20 Minutes Into The Future: That Dr. Demento Sensibility (“Merry Christmas Santa Claus,” Chrysalis Records, 1986)
(Recorded on 9 November 2023; 1 September 2022.)

Once your star is ascending, it’s only a matter of time before someone realizes that the next logical step is to have your work the holiday angle, with a Special and a Holiday Single that will be on TVs and in stores… just in time for you and your loved ones to spend this special time of year with your new favorite celebrity. And this is how Max Headroom’s 7″ Single — “Merry Christmas Santa Claus” b/w “Gimme Shades” — came to underwhelm all of us in 1986.

Heather is really hung up on the lyrics, and can’t seem to think of anything else.

Austin wants to set the record straight, and thank Blank Johnny in the UK for sending a copy of the single to The Lava Lamp Lounge!

(This show was originally a part of our Podcast, 20 Minutes Into The Future.)

Giving Everything For X-Mas (by univac & Austin)

Austin’s Annual Holiday Program For Mid-Valley Mutations takes an unusual turn, as he desperately tries out something new, in an effort to make his show the best in the tri-county area. It’s a Holiday Horror Story, written by univac and Austin! Guest voices! Music! And a story about the places where dreams and technology intersect in the worst possible way.

Playlist & Live WFMU Chat.

Enjoy!

It’s A Very Cerebus Christmas!

Here are all six episodes of the short-lived “Cerebus” radio show, as it was originally heard on Shockwave Radio Theater, on KPAI, in the 80’s.

Playlist & Live WFMU Chat.

Enjoy!

Dimestore Radio Theater: Holiday Film Fest!: “Little Women” & “Bold Venture”

Enjoy!

20 Minutes Into The Future: “What Gives Our Lives Meaning?” (Warner Bros., “Blade Runner,” 1982)
(Recorded on 1 September 2022.)

Probably one of the more legendary and divisive opinions on our show: one of us did NOT like Blade Runner, and one of us is rather fond of it for it’s impact and influence on cinema, culture, and specifically, Max Headroom. Wanna hear us get into it, with a tid-bit recorded with Steve Roberts, who offers his thoughts on all of it?

Heather is reminded of the way certain men like to behave.

Austin argues about Class Consciousness. Again.

(This was originally released as an episode of 20 Minutes Into The Future.)

Dimestore Radio Theater: Holiday Film Fest!: “The Wizard of Oz” & “Rocky Fortune”

Enjoy!

How Much Is That JUICE MACHINE In The Window? (w/ JUICE MACHINE, LIVE!) (283)

Enjoy !

The 2022 Radio Holiday Celebration! (282)

Enjoy!

‘Tis The Season To Be Merry (281)

Enjoy!

Somewhere In-Between: A Radio ‘Zine: Issue #24: Holiday Music & Robert Frost

Performed by Austin Rich.

Issue #24, produced in December of 2020, featuring a currently topical poem (in a number of ways), “Christmas Trees,” by Robert Frost, read by Austin Rich.

Musical Selections (usually in excerpt):

The 12 Days of Christmas * Bob & Doug McKenzie * The Great White North * Anthem Records (1981)

Let’s Have A Patrick Swayze Christmas * Crow, Tom Servo * Joel * Mystery Science Theater 3000 * Best Brains (1991)

The Bathing Suit That Grandma Wore * Paul Williams, Jerry Nelson & Marilyn Sokol * Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas * CBC Television (1977)

Snow! * Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney & Vera-Ellen * White Christmas * Paramount Pictures (1954)

Somewhere In-Between: A Radio ‘Zine: Issue #23: Holiday Music & The Cremation of Sam McGee

Performed by Austin Rich.

Issue #23, produced in December of 2020, featuring a very cold poem indeed, “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” read by Austin Rich in 1998.

Musical Selections (usually in excerpt):

Sleigh Ride * The Ventures * …Christmas Album * Dolton Records (1965)

Where Would You Be Without Me? * Bing Crosby, Twiggy & Ron Moody * Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas * CBS Television (1977)

Somewhere In-Between: A Radio ‘Zine: Issue #22: Smee: A Holiday Ghost Story

Performed by Austin Rich.

Issue #22, produced in November of 2020, featured this story that was lost and then found, “Smee,” written by AM Barrage in 1927, and read by Austin Rich

‘Tis The Season To Be Merry (#177)

What? It’s already the 10th? Holy crap! I’m so far behind on my shopping, and there’s still decorating to do. I don’t think the travel plans are final yet, either. Damn. Do we have the Holiday Playlist ready? Ahhhhhhh! How are we gonna finish everything in time?

Fortunately, we have a couple hours at our disposal to focus on getting ready, and today’s show is all about preparing for the holidays: getting the house ready, preparing that meal, making wreathes, and all the other things that we need to get ready for an excellent holiday season. There’s a few live mash-up mixes, a long traditional DJ set, and all sorts of Holiday Goodies that I can’t wait for you to hear!

Our next MVM is on Christmas Eve, and I’m not quite sure what we’re doing yet. I may read some holiday ghost stories… who knows?

Regardless, I’m quite proud of this one I hope you like it, too.

Enjoy!

‘Tis The Season To Be Merry

(Contains Excerpts from a variety of Martha Stewart Holiday Specials.)

HOUR 1:

Part I: Lunch

01. ) Sweat * Airport * Sweat/Pleasure * Motor Records (2013)
02.) Mars * Holst * The Planets, Op. 32 * London Records (1997)
03. ) 01 – 02 Mash-Up * Austin Rich * 10 December 2019 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2019)
04.) Lunch (Live at The ProjektHaus, Pittsburgh, PA, 31 May 1997) * Operation Re-Information * Variable Dump * M-Pire Recordings (1998)

Part II: Elemental Changes

05.) Elemental Changes * fivepaw * fivepaw * FPNP Tapes (2016)
06.) Bad Trails * BATTLES * Mirrored * WARP Records (2007)
07.) Shuds Jeded * Dark Fjord * Calendrical Rot / Tiny Alien 6 Split Tape * Self-Released (2019)

Part III: The Celestial Din

08.) Side A Excerpts (Structures In Stasis / Fluidity / Subtle Sleep / Escape) * Hobo Cubes * Apex Ideals * Debacles Records (2013)
09.) The Celestial Din * Garek Jon Druss * The Celestial Din * Debacles Records (2013)
10.) Fractured Light * Hypnogogue * Adrift * Self-Released (2018)
11.) 08 – 10 Mash-Up * Austin Rich * 10 December 2019 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2019)

HOUR 2:

Part IV: Beautiful Feeling

12.) “wreathe” (Side A) * Formaldehydra * “wreathe” * Gorbie Lathe Cuts (2019)
13.) People * Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble * Refreshing Hemorrhage * Butte County Free Music Society (2011)
14.) Gonzo * Instagon * Gonzo 7” * Love Earth Music (2013)
15.) Santa & The Satellite Part 1 * The Original Flying Saucers * Watergrate Superfly Meets Shaft Convention ’72 * IX Chains Records (1973)
16.) No Place in Space * The Scanners * The Scanners * Self-Released (2018)
17.) Action Woman * The Litter * Pebbles Volume One * BFD Records (1979)
18.) Beautiful Feeling * Rich Kids On LSD * The Best of… * Mystic Records (1989)
19.) Hostage * BadXMouth * PCC Grindviolence: The Early Years / BXM Self-Titled * Gorbie Lathe Cuts (2019)

Part V: The Party

20.) I Luv U… Nicorns * godheadSilo * The Scientific Supercake L.P. * Kill Rock Stars Records (1994)
21.) Phoenix * Green Milk From The Planet Orange * Third * Inferior Records (2019)
22.) The Party * John S. Hall & Kramer * “Real Men” * Shimmy Disc Records (1991)

Part VI: Hark! Satanic Santas Sing!

23.) Hark! Satanic Santas Sing! * Babushka, Little Fyodor & The Inactivists * Babushka’s Naughty XXXmas! * Self-Released (2005)
24.) “wreathe” (Side B) * Formaldehydra * “wreathe” * Gorbie Lathe Cuts (2019)
25.) Santa & The Satellite Part 2 * The Original Flying Saucers * Watergrate Superfly Meets Shaft Convention ’72 * IX Chains Records (1973)

Weird Christmas w/ The Whistler & The Mysterious Traveler! (#31) 

While radio was not the first medium to explore the stranger side of things, it was the first place where people at home could all bond together, simultaneously, over a strange piece of culture, where previously you could only hear this stuff gathered around a campfire, late at night.  Radio brought everything into our homes – drama, news, sports, and fantasy – and as we turned the dial, we stumbled across things that have managed to spook us in ways we didn’t think were possible.  That is, until the radio age.

While it is easy to overlook the cultural impact of this, it bears repeating that radio gave to us a chance to engage in culture along with the rest of the world, live.  While time-shifting is just the reality of the modern age, it was simply never possible for nearly 100 years.  Live experiences – like tuning into a radio program – was a singular experience that connected your community (and your country) in a way that no other medium was able to do previously.  These shared experiences changes the way we experienced the rest of the world, and each other.  Suddenly, there was something to talk about that we all heard last night.  While the obvious boon was to offer nearly instantaneous forms of communication, it wasn’t long before some clever gents realized that the evocative nature of sound at night meant that radio was uniquely suited for something spooky, and a whole world of sounds to make you shiver began to fill the airwaves.

One of my favorite resources for these odder Old Time Radio selections is Strange Tales, part of the Relic Radio collective.  Not only do they offer incredible curated means through which you can listen to almost any genre of radio from the past, but Strange Tales specifically is a fantastic slice of these late night, often supernatural but always very weird audio offerings.  Every episode is worth your time and effort, and as the host continues to mine the weird and wild side of radio history, I’m constantly impressed with strange gems that are well worth your time.

Even still, radio didn’t invent the “scary story set at Christmas” genre.  The Krampus filled that niche almost from the beginning, and radio merely applied the rules of good audio theater to that same idea, and created the perfect way to deliver some scares to the listeners at hand.  I was very excited to find that two of my favorite “weird” programs each had great Holiday Stories that fit exactly this description, but are the perfect ways to cap off the season, and bring you a little something that will fill your heart with something other than Holiday Cheer.

We start off this episode with a story from The Whistler, a crime anthology program that focuses on the stranger parts of the criminal underworld.  The host, only known as The Whistler, was played for almost 7 years by William Foreman, who occasionally worked as a radio announcer, and played the character in the short-lived 1954 TV version of the character.  The Whistler was an omniscient narrator, who would goad the characters as the stories developed, and seemed to enjoy the misfortune of others.  Irony and grim endings were a staple of this program, and seemed to set the stage for the EC Comics style horror hosts of the ’50s.  There were eight Whistler films in the noir vein, seven of which starred Richard Dix as different characters, and half of which were William Castle films.  Each episode of The Whistler creates a wonderfully creepy atmosphere, and is kick-started by the footsteps and whistling that was copied to comic effect in The Saint.  But here, the sounds are not only appropriately creepy, but set the tone for the rest of the broadcast.  This is absolutely some of the best radio ever recorded, and we’re happy to have it on the program this week.

Running for almost nine years and acting as an anthology program that was on the air at the same time as The Whistler, or second program is from The Mysterious Traveler.  Hosted by Maurice Tarplin, a veteran radio voice over actor, who was heard on The Strange Dr. Weird, Boston Blackie, Valiant Lady, The Shadow, Theater Five, The March of Time, Gangbusters, The Guiding Light, Myrt and Marge  and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.  But he was limited to the narrator in The Mysterious Traveler, a character that shares a train ride with you, and can’t help but tell you strange stories he’s overheard.  Both magazine and comic book versions of this character popped up, but neither managed to become hits, and languished on newsstands until they were canceled, a shame considering people like John Dickson Carr, Dorothy L. Sayers, Brett Halliday, Ray Bradbury, Craig Rice, and Lawrence Blochman, all wrote for the publication, an impressive roster with hindsight.  While certainly an eerie program with many of the horror / suspense tropes of the day, there are regrettably few episodes of the program available, with only 70 of the 370 broadcasts existing in the modern era.  Still, what does exist is a great sampling of a kind of storytelling that is rapidly disappearing, down the tracks of life.

I love exploring Old Time Radio, and it has been fun to sift through all of these holiday classics during this part of the year.  Stay tuned, as we have a New Year’s program that we’re piecing together, and 2017 has a number of great programs already in the works.  This is a great time to become a fan of our show, and all you have to do is listen.  Seems like a pretty good deal, to me.

Enjoy!

Weird Christmas w/ The Whistler & The Mysterious Traveler!

Part I: The Whistler!

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) See How Pretty, See How Smart [Excerpt] * Melvins * The Maggot * Ipecac Records (1999)
03.) Letter From Cynthia * The Whistler * 25 December 1949 Broadcast * CBS Radio (1949)

Part II: The Mysterious Traveler!

04.) Christmas Story * The Mysterious Traveler * 25 December 1951 Broadcast *  The Mutual Network (1951)

The Shadow Christmas Special! (#30)

There is one radio character, from the earliest days of broadcasting, who’s reach not only spanned decades as an on-going concern, but has continued to retain a hold on the minds of both kids and adults alike.  The Shadow, born out of radio and pulp fiction’s inter-dependence on each other in the earliest days, began as a narrator of Detective Story Hour, a host that introduced crime stories and directed listeners to the Street and Smith’s companion magazines that were available on the racks, where most of these stories came from.  For nearly seven years this was the format of the show, but both the radio audience and readers of the magazine agreed that this mysterious “Shadow” was much more interesting than the characters in the other stories.  The writer’s had no issue with changing things up, as continuity wasn’t an issue back then, and so very quickly they took the character in a different direction.

A couple of things happened in 1937.  Mutual Broadcasting took over distributing The Shadow, and Street and Smith began developing the character of The Shadow, introducing a supporting cast and hopping onto the “costumed adventurer” bandwagon that was popular in those days.  It also helped that the lead – a playboy by the name of Lamont Cranston – was being voice by the godfather of radio broadcasting, a maverick who defied while establishing convention and craft, Mr. Orson Welles.  While his tenure on The Shadow was only two years, it was enough to solidify the tone and direction of the program from there on out, and Margo Stevenson helped make the character of Margo Lane what it became later, even when veteran actress Agnes Moorehead played her during the later years.

The Shadow worked best in a radio environment, because his key power was to cloud men’s minds, making him hard to see unless The Shadow comes out of the dark, so to speak.  Live organ accompaniment was the standard for years on this program, cut for syndication, and while there was certainly foley effects happening too, they largely relied on character voices and good stories to keep the theater of the mind at work.  For an all-audio environment, this kind of story is perfect, and sustained over 20 years of shows and broadcasts.

While Orson was certainly the most famous person to play the character on the radio, he was certainly not the only one, nor the one who played The Shadow the longest.  Bret Morrison, known for his work on The Adventures of Superman, Suspense and X-Minus One, played the character for 10 years, and William Johnstone played the character for five years, between his Lux Radio Theater appearances, and his work on Escape.  In today’s program, we feature a story each portrayed by these veteran radio actors.  Paired with Bret Morrison is the incomparable Grace Matthews, portraying Margo Lane, where the highly distinguished Agnes Moorehead played her opposite of William.

Where the detective fiction we brought you last year certainly segues into the kind of story that you will hear on The Shadow, he is certainly more attuned to the adventure / heroic fiction trope, with a much darker angle.  This might have been one of the first things in media to scare large groups of people all at once, instead of the way books only acted on individuals.  However the character was perceived at the time, he has come to embody all that is dark and foreboding in radio broadcasting, and is a great addition to our strange holiday season.

Enjoy!

The Shadow Christmas Special!

Part I: Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men?

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) See How Pretty, See How Smart [Excerpt] * Melvins * The Maggot * Ipecac Records (1999)
03.) The Stockings Were Hung * The Shadow * 24 December 1939 Broadcast * The Mutual Network (1939)

Part II: The Shadow Knows!

04.) The Gift of Murder * The Shadow * 21 December 1947 Broadcast * The Mutual Network (1947)

A Christmas Bonus with The Whistler!
(Detective Dexter Roland is several sheets to the wind, and has found himself at a private party with a number of well-known folks and… The Whistler?  Originally broadcast 25 December 1944. This episode was retrocast on 21 December 2016 as Mutation #30.1)

You’re taking a walk home and you stumble across a group of drunk holiday well-wishers leaving The Blue Note late into the night.  You tighten up your coat to quicken up your pace to beat the cold.  You automatically assume that you should avoid them at all costs, that they look like trouble, that if you let yourself become in any way associated with these obvious miscreants it could mean disaster for you, and for the rest of the night.  Why, just the other day you heard a story about someone who was on the run from the law, because of a Christmas Bonus he received?

Join us, as Detective Dexter Roland – intoxicated with both spirits and those of the season – is off to listen to scary stories told by none other than the legendary Whistler, the very same from radio and film.  Along the way we bring you holiday fun and music by a host of artists I’m always itching to listen to, and in the end we have a jolly good time, as we let Dexter guide us this holiday season.

The centerpiece of this show is an episode of The Whistler from 1944, where the very well-know theme kicks our show into high-gear.  (Performed by Dorothy Roberts and Wilbur Hatch‘s orchestra, who wrote the piece for the show.)  It should be noted that Dorothy Roberts, was really only paid to do the whistling once, and it probably wasn’t for very much.  But the show was a hit, and ran for 13 years.  Her tune was heard hundreds of times, in hundreds of households, and her name was largely forgotten for years.

It’s funny how so many programs of this era all began with the sounds of someone walking and whistling, which has since become shorthand in radio (and later, film and TV) for “night.”  It worked particularly well on radio, as the sterile environment of the radio station meant that you wouldn’t be hearing the sounds of everyday life – of cars, birds, people talking and chattering.  Sitting alone, with a radio, and hearing echoey footsteps, and then… well, it is a singular experience, and it sets the tone for what The Whistler was going to bring you.

J. Donald Wilson set the tone for the program, who was a writer and producer for CBS in the early ’40s.  He was a hired gun, and the idea of a crime show seemed like an easy win.  Crime radio programs were huge in those days, and Wilson rationalized that if you bill the show as an “anthology,” you can save time by not having a recurring cast.  Wilson relied on a lot of tried and true storytelling ideas, and decided to connect the episodes by having one recurring character, a narrator, who was rarely a part of the action, but was more like an announcer.

As the stories that were getting churned out got darker and darker, Wilson made The Whistler’s character darker, until he was an almost sinister character.  Borrowing heavily from Inner Sanctum, Wilson crafted an eerie crime show with an almost – but not quite – supernatural component.  In a tried and true horror motif, he was fond of trick endings where a new bit of information in the last moments of the program can often reverse the entire effect of the show, but he deployed this tactic only when necessary, and only when the effect would really work because of the story.

In 1944, Wilson had to leave the show, and George Allen took over as producer.  This wasn’t even strange for this program, as the voice of The Whistler changed from time to time too, the most consist of them being Bill Forman.  Bob Anderson was the regular announcer for the show, and with a core group at hand, Allen realized that it was important to stay the course.  They had a good thing going with the initial success of the program, and Allen decided he wanted to keep this going by sticking with what worked.  To that end, The Whistler formula became very easy to identify, very easy to produce, and was a hit with audiences.

William Castle – yes, that William Castle – soon bought the rights to do a series of Whistler pictures, and in the waning years of the programs success on the radio, The Whistler was on television in 1954.  But as anthology shows started to fall out of vogue, and dramatic radio was loosing the edge it had in light of the popularity of Rock and Roll, ratings for The Whistler declined, and the show quietly disappeared, like a whistling stranger in the night, walking further and further away.

There is certainly an old-fashioned-ness to the way these stories develop.  Having a narrator like this really evokes a kind of radio that had fallen out of fashion, even in the ’40s, and was then a throw-back to adventure-serial type radio programs, that where heavy on the use of a narrator to catch everyone up from day to day.  But the hallmark of The Whistler that was innovative was the way the character was chilling.  Inner Sanctum used a host that told horror-jokes, and had a bubbly co-host that reminded him to do the ad-reads.  But The Whistler was very, very serious, and could string someone along with a description of an inner monologue that was terrifying.  While these might sound a little corny, if you were a kid in 1944, you would have LOVED The Whistler.

Stay tuned, as Detective Dexter Roland has fallen in with yet another group of after after party celebrators, when he takes in a late-late show by Detective Richard Diamond, the singing detective.

Enjoy!

*

A Christmas Bonus with The Whistler!

Side A: By Hook Or By Crook

01.) The Happy Whistler * Raymond Scott * Soothing Sounds For Baby Vol. 2: 6 to 12 Months.
02.) In The Midnight Hour * Gary Wilson * Forgotten Lovers
03.) By Hook Or By Crook * Thee Headcoats * Headcoatitude
04.) Government Money * Bonemen of Barumba * Homework #9
05.) What I Must Do * Devo * Oh No! It’s Devo!
06.) Money Money Money * 9th Life * 9th Life Tape
07.) (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle * Hank Williams * 40 Greatest Hits

Side B: Dark Thoughts

08.) The Greatest Gift * Scratch Acid * The Greatest Gift
09.) Change Of Plan * Steve Treatment * Messthetics Vol. 3
10.) Safe * Ellen Cherry Charles * The Cherry Orchard
11.) Dark Thoughts * New Dawn * Love, Peace & Poetry: American Psychedelic Music
12.) Whistle Down The Wind * Tom Waits * Bone Machine
13.) Whistle * Voltage * Nice Watch Mix Tape

The Origins Of Christmas
(Featuring a brief history on this troubling holiday, and some songs that attempt to cover an array of feelings associated with this time of year. Originally broadcast on 17 December 2011 on KPSU.)

Probably the biggest frustration I suffer from this time of year is one of Holiday Burnout: I just get sick of deluge of Christmas Songs, fake consideration for our fellow man, and the pain-in-the-ass errands that you have to run during a time of year when it is constantly cold and dark 20 hours a day.  The plastic sheen of wonder and good tidings cover layers and layers of deception and misdirection that appears to go unnoticed by the majority of the public.  And who could blame them?  If I could put out of my mind all the things that frustrate me about this time of year, and medicate myself to the point where I have visions of Sugar Plums too, then I might stupidly smile and obliviously wish everyone a happy something or other, that may actually conflict with their religious beliefs, too.

So, I decided to tackle the problem head-on with a radio program that uncovers the origins of this holiday, with an attempt to give my own perspective a much needed positive boost.  It wasn’t easy; while I am not a Scrooge or a Grinch, I would say that I don’t find it easy to be as merry or happy as most people want me to be.  I could feel one way or the other about Christmas, and while I enjoy the time off and the chance to spend time with friends or family, years of retail job exposure, combined with a fairly virulent case of atheism, has provided me with endless examples of how awful people are to each other, and how easily they try to hide or mask it.  It unsettles me to the point of being down on the holidays.  Fortunately, I’m not the only one.

The connective tissue of this show comes from a History Channel documentary, The History of Christmas.  I have to admit, I’ve lost a bit of faith in The History Channel over the years, and their work now is shoddy (at best).  But this one is old enough that it has things like research in it, and the narrator sticks to just relating that research, and doesn’t cut to bone-heads who don’t have any expertise, or rely on weird creepy music followed by a narrator asking a question.  (“But who WAS Santa, really?”)  Plus, I use about 4 minutes of it, total.

The rest of the show features holiday songs that fit in a little more closely with my view of this time of year, and of the world in general.  Of note are two great compilations that I drew heavily from, and have been wanting to use for a while, but never had the chance.  The first is from an Andy Cirzan compilation from 2009, called The Cassette Years: Part 2.  Andy is a Christmas Music collector, who has been putting together wacked-out comps on tape (and now, CD and radio via Sound Opinions), of the weirdest holiday music you’ve ever heard.  His comps are a real treat, and they make even the most annoying holiday tunes seem listenable.  The other is called Black Christmas, which I obtained a few years back, and can’t for the life of me remember where I got it.  If anyone has any information about it, I would be most appreciative.  It contains a number of great holiday songs that are a little more realistic than the average fare.  The show is divided into three sections: Punk Songs, Rock Songs, and the Hanukkah / What Does It All Mean? wrap-up.  I am extremely happy with the way this show out, and I think it sounds great.  I hope you enjoy it too.  (Spoiler Alert: The show does end on a bit of an “up” note, if you’re worried about slogging through the horrors of religious subjugation, and songs about the bad things that happen this time of year.)

That’s it for this week.  Stay tuned for a Podcast-only Christmas Eve special next week.  Be good to each other, and happy holidays.

See you in seven.

*

The Origins Of Christmas

01.) Carol Of The Bells * George Winston * December
02.) Holiday Sedation * Unknown * The Cassette Years: Part 2
03.) The History Of Christmas Part 01 * The History Channel
04.) The First Noel * Chet Baker * The Cassette Years: Part 2
05.) The History Of Christmas Part 02 * The History Channel
06.) Fuck Christmas * Fear * The Record
07.) Pulling The Christmas Pig By The Wrong Pair Of Ears * The Locust * Plague Soundscapes
08.) Steal Softly Thru Snow * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica
09.) C’mon Santa! * Mach Bell & His Elves * Xmas Snertz: Have A Very Gulcher Christmas!
10.) The History Of Christmas Part 03 * The History Channel
11.) Snow Girl * The Billy Nayer Show * BNS Presents

12.) Jingle Bells * Vel Mares * Black Christmas
13.) A St. Nick Dangerous Christmas Eve * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign
14.) (It’s Gonna Be A) Punk Rock Christmas * The Ravers * Once Upon A Time Vol. 13: California & Pacific Northwest ’77
15.) Don’t Believe In Christmas * The Sonics * Black Christmas
16.) The History Of Christmas Part 04 * The History Channel
17.) There’s Trouble Brewing * Jack Scott * Black Christmas
18.) Christmas Blues * Washboard Pete * Black Christmas
19.) Mars Wants Santa! * Santa Claus Conquers The Martians * The Cassette Years: Part 2
20.) Christmas At The Byaou * Vin Bruce’s Cajuns * The Cassette Years: Part 2
21.) The History Of Christmas Part 05 * The History Channel
22.) Christmas in Jail * The Youngsters * Black Christmas

23.) Snow * April Stevens
24.) We Three Kings Of Orient Are * X-Ray Tango * Xmas Snertz: Have A Very Gulcher Christmas!
25.) The History Of Christmas Part 06 * The History Channel
26.) Happy Hanukkah * Mr. Paul F. Tompkins * The Pod F. Tompkast Extrasode
27.) What We Do On Christmas * Atom And His Package
28.) Most Wonderful Time Of The Year * Pete Jolly Trio * The Cassette Years: Part 2
29.) Lucretius, Man Of Modern Mystery * Robert Krulwich * Hmmm…. Krulwich on Science Podcast
30.) Snowy Morning Blues * James P. Johnson * Father Of The Stride Piano
31.) Snowfall * Henry Mancini * Greatest Hits
32.) When the Mountains Part 2 * The Cast * Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
33.) Sleepy Santa Interlude * The Cassette Years: Part 2
34.) Snowstorm * Galaxie 500 * On Fire

Space Out II
(Featuring even more international Space Rock from the ’60’s and ’70’s.)

Continuing to get further and further into the outer reaches of space as the holiday season rapidly approaches, here are even more selections from the Mutant Sounds archives, covering the vast expanses of Space Rock that was so near and dear to the world’s hearts in that long-lost decade known as the 1970’s.  Times were simpler then: musicians were taking powerful drugs, mastering guitar / synthesizer / flute performances, and attempting to make sense of the universe the only way they knew how: filling sides of LPs with unusual compositions.  Now you can enjoy them from the comfort of your own home.

We open our show with a “Journey Into A Dream,” which is what most of the Space Rockers of the ’70’s were attempting to do.  But it is also a metaphor for this very show, in that as we continue through the years ourselves, we come closer and closer to making our own dreams come true.  Radio has been a dream of mine since childhood, and being able to make it happen, for nearly 14 years now, has been a real Journey that seems to find more and more destinations as time continues it forward momentum.  As 2012 approaches, we will be entering new and uncharted territory (yet again), and I’m very excited about what the future holds.  Moreso than usual.

Attentive listeners will notice that there is one track that is, unfortunately, not from the period in question: “Utterly Simple” by Extra.  After last weeks show hit the digital airwaves, I was contacted by Fruits De Mer Records, who deal exclusively in vinyl-only compilations that feature covers of songs from the period in question.  I have to plead ignorance with regards to this label, being a yankee and all, but once I knew they existed, I knew I had to play this track. The original song is by Traffic, who were active in the ’60’s and ’70’s recording exactly this kind of music.  It only made sense to try and bring things full-circle, and illustrate that this music continues to influence and inform the music of today.  Outside of their records, you can’t find this music anywhere else.  I recommend checking out their site, and perhaps ordering a record or two if you are so inclined.

Again, this show was not archived, but this recreation gives you a chance to hear the show as it was broadcast on Saturday.

That’s all for this week.  Stayed tuned, as our Spacy Holiday Madness continues.  And, keep your ears peeled for some news regarding our show in the coming weeks.  Things are about to change.

See you in seven.

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Space Out II

# Title * Artist * Album * Further Info
01.) Journey Into A Dream * F.G. Experimental Laboratory * Journey Into A Dream * Switzerland, 1975

02.) Socrates Drank The Conium * Socrates Drank The Conium * Zontanoi Sto Kyttapo * Greece, 1971
03.) Fantomen * Midsommar * Belsebub Ar Los * Sweden, 1971

04.) Syphlonic Diplovits * Chou Pahrot * Live * Scotland, 1979
05.) Ajatuksia * Apollo * Apollo * Finland, 1970
06.) Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten… * Ton Steine Scherben * Wenn Die Nacht Am Tiefsten… * Germany, 1975

07.) Wieczna Pielgrzymka * Ossian * Ossian (aka Ksiega Deszczu) * Poland, 1975
08.) E Per Te * Claudio Rocchi * Essenza * Italy, 1973

09.) The Ancient Consciousness Of Evil Spirit * George Hirota * Sahasurara * Japan, 1976
10.) Pythagorian child No. 2: Arrival In Time * Bib Set * It Wasn’t Meant To Happen… * Sweden, 1969
11.) Searching For The World * Sleepy John * Sleepy John * USA, 1970
12.) Utterly Simple * Extra * Fruits de Mer Volume 21: Keep Off The Grass * UK, 2011 (Original: UK, 1967)
13.) To Xehasmeno Pigadi * Exadaktylos * Zontanoi Sto Kyttapo * Greece, 1971
14.) Epilogi * Nimbus * Obus * Finland, 1974

KPSU Playlist

Space Out
(Featuring an international selection of Space Rock from the ’70’s.)

While many look forward to the holiday season with fondness toward the music they will hear, I often find myself frustrated with the content of such songs.  It is fortunate that I came into a huge stash of authentic ’70’s Space Rock Records recently (thanks, Mutant Sounds), and have decided to kick off my holiday season with a tour of this curious genre from a variety of countries around the world.

You want to talk obscure?  I’m never heard of any of the bands I played today until I dug them out to play them for this show.  While I’ve always been fascinated by Hawkwind, King Crimson, and a variety of other artists who have trod the more unusual musical pathways in this particular decade, the sheer depth and wealth of artists who were on that same wavelength is staggering when you begin digging.  As I’ve been enjoying the holiday season, and moving into a new home, I thought it only fitting to let myself explore these artists for the first time with you.

This show is full of long, strange, “flute-y,” and otherwise exploratory experiments in just where you can take this particular genre.  My suggestion is to just go with the flow, and Space Out.

See you in seven.

(Note: Sadly, this show did not get archived as it was originally broadcast.  The version that is available for download is a special podcast recreation, made two days after the original was aired live.  These things happen.  Sorry.)

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Space Out

01.) Countdown * The Muffins * Secret Signals 1 * (1974 – 1978 USA)
02.) Diggar Ditt Hal-1 * Blodarna * Blodarna * (1979 Sweden)
03.) Ambiance * Popera Cosmic * Les Esclaves * (1969 France)

04.) The Hook * Jukka Tolonen * The Hook * (1974 Finland)
05.) Monster Comes To The City * Logproof * A Random Sampler * Random Radar Records (1977 UK)
06.) Caspita * Totem * Corrupcion * (1973 Uruguay)

07.) A Mutant Underglass * Illegal Aliens * A Random Sampler * Random Radar Records (1977 UK)
08.) Alien Activity From The 45th Parallel * Cellutron & The Invisible * Reflecting On The First Watch, We Uncover Treasure Buried For The Blind * (1978 USA)

09.) Fire Dance * Lagger Blues Machine * Tanit Live * (1970 Belgium)
10.) Automaty * Klan * Mrowisko * (1970 Poland)
11.) Total Space * The Rolf Kuhn Group * Total Space * (1975 Germany)

12.) Skladanka * Modry Efekt & Radim Hladik * Modry Efekt & Radim Hladik * (1974 Czechoslovakia)
13.) Voo Cego * Marcos Valle * Vento Sul * (1972 Brazil)
14.) Weg Vom Fenster * Metzlutzkas Erben * Wiener Blutrausch * (1979 Austria)
15.) Noises of The Evening * Doctors Of Madness * Figments of Emancipation * Polydor Records (1976 UK)
16.) Master of The Universe * Hawkwind * In Search of Space * (1971 UK)
17.) El Final * Síntesis * Síntesis * (1976 Argentina)

KPSU Playlist

Ghosts Of Christmas Past
(Featuring selections from previous broadcasts on 12/23/98, 12/14/04, 12/13/06, and 12/20/06.)

In the 13 years we’ve been on the air, try as we might, a handful of holiday programs have made it into our archives that offer holiday themes and content to our fair listeners.  Given that the holiday season is upon us, is seemed only fitting to go through the vaults and dig out these rare gems.

For today’s show, I decided to delve into the archives again and pull out some selections from my favorite Holiday shows of the past. I’m not a big Christmas person (for the most part), and when I do get into Seasonal Music, it’s generally not what you would hear in the Mall. So consider this a snapshot of what I like to bump this time of year.

If nothing else, you should really listen to my rendition of The Cremation Of Sam McGee from 2006, near the end of the show.

Next week: tune in for the return of The Grumpy Punk, with a special co-host, who will be helping me pick the tunes for that hour. Should be pretty epic.

See ya in seven.

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KPSU Playlist & Footnotes.

Christmas Music For People Who Don’t Like Christmas Music Part II

(KPSU Phase I Episode 133)

While Blasphuphmus Radio has never been the kind of show to flip format when the holidays arise, every year or so I get the urge to deliver back to the listeners my idea of holiday offerings.  Christmas is a time of year when we are overwhelmed with holiday offerings, and rather than go down that same old road, I usually try to cook up something that is a little more than your average Jingle Bell Rock.

This particular show comes from our “Phase I” archive, consisting of shows that were aired during the early years of KPSU broadcasting.  While I never went much for themes in those days, this show hints at things to come, and set the tone for all future holiday broadcasts.  While this wasn’t exactly new to me, it gave me a chance to lay the foundation of things to come.

This episode is part two of two.

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Christmas Music For People Who Don’t Like Christmas Music Part II

01.) Wir Christenleut * Johann Sebastian Bach * A Nonesuch Christmas
02.) Troll Wedding * Fishtank Ensemble * Super Raoul
03.) Gloria In Excelsis Deo * Pond * It’s Finally Christmas!
04.) Utan Utan * Selda * Selda
05.) Santa Claus Is Back In Town * Poison Idea * It’s Finally Christmas!
06.) Low Down * Tom Waits * Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
07.) The Grinch * The Whirlees * It’s Finally Christmas!
08.) White Christmas * Corporal Blossom * A Mutated Christmas
09.) Machine Gun * Rich & Famous * Messthetics #101
10.) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town * Corporal Blossom * A Mutated Christmas
11.) Over The Edge * Dead Moon * Echoes Of The Past
12.) The Odds Against Christmas * C3-P0 & R2-D2 * Christmas In The Stars
13.) The Cremation Of Sam McGee * Austin Rich * Read Live On The Air
14.) Woovy Groovy * Los Buenos * Sensacional Soul
15.) Seasoned Greetings * The Residents * Meet The Residents

KPSU Playlist

Christmas Music For People Who Don’t Like Christmas Music Part I

(KPSU Phase I Episode 132)

While Blasphuphmus Radio has never been the kind of show to flip format when the holidays arise, every year or so I get the urge to deliver back to the listeners my idea of holiday offerings.  Christmas is a time of year when we are overwhelmed with holiday offerings, and rather than go down that same old road, I usually try to cook up something that is a little more than your average Jingle Bell Rock.

This particular show comes from our “Phase I” archive, consisting of shows that were aired during the early years of KPSU broadcasting.  While I never went much for themes in those days, this show hints at things to come, and set the tone for all future holiday broadcasts.  While this wasn’t exactly new to me, it gave me a chance to lay the foundation of things to come.

This episode is part one of two.

Christmas In The Stars

(Phase I Episode 026)

In this early KPSU show, what you get here is your average show from this period (heavy on the punk music) with occasional additions from the amazing Christmas In The Stars album, a fave at KPSU.  I had just found it, and felt the need to inflict it upon the listeners.  Other than that, it’s an average show.

I did include some other holiday-ish tunes, but this is merely a music show.  But it works perfect this time of year, as the annoying is only occasional, and the bulk of what you hear is just straight up music.  It’s the kind of holiday show I would like if other stations didn’t just cave in and play only holiday stuff.

So, nothing fancy.  Just more music from Blasphuphmus Radio.  (This show was originally on from 4 P.M. – 6 P.M.)

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Christmas In The Stars

01.) Theme * Descendants
02.) Christmas Rush * Dead Moon
03.) Breathless * X
04.) Art-I-Ficial * X-Ray Spex
05.) Waste Of Time * Fastbacks
06.) Love American Style * Mr. T Experience
07.) I Just Want Some Skank / Beverly Hills * Circle Jerks
08.) Pig In A Blanket * Rudimentary Peni
09.) Sounds Of Laughter * T.S.O.L.
10.) I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement * The Ramones
11.) Cheap Tragedies * Avengers
12.) Christmas In The Stars * C-3PO & R2D2
13.) Round ‘n’ Round * Germs
14.) Blow Up * The Dils
15.) White Minority * Black Flag
16.) [R]evoluntion In Rock * M.D.C.
17.) Books Bout UFOs * Hüsker Dü
18.) Legacy * Dicks
19.) Tony Gets Wasted In Pedro * Minutemen
20.) New Rose * The Damned
21.) Attitude * Bad Brains
22.) [I’m] Stranded * The Saints
23.) The Grinch * Caveman Shoestore
24.) The Odds Against Christmas * C-3PO & R2D2
25.) Baby Baby * The Vibrators
26.) I Can’t Hardly Stand It * The Cramps
27.) Gary Gilmore’s Eyes * The Adverts
28.) I Believe I’ll Have Another Beer * Fear
29.) Happy Holidays * Smegma
30.) 12XU * Wire
31.) What Do I Get? * Buzzcocks
32.) Fight It * Pennywise
33.) Love Comes In Spurts [Live] * Richard Hell
34.) Hopeless Romantic * The Bouncing Souls
35.) You Got A Brain [Use Is] * The Fartz
36.) This Way Out * Rocket From The Crypt
37.) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas * No-L
38.) Come On Down * Juanita Family & Friends
39.) Achin’ To Be * Pinhead Gunpowder
40.) Telepathic Love * Wipers
41.) That Gum You Like is Back in Style * Camper Van Beethoven
42.) Pond Song * Dinosaur Jr.
43.) Merry Merry Christmas * C-3PO & R2D2