though sometimes someone wasn't there, you could buy cheap popcorn before the film. Truly if you go to UT Austin right now you have no idea how amazing that campus once was. Is there even a Student Union? Is it full of chain restaurants now?

Answer: mostly. They don't seem to show movies there anymore. I guess Cactus Cafe still has shows.

The truth is, I didn't really do a lot in Austin in 1988. At the beginning of the year, I was a little lonesome & made it through my classes even tho I had a couple of needy fucking roommates who sucked all the air out of my life (I did kind of enable them). I spent the summer in Garland being a selfish douche. & fell in love when I returned with someone who would never love me. So my life was pretty circumscribed by school, horrible friends, & girl.

If I could go back again, I'd try to experience a bit more of the city. I probably wouldn't see a show at the Erwin Center, however.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: Belgian National Day

That picture was taken very late at night in Ghent, Belgium, in the early part of this century. It's a shop window I think. It might also have been New Year's Eve.

In fact, I've been to Belgium twice. But that's not the reason for a show featuring many artists from Belgium - no, July 21 is Belgian National Day. Some American sources call it Belgium Independence Day, which it kind of is. But it isn't. Tune in to discover the nuance - & to hear some Belgian originals.

That's tomorrow, July 21, noon to 1pm on XRAY - 91.1+107.1fm in town, xray dot fm everywhere.

We will also be asking you to help XRAY purchase our 107.1fm frequency during the show. Find out more & donate here!

This Week In Self Help (July 12 14 + 16 2024)

There wasn't a new Self Help Radio this week but there was a new Dickenbock Report plus I subbed a show on XRAY & I made a three-hour radio show for Self Help Radio's timeslot even though I was a state away. Wanna listen to any of that? No? Well I'll put links here anyway just in case. You don't think I should because you'll never listen? I'll do it anyway. Just humor me. Just fucking humor me.

A week ago I was on the radio on XRAY from 4-6pm. The show is available to listen to on the XRAY website & also on the Self Help Radio website. Please remember the username/password combo SHR/selfhelp to access/download the show/

The Dickenbock Report reported on Barn Day. That show is on the XRAY website. & on the Self Help Radio website. Same username/password needed.

Finally, I forewent Self Help Radio & Corporate Standardized Programming for three hours of new releases. Listen to that either on the KBOO website or on the Self Help Radio website.

The regular nonsense continues now that I'm back in town.

Magnetic Movies

(image from the IMDb)

Over a week ago (!) I had a radio show about magnets. You can listen to it here. Or you can listen to it here. About halfway through the show our resident cinephile Chuck stopped by to talk about movies featuring magnets. Below are supplemental links provided by Chuck for your education & edification:

His Letterboxd list. (Chuck put the links to available videos in the notes for the films plus where they are available to stream for free.)

His Letterboxd reviews.

The YouTube playlist of films & trailers.

The IMDb list of films available to stream for free elsewhere.

The IMDb search list.

Chuck sez: I posted about some of the films here. I tweeted about some of the films here. It's just the same links that are here for now, but go ahead and give me a follow. I usually follow back.

Sorry it was so late in coming! I was away for a week.

Whither A Week Without Self Help Radio?

(image from here)

This week I'm on vacation! There's no Self Help Radio! But like some kinda weirdo I recorded three hours of music for you! Wow I need to be frugal with these exclamation point! I'm gonna run out of them!

The show that is not Self Help Radio airs tonight at midnight on 90.7fm in Portland & online at kboo dot fm. That's 12-3am Tuesday morning.

Honestly, you might prefer it to the nonsense that is Self Help Radio.

Preface To A Week Without Self Help Radio: The Uncomfortable End Of The 1968 Project

(image from here)

So. As I've explained before, I decided to listen to records from 1968 as voted on by users of the website Rate Your Music & then playing the longest song on the record on the radio (usually on sub shows) & talking about the song & the record. I did seven of them. & I made a dumb mistake.

Here's the mistake: the website is dynamic. Users can vote all the time on the records. & they do. So the list kept changing. Especially past the first fifty entries or so. Okay, that's not the mistake. The mistake was that I felt the desperate need to update my own list with any changes in the order on the list. Let me give you an example.

In between (let's say) the fifth & sixth entries something like ten entries moved up &/or down in such a dramatic fashion that I spent the first third of the show "catching up" - & telling you, like you give a damn, about the numbers they were & the numbers they are (as of the show).

This was a very dumb way to manage this. As I was gathering material for the eighth installment, there were so many entries that moved & changed that they would now take up the bulk of that show. It was becoming unwieldy. & it was all because I felt the need to be somewhat faithful to the list as is than perhaps as it was when I started the project.

Because the project was intermittent. I did seven parts in over a year, maybe in almost two years. Of course a dynamic, user-opinion-based list would change a lot.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that I'm not going to continue with the 1968 Project at this point. But.

Soon enough I'm going to attempt the 1969 Project. & when I do that, I am going to take a snapshot of that album list on Rate Your Music & I am going to keep that snapshot & not attempt to keep up with the changes as new users vote on the 1969 album list.

In effect I'm saying I won't make the same mistake again.

This by the way is an example of how insular my radio world is. Virtually no one heard these radio shows I'm talking about, & less might have sought them out on my website, & a sum total of nobody at all was wondering when I would return to it. But I felt the need to explain why I haven't done an eighth episode at this point.

If you're thinking, wow that's dumb. It is! I know it is! & yet. This is me.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: Barn Day

That picture of the sad remains of a once-proud barn was taken in Kentucky in 2015. I'm sure I saw plenty of awesome barns still in use. Someone those are not as photogenic as the one up there, looking so forlorn. But we shouldn't focus on crumbling barns!

July 14 is Barn Day. On the Dickenbock Report this week we'll talk about barns, hear musical reports about barns, & we might even be broadcasting from a barn! I hope it's not a haunted barn.

That's tomorrow, July 14, noon to 1pm on XRAY - 91.1+107.1fm in town, xray dot fm everywhere.

& yes, my mother, who raised me, often asked me if I were raised in a barn. It seemed like the strangest question coming from her.

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

Above is a picture of The Magnetic Fields in Portland in 2022 at the Aladdin Theater. They don't have any songs about magnets so I didn't play them on my magnet show but certainly I thought about them a lot - they are one of my favorite bands.

This weeks started though with an episode of The Dickenbock Report on National Macaroni Day. It was very, very fun sorting through songs about macaroni. I liked it lots. You can listen to the show at the XRAY website here or directly from the Self Help Radio website by clicking on this link. You may need the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access.

Then comes Self Help Radio, about magnets this week. You can listen to the show at the KBOO website or you can download it from the Self Help Radio website. Same username/password issues apply.

At the end of the KBOO file is this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming, which once again focused on dead folks. You can listen at the end of the KBOO SHR episode or download the show directly right here.

There is no new Self Help Radio next week but that doesn't mean I won't have more radio to share. Like, I subbed a show on XRAY this week! But you'll have to wait a bit to listen if you missed it, sorry.

Self Help Radio 070924: Magnets

What an attractive show this was. Ho ho ho. Seriously, you won't be able to resist. Ha ha ha.

Yikes, magnet puns are affecting me negatively. Just let it be known Self Help Radio this morning was a show about magnets. Songs, interviews, a robot that defines things, the usual. I have really nothing else to add.

Listen when you want at either the KBOO website or at the Self Help Radio website. If you choose the latter, you need a username (SHR) & password (selfhelp). There's a story about the recording of this show which I may well tell soon enough but maybe not. Everything that happened on the show is below. Most everything. Some things are left to discover.

Find your true magnetic north!

Self Help Radio Magnets show

"It's A Magnet" Dorothy Collins _Experiment Songs (From Ballads For The Age Of Science)_

"Magnetism" Sonny James _Young Love: The Complete Recordings 1952-1962_

"The Human Magnet Song" Joanna Sternberg _I've Got Me_

introductions & definitions - featuring the Definition-O-Tron 3000!

"(Your Love Is Like A) Magnet" The Age Of Reason _Ear-Piercing Punk_

"Magnetism" Escombros _Love, Peace, & Poetry - Chilean Psychedelic Music_

"Magnetic Hearts" Vs. _Magnetic Hearts_

"Magnetic Attraction" Y Pants _Y Pants_

"The Electronic Magnetism (That's Heavy Baby)" Solomon Burke _Electronic Magnetism_

interview with Frank Bolton, inventor of the Bolton Method of improving personal magnetism

"The Magnet" Wandering Lucy _Leap Year_

"Fridge Magnet Song" The Lucksmiths _Boondoggle_

"Magnet" Yo La Tengo _Prisoners Of Love (A Smattering Of Scintillating Senescent Songs 1985-2003)_

"Magnets" Digitalism _Idealism_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops by!

"Magnet Face" Wet Dog _Future Love Songs_

"Magnet" Bikini Kill _Pussy Whipped_

"Capture With A Magnet" The Thermals _No Culture Icons_

"Your Life On Magnetic Tape" The Russian Futurists _Let's Get Ready To Crumble_

interview with Dude Magnet author Fay Bowers

"Psycho Magnet" Spearmint _Paris In A Bottle_

"Freak Magnet" Violent Femmes _Freak Magnet_

"Magnetic Woman" Eerie Wanda _Pet Town_

"Silver Arc Curving In The Magnetic Field" His Name Is Alive _Patterns Of Light_

interview with musician Foster Biggs, who makes music with magnets

"The Loneliness Of Magnets" The Handsome Family _Honey Moon_

"Sky Magnet" Frankie Cosmos _Inner World Peace_

"He's A Magnet" Mark Mulcahy _Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You_

"Magnetism" Lavender Blush _There's Nothing Inside Your Heart_

conclusion & goodbye

"Magnetizing (feat. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien)" Handsome Boy Modeling School _So... How's Your Girl?_

"Magnetic" Freezepop _Imaginary Friends_

"Mr. Magnetism Himself" Bill Nelson _The Two-Fold Aspect Of Everything_

"It's A Magnet (Reprise)" Dorothy Collins _Experiment Songs (From Ballads For The Age Of Science)_

Whither Magnets?

(image by David Shrigley)

Gosh. I have been racking my brain trying to remember when I first thought of magnets. It might have been one of the stranded themes I keep in a sad folder to which I return when I am out of ideas. It might have had a different inciting incident. I can't recall, sorry.

There is this story: this morning I went to a local toy store to get a horseshoe magnet. I was so inspired by the songs & interviews I had been doing that I wanted a magnet of my own & I wanted it to look like the magnets in cartoons. I checked their website & it said they had them in stock. But they did not. I must've looked as dejected as Charlie Brown as I left that local toy store.

Not that I would've taken the magnet with me to the show! I am afraid of doing what the cartoon above threatens. That might be why I currently don't have a magnet.

The Self Help Radio magnets show airs tonight midnight to 2am on 90.7fm in Portland & online everywhere at kboo dot fm. I don't think it'll erase your hard drive.

Preface To Magnets: Mid-Year Tally

(image from here*)

This post isn't about magnets. Self Help Radio this week is about magnets. But this post isn't. I just had nowhere else to mention this - & the time is right!

June 30 was almost the halfway point for the year. In 2024 it was the 182nd day of the year - because this is a leap year - with 184 days of the year. There's no "middle day" in leap years. But since it was the end of the sixth month, with six months left, it feels fine as an arbitrary midpoint.

This year for the first time ever I've kept notes about the radio shows I've done. Usually I try to count them up at the end of the year, but this year I kept & keep track every week. I have three radio shows currently - altho one of them is now tacked at the end of another, so I'm not on the radio three times a week. But sometimes I am! With sub shows & stuff.

What I didn't do - which is weird now that I think about it - is keep track of the number of individual shows. I really should do that. But here is the tally of radio so far in 2024.

As of June 30, poor old Portland has heard me on 94 radio shows on 3 different stations. Two of my shows are theme-based, but sometimes I return to previous themes, so I have explored only 44 original themes this year. Coincidentally 44 of those shows have been live (not always the ones with original themes tho). 50 of them have been recorded. It has been a total of 154 hours of radio (as of June 30). That's almost six & half days of radio. I feel just awful about that.

Here's the grand total:

27 episodes of Self Help Radio

26 episodes of Corporate Standardized Programming

26 episodes of The Dickenbock Report

15 sub shows

Does it add up to 94? I hope so. Self Help Radio moved from Freeform Portland to KBOO in March. I "recreated" two FFP SHRs for KBOO in January & February so I am counting those. I subbed a show on XRAY that was such a disaster that I am not counting it - so don't ask me to.

That's that. A little worrying. I suspect the year-end tally will be terrifying. Anyway. I'll talk magnets tomorrow.

* Steel Powder on Magnet by Aney is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Macaroni Day

(Image by Slice Of Chic from here*)

Hello news junkie/foodie! July 7 is National Macaroni Day. It seems important that we report on that. & so we shall.

That's tomorrow, July 7, noon to 1pm on XRAY - 91.1+107.1fm in town, xray dot fm everywhere.

We'll talk macaroni, hear musical reports, & have a live report from the Portland Macaroni Festival. & probably eat a lot of macaroni. Just because.

* Image used under the Attribution-Noncommercial Nodervis 2.0 Generic license.

This Week In Self Help (June 30 + July 2 2024)

(Death Valley rattlesnake by Jeff Sullivan from here*)

Another week of radio! From Corvettes to Death Valley. Here's the rundown.

The Dickenbock Report on Sunday was a celebration of the classic American sports car the Corvette, as it was National Corvette Day. You can listen to that show on the XRAY website or on the Self Help Radio website - here's a direct link for that. You may be asked for a username & password. Those are SHR & selfhelp respectively.

Self Help Radio this week was about Death Valley. The KBOO website is still having issues but you can listen on the Self Help Radio website - here's the link for that. The same username/password situation applies.

Finally, this week's episode of Corporate Standardized Programming was a lot of new releases - like it usually is every other week. Listen to it by clicking here.

If you'd like to see playlists & stuff, they're all on the Self Help Radio website.

Time to get started for next week!

*Shared under the Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivs 2.0 Generic license.

Self Help Radio 070224: Death Valley

(original image by Andrew Mace found here*)

Recent events in this dying republic colored this show somewhat, as I was depressed most of yesterday, when I should have been focused on the show. That it didn't turn out so badly (in my opinion) has to do with the work done before - I wanted to find enough songs that I liked to fill up a show about Death Valley & that took a little time. It's not the most common of topics, but also it's not the most common of places. Hopefully one day I'll get to visit.

You can visit this show at the Self Help Radio website. You'll need the username SHR & password selfhelp to access. But only once! There are other radio shows there too. What happened on this this radio show is noted below.

Is Death Valley a good place to hide I wonder?

Self Help Radio Death Valley Show

"Death Valley Is Just Half Way To My Home" Lonnie Johnson _Complete Recorded Works 1925-1932 In Chronological Order Volume 5_

"Death Valley Blues" Alice Moore _St. Louis Women. Vol. 2_

"Death Valley Blues" Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup _Mean Ol' Frisco_

introduction & definitions

"Death Valley Run" The Hondells _Go Little Honda_

"Going Down To Death Valley" The Raymen _Going Down_

"Death Valley '69" Sonic Youth _Bad Moon Rising_

"Death Valley '94" Bügsküll _Phantasies & Senseitions_

interview with Oscar Telsen, who lives somewhat off the grid in Death Valley

"Death Valley" Edwin Torres _Holy Kid_

"Death Valley Rain" Steve Wynn _Here Come The Miracles_

"Driving Death Valley Blues" Mark Lanegan Band _Bubblegum_

"Death Valley" The Bellyachers _Heavy In My Hands_

interview with Otto Taylor, author of "The Monsters Of Death Valley"

"Death Valley Boogie" Death Valley Girls _Glow In The Dark_

"Death Valley Queen" Flogging Molly _Drunken Lullabies_

"Death Valley" Wearenotwhoweare _Wearenotwhoweare EP_

"Death Valley Ass" Poor Man's Whiskey _Roadside Attraction_

interview with Olivia Thomas, who wants to start a commune in Death Valley

"Death Valley" Barbara M. Hallman _Perfect Moment_

"Death Valley" Stella Schindler _Distant Hum_

"Death Valley" David Haerle _Death Valley_

"Death Valley Girls" Thee Arcadians _We've Come For Your Parents_

Sir Archibald Von Poesy favors us with a pram

"Death Valley Day" Jon Langford & Skull Orchard _Old Devils_

"Death Valley" Begushkin _King's Curse_

"Death Valley" My Jerusalem _Preachers_

"Death Valley Acid" Wylderness _Wylderness_

conclusion & goodbye

"Death Valley Days" The Western States Motel _Freeway Freeway Riverbed_

"Death Valley Sunday" The Electric Lazarus _Death Valley Sunday_

* Image is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. The image has been modified by adding the Self Help Radio logo to it.

Whither Death Valley?

("Death Valley Scenic Byway" from here.)

(A sad footnote is below)*

Sometimes you get a wild hair up your ass.

That delightful euphemism means, according to the Free Dictionary, to "become obsessed (with someone or something), often when said obsession is strange or unexpected."

Death Valley is not a place I've visited. I thought I drove through it almost thirty years ago, traveling from L.A. to Las Vegas, but apparently I did not.

Recently I've become a little obsessed with Death Valley. For no reason. Looking at pictures. Reading a little about it. Thinking it's not such a far drive from Portland, maybe I should head down there. & then, inevitably, wondering if there are any songs about Death Valley?

Of course there are! There are lots of them! I found tons! But did I find a lot of songs about Death Valley that I liked?

It turns out I did. & you can listen to them tonight. Midnight to 2am on 90.7fm here in Portland & at kboo dot fm everywhere in the world - maybe even Death Valley!

* I am trying to be whimsical & have fun with my radio show but the news today about the blatant corruption at the very heart of our country has made it very difficult. There's nothing I can much do about it & the helpless feeling is debilitating but I will try to make a fun radio show regardless. Just letting you know.

Preface To Death Valley: Here's A Map

(image from here)

In case you get lost in Death Valley, here's a map.

How might one get lost in Death Valley? One might be chased off the highway, & the car breaks down, & it's late at night. Sometimes it gets cold in the desert at night! It's even colder when someone is chasing you.

It has been brought to my attention that map above is a map of the National Park, not all of Death Valley. So if you do get lost in Death Valley, make sure it's in the National Park. That way you have a handy map (provided above) to help you find your way.

How might one get lost in Death Valley National Park? One might think that, since it's a National Park, one will find many amenities like a water slide or a public pool & one might try to find them. That would be a mistake! There are no water slides in Death Valley National Park.

Good thing you have the map! There are snakes out there! & people chasing you off the road!

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Corvette Day

(image from here)

June 30 is National Corvette Day. Lovers of sports cars rejoice! Tune in to the Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM as we explore these American icons, featuring lots of musical reports, a movie review, & more. More means me talking.

Tomorrow! Sunday, June 30, noon to 1pm, on XRAY FM - 91.1+107.1fm & online at xray dot fm.

As an aside: do not loan your Corvette to Dick Dickenbock for the day. Previous Corvette Days have been a bit heartbreaking for such generous souls.

This Week In Self Help (June 23 25 + 26 2024)

(Pete is done for the night)

Another busy week making radio almost literally no one listens to! Let's start on Sunday!

The Dickenbock Report had a show for National Typewriter Day. Lots of songs with lots of typewriter sounds. Here is it on the XRAY page. You can also listen to it (& download it) on the Self Help Radio home page by clicking here. Use the username/password SHR/selfhelp to access - anything from the SHR website will need those, but I think only once per session.

Self Help Radio has a show about mangos. You can listen to that show by clicking here. Sadly, the KBOO website is still being wonky so you'll have to listen to it on the SHR page. I thought it was a fun show, & I can say with all honestly that I very much loved finding mango songs - & typewriter songs too!

Corporate Standardized Programming had another show featuring artists we've lost. Listen to that show by clicking here. It's a cheery one. I confess to liking the song "Ramblin' Man," tho, so it's got something for everyone. What?

Finally, I subbed Dr. Zomb's Stereo Obscura on Wednesday. I have not put that show's playlist on the Self Help Radio website yet - I like Self Help Radio episodes to be at the top & so I'll put the playlist up next Tuesday. But if you wanna see the playlist anyway, you will find it at the Spinitron site. & if you'd like to listen, I have uploaded it the SHR website & you can click here to hear.

& that's how I made six hours of radio this past week. Or not how. It's the six hours I made. "How" is "shabbily."

Self Help Radio 062524: Mangos

At last! A radio show about mangos. Someone texted me, "I can't bear how good a ripe mango is. I could eat way too much." If only a radio show could make someone feel the same way! It might have to be a show about mangos.

Please enjoy two hours of mango songs + silly guests & an even sillier live performance by a pair of "musicians." The show is at the Self Help Radio website. To access you will need a username - SHR - & a password. Most everything that happens on the show is noted below.

So yeah. It's mango time!

Self Help Radio Mango Show

"Mangos" Rosemary Clooney _The Essence Of Rosemary Clooney_

"Mango Vendor" Nina & Frederik _Nina & Frederik_

"Mango Song" Marty Robbins _Island Woman_

introduction & definitions

"Mango Time" Tony Bird _Sorry Africa_

"Mango Walk" The In-Crowd _Darker Than Blue: Soul From Jamdown 1973-1980_

"Mango Talk" Hari Kondabolu _Warn Your Relatives_

"Mango" Lindsey Mills with Handmade, Amigo _Stonefruit_

interview with fruit inspector Dr. Ian Waterson

"Mango Tree" Angus & Julia Stone _Memories Of An Old Friend_

"Underneath The Mango Tree" Calypso Rose _Calypso Rose_

"Mango Meat" Mandrill _Just Outside Of Town_

"Mango" Mawaan _Mango_

interview with Self Help Radio's favorite chef Ingrid West

"El Mango" Calibre 50 _Desde El Rancho_

"Hairy Mango" Jackie Opel _The Best Of Jackie Opel_

"Mango" Coupé Cloué _Maximum Compas From Haiti_

"Djeli Mango" Kante Manfila Vs Sorry Bamba _Clash Mandique_

interview with mango booster Ivan Wickersham

"Mangos & Rice" Hanni El Khatib _Savage Times_

"Mango Terrarium" Psychedelic Porn Crumpets _Shyga! The Sunlight Mound_

"Embrace The Sloppy Chaos Of The Mango" John Oliver _Last Week Tonight S11 E13_

"Mango Juice" Shonen Knife _Heavy Songs_

a mango taste test a performance by Ned Dry & Captain McCheese

"The Mango Song" Danny Carnahan & Robin Petrie _Cut & Run_

"Mango" The Orielles _Silver Dollar Moment_

"Julie Mangos" Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes _What Kinda Music_

"Mango Tree" Hugh Masekela _Siparia To Soweto_

conclusion & goodbye

"Orange & Mango" The Phoenix Foundation _Buffalo_

"Mango Tree" Aden _Topsiders_

"Mango" Highs _Highs_

Whither Mangos?

(image found here)

Yesterday I confessed that I (unlike most of the world) am not the biggest fan of the mango. I don't hate them - just don't enjoy the difficult process of eating them, & don't seek out mango in treats & entrees.

You may well ask then "Why do a show about mangos?" The answer is, because I live with a mango fiend. This fiend, my wife, prefers a specific kind of mango. They need to be dried. & they need to have some kind of sugar chili coating. She frickin loves dried mango. & I am often tasked to find the dried mango. There's none at Costco? Have you tried Trader Joe's? What about Natural Grocers? Okay, just get the stuff at Safeway that'll be fine.

When a person spends as much time as I have looking for mango, it naturally occurs to a person (if that person has a radio show) to perhaps maybe why not do a radio show about mangos? It is a beloved fruit the world over. & in my house, where my wife's love of mangos is enough for all of us.

Also, she said to me recently, "It's summer, make me more food with mango in it." I might've heard that as "make me a radio show about mangos."

It's happening tonight. Midnight to 2am. On 90.7fm in Portland, kboo dot fm everywhere.

Preface To Mangos: A Confession

(Poem by Amir Khusrow, found on Twitter)

It is with a kind of shame that I make this confession: I'm not all that fond of mangos.

It's true, I didn't grow up eating mangos. I barely grew up eating fresh fruit at all, as my family was very poor. But the first mango I had was probably in my twenties. & I was completely unprepared.

Oh I tried to be cool. But I made a mess. & it didn't seem to worth it.

Later on, I found I enjoyed it in meals I've made - from recipes of course - there's a black bean mango quinoa salad I enjoy as well as a Thai golden curry which uses mangos - but even then I use frozen mangos which I thaw because I have been repeatedly traumatized by the embarrassing attempts to properly peel a mango.

& yet here I am, making a radio show about mangos - why is that? I'll tell ya tomorrow.