Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: 1925 (Part II)

(image from here)

Last week on the Dickenbock Report we explored the year 1925, one hundred years ago, & played music from that year. We also played a snippet of Calvin Coolidge's Inaugural Address, which must've thrilled the Portland listening audience. So let's go back for one more show!

Tomorrow, Sunday, August 3, from noon to 1pm, the Dickenbock Report returns one more time to 1925. Listen in Portland at 91.1+107.1fm, & everywhere at xray dot fm. But not everywhen - no internet & no fm in 1925.

This Week In Self Help July 27 + 29

That's a picture of my favorite tree in Woodstock Park in the spring. I just have no other pictures to share with you about the theme of "at last." But at least I have a pretty picture to share.

On the radio two days this week I have this to report:

On Sunday the 27th on The Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM was the first part of a two-part special report about the year 1925. Listen to it: on the XRAY website | on the Self Help Radio website.

Later Sunday the 27th on KBOO I subbed a show in which I played music from recent reissues on the Guerssen label. KBOO doesn't archive sub shows, but you can see the playlist on Spinitron & you can listen to it on the Self Help Radio website.

Tuesday the 29th on Self Help Radio on KBOO I explored the theme "at last." Listen to it: on the KBOO website | on the Self Help Radio website.

Later Tuesday the 29th on Corporate Standardized Programming on KBOO I played lots of new releases. Listen to it on the KBOO Self Help Radio file linked above or on the Self Help Radio website.

As always, I remind you that you might need a username & password on the Self Help Radio website. I say use SHR & selfhelp respectively if that is the case.

Self Help Radio 072925: At Last

At last! Your package of Self Help Radio has finally arrived! Too bad it's just the regular radio show with another goofy theme. This one is - at last!

In addition to all the songs I talk to my neighbor Chad, who has become president of our homeowners' association at last; & to my friend Jarvis, who has gotten his geography paper published at last. & though I did want to reveal the secret of KBOO at last - some guy name Curt called in. Plus there were lots of songs.

At last you can listen to the at last show - either on the KBOO website or on the Self Help Radio website. If you use the latter, please remember the username SHR & the password selfhelp. Most everything that happened on the show is listed below.

At last I can stop using the phrase at last!

Self Help Radio At Last Show

"At Last! At Last!" Bing Crosby _Through The Years Volume Three 1951-1952_

"Now At Last" Blossom Dearie _Blossom Dearie_

"At Last" Etta James _At Last!_

intro & definitions

"At Last You've Come Back" Eddie Quinteros _Quinteros Au Go-Go!_

"At Last (I Found A Love)" Marvin Gaye _The Complete Motown Singles | Vol. 7: 1967_

"Alone At Last" Ruthann Friedman _Hurried Life (Lost Recordings 1965-1971)_

"Weirdsong Of Breaking Through At Last" Principal Edwards Magic Theatre _Dust On The Nettles (A Journey Through The British Underground Folk Scene 1967-1972)_

"Gone At Last" Paul Simon _Still Crazy After All These Years_

interview with my neighbor Chad Mopes

"Peace At Last" The Contents Are _Through You_

"Love Is Gonna Come At Last" Badfinger _Airwaves_

"(It Seems Like) Summer's Here At Last" New Salem Witch Hunters _The New Salem Witch Hunters_

"Time Enough At Last" The Fall _Code: Selfish_

"Alone At Last" Steve Westfield _Hotel Massachusetts_

interview with my friend Jarvis

"Free At Last" Dock Reed & Vera Hall Ward _Goodbye, Babylon_

"Free At Last" Fontella Bass _Rescued: The Best Of Fontella Bass_

"Free At Last" Jackie Day _Change Is Gonna Come: The Voice Of Black America 1963-1973_

"Free At Last" Al Green _Livin' For You_

"At Last I Am Free" Elizabeth Fraser _Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before..._

the secret of KBOO revealed at last Curt calls in

"Waking Up At Last" Damien Youth _Happy_

"At Last" The Dø _A Mouthful_

"My Life At Last" Picture Center _Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight_

"Alive At Last" William The Conqueror _Maverick Thinker_

"Seeing The Real You At Last" Bettye LaVette _Things Have Changed_

conclusion & goodbye

"At Last, At Last" Xiu Xiu _Forget_

"At Last" Leslies _Leslies_

"At Last" Brown Recluse _Evening Tapestry_

"Happy Lovers At Last United" Morrissey _Bona Drag_

"Alone At Last" Ooberman _Running Girl_

Whither At Last?

(image from here)

Yes, it's another one of those shows. & while I've probably told this story before, I'll tell it again, & maybe I'll tell it differently from the last time, but the story is true.

Once upon a time I was on a mailing list, something social, but before Facebook. I think it sprang from a Usenet group. & I would send to this group tho no one listened to my show the weekend playlist & download link, much like I do on this blog. & because it was a mailing list, occasionally someone would respond.

Usually theme-based shows stick with nouns - people, places, & things - but I had started to do what I am doing now, having the theme be a phrase. Maybe once or twice no one noticed, but after a third time, one of the people on the mailing list - someone I didn't really know - responded by saying, "Do you think Gary has finally lost it?"

At least that's how I remember it. It isn't the first time someone thought it was about time I'd lost my mind. I only now wish I could find that old email & discover that they had written, "Has Gary gone mad at last?"

This show is happening because I heard a bunch of songs using the phrase "at last." That's all. A few of them were the song in the image above. But I'll probably play Etta James' version.

That's happening tonight, midnight to 2am, on 90.7 fm in Portland, at kboo dot fm everywhere. Maybe you will at last listen?

Preface To At Last: Super Villains

(image found here)

Yes, the theme of the show this week is "at last."

When I think about that phrase, I think about it with an exclamation point, maybe uttered by a super villain - like Dr. Doom above - "I have you at last!" or "I have claimed victory at last!" I blame Stan Lee for my love of such overdramatic writing.

But I have a confession to make - I altered the image above to end with "at last!" If you look close enough, you can see the sloppy photoshop job. I didn't have the time to search through many comics to find the one time Dr. Doom used the phrase "At last!" in a way that would suit me. But it doesn't seem that awkward, right? It fits perfectly with Stan Lee's turgid prose up there, yeah?

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: 1925 (Part I)

(image from here)

Tomorrow - Sunday, July 27 - is the first of two-part Dickenbock Report special report about the year 1925. We'll talk about the music & events of one hundred years ago. & no, it's not the year Dick Dickenbock was born! He's not that old. Not quite that old, anyway.

Sunday from 12-1pm on 91.1+107.1fm in Portland, xray dot fm everywhere. Hey! That's something that's changed - they only had radio in 1925, not web sites! But also not FM radio. That was a teaser for the show.

This Week In Self Help: July 18 20 +22

This was the previous week that was that week on the radio with me:

Friday the 18th of July I was on the Songcircle on KBOO & I played lots of new releases.
You can listen to it:
on the KBOO website | on the Self Help Radio website.

Sunday the 20th of July I was on The Dickenbock Report on XRAY on National Ice Cream.
& my friend Jennifer from Austin hung out with me!
You can listen to it:
on the XRAY website | on the Self Help Radio website.

Tuesday the 22nd of July I was on Self Help Radio on KBOO & the theme was jigsaw.
You can listen to it:
on the KBOO website | on the Self Help Radio website.

Also on Tuesday the 22nd of July I was on Corporate Standardized Programming on KBOO.

I played music from artists who died in January & February of this year.

It's included with the Self Help Radio file on the KBOO website but you can also listen to it:

on the Self Help Radio website.

(Please note: to listen to files on the Self Help Radio website, you'll need a username & password, & those are SHR & selfhelp.)

Self Help Radio 072225: Jigsaw

(jigsaw outline found here)

It's no puzzle - the theme this week is jigsaw. & to be honest, it wasn't that hard to put together. Maybe if there had been ten thousand songs - & all the corner pieces looked the same.

Okay I'm done with the puns & stuff related to jigsaw. Look I even made a Self Help Radio jigsaw puzzle! Let's just say you can listen now & any time at the KBOO web page or at the Self Help Radio web page. If you find you need a username & password, try SHR & self help. Otherwise, everything you need to know is below.

Good luck solving this!

Self Help Radio Jigsaw Show

"My Heart Is A Jigsaw Puzzle" Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys _Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys_

"Jigsaw Puzzle Heart" Sonny Howard with The Rampart Street Boys _Jigsaw Puzzle Heart_

"Jigsaw Puzzle" The Chelmars _Tip Top Chicks At The Hop_

introduction & definitions feat. the Definition-O-Tron 3000

"Jigsaw Puzzle" C. L. Weldon & The Pictures _Teen Town U.S.A. Volume 9_

"Jigsaw" Norman Greenbaum _Spirit In The Sky: The Best Of Norman Greenbaum_

"Jigsaw Puzzle" The Rolling Stones _Beggars Banquet_

"Jigsaw" Pauline Filby _Show Me A Rainbow_

"Jigsaw Puzzle Of Life" Kate & Anna McGarrigle _Kate & Anna McGarrigle_

interview with puzzle maker Stella Owens

"Jigsaw Feeling" Siouxsie & The Banshees _The Scream_

"Jigsaw Youth" Bikini Kill _The C.D. Version Of The First Two Records_

"Jigsaw" Love Spit Love _Love Spit Love_

"Jigsaw Man" Clinic _Visitations_

"Jigsaw" Latimer House _Hey!_

interview with author Gordon Stockwell

"Girl In A Jigsaw Puzzle" Katydids _Katydids_

"Jigsaw Girl" Michael Shelley _Too Many Movies_

"Jigsaw Heart" Elliott Brood _Work & Love_

"Jigsaw" Rufus with Chaka Khan _Camouflage_

"Jigsaw" Ella Thompson _Ripple On The Wing_

interview with fighting robot controller Terry Wicks

"Jigsaw" Billy Kelly & The Blah Blah Blahs _Again!!!_

"Jigsaw" Sekiden _Junior Fiction_

"Jigsaw" Mates Of State _Re-Arrange Us_

"Jigsaw" Femme Fatale _Femme Fatale_

"The Boy With The Jigsaw Puzzle Fingers" Karl Hyde _Edgeland_

conclusion & goodbye

"Jigsaw Puzzle" Of Montreal _Jigsaw Puzzle_

"Jigsaw Baby" Elkie Brooks _Rich Man's Woman_

"Jigsaw Mind" Bronco Bullfrog _Seventhirtyeight_

"Jigsaw You" Deus _Worst Case Scenario_

Whither Jigsaw?

The theme of this week's show is "jigsaw" & there are far more songs about jigsaw puzzles than actual jigsaws. But I like just saying "jigsaw" to mean the puzzle so I went with the single word as the theme.

The idea for the show came from a listener, who said, "I have something I want to do for the show if you'll let me." So I said sure, found the songs, & scheduled the show. & then I never heard from that listener again. I thought the listener might contact me once I said, "I'll be doing a show with the theme 'jigsaw' next week," but nope! Which is fine. I'll do any theme you request - which I can find songs for - you don't have to prepare something for the show. But I admit I was curious!

Put the jigsaw show together with me tonight from midnight to 2am on 90.7 fm in Portland & online everywhere at kboo dot fm. Yeah, we'll start with the corners.

Preface To Jigsaw: Jigsaw Humor

A cartoon by John Atkinson. From pandemic times. Visit his website to read more funnies!

Yeah, the theme this week is "jigsaw." But it'll be more about the puzzles than the device that helps make the puzzles.

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: A Special Guest

The Dickenbock Report is a well-researched, meticulously-planned, highly-disciplined radio news magazine. Not much is left to chance & we must conform to Dick Dickenbock's strong journalistic standards. That being said, Dick Dickenbock has invited a guest reporter on tomorrow's show & the staff have been told virtually nothing about it. It's probably an old drinking buddy of Dick Dickenbock's & the one thing is certain - it's not Dan Rather. Those two hate each other.

Tune in tomorrow from noon to 1pm on XRAY for a special mystery report on The Dickenbock Report.

That's Sunday afternoon on 91.1+107.1fm in Portland & online at xray dot fm.

This Week In Self Help: July 11 13 + 15

Another image of the marquee which just so happened to mention this week's Self Help Radio theme. Here's what I did this past week.

Friday the 11th - one week ago! - I subbed a show on KBOO & played lots of songs about Friday, since it was, you know, Friday. KBOO doesn't archive its sub shows but you can listen at the Self Help Radio web page. If you just wanna look at the playlist, here's the Spinitron page.

The Dickenbock Report played lots of songs about Delaware on National Delaware Day. Listen at the XRAY web page, or at the Self Help Radio web page.

Self Help Radio on KBOO had the theme "good enough." Listen at the KBOO web page, or at the Self Help Radio web page.

Finally - Corporate Standardized Programming this week featured an hour's worth of new releases. It's the last hour of the file at the KBOO web page link above, or you can listen to it alone at the Self Help Radio web page.

As always, when listening at the Self Help Radio web page, you might need a username & a password. Use SHR & selfhelp.

& really I do hope this was all good enough.

Self Help Radio 071525: Good Enough

That's a bar in my hood - I think its official name is the Old Gilbert Road Tavern - there's no indication at that anywhere on the bar, just this sign outside & a sign that says "BAR" - anyway on the marquee that should be for bands playing there, except bands don't play there (as far as I can tell), they put snarky things up - lots of times quotes from The Simpsons - & a couple weeks ago I saw this. I had already planned a show with the theme "good enough" when this magically appeared. I took the picture above yesterday!

It was a lonesome show - just me & lots of music. So there's not much else to say. I did try not to say this phrase over & over: "Self Help Radio is not usually a good radio show, but at least tonight it's good enough." But I wanted to!

Listen to a good enough episode of Self Help Radio at either the KBOO web site or at the Self Help Radio website. The latter may need a username (SHR) & a password (selfhelp). It's mostly music so I can just share with you the playlist below. I hope that's good enough.

Self Help Radio Good Enough Show

"Good Enough" Bobby Guy _Gangster Of Love: The Apt Records Story 1958-1962_

"Good Enough" Bonnie Raitt _Home Plate_

"Good Enough" Mudhoney _Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge_

"Good Enough For Granddad" Squirrel Nut Zippers _The Inevitable_

"Our Love Is Good Enough" A House _The Way We Were: The Best Of A House 04.85-02.97_

"You're Good Enough For Me" Spyder Turner _Golden Classics_

"You're Good Enough For Me" The Versatiles _The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975_

"Good Enough" The Vines _Wicked Nature_

"Good Enough For You" The Bevis Frond _What Did For The Dinosaurs_

"Ain't No Good (But It's Good Enough For Me)" Sister Cookie _In The Blue Corner_

"Almost Was Good Enough" Songs: Ohia _The Magnolia Electric Co._

"Boris Good-Enough" Julian Cope _England Expectorates_

"Not Good Enough" Chain & The Gang _Music's Not For Everyone_

"Ain't My Stuff Good Enough" Martha Reeves & The Vandellas _Spellbound: Motown Lost & Found (1962-1972)_

"Ain't Good Enough For You" The Everymen _Givin' Up On Free Jazz_

"Good Enough" Fred Eaglesmith _Drive-in Movie_

"It's Not Good Enough" Barry Moore _Treaty Stone_

"My Best Was Never Good Enough" Bruce Springsteen _The Ghost Of Tom Joad_

"That'll Be Good Enough For Me" Mitty Collier _Shades Of Mitty Collier: The Chess Singles 1961-1968_

"Never Good Enough" Theoretical Girl _Divided_

"Good Enough For You" The Exbats _Kicks, Hits, & Fits_

"Good Enough" Peter Astor _Spilt Milk_

"Good Enough" Holly Golightly _Laugh It All Up!_

"Good Enough" Rocket 3 _Burn_

"I'm Good Enough" Thee Headcoats _In Tweed We Trust_

"Good Enough" Dodgy _Free Peace Sweet_

"Good Enough, Pt. 1" Noiseshaper _King Size Dub Special_

"It's Good Enough For Daddy" Clarence Reid _Running Water_

"Good Enough" Stone Jack Jones _Ancestor_

"Good Enough" Jim Lindberg _Songs From The Elkhorn Trail_

"Good Enough For Now" Weird Al Yankovic _Polka Party!_

"It Ain't Good Enough" Dow Jones & The Industrials _Hoosier Hysteria_

Whither Good Enough?

(graphic from - & explained - here)

When I first decided - it's been well over a decade now, maybe a decade & a half - to start a blog to explain why exactly I chose the themes I covered for the show - & believe me, some people really want an explanation as to why this is the theme right now - I honestly thought it would be more interesting than it has become. Because - sorry to bore you - but mostly the themes come at me randomly because of music I am listening to. Or so it seems.

Sometimes I pretend it's serendipity, or "the universe talking to me," but really it's kind of lazy. "Oh hey, several songs I've recently listened to mention the phrase good enough! I wonder if there's enough for a radio show!" One reason I think some people prefer The Dickenbock Report is because its themes are because there's a national day for it, or it's some artist's birthday, things like that. It makes sense sort of. It's not arbitrary. A Self Help Radio episode with the theme "good enough" is happening because - I thought it might be a good theme & I found enough songs. That's not exciting or interesting in any way.

How will it turn out? You will need to listen. Tonight! Midnight to 2am. On 90.7fm in Portland & online everywhere at kboo dot fm. Like most of my shows it might not be all that good, but for tonight at least it'll be good enough.

Preface To Good Enough: How Good Is Enough

(image from here)

In 1986, in my first year of college, I took an Introduction To Philosophy course. I thought I was supposed to be interested in philosophy, but found it hard to read the texts & - though I didn't want to admit it - realized my mind was mostly bored but otherwise confused by philosophy as it was taught. What I remember most about the class was sitting next to a cute woman with whom I talked about the Smiths - who were my obsession at the time - & who, after I made her a Smiths tape, offered to give me a book she had made - with her boyfriend - which consisted of a bunch of images from pornographic magazines - mainly close-ups of genitals - as a thank you. I'm not sure what sort of reaction she expected from me, but I was a bit horrified. I gave her the book back & said I wasn't interested in it.

How I wish I knew the name of the professor of that class so I could tell him - it was a man, an exhausted but smug man - that I remember nothing about his class except that strange interaction with a lovely punk rock girl. I should also tell you, she & her boyfriend made me a tape of American punk from the mid-1980s & I discovered I didn't enjoy that as much as British punk from the late 1970s.

This is just to say that early on in my life I wearied of questions like "Is this good enough?" or "Am I good enough?" Which is to say, questions one asks in philosophy classes. I know too many people who really, really, really, really want to finish sentences like, "Good is..." or "Enough is..." They would love to dispense wisdom in the same way they see/hear/read it dispensed in books, from religious texts to opinion pieces. As I get older - & I know this makes me absolutely irrelevant in our culture - I refuse to express my opinions as absolutes. I am certainly not a relativist but I find it tiring that everyone not only needs to have an opinion about everything but that they need that opinion to be right. Correct. True.

Here's an example from someone who doesn't talk to me anymore. I posted something on the Facebook by a current comedian. This former friend responded, "That person isn't as funny as he thinks he is."

Imagine the inflated ego of someone who would write that! Not - "I don't think that person is funny" - but reaching out to judge the humor of someone they really don't know.

Must I add that the person whose comedy I posted on Facebook is successful, does stand-up, has a podcast, is well-known, while my former friend is... someone you'll never hear anything from?

You might surmise I titled this post "How good is enough" as a reason to stumble through this clumsy explication of my lack of interest in being someone who speaks "truths." It's not. I titled it before I knew what I would write. I sometimes wish I could be the critic that writes snarky shit as if it were fact. That stuff amuses me greatly, even when - especially when - I disagree with it.

But I confess I feel sad for those folks who think they know the Truth. If you follow them long enough, read what they write, you realize they themselves find their own idea of Truth malleable. Not that they're hypocrites - just that they don't realize their opinions are just opinions. They want them to be facts so they act like they're facts. But they're not facts, so they end up as slightly puffed-up opinions.

Which is probably a disservice. The average opinion is just glad to be heard, it doesn't need to be turned into a Holy Fact.

Oh shit look what I did that. I turned my (obviously dumb) opinion into a fact. Fuck me. I want to tell you this has something to do with this week's show but - nope!

Coming Up Tomorrow On The Dickenbock Report: National Delaware Day

(image from here)

Wow, is that the state flag of Delaware? Growing up in Texas, whose flag is simple & dynamic & has no writing on it at all, I am struck by the inclusion of the date/year. Who puts dates on a flag?

It turns out ten other states do! Illinois, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, & Missouri all have some date or year on their flags - with the latter (Missouri) having the year in Roman numerals.

Yeah, yeah, I've lived in Oregon for six years & didn't know it had a year on it. I am just used to the elegant simplicity of the Texas flag. Although have you seen Alaska's flag? That's a beauty!

What is this post about? Oh yeah, tomorrow, Sunday, July 13, is National Delaware Day. We'll talk about & play musical reports about that state on The Dickenbock Report on XRAY FM. That's 12-1pm on 91.1+107.1fm in Portland, online at xray dot fm.

It will be difficult but we'll try not to disrespect their awful flag.

This Week In Self Help: July 6 8 + 9

(found here)

This was the week I had:

July 6 on The Dickenbock Report it was Build A Scarecrow Day.
Listen at XRAY. Listen at Self Help Radio.

July 8 on Self Help Radio it was a show about Emergency!
Listen at KBOO. Listen at Self Help Radio.

July 8 on Corporate Standardized Programming I played artists who died in January 2025.

Listen at KBOO (it's with Self Help Radio). Listen at Self Help Radio.

July 9 I subbed a show on KBOO playing interesting sounds late at night.

KBOO doesn't archive its sub show but. Listen at Self Help Radio.

Username is SHR & password is selfhelp if you need it.
I'll put the playlist for the sub show up on the website next week.

Self Help Radio 070825: Emergency!

Boy this episode was almost a real emergency! I came into the KBOO studios to find an unannounced mini-rave happening, & at some point there was a skipping song, & the whole thing felt fraught & unstable. There had also been issues before - a recording with a collaborator had such terrible sound quality I couldn't use it - that suggested that the theme might come to life & eat the show whole, & thankfully I'm not too superstitious or else I would decide never to do themes like this again!

Hopefully it doesn't sound too much like a disaster. We know at this point no one's coming to help, so it's best we be careful. I just don't remember things going this badly when I did the accident show!

You can listen now or when you feel safe at both the KBOO web page & the Self Help Radio web page. At the latter you might need a username & password, I would use SHR & selfhelp. Everything that happened is below. Be careful out there!

Self Help Radio Emergency Show

"Emergency!" Nelson Riddle _Television's Greatest Hits Volume 5: In Living Color_

"Emergency 999" The Alan Bown Set _Ain't Nothing But A House Party (60s & Early 70s Club Soul Classics)_

"Emergency" Ed Wahonka _Wahonka_

"The Emergency" Gileah & The Ghost Train _Gileah & The Ghost Train_

introduction & definitions

"Emergency" The Sweet Inspirations _Estelle, Myrna, & Sylvia_

"Civil Defense Spot: In Time Of Emergency (Basic Supplies)" Unknown _Atomic Platters: Cold War Music From The Golden Age Of Homeland Security_

"Emergency" 999 _999_

"State Of Emergency" Stiff Little Fingers _Inflammable Material_

"Emergency Cases" The Undertones _True Confessions (Singles=A's+B's)_

our favorite librarian Carole stops by

"Emergency" Shack _Zilch_ (Ghetto, 1988)

"Emergency" The Go-Betweens _G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology Volume 3_

"Emergency" The Pooh Sticks _Tonight - Single_

"Emergency" Edith Frost _It's A Game_

"Civil Defense Spot: In Time Of Emergency (Brilliant Nuclear Flash)" Unknown _Atomic Platters: Cold War Music From The Golden Age Of Homeland Security_

"Occident & Emergency" DJ DisOrientalist _Peace Not War_

interview with Emergency! Fan Club founder Todd Mantooth

"This Is Our Emergency" Pretty Girls Make Graves _The New Romance_

"Emergency" Summer Cannibals _No Makeup_

"Emergency & Me" Speedy Ortiz _Rabbit Rabbit_

"Emergency" Deep Sea Diver _Billboard Heart_

"Civil Defense Spot: In Time Of Emergency (Not Contagious)" Unknown _Atomic Platters: Cold War Music From The Golden Age Of Homeland Security_

"Accident & Emergency" Lucy Wainwright Roche _Lucy_

interview with ER worker Natalie Dunlap

"Emergency" Oblivians _Popular Favorites_

"Emergency" Dirt Bike Annie _Show Us Your Demons_

"This Is An Emergency" The Pigeon Detectives _Emergency_

"Civil Defense Spot: In Time Of Emergency (Take Notice Of Fallout Shelter Signs)" Unknown _Atomic Platters: Cold War Music From The Golden Age Of Homeland Security_

"Slow Emergency" Gold Motel _Gold Motel_

"Emergency Telephone" Billy Nomates _Emergency Telephone EP_

conclusion & goodbye

"Emergency Call" Judy Mowatt _Tighten Up! Trojan Reggae Classics 1968-1974_

"Emergency Exit" Tig Notaro _Boyish Girl Interrupted_

"The Emergency Exit Man" Spray _Ambiguous Poems About Death_

"The Emergency Kisses" Stereolab _Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night_

Whither Emergency?

One might ask, why would one do a radio show at this time with the theme "emergency"? & one might respond to the one asking, "Are you perchance living outside of the United States Of America in the year 2025?" & probably the one asking would respond, "Why yes! How did you know?" & one would almost certainly say, "Because were you living in the United States Of America in the year 2025, you would say with all honesty, that every day feels like an emergency."

Although that might make one think that a show about emergency in the middle of an emergency could be seen as masochistic or just dully redundant. & the one making the radio show might say in response, "Oh. I didn't think about that." & it would be too late to think of something else.

Self Help Radio's show with the theme "Emergency" airs tonight on KBOO from midnight to 2am. That's on the air in Portland at 90.7fm & online everywhere at KBOO dot fm.

Preface To Emergency: That 1970s Television Show

(image from the IMDb)

Being a child of the 1970s, & growing up poor with a working mother, I watched a lot of television. I watched pretty much anything, although I preferred cartoon, sitcoms, sci-fi/fantasy shows, & cop shows. But I had a soft spot for the show Emergency!, which aired from 1972 - when I was four - till 1979, when I was eleven. Almost certainly I saw the bulk of it in reruns. I only just now discovered they made several television movies of the show, & will seek them out. But if you had to ask me my most indelible memory about the show - it was this one:

(screengrabbed from here)

It's not that I didn't love the character of John Gage - I totally did - but I really, really, really loved the name "Randolph Mantooth." I have forgotten most of the plot lines & most of the characters (except Julie London as Nurse Dixie McCall) but I will never not be fascinated by the name Randolph Mantooth. It sounds like an exclamation, like something Perry White should say instead of "Great Caesar's Ghost!"

It holds a special meaning for me now because it was the sort of name that would crack my friend Russell up. He'd tell me he saw a movie on television the other night, & I would say, with excitement, "Did it star Randolph Mantooth?" It would always make him laugh.

Dang I wish I had time to watch some of these shows before the Self Help Radio Emergency show. At least you know I'll play the theme.