I can't decide what I want to talk about most on Self Help Radio this week: the importance of good shoes, or foot fetishists.
This article says "it's important to wear good shoes, as the foot along has more than 25 percent of the body's collected bone mass." (My wife, who is an anatomist, says that's bullshit, by the way.)
But! The Wikipedia's article on foot fetishism says "it is the most common form of sexual fetishism for otherwise non-sexual objects or body parts."
That's pretty amazing.
I'm torn.
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
The Constant Struggle To Get One's Act Together
I can't understand how everyone has time to check their social media - their Facebookers, Twitters, Instant Gram, Bloggering, Tumblering - & I have more time than most!
Occasionally when I am wandering around & have my cell phone with me, I check my Twitter feed. Usually, I am entertained, but I never really have anything to add, & so it's something of a passive medium for me. I don't keep up the Self Help Radio Tumblr blog, & I feel bad about that. I have fallen behind on Facebook. & I try to write in this blog, even if - as per usual - I have nothing to say. But where does the time go!
For me, there's a great satisfaction - even if it has affected my girth - in cooking. It keeps Mrs. Self Help Radio happy, which should be pleasure enough, but I find joy in trying new things out - especially if they turn out all right.
Fuck you baking!
The wife was a passable cook, but she had a tendency, like a satellite's orbit decays, to make the meals just a little more sloppily each time. I want to be able to either make the same recipe as great as it was the best time, or better. I think that, since I'm never going to be a musician, or an actor, my cooking is a little like learning an instrument or memorizing lines.
It doesn't explain why I can't regularly update my life on Twitter, but it's the start of an excuse, anyway.
Occasionally when I am wandering around & have my cell phone with me, I check my Twitter feed. Usually, I am entertained, but I never really have anything to add, & so it's something of a passive medium for me. I don't keep up the Self Help Radio Tumblr blog, & I feel bad about that. I have fallen behind on Facebook. & I try to write in this blog, even if - as per usual - I have nothing to say. But where does the time go!
For me, there's a great satisfaction - even if it has affected my girth - in cooking. It keeps Mrs. Self Help Radio happy, which should be pleasure enough, but I find joy in trying new things out - especially if they turn out all right.
Fuck you baking!
The wife was a passable cook, but she had a tendency, like a satellite's orbit decays, to make the meals just a little more sloppily each time. I want to be able to either make the same recipe as great as it was the best time, or better. I think that, since I'm never going to be a musician, or an actor, my cooking is a little like learning an instrument or memorizing lines.
It doesn't explain why I can't regularly update my life on Twitter, but it's the start of an excuse, anyway.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Is It Time To Start Recommending Records?
Someone asked me the other day why, since I have a blog for my radio show, I don't do what other people do who have one of those, which is talk about/review records here. After all, I play new music on my show & I'm not terribly genre specific, so doubtless I listen to a lot of music - why not hype it up on this website?
The answer is in two parts. One, I'm not a writer & even though I "review" records for WRFL, I'm not writing anything that I expect to publish. Honestly, I'm surprised when my scribblings make any sense.
Two, I kind of think that the music I play on my is the best way to tell you what I like. There are artists - a lot of them - which you'll never hear on Self Help Radio, & that's because I don't think they're any good. It's sometimes heartbreaking to tell that to someone who suggests a song for one of my themes, but it's true - I don't have to play music I don't like, so I don't.
I'm not above saying what's making me happy at the moment, though, so perhaps I'll do that on Thursdays for a little while. Maybe over time I'll be comfortable enough to write something that will resemble a review or at least some discussion of why I like what I like.
So today I recommend the new album by Talk Normal, which is called "Sunshine." I think it's a record with super powers. If you know how to get them to Lexington, that would be amazing. The record looks like this:
I like it a lot. Might you?
The answer is in two parts. One, I'm not a writer & even though I "review" records for WRFL, I'm not writing anything that I expect to publish. Honestly, I'm surprised when my scribblings make any sense.
Two, I kind of think that the music I play on my is the best way to tell you what I like. There are artists - a lot of them - which you'll never hear on Self Help Radio, & that's because I don't think they're any good. It's sometimes heartbreaking to tell that to someone who suggests a song for one of my themes, but it's true - I don't have to play music I don't like, so I don't.
I'm not above saying what's making me happy at the moment, though, so perhaps I'll do that on Thursdays for a little while. Maybe over time I'll be comfortable enough to write something that will resemble a review or at least some discussion of why I like what I like.
So today I recommend the new album by Talk Normal, which is called "Sunshine." I think it's a record with super powers. If you know how to get them to Lexington, that would be amazing. The record looks like this:
Monday, October 29, 2012
Don't Go To Sleep!
Here's this year's Halloween show, about nightmares, wherein I play lots of nightmare songs & also talk about why we have bad dreams. After you listen to this show, though, you should sleep like a baby.
The show is in two parts, naturally, described below. Part one is here & part two is here. The entire show is at the Self Help Radio website. Heck! You can even listen to last year's Halloween show for a little while longer (it's about graveyards).
I hope it's sufficiently spooky. Please enjoy.
(part one)
"Nightmare" Boris Karloff _Tales Of The Frightened, Vol. 2_
"The Nightmare" Cab Calloway _1930-1931_
"Nightmare" The Sinners _Bomp In The Night_
"Nightmare" Scottie Stuart _Monster Bop_ there i was in a strange & distant land
"Psycho Nightmare" Daniel Johnston _Fun_
"Nightmare On My Street" DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper_
"Lullaby To Nightmares" They Might Be Giants _Long Tall Weekend_
"Like A Nightmare" The Andantes _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 4: 1964_
"Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song" Todd Rundgren _Todd_
"Nightmare Mash" Billy Lee Riley _These Ghoulish Things: Horror Hits For Halloween_
"Another Velvet Nightmare" Frank Black _Honeycomb_
"Nightmare" The Rebel Set _Garage Monsters - The Best Of The GaragePunk Hideout, Vol. 9_
"Nightmares In Red" The Brain _Rubble Vol. 2_
"Happy Nightmare Baby" Opal _Happy Nightmare Baby_
(part two)
"Nightmare" Chuck Armstrong _Shackin' Up_ i woke up this morning from a deep sleep
"Lulu's Nightmare" The Jazz Butcher _Illuminate_
"Let It Be A Nightmare" The Bran Flakes _I Remember When I Break Down_
"Nightmares" Jay Reatard _Blood Visions_
"Nightmare" Moving Parts _Wrong Conclusion_
"I Got Nightmares" Q65 _Revolution_
"Nightmare" The*Rock*A*Teens _Cry_
"Nightmares" Creation _Our Music Is Red With Purple Flashes_
"Nightmare" Jack Turner _Haunted Halloween, Vol. 1_
"Nightmare" Kimberley Rew _The Bible Of Bop_
"Wet Nightmare" The Cramps _Big Beat From Badsville_
"Nightmares" Violent Femmes _3_
"Johnny Nightmare" The Secret History _The World That Never Was_
"The Nightmare Goes On" Piano Magic _Ovations_
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Whither Nightmares?
It's becoming increasing difficult to make Halloween shows. There are only a few Halloween themes, & I waste some of them like I did a couple of weeks ago & do a show about spiders too far ahead of Halloween to count.
What themes have I covered?
In 2003, it was just "Halloween."
In 2004, I didn't do a Halloween show.
In 2005, the show was about vampires.
In 2006, the show was about monsters.
In 2007, the show was about zombies.
In 2008, the show was about witches.
In 2009, the show was about werewolves.
In 2010, the show was about haunted houses.
In 2011, the show was about graveyards.
I am getting more abstract as time goes by, it seems.
Some nice person suggested a show about "creepy crawlies," which seems eminently do-able. More problematic is a show about "Japanese monsters." I think next year I'll do a show about voodoo!
You can wake up screaming tomorrow morning at 7am on 88.1 fm in Lexington - or online at the WRFL website, or you can wait until later when I put it up at Self Help Radio Dot Net. Just in time for Halloween! I promise!
What themes have I covered?
In 2003, it was just "Halloween."
In 2004, I didn't do a Halloween show.
In 2005, the show was about vampires.
In 2006, the show was about monsters.
In 2007, the show was about zombies.
In 2008, the show was about witches.
In 2009, the show was about werewolves.
In 2010, the show was about haunted houses.
In 2011, the show was about graveyards.
I am getting more abstract as time goes by, it seems.
Some nice person suggested a show about "creepy crawlies," which seems eminently do-able. More problematic is a show about "Japanese monsters." I think next year I'll do a show about voodoo!
You can wake up screaming tomorrow morning at 7am on 88.1 fm in Lexington - or online at the WRFL website, or you can wait until later when I put it up at Self Help Radio Dot Net. Just in time for Halloween! I promise!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Preface To Nightmares: On The Way Back From Atlanta
I will be home tonight & will hopefully have time to work on my show but mainly I'll want to cuddle with all my animals at home.
The drive from Lexington to Atlanta is a straight shot down I-75 & if you're somewhere near the Tennessee/Kentucky border around thereabouts - you're driving over some of the Appalachians I believe - the trees this time of year look scrumptious. I can't share any pictures because I was driving & that would be unsafe, taking pictures from a moving car with all those unsafe Kentucky drivers around! Do you think I have a death wish or something?
(Don't answer that.)
I had the chance today, when someone said, "It goes without saying," to interrupt & say, "Then don't say it!"
I've always wanted to do that.
The drive from Lexington to Atlanta is a straight shot down I-75 & if you're somewhere near the Tennessee/Kentucky border around thereabouts - you're driving over some of the Appalachians I believe - the trees this time of year look scrumptious. I can't share any pictures because I was driving & that would be unsafe, taking pictures from a moving car with all those unsafe Kentucky drivers around! Do you think I have a death wish or something?
(Don't answer that.)
I had the chance today, when someone said, "It goes without saying," to interrupt & say, "Then don't say it!"
I've always wanted to do that.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Still In Atlanta
It's true, I am still in Atlanta & despite rumors that I am trying to start, I am not attempting to buy vast areas of prime Atlanta real estate & turn it into a Self Help Radio "fun park." What I am doing here is too dull to mention.
I will mention that I had lunch at this place & it was awesome. Yes, it's a "vegan butcher." & they say we vegans have no sense of humor!
I like this city!
I will mention that I had lunch at this place & it was awesome. Yes, it's a "vegan butcher." & they say we vegans have no sense of humor!
I like this city!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
In Atlanta
I might be terse or not even writing anything since I'll be in Atlanta for a few days. Why? It's not for any plastic surgery, that's for sure. Have you seen how much that costs?
I hope I get to go to Soul Vegetarian, though!
Apologies for not scribbling things you'll never read on this blog for a couple of days.
I hope I get to go to Soul Vegetarian, though!
Apologies for not scribbling things you'll never read on this blog for a couple of days.
Monday, October 22, 2012
A You & I Show For You & Me
A radio show for me you & me! Called "you & I"! In which we discover that pronouns are no longer parts of speech! Do you & I care? Nope.
A lot of you & I songs below. (A few you & me songs too.) The show for you & me about you & I (it sounds awkward I know) is at the Self Help Radio website. It's in two parts, not two you & I parts, but close: part one & part two. I wish you & I could enjoy it together!
Thanks for listening!
(part one)
"You & I" Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra _The Popular Frank Sinatra Vol. 2_
"You & I" Betty Davis _Nasty Gal_
"You & I" Stevie Wonder _Talking Book_
"You & I" Silver Apples _Contact_
"You & I" The Onlookers _This Is Mod, Vol. 4: Modities_
"You & I" The Monkees _Instant Replay_
"You & I" The Paddingtons _No Mundane Options_
"You & I" I Start Counting _Catalogue_
"You & I" Rick James _Old School Funk Jams_
"You & I" Yoko Ono _Yes I'm A Witch_
"You & I" Graham Coxon _Love Travels At Illegal Speeds_
"You & I" The Cribs _The Cribs_
"You & I" SPY _Review III (Marsh-Marigold)_
(part two)
"You & I" Albert Hammond _When I Need You_
"You & I" Pete Shelley _XL1_
"Only You & I" Psychedelic Furs _Forever Now_
"Mommy Daddy You & I" Talking Heads _Naked_
"You & I (When We Were Young)" The Strawbs _Ghosts_
"I Think You & I" Skip Spence _Oar_
"If You & I Could Be Sweethearts" The Varieteers _Night Train To Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970_
"If You & I Could Be As Two" Them _The Story Of Them_
"You & I Were One" Dennis Driscoll _A House Full Of Friends_
"You & I Misbehaving" Tilly & The Wall _Wild Like Children_
"You & I Have Seizures" His Name Is Alive _Livonia_
"You & Me" Penny & The Quarters _Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label_
"You & Me" John Cale _The Island Years_
"You & Me" R. Stevie Moore _Lo Fi High Fives…..A Kind Of Best Of_
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Whither You & I?
The depths of my nerdiness - coupled with my obsessive-compulsive leanings (undiagnosed) & the fact that I was raised by a narcissistic mother - are not something I am eager to plumb. But what if? What if you did an entire show with songs simply titled "You & I"? Is it at all possible?
Maybe. (Not really.) (Hush!) Though I really did do a show a couple of years ago wherein every song was entitled "Tell Me". So why not "You & I"?
Also, what the hell does a person who usually talks about his show's theme talk about when the show is about "you & I"? I don't know much about you, & I fear I know even less about myself.
There's not much to hope for. But you (& I) can listen tomorrow morning from 7 to 9am on 88.1 fm in Lexington & online at WRFL dot FM. I'll put it on the Self Help Radio website later in the day, but I'll only do it for you & me. No one else!
Maybe. (Not really.) (Hush!) Though I really did do a show a couple of years ago wherein every song was entitled "Tell Me". So why not "You & I"?
Also, what the hell does a person who usually talks about his show's theme talk about when the show is about "you & I"? I don't know much about you, & I fear I know even less about myself.
There's not much to hope for. But you (& I) can listen tomorrow morning from 7 to 9am on 88.1 fm in Lexington & online at WRFL dot FM. I'll put it on the Self Help Radio website later in the day, but I'll only do it for you & me. No one else!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Seriously, Does Anyone Read This Blog?
I mean, really. I write stuff about my silly radio show, but it's probably not terribly interesting. & while I sometimes try to be clever, I often fail.
Still, if you are one of the undaunted few who happen upon this in the month of October, 2012, & you'd like to get a Self Help Radio 10th Anniversary Mug - made from real ceramics! - then send an email to this email address - which is gary@selfhelpradio.net - & I can get a mug to you. My treat!
But who in the world would be reading this? Seriously, this blog seems more something *I* am required to pay attention to, not you.
Still, if you are one of the undaunted few who happen upon this in the month of October, 2012, & you'd like to get a Self Help Radio 10th Anniversary Mug - made from real ceramics! - then send an email to this email address - which is gary@selfhelpradio.net - & I can get a mug to you. My treat!
But who in the world would be reading this? Seriously, this blog seems more something *I* am required to pay attention to, not you.
Monday, October 15, 2012
There's Spiders In My Anniversary!
Whew! Ten years is a long time. Not so long, perhaps, for a tarantula, which might live for twenty years, but for your average spider, that ten times their normal lifespan.
Which is my way of saying, if a spider did Self Help Radio, the show would have ended after a year.
A celebration of spiders on a celebration of longevity. The show is at the Self Help Radio website, in its web there. You can listen to it directly in two parts: part one & part two. But be careful! The web is sticky!
Thanks for listening, & if you've listened to Self Help Radio for ten years - what's wrong with you?
Here's what I played in each part of the show:
(part one)
"Spiders" Bruce Haack _The Electronic Record For Children_
"A Good Year For Spiders" Ken Nordine _Transparent Mask_
"Inky Dinky Spider (The Spider Song)" Kids Next Door _Hey! Look What I Found Vol. 7_
"Boris The Spider" The Kords _Mindrocker: Anthology Of 60's US-Punk Garage Psych, Vol. 3_
"Spiders & Snakes" World Famous Blue Jays _Star Power!_
"Spiderman" Wreckage _A Pop Sampler_
"Spider & I" The Hope Blister _Smile's OK_
"Spider & The Fly" Barbecue Bob _Chocolate To The Bone_
"The Spider & The Fly" Fats Waller _The Definitive Fats Waller_
"The Spider & The Fly" Von Ruden _Pebbles, Vol. 7: Chicago 2_
"The Spider & The Fly" Monocles _Box Of Trash: Pebbles Box_
"The Spider & The Fly" John Zacherle _Monster Mash/Scary Tales_
"Crawlin' Black Spider" John Lee Hooker _Blues In Transition 1955 - 1959_
"Black Widow Spider" Big Bill Broonzy _Greatest Blues Licks_
(part two)
"Black Widow Spider Woman" Jack Hammer _Horror Hop_
"Ole! Tarantula" Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus Three _Ole! Tarantula_
"Tarantula" This Mortal Coil _Filigree & Shadow_
"Spidereggs" Elf Power _Elf Power_
"Spider" Ed's Redeeming Qualities _At The Fish & Game Club_
"Spiders" Editors _An End Has A Start_
"Spider" K.G. Young _Piccadilly Sunshine # 2_
"Spider" They Might Be Giants _Apollo 18_
"The Man, The King, The Girl & The Spider" Deerhoof _Halfbird_
"Spider" Pants Yell! _Received Pronunciation_
"You Spider" The Jessica Fletchers _You Spider_
"Spider" Swan Lake _Enemy Mine_
"Ziggy Stardust" David Bowie _ The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars_
"Spider" The Merrymen _Pebbles, Vol. 20: The Continent Lashes Back - Sweden_
"Does 'Things Could Be Worse' Mean I Should Be Happy" Beloved Binge _Pockets_
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Whither Spiders? Whither A Tenth Anniversary Show?
It occurs to me that, if I am allowed to continue to do Self Help Radio into the future, I might revisit a theme (since I have decided that I should revisit themes on my anniversary shows) about which I have written once before on this blog. That shouldn't happen any time soon - I've only maintained this blog for the past six years, or 6/10ths of the life of the show. There are many more shows to revisit that aired before then. (I'm surprised I didn't celebrate the sixth anniversary of my blog. But now that I think about it, the reason I don't celebrate many anniversaries is because I never can remember when they are.)
Tomorrow, though, it's all about spiders. (Even, as I keep getting suggested, spiders from Mars.) I will be giving away special tenth anniversary Self Help Radio swag on the air & later on my Facebook page. So please listen!
That's 7 to 9 am tomorrow (Monday) (the 15th of October) on 88.1 fm WRFL in Lexington & online at WRFL dot FM. You won't want to miss it, but if you do - & I hope it's not because of a spider bite - you can hear it again & again at the Self Help Radio website.
Happy tenth anniversary, show! You're still quite juvenile.
Tomorrow, though, it's all about spiders. (Even, as I keep getting suggested, spiders from Mars.) I will be giving away special tenth anniversary Self Help Radio swag on the air & later on my Facebook page. So please listen!
That's 7 to 9 am tomorrow (Monday) (the 15th of October) on 88.1 fm WRFL in Lexington & online at WRFL dot FM. You won't want to miss it, but if you do - & I hope it's not because of a spider bite - you can hear it again & again at the Self Help Radio website.
Happy tenth anniversary, show! You're still quite juvenile.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Preface To Spiders: Didn't You Do A Spider Show Already?
Yeah, but as I explained around the time of my ninth anniversary, I use the anniversary as a chance to revisit an old theme. In this case, it is me revisiting a show from March 31, 2004, which I hastily put together that week because I had been bitten by a brown recluse spider.
Oh, yeah. This guy.
It was a fun show, because people called to tell me all their spiderbite stories. One person even offered to send me pictures of their necrotized skin. I said thank you but no.
Looking back, I didn't have time (or try very hard) to find good spider songs. This time around, I am more prepared. I might not even play the songs I played the first time around!
(I didn't put mp3s of my shows up then, so I don't have the individual shows linked as I do now, so if you want to see the playlist, it's in the 2004 playlist section. March 31. You can just search for "spider.")
Oh, yeah. This guy.
It was a fun show, because people called to tell me all their spiderbite stories. One person even offered to send me pictures of their necrotized skin. I said thank you but no.
Looking back, I didn't have time (or try very hard) to find good spider songs. This time around, I am more prepared. I might not even play the songs I played the first time around!
(I didn't put mp3s of my shows up then, so I don't have the individual shows linked as I do now, so if you want to see the playlist, it's in the 2004 playlist section. March 31. You can just search for "spider.")
Friday, October 12, 2012
Did You Say TENTH ANNIVERSARY?
I did. & the tenth anniversary is the diamond anniversary. Here's a tenth anniversary graphic:
Graphic for what? you may ask. Stay tuned!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Did Anyone Miss Self Help Radio?
I kinda missed doing Self Help Radio this week. I'll tell you a secret: I was in town. But I was asleep, having arrived the night before from St. Louis, where I saw Louis CK live at a lovely place called the Fox Theatre. But I didn't have time to prepare a show, & someone named Allie did the show instead, which I haven't listened to, because what if she's much better at doing my show than I am? What will I do with my life then?
This is an especially tender time because this week is the Self Help Radio's 10th Anniversary! It's true! Sometime around ten years ago, the first Self Help Radio aired on a Wednesday afternoon on KOOP radio, 91.7 fm, in Austin. If I have time this weekend (& why wouldn't I? I don't really do anything) I'll see if I can come up with "ten years of Self Help Radio" facts & figures. How many shows, how many themes, all the wasted minutes.
Ten years is a lot of time, isn't it? I don't think I've done any one activity for ten years. Except this one, I mean. It's almost like admitting that I've grown old. It's nearly a quarter of my life I've spent on this radio show! & it doesn't even like me!
I was glad for the week off. I think I'd like to do it more often, if only I could do it without missing my show. I remember a dude at KOOP would make a show for when he was absent & then just give the recording to someone to play - just sit behind the board & play it - & in the recording he would say, "I'm not really in the studio, so don't call!"
All right, so I guess I'll just show up for Self Help Radio every day for the rest of my life, then.
This is an especially tender time because this week is the Self Help Radio's 10th Anniversary! It's true! Sometime around ten years ago, the first Self Help Radio aired on a Wednesday afternoon on KOOP radio, 91.7 fm, in Austin. If I have time this weekend (& why wouldn't I? I don't really do anything) I'll see if I can come up with "ten years of Self Help Radio" facts & figures. How many shows, how many themes, all the wasted minutes.
Ten years is a lot of time, isn't it? I don't think I've done any one activity for ten years. Except this one, I mean. It's almost like admitting that I've grown old. It's nearly a quarter of my life I've spent on this radio show! & it doesn't even like me!
I was glad for the week off. I think I'd like to do it more often, if only I could do it without missing my show. I remember a dude at KOOP would make a show for when he was absent & then just give the recording to someone to play - just sit behind the board & play it - & in the recording he would say, "I'm not really in the studio, so don't call!"
All right, so I guess I'll just show up for Self Help Radio every day for the rest of my life, then.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Whither A Self Help Radio Without Gary?
It's true, tomorrow morning from 7 to 9am, Gary will not be hosting Self Help Radio. A gracious RFLer named Allie will be hosting instead, a show about autumn. You can listen on 88.1 fm in Lexington & online at wrfl dot fm.
(Do not report back to me how much better she was than I am. I already know.)
(Do not report back to me how much better she was than I am. I already know.)