Self Help Radio 021524: Purpose

(Argh! It's purpose not porpoise - never mind - original image here.)

Purpose is a loaded term. People desperately want to find purpose from something outside themselves - from a deity, from nature, from patriotism, etc. At least some folks feel in charge of their own purpose. Though whether that's on purpose or something inside them I can't be sure. For the purposes of a show about purpose though, Self Help Radio takes all comers.

Anyway, if you want to listen to this show about purposes - if listening is not at cross purposes with your plans - unless your plan is to hang with cross porpoises - they anger so easily - you can listen to this show now & whenever at the Self Help Radio website. Use the username SHR & password selfhelp to listen. All the things that happen on the show are below.

Self Help Radio returns to purposelessness next week.

Self Help Radio Purpose Show

"Delphine (With A Purpose)" Trick Mammoth _Floristry_

"For Practical Purposes (I Love You)" Chain & The Gang _Music's Not For Everyone_

"The Purpose Of A Circus" Brute Force _Adam & Evening_

introduction & definitions

"Without Purpose" And The Kids _Friends Share Lovers_

"Purpose" Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx _Avenue Q: The Musical - Original Broadway Cast Recording_

"Dreaming To Some Purpose" The Cavalcade _Many Moons_

"No Purpose In Life" The Chesterfield Kings _The Berlin Wall Of Sound_

interview with author Eric Farmer

"Send Purpose Down" Hoop _Super Genuine_

"Sinister Purpose" The Wave Pictures _Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon_

"Give A Purpose To My Love" Frankie Miller _Blackland Farmer (Complete Starday Recordings)_

"Accidentally On Purpose" Gene Martin & June Stearns _Slipping Around_

interview with criminologist Earl Finger

"Accident'ly On Purpose (vocals, Lynne Clark)" Jack Teagarden & His Orchestra _1940-1941_

"Purpose" Second Sky _Touching The Surface_

"Sense Of Purpose" Breathless _The Glass Bead Game_

"With Great Purpose" Frankie Cosmos _Close It Quietly_

interview with reverend Edgar Foster

"All Purpose Low" The La De Das _How Is The Air Up There? 1966-1967_

"Sense Of Purpose" The Pretenders _Packed!_

"About The Purpose That We Serve" Nana Grizol _South Somewhere Else_

"Cross Purposes" The Silly Pillows _New Affection_

interview with columnist & author Emma Foster

"For A Purpose" Able _Blackbean & Placenta Sampler No. 3 1999-2000_

"Sense Of Purpose" The Sound _From The Lions Mouth_

"Sense Of Purpose" The Pop Group _We Are Time_

"No Constructive Purpose In Society" Absentees _Illegal Listening Device: 1979-2000_

conclusion & goodbye

"The Purpose Of Existence Is?" Ray Manzarek _The Golden Scarab_

Whither Purpose?

(photo by Daniel Arnold, found here)

The main definition of the noun "purpose" is "the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists." That definition is a little unsatisfying on purpose. (That phrase, "on purpose," means "intentionally.") You see, without the definition of "purpose" being a little, well, inadequate, the word might not be as warmly embraced by self-improvement (yes, even self-help) types of all stripes, looking to help you "find a purpose." This includes religious ones -  who seek to define your "purpose" as something given to you by a deity.

You know of course that what we might call tepid words thrive on this program because the looser the definition the more ways at which to approach the theme. Is the word "purpose" such a word? Is it value-neutral? Does it feel much more subjective than your average word? Oh gosh I feel like if I answer any of these questions I give the game away. It might put us at cross purposes - & for all intents & purposes (as well as all intensive purposes) that serves no purpose. Can we talk about it after the show, over something we might enjoy for more than medicinal purposes only?

That show happens today, Thursday, February 15, from noon to 2pm Portland time, in Portland live from the Freeform Portland studios, on the air at 90.3+98.3fm & online at freeform portland dot org. Hope to see you there! & sorry if because of my weird pronunciation you thought the show today was about porpoises.

Preface To Purpose - On Valentine's Day?!?

Happy Valentine's Day! I don't want to beat you over the head with a link to last week's Valentine's Day show (you know where to find it) but I should mention that I helped make a Valentine's Day mix (which will be fine to listen to after Valentine's Day) with other Freeform Portland deejays which is an exclusive recording for you to listen to if you are a supporter of Freeform Portland through Patreon. Can I add that the mix is super cool - eighteen FFP programmers (including me) picked their favorite love song & said why it was their favorite. I liked it a lot - maybe you will too. So how do you get it?

Become a follower of Freeform Portland on Patreon, naturally! It is a good investment in a daring experiment in all-volunteer community radio. Again, the mix will be great for all the other days besides Valentine's Day. I think you'd like it. So join Patreon & help Freeform Portland out!

World Radio Day

February 13 is World Radio Day. To celebrate the day, this morning I played a lot of songs about the radio on my KBOO show Corporate Standardized Programming. If you'd like to listen, you can do so here. It it moves you to donate during our current drive, that would be great. I really love radio. Every day should be World Radio Day.

Falling In Love In Film

(image from the IMDb)

It's Valentine' Day week so you are free to romantically listen to a romantical episode of Self Help Radio - our Valentine's Day episode - which this year is about falling in love.  Listen at the Self Help Radio website! Listen for our resident cinephile Chuck talk about movies in which falling in love is an important part. & then look at this plethora of other material you can explore:

Here is the Letterboxd list of movies. Chuck adds, "I put the links to available videos in the notes for the films plus where they are available to stream for free."

If you'd like to read his Letterboxd reviews, click that link.

Here are Chuck's YouTube playlists of films & trailers:
Part I (1916-1965)
Part II (1966-1995)
He will finish the rest soon!

Here is the IMDb list of films available to stream for free elsewhere.

Here is Chuck's IMDb keyword list.

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

Enjoy falling in love - at least in the movies - this Valentine's Day!

Self Help Radio 020824: Valentine's Day 2024 - Falling In Love

(original image here)

Almost a week early, here's this year's Self Help Radio Valentine's Day show - this year about falling in love. I seem to have a different idea of what "falling in love" means than many people - I always find I can love people easier than fall in love with them. I suspect I've only been in love maybe five or six times in my life. & usually those times are the same feelings I associate with falling in love in songs.

There is one possibly unromantic comment I make about falling in love in the show. I hope I can be forgiven for it. If you don't hear it, though, I am certainly not going to point you to it!

Listen to the show now or save it for Valentine's Day at the Self Help Radio web page. Use username SHR & password selfhelp to listen. Download the show! Put it on your phone or whatever! Everything that happens is mentioned below.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Self Help Radio Valentine's Day 2024 Show

"Absolutely Cuckoo" The Magnetic Fields _69 Love Songs_

"I'm Fallin' In Love" Ella Fitzgerald _Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles Volume 1_

"Guess I'm Falling In Love (live)" The Velvet Underground _Peel Slowly & See_

introduction & definitions

"Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love" Veronica _Back To Mono (1958-1969)_

"Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)" Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston _Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston_

"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" Joni Mitchell _Shadows & Light_

"Falling In Love With Myself Again" Sparks _Kimono My House_

"Falling In Love (With Myself)" Ivy Green _Ivy Green_

interview with Kim Rayburn, who falls in love with everybody

"All I Wanna Do Is Fall In Love" Robyn Hitchcock _Black Snake Diamond Röle_

"Don't Fall In Love (Every Single Time)" The Delmonas _Delmonas 5!_

"Falling In Love Again" Klaus Nomi _Simple Man_

"Can't Help Falling In Love" Lick The Tins _Some Kind Of Wonderful_

"Somewhere Someone's Falling In Love" John Prine _Aimless Love_

our resident cinephile Chuck stops by!

"Falling In Love" Monomyth _Happy Pop Family_

"I Fall In Love (All Over Again)" The Forum _The River Is Wide_

"I Feel Like Falling In Love Again" The Fantastic Four _The Complete Motown Singles | Vol. 9: 1969_

"Falling" Julee Cruise _Floating Into The Night_

interview with Karl Rogers, who's only been in love once

"Falling In Love" The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy _Distressed Gentlefolk_

"I Wanna Fall In Love" BMX Bandits _Theme Park_

"The Falling In Love Part Is The Best Part Anyways" The Casino Ashtrays _Just Like Me EP_

"We Were Programmed To Fall In Love" Confusions _Grounds_

interview with Kris Rand, who has never been in love

"Fall In Love With Me" The House Of Love _Burn Down The World: The Fontana Years 1989-1993_

"Ever Fallen In Love" Nouvelle Vague _Bande À Part_

"Feels Like Falling In Love" The Arrogants _Nobody's Cool_

"Fallin' In Love" Lush _Black Spring EP_

conclusion & goodbye

"Let's Fall In Love" William Onyeabor _Who Is William Onyeabor?_

"I Just Want Someone To Fall In Love With" The Lovely Eggs _Wildlife_

Whither Falling In Love (Valentine's Day 2024)?

(image from here)

Every year there's a Valentine's Day show on Self Help Radio. Topics like jealousy or famous lovers or hearts or flirting or boyfriends or girlfriends have been discussed & explored in the past. This year it's falling in love.

You're like, hasn't the show been on for like two decades? & you're just getting to falling in love?!?

Yeah, but do you know how many songs about falling in love there are? It was a daunting proposition!

Hear how it turned out today (a week early but the closest show I have to Valentine's Day!) from noon to 2pm on 90.3+98.3fm in town & online at Freeform Portland dot org. Songs, interviews, things that may lead you to the conclusion that falling in love rocks.

Preface To Valentine's Day 2024 - Falling In Love: Falling In Love, The Comic

(image from here)

Wow, according to the DC Database, Falling In Love was a romance comic that ran from 1955 to 1973. It looks like issue one - which had four stories, "Dream Love," "Unhappy Birthday," "How Did I Lose You," & "Flight To Heartbreak" - was published by the Arleigh Publishing Group, which was a division of National Periodical Publications aka DC Comics. Issue 10 had the logo "National Romance Group" in the upper left hand corner. Issue 50 - the May 1962 issue - finally had the DC logo, which it kept till the end.

How do I know this? Do I secretly collect romance comics? I don't. I don't think I have read a single one all the way through. But you can at the Read Comics Online website! (That link goes directly to all 143 issues of Falling In Love.)

But sometimes I wish I did know more about these kinds of comics. At one point they were quite profitable - there were dozens on the newsstand every month. Since they didn't print credits I don't know who wrote or drew them - although of course smarter, sharper people than myself can & have guessed. They seem to have gone out of style in the early 1970s. & really never came back.

From a comic about falling in love to a radio show about falling in love - & almost a week from Valentine's Day!

A Couple Of Books About Telescopes

(images from Goodreads)

If you didn't listen to last week's episode of Self Help Radio, go here & do that now! It was a show about telescopes & almost halfway through we were visited by our favorite librarian Carole, who talked about two books about telescopes:

Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer by Laura Gehl, Louise Pigott, & Alex Oxton

&

Looking Up: An Illustrated Guide To Telescopes by Jacob Kramer & Stephanie Scholz

Click to find out more - or listen to Carole talk about them on the show. (I think the second choice is the best choice.)

The 1968 Project, Part VII

(image from Rate Your Music)

Here's a weird thing I'm doing. I'm listening to a lot of records released in 1968. I am listening to them in the order they are rated on the website Rate Your Music. (The order keeps changing because new people keep rating the records.) Then I am playing the longest song on that record on the radio. & then saying whether I liked it or not. I'm not much of a critic & I'm not interested in trying to convince people to like what I like. If you like it, you like it. Anyway, I call it The 1968 Project & I'm doing the 7th (seventh) installment tonight on my KBOO show, Corporate Standardized Programming. It's on from midnight to 3am on 90.7fm in town & online at kboo dot fm.

You might be interested in previous installments. If so, you can find them here:
The 1968 Project, Part I | The 1968 Project, Part II | The 1968 Project, Part III

The 1968 Project, Part IV | The 1968 Project, Part V | The 1968 Project, Part VI

The newest version will be uploaded to both the KBOO page probably tomorrow & the Self Help Radio page on Friday. It's been fun to do - & surprisingly I've only really, really disliked a few of the records!

Now it's time to listen to more records so I can do this again soon.

Self Help Radio 020124: Telescopes

(original image here)

Look up in the sky! Can't you see? It's a radio show! It's very far away so use the telescope! It's in a sky full of radio shows! Still can't see it? Use a radio telescope!

Indeed, this week's Self Help Radio explored the romance of the telescope with lots of songs (including one called "The Romance Of The Telescope") & some exceedingly silly interviews. It's bound to be as appealing to one who isn't a science nerd as to one who is. Which means neither might find it appealing. But it's still a show about telescopes!

Listen now at the Self Help Radio website. Make sure you remember that the username is SHR & the password is selfhelp. Lots of songs were played & lots of people were interviewed & all that info is below.

Now. How far out do we have to go to avoid all this light pollution? I wanna see some planets!

Self Help Radio Telescope Show

"Through My Telescope (Demo)" Marty Wilde _Climb Aboard My Roundabout! (The British Toytown Pop Sound 1967-1974)_

"Telescope (Mr Galileo)" Chris White & Argent _Into The Afterlife_

"Telescopic Love" The Only Ones _Darkness & Light (The Complete BBC Recordings)_

introduction & definitions

"The Romance Of The Telescope" Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark _Dazzle Ships_

"The Telescope" The Residents _The Voice Of Midnight_

"Telescope (Demo)" The Wild Swans _Space Flower_

"The Telescope & The Bonfire" Gorky's Zygotic Mynci _Bwyd Time_

interview with telescope maker Bob Young

"Telescope" Nada Surf _Karmic_

"The Other End Of The Telescope" Sleeper _All This Useless Beauty_

"Telescope" Mirah _Storageland_

"Telescopic" Edith Frost _Telescopic_

librarian Carole talks about telescope books

"100,000 Telescopes" Elf Power _The Winter Is Coming_

"Telescope" The Mary Janes _Flame_

"Telescope Eyes" Eisley _Room Noises_

"The Telescope" Her Space Holiday _XOXO, Panda, & The New Kid Revival_

interview with author Bettina Yarborough

"I Think A Telescope" Guided By Voices _Please Be Honest_

"Telescope" Altamina _Tomorrow Morning Will Be Tonight_

"Telephones & Telescopes" The Handsome Family _Scattered: A Further Collection Of Lost Demos, Orphaned Songs, & Odd Covers_

"Telescope" Lisa Prank _Perfect Love Song_

interview with spyglass maker Brett Yetta

"Telescope" Vanishing Twin _Choose Your Own Adventure_

"I Am A Telescope" Wesley Gonzalez _Excellent Musician_

"Telescope" Emma Elisabeth _Some Kind Of Paradise_

"O Telescope, You" Fog _10th Avenue Freakout_

conclusion & goodbye

"Telescope" Boy & Bear _Suck On Light_

"Telescope" The Glass Set _Something Unknown_

Whither Telescopes?

(image from here)

Are you're asking me why there will be a radio show about telescopes today? Um, because telescopes are awesome! I should hope that would be enough.

But you persist: telescopes are awesome, yes, but why in the world would anyone write a song about a telescope? My reply: you can write a song about anything, why not a telescope? For example, it can be a potent metaphor. About seeing clearly. About distance. I mean, I'm not a songwriter. But I know the power of metaphor.

Still you question me: why are you, Gary, doing a show today about telescopes? Asked & answered, your honor. Because telescopes are awesome! & let's be blunt here - almost nothing about Self Help Radio is awesome. It's nice every once in a while to have an awesome theme.

Tune in & stare into the night sky this afternoon from noon to 2pm on 90.3+98.3fm in Portland & online at Freeform Portland dot org for telescopes songs & telescope interviews & telescope talk. Because telescopes are awesome!

Preface To Telescopes: A Cartoon By Tom Gauld

Tom Gauld is a very funny & inventive cartoonist & illustrator whose work mixes science & reading & all the fun things in life. He has a website. If you like the telescope humor above, you'll probably like lots of his stuff. Check it out!

Becoming Friends

This is a picture from one year ago. We had lost our cat Bolan earlier in the month. You can read about him here. Our cat Boone had been one sole cat for a couple of weeks, then we adopted Bluto. Though he initially greeted Bluto with hisses (as cats are wont to do), Boone quickly remembered how great it is to cuddle with someone & after less than two weeks I could snap this picture. They remain great friends & Boone often shows up with he thinks the dogs are bullying Bluto. My own big brothers would never have stood up for me in that way. Gosh they're adorable up there!

Kazoo

(image from here)

Yesterday (January 28) was National Kazoo Day. On the show that I do on XRAY, The Dickenbock Report, I played lots of songs about & featuring the kazoo. I had a good time.

The show will eventually end up on the Self Help Radio website but for now if you'd like to listen - & why not? kazoos are awesome! - you can do on The Dickenbock Report page on the XRAY website.

To say I highly recommend it would be overstating - but like I said, I had a good time. Maybe you will too!

Self Help Radio 012524: Suitcases

Hooray! This week's Self Help Radio fit into one suitcase! I'll admit I had to force it a bit. It was not easy. & frankly I don't look forward to opening it. But I got it all in there!

Lots of suitcase tunes & talks with suitcase-related people. A show as pleasant as trying to find a place for your suitcase when you're one of the last people on a flight. Wait. That's not pleasant. I know! A show as pleasant as waiting for your suitcase to appear on the baggage carousel at the airport. Nope. That's not pleasant at all. Maybe: a show as pleasant as checking your baggage at the gate. Does that work? You don't have to pay for it, you see. The airline did not plan for all those suitcases!

Oh well. Listen to the show anyway at the Self Help Radio website. Use the username SHR & the password selfhelp to access the file. Everything that happened on the show is listed below.

It costs how much to check a suitcase these days?!?!

Self Help Radio Suitcase Show

"Heavy Suitcase Blues" Charley Taylor _Broke, Black, & Blue_

"Suitcase Susie" Fats Waller _The Essential Collection_

"You Can Pack Your Suitcase" Fats Domino _The Imperial Singles 1950-1962_

introduction & definitions

"Who's Got The Suitcase" Merv Griifin & Arthur Treacher _'Alf & 'Alf Songs Of The British Music Hall_

"Suitcase Blues" Sippie Wallace _American Folk Blues Festival '66_

"The Magic Suitcase" Joan Gerber _The Story Lady_

"Little Brown Suitcase" Tom T. Hall _Faster Horses_

"Me & This Old Suitcase" David Munyon _Code Name: Jumper_

interview with writer Powell Tate

"Carnival (Shelter In A Suitcase)" Simple Minds _Reel To Real Cacophony_

"Man In A Suitcase" The Police _Zenyatta Mondatta_

"A Skull, A Suitcase, & A Long Red Bottle Of Wine" Robyn Hitchcock _Black Snake Diamond Röle_

"The Boy Who Sold His Suitcase" The Chesterfields _Kettle_

interview with trendwatcher/interviewer Priscilla Timmons

"Man In A Suitcase" Adorable _Fake_

"Ray Gun Suitcase" Pere Ubu _Ray Gun Suitcase_

"Suitcase" Original Sinners _Original Sinners_

"I Gave My Suitcase Away" Andy Patridge _Fuzzy Warbles 8_

interview with suitcase inspector Prez Teague

"Suitcase In My Hand" Ry Cooder _My Name Is Buddy_

"Suitcase" Brent Amaker & The Rodeo _Year Of The Dragon_

"Man With A Suitcase" Steve Matanle _These Poems With Kerosene_

"Suitcase" Standard Fare _Out Of Sight, Out Of Town._

"Suitcase Jimmy" Evans The Death _Vanilla_

interview with suitcase innovator Paul Taggart

"Livin' Out A Suitcase" Robert Finley _Black Bayou_

"Blue Suitcase" Darren Hayman _I Can Travel Through Time_

"Suitcase & Gun" Tamar Berk _The Restless Dreams Of Youth_

"Blue Suitcase (Disco Wrist)" The Orielles _Silver Dollar Moment_

conclusion & goodbye

"Suitcase" Keb' Mo' _Suitcase_

"Suitcase Blues" Hersal Thomas _Roots N' Blues - The Retrospective (1925-1950)_

"Suitcase" Joe Purdy _Only Four Seasons_

Whither Suitcases?

Do you believe in magic? Because I don't. Not really. It has never however stopped me from attempting to cast spells. By spells I mean throwing out wild hope into the world. The main way that I know how is by doing it on the radio.

You see, I haven't traveled much since I moved to Oregon. Part of the reason for that, of course, was the pandemic. I have returned to Texas for a memorial & a funeral, but traveling to where one's family is is not really the kind of traveling I am wanting to do.

The wife & I had plans to visit Europe this year but they have been waylaid by our new puppy, who has separation anxiety that we need to deal with first. It may take a while.

A radio show about suitcases can be seen as an unbeliever's attempt to cast a spell into the decidedly unmagical world which would, if it worked, clear away all the barriers for travel from me. If one needs to believe that a spell will work for it to work, then it won't work. But there are so many things I don't really believe that I am fine pretending to believe. Sometimes it's fun. I'd love to think of my radio shows as a kind of book of incantations. Even if they're all utterly powerless.

It will be a long spell, two hours long, with lots of music & talk. I'll commence it at noon tomorrow on 90.3+98.3fm in Portland & online at Freeform Portland dot org. If you simply approach it as a radio show about suitcases with silly interviews & with lots of songs about suitcases, that's fine too.

Preface To Suitcases: Unwanted Luggage

A picture taken at D/FW Airport in 2018. The leftover suitcases huddling together for warmth. Are they lost luggage from a different flight? Did their owners not get on the plane after all? Are they dawdling in a bar somewhere - or have they been otherwise detained? Their sad suitcases don't know. They just wait patiently for them - & sometimes they wait forever.

I Just Adore A Courthouse View

A year ago today I was called to jury duty. Jury duty! It was a case of a family suing three corporations for the shit corporations do - a civil suit. I remember the plaintiff's lawyers telling the jury pool they should speak up because "people who don't talk get chosen for jury duty." & sure enough the folks who didn't say a word got chosen. Maybe they wanted to?

As for me, after sitting through one day & realizing that I could not nor did not want to sit & listen for two weeks I self-sabotaged, quoting my wife who told me the day before that they shouldn't chose me because "you hate corporations!" The defendant's lawyer repeated that line to me later. I still wasn't entirely sure I'd not be chosen. When they called the names of who had to stay, I froze as they passed my number.

My number! I was juror 79! I still remember that. How happy I was to not hear my number called.

My wife was called for jury duty just six months later & the morning of, they said they didn't need anyone. How fucking lucky is that?

Some Films From 1988

(image from the IMDb)

Last week on Self Help Radio I played some of my favorite music from 1988. During the show, our resident cinephile Chuck popped into recommend some movies he likes from that year. If you haven't listen, do so toot sweet! The show is at the Self Help Radio website. Chuck has kindly provided the following supplementary links for further information & edification.

Here is the Letterboxd list of movies. Here are Chuck's Letterboxd reviews.

Chuck made a couple of YouTube playlists of films & trailers. They are here:

Part 1 + Part 2
There is also a list of films available to stream for free elsewhere.

Here is Chuck's IMDb keyword list.

Follow Chuck on his social media sites: Twitter,  Bluesky, & Substack. You'll know in advance when he'll be back!