Live documentation of performances on Closet Radio, with additional material shot by Miss Rikki & Tunacan Jones.
Step inside the incredible world of Miss Rikki’s Closet Radio, and witness the strange and bizarre happenings that await you inside! Rock & Roll music, tempting your hips to move and shake! Secret gatherings with loud, rhythmic blasts of teenage libido! Orchestrated by none other than Miss Rikki herself! This is: The Closet Radio Video Jukebox!
This collection contains a wide range of performances from the number of artists who swept through the studios, including one field trip to The East End. A dozen artists spread out over 60 minutes, this collection wraps up Series 1 of our VideoZines, and brings you some of the wildest moments from Closet Radio’s history. Drink deep, and enjoy some of the greatest Rock & Roll to grace the airwaves.
The Closet Radio Video Jukebox: A Journey Into The Radio Unknown
Hear the fantastical droneamericana psych guitar and pedal explorations of Iowa’s second proudest export after corn ethanol Bob Bucko Jr!
Your host Ricardo Wang and cohost/soundboard cosmonaut Austin Rich are thrilled to hang with Bob who put in an amazing set last night at Mothership Music.
Set Your Listening Device to the Heart of your mind then ease your seat back and tune in baby.
(Note: This is a heavily trunkated version of the broadcast, which has been lost, unfortunately. This recording contains both performances by Soriah, with a small story told by him that was not included as part of the original broadcast. The playlist that follows is from the lost broadcast.)
Playlist:
“Daglarym” by Uger-Khan from Songs of the Masters
“And Slowly Fell My Ocean Drone” by Sevens Collective
LIVE SORIAH
Chad Organica in A Minor
Soriah Live
Nathan Youngblood & Soriah – Recuerdos De Luna
Lustmord w/ Soriah – Grigori
Including shorts by Ricardo Wang, Ryan A. Ray, & Lennon
You’ve tried the rest, now, with us as your guide, why not Try The Place On Lombard?
Austin Rich delivers another installment of his BlasphuphmusRadio.com VideoZines. Working closely with Ricardo Wang, not only bears the fruits of some truly unique audio performances, but from time to time these rare moments are captured on film, too. Experimental music is rarely presented in this format – both on the radio or as music videos – and to be involved with capturing these incredible moments has been a treat that I will never tire of.
The visual record of live artists on Ricardo Wang’s “What’s This Called?” has been documented twice before, and with that in mind this collection of videos and performances attempts to combine never-before-seen footage with remastered audio, and includes videos directed by other WTC Hanger Ons, too. The voice of the on-air ID directs a few videos, Ricardo Wang himself shares a number of videos shot “on location,” and filmmaker Ryan A. Ray gave us two performances by Divine Circles & Elisa Faires.
All in all, 16 artists are represented in this collection, which is an incredible reflection of the recent work happing on this radio program. As we do out best to continue to offer music and films that you cannot find anywhere else, we want to thank you for being willing to Try The Place On Lombard.
The Adventures Of Sam Spade, Detective in “The Terrified Turkey Caper”(November 24, 1950)
Dexter Roland is still Back On The Case, and didn’t have time to really deliver a Thanksgiving Special the way he wanted to. So instead, he contacted his old friend, Sam Spade, to deliver a Holiday Special with music and stories that is just in time for dinner. This show was originally broadcast on Thanksgiving in 1950, and contains more holiday wordplay than any hour of anything else you can find in any medium.
It’s just the way we like to spend Thanksgiving. From our house, to yours.
The character of Sam Spade originates from Dashiell Hammett’s stories and novels, notably as the protagonist of The Maltese Falcon, and a few other stories here and there. Hammett’s other character, merely known as The Continental Op, often became conflated with Spade, and in many forms of media – radio included – The Op’s adventures became those of Spade. Regardless, Hammett only wrote a few stories for Spade, and after the success of Black Mask detective magazine, and the popularity of noir films, Private Eyes of every variety began to make their way to radio. Spade was no exception, who parlayed his few canonical appearances in print into hundreds of radio stories. While there were versions of this character performed by Bogart and others, starting in 1946, Howard Duff played the character, until communist investigations led to both Hammett and Duff being blacklisted. For the remaining radio broadcasts, Steve Dunne played the character, as he did in this episode.
Unlike the character in the novels and films, who was largely seen and clever, sharp-witted, and a dedicated sleuth, the radio version is a much more tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the characters, with puns and wordplay that was less of the noir wisecrack and is much more cheesy.
This episode, “The Terrified Turkey Caper,” was broadcast on Thanksgiving in 1950. Not only had the series been running for four years by this time, but it is clear that with a new actor and every imaginable variation under their belt, this episode is sort of phoned in. The story of a man named Tom Turkey, who was supposed to be killed on Thanksgiving, includes a number in-jokes that tie characters from this story to historic Thanksgiving people and traditions, even if only vaguely (or, in some cases, confusingly). Regardless, it has some entertaining moments, and more to the point, is one of the few radio programs that I could find that even mentions the holiday at all, which gets very little play in the world of narrative radio.
Enjoy.
The Terrified Turkey Caper
Part I: A Tasty Chronicle of Fowl Play
01.) Echo Four-Two * Laurie Johnson * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
02.) Design To Kill * James Chance & The Contortions
03.) Where Dead People Live * Sun City Girls * Cameo Demons And Their Manifestations: Carnival Folklore Resurrection Vol. 1
04.) Almost Ready * The Normals * Killed By Death Vol. 10
05.) Maybe * The Fastbacks * The Day That Didn’t Exist
06.) Richard Diamond * Pete Rugolo * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
Part II: If I Didn’t Kill The Man Found In My Room, Who Did?
07.) Heaven Is A Truck * Pavement * Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
08.) To Here Knows When * My Bloody Valentine * Loveless
09.) A Good Man Is Hard To Find * Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys * Tiffany Transcripts Vol. 3
10.) Run Away * The Kids * The Kids
11.) Daddy Long Legs * Leith Stevens * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
This post was entirely produced and recorded on an iPad.
The process was incredibly clunky, and as I fret and fuss over how to improve it, I will probably not recommend (or continue) recording on the iPad, as I have less control over the recording, and can’t easily drop in music and other media.
Still, the fact I was able to multi track something – anything – is something to behold. Consider how easily this kind of recording could have been done five years ago, or ten years ago. For trips and other out-of-town situations, this will absolutely work, and that will make me want to improve the process and look for more recording apps down the road. But for now, this doesn’t have the ease-of-use that I would like, and therefore, may not be the best choice for podcasting.
In this episode, I review a stage production of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe that I attended on the evening of 21 November 2015. The production was staged but the children of a Middle School in the town I live in, and was entirely produced by the children in the play, guided by their drama instructor.
Witch In The Club * Quintron & Miss Pussycat * Swamp Tech
Gobstopper, performing LIVE on Closet Radio, 19 April 2014. Directed by Miss Rikki & Tunacan Jones. Edited and Engineered by Austin Rich.
Closing our week of new video releases, we bring you a playlist of songs by the incredible Gobstopper, the only Jawbreaker cover band performing in the Portland Oregon area. They performed on Closet Radio in April, and that episode is worth checking out, and the band is chatty, and quite funny, too. However, this playlist is just the songs, and available for your enjoyment (with remastered sound) for the first time ever.
I should point out that this is just a sampling of the songs they performed. We are rapidly editing the footage, and are nearly done. However, we couldn’t wait to let you see the bulk of the performance, and hope it whets your appetite enough to keep checking back for the last four songs. But this seemed like a good way to end the week, and we hope you enjoy it.
For more A/V enjoyment, you should check out the photoset of them in action, much of which is animated as this image above is.
And this playlist allows you to watch both videos from this show in one, hour long presentation.
Estocar, performing LIVE at East End on 24 July 2013. Miss Rikki was on hand to film and record the entire performance.
[http://youtu.be/_Ow7RPtfB3A]
Continuing the theme of a show from 24 July 2013 at East End, today we present the entire live set by Estocar. If you are, for some reason, unfamiliar with Estocar, you are missing out. These guys are high-energy psychedelic pop with a lot of chops and an incredible sense of humor. Estocar are a powerhouse of a band, recording and touring incessantly, and have the live chops to really get crowds dancing. You should see them the next time they’re in town. You will not be sorry.
La Fin Absolute Du Monde, performing LIVE at East End on 24 July 2013. Miss Rikki was on hand to film and record the entire performance.
Somewhere between cabaret, post-punk, industrial and loud rock, La Fin Absolute Du Monde was a surprise treat for me the evening in question, and a band I’ve checked in on a few times since I first saw them. Their albums are incredible, and they are a good old-fashioned band in that they tour constantly, they depend on making music to make a living, and they live ON TOUR. Check them out when they come around again. They’re great.
I have worked with Ilima a number of times over the years, and her music and evolved in that time to what you can see and hear in these performances. If you want to hear the original broadcast, and the interview, then this is the place for you: 13 September 2014 on What’s This Called?
I was lucky enough to run the sound for this event. This video contains both performances, in their entirety, and run about 33 Minutes, total. These videos have not been seen before.
In honor of this release, here a five minute audio-sample of Fischkopf Sinfoniker’s complete performance, which you can find here: 27 September 2014 on What’s This Called?
Over the weekend of November 1st and 2nd, M and I were lucky enough to share a beach house with some friends out in Newport, OR. Today’s show features a number of things I captured during that trip: ocean sounds, as well as the photoset that I will link to in the next line:
The photos include a number of animated images of the water moving in, wind blowing things around, and the fire we had going at night. If you’re into hypnotic, nature-type animated images, these are perfect.
An old friend of the show, Detective Dexter Roland, Private Investigator, returns after having been relegated to near-obscurity. This time, instead of introducing an episode of thematic sounds and music, Dexter enters the world of having his own adventures, in a narrative and serial format! Witness, as we bring you:
Back On The Case: Part 1 of 3: Back From The Dead
Cast:
Austin Rich as Detective Dexter Roland, Private Investigator.
Miss Rikki as Beatrice Baumgartner
Touch of Evil (Main Title) * Henry Mancini * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
Staccato’s Theme * Elmer Bernstein * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
We’ll do out best to get the next installment out to you soon.
An anonymous child offers a free, improvised performance to the patrons of The Teen Challenge Thrift Store on the morning of 8 November 2014. Here are the results.
As Miss Rikki takes a much needed break, we have put her program into reruns. Enjoy classic episodes, with re-mastered sound and playlists (when possible), until Miss Rikki can bring us something new.
Warning: This episodes contains a grown man talking frankly about crying.
Love Cry II * Albert Ayler * Love Cry
He Needs Me * Shelly Duval * Popeye: The Movie
When The River Meets The Sea * Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
Sparks Nevada Theme Song * Sarah Watkins * Thrilling Adventure Hour Episode 166
Semper Fidelis * “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band * March, 3, 2009, in the John Philip Sousa Band Hall at Marine Barracks Annex in Washington, D.C.
I’m Procrastinate & I Vote * Gaytheist * Stealth Beats
In the event that you are the kind of person who is inclined to vote, here’s a couple things you may find interesting:
You can enter your zip code here to get the results of where you can vote in person. (If that is how it works in your area.)
This search should return results for places that you can drop off your ballot. (If that is how it works in your area.)
I should mention that if you have mail-in ballots in your area, you can usually drop them off at any drop box location in your area.
Most drop box locations are open until 8 PM on Election Day.
Don’t forget to
Vote Fraud On The Moon Base * Men’s Recovery Project * Resist The New Way!
This Halloween Season was fantastic, and I really enjoyed all of the excellent places we have gone over the last month. I will be honest: this shorter format was a lot of fun to play with, and I really got to introduce people to some of my favorite Halloween Ephemera.
As my gift to you, I’ve put together a four-hour Halloween Music Presentation, that you can download and play at your party. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:
This is a collection of 95 tracks by artists recording some serious monster rock. This music in this collection all comes from the crucial 1920 – 1969 period, and are culled from a variety of sources and compilations that are readily available from a variety of sources. Quite a few of these have appeared in previous episodes, by many are new to me, and have never aired on our program. My gift, to you, this holiday season, is some serious party music you can dance to.
We’ve offered quite a few incredible Holliday Treats, and to summarize, here’s a run-down of some of the features we’re had this month:
Haunted House Ambience Mix 2014
This is a mix of various “Spooky Sounds” LPs from my private collection, that runs a full 60 minutes. Great atmosphere for trick or treaters!
The Ways of Ghostsby Ambrose Bierce (as read & produced by Austin Rich)
At the end of the summer I found an Ambrose Bierce book in a used bookstore, and found this story that was broken into small stories about different encounters. I read three of them, set to effects and sounds I mixed in the studio. This link takes you to all three.
The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall (read by Vincent Price)
During the week of October 20th – 24th, we ran a serialized version of this story, from on of those 1970’s Caedmon Records that are fantastic holiday treats. You can find all five parts of the story from this link.
There were a number of other great NewsBlas this month, and you can find all of our Halloween Programming (going back to 2004) here:
This includes all of our shows, and Halloween episodes of What’s This Called?, Closet Radio & The Guitar Shop. It’s just another way that we deliver unique programming to our listeners.
While it is sad to crawl back into the crypt for another year, we know that it can’t be Halloween the whole year through. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be as cool as it is.
This edit highlights some of my favorite moments from the original show. Welles really pushed to make his program as much like a radio broadcast as possible for the first two-thirds of the show, and these are some of the best moments, in my mind.
I really encourage listening to and researching the show. The story behind this broadcast is as compelling as the show itself. Not only has it be re-interpreted a number of times over the years, but the affect of the broadcast was covered in depth in a fantastic Radiolab Episode.
From my crypt to yours, I offer the 2014 Haunted House Ambience Mix, constructed from a variety of “Spooky Sounds” LPs from my private collection. While today’s NewsBlas is merely a sampling, I am offering to everyone a 60 minute mix using these LPs as the basis for the mix. This is great for playing in the background to create a spooky environment for any home, porch, or place where trick-or-treaters may arrive.
These are records that I return to again and again, and they all seem to take the same format. Side One is a mix of spooky sounds, culled from a variety of sound effects that are taken from a specific library. Side Two is always those raw effects, unmixed. What I always found interesting about this is that in a pre-digital era, having an LP for these effects is almost useless outside of radio nerds and other effects aficionados, making the audience for these kinds of records very tiny indeed.
When CDs became the format du jour, I was excited to find entire discs of these kinds of mixes done by modern mixers who could create an entire hour (or more) of material. However, I never managed to find a CD that didn’t just loop a short mix, usually taken from one of the classic LPs. Anyway, I have always wanted to make a good, 60 minute mix of the best Halloween Atmosphere albums. And now, you can have one, too.
(Pssst: Also, here’s links to the vinyl rips I made of these albums. Enjoy them while the links are up.)
This is a selection from the Ambrose Bierce collection, “The Ways of Ghosts.” These stories are now in the public domain, and make for excellent holiday reading.
Various effects edited and created by Austin Rich.
A simple Google Search reveals a whole range of other listening options. (And I recommend the image search view to check out the variety of album covers over the years.)
The Spooky Old Tree
I imagine I will be receiving some e-mail from some of you, so again: austinrich@gmail.com.
Watusi Zombi * Jan Davis * Halloween Nuggets
Graveyard * The Phantom Five * Halloween Nuggets
Scream * Ralph Neilsen & The Chancellors * Halloween Nuggets
Mad Monster Party Trailer [Excerpt]
The Baron * Maury Laws * Mad Monster Party Soundtrack
Mad Monster Party [Excerpt] * Ethel Ennis w/ Maury Laws * Mad Monster Party Soundtrack
Pills Will Save The Day * Film [Excerpt]
Waltz For A Witch [Excerpt] * Maury Laws * Mad Monster Party Soundtrack
Mad Monster Party Trailer [Excerpt]
Eric Barnett of Points North calls in to discuss their new album, the origin and history of Points North, and life on the road. Then DJ Victrola provides another hour of incredible music.
Stoned (Monkey, Watusi) [Excerpt] * Frankie Stein And His Ghouls * Shock! Terror! Fear! (1964)
Mummy’s Little Boy (Monkey, Twist) * Frankie Stein And His Ghouls * Ghoul Music (1965)
Dance Of Doom (Monkey, Watusi) * Frankie Stein And His Ghouls * Monster Sounds And Dance Music (1965)
Roger’sBasement.com. (A fan site from the ’90’s / early ’00’s that details every scrap of information anyone can find / has / knows about Frankie Stein.)
Amazon.com sometimes has a remastered CD containing most (but not all) of the Frankie Stein songs.
I recommend a Google Search, which yields some pretty good download results for the dedicated and diligent fan.
This is a selection from the Ambrose Bierce collection, “The Ways of Ghosts.” These stories are now in the public domain, and make for excellent holiday reading.
Violin music provided by Béla Bartók, and performed by Gyorgy Pauk & Kazuki Sawa.
Various effects edited and created by Austin Rich.
DJ Victrola was out this week, so The Real Bruce Wayne stepped in to cover with a wide range of guitar music, the likes of which you’ve never heard. Sit back and enjoy a wide range of fusion of
Hour 1
?? * Mahavishnu Orchestra
Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers * Jeff Beck
Cliffs Of Dover * Eric Johnson
Big Red One * Pat Metheny & John Scofield
School Days * Stanley Clarke
Duel Of The Jester And The Tyrant * Return To Forever
Julia Labelle * Larry Creole
Dolphin Dance * Jaco Pastorius
Hour 2
?? * Turf Rypdahl
Tell It To The Boss * Bill Connors
?? * ??
?? * ??
?? * ??
Aurora * Oregon
The Way Up * Pat Metheny Group
La Danse Du Bonheur * John Mclaughlin
(Psssst. I was the second camera operator for Ryan, and also mixed the audio. But really, the bulk of the work by was by Ryan. Check out his work. You won’t regret it.)
This is a selection from the Ambrose Bierce collection, “The Ways of Ghosts.” These stories are now in the public domain, and make for excellent holiday reading.
Ambient music by Cindytalk, using excerpts from their song “Of Ghosts And Buildings” from their album, The Crackle of My Soul.
Various effects edited and created by Austin Rich.
I made a guest appearance via the phone on The Guitar Shopto help celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the very first KPSU Broadcast, which occurred October 1st, 1994. I would be flattered if you wanted to listen to it.
Celebrate The Body Electric (It Came From An Angel) [Snippet] * Ponytail * Ice Cream Spiritual
Section 1: Have A Day / Celebratory [Edit] * The Polyphonic Spree * The Beginning Stages Of…
Celebration * Half Japanese * Bone Head
The KPSU 20th Anniversary Broadcast! KPSU first went on the air twenty years ago today, and a few KPSU alumni join DJ Victrola to discuss some of their connections to this radio station. Don and Kevin – both there at the first broadcast – join Austin Rich & DJ Victrola to get nerdy about radio.
We offer our yearly Halloween Spook-tacular programming, and this is the perfect time to subscribe to our Halloween Podcast Feed, which now contains more spooky radio than ever before! Not only do you get every Blasphuphmus Radio podcast complete and unedited, we’ve also included every Halloween broadcast by What’s This Called? and Closet Radio, wonderful additions to our humble network. There are a number of listening options:
Joined by Austin Rich, DJ Victrola, The Professor, with a live audio card from Ricardo Wang, Lennon, and Ryan Ray, Closet Radio airs it’s last broadcast from the KPSU Studios for a final hurrah before moving to the BlasphuphmusRadio.com network. This show, in some ways, was a combination of all the different podcast forms that have been brewing lately, and as we mashed up Closet Radio, The Guitar Shop, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, & The Secret True History of Rock & Roll, we provide a wealth of tunes to keep everything lively. Stay tuned for the new version of Closet Radio, coming soon.
Overture:
Living Too Long * The Fall
WKRP In Cincinatti
Part I: Coming Home
The Blue Condition – “Coming Home”
The Boys Next Door * ??
Part II: Experiment Below (AMLOR 1)
Mystery, Hosted by Vincent Price * 14 May 1980 Mutual Radio Theater
Miss Rikki Selections
Side B [Excerpts] * Hovercraft * Experiment Below
Part III: “I’m Against It”
?? * ??
I’m Against It * Groucho Marx
Heaven * Robyn Hitchock & The Egyptians
Part IV: Grappling With The Homonids (AMLOR 2)
Fishing With John * John Lurie & Tom Waits
Mystery, Hosted by Vincent Price * 14 May 1980 Mutual Radio Theater
Miss Rikki Selections
Side B * Sinking Body * Grappling With The Homonids
Part V: The Secret True History of Rock & Roll w/ DJ Victrola
Bernadette * The Four Tops
?? * Joe Meek & The Blue Men
Part VI: The Exotic Sounds of Miss Rikki & Austin Rich (AMLOR 3)
Side B * The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny * Primitiva
Miss Rikki Selections
Mystery, Hosted by Vincent Price * 14 May 1980 Mutual Radio Theater
Side B * Les Baxter * The Sounds of Adventure
Part VII: An Announcement
Part VIII: A Phone Call From Ricardo Wang, Ryan Ray & Lennon
Rikki Don’t Loose That Number
Epiloge: Time To Say Goodbye to KPSU
Keys To Your Heart * The 101ers
I pull together the threads from the last few weeks of summer, and inform you of my guest appearance on Closet Radio tomorrow night!
Autumn’s Child * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Safe As Milk
Early Autumn * Sun Ra & His Arkestra * Holiday For Soul Dance
Autumn Sweater (remix by Kevin Shields) * Yo La Tengo * A Smattering of Outtakes And Rarities, 1986 – 2002
The Beginning * The Collectors * Everything You Always Wanted To Know About 60’s Mind Expansive Punkadelic Garage Rock Instrumentals But Were Afraid To Ask
(This was originally produced as a podcast on 11 September 2012 in the St. John’s Studio we used at the time. Enjoy.)
While I am a big fan of political music that skewers whatever the flavor of the week happens to be, and have done a few Fourth of July shows that were less than respectful to the institutions this country holds dear, I have never had the balls to get down and dirty regarding the subject of 9/11. And with good reason: while the event is well in the past, there has been a cultural sacred cow in place when it comes to mocking what was, in the end, a really awful event in our country’s history. My usual knee-jerk reaction to everything is to make a joke, and while there always seemed like plenty of great throw-aways that could have been used when planning a 9/11 show, I never allowed myself to go down that road for fear that there would be some sort of outcry the moment I showed any amount of disrespect for what has become an accidental holiday in this country.
However, time seems to have dulled my sense of what is and isn’t appropriate, and now that it’s been 11 years, I feel like America might be ready for a podcast that goes the whole 9 yards, and delivers some music that obtusely tackles a subject that seems to be somewhat taboo. While I would never go so far as to be critical of the awful events of that day, it seems odd to me that the day now carries this cultural baggage that causes everyone to get far too serious about their patriotism. I’ve always considered myself a patriot, but in the sense that I am willing to question things, discuss them, and find ways to make sense of them through culture and art that addresses complex issues in entertaining ways. Sometimes these take the form of agressive punk songs that speak their mind without concern for who will be pissed off when all is said and done.
Since Tuesday falls on this particular day this year, and since I will have no one to answer to but myself in the event that people do get pissed off, this year felt like a good year to finally break the silence, and bring you a bunch of songs that present different visions of America. I tried to cover a lot of ground, and thus bring in a number of different voices for this show. But in the end, it’s a bunch of stuff that I like listening to, and all of it has a particular perspective that I feel is very worth exploring. Even if it is temporarily.
And: this mix kicks a whole lot of ass.
Next week’s show may be delayed somewhat, as I will be out of town. However, I will do my best to bring you a road show, which may just end up being short. We shall see.
So: don’t forget to pull out your miniature American Flags, plant it firmly in the most inappropriate place you can think of, and turn this one up just loud enough that it’ll piss off your neighbor in the cubical next door.
See you in seven.
Bless This Mess
Part I: Growin’ Up In America
01.) Boy From Nowhere * DMZ * Live At The Rat
02.) All American Twist * The Champs * “All American”
03.) American Heartbreak * Langston Hughes * The Voice Of The Poet: Langston Hughes
04.) Growin’ Up In America * The Colors * Killed By Death Vol. 20
05.) Terror In America * GG Allin & The Murder Junkies * Brutality and Bloodshed for All
06.) Thinkin’ Of The USA * Eater * Thinkin’ Of The USA 7″
07.) American Terrorist * Chris Burke * diymedia.net
08.) Experiment In Terror * Henry Mancini * Greatest Hits
09.) The Ugly American * Big Black * The Hammer Party
10.) The Half-Eaten Sausage Would Like To See You In His Office * The Locust * The Locust / Melt Banana Split 7″
11.) American Dream * The Redundants * I Hate The Redundants
12.) Amercan America * Godless * 7″
13.) Middle America * J.F.A. * Rat Music For Rat People
14.) N.O.U.S.P.T.D.A. * The Nation Of Ulysses * The Birth Of The Ulysses Aesthetic (The Synthesis of Speed And Transformation) EP
15.) America Has Spoken * Patton Oswalt * Werewolves and Lollipops
16.) Fyt * This Mortal Coil * It’ll End In Tears
Part II: Freedom’s Waiting
17.) Early American * Sonic Youth * Confusion Is Sex
18.) Help Stamp Out America * Kermit Schafer * Pardon My Blooper
19.) Cityman * Negativland * Free
20.) 9/11 is a Joke * Delusions of Parasitosis * Coupon D’état
21.) Mecca: A Vision Of The Next Crusade * Thomas M. Disch / X’s For Eyes * Mecca|Mettle
22.) We’re An American Band * MX-80 * We’re An American Band
Part III: The ABC’s of The USA
23.) Politics In America * Bill Hicks * Philosophy
24.) Pow Wow * Grace Tennessee & The American Spirits * Lux and Ivy’s Favorites: Volume Six
25.) A.B.C’s of the U.S.A. * Ada Jones and Billy Murray * Edison Gold Moulded Cylinder Record: 9903
26.) Land: Part I: Horses, Part II: Land of a Thousand Dances, Part III: La Mer (De) * Patti Smith * Horses
27.) Crimes vs. America * Old Time Radio Commercial
28.) Alaska * The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black * A National Heath Care
29.) Freedom Of Choice * Devo * Freedom Of Choice
30.) Contract With Depravity * Kenyon Hopkins * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
31.) Our Nat’l Anthm * Abbie Hoffman * Wake Up America!
32.) Unwanted Workers Of America * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign
The Secret True History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Part II: Defending Elvis (Miss Rikki & I discuss music old and new as we cover a Ramones Tribute, discuss how unfairly Elvis is sometimes treated, and introduce to you two things that are from the last 10 years that are good. Promise. )
In another podcast-only edition of AMLOR, we discuss The Ronetts (and to a lesser extent, The Ramones and the passing of Tommy), Elvis (and how hot he was), The Nervous (because: The Nervous), and Bomb The Music Industry, as we slowly (but surely) sort out the format of the show. I might also be a little drunk.
01.) Absolutely Bills Mood (Live) * They Might Be Giants
02.) Stingray * King Peglican * Roots In The Shadows of San Antonio
03.) Boys * The Shirelles * Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
04.) Be My Baby * The Ronettes
05.) I Never Dreamed * The Cookies * Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
06.) What A Lonely Way To Start The Summertime * Bitter Sweet * Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
07.) I Have A Boyfriend * The Chiffons * Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
08.) I Can’t Let Go * Evie Sands * Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
09.) Nobody Knows What’s Goin’ On (In My Mind But Me) * The Chiffons * Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found
10.) Bobby Sox Blues * T-Bone Walker * The Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll
11.) When It Rains, It Really Pours * Elvis Presley
12.) Good Rockin’ Tonight * Wynonie Harris * The Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll
13.) Saturday Night Fish Fry * Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five * The Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Part II: Some Things New
14.) Cottlestone Pie * Cringer * The Thing That Ate Floyd
15.) Entry Level Position * The Nervous
16.) Boredome Zone * The Mr. T Experience * The Thing That Ate Floyd
17.) Happy Now * Isocracy * The Thing That Ate Floyd
18.) Stand Until You’re Sober * Bomb The Music Industry
19.) No Medicine For Regret * Mogwai * Rave Tapes
20.) Space Ghost * Callow * Blue Spells
21.) Friskers * Rollerball * Companion 2: The Woman At The Well
VideoZine#4: “Why Are We Here?” (Our first compilation, with material by artists and directors from a number of under-represented places.)
Our program is always evolving and changing, and one vision that I have always had for these VideoZines is that I could begin to incorporate the work of other directors. There are a number of people who are in the same realm as I, making videos and trying to exhibit their seed of creativity. Why not create a platform for some of these videos and artists?
This collection raids the BlasphuphmusRadio archives, where I present video that has never been seen in this form before. I have a variety of video treats that have been suffering for a variety of reason, namely due to poor audio and bad editing. Presented here for the first time are live performances by bands that appeared on Blasphuphmus Radio & Is This Music? These performances were booked by Johnathan Boober, and feature incredible performances by Nasalrod, SLOTHS, Valkyrie Rodeo & RABBITS. Rounding out this collection are two videos shot during practice performances by The Nervous & Moth Hunter. The Nervous performance is of particular note, as they have become quite a powerhouse live outfit, and this recording was captured before they had even played live for anyone by their partners.
In addition to these live videos (all featuring newly remastered audio, and re-edited for this presentation), we also feature work by a number of directors, including Nil Admirari (eponymous, Library of Congress, Esmar Road), Matt O. (Half Eye, Iarvles, Dry Cleaners), Colin Hicks (Vomit Violence), Ryan A. Ray (” ‘Ho,’ The Humanity”), Paco Jones & Eric Hausmann. Each of these directors have a unique and distinct voice that is compelling and beautiful, and it is no wonder that with all of them, film is only part of the passion. These videos represent some cool work that you will not see anywhere else.
In addition to that, it is with this episode that we declare that this is an office show. The VideoZine will continue this year, and hopefully continue to return for subsequent seasons. Our plan is to produce at least Six episodes this year, but it is possible that we might hit the Eight or even Ten mark, depending on how productive the next month is. We do not make any money off this program, but we do enjoy making it, and hopefully you enjoy what we do, too.
This episode has all the bells and whistles: a remastered soundtrack, individual videos you can link to for each segment of the show, and the typical 60 minute presentation that we’ve come to know and love. I’ve done my best to create a little audio narrative, and to have some fun, so hopefully you do, too.
There used to be a world where people were really fucking passionate about everything. You can hear this world seep through the cracks and pop of old LPs, in the pages of yellowing magazines hoarded by a Learned Council of Wise Men, and they gather at local pubs to argue loudly about early Fred Cole bands and where you can find old back-issues of Backfire.
The world used to have Lester Bangs in it, too. This is a feeble, ham-fisted tribute to a man after my own heart.
I had brought a bunch of LPs to the station, and began going through the stacks at KPSU when a two hour block opened up in the afternoon. I had stumbled across this interview with Sue Mathews, and figured that between the records and this interview I could cobble together something that resembles a tribute. Miss Rikki (fortunately) came in during the second hour to save everything.
If I had done my research I would have tried to pair quotes with the songs. The transitions could have been better. Even some of the musical choices are questionable, mostly driven by my urge to “check out” a track, or suddenly wanting to hear something specific. At least it’s all records.
At the center of this is my own love for Lester. There was a time when I carried around Psychotic Reactions And Carburetor Dung like it was cannon, memorizing lines and internalizing it’s rhythms in everything I wrote. More than that, though, he gave voice to the kind of distrust I had of things that are overhyped, he unabashedly loved terrible things just like I do, he was wrong over and over (and over) again, and in the end he was filled with passion about music, about wanting music to be better, to mean something, and to call shenanigans on every other person who was essentially full of shit when it came to their artistic statement.
Curmudgeon, critic, drug punk, and the least cool person in Rock ‘n’ Roll, ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Lester Fucking Bangs.
Enjoy!
The World’s Greatest Rock Critic, Lester Bangs
Hour 1
01.) Science Fiction Double Feature * The Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
02.) “Music. True Music” * Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs * Almost Famous
03.) Nightclubbing * Iggy Pop * The Idiot
04.) “The Same Old Gunk Dressed Up In New Clothes” * Lester Bangs
05.) Yodeling Yippie * The Fugs
06.) “Musical Sterility” * Lester Bangs
07.) Uh-huh * Thee Headliners * We Made These Songs
08.) Waiting For The Renasaince * Lester Bangs
09.) Flying * The Small Faces
10.) Shove A Martini In His Hand and Forget About Him * Lester Bangs
11.) Electric Aunt Jemima * The Mothers of Invention
12.) The Velvet Underground * Lester Bangs
13.) Night Train * James Brown
14.) The Illiad * Ed Sanders And The Hemptones
15.) Iggy & The Stooges * Lester Bangs
16.) Louie Louie * The Kingsmen
17.) Sales Will Drop Off * Lester Bangs
18.) Graveyard * Dead Moon
19.) Zoot Suit * The High Numbers
20.) Teenage Riot * Sonic Youth * Daydream Nation
21.) Patricia * Perez Prado
Hour 2
22.) “We Want To Sell Records. We Want To Be Rock Stars” * Lester Bangs
23.) Kansas and the BTO’s * The GTOs
24.) Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep * Perez Prado
25.) The Captain’s Fat Theresa Shoes * The GTOs
26.) Ella Guru * Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
27.) The Original GTO’s * The GTOs
28.) Bandido * Perez Prado
29.) WPLJ * The Mothers of Invention
30.) Spaceman * Harry Nilson * Son of Schmilsson
31.) And On And On * Lester Bangs
32.) Higher Ground * Stevie Wonder * Innervisions
33.) Disco’s Dead * Lester Bangs
34.) Bernadette * The Four Tops
35.) I Can’t Buy That This Is An Organic, Populist Movement * Lester Bangs
36.) Stop Breaking Down * The Rolling Stones
37.) The Really Are Being Marketed * Lester Bangs
38.) Ghost * Ty Segall
39.) Anarchy, Or Whatever You Want To Call It * Lester Bangs
40.) Sister * The Black Keys
41.) Here We Are In The ’70’s, Where Everything Stinks * Lester Bangs
42.) …Worms LP Selection
43.) Moonchild (including “The Dream” and “The Illusion”) / The Court of the Crimson King (including “The Return of the Fire Witch” and “The Dance of the Puppets”) * King Crimson * In The Court of the Crimson King
44.) Uncool * Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs * Almost Famous
On The Flip Side (Longer description of the episode, with weird esoteric links and notes about the show.)
Miss Rikki & I continue our Ontological Assault on the world at large with this radio deconstruction of recordings that are on the edge of awareness of their state as recordings. Leaving no symbol unturned, with layers upon layers of meaning and commentary with regards to the current state of our program, we delve quite a ways into the 70’s, offer some Cilantro PSAs, prepare for Time Travel, and offer a number of means for managing your own stress. The mix is thick and dense in some spots, with lots of “Waiting Room” references. Just how we like it.
Part II of this program is reminiscent of one of the ’90’s episode of this program I did at KWVA in Eugene, which you can stream or download here. I’m pretty sure it is the same source material, and it is interesting to revisit the same material with a new perspective. Not much more meta than referencing yourself, right?
Dig it. There’s some dope shit in here.
Enjoy!
On The Flip Side
Part I: The Musical Heritage Surplus Club of Hong Kong
01.) Twenty Minutes of Silence * Flip Wilson * You Devil You
02.) Break Song [Excerpts] * Vanilla Fudge * Near The Beginning
03.) The Church of What’s Happening Now * Flip Wilson & Redd Foxx
04.) 40 Great Unclaimed Melodies! * The Firesign Theater * Dear Friends (Live Broadcasts)
05.) “Real Life” Trailer * Albert Brooks
06.) Checkers Speech * Richard Nixon
07.) What’s Happening News * George Carlin w/ Flip Wilson
08.) Alexander Grahmn Bell * Lilly Tomlin * This Is A Recording
09.) Telephone Courtesy Educational Film
10.) WINO Radio * George Carlin w/ Flip Wilson
Part II: It’s Time For Traveling Through Time
11.) I Hate Cilantro, It’s Gross * Glozell Green
12.) ?? LP?
13.) Traveling Through Time * Pan Am Films
14.) Learn How To Touch Type
15.) Cindy Goes To A Party * Etiquette Lessons
16.) Drugs Are Like That * Anita Bryant
17.) Act Your Age Education Film
18.) You And Your Parents * Coronet Films
Part III: Stress Relief With Tranquilizers
19.) How To Win At Conversations With Mom * Daniel Kibblesmith
20.) The Wayne Mason Trio * LIVE! at the La Pesada
21.) [Excerpts] * Kermit Schafer * All Time Great Bloopers (6 Record Set)
22.) Stress Relief With Tranquilizers * The Relaxed Wife
23.) Cindy Goes To A Party * Etiquette Lessons
24.) Drugs Are Like That * Anita Bryant
25.) Evert 1 Pipkin * Man… Or Astro-Man? * Made From Technitium
The subject of loneliness and being alone came up when I was selecting records for this show, and a jazzy, moody theme quickly began to develop, which Miss Rikki ran with.
We also interview Kevin McCallister, PHD in Social Sciences, who emphasizes students of people who are at Home, Alone.
Then, we throw you to the wolves.
Enjoy!
The Stuff That Myths Are Built On
Part I: 18 Months & Two Weeks
01.) The Wolf You Never Knew [Excerpts] * Robert Redford * The Language and Music of The Wolves
02.) Blue Monk * The Thelonious Monk Quartet And Pee Wee Russell * Miles & Monk At Newport
03.) Word Salad * Miss Rikki
04.) Straight, No Chaser * The Miles Davis Sextet featuring Julian “Cannonball” Adderley * Miles & Monk At Newport
05.) Movie Excerpt
Part II: Kevin McCallister, PHD in Social Sciences & Being at Home, Alone.
06.) ‘Round Midnight” * Lionel Hampton with Rhythm and Reeds * Golden Vibes
07.) “There Is Not A Rhinoceros In This Room”
08.) Move * Charlie Parker, Tadd Dameron & Curley Russell* Live Sessions
09.) The Wolf You Never Knew [Excerpts] * Robert Redford * The Language and Music of The Wolves
10.) Hot House * Carlie Parker, Kenny Dorham, Al Haig, Nelson Boyd & Max Roach * Live Sessions
11.) “What Ever Happened To Baby Jayne?” [Excerpt]
12.) Audrey Hepburn on Dick Cavett
Part III: Someone’s Calling Your Name
12.) Open All Night / My Father’s House [Excerpt] * Bruce Springsteen * Nebraska
13.) A Phone Call From Dr. McCallister
14.) Jeffrey Lee Pierce on What’s Wrong With Everything
15.) I Hear Your Name * The Dead Milkmen * Eat Your Paisley
The People Who Died: June 2014 Edition (Miss Rikki & I sit down to do a tribute show to some of the incredible artists we have lost this year, only to find ourselves visited by three callers.)
Miss Rikki & I pay tribute to some of the incredible artists that have passed. There were a number of excellent artists of many varieties who we lost in the not-too-distant past, and we thought it would be a good opportunity to play some music and clips by these incredible artists. We are also visited by three callers who are all dead?
Enjoy!
The People Who Died
Part I: Clutching A Pair Of My Husband’s Shorts
01.) Peek-A-Boo (DEVO Dub) * Devo * Peek-A-Boo 12″
02.) “Word Salad” * Miss Rikki
03.) Death * Rik Mayall
04.) Deal With It * Beastie Boys * Aglio E Olio
05.) Concertos No. 1 in E flat and No. 2 in A [Excerpts] * Liszt (performed by Samson Francois)
06.) A Phone Call From Elvis Presley
Part II: When The Music’s Over
07.) When The Music’s Over * The Doors * Strange Days
08.) A Phone Call From Bob Dylan
09.) 13 Women (And Only One Man In Town) * Bill Haley & His Comets * 45
Part III: Silence Is More Compelling
10.) European Son * The Velvet Underground * The Velvet Underground & Nico
11.) “Word Salad” * Miss Rikki
12.) Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs in “Almost Famous”
13.) Casey Casam & Jerry Lewis
14.) Concertos No. 1 in E flat and No. 2 in A [Excerpts] * Liszt (performed by Samson Francois) [Excerpts]
15.) A Phone Call From Kurt Cobain
Miss Rikki & I have been batting around the idea of doing this series for a while, and there’s at least one pilot version of this show floating around that may (or may not) see the light of day. In the meantime, when KPSU was shut down this week, we decided to bring you the very first installment of the R Rated version of A Momentary Lapse of Reason as we explore four songs – old and new – that absolutely belong in the official Rock and Roll Canon.
In this episode, we focus on two very early influences on the trajectory of Rock & Rock: “Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar” is a very clear boogie woogie influence that also have a big lyrical influence on what rock and roll would become. For it’s sense of humor, we turned toward Buchanan & Goodman’s classic from 1956, “The Flying Saucer,” a song that sampled, satired, and created an entirely new genre, all in the mid 50’s.
For our recent selections, Miss Rikki waxes poetic about The Epoxies, and I do the same about Unwound. We wrap up suddenly due to the lateness of the hour.
Hopefully we can continue this kind of show, and I would like to see more stuff like this come together as time goes on. If you have any thoughts on this kind of format, just let me know, and we’ll gladly work toward incorporating those ideas into the show. After all, without you, there would be no show.
Enjoy!
The Secret True History of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Part I: Some Things Old
01.) Ringer * Moth Hunter * Dust
02.) Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar * Will Bradley Orchestra
03.) Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar [Excerpt] * The Andrews Sisters
04.) Robin Head Machine Gun * Lamborghini * Togetherness With Battlesnakes
05.) The Flying Saucer (Part 1) * Buchanan & Goodman
06.) Space Fuck * The Gordon Taylor * KPSU In-Studio Performance
07.) Zelda – Fortress Theme * The Advantage * The Advantage
08.) The Flying Saucer (Part 1) * Buchanan & Goodman
09.) Bela Bartok Excerpt
Part II: Some Things New
10.) Beat My Guest * The Epoxies
11.) Metropolis * Kraftwerk * Man-Machine
12.) Everything Looks Better On Video * The Epoxies * Stop The Future
13.) Kantina [Excerpt] * Unwound * Fake Train
Funes el Radiorioso (Miss Rikki & I are joined by The Professor’s Wife as we explore our own swiss-cheese brains, through a few random records, audio clips, and other paths through the musical universe.)
I really feel like the show is starting to hit its stride, and this is an excellent example of where that stride is going. Miss Rikki & I (aided by assistance from The Professor’s Wife) bust out some contemplation on all the voices in our own heads, why we can’t remember anything, and why we remember everything.
I have decided that I will turn this show into a vinyl-dominated program, as a reaction to all the shows I see / hear / know of that are complete devoid of records. I feel as if I need to explore this world of plastic records while it is still possible, and the new A Momentary Lapse of Reason guarantee is that all future shows will contain at least one vinyl recording in the mix.
Now… where was I?
Enjoy!
Funes el Radiorioso
Part I: Don’t You Remember?
01.) Explore The Wonderful World Of Your Voice [Excerpts] * Voice-A-Cord
02.) D: contamination * Man… Or Astro-Man? * EEVIAC: Operational Index and Reference Guide, Including Other Modern Computational Devices
03.) “Word Salad” Supplied by Miss Rikki
04.) Tonto * Battles * Mirrored
05.) Green Eyed Lady * Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 * Lovelyville
06.) The Longines Symphonette Society proudly presents The Golden Age of Comedy [Excerpts] * Narrated by George Burns
07.) I’m In Love With What’s-Her-Name * Dr. Frank * Show Business Is My Life
Part II: Say Goodnight, Someone.
08.) Walter Carlos * Switched On Bach II
09.) Miss Rikki Word Salad
10.) The Longines Symphonette Society proudly presents The Golden Age of Comedy [Excerpts] * Narrated by George Burns
11.) “Music” * The Professor’s Wife * Live
12.) ?? * ?? * ??
Part III: I’m A Big Fan Of Walter
13.) ?? * Tacamba? * ??
14.) Explore The Wonderful World Of Your Voice [Excerpts] * Voice-A-Cord
15.) We Want A Rock * They Might Be Giants * Flood
In spite of my best efforts, there are many of our broadcasts that have been lost either in part or entirely. There are a number of reasons for this: technological failures, archivists errors, you weren’t broadcasting for some reason or another. Any number of problems can arise when you’re quickly trying to get material ready for broadcast.
A large number of problems happened on this day: The playlist was mangled, the recordings were missing 30 minutes of our broadcast, and on top of everything, the recording did not sound great. For a long time I sat on the files, posted a half-assed “edit” of the show, and on the whole wished that I could have done better. Mostly because my guest for this show planned the entire thing with me, and I really wanted to show her a good time.
Recently, Rita passed away suddenly. At least, suddenly to me. I knew her through teaching, but she and I had a lot of similar touchstones and interests, too. She was one of the nicest people I worked with, and her sense of humor and upbeat attitude was and important element of her personality.
In honor of her passing, join me for a remastered, two hour broadcast of songs about running, motion, being on the run, and everything in between. Audience participation was so excellent for this show, she came right into the booth on this one. While she did not speak on the mic, we spent the entire show talking about music, life, and everything in-between. This show cemented our friendship, and I will miss her tremendously.
This show was pieced together from the playlist and three mangled files I was able to retrieve from the KPSU server when it crashed while we were broadcasting. While this is not exactly like the version that was heard by listeners at home, this is a very close approximation in a nearly complete form.
I’ll miss you, Rita. I’ll always remember you sitting in the booth, talking about anything and everything… only not when the mic was on. I guess that’s on memory that will be just for me.
Goodbye.
A Cross Country Extravaganza
Hour 1
Part I: Running Into The Past
01.) Run Better Run * The Cheepskates
02.) Run For Your Life * The Beatles
03.) Running Scared * Roy Orbison
04.) Let ’em Run Wild * Beach Boys
05.) Running from the Enemy * Stinking Lizaveta
06.) Run Run Run * The Velvet Underground * The Velvet Underground & Nico
Part II: Running Hard
07.) Runnin’ Ragged * Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti
08.) Run Run Run * Gestures
09.) Run, Run, Run * The Third Rail
10.) Running Hard * Speed Glue and Shinki
11.) Madman Running Through the Fields * Dantalian’s Chariot
12.) Runnin’ Down A Dream * Tom Petty
Part III: Girl On The Run
13.) Run Chicken Run * Link Wray & His Wray Men
14.) Girl On The Run * Honey Bane
15.) Nowhere To Run * The Pagans
16.) C’Mon * Joan Jett & The Runaways
17.) Running With the Devil * Van Halen
18.) Running In The Shadows * The Neoboys
Hour 2
Part IV: Run Run Run!
19.) Midnight Run * The Pyramids
20.) Run To The Hills * Iron Maiden
21.) Run For Your Life * Screamin’ Lord Sutch & The Undertakers
22.) Run Run Run * The Stimulators
23.) Runaway * Screeching Weasel
24.) Let’s Run * Blue Light Curtain
Part V: Run Away With Me
25.) Forerunner * Ornette Coleman
26.) Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) * The Temptations
27.) Run Paint Run Run * Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
28.) Run Away * Jandek
29.) Run Spook Run * Rod Keith
30.) If you See my Rooster Please Run Him Home * Memphis Minnie
31.) Running Gun * Marty Robbins
32.) Run * Gnarles Barkley
33.) I’ll Come Running * Brian Eno
34.) Run to the Sun * Eddy Detroit
35.) Children Running On The Radio
In Sincerest Apologies (A Vinyl Solution) (Miss Rikki & I are joined by The Professor, receive a phone call from Tunacan Jones, and lay down the fattest beats of all time with an new incarnation of an old favorite.)
Miss Rikki & I begin to dial in the exact format of the show, and present a wide range of vinyl and digital recordings as people wander in and out of the studio. Tunacan calls in to lamely apologize, and we play a lot of incredible records from the newly uncovered archive at The Southernmost Outpost.
Enjoy!
In Sincerest Apologies(A Vinyl Solution)
Part I: Everything’s Topsy Turvy!
01.) Theme from “A Fistful of Dollars” * Ennio Morricone * “A Fistful of Dollars”: An Original Soundtrack Recording
02.) Live At Cafe Oto * Souls On Board * Recorded at “The Night Of The Long Worms”
03.) Sounds of Insects * Albro T. Gaul * Folkways Records
04.) Mr. Topsy Turvy * Mr. Men * Animated Book
05.) “The Context of Apology” * The Professor
06.) Sounds of Animals: At The Zoo * Arthur Greenhall * Folkways Records
07.) Throwing Down A Perfumed Gauntlet * Sebastian Horsely
08.) Three Men In A Boat * read by Hugh Laurie
09.) Imagining The Fourth Dimension (An educational video)
10.) An Apology To The Audience * The Professor’s Wife
11.) Leading the Deer and Monoceros Through the Disintegrating Forest * Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III * Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III / Tarr Split LP
12.) Opening * Jonathan Winters * Here’s Jonathan
13.) The Beginning Of Love * Warped 45
Part II: Tunacan’s Sincerest Apology
14.) Leading the Deer and Monoceros Through the Disintegrating Forest * Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III * Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III / Tarr Split LP
Part III: Improviso Em Bossa Nova de Vinyl
15.) metallized excitements of our shared dreams of technology * Tarr * Tarr / Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III Split LP
16.) The Metamorphosis * Franz Kafka * Audiobook
17.) Into The Ground * ITG Crew At WXYC * Psychogeographic Y
18.) Our Mr. Sun * Disney Educational Video
19.) Babelfish Swing Ballet * Felix Kubin * Psychogeographic Y
20.) I Beg Your Pardon * Johnny Burnett * “I Beg Your Pardon” b/w “You’re Sixteen”
21.) Improviso Em Bossa Nova * Baden Powell * “Hits” Da Bossa Nova
22.) I’m Sorry * King Missile * Happy Hour
Bonus DJ Set: The Golden Age of Entertainment
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
23.) Take The “A” Train * Duke Ellington & His Orchestra * The Golden Age of Entertainment
24.) You’re The Top * Cole Porter * The Golden Age of Entertainment
25.) The Moon of Manakoora * Dorothy Lamour with Dick McIntire and His Harmony Hawaiians * The Golden Age of Entertainment
26.) Chattanooga Choo Choo * Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly and The Modernaires with Glenn Miller and His Orchestra * The Golden Age of Entertainment
27.) The Trolly Song * Judy Garland with George Stoll and His Orchestra * The Golden Age of Entertainment
28.) Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel) * The Andrews Sisters * The Golden Age of Entertainment
29.) “My Heart Belongs To Daddy” from Leave It To Me! * Mary Martin with Orchestra Conducted by Ray Sinatra * The Golden Age of Entertainment
30.) They Say It’s Wonderful * Ethel Merman & Bruce Yarnell * The Golden Age of Entertainment
31.) Swinging On A Star * Bing Crosby * The Golden Age of Entertainment
32.) Inka Dinka Doo * Jimmy Durante with Six Hits and a Miss * The Golden Age of Entertainment
33.) King Porter Stomp * Benny Goodman and His Orchestra * The Golden Age of Entertainment
34.) When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain * Kate Smith with Orchestra Under the Direction of Skitch Henderson * The Golden Age of Entertainment
35.) You’ll Never Know * Dick Haymes with The Song Spinners * The Golden Age of Entertainment
36.) Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy * June Cristy with Stan Kenton and His Orchestra * The Golden Age of Entertainment
37.) Au Revoir, Pleasant Dreams * Ben Bernie * The Golden Age of Entertainment
VideoZine#3: ‘an evening of experimental music and noisy rock’ (In a move of George Lucas proportions, Austin Rich has remastered some of the earliest videos he made, and has created a one hour edit of the performances captured on 14 September 2014 at Slim’s in Historic St. John’s.)
While videos of these performances were released some time ago, if you were to try and watch them you would notice that I was learning to edit video while working on those edits. That is to say: it starts poorly, and get’s better as the videos progress. This is partly because I was learning as I was editing, and by the end I knew more about what I was doing than I ever had before.
The Original Flier
While there were some things I couldn’t do, and certain kinds of improvements that were just too much to take on, I did manage to get a good hour-long presentation ready that highlights the best moments of the night, and fixes certain issues like lighting, sound-sync, and other things that were bothering me. While by no means perfect (some problems were beyond post-production control), this is a much better document of the evening, and a nice opportunity to see the parts that I got right.
Enjoy!
VideoZine#3
‘an evening of experimental music and noisy rock’
Live performances by Jeremy C. Long, Fiaso!, Jennifer Robin & Jacob Anderson, The Dead Air Fresheners & ALTO!
Camera Operators: Austin Rich, Miss Rikki, Tage Savage & Tunacan Jones.
Sound Recording & Mastering by Austin Rich.
Produced, Directed & Edited by Austin Rich.
In making this film, and lot of material had to be cut to get everything down to sixty minutes. That being said, below are links to uncut performances by all the bands. These links will be available until the remaining content is used elsewhere. In the meantime: Enjoy!
A Momentary Lapse of Reason w/ Tunacan Jones (This is probably the greatest show of A Momentary Lapse of Reason that has ever aired. It is all due to the labored genius of Tunacan Jones. What an example of radio prowess!)
It is unbelievable that radio could reach such heights with a host like Tunacan Jones. He deftly moves from song to interview to phone calls with such grace and dignity. One could call him a combination of Ali, Ghandi and the “rock” group, Haim. Listen and learn from one of the masters of the airwaves who had everything against him and came out triumphant.
Enjoy!
A Momentary Lapse of Reason w/ Tunacan Jones
Part I: The Sons of Amargosa (the band of kings)
01.) The Sons of Amargosa – Station (1:46)
02.) The Sons of Amargosa – Three Little Lines (1:57)
03.) The Sons of Amargosa – Emblem (4:12)
04.) The Sons of Amargosa – This Ghost Actress (3:52)
05.) The Sons of Amargosa – The Tower of Shifty Eyes (1:32)
06.) The Sons of Amargosa – Sunday Special Mauling (1:21)
07.) The Sons of Amargosa – Dying Diary (2:17)
08.) The Sons of Amargosa – Track (1:51)
09.) The Sons of Amargosa – Something Suddenly (1:21)
Part II: An Interview with real live local artist, David Carmack Lewis
10.) Ancient Weird Religious Rites – Blood Feast soundtrack (2:05)
11.) How Dry I Am – Blood Feast soundtrack (3:40)
12.) Critical Condition (2:36) – Blood Feast soundtrack
13.) Teetering Rock (3:59) – Blood Feast soundtrack
Part III: Finish the Interview, Play Two Songs and Answer The Phone
14.) Ron Geesin – U.F.O. (2:06)
15.) soniafierce – tonight ill show you how dreams are prepared (2:50)
16.) The Sons of Amargosa – I Can’t Sleep (1:51)
Take A Memo… Please. (A misguided effort to recognize International Memo Day becomes a shaggy dog story about everything and nothing.)
In honor of International Memo Day – which may or may not be a real thing – we went down an office related rabbit hole this week, only to come out the other side a bit of a mess. However, this did not stop us from playing Negativland, trying our own hand at radio magic, and occasionally getting a moment or two of it right.
Enjoy!
Take A Memo… Please.
Part I: Is Someone Writing This Down?
01.) Executive Window, Memo To Mr. Friday * Negativland * Over the Edge Vol. 7: Time Zones Exchange Project
02.) The Letter From Mr. Triscuits * Ex-Girl * Endangered Species
03.) Memo To Human Resources * They Might Be Giants * The Spine
04.) Memo To The Man * Zach Hill * Face Tat
Part II: Is The Large Conference Room Available?
05.) Scratch Acid * The Greatest Gift
Part III: Can You Track Down The Paperwork From That Last Meeting?
ABC’s, 123’s, MeYouWe’s (My recent efforts to alphabetize my record collection led us on a discussion of collections, and the behaviors related to them.)
Putting my new house in order – with a specific eye toward my recently assembled record collection – lead the cast of A Momentary Lapse of Reason to a rousing (and lengthy) discussion of systems and organization. Miss Rikki & I put together a great set of Alphabet rock, and obviously, a discussion of the habits of collectors and completists comes up pretty quickly. The Professor – regular guest on Closet Radio – is also in the studio, but usually chimes in when he’s at least 6 feet from the mic. Miss Rikki also shows off her incredibly awesome vintage dress, complete with belt. The Professor admits to some dangerous thinking, and questionable taste in music.
Enjoy!
Miss Rikki’s Fashion Show
ABC’s, 123’s, MeYouWe’s
Part I: Spell It Out For Me
01.) Indian Alphabet Chant (a-i-iddy-i-o-o-o) * Lucia Pamela * Into Outer Space With…
02.) L Y * Tom Lehrer * The Electric Company
03.) All Together Now * The Beatles * Yellow Submarine
04.) Alphabet Dance * Bill Horist * Lyric/Suite
05.) Spelling The Alphabet [Live] * Ornette Coleman * http://youtu.be/_zY2xMhzGRY
06.) Phonetic Alphabet * The Conet Project * https://archive.org/details/ird059
07.) A Progress Report on an Experimental Mathematics Project Part I * Edinah Gnang * http://youtu.be/ptHb4I7hDm8
VideoZine#2: What’s This Called? w/ Ricardo Wang (After much agonizing and perfecting, VideoZine #2 is available for your viewing – and listening – pleasure, featuring performances by ALTO!, Soriah & Jonathan Howitt, Tres Gone, Forrest Friends, Doug Theriault, Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III, Crank Sturgeon & PCRV, Death Pact Jazz Ensemble, Sky Chance & Paco Jones!)
When I initially sat down to being work on VideoZine #2, I only had the vaguest idea as to what it would ultimately look like, and even stranger, hadn’t yet filmed a few of the gems that are included in this video. That’s the kind of project this has become, and as VideoZine #3 begins to lurch into production, I’m excited to see where that project will wind up.
In the end, I decided to select some of the best video projects from the various artists that have appeared on What’s This Called? As someone who has been hands-on for most of the live music that has appeared on his program, in 2011 I began filming artists that came in. Very quickly I began to amass some excellent footage, much of which has appeared in various raw forms on the previous incarnation of our Channel. By editing down the best moments from all this footage, I was able to offer 60 minutes of solid performances, with a few other treats thrown in here and there.
I’m really proud of the videos in this collection, and to this day, they represent some of the best moments that I’ve ever been able to commit to video. Each performance is available as a separate video that you can link to, and the audio is best heard as loud as possible. Not only am I very excited about these videos as they are, but these set the tone for the kinds of projects that will come coming your way soon.
Enjoy!
VideoZine#2 Live on What’s This Called?. Hosted by Ricardo Wang.
Camera Operators: Austin Rich, Miss Rikki, Paco Jones & Lennon.
Sound Recording & Mastering by Austin Rich.
Produced, Directed & Edited by Austin Rich.
In making this film, and lot of material had to be cut to get everything down to sixty minutes. That being said, below are links to uncut performances by all three bands. These links will be available until the remaining content is used elsewhere. In the meantime: Enjoy!
After being viciously turned down by Tunacan Jones, we bask in the glow of an authentic DJ set of Prom type standards (and a few oddities for good measure). Then we engage in a lively conversation about Tuna’s love of Bastidas!, how I have still not seen The Venture Brothers, proms, & dances.
Smile Now.
We also bring you a new edition of We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like, and, of course, ramble ramble ramble ’til there ain’t nor more ramblin’ to do.
01.) Dancin’ Shoes * Murder City Devils * Empty Bottles Broken Hearts
02.) You Think You’re A Man * The Vaselines * Son of a Gun EP
03.) Don’t You (Forget About Me) * Simple Minds * Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “The Breakfast Club”
04.) If You Leave * Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark * Original Motion Picture Soundtrack “Pretty In Pink”
05.) Fade Into You * Mazzy Star * So Tonight That I Might See
Part II: All Things Prom & Prom Related
06.) The Mix-Up * The Beastie Boys
Part III: Slowly Unraveling
07.) Dig! Lazarus Dig! * Nick Case & The Bad Seeds
We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like (Selected by Tunacan Jones himself):
08.) Kaskaden * Casiokids * Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen
As someone who hosted Live Friday for quite some time, and has occasionally sat in on the show in the years since, it was nice to have my 99th Appearance on this program be with the band Bastidas! Their new EP “Time Portal” is a very tangy slice of psyche-pop, mixed with a high-energy performance that is very much my style.
Bastidas!, LIVE!
This episode couldn’t exist without the diligence of Tunacan Jones of the Firm Handshake Network, who did most of the legwork for the entire broadcast. He convinced Miss Rikki of Closet Radio to host the program, wrangled me into running the sound, and even contacted PSU-TV in an effort to broadcast the entire performance, which you can see at the link below. (The sound is cut out for the first 6o seconds, and there’s a commercial you have to sit through, first. Patience.) There will be more video of this performance eventually, but for now, enjoy this broadcast and relive the magic of their PDX adventure.
Bastidas!, LIVE!
It was an extreme pleasure to meet Bastidas!, and I’ve already got their EP on heavy rotation at The Southernmost Outpost, my new home down south. If you missed the show, then I urge you to check out this podcast, as they really are a lot of fun. I took a million photos, most of which were turned into animated .gifs. You can find them at the link below.
Enjoy!
MyFacester+ Photoset (Use the “Highlights” feature to filter for only the best images.)
As I took the week off again to enjoy some birthday relaxation, I spent some time thinking about a few moments that were real highlights from some of the work I’ve done this year, and these edits came to mind. As I was dialing in the whole “Radio Almanac” format of the show, I was frantically trying different things out in an effort to see what kind of things I could and couldn’t do. The results are a few experiments that I’m very proud of.
Parts I & III come to you from two shows I did in the winter, from my 2013 end of the year / 2014 Snow Day podcasts, where I was showing off some of the recent vinyl acquisitions that have come into The Archive. The centerpiece of Part I contains edits from The Firesign Theater LP “Everything You Know Is Wrong,” which is a really excellent example of the kind of weirdness that they deliver. I mixed it in with a few other things from all the 45s and LPs I’ve come into. Lots of cool stuff, and I’m still pretty proud of the complete shows, linked below.
Part II includes various selections form artists that have performed live on What’s This Called? Recently I undertook the task of Mastering the complete WTC Live Archive, which includes 77 different live performances by artists that appeared on that program. It was a massive job, the results of which is an impressive collection of experimental artists of all shapes and sizes. This seemed like a good opportunity to show off some of the more amazing performances from that archive, with the second Boyband performance from 13 November 2011 as the backbone of this mix that I put together. You can find the entire broadcasts that contain these performances on the What’s This Called?… UltraBlog!, which also contains every existing episode of this program going back to 2003. What better way to get aquainted with the kind of music his show puts on, and another example of my handiwork, and I enginered and mastered all of these records, too.
Part I: Everything You Know Is Wrong (A Vinyl Solution)31 December 2013
01.) Our Prayer * The Beach Boys * Smile
02.) ‘This Is Leonard Nimoy’ * Mutual Radio Theater * Programs For The Week of 12 May 1980
03.) (Excerpts From) Everything You Know Is Wrong (Side A) * Firesign Theater * Everything You Know Is Wrong
04.) The Great Impostor * The Piltdown Men * (45)
05.) Crazy… Crazy… * Perez Prado And His Orchestra * (45)
06.) Raunchy * Ernie Freeman * (45)
07.) Sweet * Red Satyrs * No Hold Back… All Attack!!!: Twin Cities Hardcore Punk Rock & Roll
08.) No Trespassing * The Ventures * (45)
09.) Road Hog * Johnny Zorro * (45)
10.) Dance To The Music * Sly & The Family Stone * (45)
11.) [Excerpt] * Cornelius F. Von Stafrin III * 5 November 2011
12.) Performance 2 * Boyband * 13 November 2010
13.) [Excerpt] * Metal * 3 February 2007
14.) [Excerpt] * Million Brazilians * 6 June 2009
15.) [Excerpt] * Offset Needle Radius * 5 February 2011
Part III: Heroes & Villains (A Vinyl Solution)20 January 2014
16.) Peter Gunn * Henry Mancini * (45)
17.) Heroes & Villains * The Beach Boys * Smile
18.) Secret Agent Man * Johnny Rivers * (45)
19.) Goodnight Mrs. Flintstone * The Piltdown Men (45)
20.) Coesville * Johnny Zorro * (45)
21.) Twist Twist Señora * Gary “US” Bonds (45)
22.) Puddin’ * Ernie Freeman * (45)
The Lava Lamp Lounge is in the middle of relocation, and as I contemplate what it means to move everything I own to a new location, I have a few epiphanies about identity. I try to bring these to you in an absolute sonic assault, followed by Miss Rikki & I jibber jabbering about everything under the sun. Unfortunately, an Obviously loud band sort of spoils our edition of “We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like,” but like the soldiers we are, we march on forward as best we can, until the bitter end is finally in sight. (Much like moving.)
As a note to listeners: we will not be doing a live show next week, as I am still wrapping up everything I need to take care of for the move, but it is also my birthday. With that in mind, I will be preparing a podcast-only episode that you can enjoy on the 30th.
Enjoy!
The Ship is Docking
Part I: “Word On The Street Says You Moved.”
01.) It’s Gonna Work Out Fine * Ike & Tina * Sexy Seductive Provocative
02.) Rambling On My Mind * Robert Johnson * The Complete Recordings
03.) New Horizons * Sun Ra And His Arkestra * We Travel The Spaceways
04.) Protomorphosis * Steve Moore * Light Echoes
05.) Hitler Was A Vegetarian * The Residents * The Third Reich ‘n’ Roll
06.) Toll * The Cecil Taylor Quartet * Looking Ahead!
07.) Tired Of Waiting * Nomeansno * Wrong
08.) Street Recordings * Austin Rich * St. John’s, Oregon
In certain circles, Jawbreaker is the equivalent of The Rolling Stones or The Who: a revered band that taught some people how to love, make friends, host parties, have a good time, get sad, and ultimately, find your place in the world around you. What was surprising to me wasn’t that there is a Jawbreaker cover band – wonderfully named Gobstopper, I should add – but that there aren’t more bands like this.
Gobstopper Tells It Like It Is
As part of the final Pledge Drive 2014 broadcast, Gobstopper dropped by the KPSU studios to give Closet Radio Listeners a magnificent taste of what it is like to have grown up on a band like this. These guys were high energy, friendly, excited to be playing, and really embody a DIY aesthetic that is as much fun as it is impressive. Using coconuts and duct tape, we were able to get them on the air in a fashion that matched this aesthetic, and created a two-hour broadcast that is not to be missed.
For our third and final Pledge Drive episode for 2014, we bring in our good friend Tom. In his alter ego as Four Dimensional Nightmare, he has been bringing his particular blend of guitar / drone / noise / sci-fi music for a number of years, and it is always a treat to see him in action. Miss Rikki & I have quite a bit of footage from this performance, as well as some photos, and we’re hoping to bring you all of this A/V as it is available.
Four Dimensional Nightmare. Live. Let your mind wander.
As a special bonus treat this week, we bring you an interview conducted by Rick from Pursuing The Trivial, on the subject of myself and Miss Rikki. We discuss our own connection to radio, and a little KPSU history, too. All part of the Amp KPSU Pledge Drive celebrations. This was a lot of fun, and Rick is a wonderful host with a very unique show. Don’t forget to check it out; you won’t be sorry.
As Miss Rikki & I continue our exploration of the Amp KPSU Pledge Drive, we decide to lay out our own interests and preferences in the world of radio. We discuss DJs, DJing, and our own connections to this exciting hobby. We also drop an incredible DJ set, deliver another installment of “We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like,” and get to rock out to The Tape-Beatles. Hell Yeah.
Enjoy!
Hang The DJ, Hang The DJ, Hang The DJ.
Part I: Cross Format Focused For Airplay Success
01.) Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal * They Might Be Giants * Miscellaneous T
02.) Moonland * Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds * Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
03.) Now Is Not The Time * CHVRCHES * Recover EP
04.) Announcement * Negativland * Escape From Noise
05.) Radio Lines * Störung * 7″
06.) Listen To The Radio * The Tape-Beatles * A Subtle Buoyancy of Pulse
07.) Final Liftoff * Moth Hunter * Lost In The Supermarket
Part II: I Thought You Said We Had A Deal?
08.) Universum Gloria * Glass Elevator
Part III: The Problem When Punks Get Old
08.) The Quintessential Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli
Giving it our all, Miss Rikki and I lay out on the line the exact reason you should help keep us on the air. By now we’re pretty sure you are fully aware of our Listener Support Thresholds, and why local radio is important. After you listen to our spiels in this episode, we promise to lay off the pitches, in an effort to deliver you your regularly scheduled programming. But until then, indulge us while we explain to you exactly how important supporting free-form radio really is.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, Miss Rikki & I craft a miniature mixtape from some of the fine premiums the various friends of the show have been generous enough to donate. Special thanks goes out to Gilgongo Records and Pecho Grande, for making very nice donations that we will be giving away to our listeners. You can find out about all the goodies we have to offer for your donations over here. There’s just so much that it is hard to mention it all in the detail it deserves, so check out our post there. If you see something you like, and you want to support KPSU, then why not make a donation?
(Pssst. The Lower 48 were tuning up in the background, so portions of this show are a little distorted, and the sound is a little blown out in spots. Think of it as if we’re recording in a bar. Radio is brutal sometimes.)
Enjoy!
Number 9. Number 9. Number 9.
Part I: Our Mixtape To You
01.) Hipsters * Iarvles * “You Love Iarvles” an extended player * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Pecho Grande)
02.) Soulmates * ALAK * “I Don’t Feel Anything” 7″ * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Gilgongo Records)
03.) Mixtape * JJCnV * Lost In The Supermarket (A Pledge Drive Premium from BlasphuphmusRadio.com)
04.) Abuse * Soft Shoulder * “People Problems” 7″ * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Gilgongo Records)
05.) Snorting Russian Drugs * Half Eye * “Mischa II” an extended player * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Pecho Grande)
06.) Feet In The Water * Married In Berdichev * 7″ * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Gilgongo Records)
Part II: Support Local Radio 1
07.) Guyve * Delaying The Inevitable LP * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Guyve.)
Part III: Support Local Radio 2
08.) Brown * Lepidoptera LP * (A Pledge Drive Premium from Jeremy C. Long.)
Forgetting To Remember (Miss Rikki & Tunacan Jones from Closet Radio drop by the studio for shenanigans and goings on.)
Feeling comical (and, secretly, not having prepared a topic), we explore the importance of forgetting things, something near and dear to all of our hearts. We bring you another edition of “We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like,” and plug the impending Pledge Drive, just around the corner.
Enjoy!
Forgetting To Remember
Part I: Signals From Space
01.) Age Class * Weekend * Sports
02.) Blinded By Fun * Trawler Bycatch * Schlep’M
03.) You Doped * Sister Iodine * Flame Desastre
04.) Signals From Space * Rejuvenation Trio * Rejuvenation Voyage
05.) Revelation * The North Sea * Bloodlines
Put ‘Em On The Glass
Part II: His Goddess Voice
06.) Cloud Cuckooland * Finders Keepers
Part III: Relax And Enjoy The Experience
07.) Freddi / Henchi And The Soul Setters * Crown Princes of Funk: The Last Set
We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like? (What’s This Called? Edition)
Second Hand News (Joined by the insatiable Miss Rikki, we tell you everything we’ve ever overheard, offering another dose of reason to finally make your Wednesday complete.)
We explore the world of stories we’ve heard second hand about celebrities. We live in a world saturated by celebrities in a number of different ways, and we all know an incredible amount of hearsay and half-truth. Miss Rikki & I explore these narratives, some star-centric music, and offer another edition of We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like featuring The Marijuana Deathsquads.
(Also: if anyone can help me figure out what song I played during the Secret Hidden Playlist, I would be most appreciative. The playlist did not save, and it could have been several things? Whoops. My bad. But the mix fuckin’ rules.)
Enjoy!
Second Hand Stories
Part I: Superstar
01.) Superstar * Sonic Youth * If I Were A Carpenter
02.) Rock And Roll Hell * Napalm Beach * The History of Portland Punk Vol. 1
03.) Rock Star Boyfriends * Tuuli * Here We Go
04.) Bedazzled * Pop Defect
05.) I’m In The Band * Bratmobile * Girls Get Busy
06.) 50th Reunion At Time Bomb High School * David Berry * https://soundcloud.com/david-h-berry
Part II: I Think I Sat On Something
07.) 101 Strings * Astro Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000
Part III: Snoop Dogg Stories
08.) Idiots * DEAD
We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like:
09.) Sunglasses & Bail Money * The Marijuana Deathsquads * Oh My Sexy Lord
Bonus DJ Set: Straight To Hell Forever
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
10.) Straight To Hell * The Clash * Combat Rock
11.) The Light Pours Out Of Me * Magazine * Real Life
12.) Gimme The Message * The Neo Boys * The History of Portland Punk Vol. 1
13.) Andorra * Sweet Baby * The Thing That Ate Floyd
14.) 50,000 Spaceships (Watching Over Me) * Groovie Ghoulies * Monster Club
15.) ?? * ?? * ??
16.) Death of A Romantic * The Smugglers * Selling The Sizzle
17.) The Für Immer Station En Espanol (Remix) * Neu! / 101 Strings * Neu! Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000
19.) Identity Exchange Program Rectum Return Policy * The Locust * Plague Soundscapes
In an effort to offer a new twist on something we all know and love, I bring you the first in a series of VideoZine podcasts, multi-media experiences presented in the lowest-of-tech forms. For our first endeavor, we bring you highlights from a New Year’s Eve Party at Casa De Bang Bang, where they put on a drunken mess of a basement show that was lovingly captured – warts and all – by the Blasphuphmus Radio production team.
Now, you can view this sixty minute film, and relive this incredible evening here and now. We are also presenting it in a number of formats. For those of you who prefer our audio podcasts, we are offering the soundtrack to this film in that format. We also have a YouTube Version available on our Channel therein, and a free iTunes Version available, too. I wanted to offer this film in a number of ways, and there will even be a limited DVD Edition available, too. My hope is that if there is a way you prefer these kinds of shows, I would like to be able to deliver it to you.
To make this film, I essentially had to give myself a crash course in making movies, in my spare time, in addition to bringing you all the regular stuff we’ve been delivering. But now that I am sitting on quite a bit of video, it made sense to find a way to get this stuff out. There will be more films like this in the future, and my goal is to keep them at 60 minutes. (This one clocks in at 60:05.)
And now, enjoy the show.
Happy New Year!: A Blasphuphmus Radio Production Live At Casa De Bang Bang. Hosted by Cheryl. 31 December 2013
Live performances by Empire Rocket Machine, Steak Knife! & Foster Pussy Cat.
Camera Operators: Melanie DeBellis, Isoceles Diego, Barbara Plummer & Austin Rich.
Live Sound Recording by The Bands & Austin Rich.
Produced & Edited by Austin Rich.
In making this film, and lot of material had to be cut to get everything down to sixty minutes. That being said, below are links to uncut performances by all three bands. These links will be available until the remaining content is used elsewhere. In the meantime: Enjoy!
I am out sick this week, and Miss Rikki is going to take the week off, so we are presenting some of the best DJ moments from the first six episodes of our program. These were lovingly edited together under this condition.
Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes (w/ Pup, LIVE!) (Miss Rikki and I – both spent from an exhausting and stupid day – return to a few old segments, digress ever-so-slightly, and premiere our theme music by Paco Jones himself! <Shhhhh! There’s also a live performance by Toronto’s Pup during our super-secret bonus at the end!>)
It seems as if we are all on Borrowed Time these days, as we each slowly devolve in this strange and terrifying post-apocalyptic time set almost 10 years into the future. However, we’re doing our best to come, and while Wednesday’s usually suck, they now only suck until 6 PM, which works out pretty well for Miss Rikki & I. Fortunately, you benefit from this circumstance, with another new episode of A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
In this one, we address the subject of Bad Clients again, play another round of “We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like,” shamelessly plug Booberamapalloozafest, and talk up our impending Pledge Drive Listener Support Thresholds. Add to all of this some great music, and you have one hell of a show.
(Shhhhhhh! During our super-secret bonus DJ set, the band Pup from Toronto was in the KPSU studio, pre-recording a performance to be played at another time. However, I decided to mix an excerpt from this live performance into the Bonus Set, just for you. These guys were really good, super tight, and a lot of fun, and worked perfectly to counteract the bad mood I was already experiencing. Thanks Pup!)
Enjoy!
Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes
Part I: Everything’s Exploding
01.) Everything’s Exploding * The Flaming Lips * Oh My Gawd!!!… The Flaming Lips
02.) Borrowed Time, Borrowed Eyes * SubRosa * No Help For The Mighty Ones
03.) Invisibugs (Live) * RABBITS * Is This Music? Broadcast
04.) Whiskey Sex Shack * The Mekons * Me
Part II: Wednesday’s Suck Until 6 PM
05.) The Rondelles * Fiction Romance Fast Machines
06.) Wonder Dark * Dog Bite * Tranquilizers
Part III: Relax And Enjoy The Experience
07.) The Ghastly Ones * A-Haunting We Will Go-Go
Pup
Bonus DJ Set(w/ Pup, LIVE!)
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
08.) Planet of The Wolves * Guitar Wolf * Planet of The Wolves
09.) I Can’t Control Myself * The Troggs * Archeology (1967-1977)
10.) Live In-Studio Performance [Excerpt] * Pup (see the complete Pup Photoset Here)
11.) Hey! Mashed Potato, Hey! * The 5.6.7.8’s * Pin Heel Stomp
12.) When It Blows Its Stacks * Captain Beefheart * The Spotlight Kid
13.) Up In Her Room * The Seeds * A Web of Sound
14.) Sun Ra Backwards
Booberamapalloozafest Preview w/ Johnathon Boober (Johnathon Boober – local scenester and all around very cool gent – drops by our humble program to talk about the incredible event happening next week, and play some music by the bands that will be there.)
I met Johnathon Boober one night at a Karaoke bar (full disclosure: I ran the Karaoke), and we have been friends ever since. His sense of style, musical taste, artistic interests and inclinations, as well as his sharp wit have made him an invaluable friend, and I regularly miss his incredible radio endeavors when he was host of Is This Music? and Hogwash Hodgepodge & Musical Detritus.
However, you don’t have to go very far to see his influence on the music scene. With friends in more bands than you can safely fit on an iPod, Boober has put on some incredible shows over the years, and his annual Booberamapalloozafest is now four years strong, and an excellent example of the amazing bands he’s built relationships with. In this program, not only do we plug the fourth incarnation of this amazing event, but we listen to samples of the bands performing on this incredible bill. Basically, you’ll want to call in sick Friday, clear your calendar for the weekend, and spend the entire time at The Kenton Club, because shows like this are few and far between.
As mentioned in the program, Boober has hosted a number of great bands on the radio, and my predecessor was involved with two amazing ones: RABBITS & Nasalrod. I cannot say enough nice things about either band, and if you would like to relive these broadcasts to get yourself in the mood for March 8th, then I urge you to follow the links provided:
(Shhhhh. Don’t tell, but: the secret hidden playlist contains some excellent music, curated by me and Boober. Totally worth your time!)
Enjoy!
Booberamapalloozafest Preview
Part I: Birthday Rock
01.) Johnathon Boober Mix [Excerpt]
02.) Hello Ello * Nasalrod * Steward
03.) Reflection * RABBITS * RABBITS / WHORES Split 7″
04.) Show & Tell * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
05.) Eltit Gnos * ubik. * A Hideous Triumph of Form and Function
06.) Tiny Fists * The Fur Coats * Don’t Make Me Beg
07.) ?? * NighTraiN * ??
Part II: Unicorn vs. Pegasus
08.) Johnathon Boober Mix Part II [Excerpt]
09.) ?? * RLLRBLL * ??
10.) ?? * The Fur Coats * ??
Part III: Behind The Curtains
11.) Johnathon Boober Mix Part III [Excerpt]
12.) ?? * RLLRBLL * ??
Bonus DJ Set
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
13.) Ordinary Things * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
14.) ?? * RABBITS * Live on Is This Music?
15.) ?? * RLLRBLL * ??
16.) Under Leaves * Appendixes * False Color EP
17.) The Facebook Fiction Initiative * Austin Rich * acronyminc.blogpress.new
18.) Tell Me Something I Don’t Already Know * The Fur Coats * Goddamn, I’m a Handsome Man!
19.) Four Walls * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
20.) ?? * RABBITS * Live on Is This Music?
</Secret Hidden Playlist>
As a special bonus treat: Tunacan Jones was messaging Miss Rikki during the show, starting at about 6:23 PM. You can read his live comments, here:
Cuddle Time with Mr. Boober
you just ripped me off
My hogwash
you ripped off my cuddle with boober……stab me in the back while i’m listening and supporting the whole fucking sorry lot of ya
i quit
don’t ignore me
i know you’re reading these
i’m still listening.
I want to see what else you or willl rip off of my genius
i built kenton
i created that show
a moment without any mention of me
i publish those papers
i built his house
i’ll touch it
over and over and over again
PRAISE MY NAME
GOD DAMN IT
I’m posting on the internet
never said my name or that damn Boober
The Devo Tribute Show (We pay tribute to Bob Casale – Bob 2 – who passed away this week, by playing a bunch of Devo songs, and taking calls from Devo fans. Lot’s of gushing ensues.)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason goes into full tribute mode for the first time as we pay tribute to Bob 2’s band, Devo. For many, this was a national day of mourning, but rather than dwell on the loss, we tried to celebrate this amazing group with music and stories about them, and all their members. We take a couple of calls, share wonderful interview clips, and revel in one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th Century.
Enjoy!
The Devo Tribute Show
Part I: We’re All Devo!
01.) Devo Corporate Anthem * Devo * Duty Now For The Future
02.) Elephant * Mark’s Magic Pictures * Yo Gabba Gabba!
03.) The Bobacatto * Mark Mothersbaugh * The SubGenius Foundation
04.) Peek-A-Boo * Devo * Oh No! It’s Devo!
05.) Mongoloid [Live] * Devo * YouTube.com
06.) Through Being Cool * Devo * New Traditionalists
07.) Big Mess * Devo * Oh No! It’s Devo!
08.) Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA * Devo * Duty Now For The Future
Part II: Down The Devo Hole w/ David Berry
09.) The Royal Tenenbaums Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
10.) What Is De-Evolution? [Part I] * Devo * Night Flight
11.) Devo Is Visual * Devo * Night Flight
Part III: The Waiters Are In Full Effect w/ Justin In Seattle
12.) The Royal Tenenbaums Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
13.) Why Start Again? * Devo * Warner Bros. Promotional Video
14.) The Devo Energy Dome * Devo
Bonus DJ Set
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
15.) Be Stiff * Devo * “Be Stiff” b/w “Social Fools”
16.) One Dumb Thing * Devo * New Traditionalists
17.) Mongoloid * Devo * Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
18.) Speed Racer * Devo * Oh No! It’s Devo!
19.) Midget * Devo * Hardcore Devo Vol. 1
20.) Beautiful World * Devo * New Traditionalists
01.) Love Is Happiness * The Icarus Line * Mono * Buddyhead Records
02.) Crummy Lovers Die In The Grave * The Fucking Champs * V * Drag City Records
03.) Love Is… * King Missile * King Missile * Atlantic Records
04.) Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall In Love * Joan Jett & Paul Westerberg * Tank Girl: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack * Warner Bros. / Elektra Records
05.) Gimme Some Head * GG Allin & The Motor City Bad Boys * “Gimme Some Head” b/w “Dead Or Alive” * Orange Records
06.) Sex Junkie * Plasmatics * Beyond the Valley of 1984
07.) Love Song * The Damned * The Best of The Damned * Big Beat Records
08.) Ass Kisser’s Union * Claw Hammer * Hold Your Tongue (and Say Apple) * Interscope Records
09.) Cellophane Nirvana * The Salvation Army * Happen Happened * Frontier Records
10.) Ever Fallen In Love? * The Buzzcocks * Single Going Steady * EMI Records
11.) We Gotta Get Out Of This Place [Live] * Fear
12.) Love * Screeching Weasel * Boogadaboogadaboogada
13.) Cannibal Lover * Chevreuil * Capoeira * Sickroom
14.) Shotgun–I Love You * Billy Jack * Wrestling The Bald-Headed Champion * Space Age Bachelor Pad Records
15.) Don’t Worry * Sister Double Happiness
16.) I’m In Love With Your Mom * VOM * Live At Surf City
17.) A Love Supreme * Oswald Five-0 * “A Love Supreme” b/w “Crushproof”
18.) Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing [Live] * Minutemen
19.) Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World * The Ramones
20.) Love Bomb * Ginderman * Grinderman
21.) Rio * Nip Drivers
22.) We Are In Love * Coachwhips * Double Death
23.) Love Lasts Forever (Sometimes) * Half Japanese * Loud And Horrible
24.) Love Love Love * The Queers * Grow Up
25.) What Love Is * Rocket From the Tombs * The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs
26.) This Is Me Without You * Hello Menno
27.) Are We There Yet? [Excerpt] * Pat Metheny
28.) Flamethrower Love * Poison Idea
29.) Bullet Train To Vegas * Drive Like Jehu * Yank Crime * Interscope
30.) No Depression * The Oblivion Seekers
31.) Pervert * The Descendents
32.) Window Shop For Love * The Wipers * Is This Real?
33.) Caterpillar EP * Unwound * Love And Fear
34.) Real Love * NoMeansNo
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Blasphuphmus Radio brings you a special presentation of an X Minus 1broadcast from 1957! It’s all part of that little piece of joy we like to think of as our weekly radio show. Ob-soive:
We rarely consider Valentine’s Day a radio-friendly holiday, but this year the combination of Sci-Fi and creepy love songs was just too irresistible to pass up. But stay tuned! Next week, DJ Will will be in the studio for a Grumpy Punk Valentine’s Day show to end all Valentine’s Day shows. Who says we don’t care about love?
# Track * Artist * Album * Label
01.) Part I * X Minus 1 * Lulu (31 October 1957) * NBC Radio
02.) Love Dance * Martin Denny
03.) Part II * X Minus 1 * Lulu (31 October 1957) * NBC Radio
04.) Interplanetary Love * Acid Mother’s Temple
05.) Modern Love Waltz * Philip Glass
06.) Love In (December) * Hal Blaine
07.) Part III * X Minus 1 * Lulu (31 October 1957) * NBC Radio
08.) A Disappointing Love * 101 Strings Orchestra * Astro Sounds From Beyond the Year 2000 * Scamp Records
09.) Satelite of Love * Lou Reed
10.) Love Song of the Saroo * Joe Meek & The Blue Men
11.) Love Cry * Albert Ayler
12.) Love Call (Alternate Version) * Ornette Coleman
I didn’t think it was possible either, but I managed to do an entire show on Valentine’s Day and not once did resorted to cynicism and irony! This was a really challenging show to program, but fortunately this year I actually have someone to celebrate with, and that helped point me in the right direction. Thanks babe!
Next week, stay tuned for the return of Blasphuphmus Radio Theater Presents! With the return of, “The Adventures of Superman, Part II.”
See ya in seven.
Songs For My Baby
01.) Sound Valentine [Excerpt I] * Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic
02.) Somewhere * Tom Waits
03.) Closer To My Baby * Dorothy Williams
04.) Can Your Monkey Do The Dog? * Rufus Thomas
05.) Birds And Bees * Carla & Rufus
06.) What A Man * Linda Lyndell
07.) A Man And A Half * Wilson Pickett
08.) Sound Valentine [Excerpt II] * Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic
09.) Bernadette * The Four Tops
10.) I Can’t Control Myself * The Troggs
11.) Why Don’t We Do It In The Road? * The Beatles
12.) Hit It And Quit It * Funkadelic
13.) Sound Valentine [Excerpt III] * Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic
14.) Boom Swagger Boom * The Murder City Devils
15.) Pablo Picasso * The Burning Sensations * Repo Man Soundtrack
16.) You Give Me Hot Pants! * The Agenda!
17.) Love Comes In Spurts * Richard Hell & The Voidoids
18.) Breathless * X
19.) My Funny Valentine * The Miles Davis Quintet * Cookin’ With…
Recreated using playlist information and the full hour that exists from this show, the original form of this broadcast was a two-hour special, featuring pre-recorded segments from the DJ after me, who would “appear” to discuss his VD plans with his girlfriend. Those segments, minus a handful of voice overs, are missing from this presentation.
However, what you do get is a fantastic DJ set by my friend Isosceles Diego, and the complete first hour, in all of it’s majesty and wonder. Thanks again buddy! You totally delivered a show when I was not ready to do one.
Enjoy!
Isosceles Diego’s Valentine’s Day Special
01.) Cudna suma * Disciplina Kicme * Ove ruke nisu male
02.) Pregenerate * June of 44 * In The Fishtank
03.) Treci vavilon * Darkwood Dugb * U nedogled
04.) Heroina savremenog doba * Jarboli * Budanje prolece
05.) Anarhija all over Bascarsija * Zabranjeno pusenje * Walter go brani sarajevo
06.) Voda u moru * Elektricni orgazam * Elektricni orgazam
07.) Ritam u kojem stojis * Presing * 600 nebo
08.) Generate * June of 44 * In the Fishtank
09.) Five Weetbix and Toast * Bird Nest Roys * –
10.) Wednesday She’s Coming Round * Able Tasmans * –
11.) Ash Grey * Verlaines * Hallelujah All the Way Home
12.) Crazy to Exist * josef k * entomology
13.) Oko moje glave * Sarlo Akrobata * Beograd – Paket Aranzman
14.) In the Fishtank * June of 44 * Modern Hereditary Dance
15.) Valentine * Tsunami * Deep End
16.) Valentine * Lois * Butterfly Kiss
17.) Valentine Card / Kantina / Were, Are And Was Or Is * Unwound * Fake Train
18.) Sing Blue Silver Interlude [Missing]
19.) Mozda ce pasti * Jarboli * Budanje prolece
20.) Gubitnik * Partibrejkers * Partibrejkers
21.) Sweet Smell * Eleventh Dream Day * Prairie School Freakout
22.) Mravalzhamieri * Choir of Shilda * Drinking Horns and Gramaphones
23.) You’ve Got To Be Modernistic * James P Johnson * King of Stride Piano
24.) Sleeping Through Heaven * Game Theory * Distortion of Glory
25.) Mocskos ido * Európa Kiadó * Love 82
26.) Sing Blue Silver Interlude [Missing]
27.) Fado Lisboa * Ercilia Costa * Ercilia Costa and Armandinho
Since today is VD, I decided to send an audio Valentine Card to the world with this schizophrenic and totally rockin’ show. While the first half is just… uhm… “interesting” (to quote some of my friends with a lower tolerance for experimental music), it builds to a triumphant finish with some top-notch metal. This one is for the history books, or at least the CIA’s files since the Number Stations Recording is in there. Such is life…
The VD Show
01.) Quang Duc [Live Excerpt] * John Rambo
02.) Fire * The Crazy World Of Arther Brown
03.) Brand New Sack / Epistemology * Witchy Poo
04.) Thaw Walt * Men’s Recovery Project
05.) Till Death Do Us Part * MX-80
06.) Locoweed In A Bottle * Melt Banana
07.) Chrome Cabal * Nice Nice
08.) “Hit It” * Fat Boys / Syd Louse
09.) Rambo / Murdock / Goldwater [Live Excerpt] * John Rambo
10.) Sticky Sticky * 1910 Fruitgum Company
11.) Greshi’s Dance * Cornflake Mandala
12.) Good Night * Messer Chups
13.) Medieval Dances * Bruce Haack, Esther Nelson & Dimension 5 Records
14.) Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing * Shooby Taylor
15.) We’re Sort Of A Jazz Band * Hunger Artists
16.) Out Of Their Element * EFS
17.) Morter Waltz [Live Excerpt] * John Rambo
18.) Wahôf Fü Celz * Neutered Prunes
19.) Gary’s In The Park * Gary Wilson
20.) 3 Note Interval Signal * The Conet Project
21.) Iron Fist * Motörhead
22.) The Expendable 50 [Live] * John Rambo
23.) Dark Harbour / Green Mountain Airways / Illgagard Forever * C Average
24.) Legend Of Zelda Ending Theme * Nintendo
Bad Day (I broadcast under the foulest of moods, and Miss Rikki is there to bear the brunt.)
Miss Rikki & I discuss Snow Days, Bad Clients, and introduce a new Segment! Plus: Good music, and a secret bonus DJ set! (Shhhhhh. Don’t tell anyone.)
Enjoy!
Bad Day
Part I: “World’s Smallest Horse”
01.) I Cannot Tell You Where I Am Until I Love You [Excerpt Remix] * The Murmurists * I Cannot Tell You Where I Am Until I Love You
02.) Turf Gnarly * David Berry * http://soundcloud.com/david-h-berry
03.) World’s Smallest Horse * Bob Newhart * Newhart Season 2, Episode 20 [Excerpt]
04.) Neu! [Remix] * Neu! ’75
05.) The Fall * The Wipers * The Power of One
06.) Bad Days * The Flaming Lips * Clouds Taste Metallic
Part II: “Unveiling A New Segment”
07.) Heavens To Murgatroyd, Even! It’s Thee Headcoats!
08.) Miss Rikki & Austin Rich Chat About This & That.
09.) No Way Out * Together Pangea * Badillac (“We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like” Segment)
Part III: “Bad Clients”
10.) Memorial * Russian Circles
11.) Miss Rikki & Austin Rich Chat About This & That
12.) Another Green World * Brian Eno
Bonus DJ Set
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
13.) I Cannot Tell You Where I Am Until I Love You [Excerpt Remix] * The Murmurists * I Cannot Tell You Where I Am Until I Love You
14.) As Of Now * Ken Nordine * Transparent Mask
15.) Tommy Goes Berserk * The Melvins Lite * Freak Puke
16.) Gauze * KARP * Action Chemistry
17.) SPMC * The Icarus Line * Mono
While I was snowed in, I decided to retreat into the Lava Lamp Lounge to indulge in some Snow Day musical treats. This is a selection of my favorite audio that captures the mood I was going for, and I think this makes for a pretty good hour of reflective radio goodness. Arranged in three parts. Special thanks for our Waiter, David Berry, who offers us a great little closing treat he recorded yesterday as part of a dare. It sounds great, David. Well done.
Enjoy!
Snow Day.
Part I: Lost Snow
01.) Lost Snow [Excerpt] * Mono * Walking Cloud And Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered And The Sun Shined
02.) Cold * April Stevens * April Stevens The Weather Girl
03.) Snow Girl * The Billy Nayer Show * BNS
04.) Coldward And Stormward * Bishop of Battle * Prequel Plus
05.) The Fog Is Overflowing The Sewers. The Snow Is Clear Up To My Ass… Ankles. * Kermit Shafer * Pardon My Blooper
06.) Snowflakes and Stars [Excerpts] * Kaye Ballard & Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
07.) Precipice Of Ice * godheadSilo * Elephantitus Of The Night
08.) Cold Machine * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
09.) So Cold * Rocket From The Tombs * The Day The Earth Met The Rocket From The Tombs
Part II: At The First Fall of Snow
08.) Slow Ice, Old Moon * Brian Eno * Small Craft On A Milk Sea
09.) Snowflakes and Stars [Excerpts] * Kaye Ballard & Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
10.) Cold 2 * April Stevens * April Stevens The Weather Girl
11.) Steal Softly Through Snow * Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band * Grow Fins
12.) Crushed Ice * MX-80 * Hard Attack
13.) Freezing Cold * Mad Conflux * Get Back Discharged Arrow
14.) I’ve Got The Ice In Me * Enemy Mine * Enemymine EP
15.) “Hurry Up And Kill Me… I’m Cold.” * Mike Patton * Adult Themes For Voice
16.) Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside) * My Bloody Valentine * Isn’t Anything
17.) At The First Fall of Snow * Hank Williams
Part III: Ice Age
18.) Ice Castles * Ween * White Pepper
19.) Snow * April Stevens * April Stevens The Weather Girl.
20.) The Time Of The Big Snow [Excerpts] * Quiet Please * 2 January 1949 Broadcast
21.) Ice Age * Joy Division * Still
22.) Cold Day * The Flaming Lips * The Day They Shot A Hole In The Jesus Egg
23.) Fake Snow * Alpha Protist * Protiss (bee sides, rarities, & unfinished manifestoes)
24.) Ice * Sailboats * Adrift
25.) Snowstorm * Galaxie 500 * On Fire
26.) Breaking The Ice * Rice * Fuck You, This Is Rice
27.) Turf Gnarly * David Berry * http://soundcloud.com/david-h-berry
Shoegaze Showdown w/ Balms (The gents from Balms drop by for a quick chat as we deliver a slightly more “shoegazey” show that normal. Everyone wins.)
It’s Balms! This San Francisco group is on tour, and I was lucky enough to get them to come into the studio to plug their shows, while checking out their new self released EP. This is the first band I’ve had on the new program, and I was really excited to plug these guys. Fortunately, you get to enjoy the fruits of these labors.
In Part I, I feature selections from the EP, and some of the other bands that were playing with them during their show at The Know and Habesha Lounge. In Part II, not only do we get to meet Balms, but they allowed me to premier a song that has only previously been available from the Bandcamp page. It was a real pleasure to meet these guys, and next time we are absolutely getting them to perform a live set.
And, while we’re at it, here’s a video they made that is fantastic.
In Part III, not only did I replay the Audio Book version of “The Facebook Fiction Initiative” piece, but I address the issue of Underwriting. In order to keep KPSU on the air, there will be a Pledge Drive coming soon, and I want to toy with the idea of getting micropayments from our listeners. This would allow us to avoid having to get a few large donors, and instead collect much smaller payments from a large number of folks. Spare change for radio. For every dollar you put in, you won’t have to put in any more. I’m working out ways that this can work for us, and if you have ideas, I would love to hear them.
Thanks again Balms for coming down to KPSU. They are welcome on our program at any time.
Enjoy!
Shoegaze Showdown w/ Balms
Part I: “Surface To Grave”
01.) Surface * Balms * Balms * Self Released
02.) Lay Your Head Down * Here Come Dots * Dusk * http://herecomedots.bandcamp.com/
03.) At Dagger’s Drawn * Hang The New Year * The Tower * http://hangtheoldyear.bandcamp.com
04.) Grave * Balms * Balms * Self Released
Part II: “All Right”
05.) Pet Sounds * The Beach Boys
06.) Balms Interview
07.) All Right * Balms * Balms * Self Released
Part III: “Underwriting Promises”
08.) The Facebook Fiction Initiative * Austin Rich * acronyminc.blogpress.new
09.) Catastrophic * Beach Party * Beach Party * http://beachpartypdx.bandcamp.com
10.) Another Green World * Brian Eno
Bonus DJ Set
<Secret Hidden Playlist>
11.) While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming * Tamaryn * Tender New Signs
12.) No Medicine For Regret * Mogwai * Rave Tapes
13.) You Are Not A Cat * Dry Cleaners * Lost In The Supermarket * BlasphuphmusRadio.com
14.) Lorelei * Cocteau Twins * Treasure
15.) In Silence * Sean Sandor * Pas Musique / Ben Link Collins / Shaun Sandor Split
16.) Vern’s Answer To The Masses * Unwound * The Future of What * Kill Rock Stars
17.) Here Come The Dogs * Unwound * The Future of What
18.) Monstre Sacre * Stereolab
The Inter-Web-A-Tron offers the wonders of the past in the present… or the future! And in this case, it’s good that we can unite all three, because I ran sound for the only Cramps tribute band that matters, Bikini Girls With Machine Guns!
With the (then recent) passing of Lux Interior, there have been a number of radio tributes, but with a live performance by an actual tribute band, you more or less can’t go wrong. Especially with the choice of musicians filling out the band: half of the sorely-missed Eat Your Heart Out combined with all of the still-amazing Hairspray Blues. Of course, hosting it on Ranger Mike’s signal-to-noise ratio was an excellent choice too, and of course, having the wonderful Miss Meghan return to radio as Mike’s co-host was just the icing on the cake. (Meghan hosted the very-much-missed Songs The Lord Taught Us show before she decided to travel the world for a few years.) All in all, it was the COOLEST hour of radio that’s been broadcast in quite some time, and you would be remiss in your duties as an American not to listen.
(This program was originally broadcast of 3 February 2009.)
Today’s episode of Blasphuphmus Radio asks the question: where have all the Groundhog songs gone?
Today I’m featuring songs about Ground, Hogs, and Shadows. Who knows how much longer this season will last? Only the Groundhog’s Shadow, knows! Bwahahahahahahahahaha!
I was absolutely shocked at how little Groundhog music there was to play for this show. Any musicians out there looking for something to write about, now’s your chance!
About halfway through the show I give a rambling and disjointed history of Groundhog Day. Most of the information was culled from several passes over the Inter-Web-A-Tron, so it’s as reliable as anyone else is these days.
I think I prefer the second half of the show myself.
Let’s Get Started… Now! (Miss Rikki & Tunacan Jones join me to kick of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something tunes.)
Join myself, Miss Rikki, and Tunacan Jones (both of Closet Radio happiness) for a new program on KPSU, that is part of the Blasphuphmus Radio family. This has been one of the secret new projects I’ve been developing recently, and it was a bit hard to keep it a secret. However, the truth can now be told, and we are now ready for A Momentary Lapse Of Reason.
Our theme for this show is beginnings and endings, and specifically, why is it that every iteration of Austin Rich is really bad at endings, but great at beginnings. Thanks again to Miss Rikki and Tunacan. Be sure to check out their show, and all the great shows at KPSU.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason. It’s for your own good.
Let’s Get Started… Now!
Part I: “It’s Not Easy Being Me”
01.) Nihilist Assault Group * Stereolab
02.) Now * Nomeansno
03.) Baby Won’t Weird Me Out * The Melvins Lite
04.) Fresh * Devo
05.) We Want The Airwaves * Ramones
06.) It’s Not Easy Being Me (Demo) * Harry Nilsson
Part II: “Beginnings Are Harder Than Endings”
07.) Soundtrack: Rhapsody In Blue * Gershwin
Miss Rikki, Tunacan Jones & Austin Rich in a round discussion of this and that.
Part III: “Inside Tunacan Jones: The Real Story”
08.) Soundtrack: First, Last & Always * Sisters Of Mercy
More of the same, focusing on Tunacan’s career as an artist, and “radio” tapes. Additionally, we discuss Tunacan’s band, The Biscaynes.
A Day Off From Work (Featuring thoughts on Super-Hereos, Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, Soriah, Admiran, & our financial future.)
As I stay at home to celebrate this magnificent paid day off, it’s only fair that I produce a new episode for 2014. Jumping right into the program, I threw together a full hour of audio of the Blasphuphmus variety. With all the cool things I’ve been working on recently, it’s nice to work on something a little more fun.
Part I of our show continues the theme of new records I’ve recently acquired, and all of them are pretty awesome. I was also able to pull out a bit of a theme, which set up the remainder of the program.
Blue Beetle!
Part II contains a completely new segment, where I discuss some comics that I’ve been reading recently. I recently picked up the first three volumes of the trade books published for DC’s New 52, which follows the swan-song by Green Lantern scribe Geoff Johns. I give my honest opinion, but it isn’t nice. While this is new, something old joins our program, too: The Blue Beetle! Syndicating the program from 1940, we’ll be presenting serialized Blue Beetle stories as they were originally broadcast. The first storyline is titled “Smashing Dope Ring,” where Blue Beetle tries to stop a gang of dope peddlers. Will Blue Beetle succeed? There’s only one way to find. out.
We close with some experimental drone pieces, in an effort to draw attention to a new video playlist we just launched, featuring live performances by Soriah on What’s This Called? Not to toot my own horn, but I recorded the audio, filmed and produced these videos, along with the help of Jonathan Howitt’s son. These came out pretty good, and really capture how excellent Soriah is.
I conclude with the a request to work with listeners in an effort to fund this program. While some formal fundraising efforts will be coming together in the near future, one way to show your support (and get something back from us) would be to donate any amount – change, singles, other amounts larger than $1.00 – through our handy Pay Pal account. You can send donations to austinrich@gmail.com, and in return for every donation of any amount, you will get some sort of gift from us that fits the kind of donation you make. We have some cool projects coming that we’ll be specifically raising money for, but if you just want to kick something our way, that would be the way to do it.
That’s all we have this week. We’ll be back soon with more. Until then, take care!
And: Enjoy!
A Day Off From Work
Part I: Heroes & Villians (A Vinyl Solution)
01.) Peter Gunn * Henry Mancini
02.) Heroes & Villians * The Beach Boys
03.) Secret Agent Man * Johnny Rivers
04.) Goodnight Mrs. Flintstone * The Piltdown Men
05.) Coesville * Johnny Zorro
06.) Twist Twist Señora * Gary “US” Bonds
07.) Puddin’ * Ernie Freeman
Part II: Comics, Now & Then
08.) Side 1, Disc 4 of “The Golden Age of Entertainment”
09.) Smashing Dope Ring Part I * Blue Beetle * 15 May 1940
Soriah will be giving his last Portland radio performance before moving to Tuva! Special 2 hour show with Jonathan Howitt providing percussion! Due to a tech glitch with the web stream, only the second hour was recorded, which includes this live performance!
And, for those of you who would like to see these performances, they will be posted (as they are rendered) to this very playlist:
The State Of The Podcast Address (Featuring the shape of things to come, and enough of the same old same old to keep you coming back for more.)
2013 has been a transitional year for our program, and as Blasphuphmus Radio has been expanding and changing during this time, we take this hour to reflect on the changes, draw attention to some new projects that we are involved in, and reveal a big change in the program that will signify the future of this entity, and program.
I have been kicking around the new format of this show for a while, and this year has been full of searching and discovering what the podcast format of this program will, ultimately, be. There have been more live broadcasts, video offerings, and a host of other differences this year, and while I’ve tried to return to the old gimmicks, some of them haven’t translated into the modern age. A lot of this has to do with the revelation in the back third of this episode. Still, I can’t say that the old formats are gone. Just being delayed and retooled, so to speak.
The “radio almanac” form of the show will make every effort to use the one-hour mark as a flag indicating that I need to wind things up. The first 20 minutes of every show will be music and audio, edited to my liking. The last two segments – 20 minutes each – will be dedicated to talk segments. Hopefully these segments will not only bring this show new things and changes as 2014 unfolds, but will offer us a chance to re-evaluate what radio means to us.
Here’s a few notes about todays broadcast:
All of the music in today’s episode comes from music that I obtained very recently during a trip to Salem, Oregon for the holidays. Part I is all vinyl selections. While The Vince Guaraldi trio is a record too, the Gershwin & Japanese flute music are from CDs. (Full disclosure.)
In Part II and Part III of the show, we give an overview of some of the projects that I have been working on in 2013. First up, we have the What’s This Called? UltraBlog!This is an archive of all the existing broadcasts by Ricardo Wang for his program, What’s This Called? I spent a lot of time this year organizing, editing, remastering, and uploading the shows from the last 8 years of WTC broadcasts, and they are now available for public consumption. There’s a wealth of material here that we are very excited to offer, and you really should access the link above. (You can also find us on Facebook now, too.)
I’ve also been working on the A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Inc.’s 20th Anniversary Releases, where I’ve been remastering and offering digital versions of Austin Rich’s old publications from the last 20 years. There are a number of cool publications available that haven’t been available since their original releases, in some cases dating back to the early 90’s. Check out the site and you can find all our publications.
Lastly, we really want you to investigate the neat things being offered on YouTube Channel. We’ve been uploading and editing a number of great videos that you can watch on this very channel. We’ve got live videos by Monogamy Party, ALTO!, Gaythiest, Jennifer Robin & Jacob Anderson, The Dead Air Fresheners, DEAD, Towers, and a whole slew of other artists. All of this is available for viewing right now, to access the link above and enjoy.
Hopefully this is the beginning of something new that we’ll all be able to enjoy in 2014. In the meantime, there’s plenty to enjoy in the hear and now. Hopefully, you’re on the same page.
Keep up the good work. Happy 2014!
The State Of The Podcast Address
Part I: Everything You Know Is Wrong (A Vinyl Solution)
01.) Our Prayer * The Beach Boys * Smile
s02.) ‘This Is Leonard Nimoy’ * Mutual Radio Theater * Programs For The Week of 12 May 1980
03.) (Excerpts From) Everything You Know Is Wrong (Side A) * Firesign Theater * Everything You Know Is Wrong
04.) The Great Imposter * The Piltdown Men * (45)
05.) Crazy… Crazy… * Perez Prado And His Orchestra * (45)
06.) Raunchy * Ernie Freeman * (45)
07.) Sweet * Red Satyrs * No Hold Back… All Attack!!!: Twin Cities Hardcore Punk Rock & Roll
08.) No Trespassing * The Ventures * (45)
09.) Road Hog * Johnny Zorro * (45)
10.) Dance To The Music * Sly & The Family Stone * (45)
Part II: What’s This Called? Really?
11.) Rhapsody In Blue * Royal Promenade Orchestra, Nigel Simpson (Piano / Conductor) * Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue
12.) Excerpt * Crank Sturgeon & Pop Culture Rape Victim * 7 April 2007 ‘What’s This Called?’ Performance
Part III: The Past Comes Back
13.) Jokyoku “Tsuki” Ranjo * The Art Of The Japanese Bamboo Flute
14.) Take No Odori * The Art Of The Japanese Bamboo Flute
15.) Mr. Magazine Man * Hazel * Drinking From Puddles: A Radio History
16.) Kurui * The Art Of The Japanese Bamboo Flute
17.) Inaka-Bue * The Art Of The Japanese Bamboo Flute
18.) O Tannenbaum * The Vince Guaraldi Trio * A Charlie Brown Christmas
19.) What Child Is This? * The Vince Guaraldi Trio * A Charlie Brown Christmas
20.) My Little Drum * The Vince Guaraldi Trio * A Charlie Brown Christmas
Having stuck around to close out Closet Radio, it was easy enough to climb down into the crypt that is The Night Shift, and join Miss Rikki as she plays some incredible spooky music. Plus: I don’t get to get my goth on too often, and Miss Rikki is the perfect person to help you indulge.
Enjoy!
Slugs
01.) Russian Circles – “Burial”
02.) JG Thirlwell – “Gawker”
03.) These Immortal Souls – “Shamed”
04.) Soviet Soviet – “Hidden”
05.) Xiu Xiu – “Honeysuckle”
06.) The Wake – “Control”
07.) Dark Planet – “Creeping Flesh”
08.) Nina Hagen – “Dr. Art”
09.) Clan of Xymox – “She’s Dangerous”
10.) Savage Republic – “Film Noir”
11.) This Mortal Coil – “Kangaroo”
12.) Siouxsie & The Banshees – “The Last Beat Of My Heart”
First, the bad news: while we had arranged for an entire live set by the powerhouse that is Monogamy Party, a series of behind-the-scenes problems and tech issues led to a slim 7 minute live performance by this incredible band at the top of hour number two. However, a blown fuse on the guitar players amp make this two-song performance all that you can hear in today’s show. For this, we feel bad.
However, this is, of course, Closet Radio, and even the loss of their full performance does not mean that this show is anything less than amazing. With Tunacan Jones, a brief appearance by The Professor, and, of course, myself, Miss Rikki DJed an incredible show that offers cuts from their record, great songs that complement their style and, of course, an interview with the bad boys of monogamy.
As usual, it is always great to hang out on Closet Radio, and I had a lot of fun recording and filming these guys. Hopefully you got to check them out at Dante’s last night, and if not, now you know what you need to save your milk-money for next time they come through. These guys are incredible, and this is worth your time.
Enjoy!
Closet Radio
01.) Inside The Line * Warsaw
02.) The Dawning of This Night Divine* Ninety Pound Wuss
03.) It’s Everywhere, Yr Going To Die * Tyrants
04.) Livereaters * Chesty Malone & The Slice ‘Em Ups
05.) Rock & Roll Damnation * Dr. Know
06.) We Must Bleed* The Germs
07.) Feel The Beat * Crime
08.) Last Rockers * Vice Squad
09.) Pleasure Avalanche * The Birthday Party
10.) I Feel Voxish * The Fall
11.) Occam’s Razor * Run With The Hunted
12.) Dead Sex * STNNG
13.) Gra * Eye For An Eye
14.) Do You Mind My Dream * Liliput
15.) Live In-Studio Performance * Monogamy Party * KPSU
16.) Crimes * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
17.) Ordinary Things * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
18.) Ashamed * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
19.) Wasted Time * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
20.) Walls * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
21.) Show and Tell * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
22.) Blood Monogamy Party * False Dancers
23.) Terrible Mistake * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
24.) Cold Machine * Monogamy Party * False Dancers
25.) Suck * Cake Like
26.) Skin of My Teeth * The Sherlocks
What’s This Called? – if anything – is a place where experimental music and persist in all of its various permutations, and why should the presentation of live recordings be any different? What began as an attempt to replay some of the best music from the KPSU Benefit Show from 14 September turned into an entirely unique presentation, where Ricardo Wang and myself spent the hour remixing these recordings live on the air.
We couldn’t fit the almost two-hours of live performances into a single hour of radio, so these ‘edited highlights’ are even more manipulated using the CDJs at KPSU. The music of ALTO!, Fiasco, Jacob Anderson & Jennifer Robin, and Jeremy C. Long are all present in this episode, but heavily manipulated by both Ricardo and myself. It makes sense; once a live experience is captured in some useful form, the presentation of that material does not have to mimic the real time experience. Not only does this create something new to enjoy, but it presents the material in a truly experimental form. We both had a lot of fun with this show, and we hope you enjoy it too.
And, if you would like to hear the performances un-manipulated, they this YouTube playlist is perfect for you. All of the performances from that evening are present, in two-camera forms, and includes much that did not make it into the show, including a live set by The Dead Air Fresheners, a band with which I perform! These videos are some of the first two-camera edits I’ve ever done, and while I’m not going to say these are great visual representations, they are pretty decent for what they are. The full, stereo recordings of the performances are included with these videos, and give you a chance to hear things as they were that night.
Also included in this show is a 30 minutes “pre-game show” by Ricardo Wang, playing a few tracks of his choosing.
This show was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Playlist:
01.) Introduction * Jennifer Robin & Jacob Anderson
02.) Piece 1 * ALTO!
03.) Piece 1 * Fiasco
04.) “The In” * Jennifer Robin & Jacob Anderson
05.) “Charlie Sheen Party” * Jennifer Robin & Jacob Anderson
06.) Entire Performance * Jeremy C. Long
Little did I know that when I asked Jonathon Boober to help me with a little A/V work for a show on November 1st that I would also be getting stellar video from a show on Day 2 of Dia De Los Muertos. This show at Slim’s in Historic St. John’s continued the vibe of holiday awesomeness with performances in a rock ‘n’ roll vein, and kicking things off are the spectacular sounds of Blanco!
Audios Amigos!
Blanco’s spaghetti western vibe and Day of The Dead imagery is the perfect complement to Audios Amigos, who are a country-fied, instrumental tribute to all things amazing. This is a great way to bring to a close all things Dia De Los Muertos, and I was very pleased with Jonathon Boober for capturing these fantastic performances.
That’s all we have time for this week, but stay tuned, as we have all sorts of new stuff coming your way this winter. In the meantime:
What began as a chance to catch Metanoia live evolved into a fantastic opportunity to develop a three-part radio show, all due to the amazing efforts of Jonathan Boober. Jonathan has become a fantastic personality through all the work he’s done over the years, and having him make contributions to our show is always a pleasure. And with this show, we get three fantastic performances by local artists, as part of a two-day Dia De Los Muertos 2013 presentation.
The Hand That Bleeds
Kicking things off is a fantastic set by Valkyrie Rodeo, doing a set of Dead Moon songs. Jonathan has brought them onto my show before, and they’ve always delivered the goods. Getting a chance to hear their interpretations of these Portland legends is a great way to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, and they set the stage for things to come.
Al-X
I’ve been hearing about The Hand That Bleeds for some time now, and yet I haven’t had a chance to hear their stuff before. Let’s leave it to Boober to make sure that I get to catch them in a very stripped down fashion. There’s something about this video that manages to capture the late-night, drunk-a-thon that shows like this embody, and I very much regret leaving early this night. Fortunately, we have these recordings to show us what it was like.
Lastly, let’s close this episode with a synthed-out blast by Al-X, who brought his electronic patter to the denizens of The World Famous Kenton Club. I had no idea who Al-X was before Boober delivered this video, and listening now, I really want to check out this guy more. This sounds pretty incredible, and I think he is a good way to bring a show like this to a close.
Stay tuned, because Part III contains both bands from the 2 November 2013 show at Slim’s, with Blanco and Audios Amigos! Stay tuned.
After a full month of Halloween Spook-taculars, sometimes it is hard to come back to the radio wellspring and find something left to bring to the listeners. However, we decided to push past that, and instead bring you a three-hour Day of The Dead celebration, the likes of which you’ve never heard (nor seen) before! Prepare yourself for Part I of Dia De Los Muertos 2013 with none other than Metanoia, Live!
Celebrating both the holiday and their new release, Metanoia, the performance is incomplete in a merely audio form. Their set included dancers performing rites and rituals in the audience, a massive amount of fog and incense throughout the club, and some of the heaviest holiday drones you’ve ever heard. The video below barely does it justice, but you can get a sense of what it was like through this sample below. Make sure to turn it up almost as loud as your stereo can go for this one. (Works best on a Sunday morning.)
Metanoia kicked things off for what wound up being a four-band bill that really set the mood for the Day of The Dead. I wanna thank J.D. of Metanoia for helping make this recording possible, and Jonathan Boober (of Please Remain Seated) for being amazing.
Stay tuned for Part II, which contains performances by Valkyrie Rodeo, The Hands That Bleed, Al-X, and Part III, filmed the following day at Slim’s, with Blanco & Audios Amigos!
As we close this year’s Halloween Spook-tacular we do it with two guest stars that make any Halloween gathering well worth the effort: Basil Rathbone & Vincent Price! Those two alone almost make anything worthy of Halloween viewing, no matter what the premise, and in this case, reenacting a story by Edgar Allen Poe only seals the deal. Minus some bad acting, this is a great way to close out the spooky season, as we segue into overeating and songs about snow.
While I do make fun of the acting in this movie, this era of horror films were absolutely seminal in the world of horror films and horror music. Roger Corman’s studios made so many movies – many from excellent source material – that occasionally a real gem will get lost in the mix. Price and Rathbone’s overacting is only half the fun, and the clips from this movie make for some compelling audio theater. Plus, there’s plenty of early sixties monster songs to keep everything flowing smoothly.
I really love putting together these shows, and Halloween music is some of my favorite music. Plus, my Horror Host – who has really transformed into a sort of Ghoulardi character at this point – is a lot of fun to do. Hopefully, you’re enjoying it too.
Lots of cool stuff on the horizon. But until then, take care, okay.
Happy Halloween!
The Fact in the Case of M. Valdemar
Part I: To Escape A Pitiful & Painful Decline To Death!
01.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part I
02.) The Mad Scientist * The Zanies * 1958
03.) Graveyard * The Phantom 5 * 1966
04.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part II
05.) Nightmare * Scottie Stuart * 1960
06.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part III
07.) The Whip * The Creeps * 1959
08.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part IV
09.) Midnight Stroll * The Revels * 1959
Part II: The Time Has Come.
10.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part V
11.) Down In The Basement * The Munsters * 1964
12.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part VI
13.) Igor’s Lament * Tony’s Monstrosities * 1960
14.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part VII
15.) Cha-Cha With The Zombies * The Upperclassmen * 1959
16.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part VIII
17.) Dead * The Poets * 1958
Part III: You Do But Sleep!
18.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part IX
19.) The Monster Hop * Bert Convy * 1958
20.) Spooky * George Barnes * 1959
21.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part X
22.) Rockin’ Zombie * The Crewnecks * 1961
23.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part XI
24.) Frankenstein Stomp * Lorry & The Biters * 1965
25.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part XII
26.) Wombie Zombie * Billy Taylor * 1959
27.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part XIII
28.) The Lurch * Ted Cassidy * 1966
29.) “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” Part XIV
30.) The Boogie Man * The Cadillacs * 1960
31.) The Blob * The Five Blobs * 1958
32.) Frankie And Igor At A Rock ‘N’ Roll Party * Bob MicFadden * 1959
I am always looking for ways to mash-up my own themes and tropes, and when it dawned on me to do a Halloween Spook-tacular AND a new installment of Blasphuphmus Radio Goes To The Movies, it was hard not to follow this idea to its most logical conclusion. With that in mind, I put together three Audio Essays, each focused on a different Famous Monster from the classic era of Hollywood Horror. Vampires! Frankenstein! The Werewolf! They’re all right here, in this Monster Movie Party!
Credit must be given where credit is due: this show is also inspired by the Wavy Gravy compilations that were put out by Beware Records. Starting in the late 80’s and early 90’s, this label was putting out compilations of hard-to-find rock and roll gems, interjecting trailers for b movies. This was clearly inspired by the mix tapes that Lux Interior had been making since the ’70’s, and of course, the radio work of The Mad Daddy. Since these records were released in a pre-Internet era, it can’t be stressed how strange and incredible these albums were, when this kind of stuff was hard to find. It was their idea of including trailers that has really swept the radio landscape for DJs and oddballs who are into this kind of music, and since I was mining that period in rock history for this show, it only makes sense to do the same.
The early ’60’s – my cut-off date for this show – is a very interesting period in rock music. The beginning sounds of what would become Garage Rock is starting to take shape, but the sound is still heavily rooted in that late ’50’s naiveté. But Shock Theater is starting to take over late night television, and the shape of things to come is just as scary. I really enjoyed putting this show together, and I hope you did it as much as I do.
Enjoy!
Monster Movie Party!
Part I: Vampires!
01.) “Atom Age Vampire” Trailer * Anton Giulio Majano * 1963
02.) Vampira * Bobby Bare * 1958
03.) Vampire * The Crystals * 1960
04.) “Macabre” Trailer * William Castle * 1958
05.) Screamin’ Ball (At Dracula Hall) * The Duponts * 1957
06.) “Dracula” Trailer * 1931
07.) Graveyard Cha Cha * The Three D’s * 1959
08.) “The Vampire & The Ballerina” Trailer * 1960
Part II: Frankenstein!
09.) “I Was A Teenage Frankenstein” * Herbert L. Strock * 1957
10.) At The House Of Frankenstein * Big Bee Kornegay * 1958
11.) Satan Takes A Holiday * Tommy Dorsey * 1937
12.) “Frankenstein” Trailer * James Whale * 1931
13.) Frankenstein Rock * Eddie Thomas * 1958
14.) “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die” Trailer * 1963
15.) You Can Get Him Frankenstein * Castle Kings * 1961
16.) “Calling Dr. Death” Trailer * 1943
17.) Don’t Meet Mr. Frankenstein * Carlos Casual Jr. * 1962
18.) “Frankenstein’s Daughter” Trailer * 1958
Part III: The Werewolf!
19.) Dead Man Blues * Jelly Roll Morton * 1926
20.) “The Werewolf” Excerpt * Alan Smithee * 1935
21.) The Werewolf * Carl Bonafede * 1960
22.) “I Was A Teenage Werewolf” * 1956
23.) Werewolf * Garry Warren * 1958
24.) “The Curse of The Werewolf” Trailer * 1961
25.) Mr. Werewolf * The Kac Ties * 1963
26.) “The Wolf Man” Trailer * 1941
27.) Monster Party * Bill Doggett * 1959
Chance of A Ghost! (Featuring Halloween selections from the 1950’s and earlier as we continue this years Halloween Spook-tacular!)
I often associate Peter Lorre with this time of year, as his voice is forever associated with the 100s of imitators who would do his voice as a Halloween Shorthand when I was growing up. His career in film is incredibly well known, but his radio career is less familiar. So I was happy to find a program he hosted that fits the Halloween theme perfectly: Nightmare, a supernatural anthology show that presented a different story every week, hosted by the Master of Macabre, Peter Lorre himself. For this particular broadcast, I chose an episode from the mid-1950’s, and decided to pair it with a fair amount of period music to bring the point home.
As was typical for these kinds of Ghost Stories, there is only the smallest hint that something supernatural has happened during the tale, and even that is handwaved by the participants at the very end. However, as we can see in comparison to last week’s program, rather than report something “supposedly true,” we are starting to get to the point where radio was dramatizing the story, in a way that sets a very good Halloween mood. Considering that the 1950’s saw a resurgence of the Universal Horror Pictures – coupled with The Shock Theater TV package of horror movies that was sold to most stations in the mid-50’s – horror was starting to take hold of the public at large. (Horror comics started to sell like crazy in these days, too.) However, this was a budding genre, and there were still a lot of “mood” pieces that were not so much scary, but evoked the imagination. This is exactly where Nightmare fits in.
Finding musical accompaniment for this episode was harder than I thought it would be. While there is plenty of music that is labeled “1950’s Horror,” when you start to actually compare dates, many of these songs are from 1960 or later. The musical “monster craze” really doesn’t get started until 1957, when Shock Theater was nationwide, and people were seeing horror on TV late at night. However, there were enough songs to help flesh out the show, and in some cases, foreshadow bits and pieces of the story. I was pretty pleased with the evolution of music from last week to this week, and hopefully we’ll continue this evolution as we begin to enter the 1960’s, when the Monster Song genre really began to take off.
Among the selections from this show include a few really excellent gems worth mentioning: Tarantual Ghoul And Her Gravediggers! While I had heard this song on a few compilations prior to this show, in researching this artist I discovered that she was actually a Horror Host here in Portland Oregon in 1957 – 1959 on KPTV! You can find a few images of her here, and I would recommend searching around for other images and the flip side of her 45, “King Kong.” Clearly influenced by Vampira and the other Horror Hosts of the era, this is a great discovery for me, and I’m very excited to learn more about her. Novelty Record nerd will also like to hear that “The Casual Three” is actually a Dickie Goodman production, of the incredibly duo “Buchanan & Goodman,” most well known for their hit, “The Flying Saucer.” While it was common for people to work under a number of names in those days, I thought I knew just about everything there is to know about those guys. Always something new to learn.
Stay tuned, as we will be edging our way into the 1960’s, with more of our Halloween Spook-tacular, 2013!
Enjoy!
Chance of A Ghost!
Part I: Nightmare In A Haunted House!
01.) Chance of A Ghost * Peter Lorre * Nightmare (31 March 1954) (Throughout The Show)
02.) Nightmare Hop * Earl Patterson * 1959
03.) Skeleton In The Closet * Artie Shaw & His Orchestra * 30 October 1936
04.) The Ghost Song * Salty Holmes * 1954
05.) Dead * The Poets * 1958
06.) Haunted House * Cris Kevin And The Comics * 1959
07.) Mad House Jump * The Daylighters * 1959
Part II: In The Graveyard!
08.) Satan Takes A Holiday * John Cali & Tony Guttuso * 1937
09.) Graveyard Rock * Tarantual Ghoul And Her Gravediggers * 1958
10.) Graveyard Boogie * Buster Doss & His Arkansas Playboys * 1948
11.) Nightmare * Jack Turner * May 1955
12.) Midnight Monster’s Hop * Jack And Jim * 1959
Part III: What Is And Isn’t There!
13.) White Ghost Shivers * The New Orleans Owls * 1926
14.) He’s A Vampire * Archie King * 1959
15.) The Invisible Thing * The Casual Three * 1958
16.) The Rockin’ Ghost * The Modernaires * 1962
17.) Nightmares * John Lowell
18.) The Monster * Bobby Please * 1959
19.) Swingin’ At The Seance * The Deep River Boys * 1940
20.) Ghost Satellite * Bob & Jerry * 1958
The Ghost of General Moulton! (Featuring Halloween selections from the 1940’s and earlier as we begin this years Halloween Spook-tacular!)
Since 2003 I’ve been actively collecting Halloween music and recordings, and since 2004 I’ve been hosting this annual Halloween Spook-Taculars on my program. What can I say? This is my favorite time of year, and my favorite kind of music. I’ve been listening to Halloween Music for the last few months, in and effort not only to get into the spirit, but to continue the quest to find new and exciting music. And this year is no exception, as I found a huge treasure-trove of Halloween goodies that I cannot wait for you to hear!
Using a somewhat chronological format for presentation this year, this first show is offering music from the Pre-1940’s ear of Halloween Music. Halloween is a very old celebration, but the music side of this holiday has often been suppressed, or relegated to the “novelty” portion of any record collection. This is a shame, as music like this is really evocative, and presents a kind of musical narrative that is absent from so many other kinds of music. It’s always a pleasure to find a new song about ghosts and monsters, especially from this early period when the “novelty hit” hadn’t quite made it possible to make a whole career out of spooky songs.
To complement today’s selection of songs, we have a period radio broadcast of the Yankee Yarns series, a show hosted by Alton Blackington, who would present a story rooted in Americana in some form or another. For this particular episode – The Ghost of General Moulton – he retells the life story of Johnathan Moulton, and the spooky tale surrounding his life (and death). It not only fit the theme and the mood of our annual Spook-taculars, but is a very curious piece of radio history, making it doubly relevant to our interests.
I’m going to make every effort to bring you a show every week this month, and for next week’s program we’ll be creeping into the 1950’s. Welcome to Blasphuphmus Radio’s Halloween Spook-tacular 2013!
Enjoy!
The Ghost of General Moulton!
Part I: Ghost Dance
01.) “A Welcome Date On Our Calendar” * Bing Crosby * Philco Radio Time 30 October 1946
02.) The Halloween Song * Bing Crosby & Boris Karloff * Philco Radio Time 29 October 1947
03.) Ghost Dance * Truett & George * 1927
04.) The Ghost of General Moulton * Yankee Yarns w/ Alton Blackington * 13 October 1943 (throughout the program)
05.) Ghost In The Graveyard * The Prairie Ramblers * 1938
06.) I’m A Ghost * Scrappy * “Scrappy’s Ghost Story” Cartoon 1935
07.) Haunted House * Ray Noble & His All Stars * 1931
08.) The Skeleton Rag * The American Quartet * 1912
Part II: T’ain’t No Sin
09.) T’aint No Sin * Fred Hall & His Sugar Babies * 1928
10.) The Bat * Alvino Rey & His Orchestra * 1959
11.) The Skeleton In The Closet * Putney Dandridge * 1936
12.) The Wobblin’ Goblin * Rosemary Clooney * 1950
13.) Haunted House * Betty Grable & Dan Dailey * “My Blue Heaven” 1950
14.) Halloween Spooks * Lambert, Hendricks & Ross * 1962
15.) The Boogie Man * Todd Rollins & His Orchestra w/ Chick Bullock * 1934
Part III: The House Is Haunted
16.) Haunted Blues * Memphis Minnie * 1937
17.) Nightmare * Artie Shaw * 1938
18.) With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm * Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees * 1937
19.) The House Is Haunted (By The Echo of Your Last Goodbye) * Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra * 1937
20.) Skeleton In The Closet * Louis Armstrong * 1936
21.) The Ghost Walk * Borrah Minnevitch * 1933
Hosted by Miss Rikki of Closet Radio and Austin Rich of Blasphuphmus Radio and joined by Towers and Dead for an in-studio LIVE set, plus some dark and gothy goodness to fill out the hour. (This extended episode contains 30 minutes of Whitechapel goodness, two live performances, and a mini Night Shift as well.)
For this particular team up between Blasphuphmus Radio and Ricardo Wang, we bring you the hypnotic and meditative sounds of ALTO! This three piece consisting of two drummers and a guitar player present composed and improvised musical pieces that can exceed 20 minutes, but run as concisely as an AM Rock Song. Think of them as equal parts Glenn Branca and Stravinsky, with an ear for all things Sun City Girls. This combination brings you a fantastic recording that you just have to hear to believe.
ALTO! were one of THE acts to see at NoFest a few weeks back, and this performance was in anticipation of their gig that same evening at Slim’s in Historic St. John’s. If you were at that show: thank you! You helped raise enough money to keep shows like What’s This Called? on the air. You also got to see some incredible performances by a number of other artists, and both footage and recordings from that night are pending. In the meantime, this document of their Radio Performance will give you an idea of how incredible these guys are. There are three releases available on altoexclamationpoint.bandcamp.com, and if you get a chance to see them, pick up their LP. It is incredible!
For this show, I was lucky enough to engineer the band, and aside from two small imperfections in the engineering, I think the sound is pretty great. ALTO! is very much an ASMR trigger for me, and their performances was really incredible for me. I was very lucky to get to be involved in such a cool show.
01.) Indian Summer * Sonic Boom & Spectrum * What Came Before
02.) Interplanetary Music * Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra * Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth / Interstellar Low Ways
03.) Duck & Cover * The Red Krayola * Hazel
04.) Live! * Alto! * What’s This Called?
05.) Season of The Witch * Donovan * Sunshine Superman
06.) Interview! * Alto! * What’s This Called?
07.) Whistling Teapot (Rag) * Smog * The Doctor Came At Dawn
Throbbing LIVE double drum and guitar loop madness set, and an interview to remember as well! Alto! from Portland live warming up for their gig at the free KPSU benefit at Slim’s in St. John’s TONIGHT!
Indian Summer
Sonic Boom & Spectrum
What Came Before
Interplanetary Music
Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra
Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth / Interstellar Low Ways
Labor Day has never really meant anything to me in the past, mostly because I either had to work or study that day, anyway. It really only means something when you have a job that gives you the day off – with pay – and that’s something that I never got to experience until I got a real job. Of course, my disdain for the problems that come with capitalism is something I can’t really shake, no matter how hard I try. With that in mind, I decided to offer another installment of the Workin’ Man’s Blues, focusing on more songs about work, working, labor, and other such important thoughts.
In the first part of the show, I do a bit of a Noam Chomsky mix, which I was quite proud of. In part two of the show, I preview a portion of the audio-version of the new ‘zine I just put out. Then, in part three, I cut to the chase, and bring you a mix of music that suits me right. It’s a pretty sweet show, if’n you ask me, and I was happy to get a show squeezed in this weekend, among the other stuff I managed to wrap up and finish this weekend.
Fall is approaching, and we’re getting ready to batten down the hatches for the year. However, we’ll still be producing shows, just at a different rate, and with a slightly different focus.
Short, sweet, and to the point. Enjoy!
Workin’ Man’s Blues Part II
Part I: Wage Slave w/ People Skills
01.) Labor Day * The Dead Milkmen * Dead Milkmen Take the Airwaves Live Broadcast on WXPN-FM May 6, 1984
02.) The Great Climax * The Work * Rubber Cage
03.) Working Man * Rush *
04.) Everyone Is A Wage Slave * Noam Chomsky * Activism, Anarchism and Power (2002)
05.) The Gold We’re Digging * Parts and Labor * Mapmakers
06.) People Skills * Tom Smykowksi * Office Space
07.) Loosen This Job * No Age * Werido Rippers
Part II: Cog In The Machine
08.) Hard Work * Mogollar * Hava Narghile
09.) Your Sanitation Department In Action * Bob & Ray * Lost Episodes Vol. 4
10.) Eat Sleep Work Fuck * Bovine Impulse * Panic On 13th Cassette
11.) The Cog * Hot Victory * Keep Our Heads * Eolian Empire
12.) Put The Clock Back On The Wall * Austin Rich * acronyminc.blogpress.new (Audio Edition)
Part III: Jobs Are For Chumps
13.) Job * Swans * Filth / Body To Body, Job To Job
14.) Give Me A Job You Shits * Half Eye * It’ll Come To You
15.) Summer Job * Art Brut * Art Brut vs. Satan
16.) The Dirty Jobs * The Who * Quadrophenia
17.) Worker Bee * Angst * Not So Quiet On The Western Front
18.) Workhouse Blues * Mattie May Thomas * American Primitive: Pre-War Revenants 1887 – 1939
19.) Accountancy Shanty * Monty Python * Monty Python Sings
On the 17th of August I was invited to spend the afternoon with The Thrash-key Kids. I was totally smitten with their music when I saw them at Duckett’s in April, and wrote about it extensively in the ‘zine I just recently put out. They completely embody punk rock in nearly every aspect of their lives and music, and I wanted to get a good, close-up experience of their band.
What I got was an amazing afternoon full of loud music, lots of beer, and great conversations about makes three friends form a band and make and wonderful racket like this. Fortunately for you, this is your chance to relive that afternoon.
Also The Thrash-key Kids
Their music is loud, vulgar, hilarious, chronic-infused, drunk, and spectacular, and you will instantly either love them the way I do, or want to have nothing to do with this kind of noise. And that’s fine. But these guys are my cup of tea, and I get into the details as to why during the interview. I also get to present an unflinching, warts-and-all presentation of what life is like for these gents. They are not presenting anything that isn’t there in the songs they write. They are direct. They are honest. They are critical. They are ridiculous. And they are drunk, all at once. This is the real deal, and I was really happy to be allowed in to see what they are all about.
This show contains their entire live set from that day, and interviews intermixed between the songs. Yes, there is video of this performance. No, I haven’t yet finished editing it. Hopefully we can have this available soon. In the meantime, you should check out their Bandcamp Page: Free Abortionsis now available for a $2.00 download, and The Past Is Beautiful is also avaiable, also for $2.00. You can also bug them in person for physical CDs that they hand-make, which I quite enjoy and make excellent additions to any record collection.
Join me for The Thrash-key Kids, Live from Arugula Acres! This one is pretty magical.
Setlist:
Part I:
01.) Homebrew
02.) Ryan Doss Has A Camera Watch
03.) One Of My Friends Is A Chicken Fucker (Your Girlfriend Sucks Bro)
04.) Shitty Beer Is Like Shitty Pizza: It’s Fuckin’ Awesome
Part II:05.) Juan’s Dad Got Drunk And Pissed In The Fridge
06.) Weed: It’s Just Like Jesus But Better Because It’s Real
07.) Running Water
08.) Fired
Part III:
09:) I Did Drugs Once And They Were White
10.) Seth Putman is Dead And That’s Real Gay
11.) Girls Don’t Poop
12.) Go To Church Because Christianity Is Stupid And So Are You
13.) Boyfriend
14.) Ass & Titties (DJ Assault Cover)
15.) Every Time A Cop Gets Shot A Unicorn Gets It’s Horn
16.) Get Some Real Sock
Part IV:
17.) William Pierce Is Dead, Ha Ha! We Want To Piss On His Grave.
18.) People Didn’t Live With Dinosaurs And They Can’t Live Inside Of Whales
Living in the Historic St. John’s neighborhood offers a number of great pleasures and opportunities to see music, art, and oddballs who all call this place their home. Because of this, local venues really support St. John’s, in all of its wonderful and oddball forms. Slim’s is no exception, and on 27 July 2013 they let us put on an Experimental Podcast Party, featuring four acts and a DJ set that was true to this spirit. Part I featured performances by Ryan Ray & The Accumulation and Admiran, and Part II contained a killer DJ set by Ricardo Wang. But the fun does not stop there.
In Part III, we kick things off with Four Dimensional Nightmare, a group from Federal Way, Washington that uses Sci-Fi soundscapes and electronic oddities to present audio textures that cover ground from experimental electronic music and remixed oddities, and all points in between. Four Dimensional Nightmare are good friends of everyone who played this evening, and is a real supporter of shows like this. We were really excited that he was willing to come down for this performance, and we think that you’ll be excited to hear what he concocted for this show. This recording contains the entire performance from 27 July 2013.
The Black Noise Orchestra
And, lastly, we bring you The Black Noise Orchestra, in their first live performance in this new incarnation, and their first public performance, ever. In 2006, BNO began as an improvisational radio act, featuring a revolving door cast of characters, with the only through-line being myself. Now, in this new form, we are presenting audio theater narratives with improvised background soundscapes fill of samples and other noise. For this performance, we presented an adaptation of X-Minus One’s incredible story First Contact, re-mixed and re-edited for the audience at Slim’s. This was the first performance that I’ve done of this nature, and hopefully not the last, and now you can hear the full story here, no, and loud.
We would be remiss if we did not mention the audience, who not only showed up in full force for this show, but were very engaging and kept urging us all on. And: they were full of a number of friends, eager to see what we’d concocted for this evening’s entertainment. For that: thank you. While we don’t need to remind you, without out, there would be no show.
Thanks again for such an excellent night! I really enjoyed this show, and I can’t wait to put on more events like this. Enjoy!
Our show at Slim’s on 27 July 2013 (our so-called Experimental Podcast Party) was a tremendous amount of fun, and I’ve been really jonesing to get these recordings out to you guys. And, today, you are in luck, because we can now present the entire show in three parts. Part I is available, and includes incredible performances by Ryan Ray & The Accumulation and the Battlesnakes Collective member Admiran. For Part II we’ve decided to bring you the entire half-time DJ set by our incredible friend, Ricardo Wang.
Having an incredible history as a DJ going back to the ’80’s, Ricardo Wang is currently hosting his weekly program What’s This Called?on KPSU.org, where he brings listeners experimental, post-punk, drone, noise and other amazing musical experiences, including an incredible amount of live music. Ricardo has been a huge supporter and friend of Blasphuphmus Radio for years, and his particular sensibility has definitely influenced my own.
For this DJ set, Ricardo is bridging the gap between the kinds of music you would hear on his show, and the kind of music that will get your booty shaking. Ricardo’s taste – much like my own – runs a wide spectrum, and we’ve both discussed how you can remain firmly in the experimental genre, but can deliver some killer dance tunes. This set accentuates this kind of music, and Ricardo really did get people out on the dance floor at Slim’s. I’m really excited to present his set from this night, and I hope you guys dig what he’s delivering.
We would be remiss if we did not mention the audience, who not only showed up in full force for this show, but were very engaging and kept urging us all on. And: they were full of a number of friends, eager to see what we’d concocted for this evening’s entertainment. For that: thank you. While we don’t need to remind you, without out, there would be no show.
We’ve had an incredibly busy summer, working with a number of artists, venues and performers, all to record and bring you a wide range of media. However, this has delayed the production of new shows to download and listen to, as editing and producing these take no small amount of time. The good news is: we’re starting to make it through the stacks of recordings, and today you can hear some of the excellent results, starting with Part I of our three part broadcast from our Experimental Podcast Party we threw on 27 July 2013. This show was a lot of fun, and Slim’s was a real sport, allowing us to take over the bar for a night, and bring you some amazing music. If you’re not already a regular there, you might want to start, as there are some great shows being put on, and the staff are great.
In this part of the show, we kick things off with a performance by Ryan Ray & The Accumulation, a rarely seen artist who brings post-modern poetry, electronic music, saxophone, and his own particular brand of tunage to present an experimental performance that should not be missed. Ryan Ray is most well know for his band The Blue Faces, but his current work is just as psychedelic and impressive, and demands your attention. This recording contains the entire performance from 27 July of this year.
Admiran
Next, we bring you none other than the incredible Admiran, from the local music collective Battlesnakes! Admiran has a number of digital releases available for your listening pleasure, and you should most definitely check out his website, and download to your heart’s content. But if you would like to find out what Admiran does live, then this performance is what you need to be jamming on your car stereo. Admiran adds deconstructed dance grooves, guitar noise wonder, and electronic bleeps and bloops to present an audio assault that makes you feel very excellent. This recording contains the entire performance from 27 July of this year.
We would be remiss if we did not mention the audience, who not only showed up in full force for this show, but were very engaging and kept urging us all on. And: they were full of a number of friends, eager to see what we’d concocted for this evening’s entertainment. For that: thank you. While we don’t need to remind you, without out, there would be no show.
Hosted by Miss Rikki of Closet Radio and Austin Rich of Blasphuphmus Radio and joined by Towers and Dead for an in-studio LIVE set, plus some dark and gothy goodness to fill out the hour. (This extended episode contains 30 minutes of Whitechapel goodness, two live performances, and a mini Night Shift as well.)
Well well well. After the marathon performances of Towers & DEAD, the only thing that was left to be done was to hang out for another excellent episode of Closet Radio on KPSU.org. Getting to work with Miss Rikki is always the highlight of any week, and for this episode we talk about music, Hellblazer, Charles Bukowski, & CRIME! (The band.) This is a good introduction to the Closet Radio phenomena, and if this is your bag, then you really should be subscribing to the show in iTunes!
There’s not much to say about this one. Miss Rikki let me pick some songs, hang out with her and The Professor, and enjoy the magesty of her program. The least you could do is the same.
Enjoy!
Outstanding On Corners
01.) Wait A While * The Remaining Few
02.) Propaganda / At Home, At Work, At Play * Sparks
03.) Another Desert Story * The Bizarros
04.) The Laughing Heart * Charles Bukowski (Read by Tom O’Bedlam)
05.) Here To Go * Devo
06.) Whatcha Gonna Do Tomorrow? * King Salami & The Cumberland Three
07.) Don’t Be Square (Be There) * Adam & The Ants
08.) Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow) * Coheed & Cambria
09.) Downtown At Dawn * Richard Hell & The Voidoids
*
10.) Blundertown * The Birthday Party
11.) I Call Your Name * The Boys
12.) The Galaxie IV – Don’t Lose Your Mind
13.) Are You Gonna Be There? * The Chesterfield Kings
14.) Right or Wrong * Batallion of Saints
15.) Like A Dream * Ex-Cels
16.) Time To Dream * The Lost Agency
17.) Ooh Ooh Pah * Professor Morrison’s Lollipop
18.) I Lost You In My Mind * Painted Faces
19.) The Trip * Park Avenue Playground
20.) 16 Pins * Mistakes
21.) ?? * Mojo Nixon
22.) Stop It * Pylon
23.) Hollow Eyes * Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry
24.) Production Consumption Frontier * Iarvles
25.) Outta Sight * The Riverdales
26.) Have A Nice Day * Ramones
27.) Pure Hell * Noise Addiction
28.) Feel The Pain * Crime
29.) Reptile Brain * Big Black Cloud
30.) Loud Fast Rules * The Stimulators
On the 24th of August, I joined Miss Rikki Lee of Closet Radio to put on an incredible metal double-feature in the KPSU studios. Towers & DEAD, on tour supporting the release of DEAD’s new album, Idiots, decided to come on in to put on live performances for discerning radio listeners. The good news: you get to enjoy these performances, too, here, NOW!
Towers
To kick things off, Towers stepped up to lay down a nice, sludgy base for this epic radio event. Mining a decidedly psychedelic vein of stoner metal, Towers lay down loud piles of thick riffs and pounding percussion. These guys were a pleasure to watch play, and I can’t wait until the video is ready. In the meantime, enjoy this recording.
DEAD
Then, stay tuned for a live set my Australia’s DEAD, on tour and ready to bring the rock. It’s hard to know what’s more impressive about the duo, but the way they lock into each other and bring incredible performances is probably the most important in their case. These guys are ready to bring the noise, and they do it quite excellently. This will give you a taste of the kind of rock they are so eager to bring.
For this show, we are in the KPSU studios, and Miss Rikki is hosting, and doing a fine job of it, too. After these guys packed up, we continued to bring you an incredible episode of Closet Radio, which should be available to download soon. In the meantime, you can enjoy this excellent metal show. These guys are all excellent, and you owe it to yourself to reap the awesomness they sew.
I have a number of friends, and many of them are old-fashioned radio nerds like me. And one of my favorites is DJ Victrola, who has been hosting some version of her show The Guitar Shop for over 10 years. DJ Victrola and I love to chat about music, life, and records, and she and I have been wanting to put together an experimental episode of her program almost as long as I’ve known her. So the fact that it took this long is a little bit embarrassing. However, we were able to play an incredible set of excellent tunes, and that’s what you get. I’m mostly along for the ride, and let her play her selections, but I do get in some choice records here and there, and you get two hours of excellent radio.
In the days of yore, my program followed DJ Victrola, and we had built up a Wednesday line-up of incredible programs. I adored that time slot, and it really worked well for me and what I do. Additionally, I covered for her once when she was out of town, and decided instead to invite over Dr. Frank for a live in-studio and book reading. So our shows have history. But aside from The Judith Gennett Memorial Broadcast (with KZME’s John B. Jones), we had never really done a show together, and as a friend of mine since 2004, I really owed it to her to share the studio with someone as excellent as she.
Casual DJ Victrola
DJ Victrola has been making radio in some form or another since 1979, and she has an expertise and knowledge of which I’m often jealous. I attended a lecture she gave on the influences rock music has from early Country Music in America, and she gives another on Prog Rock, another secret passion of mine. (Shhhhhhh!) I’m hoping I can attend it at some point, but in the meantime, you get to hear our favorite experimental and noise guitar players from the oeuvre of overlooked guitar greats.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes tid-bit: between songs, I recorded additional interviews with her, detailing her history with radio, and some other highlights from her career. My hope is that I can produce another “Commentary Track” episode, as I did with Ricardo Wang for his 7th Anniversary at KPSU. Of course, these things take time, so until then, you just get the regular broadcast.
Hanging out with DJ Victrola was a lot of fun, and I may be appearing more and more on her show in the near future. We work together, we love radio, and there’s enough cross-over that it is worth the effort. We shall see.
Until then: enjoy!
Playlist:
01.) Guitar Shop * Jeff Beck * Guitar Shop
02.) Telegram Sam * T. Rex * Slider
03.) Black Maria * Todd Rundgren * Something/Anything
04.) Tan * Fred Frith * The Happy End Problem
05.) Jazz From Hell * Frank Zappa * Jazz From Hell
06.) The Beltway Bandits * Frank Zappa * Jazz From Hell
07.) Chrysanthemums * Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser * Wireforks
08.) Snake In the Grass * Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser * Wireforks
09.) Asturias * Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists
10.) Snow Song * Nymph * Nymph
11.) Hexenzscene * Unwound * New Plastic Ideas
12.) Hotwire My Heart * Sonic Youth * Sister
13.) Careful With That Axe, Eugene * Eugene Chadbourne & Camper Van Beethoven
14.) Once Upon A Time * Sonny Sharrock * Ask the Ages
15.) Echoes of Spain * Sir Richard Bishop
16.) Esoterica of Abyssinia * Sun City Girls
17.) Bleeker and Bowry * Elliott Sharp / John Zorn
18.) Radio I / One Time / Radio II * King Crimson * Thrak
19.) Goodbye Porkpie Hat * Jeff Beck
The story that inspired BlasphuphmusRadio.com‘s Lost In The Supermarket Compilation! Nine new pieces of writing! The first new publication in four years! The beginning of digital writing, in inconvenient physical and .pdf formats! Available by simply requesting a copy!
At a Halloween Party in 1999, Austin Rich made the mistake of eating a dried date that was handed to him by a mysterious stranger part-way through Jack-Ass Willy’s bluegrass set. Suddenly, Austin found himself in the year 2010, having lost almost 10 years of his life, to find himself in a world very similar to the one he left, but seemed filled with new kinds of savagery, super science, and sorcery.
It’s three years later, and in that time Austin tried to continue his life in the way he’d done before, slowly integrating into this new future world through picking up work as The Office Detective, catching up on comics, TV, movies and books, finding a partner in crime, and studying magic, hoping after each adventure that his next leap will be the leap home.
In it all, the one thing Austin hadn’t returned to was his old habit of making ‘zines about his everyday life. Something was missing. Something incredibly easy to do. Something… pressing.
Join us as we follow a regular publication by The Austin Rich from an alternate timeline. These are serial adventures that are half-fact, half fiction, where the experiences that both I and Earth-2 Austin have are very similar, and yet, different in surprising ways. Each issue is available in both print and digital forms, and offer a return to having a regular publication available from us for discerning readers.
Show reviews! Movie Reviews! Stories about dating and jobs. And the story of The Office Detective!
acronyminc.blogpress.new. Excerpts from the online publication produced by The Earth-2 Austin Rich. “A Don Quixote in search of a Sancho Panza.”
Edition 1.0 (Physical): 20, limited edition print editions, each of which comes with a free download code for Lost In The Supermarket, the compilation based on this very story.
Edition 1.0 (Digital): 20, unique .pdf editions, each of which comes with a free download code for Lost In The Supermarket, the compilation based on this very story.
The 6th Annual NoFest in Historic St. John’s is August 10th, and BlasphuphmusRadio.com is exited to announce that they will be recording live, in front of an audience for this event. Be a part of the show! Witness as we put on our broadcast with discerning listeners in the audience! See a rare, audio-only spectacle from the comfort of your favorite neighborhood block party.
For this presentation, BlasphuphmusRadio.com will be scored live by none other than The Black Noise Orchestra. Providing live improvised soundscapes, The Black Noise Orchestra will accompany an audio theater presentation of Journey Into Space: Operation Luna Part 1. This is a rare opportunity to see radio performed live in front of an audience, among the other incredible guests a part of the 6th Annual NoFest.
The Dead Air Fresheners
THIS JUST IN!Blasphuphmus Radio – namely, Austin Rich – will be performing live with The Dead Air Fresheners at NoFest!The Dead Air Fresheners completed in 2013 their trilogy of operatives with spoken word artists begun in 2001 with poet Chuck Swaim and continued some ten years later with experimental fiction author Jennifer Robin. The final installments of this trilogy were a handful of performances with zine writer and underground radio personality Austin Rich. I am very excited to be a part of their show, and this will be a stellar performance that you will not want to miss.
To get a sense of the kinds of work we do together, check out this video made by Ryan A Ray a the Ethiopian restaurant and lounge Habesha. This video featurs the masked chance determinists laying an electro-acoustic and electronic soundtrack to Mr. Rich’s surrealist sermon of the gospel from the Church of Blasphuphmus.
Additionally: The Blasphuphmus Radio Street Team will be on the scene for No Fest! Our team of faithful recording cardinals will be out recording bands, interviews, and street recordings of No Fest as it is happening. This is a call to any artist or musician who would like to be included in our podcast during this weekend. Just contact blasphuphmus@gmail.com and express your interest. We are very interested in getting you on the show.
August 10th, 2013: The 6th Annual No Fest & BlasphuphmusRadio.com. A match made in NoPo. With a rare, public appearance by The Black Noise Orchestra.
We Now Live In The Future… on BlasphuphmusRadio.com.
Brought to you by BlasphuphmusRadio.com! Join The Party!
We’re putting on an old-fashioned experimental show, in the heart of St. John’s at the legendary Slim’s! Podcasting Live from this event, we’ll be bringing you a selection of new and exciting experimental acts from the comfort of you local neighborhood bar. Admission is free, so drink up and enjoy the show! Join us for a live radio event where you can be in the audience, here in beautiful, historic St. John’s.
Ryan Ray and the Accumulation
Psychedelic, experimental and droney good-times by this Northwest powerhouse, Ryan has accumulated quite a cast of characters to bring his particular vision to Slim’s. You may recognize Ryan from his work with The Blue Faces.
Admiran
Deconstructed dance drones from one of the legendary battlesnakes, this will pull things right into the kicking-off point.
Ricardo Wang
Coming from KPSU.org‘s What’s This Called? (a program I guest star on a fair amount), Ricardo Wang will provide a half-time DJ set full of his own selections and manipulations to keep the mood flowing at Slim’s. Drink up, but don’t miss his set, whatever you do.
Delusions of Parasitosis (from Eugene, OR!)
Collage-focused pyche from this long-time recording nut behind Catatonic Studios. This is where the delirium tremens set in.
The Black Noise Orchestra
Presenting an audio-theater version of the classic science fiction story, “First Contact,” BNO is test-piloting their new improvised-collage tactics in preparation of their performance at No Fest in August. While we’ve said this before, this is the first time the BNO will be appearing in front of an audience, and the first time they will be performing this material. This should be great!
All the while, we’ll be recording an performing live for a radio audience! Be a part of the show. Witness as the show is hosted by Austin Rich! Prepare to enjoy the intersection of live music and improvised radio. You won’t be sorry.
Celebrating the addition of The Night Shift to BlasphuphmusRadio.com, I decided to join Miss Rikki & Tunacan Jones via astral projecting for a succinct hour of OG coldwave and shenanigans. I was really excited that Miss Rikki let me play a much larger role in this episode than the last time I was on this show, and as we DJed our favorite new and old goth treats, we also got to have an incredible time just shooting the shit with regards to our mutual spooky tastes.
If you are new to The Night Shift, and are wondering what this show is all about, then this is a really good episode to start with. If you enjoy this program, then you should check out The Night Shift tumblr, where you can find all the previous episodes. You can also start podcasting this program, too, adding regular new episodes to your aggregator of choice.
This show was a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it too.
Episode 022
01.) The Prisoner * No Tears
02.) Shivers * Zola Jesus
03.) Lust For Death * Foetus
04.) No Escape * Cabaret Voltaire * Mix Up
05.) Monoton * She Past Away
06.) God’s Hotel * Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
07.) Bite Me – Blood Moon * Velton Ray Bunch
08.) Magic * Alien Sex Fiend * Open Head Surgery
09.) Give Me A Sign * File Not Found
10.) No More Ghosts * Neuroticfish
11.) Tick Tock Blues * Manual Sex Drive
The great thing about Closet Radio and Blasphuphmus Radio joining forces is that I can just swing by Miss Rikki’s show to sit back and enjoy some fun. While I had little to do with the selection of music for this episode (that was all Rikki), we had an excellent time shooting the shit, enjoying the tunes, and doing what radio does best.
For this show, Tunacan Jones was there to join us for our rambling conversations about the most important thing we never address directly. Tunacan is a stella force in the world of Closet Radio, and I only regret that I was on the mic longer than him.
I had a great time at this show, and I hope you enjoy our work together, too. This will be happening much more often in the coming years, and I’m really excited to be a part of this show. While I got all of that out of this two hours, you get to benefit even more by hearing some amazing music.
Enjoy!
Playlist:
01.) Soap Theme Song
02.) Soho Hobo * The Soho Heroes
03.) Black Ship In The Underworld * Current 93
04.) As John Belushi Said * Television Personalilties
05.) Sister Found The Cure * The Limit Club
06.) Mata Delores * The Screamers
07.) Joe Meek Warns Buddy Holly * Thomas Truax
08.) Donnie Darko * Tim Minchin
09.) Strange Movies * Troggs
10.) I’m Not An Animal * The Blind Shake
11.) Twinkie Insanity Verdict * Blenderhead
12.) Step Right Up * Dr. Octopus
13.) Bardot’s Dance * Bertrand Burgalat
14.) Kerouac Never Drove Alone * Hypermarket f/ Richard Meltzer
15.) Higgs Boson Blues * Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
16.) Checkers Speech * Mr. T Experience
17.) Gary Gilmore & The Island of Dr. Moreau * Chain Gang
18.) Gangster Funk * Crime
19.) Cha Cha Heels * Bronski Beat f/ Eartha Kitt
20.) German Film Star * Sushi Robo
21.) No Quarter * Led Zepplin
22.) I’m Gonna Dig Up Howlin’ Wolf * Mojo Nixon
A good friend to both Ricardo Wang and myself, Paco Jones has played on both of our shows a number of times, and it a performer like no other. Following with his heart, he produced music that is singularly his. While the sounds range from singer-songwriter inclinations, and ranges through the furthest reaches of experimental, to add these descriptors to him feels a bit like cheating. Paco Jones is Paco Jones, and to hear him is to know what he’s all about.
With that in mind, this show displays his talents in a number of beautiful ways. First, we get a few samplings from his recorded work. Then, Paco performs the entirety of his new release, A Second Chance Again, in addition to a song he wrote about recording this EP with Steve Fisk. Then, Ricardo and Paco sit down to discuss music and art to close out the show. If you’re looking for an entrance into this unique artist’s work, this is the show for you.
It’s always fun to work with Ricardo, and I’m very pleased with how this show turned out. Special thanks should also be given to Tunacan Jones, who not only lent a hand with the show, but filmed the black and white video clip that you see above. Tunacan: you rock.
Paco’s 2nd live appearance on What’s This Called? this time with piano and new ep produced by Steve Fisk in tow! Paco Jones Live on What’s This Called? with Austin Rich engineering.
The Fourth of July Picnic: partially cannibalized from a Negativland release, this is a july forth presentation that was a lot of fun to put together. Hopefully, you’ll agree!
Live From An Actual 4th of July BBQ: Mixed with some killer tunes and a live phone call to an actual BBQ, this is one of my all-time favorite shows from the first wave of KPSU broadcasts. Enjoy!
New Shows! We’ve expanded our network to include two new shows:
Closet Radio! You can now podcast this program for free from iTunes. We also host all the back episodes on our server. Everything is available, for free or download!
The Night Shift! We’ve also added a goth show! You can paste this link into your RSS aggregator of choice, and enjoy all the back episodes from us, too.
01.) Video Games Buried In The Desert * By The End Of Tonight * Fireworks On Ice
02.) Your Street vs. Wall Street * The Oxes * The Oxes
03.) New Laws * Don Caballero * For Respect
04.) The Pittmans 4th of July Speech * Bob & Ray * The Lost Tapes Vol. 2
Social media has come to dominate every part of our lives. People share music, movies, trips to the coast and, yes, photos of their breakfasts in an effort to journal publicly, in real time, day in and day out. As we are constantly plugged into our Myfacester+ accounts through computers in our pockets, our desk and/or lap oriented tops, and the coffeemaker we program to greet us each day, as we live out the longest, daily-broadcast reality show where no plot advances, no characters develop, and no one is ever voted off of anything.
It is time for a change.
The Facebook Fiction Initiative is an attempt to create something interesting out the deluge of lack-of-status updates, consta-grams, and the digital ejaculate we are swimming in daily. Let’s remove the Non-Fiction from our timelines, and start making things up as we interact with each other.
As the simulacrum of social interaction begins to slowly replace the actual social interaction we used to value, we must remind each other that the 1 and 0 lives we live should not be confused for the so-called real deal that our physical bodies are constantly undergoing. With each fictional post you make to social media, you reclaim your experiential existence outside of screens in a way that no amount of eBaying can fulfill. If we can draw a hard line between the conversations we have in person, and the fictional ones we pretend to have via the Inter-Web-A-Tron, we can ignore the crippling notion that the future is becoming more and more impersonal, and slowly killing our everyday existence.
So: log into your social media accounts. Fill them with made up ideas, slightly believable lies, photoshopped impossible images, and excerpts from the novel you’ve been writing in your head. Promise yourself that you will never post a Truth to your Twitter, never a fact in your Facebook, and that Tumblr will be full of fanciful wonder.
The Facebook Fiction Initiative: taking back social media from The Horrible Truth. You can make a difference, if you start lying today.
Brought to you by BlasphuphmusRadio.com. WE NOW LIVE IN THE FUTURE!
Happy Father’s Day everyone! As we continue to attempt new and exciting things on our program, we are experimenting with a radio format that has more or less disappeared from the dial in the last several decades: a Radio Almanac. These kinds of programs were a kind of variety show, where news, historic anecdotes, music, dramatic readings, sketch comedy, and more were all put in a blender and presented as part of a broadcast for your entertainment. With that in mind, here is my first attempt at something like this, inspired by one of the last great people to attempt something like this, Mr. Orson Welles himself!
I’ve been more than a little obsessed with him lately. (If you aren’t really listening to it already, then you should start podcasting Orson Welles On The Air IMMEDIATELY.) His radio broadcasts were incredible, and in the days where he was the king of radio, he was also at the height of his powers. It’s also incredibly unusual to hear Orson perform comedy, as much of his other career has erased from memory the fact that he was good at it, too. I’ve been looking for a way to sneak his material into our program, and when I hit upon the idea of trying my hand at this kind of radio. As this is my first stab at it, I’m still zeroing in on what does (and doesn’t) work in this format. Hopefully, I can iron out all the kinks as time goes on.
Debuting in this episode is the beginning of my serialization of the incredible Sci-Fi classic, The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs. (As I like to say, “The OTHER Burroughs.”) As I began reading this book, I was stunned at the kind of story I was being hit with, which is equal parts Flash Gordon and Jorge Borges. I’ve been kicking around the idea of adding new features to the program, and this seemed like the perfect way to introduce something new and something old at the same time. In this episode, I read the Prologue of this novel. Chapter One, hopefully, will be coming soon.
Father Songs abound in this episode, and I also try to give a little background on this particular holiday, centered around everyone’s favorite patriarch. However, this show should be suitable for all members of the family, whether you have a father or not. Consider this a mish-mash of the kinds of things I love, and hopefully, stuff you love, too.
Enjoy!
Father’s Day Special
01.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 14 June 1944
02.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 21 June 1944
03.) Father * The Great Society * Collector’s Item * Columbia Records
04.) On A Frontier of Fables [Excerpt] * Jonn Serrie * Planetary Chronicles, Volume II * Miramar, Miramar Records
05.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 14 June 1944
06.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 21 June 1944
07.) My Father * King Missile III * The Psychopathology of Everyday Life * Instinct Records
08.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 21 June 1944
09.) Father * Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 * Admonishing The Bishops * Matador Records
10.) On A Frontier of Fables [Excerpts] * Jonn Serrie * Planetary Chronicles, Volume II * Miramar, Miramar Records
11.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 21 June 1944
12.) Father’s Song * Stinking Lizavetta * Tolotta Records
13.) Orson Welles Radio Almanac [Excerpts] * 21 June 1944
Continuing our presentation of the infamous KABC-TV broadcast from 1982, we bring you Part II of our “We Destroy The Family” series. In Part II, Paul Moyer continues his “expose” on the Punk Problem in America, by interviewing the Hodgins’ Family (Rod, Carolyn, Rod Jr. & Rhonda), as they discuss the problems that exist in their formerly happy household. To accompany today’s installment, I include some of The Grumpy Punk’s favorite songs from the period. (Here’s a link to Part I, as it was several months ago that we ran this previous episode.)
In a lot of ways, this is the beginning of Reality TV as we know it. The TV Crew is very clearly leaving out a lot. They focus on both the parents and kids worst clips, and really paint them all as entirely dysfunctional. However, as someone who knew a lot of kids like this, they are probably leaving out stuff like the parents own alcoholism, the sense of community that the punk scene offers, and the moments when the family is acting like… well, a family. The problems exhibited here are not new, or even that terrible, but really just the way life is. Parents and kids will always clash over ideals like this, and while it doesn’t mean that it is the end of suburban life as we know it, the horrible truth is that very soon, Green Day will dominate the pop charts, punk will become completely co-opted into popular fashion and culture, and Dubstep will become just as reviled as this was. And you really should see how pleasant these kids are on film. Here’s the link:
Special thanks again to DJ Swill, who clued me into this video. He and The Grumpy Punk have been really good friends for years now, and we bond over this kind of music. It is, no matter how you slice it, my bread and butter, the kind of music that really gets me going, and makes me happy. Hopefully, you can gleefully laugh at a once naive time in our past.
Here’s this week’s History Lesson.
Enjoy!
We Destroy The Family Part II
01.) We Destroy The Family: Punks vs. Parents * KABC-TV * A Public Affairs Presentation
02.) Suburban Home * The Descendants * Milo Goes To College
03.) We Destroy The Family * Fear * The Record * Slash Records
04.) Programmed Children * McRad * Dominant Force
05.) I Don’t Care * The Kids * The Kids
06.) I Believe I’ll Have Another Beer * Fear * Have Another Beer With Fear
07.) Sheena Is A Punk Rocker * The Ramones * Rocket To Russia
08.) Dance With Me * TSOL * Dance With Me
09.) Mom & Dad * The Theoretical Girls * Theoretical Records
10.) What’s Your Problem * Circle Jerks * Group Sex
A few months ago Blasphuphmus Radio was given the unique opportunity to participate in an incredible show at Habesha Lounge, featuring a number of incredible artists who had also made an appearance on What’s This Called?earlier that same day. It was a pretty incredible day of music, and I was more than happy to participate in running sound, and hanging out with some cool dudes.
However, this show was unique, in that I actually performed as part of the headlining act. That’s right, I got to perform with The Dead Air Fresheners, the first time I’d done any kind of experimental music since the mid ’90’s. It was incredibly nerve wracking, and I was lucky that the small hangover I had was all that I earned that particular evening.
The performances in this show were incredible, and I’m really happy with the way they came out. I was still trying to dial in how I would record artists live, and while I have some bugs to work out, this is a fantastic representation of what I can (and will be) doing with this show in the future. If you aren’t already fans of these guys, I recommend tracking down some other stuff by all of them. They are all very good at melting your mind in the best of ways.
For the performance with The Dead Air Fresheners, I interpreted a story titled “The Book of Karen,” from The Bible of Blasphuphmus, a re-interpretation of a story written by kiisu d’salyss, THE Pope of The Church of Blasphuphmus. It’s an old story, and quite near and dear to the members of the church. I was told after the performance that I did the story proud, and hopefully you enjoy the work we did here as well.
While this podcast is edited together to give you a full presentation of what this show was like, you can also enjoy each of the individual performances as their own individual downloads on our Bandcamp Page. These downloads are free, but you can always make a donation to help support the cause.
Otherwise, I’ll let this one speak for itself. Enjoy!
Last weekend I took a much needed vacation to the mountains of Northern California, outside of Auburn. It has been a long time since I took a paid vacation, and I wanted nothing more than to go out into the forrest and spend some time drinking whiskey, reading Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, and watching the campfire burn deep into the night.
Needless to say, it was AWESOME.
Of course, being in the state of Jefferson, camping, and attempting to clear my mind of modern life, I was quickly reminded of Richard Brautigan, and this excerpt from his most well-known work. I have had an affinity for Brautigan and his work for a number of years now, and this is not the first time I’ve taken to reading his work on the radio. His voice really speaks to me in a number of ways, and he is never really far from my thoughts. Any chance I can combine radio and his work, you know I’m going to get really excited.
The campfire sounds heard in this episode were recorded on 26 May 2013, at our campsite. It was the first time I’ve tried to record a fire, and I learned a few things about how to do it properly after the fact. There are already a number of plans for future trips this summer, and hopefully I can bring you more recordings like this.
In a new-ish segment to our program, I decided to rundown the rocktacular weekend of amazing music that I got to experience. Up first: the 17th of May at The Doug Fir, with none other than the incredible Man… Or Astro-Man? Their show was incredible, and lived up to the quality of performance that they delivered two years ago, when they also dropped by Portland for a sort of “best-of” performance. This time, they have new material, a new guitar player, and new releases! This mini-show contains three tracks from their new 7″s releases by Chunklet Industries, that I picked up at the show. Enjoy!
I also go on to plug the marathon day of radio on the 18th of May, where I appeared in seven out of 8 hours of radio on KPSU. In that span of time, I managed to cover Ricardo Wang’s What’s This Called?, delivering a two-part audio essay, and ran sound for three bands: Gaytheist, Sweat Lodge & No Bone. In that time, I got to hang with Tunacan Jones, Jonathon Boober, and Miss Rikki Lee. During that time, I got to include a number od DJ selections, and ran sound for all the bands. It was a pretty crazy day, and I had a great time. Links and posts are forthcoming, but in the meantime I wanted to blab about it, so here you go.
I also close the show with a little solo jam, just me and my pedal.
Short and to the point. Just like some radio should be.
While my mark is probably the smallest on this hour of broadcasting, I was fortunate enough to be there while Miss Rikki busted out an incredible hour of goth rock in this knock-down, drag out version of a show she normally co-hosts with DJ Sabby Tabby. The Night Shift helps fill the void that is the lack of goth and goth-related things on the radio, and not a moment too soon, I might add.
For this episode, I managed to get a few things that I picked into the rotation, but really, this is a Miss Rikki show, if I ever heard one. I was quite happy to be a part of it, and very happy to get things sorted for the bands that appear in the hours proceeding it. As someone who loves to Rock Out With Your Goth Out from time to time, this is the kind of show that is sorely needed.
And now you can hear it. Enjoy!
Episode 15
01.) Song With No Name * Deadboy & The Elephantmen
02.) Corpse in My Bed * Creature Feature
03.) I Spit Roses * Peter Murphy
04.) I’m Trapped In A Sewer With A Confessed Arsonist!
05.) Closure * Opeth
06.) Monitor * Siouxsie & the Banshees
07.) Tokyo, la Nuit * Lescop
08.) Man With The X-Ray Eyes * Bauhaus
09.) Turn It Off * Drive Like Jehu
10.) Help Me Kill Myself * Digital Leather
11.) Hungry Hand * Scarring Party
This was an insane day. Starting at 12 Noon, I went through an eight hour marathon of radio, which included special coverage for What’s This Called?, no less than three live performances (one of which was the incredible Gaytheist), a three-way DJ Throwdown with Jonathon Boober and Miss Rikki, and then three hours of rock a la The Night Shift and Closet Radio. It was a whole lost of rock and roll for one day, and I was really excited to be a part of the show. Now, finally, after all this time, you can now hear the results.
Working with Miss Rikki is always a pleasure, and when she wants to book a band to play her show, you know that you are in for a treat. For this particular performance, we had two bands on tour from San Francisco: Sweat Lodge, who were touring on their most recent demo tape, and No Bone, who had to strip down their set to a slim five minutes to make it “radio friendly.” Needless to say, the studio was full of ne’er do wells and rock and rollers, all focused on having a good time. Fortunately, I was able to catch most of it on film.
This show contains all the usual bells and whistles: live music, DJing, interviews, and the assistance of Tunacan Jones, a new friend who is a great addition to the world of Closet Radio. This program is one of the best blasting forth from the speakers of young folks all over the world, and I’m always really happy to engineer shows like this.
The love don’t stop on this eight-hour extravaganza of incredible music happiness, and covering for the Whitechapel Circus this week, we presented three unique blocks of radio that completely capture our own unique personalities as DJs. For radio nerds, this is an interesting opportunity to see these two hours develop as we transition from one to the other. All three of have parallel – yet singular – visions of radio and music (and how they combine), and while it is easy enough to tell where one ends and the other begins, as a whole there is a cohesion that is compelling, and really fuckin’ rocks, too.
Kicking things off, Jonathon Boober launches into some of his favorite tunes that have been treating him right in recent months. His old program, Hogwash Hodgepodge & Musical Detritus, was an incredible show that was well worth your time, and I regularly lament that it is no longer a part of the KPSU line-up. However, you should check out his TV Show, Please Remain Seated, featuring cutting edge talk, music, art, & performance. His selections in music are incredible, and any time he is on the decks, you should listen.
Toward the middle of the first hour, he and I start trading off selections in the tradition of great DJ Battles of the past. This leads into a miniature solo-set, kicking off the top of hour two. This set gets a little strange, admittedly, but is a good companion piece to the 12 Noon hour from earlier in the day. I’m quite pleased with the results, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it too. It’s an experimental Firesign / Folkways mash-up? Maybe?
Then, toward the second half of the second hour, Miss Rikki jumps in to finish things off, while I start setting up the next two bands who will appear on Closet Radio. While hosting two programs herself – both of which follow their own complex and thorny paths through goth and punk rock – her interests are quite varied and impressive, and I usually find a few gems I have never heard, coupled with a few moldy oldies that I haven’t heard in ages.
What makes this show interesting (to me) is that we are really just making it up as we go. None of us had discussed what we were gonna do, and it really develops by the seat of our pants. This is a kind of radio that is rarely done: whatever your inspiration is at the moment, run with it. While it’s not for everyone, it is definitely my cup of tea.
Setlist to come. In the meantime: enjoy!
Three Sided Record
Jonathon Boober
01.) I Hate You * The Monks * Black Monk Time
02.) Some Fool’s Mess * Gallon Drunk
03.) Station To Station * Melvins * Everybody Loves Sausages
04.) Heart Attack & Vine * Nels Cline & Lydia Lunch * New Coat Of Paint: The Songs of Tom Waits
05.) Can’t Stay Long * Ultravox * Systems of Romance
Jonathon Boober & Austin Rich
06.) Pocket Calculator * Kraftwerk * Computer World
07.) Showroom Dummies * Senor Coconut * El Baile Aleman
08.) Golden Hours * Brian Eno * Another Green World
09.) Wooly Bully * Eddie & The Hot Rods
10.) Then She Remembers * The Dream Syndicate * The Days of Wine And Roses
11.) Wild Thing * The Creatures
12.) Blue Cowboy * Greg Sage * Straight Ahead
Sounds of Insects by Austin Rich
13.) Your Empathy [Excerpt] * Greg Sage * Straight Ahead
14.) Suburban Sounds (Crickets and temperature; Crickets chirp at slow speeds) * A.T. Gaul * Sounds of Insects * Folkways Records
15.) Black Sea * Fennesz * Black Sea
16.) Insect Flight (Inside a hornet; pre-flight warm-up; fatigue experiment) * A.T. Gaul * Sounds of Insects * Folkways Records
17.) Perfume For Winter * Fennesz * Black Sea
18.) Insect Flight (Wing-beat vs. load; flight-light experiment; in a hornet nest)
19.) Grey Scale * Fennesz * Black Sea
Godotterdämmerung by Austin Rich
20.) Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him * The Firesign Theater * The Firesign Theater Presents “Waiting For the Electrician or Someone Like Him”
21.) Moving * Rust Ionics * Moving / Pictures LP
Miss Rikki
22.) Persistence of Vision * RPM Orchestra
23.) Prisoner of Love* Ace Cannon * The Moanin’ Sax of Ace Cannon
24.) Alice Wading * Dirty Three
25.) Behind The House * Neko Case
26.) Mother of Earth * DM Bob & The Deficits
27.) She’s Not There * Vanilla Fudge
28.) Fall Apart * Starlings
Holy Crap! Gaytheist! And I got to record them! If you don’t already know them, then the metal fan inside of you is frowning furiously, sad that you would deprive him of such excellent music. I’ve been a fan of these guys since my friend, The Judge, took me to see them at Rontoms. They so completely blew me away, that I actually went and saw them again – later that same day! – at The People’s Sandwich Shop. While there are a number of reference points that are completely up my ally, their sound is unique, their style is impeccable, and their songs are miniature metal narratives, complete in the form, and brilliant in their execution.
I’ve been grooving on their new record, Hold Me… But Not So Tight, which comes out on Tuesday, but you can hear them play live selections from it, and a number of their other excellent tunes, in this performance, hosted by Jonathon Boober. As we attempt to recreate the magic we had during our infamous RABBITS show from way-back-when, we also get a chance to hang out with some stand-up gents. If you like what you hear, then you should check out their series of album release shows, starting with a performance of 22 May 2013 at The White Owl Social Club. Boober did a fantastic job of holding down the show, and I was really excited to be able to run sound for these guys. A video of their performance is also forthcoming.
Stay tuned, as this was just a fraction of the radio we did yesterday. Enjoy!
Gaytheist, LIVE!
01.) Live Performance Part I * Gaytheist * 18 May 2013
Part I
02.) Rebellious Jukebox * The Fall * Live At The Witch Trials
03.) Live Performance Part II * Gaytheist * 18 May 2013
Covering for Ricardo Wang, I storm the KPSU studios for an audio essay centering around two selections from The Strange Doctor Weird, a radio program from the 1940’s featuring the voice of Maurice Tarplin as the titular character, written by Robert A. Arthur and directed by Jock McGregor. The program is, in many ways, a sequel to The Mysterious Traveler, a program from which many of the Doctor Weird stories were culled from. These versions, told in 15 minute segments, appeared on a number of stations as material that could easily fill out an hour or programming, and was most well known as being sponsored by Adam Hats, who could afford their own radio program in those days.
Accompanying these stories is a live performance by me, as I mix and apply effects to sounds made in the studio, as well as the sounds of recorded music by The Black Noise Orchestra and Yellow Crystal Star. This performance, in many ways, is in preparation for my NoFest appearance coming in August. I’m really excited about this show, and I need the practice. So consider this show a “practice” session for that show.
During this show, Tunacan Jones was lurking around in the studio, and he helped influence the direction of this audio essay. It’s also Part I of a multi-part radio appearance, which is slowly making it’s way to the podcast-o-sphere. But until then, this humble beginning is available.
Enjoy.
The Strange Doctor Weird!
Part I: Journey Into The Unknown
01.) Excerpt * The Black Noise Orchestra * 20 September 2006
02.) Journey Into The Unknown * The Strange Doctor Weird! * 21 November 1944
03.) Nine Thousand And Second Amaranth Shower [Excerpt] * Yellow Crystal Star * Rainbow Bridge To Nonlocality: Myriad Forms of You
Part II: The Man Who Knew Everything
04.) Excerpt * The Black Noise Orchestra * 27 December 2006
05.) The Man Who Knew Everything * The Strange Doctor Weird! * 20 March 1945
06.) Up Under: Triumph, The Mask Melted Away To Reveal The Way * Yellow Crystal Star * Rainbow Bridge To Nonlocality: Myriad Forms of You
The Restoration (Featuring a selection of new-ish things that I’m really grooving on these days, coupled with some old-fashioned audio-essay collages.)
With all that has been happening here in the Lava Lamp Lounge (as part of our 15th Anniversary), there has been little time to produce an old-fashioned radio show, the kind the OG Blasphuphmites used to make in olden times. (Somewhere around 1991.) But I promise, we have been brewing up some cool things for you, and this will continue over the summer, as fun stuff that is only in the theoretical stages at this point begin to solidify. In the meantime, I decided to turn down the lights, put on the headphones, and kick out the jams, motherfuckers.
Consisting mostly of new-ish-er stuff that I’ve been grooving on lately, this show is in three parts. “Ham On Rye” consisted of a collage I threw together, to feature some experimental artists I’ve been getting off on lately. It had been a while since I did a “smaller” collage like this, and I really had a good time with it. Hopefully, you’re down as well. Part II is definately a more “punk” set, and I was really stoked to feature all of these bands, most of which have been on the show, will be on the show, or are friends of the show. There’s also a mini-collage during the Sweat Lodge track, which I’m rather fond of. Part III is where I get a little political, but also just throw some Russian Satanic Metal. Ya know, for fun.
There are so many cool things happening in the next few months, I hardly have time to mention them all. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of Lost In The Supermarket, our digital compilation that we released at the Blas-Travaganza. Speaking of: there are some cool things being developed from the media we captured that weekend. Our next scheduled live broadcast will be happening from NoFest 6 in August, so mark the date, and DO NOT forget to tune in the Saturday, starting at Noon at going until 8 PM, where myself, Johnathon Boober (of Please Remain Seated) and Miss Rikki will be hosting Gaytheist, Sweat Lodge, and No Bone, in addition to a number of DJ sets and other madness. It will rule, and you will love it.
I’m really proud of this show, so I will now let it speak for itself.
Enjoy!
The Restoration
Part I: Ham On Rye
01.) Second Time Around * Blue Cheer * Vincebus Eruptum
02.) The Uncomfortable Comfortable * Overdose The Katatonic * Absolute Insult
03.) From Ham On Rye (1982) * Charles Bukowski * Uncensored: From The Run With The Hunted Session
04.) Part Four * Death Pact Jass Ensemble * Absolute Insult
05.) Moth To A Flame [Excerpt] * Holy Filament * Year One
06.) Plague of Madness * Moth Hunter * Dust
Part II: Uncool
07.) And Giraffe, Natural Enemies [Excerpt] * OXES * OXES
08.) The Restoration * Gaytheist * Hold Me… But Not So Tight
09.) Protest Protest * /root_DIR * /root_DIR
10.) Weed: It’s Just Like Jesus But Better Because It’s Real * The Thrash-Key Kids * Free Abortions
11.) Circus * Sweat Lodge * Cassette Demo
12.) Uncool * Del Close & John Brent * How to Speak Hip
Part III: Don’t Play With Guns
13.) Autumn Set [Excerpt] * The Black Noise Orchestra * Autumn Set
14.) Interview Excerpts * Ted Nugent & Piers Morgan * 5 February 2013
15.) Don’t Play With Guns * The Black Angels * Indigo Meadow
16.) Люцифер (Lucifer) * Коррозия Металла * Орден Сатаны (Order of Satan)
17.) Side Effects of Being Tired * Unwound * Live In London 12″
Has that itch to hear something new been scratched? Do your playlists include Ramones, Merzbow, Screamers, GWAR, & Game Theory? Are you looking for a reason to tilt your head toward the stereo and say, “Fuck yeah!” Then look no further. You are ready to get Lost In The Supermarket.
This collection of 20 artists comes to you from friends of Blasphuphmus Radio.com. What unites these artists are our unique perspective on a world defined by the economics of the 21st Century. The collection is an free-association audio essay through the minds and malls of the world we live in. It also happens to feature a number of incredible artists, like:
Gaytheist will be performing a slew of Record Release shows throughout the Northwest to offer fans a chance to pick up this mirthful metal music disc, but you can catch a sneak preview here, hosted by Jonathan Boober of Please Remain Seated, and engineered by Austin Rich of BlasphuphmusRadio.com. Then, if you like what you hear, drop by on May 22nd at The White Owl Social Club for a live show with Red Fang. And, for the truly fagnostic, follow them on tour in June to Tacoma and Seattle.
Gaytheist’s Hold Me… But Not So Tight, out now on Good To Die Records. Get a sneak peak on May 18th, at 2 PM, brought to you by Please Remain Seated & BlasphuphmusRadio.com
Closing out the Blas-Travaganza, the final selection by the Dead Air Fresheners with myself on vocals, “The End.” This was a fantastic way to close out two days of merriment, insanity, and excellent music, and as the show drew to an end, this was the only way I could imagine wrapping things up.
Day 2
I have to say, putting together this show was a really transformative event. I’ve put on shows in the past, have DJed on the air and in front of crowds, and even have a birthday show for my 30th that was pretty wild, but this really blew all of that out of the water. Over two days every kind of emotion and thought went through me, and having my friends and favorite bands there for me was a feeling that really awoke in me a sense of accomplishment. I am not a perfect person, and there will always be rough edges and flaws in the things I do and become involved with. However, those flaws make me love this stuff even more, and as I’ve become more comfortable in my skin, I can only imagine the things I’ll be able to accomplish in the next 15th years.
Special thanks to my incredible girlfriend, who is supportive and understanding, in a way that few people in this world are. She makes all of this possible, as much as I do.
Composed of many of my friends, and members of other bands I’ve loved over the years, Gordon Taylor – or, THE Gordon Taylor, according to their drummer – might be my favorite band of all time. It is hard to tell exactly what it is about them that really makes me love them so much. They have a quality to their earnestness, and a sense of wonder that captures my intellectual interests, as well as my libidinal desire to rock. Each of them has a skill with their instrument of choice that really allows themselves to cut loose in ways they don’t normally. Every time I’ve been able to see them is a moment that I treasure to this day, and when I heard that they would play as part of the Blas-Travaganza, I knew they would be the perfect headliners for Day 2.
Day 2
The Gordon Taylor is one of those things that defies description, and instead just begs you to dance. While no official document of their work has ever been released, the two times they played on my show, and the time I was allowed to join them on tour, are some of the most important moments of my life. They have always been honest with me, in every way, and the fact that they were willing to join me for this show means the world to me.
I love them, and I can only hope that you love them as much as I do, too.
Continuing to bring you the fantastic recordings made as part of our Blas-Travaganza, next up we have the incredible sounds of Moth Hunter. No stranger to our show, Moth Hunter has been building and recording with his home-made oddities for some time, but rarely performs in front of an audience, instead reclining in his home studio. After some negotiations, he was more than happy to make one of these appearances as part of our show, and he managed to blow the top off of Slim’s with his mind-melting electronic psychedelia.
Day 2
Our recent radio collaborations have been really impressive, and he’s been able to stretch out and deliver some of his most incredible work as part of our show. He also contributed the final track to our digital compilation, Lost In The Supermarket, where he delivers a fantastic solo composition that is pretty intense. It is alway a pleasure to work with him, and I can only hope that this performance is as impressive to you as it is to me.
Like an overlooked Greek Play, the second act our our Dead Air trilogy – “The Middle” – is the half-way point in Day 2 of the Blas-Travaganza. Things get confusing, the mood shifts, this becomes that, and everything changes, briefly, as we interlude into the final act of our program.
Day 2
Working with The Dead Air Fresheners is odd, in that you are never really sure who you are working with, and therefore aren’t always able to plan around them. Working on these pieces has also been challenging for me, as I have had to meet them on their turf, territory which I haven’t traveled in quite some time. However, I feel like we managed to get into a groove, and I’m quite fond of the performances we gave this night.
One of my favorite parts of hosting a radio program is introducing people to new music and new bands… and specifically, featuring bands that are brand-spankin’ new. Snatch Wagon isn’t quite new-new – they’ve played one song out here and there, under a different name – but this incarnation of their down-and-dirty music is fairly new-ish, and it was real honor to be able to bring them to you as part of the Blas-Travaganza.
Day 2
Their performance was very multi-media, with a narrator, slides illustrating the story, and songs (and covers) performed to help introduce you to the lifestyle of the Eastern-Portland denizen known as the “Crank Skank.” As nasty as they wanna be, these girls deliver the trailer park rock opera like you’ve never heard it before, and you can catch it all (minus the visuals) in this stellar download.
Probably one of the high-points of my life was been meeting their drummer, who introduced me to so many incredible artists that there isn’t a day that passes where I’m not listening to somethings she turned me onto. It only seems appropriate to have her be a part of the Blas-Travaganza, and I hope you enjoy this recording as much as I do.
It’s always fun when I get to work with any of the Battlesnakes, and they have been big supporters of our show since 2009. I’ve had the pleasure of living with half of this band, and chatting about records with both of them, and any chance you get to enjoy an Alpha Protist song, you know you are doing something right. That is why I was extremely excited to have them offer to cover for Josh Jones, when he had to cancel his performance for the Blas-Travaganza. It was sad not to get them on the bill initially, and excellent news when I found out we could make it work anyway.
Day 2
For a two-piece writing fairly mid-tempo music, they managed to fill Slim’s with a triumphant cacophony that really made me happy. Reference points may be useless when trying to describe them, but let it be said that they are passionate, dedicated, and earnest artists creating a racket that is extremely pleasing to the ears. While there isn’t an Alpha Protist track on the comp, a few of the Battlesnakes do turn up on Lost In The Supermarket, and I recommend you checking out their work on our Bandcamp site.
In the meantime, you can also enjoy this live performance… for now! They were gentlemen and scholars, and it was fantastic to have them as part of the Blas-Travaganza.
Lines
Lousse
The Old Wives
Darkened Car (Little Wings cover)
You Only Know How to Stop
Karmon Hadron
Frown Town
Sic Eros
Pioneering Dark
The Book I Write
Paint Over the Locks
Day 2 of our incredible Blas-Travaganza found us back in Historic St. John’s, and the excellent watering hole Slim’s, for a stellar line-up of weird and wonderful acts that were as wide ranging as they were rocking. Kicking off the show, I managed to work with none other than The Dead Air Fresheners, and presented a short piece we’ve been working on known as “The Beginning.”
Day 2
Getting to work with The Dead Air Fresheners has been one of the highlights of recent memory. I used to perform as a solo experimental artist under the name A.C.R.O.N.Y.M., and while I have been running sound and getting to know these guys over the last several years, performing with them has been a real treat. I’ve been lucky enough to work out these pieces with them over the last month, and our “debut” at Habesha Lounge on the 13th was fantastic. (Which will also be available soon from this very site.) They were also kind enough to donate a track to our comp, Lost In The Supermarket, which you can easily hear (and download) from our Bandcamp site, and I couldn’t be happier with the way this introduction to the show turned out.
This post will be available for the time being, but will eventually go away, so get it now! This performance is part of three pieces I did with The Dead Air Fresheners throughout the night, each of which adding to the overall awesomeness of this show. Enjoy!
Closing out Day 1 of our incredible Blas-Travaganza: the immortal Guyve! Now a three piece, and celebrating their 20th anniversary as a working band, Guyve have been friends of the show for a while, and every time I see them they have new chops that just blow my mind. Guyve create textures and atmospheres of metal and psychedelia that continue to mystify and blow minds. Guyve are not to be messed with, and when they agreed to play this show, I knew Day 1 would be fantastic.
Day 1
These guys have always been cool guys, and the number of examples I have of their incredible awesomeness would fill a blog post of it’s own. They were also kind enough to contribute a fantastic song for our just-released comp, Lost In The Supermarket, available now on our Bandcamp site. Their last album – their first ever vinyl release – is a fantastic representation of their show, and as a three piece, they not only have an even fuller sound, but they are even cool with more nice band members. Really, I couldn’t have been happier to have them on the bill, and my only regret is that there were so many people who did not get to see them.
Fortunately, you can enjoy this podcast for the time being. Thanks again to all the people at East End, and all the people who attended the show, and got to see this awesome show. Day 2 downloads should be available soon, but in the meantime: enjoy!
As we get into the back-end of the show, Thrust takes the stage to deliver their peculiar brand of psychedelic indie-rock. A fairly new outfit, their tight performances of largely instrumental music makes a good pairing with the headliners after them. While I only know the drummer (who used to play in Cathead), their guitar player manages to cut through the tangle of guitar lines to melodies and riffs that will open up your mind, and beg you to listen.
Day 1
It was incredibly considerate of them to come up from Eugene for this performance, and I really owe them a debt of gratitude for rounding out the bill. Keep an eye peeled for them as you make a tour through the Willamette valley, and until then, you can download this performance and check them out.
This show did not start out as an opportunity for Cathead to reform. Let’s make that abundantly clear up front. This was never the intention, nor the desire from the start. However, as several of us began to realize that we would be in the same room together, it wasn’t long before WANC Records contacted us about a “Contractual Obligation Performance” required at the 20 year mark of our first forming. We hemmed and hawed, and really tried to resist, but in the end it was apparent: Cathead would take the stage again.
Day 1
Cathead was never about being fantastic performers, or even about having songs or music, per se. Our avant-punk stylings were more about a sort of abstract performance art, a sort of loaf-core-taken-to-the-next-level band, where all of our most terrible, awful, and despicable ideas were funneled into one band. We had a rule in Cathead: when you say, “I have a really bad idea,” no other band member can refuse the suggestion, and pretty soon it wasn’t hard to get behind a one-off reunion.
This hadn’t been the first time the idea came up. In 2006, the idea of a reunion came up, and we even went so far as to write two new songs, which both appear in this performance, in addition to a sort of “tour” through Cathead’s catalog, focusing on the songs we wrote with Syd Louse. (Die-hard Cathead fans will remember that there was a later incarnation, minus Syd. However, we could not locate Scratchy The Raving Derelict for this performance, and thus decided to drop our later-period songs.) In typical Cathead fashion, we practiced once before this show.
I would like to thank Duckfuzz – yet again – for completely failing to open for us.
In a way, the show was exactly like old Cathead shows, with the added exceptions that we were drinking, something we would have never added to our chemical compositions back in the day, and we actually sounded a little better than we ever did back then. This is probably going to be the final statement of this particular brand of expression, only because some of us may not make it to the 50 Year reunion outlined in our awful contract with WANC.
Included are a few shots from the audience.
Thanks again for letting me put a quarter in the ride, and enjoying one last march across the stage.
Part II of our fantastic Blas-Travaganza includes the gride-core stylings of /root_DIR!
Day 1
I’ve known Semi-Colin for quite some time, both from his days in Cathead with me, but also from his various other strange and incredible musical projects. His Catatonic Studios has become a bit of a mainstay of the Eugene, OR music scene, and when he’s not recording High School punks in exchange for beer, he’s creating crazy music that is not only fun to listen to, but pushes the boundaries of both muisic and Grind.
/root_DIR were also kind enough to supply a track to our digital compilation, Lost In The Supermarket. I know we’re plugging it a lot right now, but that’s because we’re really proud of the results, and think it includes some amazing work by some of our best musical friends. There are a few tracks on this disc recorded at Catatonic, and we are very happy to have this kind of partnership with such awesome dudes.
The Blas-Travaganza was a complete success, and while I have some specific ideas of how I would like to present all the amazing material that we documented over the two days, I just can’t wait to bring you the music that we were excited for on those days. So, first up, here is the complete performance by Portland’s very own, The Nervous!
Day 1
I love booking shows with my friends bands, not only because I like their music (honestly – there are a lot of friends I didn’t ask to play this event), but also because they are really easy to work with, and a lot of fun! I’ve known these guys for ages, and both Chris and Jesse have been a part of this show dating back to the ’90’s incarnation. As The Nervous, they are no strangers to the show, either, allowing me to interview them prior to any kind of live, public performances, and their Groundhog Day debut show is still in the archive, and will surface at some point in the future. (You can watch the video over here, if you just can’t wait.)
While you’re enjoying some music and whatnot, why not check out our digital compilation, released at this show, and featuring a track by The Nervous? Lost In The Supermarket is a collection of songs recorded by friends of the program, and is available now to stream, and for a small donation, to download as well. Attendees managed to receive free download codes, packaged with a blank CD to use any way they see fit. You can get this per-assembled version from me, or download the entire collection from the link above. The Nervous were really kind enough to donate a track, and I was very happy to include them.
I was really happy to have them kick-off the Blas-Travaganza. Not only are they a lot of fun, but they set a good mood and tone for the weekend, and I was really happy to include them on the bill. As more and more A/V is uncovered and available, I’ll be posting more and more stuff to connect with these recordings. Additionally, these will only be available in their unedited format for a limited time, as I have some sneaky plans for both the video and audio.
But in the meantime, enjoy this fantastic nerd-rock treat. Please: send you photos, videos, and anything else you captured of these guys. All of it will be used in some form or another!
Nine Bands! Two Reunions! Two Venues! Two Digital Album Releases! Live Radio! Come witness an event that only happens once every 15 Years, as we bring you:
The 15th Anniversary Blas-Travaganza!
April 19th & 20th At East End & Slim’s
The Nervous, /root_DIR, Cathead, Thurst, Guyve, The Dead Air Fresheners, Moth Hunter, Snatch Wagon & Gordon Taylor join Austin Rich, as he broadcasts two Live Shows from two different venues on the anniversary of Dick Clark’s Death! For the first time ever, Blasphuphmus Radio will come to you live from a venue, to bring you music, audio hijinx, plenty of live guests, and a celebration of this peculiar thing he calls a hobby.
On the 15th of April, 1998, Austin Rich drunkenly stumbled into the KWVA studios in Eugene, OR, insisting that he was a DJ who worked as a clergyman for The Church of Blasphuphmus (Not Jesus). Surprisingly, he was not kicked out, but instead was offered a steady position, jockeying discs, interviewing locals, and trying to make sense of the elaborate musical tapestry that the universe consistently weaves. 15 years later, after stints at four different stations, he is still at it, creating and disseminating radiophonic memories from historic St. John’s every Tuesday. The complete Blasphuphmus Radio archives now reside at their very own website, where you can stream or download a large portion of the existing back episodes. You can also subscribe to the show in iTunes. However, the best way to enjoy the show is to come see it Live, April 19th & 20th of 2013, for music, merriment, and Live Radio from the comfort of your bar of choice. A Blas-Travaganza like this won’t happen again until the next time we do it, so Save The Date!
Day 1
Day 1: East End at 9 PM! $8.00 Cover gets you a free download card of Lost In The Supermarket, a Blasphuphmus Radio digital compilation!
East End (203 SE Grand Ave) has kindly offered their space for us to kick off our party, and what better way to get things started than a loud and rock show! As the Master of Ceremonies, Austin Rich will be hosting this evening of rock music, nostalgia, and anniversaries. We will also be releasing our very first digital release, Lost In The Supermarket, a collection of original compositions by many friends of the show! The price of admission gets you a free download card for this comp, and the chance to see our killer line-up, taking attendees through the world of Punk Rock, Metal, and all points in-between. We start with:
The Nervous
The Nervous(from Portland, OR)
In what will be their third live performance for local audiences, The Nervous will bring their special nerd-rock blend to East End for a full-on punk explosion! Reborn out of the ashes of Mondale, The Nervous are the perfect band to kick things off with as they present songs about girls, D’n’D, and achieving your PHD. The Nervous will anxiously introduce you to the weekend’s proceedings.
/root_DIR
/root_DIR (from Eugene, OR)
Within the corporate music industry’s system of continuous improvement, very little attention has been paid to the synergistic relations of business strategies such as 5-S, Six Sigma, SMED, and ISO 9004. This is where /root_DIR can satisfy consumer requirements by using results oriented grindcore management. By identifying any given series of musical notes and beats as a system, related resources can be managed systematically to achieve the most efficient and effective means of conveying sonic brutality. The leadership team of /root_DIR, Capps Lock and Semi-Colin, are specialists in their field. With a combined 25 years of grind, post-punk, heavy metal, and hardcore experience, /root_DIR is poised to become the premiere manufacturer of high quality power violence, crust punk, and grind core, all with with the lean-production efficiency of a two-piece band. For /root_DIR, our real product is the trust we build with our customers. Together, we can achieve excellence!!!!!
Cathead, 11 May 1995
Cathead 20th Anniversary Reunion! (from Globe, OR)
Performing live for the first time since 1996, and celebrating 20 years since their original formation, Cathead will be bring you a full live set to really get your motor runnin’. Having seen action from 1993 – 1996, Cathead brought their particular brand of avant-punk nonsense to stages in Eugene before splitting up in what was called, “The Most Sensible Thing They Band Has Every Done.” Now, in what they are calling “The Contractual Obligation Performance Of The Decade,” Performance Art vets Cathead will bring you all the sHits, new compositions written in 2006, and their own brand of subverted rock music, offering a rare chance to see this obscure outfit from the ‘90’s. Voted “Worst Band To Play Icky’s Teahouse” by none other than Sunshine himself, this will be a reunion not to be missed. Cathead will be selling, for the first time ever, download cards for their expanded edition of In Loving Memory Of Harold, a final document of their recorded output.
Thrust
Thrust (from Eugene, OR)
Thrust is Brandon Skinner and Todd Zimmerman. It is their misguided attempt to play their favorite bedtime horrorshow lullabies at double or triple speed. It has once been said that if this music were ever actually done correctly, people in the audience would spontaneously throw extra pairs of underwear over their current underwear….you know, for backup. They have managed to carve out a sound all their own with half the instruments of your average rock band. A relatively new group with metal tinges to their set, Thurst will be diverging from the nonsense of the openers to bring tight, loud compositions for a crowd of discerning rockers.
Guyve
Guyve 20th Year Celebration! (from Portland, OR by way of Ft. Peck, Montana.)
GUYVE is an experi-metal trio originally formed in 1993 on the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation in eastern Montana. Calling Oregon home since 2002, the group continues to produce raw and undeniably genuine sounds. With more than a dozen self releases to their name, the band is currently writing new material for their follow-up to last years vinyl LP, Delaying the Inevitable. GUYVE manifests a timeless, organic moment, musically rendering listeners into a state susceptible to insight. Wrought by physical intensity and dynamic volume the resultant non-spatial, out of body soundscape is a full on aural experience; Soma/psyche-delic tones with visible decibels. Clubs change names and scenes and trends ebb and flow, yet GUYVE continues to rock harder than ever with unparalleled integrity. Get out and support GUYVE as they celebrate their 20th year.
Day 2 finds us at Slim’s (8635 N Lombard St), where the magic continues with some stranger rock bands. Again, Austin Rich will be our fantastic host, who will give you a behind-the-scenes look as to what the Blasphuphmus Radio studios are actually like during a show. We will also be offering Lost In The Supermarket download cards, and hosting some incredible live music, which includes:
The Dead Air Fresheners
Austin Rich w/ The Dead Air Fresheners! (from the I-5 Corridor)
Dead Air Fresheners will be embarking on the third leg of our spoken artist soundtrack trilogy when we present our world premiere of Austin Rich with the Dead Air Fresheners! We’ll be providing the aural icing to Austin’s spoken cake at the 15th Birthday Party for his long running radio show and podcast Blasphuphmus Radio. Austin will be performing one cover, and several original short compositions with them, as well as using their chance determinism as the launching pad for his vocal introductions.
Alpha Protist
Alpha Protist (from Portland, OR)
Alpha Protist was conjured in 2007 as the logical conclusion to a binge on Jason Molina, Tobin Sprout, and scotch whiskey. Curious garage folk/pop that will stay with you and probably wear out its welcome. Alpha Protist will revive old ghosts from 2007 – 2010 releases, and show some unreleased music the light of day. Alpha Protist are Joel Gaddis and Nil Jones, founding members of the Battlesnakes Records music collective based in Portland. Two full length releases – Feral Tributaries and Glass Animals – and the Chemical Men EP are available at battlesnakesnow.com/alphaprotist. For more information, contact alpha.protist@battlesnakesnow.com
Moth Hunter
Moth Hunter (from Portland, OR)
No stranger to our show, Moth Hunter brings home-brewed electronic wizardry an atmospheric noise to a level that sends shivers down your spine. He and I have worked together a few times in recent years, and his technical know-how and proficiency in delivering audio punishment is well known to discerning connoisseurs of experimental music. Catch him in a rare live performance during our second intermission for the show.
Snatch Wagon
Snatch Wagon (from Portland, OR)
While many would claim that the name says it all, Snatch Wagon is more than the sum of its parts. An all-female rock group with clever lyrics, Snatch Wagon will perform a set of original compositions about boys, booze, meth and knowing where the party is at.
Gordon Taylor
Gordon Taylor, after an extended absence, returns to the stage! (from Portland, OR)
Psychedelic Indie-Punk? Intellectual rock for the obliterated show goer? The eponym Gordon Taylor, a ‘fat, festering old king’ accused of ‘moving to the left’ would risk not a micro-reunion to bless 15 years of Blasphuphmus Radio. So why does Portland’s sole (neither pre- nor post-) during-rock outfit want to sock you in the rocks in 2013? Or why do they not? If you still haven’t heard GT’s Invisible City, a Calvino-drenched rocker, then you must be spanked with kid gloves and gently scalded. They are frenetic, joyous, and explode with jagged hooks. Like that guy from Hellraiser. With guitar.
Join Ricardo Wang and I as we squeeze an excellent DJ set – and three live performances – into a show that almost wasn’t, on kpsu.org. This week’s show couldn’t have happened without the stellar assistance of DJ Dirty Mollie of the Whitechappel Circus, for helping out with both the gear, and contacting staff members to help out in a pinch. This show was truly a group effort, and you will get to hear it all in this nearly two-hour set of fantastic radio.
Ricardo’s pre-game show, featuring all of Sun Ra’s Atlantis, was enough to put anyone in the mood, but not only was he able to fit in a fantastic DJ set, but live performances by two noise masters, and their super-group, Death Pact Jazz Ensemble. All three are performing tonight at Habesha Lounge for a noise show that features Abusive Consumer, and the legendary Dead Air Fresheners, featuring me, Austin Rich, delivering an actual Blasphuphmus sermon as part of the show. Both Holy Filament and Overdose The Katatonic have releases on Den Of Dead Trees Recordings, a label that specializes in experimental and avant-guard recording projects. Their split – Absolute Insult – is a tribute to their kind of forward-thinking soundscapes that alter as well as focus the mind.
If you like what you hear, come to the show! This promises to be a lot of fun. Personally, I’ve already had a great day working with these guys once today. Playing a show with them is going to be pretty fantastic.
01.) Cold Dust * Cabbage Patch Kill Dolls * CDR
02.) Track 3 * Daniel Menche * Flaming Tongues
03.) Welcome to the New Killer Bees * Behead The Prophet No Lord Shall Live * I Am That Great And Fiery Force
04.) II Porno Star * Shellac * At Action Park
05.) You’re Out of the Computer * Bingo Gazingo & My Robot Friend * Songs in the Key of Z Vol. 2
06.) Holy Filament LIVE on What’s This Called?
07.) Heart of the Heartland * Mark Kennis * Songs in the Key of Z Vol. 2
08.) Overdose the Katatonic LIVE on What’s This Called?
09.) Urban Wolves Are Watching * Select Sex * Demo
10.) Demolished * Unwound * The Future of What?
11.) Attack On Love * Yo La Tengo * Electr-O-Purra
12.) Death Pact Jazz Ensemble LIVE on What’s This Called?
First, start your day at 12 Noon for What’s This Called?, hosted by the incomparable Ricardo Wang, for a live radio event in three parts, with engineering help from me, Austin Rich. Overdose The Katatonic and Holy Filament both perform – separately, then together as Death Pact Jazz Ensemble.
Then, at 8:30, come to Habesha Lounge for another chance to catch this show in person. This time, OTK and Holy Filament are joined by the daring and debonair Dead Air Fresheners, performing with Austin Rich of Blasphuphmus Radio, followed by the mind-destroying intensity that is Abusive Consumer.
I am extremely excited to be performing with Dead Air Fresheners, and I can only hope that this is as much fun for everyone else as it will be for me. This should prove to be a tremendous show. See you there!
Just because their logo is here doesn’t mean this is an officially sanctioned review. Or a review period. Or any kind of a conversation that might make any sense.
DJ Austin Rich tries to help DJ Really Sloppy make some sense out of what he saw on his recent visit to a comic book convention. Shouldn’t they actually call these “media conventions” now?
And, if you’re curious about anything else that was mentioned…well, just Google it already – do we have to do all the work for you? But, seriously, they go over a lot of crap, so just Google it.*
*The preceding summary not to be confused with an ad for Google.
There are two things that I have been missing ever since I took Blasphuphmus Radio into a podcast-only format: live bands and playing records. No matter how much I tried, getting my studio up to the same level of the studio at KPSU was quite difficult, and I struggled and rebelled against these limitations as best I could, featuring live recordings made in a band’s practice space, and making due with digital audio sources. However, both of these problems are now resolved, since we’ll be hosting live bands at local venues, AND since my amazing girlfriend was kind enough to get my a fantastic turntable to put vinyl back on the menu. I now present to you: Vinyl Solution Part VIII!
I’ve always thought of this show as a mixed-media format, in that I tend to draw audio from a wide range of audio sources. But there is something about playing all records – actual plastic records – that makes a radio program seem that much more alive. I’ve been so excited about my new ability to listen to music that I’ve been re-discovering all sorts of gems and whatnot from my collection, so today’s show is virtually themeless, with the soul purpose of playing bits and selections from my random – and in my opinion, wonderful – collection.
I come from a long line of record collectors, and as a kid working in my mom’s record store, I could never predict that I would end up here, doing this show. However, I’m really proud to be able to continue this tradition, and as I add more and more oddities to the Blasphuphmus Radio archive, you, as the listener, obviously reap the benefits. Aside from the voice overs and commercials, everything in this show is from one of the records photographed above. I would expect the next several shows to be of this same variety, so stay tuned!
And: enjoy!
A Treasury Of Incredible Records
Part I: You Never Know Which Way To Go
01.) Flipper Twist * Flipper * “Flipper Twist” b/w “Fucked Up”
02.) Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, 1485 [Excerpts] * The Cambridge Treasure of English Prose * Caedmon Records
03.) Amateur Hour * Sparks * Kimono My House
04.) Definitely Clean * The Dream Syndicate * The Days Of Wine & Roses
05.) Pretty Please Me * The Dickies * Stukas Over Disneyland
Part II: Out Of Focus
06.) Miserific Condition * Unwound * Caterpillar EP
07.) Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, 1485 [Excerpts II] * The Cambridge Treasure of English Prose * Caedmon Records
08.) Out Of Focus * Blue Cheer * Vincebus Eruptum
09.) Lift Up Your Hood * DMZ * Relics
10.) Metal * Gary Numan * “Cars” b/w “Metal”
11.) Dr. Art * Nina Hagen * Nunsexmonkrock
12.) Bullet Shell Underbite * Sleep Capsule * Sleep Capsule EP
13.) Question And Answer Session * The Miss * “Question & Answer Session” b/w “Vast Deference”
14.) C.I.A. * Priapismics * Rock Hard Forever EP
15.) Vetranos * Chicano-Christ * Come’ CaCa EP
Part III: Into The Groove
16.) Intendo * Guyve * Delaying The Inevitable
17.) Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, 1485 [Excerpts III] * The Cambridge Treasure of English Prose * Caedmon Records
18.) Make You Cry * Last Of The Juanitas * Time’s Up!
19.) Hand Holder * Gaythiest * Stealth Beats
20.) 253-425 * Behead The Prophet No Lord Shall Live * Making Craters Where Buildings Stood EP
21.) Bereft Rescue Mission No. 43 * godheadSilo * The Scientific Supercake L.P.
22.) Again And Again * The Hospitals * The Hospitals
23.) Someday You’ll Be King * MX-80 * “Someday You’ll Be King” b/w/ “White Night”
24.) Bottomless Pit * Men’s Recovery Project * Thank You For Kill Me EP
Woah. When I sit down to do radio lately, one would think that I’m merely teaming up with Ricardo Wang to bring you yet another incredible band on What’s This Called?What can I say? We make a good team, and as co-host, it has been pretty nice to get to meet all of these incredible artists lately, and bring their sound to you as best we can. This week, of course, was no exception, as we were fortunately enough to host the outdoor audio of Forrest Friends, a pair of noisy furries with a set of strange and wonderful sounds guaranteed to mesmerize you.
Clear you mind. Imagine you are camping, and the sun is low in the sky. You decide to grab your flask, and go for a walk, sticking to the trail at first, but eventually finding the urge to wander off toward the sun. As you get further into the trees, you hear a sound, and as you follow it, you begin to make out the sounds of several species of small furry animals, gathered in a clearing, grooving to the sounds of drones, percussion, woodwinds, and other magnificent sounds. You inch your way closer… not too close, as you’re not quite sure what to expect. But as the evening slowly descends, you realize that these sounds are exactly what you want to be – need to be – hearing.
Saturdays were made for radio, and whenever Eric Hausmann is in the house, it can only mean that you must be listening to What’s This Called?Ricardo Wang and I work to bring you a soothing performance by Tres Gone: Mike Mahaffay, Scott Steele and Eric, bringing you improvisational mastery in a way to kick off your weekend.
Following a half-hour pre-game show featuring hand-picked selections by the host himself, I mixed a great back and forth by these improvisational masters. While many young artists love to just make some noise, when you have performers of this caliber, the art of listening seems to be front and center in this show. This is one of those great shows where you can actually feel the energy in the room in the performance as its recorded, and you can take a look at the pictures and video I shot at the link below. I love working with musicians of this nature, and I can only hope that you can tell.
Thanks again, everyone for letting be a part of this show. Take care!
01.) Slip Inside This House * 13th Floor Elevators * Easter Everywhere
02.) Threnody For Sharon Tate * Freddie Hubbard
03.) Mohawk * Chelsea Light Moving * Chelsea Light Moving
04.) Check It All Out * Black Heat * No Time To Burn
05.) Levitation * 13th Floor Elevators
06.) Sorcery [Live] * Charles Lloyd
07.) Reflections On a Symphony [Excerpt] * Mike Mahaffay * Interprets Charles Ives’ “Universe Symphony”
08.) Underground * Eric Hausmann * Invisible Films
09.) Live Performance * Tres Gone * What’s This Called? 16 March 2013
10.) Moving Malaise * Eric Hausmann * Invisible Films
My last few appearances on What’s This Called?has been in concert with Cosmic Jim, and while I love any chance I get to listen to music he recommends, it was really great to return to the studio with Ricardo Wang himself. And for this show, I was given a really great treat, as I was able to run sound for a live performance by Four Dimensional Nightmare! Any chance I get to run sound for anyone is an excellent treat, but this artist not only delivered a full on electronic / guitar assault, but managed to cause us all to hallucinate just from the power of the music.
As an experiment for this performance, I shot a video of the entire performance, which you can find below. This is in line with a new project that Blasphuphmus Radio is working on, which will be announce soon. In the meantime, enjoy this video – filmed on location in the KPSU Studios on The Portland State University campus.
In addition to all of this, I added Ricardo Wang’s 10 minutes “pre-game show,” featuring a Jimi Hendrix live remix, and other psyche-rock gems. This show is the complete package.
01.) Up From The Skies * The Jimi Hendrix Experience
02.) Smashed / Blocked * John’s Children
03.) Dr. Doom * 13th Floor Elevators
04.) Icicles * Four Dimensional Nightmare * Icicles
05.) LIVE * Four Dimensional Nightmare * What’s This Called? Radio
06.) Time Dilations in a Holographic Universe * Four Dimensional Nightmare * Icicles
07.) Interview * Four Dimensional Nightmare * What’s This Called? Radio
08.) Burned Out Gods * Four Dimensional Nightmare * Icicles
Cosmic Jim joins me again for a casual conversation with his friend Ezra about the hobby of record collecting, among technical problems while we cover for Ricardo Wang as he is getting married. We listen to records we love, talk about the problems with modern vinyl vs. vinyl from our youth, and get to know Ezra and his interests.
We also get to hear the entire Breezin’ record, a four song 12″ of some really odd – and rather incredible – album of mirth and music that we purport to be a bit of a mystery, in spite of knowing quite a bit about it. Recorded in Lastra’s Smegma Studios and released in 2011, the performances on this record are extremely strong, and very well constructed. This is the kind of record that record collectors love to find, and if you get a chance (and if they play again), their shows are quite incredible. Included below is a clip from their sessions at Smegma, mixed with the track “Never Give You Up,” featured in today’s show.
This is a wonderfully strange and odd show, and exactly the kind of thing that How’s It Named? is all about.
Enjoy!
The Mystery Record
01.) Memphis Blues Again * Bob Dylan
02.) Greasy Chicken * Andre Williams * Wavy Gravy: Four Hairy Policemen * Beware Records
03.) Space Girl * The Earthboys * Wavy Gravy: Four Hairy Policemen * Beware Records
04.) Sightseer * Malcolm Mitchell
05.) Interview w/ Ezra Part I
06.) Listen To Your Heart * Breezin’ * Breezin’ * Going Records
07.) Never Give You Up * Breezin’ * Breezin’ * Going Records
08.) I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby * Captain Beefheart * The Spotlight Kid
09.) Interview w/ Ezra Part II
10.) Old, Wise * Breezin’ * Breezin’ * Going Records
11.) Out In The Night * Breezin’ * Breezin’ * Going Records
12.) PSY * The Butthole Surfers * piouhgd * Rough Trade Records
Here’s another gem from the record collection of Cosmic Jim: The Twilighters! Jim happens to have both of the known Twilighters LPs, of which this is the first. The group – born and bred in the Portland area – was founded in 1960. As the story goes, they played in a number of local venues, including the Crystal Ballroom. During this time, “garage” music was quite popular in the northwest, and while The Twilighters did not perform in a garage, they did have a number of other amazing qualities about them, not the least of which was that four of the five members were blind!
While they released some singles, this record – released in 1967 – was a good representation of what they were like as a band. This was the first release by the Vancouver WA label, Vanco, a label owned by Bob Gibson, who is also credited with writing one of the songs performed on this record, “Fiesta In Acapulco.” Additional credits include: William Webber on drums, Pat Mulvey on Saxophone, Mike Mulvey on trumpet (who was Pat’s twin brother!), Darrel Deck on Organ, Larry Huston on bass, and Dave High on guitar. (Dave is credited as “the only sighted member” of The Twilighters.) As if having four blind members and a pair of twins in the group wasn’t enough, The Twilighters were also one of the few mixed race bands at the time, beating Love to the claim by several years.
Liner Notes
Over the years they had a number of personel changes as people would start families or move on to other things. Chris Marks of KRDR was, at the time, a big supporter (and possibly friend), and while “Out Of My Mind” and “I Need Your Lovin'” could very well have been radio hits, they never managed to break out of the local scene in any big way. The group continued to play into the ’80’s, at which time the local punk scene began to develop, and bands like this began to get incorporated into the scene, or fade away.
The highlight of this record is Dave High’s guitar playing. Much of the album is very typical of rock and garage of this era, but Dave’s contributions really could of have made this band a classic. While “Out Of My Mind” is the true gem of this release, there are great moments whenever Dave lets loose. All in all, this is a solid record, and quite worth a listen as a representation of the early Portland music scene.
Enjoy!
Both Sides of The Twilighters
01.) Winchester Cathedral
02.) Hello Dolly
03.) Liechtensteiner Polka
04.) Truck Driving Man
05.) I Need Your Lovin’
06.) Fiesta In Acapulco
07.) Kansas City
08.) Elmer’s Tune
09.) My Heart Is An Open Book
10.) Out Of My Mind
Egg-celent! Egg-stravagant! Egg-…tastic? Oh, forget it, let’s just go shopping.
February 10th 2012? (Featuring a “lost” episode, mistakenly uploaded to post in 2013 by DJ Really Sloppy, instead of 2012, like it should have.)
Wow. Time flies when you’re having fun. Nearly a year ago, DJ Really Sloppy and I did a fantastic pair of Soul Shows back to back, and in doing so, created some fantastic radio. In that time, a lot has changed: I left the studio I’d been with for years to venture off on my own, and DJ Really Sloppy became unstuck in time, appearing randomly on the show in a variety of capacities. But this time, something rather unusual happened: a show he recorded a full year ago was (finally) uploaded to the server a full year later.
DJ Really Sloppy says that he called me a year ago, immediately after he recorded this show. But I only received that call when I went on the air to do a show today. Regardless, you get to reap the radio benefits, in the form of a fantastic show by Mr. Sloppy himself. I’ll leave you with some words from the DJ’s mouth:
This is strange. I had called DJ Austin Rich after I finished this show last year to see about getting it posted on the Blasphuphmus blog, which I only vaguely remember. At the time I thought he was acting kind of weird. But when I checked in with him today, he said I’d actually just a short while ago interrupted the show he was going to do that day. Whatever, here’s some songs from a year ago.
And, wow, what a horrible choice for a random quote right after Gilly Hanner’s song about getting the crap kicked out of her by the cops at the Satyricon riot. I wasn’t even paying attention. Obviously.
p.s. Since DJ Austin didn’t really have much in the way of songs on the “egg theme”, leave your suggestions in the comment area and maybe he can give it a try again later. Say, for Easter?
– DJ Really Sloppy
Playlist:
Eggs * Andrew Liles & Daniel Menche * The Progeny of Flies * Beta-latam Ring Records
And, from the original post:
Here’s the playlist for the February 10, 2012 broadcast:
TRACK
BAND
ALBUM
LABEL
1
R&B Transmogrification
Quasi
R&B Transmogrification
Up Records
2
Glass Tambourine
Wild Flag
Wild Flag
Merge Records
“I don’t know!”
Invader Zim
3
Dial
School of Seven Bells
Disconnect from Desire
Vagrant Records/Ghostly International
4
Red Guitar
David Sylvian
Brilliant Trees
Virgin Records LTD.
5
Karma Police
Radiohead
OK Computer
Capitol
6
Psyché rock
Pierre Henry and Michel Colombier
Pop a Paris – More Rock N’ Roll and Mini Skirts Vol.2
Sunnyside
7
Awfully Managed Pigeons
Procedure Club
Doomed Forever
Slumberland
8
Straight A’s
Sleigh Bells
Treats
Mom + Pop Music
9
My Spit
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary
jealousbutcher.com
“I’m crushing your head!”
Kids in the Hall
10
Holidays In The Sun
Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols
Warner Bros. Records Inc.
11
Fire
Jimi Hendrix
Experience Hendrix: The Best Of Jimi Hendrix
M.C.A.
12
Don’t Listen to the Radio (Instrumental)
The Vines
Don’t Listen to the Radio CD single (Australian import)
Following Cosmic Jim‘s advice regarding the sharing of music, I present to you a fantastic album that he gave me that I know very little about. This was given to me by Cosmic Jim as a gift for hosting him on the radio, and by is this generous. As near as I can figure, this is an album by Umm Kulthum, The Star of The East. She the most well know Egyptian singer and actress from the 1930’s until 3 February 1975, when she died. It is said that her funeral procession was seen by more people than any other person from Egypt in the modern era, and in the 50’s and 60’s she was one of the most highly regarded artist of the Arabic world.
Back Cover
This record is an example of the kind of music she was known for. While I know nothing about Sono Cairo (the label that released this record), or the titles of the songs that appear on this record, Cosmic Jim loved sharing this record with me, and it seems only fair that I share it with you, on the anniversary of her death. If you happen to know anything about this album, the names of the tracks, or any other information about this artist, please contact me immediately. I am very, very curious.
This was originally played following the episode of How’s It Named?that Cosmic Jim and I hosted last week. Lucky listeners got to hear this record in it’s entirety that day; now, you can enjoy it here. I am thinking that, given the age of the record, and the fact that it is not currently available in any other format, that there will be no issues with sharing this album. If so, please contact me, and I will immediately take it down.
While not an entirely new broadcast on the theme of Ground Hogs, here’s a retrocast from 2009, when our program was still on KPSU, and when I was on at 3 PM on Tuesdays.
Humorously, I state that the first seven shows were on in this time slot, but with a little research, I’ve discovered that this was, in fact, the last show that was broadcast at this time. So it goes.
So, in the spirit of the holiday, let’s do something again. And again. And Again.
Groundhog Day Retrocast!
01.) I Got You Babe * The Dictators * Go Girl Crazy!
02.) On The Sea Or Solid Ground [Excerpt I] * Fragile X * End Without World
03.) Two Feet Off The Ground * The Dead Milkmen * Eat Your Paisley!
04.) Wild Hog Ride * Angry Samoans
05.) Cold Cold Cold Ground * Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 * Tangle
06.) I’m A Hog For You Baby * Supercharger
07.) On The Sea Or Solid Ground [Excerpt II] * Fragile X * End Without World
08.) On The Sea Or Solid Ground [Excerpt III] * Fragile X * End Without World
09.) Hole In The Ground * Mekons
10.) Wart Hog * The Ramones
11.) Underground * Tom Waits * Swordfishtrombones
12.) Filipino Box Spring Hog * Tom Waits * Mule Variations
13.) On The Sea Or Solid Ground [Excerpt IV] * Fragile X * End Without World
14.) On The Sea Or Solid Ground [Excerpt V] * Fragile X * End Without World
15.) Your Shadow * The Exploding Hearts
16.) Standing In The Shadows Of Love * The Four Tops *
17.) Shadowplay * Joy Division
18.) Shadow And Shadow * The Prids
19.) Shadowy Countdown * Shadowy Men From A Shadowy Planet * Savvy Show Stoppers
20.) Beyond The Shadows * Stinking Lizaveta * Caught Between Worlds
21.) On The Sea Or Solid Ground [Excerpt VI] * Fragile X * End Without World
22.) The Shadow Knows * Link Wray & His Wray-Men
For those of you who were lucky enough to be able to hear The Psychedelic Renaissance when it was on KPSU, you know how amazing it was to have none other than THE Cosmic Jim bring you an hour of musical oddities, rare records, and the kind of enthusiasm that only a die-hard collector can bring to the airwaves. His show was one that was at KPSU very near to the beginning, but Jim’s story and history in Portland goes back even further. Join us for a rare interview / DJ set with this legendary figure, as we poke and prod the more extreme areas of his musical knowledge.
I also enjoy these How’s It Named? episodes, and both Ricardo Wang and I are big fans of Cosmic Jim’s record collection. As Ricardo could not be here this week, he was really excited about the opportunity for me to bring you this show. But Cosmic Jim’s history with KPSU is only the beginning; during this show we bring you stories of The Riff Raff (the band he played a roll in during the early 80’s), plus stories of his experiences collecting records, and a bit about his old ‘zine, Psychedelic Renaissance. It’s one of those hours that has a lot to offer, and if for nothing else, you should check out the Madrigal song we play about about 15 minutes in. Holy crap.
Special thanks to Tobin, Ricardo Wang and of course Cosmic Jim himself for making this show possible. These kinds of shows are incredibly fun, and I was very happy to be able to bring you this show.
Enjoy!
Hello, Trippers!
01.) Everything’s Changing * Kak * Kak
02.) Stoned Freakout [Excerpt] * Madrigal * Madrigal
03.) Día Viajera * Los Yeh Yehs * Beatles En Español
04.) Taggin’ * The Fredric * Phases & Faces
05.) Excerpts From * Mighty Baby * Mighty Baby
06.) (A Song By) * Wildfire * Primo
I have always taken for granted the holiday that we take in January to honor Martin Luther King Jr. It was not that I didn’t care, but that the day usually came when papers were due, or when I worked a job that already required me to work that day. But in light of my new job, getting the day off – paid – felt a little weird. I had to be honest with myself that I had never really listened to any of his speeches all the way through, and that I knew very little about the work he did other than the most general, basic sense.
So today’s radio blast is a bunch of stuff culled from my collection of audio that relates to MLK Jr. I have an edited cut-up of his last speech, and a radio broadcast from just after his assassination, as a way of presenting some of what I discovered in actually doing some research of this amazing and incredible man.
I do not have any great epiphanies to share with you, and there is no great revelation at work in this show. It seems very clear that, as he delivered this speech, he knew his days were numbered, but this seems to be the case in most of the time leading up to his assassination. I think the arrangement in this little mini-cast works to reveal why he was considered to be one of the best orators of our day, but also to illuminate much of what his work was about in the most basic and general sense possible.
For those who stay to the end: there’s a little joke to ease the tension of such a serious subject.
I urge all of you to listen to his speechs, read up on this man, and let yourself actually understand the value of this holiday. So much of what happens to us seems so passive, and we let days pass without reflecting on them too often. This time, stop for a moment to consider who this man was, and what effect he had on the world around us.
And: let’s hope you MLK Day was full of the promise and wonder that every new days brings us.
Be seeing you
I’ve Been to the Bemsha Mountaintop
01.) (What Did I Do To Be So) Black & Blue [Excerpt]* Louis Armstrong * Say It Loud: Celebrate Black History Month & Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
02.) “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” [Excerpts] * Martin Luther King Jr. * 3 April 1968
02.) Bemsha Swing * Thelonious Monk * Say It Loud: Celebrate Black History Month & Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
03.) Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated * Bill Kurtis * We Interrupt This Broadcast * 4 April 1968
DJ Really Sloppy here. Just thought I’d throw some songs from the soundtrack albums from the original “broadcast” version of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer up here to go along with DJ Austin Rich’s recent review of the comic books for season 9. These are a few of my favorites, along with a couple other notquite random musical items. Hope you like what you hear…and if you do, there’s plenty more where that came from!
Also, can I get a Blasphuphmus tech over here? My miniaturization ray doesn’t seem to be working.
Judith Gennett, a long-time DJ a KPSU, and radio personality since 1995, passed away on 24 November 2011. Her shows – The Raggle Taggle Gypsy Hour, Euro Roots and Suspect Terrene – were wholly singular in their form, and was and inspiration to anyone who worked in the studios of either KPSU and KEOS (where she also volunteered). Judith was an excellent person, who would light up a room with her upbeat personality, and her incredible insight into music and life. While I only interacted with her in one capacity, it has been a real treat to learn a lot about her and her life in the process of preparing for this show. She will be missed.
John, Austin & Vicky
DJ Victrola helped arrange this, and John B. Jones (who appears both on KZME and KBOO) and I decided to join in. The show really speaks for itself, and as we tell stories and play music from her old shows, we offer a chance to say goodbye to someone who was always wonderful and great to anyone and everyone she met.
What was amazing about this program was that, while the reason for getting together was quite sad, this actually offered us a chance to catch up and spend some time together. We want to thank Judith’s family for pushing us to get this program produced, in spite of the various delay’s that cropped up in the time since she passed. In particular, a special thanks to Ian, who recorded this program and forwarded the link to us. Thanks again.
Hopefully this show will give you a taste of what her program was like. She was really special, and we miss her.
The Judith Gennett Memorial Broadcast
01.) Raggle Taggle * John Palmes
02.) The Battle of Evermore * Led Zepplin * IV
03.) I Shot the Sheriff * Marley Grass
04.) Plaza de Toros * Twilight Odyssey
05.) Raggle Taggle Gypsy * The Waterboys
06.) White Christmas * Los Reyes
07.) The Gypsy Laddie * Jean Ritchie * Ballads
08.) Rox in The Box * The Decemberists
It has been a while since The Grumpy Punk has crawled out of his bean-bag chair, took off his massive headphones, and decided to toss out a missive that stimulates as well as educates. He’s been int he process of assembling a long-form, educational history of only the good stuff, but every so often he gets derailed from the chronological narrative, and is compelled to skip around. Hence, this week’s episode, “We Destroy The Family: Punks vs. Parents,” featuring the music of the legendary band, Fear.
The samples are clips from this episode are from a “news” broadcast from 1982, where the news crew put together a five-piece “expose” on the punk scene in LA, narrated by Paul Moyer, who worked for the station at the time. Legend has is that this program was aired in five pieces during their regular news program, then assembled into a full program, and broadcast in the evenings on KABC-TV. There are a number of reports online of people who watched this with their families. It is very much worth viewing at least once, for contextual reasons.
1982 was an important year for Fear. Two years previously they had been signed to Slash Records, after appearing in Penelope Spheeris’ The Decline Of Western Civilization. This exposure earned them a number of fans, not the least of which was John Belushi. He wanted Fear to provide the soundtrack to a movie he was working on, but when he couldn’t commit to this promise, instead opted to book them for the Halloween 1981 episode of Saturday Night Live. (In the audience of the show you can see Belushi, along with a number of prominent punks, pogoing to “Beef Bologna” & “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones.”) These appearances created a bit of a buzz about the band, which set the stage for their first album, The Record to come out in 1982.
It was in this environment that this newscast hit the airwaves. With all of the goofy voice overs, the poorly transcribed lyrics, and the opportunity for Lee Ving to showboat for a camera, the film may have been intended to work as punk scare propaganda, but in fact works to sell the band, too. The genius of Fear’s performances in those days was the calculated presentation being made by the band. They wanted to look like this on national television. That was the goal. Paul Moyer begins to hint at the truth, when he suggests that Fear is satire. Yeah, sort of. But more importantly, Lee Ving is subverting music – and media – in a way that amuses him, and this clip really captures what shows were like in those days.
This episode would not exist without DJ Swill, friend of the show and the guy who forwarded this clip to me. This scene was where he grew up, and this was where he was introduced to the beautiful History Lesson we’re all slowly learning. This is part one of three, so expect more of the same soon enough.
Enjoy!
We Destroy The Family Part I
01.) We Destroy The Family: Punks vs. Parents * KABC-TV * A Public Affairs Presentation
02.) We Destroy The Family * Fear * The Record * Slash Records
03.) New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones * Fear * The Record * Slash Records
04.) Beef Boloney * Fear * The Record * Slash Records
05.) I Don’t Care About You * Fear * The Record * Slash Records
06.) Le’s Have A War * Fear * Repo Man Original Soundtracks * MCA Records
07.) No More Nothing * Fear * The Record * Slash Records
As 2013 kick-starts our lives in this new, post-apocalyptic world that we now live in, it is important to know that you have accomplished something to help make the world a better place. In this mini-cast, I review some e-mail I got from a listener, and how I was able to save a holiday near and dear to their heart. It was very sweet, and in response I played a bunch of a band they requested – Adickdid – and talk about my plans this year. It’s a little bit of everything today, and that’s just the way we like it.
Many shows are currently in production, and the new year will see a variety of new (and old) subjects revisited as we discover what, exactly, our program will be like moving forward. We are enjoying the discovery ourselves, and how that you do, too.
In the meantime: here’s some vintage riot girl awesomeness, in response to the need for more Adickdid in our Eugene Celebration series of shows. Episode III of that series in on the way. This is just a small taste.
Enjoy!
We Saved New Year’s Eve
01.) Mail Box * Adickdid * Dismantle * G Records
02.) Falling * Adickdid * Slaughter on 13th Street * Self-Released.
03.) Ask Nicely * Adickdid * Dismantle * G Records
04.) Stare Right Past You * Adickdid * Dismantle * G Records
Getting Nervous (Featuring an interview with new local band, The Nervous, which includes the world premier of their music on this very podcast!)
I have known Chris and Jesse from The Nervous for years, and the band they’d started in the ’90’s back in Eugene – Mondale – was a rare treat for the few who got to rock out to them. Now, in this far-flung, post-apocalyptic year of 2013, we encounter their newest musical endeavor, a trio (rounded out by their drummer, Splinters), which is offering some of the greatest Nerd Rock anthems guaranteed to start promptly at every performance.
In preparation for their impending live gigs, I was invited down to the compound where The Nervous hone their craft, and managed to sit down with the guys afterward in their comfortable “Living Room” to chat about pursuing music as a hobby, and what its like to be in really terrible bands with assholes. Interspersed throughout the interview are songs that inspire them, two never-before heard songs from their current set, and an old Mondale tune (or two) to round things out.
Long-time listeners may remember a live performance by Jesse Ransom (featured in The Nervous) in 2006. This episode is also available to stream or download at this time, accompanied by a playlist and photos. Jesse Ransom 06 June 2006. It’s an oldie, but a goodie, and it gives you an acoustic taste of what he brings to the party.
Special thanks to Chris, Jesse and Spinters, not only for being stand up guys and great musicians, but for trusting me to record them in their natural habitat. You guys are fantastic, and I can’t wait for more people to hear you.
Enjoy!
MyFacester+ Photoset (with video footage of the band rehearsing on 30 December 2012).
Getting Nervous
01.) Get Out Of Our Way, We’re A-Comin’ Through * Mondale * Square Roots Radicals * Self-Released
02.) Interview w/ The Nervous Part I * 30 December 2012
03.) Musical Interlude * Shadowy Men on A Shadowy Planet * Savvy Show Stoppers * Cargo Records
04.) High Impact Smart Girls * Mondale * Square Roots Radicals * Self-Released
05.) Interview w/ The Nervous Part II * 30 December 2012
06.) Gates Of Steel * Devo * Freedom Of Choice * Warner Bros.
07.) Sex Mad * Nomeansno * Sex Mad * Alternative Tentacles Records
08.) Interview w/ The Nervous Part III * 30 December 2012
09.) Theme From EEVIAC * Man… Or Astro-Man? * EEVIAC: Operational Index and Reference Guide, Including Other Modern Computational Devices * Touch & Go Records
10.) Entry Level Position * The Nervous * Unreleased Practice Recording
11.) Interview w/ The Nervous Part IV * 30 December 2012
12.) Little Girls * Oingo Boingo * Only A Lad * A&M Records
13.) You Look Good In Glasses * The Nervous * Unreleased Practice Recording
14.) Interview w/ The Nervous Part V * 30 December 2012
15.) 21st Century Digital Boy * Bad Religion * Stranger Than Fiction * Atlantic Records
New Year’s Resolution (Featuring a special New Year’s Message, and a welcome to 2013.)
From all of us, here at Blasphuphmus Radio, we want to wish you the happiest New Year, full of possibility and new endeavors. Remember: without you, there is no show.
Be seeing you. In 2013.
Enjoy!
New Year’s Resolution
01.) New Year’s Resolution * Donovan * Open Road * Epic Records
02.) “On Christmas, say Merry Christmas. On New Year’s, say Happy New Year’s.” * Kermit Shafer * Pardon My Blooper * Kapp Records
I was introduced to The Sound of Young America a few years ago, and immediately became obsessed with what Jesse Thorn was able to create out of a college radio show. Somehow, I related. This was another case of being quite late to the game; whenever I would tell people about his show, people would say, “Yeah, I know. Have you heard Bullseye?”
So, I started listening, and have become quite a fan of the entire MaximumFun.com network of shows. And while I would never presume that I need to introduce you to his program, with the holidays, I think it is possible to completely miss their fantastic Holiday Episode that was produced this year.
Consider this my loving tribute to a perfect episode of a podcast.
Enjoy!
Nailed It.
01.) Huddle Formation * The Go! Team * Thunder, Lightning, Strike * Memphis Industries.
02.) The Week Between * Jonathan Coulton & John Roderick * One Christmas At A Time * Self-Released
Number 9. Number 9. (Featuring a new declaration of purpose / series of excuses, and a review of the new Buffy The Vampire Slayer Comic up through Season 9.)
In the last couple months the inertia of this program has slowed down tremendously. This was completely accidental; The Lava Lamp Lounge in Historic St. John’s is a nexus for weirdness magnets of a wide variety, and I am now finding myself working harder than ever, occasionally having to fight crime, assist stranded aliens, discovering new unexplored lands with other groups of weirdos, and in general, working more than I ever have before. No new shows have been happening with any kind of regularity.
But fear not! We are trying something new. Our program has reinvented itself several times over the years, and the time has come to take on a new form. Our means of broadcast is quite unique now, and we have the potential to experiment with form and style in ways we haven’t before. It is with this in mind that I am trying something new, and experimenting with different kinds of shows, in new shapes and sizes. Stay tuned to see how this all is put together as we move on. In the meantime…
I review the new Buffy The Vampire Slayer comics. A good friend of mine works at Dark Horse, and she was able to gift me a large number of comics from Season 8 and 9 of the new Buffy Comics. I just finished catching up to “current” issues with this series, and do a spoiler-less free-form discussion about being a Buffy fan, and how these new comics read to me.
Let us know what you think, and if you like the smaller / differntly sized chunks of shows. I have a variety of thoughts about how this will all get pieced together in the long run, but until then, enjoy these “showlets.”
Enjoy!
Number 9. Number 9.
Part I: “Mea Culpa” or “Something Latin That Sounds Important Or Something”
01.) Nile Hilton Burning * Sun City Girls * The Fresh Kill Of A Cape Hunting Dog * Eclipse Records
Part II: “Season 9. Season 9.”
02.) Buffy TV Theme Song * Nerf Herder * Buffy The Vampire Slayer The Album * TVT Records
03.) The Rat * The Ventures * Ghoulardi Music * Kogar The Swingin’ Ape
04.) RFD Rangoon * Forbidden Five * Lux & Ivy’s Favorites Volume One * Kogar The Swingin’ Ape
05.) Enchanted Farm * Forbidden Five * Lux & Ivy’s Favorites Volume One * Kogar The Swingin’ Ape
06.) Congo * Bo Diddley * Bo Knows Instro * Kogar The Swingin’ Ape
07.) Buzzsaw Twist * The Gee-Cees * Lux & Ivy’s Favorites Volume Three * Kogar The Swingin’ Ape
Join Ricardo Wang – with yours truly running sound – for a mind-melting performance by the (now local) psychedelic noise artist, Sky Chance! This performance blew away audiences live on What’s This Called? (brought to you by kpsu.org), and is now available for stream or download from this very site! Relive the joy, the horror, and the oddity that was, is, and will be the immortal Sky Chance.
Hailing from Austin Texas, Sky Chance brings his particular form of poetic drone and noise makes its way across the country in a rather unusual way: after some time in a down of his choosing, he will book some shows elsewhere, and move to that location to try his hand there. As a one-man band, this kind of lifestyle is not only possible, but returns to him the style of traveling bard that evokes as much Woody Guthrie as it does lute-toting artists on the Renaissance. Yet, Sky Chance is very much rooted in the “now,” bringing gadgets and computers together to create soundscapes that are not only unique, but offer a perfect counterpoint to his lyrics, equally composed and improvised as the moment calls for it. Sky Chance is an artists of a unique brand, and catching him live is something I cannot recommend enough.
Near the end of the show, Ricardo and Sky Chance chat about music and art, and below you will find a link to a photoset of images and videos I shot during the show. This one was a real joy, and I had a great time mixing the sound. Hopefully, you enjoy it as much as I do, too.
01.) Letter to Metro (Zombi Remix) * Mogwai * A Wrenched Virile Lore
02.) Tornado Warning * Hammock * Departure Songs
03.) Nose Art * Flying Lotus * Cosmogramma
04.) LIVE * Sky CHance * on What’s This Called?
05.) Emerald Fanged Dancer * Expo 70 * Black Ohms
06.) Tyken’s Rift * Steve Morse * Light Echoes
07.) The Wolf * Swans * The Seer
Institutions, ideas, and the way our lives are governed have come up in my life quite a bit recently, and as I have been making new inroads at my job, filling out Union Paperwork and documents about my future retirement, I find it funny how much unquestioningly people have faith in these things. Recently I’ve been in a number of situations where the unreality of the world around us has come up – quite specifically with regard to money – and people instantly become defensive. “It is SO real! Don’t even suggest otherwise!” I understand the value of believing in these things. (After all, consider all the things that have been possible with religious faith.) But just because someone wants something to be true, doesn’t mean it actually is. This is never more obvious when someone just realizes they are wrong.
Regardless, there is a lot of academic discourse surrounding the unreality – or, as Ira Glass was so kind to say, “The Fictional Quality Of Money,” – that it is somewhat of an irresistible topic for me. This might have something to do with my minor degree in pharmacology, or perhaps my own anarchist leanings when it comes to pointing out to people that most of what the world around us is built upon is predicated on power structures designed to control and manipulate the behavior of humanity. Or, it might just be that I have a problem with authority. It’s hard to say, really, but my standard response to anyone who has too much faith in one thing is to remind them that the universe is constructed by language and images, and that the people who create and design these things are the people who are really in power. Money just happens to be a symbol that has most people by the balls.
The subject of money is particularly fascinating, because rock music seems to be preoccupied with it. Just about every band of a certain age had a song about money, their desire for it, and their love of it. These songs very much have a similar structure, and the effect is the same: to deny the immaterial things in this world, and to embrace capitalism in all of its sticky, disgusting, filth-coated sexy goodness. And there is something thrilling about getting paid in the same way that getting a handjob at a rock concert is thrilling; in that moment, we can do anything, we can go anywhere, and literally nothing can stop us. This is why a number of cultures have sayings relating to money (and the spending of it). In spite of knowing better, we all see the attraction to the dirty side of things, and rock music itself is predicated on the attraction to filth culture. Money is, after all, filthy lucre. How can you not find it fascinating?
This episode is a sequel to Episode 082, a show I have always been very fond of for somewhat different reasons. While I had hit upon the vague idea of doing a show about money, when I did the original program, I built the show almost entirely at the last minute. Using the KPSU studio archives, the Inter-Web-A-Tron, and a few odds and sods that I had brought with me, I completely pulled that show out of my ass, and was quite pleased with the results. Not only did it become a coherent narrative, and a very good example of the kinds of theme shows I wanted to pursue more often, but it reinforced in me this notion that I could do good radio on the fly. I really feel like I turned a corner with Episode 082, and I follow my instincts quite a bit because of what I learned doing this show. It only made since to me to throw together a sequel in the same manner, and I think the results turned out pretty excellent.
The backbone of this episode come from two sources: a film I found on YouTube.com, titled “How Money Is Created,” which is a short (and simple) essay about how the FED creates money. While I could not find the film I was thinking about when I made this episode, this one covers the same subject matter, and offered some pretty good sound clips. (The one I remember was animated, and looked like something from the 60’s, but was clearly from the ’90s.) The samples from this film help spell out some of the things hinted at int he second sound source, an episode of This American Life that featured a number of stories about various problems that have cropped up because of the fact that money isn’t real. (Especially in light of the Housing Bubble crash of a few years ago.) While Ira has a good ear for the funny, I thought something a little more academic might help shed light on the “summing an infinite series” type comments that they made. Really, I just recommend doing some critical reading about the value of money, and try to answer for yourself the question, “What, exactly, is a single dollar worth, objectively?” If you actually think you can answer this question, then the entire field of economics really could use your insight, because they still have no idea.
As with Episode 082, I fleshed out the rest of the show with songs that I think really tackle the subject well, with an emphasis on punk bands, who usually manage to say things in a way that cut straight to the heart of the matter. Any show that has The Dicks, Patti Smith & Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 pretty much offers more insight into who I am than anything I could tell you directly.
Next week we’ll have our annual Thanksgiving Leftovers show, which may double as A Family Affair episode, if I can pull off some recordings during our dinner gathering. The year is winding down, and there’s a lot going on between now and Episode 200, coming up soon. Between that and my new job, there’s a whole lot that needs my attention. Hopefully I can deliver in a timely manner.
See you in seven!
A True Fictional Story
Part I: The Fiction Of Money
01.) “Money Isn’t Real” * Ray Liotta * Blow * New Line Cinema
02.) Money * The Sonics * Here Are The Sonics!!! * Etiquette Records
03.) Love Can’t Buy You Money [Edit] * Motörhead * Overnight Sensation * CMC Records
04.) “Money Is Fiction” * This American Life * Episode 423: The Invention Of Money * PRI
05.) Clean Money * Elvis Costello * Armed Forces * Columbia Records
06.) Money Talks * Penetration * Once Upon A Time Vol. 08: U.K. November ’77 * mythkoz-areyouexperienced.blogspot.com/
07.) Rich Daddy * The Dicks * 1980-1986 * Alternative Tentacles Records
08.) “The Fictional Quality Of Money” * This American Life * Episode 423: The Invention Of Money * PRI
09.) Don’t Wanna Be A Rich * Guilty Razors * Killed By Death Vol. 77 * Killed By Death Records
10.) Rich Plastic People * Killjoy * Not So Quiet On The Western Front * Alternative Tentacles Records
11.) Just Got Paid * Rapemen * Two Nuns And A Pack Mule * Touch & Go Records
Part II: The Idea Of Money
12.) Strike It Rich * Negativland * Over The Edge Vol. 7: Time Zomes Exchange Project * Sealand Records
13.) Money Honey * The Drifters * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll * Hip-O Records
14.) [Excerpt I] * Your Drugs, My Money * Live At KFJC 8/16 * Self-Released
15.) Summing An Infinite Series * This American Life * Episode 423: The Invention Of Money * PRI
16.) Money * Pink Floyd * Dark Side Of The Moon * Capitol Records
17.) How Money Is Created [Excerpt I] * godisfrauddotcom * How Money Is Created * YouTube.com
18.) Man With Money (alternate) * The Eyes * Arrival Of The Eyes * Lion Production Canada
19.) Free Money * Patti Smith * Horses * Arista Records
20.) Bottom Dollar * Eddie Spaghetti * The Sauce * Abstract Records
21.) “You’ll Have To Pay Cash” * Groucho & Chico Marx * A Day At The Races * MGM
Part III: Gimme A Dollar
22.) Money Money Money * Gene Simmons * Essential SUN Rockabillies * Sun Records
23.) [Excerpt II] * Your Drugs, My Money * Live At KFJC 8/16 * Self-Released
24.) How Money Is Created [Excerpt II] * godisfrauddotcom * How Money Is Created * YouTube.com
25.) Her Dad’s Got Money * Mad Magazine * Fink Along With Mad! * Big Top Records
26.) Money Loans * Mars Production Staff * Mars Production Library * Mars Production Library CK-71
27.) Give Me A Dollar * King Missile III * The Psychopathology Of Everyday Life * Instinct Records
28.) Dollar For Dollar * They Might Be Giants * McSweeney’s Music CD – Issue #6 * McSweeney’s
29.) Million Dollars * Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 * Admonishing The Bishops * Matador Records
30.) How Money Is Created [Excerpt III] * godisfrauddotcom * How Money Is Created * YouTube.com
31.) Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) * Pet Shop Boys * Please * Parlophone Records
32.) Man, You Won’t Give Me No Money * Memphis Minnie * Hoodoo Lady (1933-1937) * Legacy / Columbia Records
33.) Money * The Android Sisters * Ruby 1: The Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe Radio * ZBS Productions
On Friday, I found out that I landed a pretty good job. At least, by my standards. In my life I have been paid to do some pretty strange things, and have been paid in some pretty strange ways. Helping castrate goats often gets the most extreme looks, but helping rebuild server racks was just as odd when I was hired on the sly to come in on the weekends so no one could ask questions as to who I was. (Each job paid cash, under the table.) Most of my life has been spent learning to subist on the smallest of wages, the least amount of hours, and under the worst conditions, mostly because I’m really bad at having jobs.
I have never taken to work with any amount of enthusiasm. There is something about trading your time for money that leaves a really bad taste in my mouth, and I have constantly struggled against this like a young child in an itchy shirt. It just doesn’t seem right, and no amount of benefits salve has ever made it seem good. This is probably just my own natural aversion to capitalism, or perhaps I suffer from that same syndrome as great people like Rip Van Winkle or Fran Lebowitz. I have never been able to figure it out. To me, there has always been a relationship between people who are awful, and there relative “boss” level. Ever since my first gig working in a croissant factory, I have found managers to be dispicable.
However, this job is a little different. After slaving away in efforts to earn a degree, I have now gained a fairly respectable position in a place that not only pays well, but offers me all the things that real jobs show: respect, friendlyness, earnestness, and actual worth-while benefits that don’t seem like pennies thrown at you so they can watch you pick them up. My co-workers are genuine, and I actually look forward to work. Landing this job – in this economy – was a pretty big deal, and with jobs on the brain, I thought it would be worth it to explore the theme of work and jobs, and how various artists have gone about them in the past.
Humorously enough, in spite of being really happy about my job, it was very difficult to find any songs about people who like their jobs. My theory is that this has to do with the nature of Rock ‘n’ Roll in general: rebellion is such an integral part of rock music, that it is nearly impossible to write a song endorsing integration into the system. (With the exception of MX-80’s “Thank You Boss,” a meandering drone about a narrator who is extremely thankful for the employment his boss has offered him.) I really did try do my best, and managed to fill a few requests, but sadly there are just no positive songs about jobs. Perhaps this informs my own thoughts about them, too?
As usual, I’ve included a few tracks by some of my favorite commedians, and a couple of songs by bands that have been particularly kind to me in the past. As I regularly love to point out, I am easily bribed, and if you would like to send me any of your releases or records (or even tapes, CDs, wax cylendars, etc.), they will most likely wind up on the show. I’ve been recently contacted by a number of bands, and so far they have been of fairly high quality. By all means, keep it up!
I am slowly amassing equipment to rebuild The Lava Lamp Lounge (here in Historic St. John’s, Oregon), so if you would like to sell any of your gear, please contact me. We’re looking for a cassette deck, at least two more microphones, and any kind of effects processors you may be looking to part with. We’re hoping to turn it into a robust studio, and the best way to do so is to buy things from people who know and love us.
See you in seven!
Workin’ Man’s Blues
Part I: Get A God Damn Job
01.) “Give Us The Tools And We’ll Finish The Job” * Winston Churchill
02.) Get A Job * The Silhouettes
03.) Le Travail [Excerpt] * The Work * Slow Crimes
04.) God Damn Job * The Replacements * Stink
05.) Die On Your Feet * Criminal Authority * Young, Loud and Shitty
06.) Shitty Jobs * Ashtray * The Power of Positive Drinking
07.) Forced Labor * Circle Jerks * Wild In The Streets
08.) I Wanna Get A Job In The City * The Kids * The Kids
09.) Four Yorkshiremen * Monty Python * The Final Rip Off
10.) Working Class Hero * The-Front * Riot Agents
Part II: I Don’t Want To Work
11.) Workin’ Hard Blues * Woodie Guthrie
12.) Worksong * Grails * Red Light
13.) Work For Your Money * Howlin’ Wolf * The Chess Box
14.) I Don’t Wanna Work For British Airways * Scissor Fits * Messthetics #101: D.I.Y. 1978 – 1981: London
15.) Unusual Occupations * Bob & Ray * The Lost Episodes, Vol. 4
16.) At My Job * Dead Kennedys * Frankenchrist
17.) Go To Work Drunk * Men’s Recovery Project * Grappling With The Homonids
18.) I Love My Job * Bill Hicks * Dangerous
19.) Take Stuff From Work * King Missle (Dog Fly Religion) * Fluting on the Hump
Part III: How Long Can This Go On?
20.) Welcome To My Job [Excerpt] * George Carlin * Occupation: Foole
21.) Work Song * Bib Set * It Wasn’t Meant To Happen
22.) Working In A Coalmine * Devo * Hardcore Devo Vol. 2
23.) All Day * Ministry
24.) Steelworker * Big Black * The Hammer Party
25.) Big Strong Boss * Swans * Filth
26.) Serious Business * Grex * Live At Home
27.) Stupid Day Job * Wally Pleasant
28.) Unusual Occupations * Bob & Ray * The Lost Episodes, Vol. 4
You wanted it, and now you’ve got it. Miss Rikki Lee and I produced another blast of rock and roll know-how in the form of bringing you the furious furor of Estocar! Miss Rikki always has her eye on what’s what, and the pairing of her perspective on music with the fantastic feistiness of this band was a match made in radio. Fortunately, I was tapped to help bring these sounds to the airways, and what happens is two hours of Closet Radio goodness, brought to you by kpsu.org.
Estocar’s new record – Faux Fiction – is the kind of album you play when you want to ignore the fact that fall and winter are here, and instead pretend you’re on a road trip to meet friends and have adventures. They put fury and fun side by side, and pack it into little song forms that are perfect for any afternoon. As you stream this show, you will want to turn it up as you listen along. The link above offers an opportunity to buy the album on bandcamp, but this show offers a good example of what you’ll hear in that album. Either way you win.
Estocar
I wanna thank Miss Rikki for inviting me to do sound for this show, and the guys in Estocar for being really cool, and super friendly. It’s shows like this that remind me of how cool people actually can be. I had a lot of fun, and can’t wait to do it again.
01.) Just Like Honey * The Jesus And Mary Chain * Psychocandy
02.) Emergency Room * The The The Thunder
03.) Live Performance * Estocar * 10 November 2012
04.) I Will Dare * The Replacements
05.) Interview * Estocar * 10 November 2012
06.) Leave Me Alone * Chappaquiddick Sky
07.) Warm Leatherette * The Normal
08.) Years Later * Cactus World News
09.) American Beat * Fleshtones
10.) Baby Ran * 54-40
11.) Attempt To Steal * Night Mechanic
12.) I Am A Fly * Wire
13.) Corner Soul * The Clash
14.) You Must Be A Witch * Lollipop Shoppe
15.) Henry Rollins Don’t Dance * Allo Darlin’
16.) Protect Your Daughters * Sawyer Family
17.) Downtown At Dawn * Richard Hell & The Voidoids
18.) Constant Waiting * Johnny Dowd
19.) Cost of Living * Downliners Sect
20.) I’ve Been Through It Before * The Plagues
21.) Saturday Night * Suede
Episode 191: Election Night Special! (Featuring Music, Comedy bits, and my own special brand of “rant” regarding the importance of voting, and Presidents in general.)
It’s Election Day, the stage is set, and the population is geared for an incredible victory, a massive disappointment, or in the case of the majority of Americans, complete and totally obliviousness with regards to what day it is. With that in mind, we decided to offer a selection of songs about the process of picking a government official. There are songs about presidents – specific and generic – comedians weighing in on the subject, critical analysis in the form of a song, and a handful of rants from yours truly as I rail on and on about the importance of voting, regardless of your political preference. (Spoiler Alert: I’m voiting for Obama, and you should to. But more than anything, you should make your voice heard.)
I am not usually the kind of person that gets too political, but I have done it a few times on this program. My politics run the “Let’s Dismantle Everything! / Fuck This Shit! / If I Have To Listen To One More Misguided Statement From A Lying & Manipulative Moron I Will Destroy Your Precious Capital And Myself If I Have To In Order To Send A Message About The Rampant Corruption And Nonsense You Guys Are Constantly Spewing!” spectrum of political ideology. I have always believed in the value of tearing things down, questioning everything, and explaining to people that the shared reality most people have agreed upon is merely a construction, and carries no more validity than we arbitrarily assign to it. But this is a difficult position to take, politically, because most people don’t want to have their reality undermined, and more to the point, feel better when they have an ideological coin to flip every four years to set their mind at ease.
However, I do think elections are important, because if you want to hack into the shared reality around us, a very direct way to do so is to make your voice heard. There are a number of elements in this world conspiring against us to minimize the way we can interact with the world, and as things become more compartmentalized and digitized, this problem seems to become amplified. It is quite easy to feel powerless, and as we are constantly searching for quick-fix solutions to this powerlessness (drugs, money, sex, cars, shopping, rock ‘n’ roll etc.) we ignore the things that offer us the most direct connection to affecting change. So please, if you are feeling marginalized, fill your ballot! It’s like working bureaucratic magic in its own weird, round-about way.
I talk and rant in this episode more than I have ever before, and for that I do apologize. But this cause is pretty important, and so I feel it is worth it to have made the effort. The show is only an hour and 30 minutes, and there’s lots of music to help balance it out. I think ranting about the need to vote is probably one of the least harmful things I could do, and if you’ll just ignore my occasional comments on why Obama is the better choice (because he is), then these segments are completely harmless.
(Full disclosure: while there are issues with Obama as president, I haven’t really been too keen on any of our candidates since I was of voting age and helped put Clinton in office for a second term. Politicians in America, by default, have no business running things. However, politics is a lot like a shitty car: the one we have blows, but until we can culturally have the wherewithal to afford one with multiple gears, better steering, and much better features, we’re stuck driving the beater. Obama is not a perfect president, and there is much to be upset about. But compared to the competition, he does not support the war of women, he is not a power-hungry businessman with a short-sighted view on the economy, and he is pro-Health Care, something that everyone in this country needs desperately, no matter what your income might be. That alone makes Obama a much better choice than Mittens. Also: I just can’t see myself voting for Roseanne.)
Many of the selections in this episode are satirical, and humor is indeed something I value more than politics. But I also think humor manages to uncover something about us that sincerity doesn’t manage to get at, and songs like “Homosexual President” and “The President” by King Missile drive at a kind of honesty that you can’t convey without tongue planted firmly (and intentionally) in cheek. With that in mind, I wanted to include some comedy bits here and there, too. There was a period in time where I had mostly memorized the entire “Election Special” routine by Monty Python, and have always wanted to include it in a program, and now I’ve finally gotten my chance. Honestly: if you don’t look at any candidate and think to yourself “slightly-silly,” then I’m not sure you’re paying enough attention. (If you really want some insight into my psyche, as a developing teen I listened to The Final Rip-Off as much as – possibly more, actually – Nirvana’s Nevermind, and I contend both had equal effect on me.) Bill Hicks & George Carlin seemed like an obvious inclusions, but strangely enough I managed to also find a Bob & Ray routine that captured the ludicrousness of most Presidential candidates.
The song I most desperately wanted to include in this show is “The New World” by X. This song, more than anything in this show, seems to embody an aspect to politics that I think is most often overlooked. There are huge swaths of our population who are not only aware of the political process, but are not able to participate for one reason or another. Looking at the long lines in Florida and the entire debacle surrounding that has put this aspect of things into sharp relief. We still live in a democracy in the Greek sense: the privileged have access to rights that others do not. Consider that yesterday was only the 100th Anniversary of female suffrage in Oregon. Our country seems inordinately interested in the idea that only certain classes have the right to make big decisions in this country, and if you think democracy is the backbone of this country, look at the homeless population and ask them about the last time they were able to vote. We may be forward thinking, and we may believe that we are a country founded on idealism and principles, but we have a long way to go.
Maybe in my lifetime? Or maybe when we finally elect Zacherle.
Anyway: hopefully you find a good place, and with good company, to spend the evening, and I hope I haven’t just bummed you out completely. Chin up. We’ll know how things pan out tomorrow night. And in the meantime let’s dream of a time when Friend The Robot Vice President can walk hand-in-hand with a Homosexual President, and lead this country into the 21st Century.
See ya in seven.
Part I: Get Out And Vote!
01.) I Could Never Be President * Johnnie Taylor *The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1968-1971
02.) Aquaduct * The Presidents * Why We Were Right
03.) Open Letter To The President * Billy Jack * Wrestling The Bald-Headed Champ
04.) Homosexual President * Wrangler Brutes * Zulu
05.) The Elite * Bill Hicks * Philosophy
06.) If Reagan Played Disco * Minutemen * Bean-Spill EP
07.) Vice Presidente * Eighth Route Army * Killed By Death Vol. 100
08.) American Dream * The Redundants * I Hate The Redundants
09.) Views Behind The News: Presidential Candidate G.L. Hummerbeck * Bob & Ray * The Lost Episodes, Vol. 3
10.) Take Us To Your President * Hans Conreid & Alice Pearce * Monster Rally
Part II: They Must’ve Been Voting For President, Or Something
11.) The New World * X * More Fun In The Big World
12.) Flawless Victory [Excerpt] * The Fucking Champs * III
13.) Zacherle For President * John Zacherley
14.) The President * King Missile III * The Psychopathology Of Everyday Life
15.) Election Special (Live) * Monty Python * The Final Rip Off
16.) Presidents Song * Zip Code Rapists * Zip Code Rapists
Part III: It Isn’t Hard, If You Try
17.) Good Friday, 2033 * Men’s Recovery Project * The Golden Triumph Of Naked Hostility
18.) Post Election News * WATIV * Baghdad Music Journal
19.) International War Criminal * The Slackers
20.) Let’s Impeach The President * Neil Young
21.) Fuck The Motherfuckin’ President * Witchy Poo * A Slice Of Lemon
22.) Imagine This * Tom Compagnoni
23.) “One Thing I Don’t Complain About” * George Carlin
In our final Halloween Spook-tacular this season, we pull out all the stops and bring you a story straight out of Astounding Science Fiction magazine. As an experienced Private Dick, Dexter Roland has been involved in a number of cases that have often put him in contact with a number of surprising and unusual situations. He’s worked with Humphrey Bogart, presenting the story of The Maltese Falcon, and Peter Lorre, during this Holiday tale Back For Christmas. But this may well be his strangest case yet, as he discovers the horrific events surrounding the disappearance of his friends over at The Broderick Detective Agency. Tune in for an incredible Hard Boiled, Sci-Fi epic as we bring you the tale of The Embassy, where professional PI Broderick is hired to locate the secret base of operations for… a Martian Invasion!
Dexter Roland has been kicking around since the early ‘90’s, trading slugs and shots with the criminal underworld in an effort to right the wrongs that police are unable to involve themselves. Bridging the gap between Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, Dirk Gently & Mike Hammer, Detective Roland’s adventures have appeared in a number of quick-and-dirty publications, and most recently in a novel entitled Noir Time Like The Present. But his meta-textual nature, magical realist perception of the universe, and penchant for getting into situations he has no business getting into has made him the perfect radio personality, and his work on this show is always a treat. When he told me about this story, I knew we had to bring it to the air.
I’ve been a fan of X-Minus One since just after High School, when I first came across a collection of cassettes that contained a selection of Sci-Fi programs from the golden age of radio. Of course, it hasn’t been until the last several years that this material has been easily accessible. While there are a number of website that offer a number of old time radio programs for download, I recommend The Twilight Zone Network who offer regular podcasts containing these classic shows as they were heard by audiences in the ‘50’s. It’s nice to be listening to your regular selection of Radiolabs and Planet Moneys, and then have one of these vintage programs pop up in the mix. It offers a good counterpoint to the kinds of radio that exist now, and makes me long for the days when radio brought you narrative programs.
This particular episode – The Embassy – was originally broadcast on Dimension X radio on 3 June 1950. Dimension X was the program that preceded X Minus One, and a number of the same staff, writers and voice actors worked on the program. The story was originally penned by Donald Wollheim for Astounding Science Fiction Magazine, which has sustained a few name changes over the years, and is now known as the well-read Analog. Wollheim was one of the founding Futurians, a group of left-wing science fiction fans (as well editors and writers like Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl), and is probably best known the organizer of the first Sci-Fi convention. The Embassy was originally published in March of 1942, and while it was not his most famous story, it is a well-known one among Sci-Fi Radio nerds like me.
The story was “adapted for radio” by George Lefferts, one of the staff writers for both Dimension X and X Minus One. Lefferts had a fascinating and unusual career, that spanned from the ‘40’s into the ‘80’s. He worked for television, film, radio, newspapers, magazines, and documentaries, primarily as a writer, but also as a producer and behind-the-scenes staffer. I know him primarily from the credits of these programs, but his work is so diverse that it makes sense that he would be attracted to a strange story like this. It contains all the usual trappings of a Hard Boiled detective story – a murdered partner, beautiful girls, a client who turns on him, getting drugged and trying to find out why, a run-in with the police – and yet all these elements are completely turned upside down, and the scary, Sci-Fi tinges really sell this episode in a big way. Like a lot of great media, there are parts when you think this could very well just be an exaggerated detective program that will have a sort-of Scooby Doo ending. However, it makes a good hard turn into X Minus One territory in the second act, and as a show that pretends to be one thing and is, actually, another, it seems perfect for Halloween.
I’ve had an incredible holiday season this year, and produced some really excellent shows of which I am proud. Halloween means a lot to me, and shows like this really allow me to indulge in my own interests, tell a story that I find unique, and present radio that is both fun and seasonally appropriate, all at the same time. Thanks again for bringing me to your ears, and supporting something as strange and unusual as I can possibly manage. You guys are amazing, really.
See ya real soon!
The Embassy
Part I:
01.) The Embassy Part I * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
02.) High Terror * Eddie Warner * Cops Crooks and Spies * L’Illustration Musicale Records
03.) The Embassy Part II * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
04.) Divide And Conquer * Hüsker Dü * Flip Your Wig * SST Records
05.) The Embassy Part III * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
06.) Shot by Both Sides * Magazine * Real Life * Virgin Records
07.) The Embassy Part IV * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
08.) Find A Hidden Door * The Misunderstood * Before The Dream Faded * Cherry Red
09.) The Embassy Part V * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
10.) The Sky Is Falling, And I Want My Mommy (Falling Space Junk) * Jello Biafra With Nomeansno * The Sky Is Falling And I Want My Mommy * Alternative Tentacles Records
11.) The Embassy Part VI * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
12.) Body Twist * Frankie Stein And His Ghouls * Monster Sounds And Dance Music * Power Records
Part II:
13.) Postludio Alla Terza Moglie (from Barbalu) * Ennio Morricone * Crime And Dissonance
14.) The Embassy Part VII * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
15.) The Call * Straitjacket * Modern Thieves * Jonny Cat Records
16.) The Embassy Part VIII * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
17.) Little Drop Of Poison * Tom Waits * Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards * ANTI- Records
18.) The Embassy Part IX * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
19.) I Walk Among Them * MX-80 Sound * Out Of The Tunnel * Ralph Records
20.) The Embassy Part X * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
21.) Fascist Cops * The Kids * The Kids * Philips Records
22.) The Embassy Part XI * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
23.) Grave Mistake * David And Jad Fair * Halloween Songs * Thick Syrup Records
Part III:
24.) Diabolo’s Theme * The Ghastly Ones * A-Haunting We Will Go-Go * Zombie-A-Go-Go Records
25.) The Embassy Part XII * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
26.) Keep Talking * The Love Me Nots * In Black & White * Atomic A Go Go Records
27.) The Embassy Part XIII * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
28.) Human Cattail * Last Of The Juanitas * In The Dirt * Wäntage Records
29.) The Embassy Part XIV * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
30.) The Plan * Richard Hell And The Voidoids * Blank Generation * Sire Records
31.) The Embassy Part XV * X Minus 1 Radio * 28 July 1955
32.) Detective Theme * Eddie Warner * Cops Crooks and Spies * L’Illustration Musicale Records
33.) The Invasion is Coming * The Invasion * Lux and Ivy’s Favorites Volume Fourteen * http://kogarsjunglejuice.blogspot.com/
There are a number of people who have become so associated with horror and the macabre that they become culturally associated with Halloween, a holiday that celebrates not only ghosts, vampires and monsters, but these kinds of celebrities as well. While he was most certainly not the first to achieve this kind of notoriety, Vincent Price managed to use this association to his advantage, building a career that spanned stage, screen, radio, television and LP. His singular looks, commanding voice, and overall sense of theater and drama made him perfectly suited to wear capes and speak knowingly about the undead and the midnight hour. While his dedication to the craft was always apparent in everything he produced, his sense of humor was always lurking just beneath, and one need only look at his appearance on The Muppet Show for proof of that. It is with no small amount of fanfare that we bring you an entire hour dedicated to the man himself, presenting his own voice reading stories and poems about ghosts, witches, goblins, and all things creepy as part of our annual Halloween Spook-tacular!
Beginning his career in the late 1930’s, Vincent Price’s horror film debut was with Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone in 1939 in The Tower Of London, but the role that really established his career was 1944’s Laura, a film noir by Otto Preminger, and adapted from the novel of the same name. In 1947 he took on the role of Simon Templar in the radio program The Saint, a heroic adventure program where he solved crimes in much the same manner of The Green Hornet, The Avenger, or The Whistler (a program that shared a similar introduction). He appeared in horror, film noir, and radio programs, and a comedy here and there, throughout the ’40’s and ’50’s. By the 1960’s he was known to many as the character of Egghead in the television adaptation of Batman. However, his work with Roger Corman not only made him permanently associated with horror films (and in particular, screen adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe short stories), but made him a go-to actor when filmmakers wanted to use his incredible voice, or lend a moody atmosphere to the production. Throughout the remainder of his career he worked for a number of director’s, lent his voice to animated films, and hosted endless programs, including PBS’s Mystery!from ’81 – ’89. He passed from this dimension in 1993, but his long career and spectacular command of drama has made him a Halloween icon, and one who I enjoy every year around this time.
One aspect of his career that is often overlooked is his work for Caedmon Records (now Caedmon Audio). Founded in 1952 by Barbara Holdridge and Marianne Roney, Caedmon focused on all manner of spoken word albums, which included authors and poets reading their own work, presentations of speeches or stage performances, poetry collections, children’s stories, and any number of literary works on LP (their slogan: “A Third Dimension for the Printed Page”). They managed to amass an impressive roster of artists, featuring albums by Robert Frost, T. S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, e.e. cummings, Richard Burton, Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave and Basil Rathbone just to name a few. These LPs were particularly popular among the hip college crowd in the ’60’s and ’70’s, and offered a new means for listeners to experience well known literary works, often read by the original writers, or at least, consummate performers. Caedmon still releases audio books and literary recordings to this day, though now on CD and in other digital forms, leaving behind the excellent LPs that made their work unique and popular, and today they are thought of as a merely an audiobook production company. It is with this organization that Vincent Price recorded several albums, reading a number of stories totally appropriate for the Halloween season. These albums contained stories about ghosts, goblins, monsters of all variety, and on one record, a series of spells for witches, with their ingredients described in detail. While he recited his share of Edgar Allen Poe stories too, today’s program features stories from his other recordings.
Ghost stories have a long and wonderful tradition that goes back to an time when people primarily heard them around the campfire, and there is something about hearing someone tell you a story that is absolutely mesmerizing. I have fond memories listening to a few scary stories on records when I was a kid, and when I hear recordings like this, I am easily transported to a time when a four minute ghost story would leave me in awe. Putting one of these records on is a fantastic showcase of the different kinds of literary thrills and chills that Vincent Price was so good at delivering, and it seemed appropriate to offer a sort of mix-tape of some well-known moments. I intentionally left out his renditions of Poe works, not only because we featured The Tell-Tale Heart last week, but I wanted to offer some of the other kinds of narratives heard on records like this. Accompanying these stories are the sounds of one of my favorite scary sounds LPs, Haunted House, an Italian record from 1985 with some hilarious typos on the back cover, and an excellent presentation on Side A.
It is sad that, now, both Vincent Price and stories like this are no longer popular, and have been replaced instead with the Horror Movie format as people primary source of Halloween scares. These stories seem permanently lodged in the past, somehow, and while I can easily become excited by work like this, it is every clearly a relic of the past. This show is a sort of snapshot of the way this holiday used to be celebrated, and one that I wish would come back. The real focus of today’s program are tales read by the immortal Vincent Price, and that should be something that is times.
So: light some candles, curl up in a blanket with your loved ones, and enjoy an hour of fantastic tales guaranteed to set the mood for any party. Let’s just hope that you live through the entire show!
An Evening With Vincent Price!
Part I: “Listen, Won’t You?”
01.) Take A Trip Through The Haunted House If You Dare! * Haunted House * Haunted House Music Co.
02.) All-Saints’ Eve * Vincent Price * A Hornbook For Witches * Caedmon Records
Published in 1950 by Leah Bodine Drake in a collection of poems entitled A Hornbook for Witches: Poems of Fantasy, this is perhaps one of the rarest collections of poetry published by a fairly large publisher, Arkham House Press. According to one story, Leah Drake had to shoulder the cost of printing the book, and just over 500 were pressed. 300 were given to the poet for her troubles, and the remainder were sent to distributors. While it is unclear if the book sold well at all when it was published, copies now go for over $500, mostly because of the spooky content and eerie quality to the verse. Most people know these poems from Price’s LP, A Hornbook of Witches, containing a few of the gems from this rare book.
03.) The Lone Grave * Vincent Price * Tales Of Witches, Ghosts, And Goblins * Caedmon Records
This story appeared in a 1956 collection of stories by Carl Carmer entitled The Screaming Ghost And Other Stories. Published as a collection for young adults and illustrated by “Irv Docktor” (a pseudonym if I’ve ever seen one), this is one of the many American folktales and stories Carmer collected and remade for kids. These stories have taken on a number of forms and versions over the years, and made its way into similar collections by other authors, but Vincent Price (and Caedmon Records) seemed to have a fondness for Carmer’s version. This particular story originates from Kentucky, and probably has some basis of fact buried within this frightening tale.
04.) The Phantom Merry-Go-Round * Vincent Price * Tales Of Witches, Ghosts, And Goblins * Caedmon Records
Another story from Carmer’s The Screaming Ghost And Other Stories collection, this one tells the story of the deadly hurricane of 1856, and how it destroyed the resort town of Isle Dernière, near New Orleans.
Part II: “Welcome To Gobbleknoll.”
05.) The Smoker * Vincent Price * Tales Of Witches, Ghosts, And Goblins * Caedmon Records
A story from A Book ofGoblins, published in 1969 and edited by Alan Garner for young adult readers.On the Caedmon LP, this story is listed as “freely adapted from an Iroquois legend.” This is entirely possible, and Garner was merely the editor of this collection of stories. I have yet to track down a copy of this book, so tracing the origins of these stories is entirely dependent on the data available via the Inter-Web-A-Tron.
06.) Don’t * Vincent Price * A Hornbook For Witches * Caedmon Records
This piece was written by Maria Leach, author of the story collection The Thing At The Foot Of The Bed And Other Scary Stories. Originally published in 1959, it saw a number of young adult editions over the years, but is now out of print. Maria Leach, in this collection, took a number of classic folktales and campfire stories and re-told them (similar to the style of Carl Carmer). This was a popular tactic in the ’50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s, as people were less concerned with copyright and the origins of stories like this were never entirely clear anyway. Other stories from this book were often used for Halloween Records, but Vincent’s delivery usually sells the story.
07.) The Leg of Gold * Vincent Price * A Graveyard of Ghost Tales * Caedmon Records
Vincent Price liked his authors British, and Ruth Manning-Sanders was a popular fairy tale collector in the UK. Mostly known for her collections of children’s stories, Ruth would travel the world and collect a variety of stories from different countries, then retell them in her own style for English audiences. One collection in particular – A Book of Ghosts & Goblins – became rather popular in 1969 when it was published, an stories from it have been entertaining people this time of year ever since. This particular tale is of French origin, but the book is worth tracking down due to the wide variety of stories from all over the world.
08.) Gobbleknoll * Vincent Price * Tales Of Witches, Ghosts, And Goblins * Caedmon Records
Also known by the title “Gobble Knowll,” this story is also taken from A Book of Goblins, edited by Alan Garner (also known as The Hamish Hamilton Book of Goblins in the UK). On the Caedmon LP, this story is listed as being “Transposed from a Sioux legend,” which could very well be the case, but most sources agree that Garner’s writing draws from English folktales and stories near where he grew up in the English countryside. Part of the Gobbleknowll story seems to have been used in Garner’s The Weirdstone of Brisingamenbook that he became famous for, and this fame most likely led to him getting the editing job, too.
Part III: “The Calamander Chest”
09.) The Calamander Chest * Vincent Price * Goblins at the Bath House and the Calamander Chest * Caedmon Records
Originally published in Weird Talesmagazine in January of 1954, this story by Joseph Payne Brennan became one of his more popular stories, and might be one of the few included in this presentation that was not originally written for young adults. (Though the audience for Weird Tales definitely skewed young.) Brennan’s work is largely out of print in the modern age, but his stories are considered classic pieces of horror among many authors, including Stephen King. Brennan often used strange and disturbed loners as characters in his work, and was a proponent of the paranormal detective character, which dominated much of his work in the ’60’s. This story is an excellent example of his work, and a great way to close today’s program.
10.) The Broomstick Train * Vincent Price * Tales Of Witches, Ghosts, And Goblins * Caedmon Records
This is a small excerpt from a longer poem by none other than Oliver Wendell Holmes, taken from his collection The One Hoss Shay, illustrated by Howard Pyle. Holmes was a physician and lecturer, and kept company with the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson & Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among other well known luminaries and poets. This collection was originally produced in 1858, though it was revised a number of times during his life. While the poem is actually about the introduction of electrified street cars in US cities, Holmes strength was in his ability to draw comparisons and connections between the world around him and the supernatural world of the past.
Episode 188: The Tell-Tale Heart (A journey into the Punk-In Patch, featuring Iggy Pop reading Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”!)
The Grumpy Punk hates most holidays, and on the whole has trouble wanting to wish anyone a happy anything, no matter what the circumstances might be. However, our annual Halloween Spook-tacular is something not even The Grumpy Punk can resist, and at least once during the season he likes to take a stroll out into the Punk-In Patch, to bring you a creepy selection of candy-chomping rockers about monsters, the living undead, and the occasional creepy story. It is this in mind that we have turned to our good friend Iggy Pop, the grandfather of punk rock himself, to bring you his rendition of the immortal Edgar Allen Poe short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, a story so closely associated with the season that it regularly shows up on Halloween Records in a number of forms.
In selecting the songs for this particular romp through the Punk-In Patch, I am aided by our good friend Miss Rikki Lee of Closet Radio. While we were unable to secure her to assist us with the recording of this episode, she contributed a number of selections that wound up in the presentation featured today. Not only a fellow traveler of all things Halloween and Punk Rock, her program has been featuring some fantastic Halloween Programming this month, and for the few of you who are not already obsessively listening to everything she broadcasts, you may want to work your way over to her show and check it out. She has made a number of appearances on our fine program, and she is currently celebrating her one year radio anniversary. Show her some love.
In a number of ways, Edgar Allen Poe embodies so much that is Halloween. While his stories and poems contained a wide range of subject matter and characters – including one of the first detective characters in published fiction – there is a creepiness and eeriness that set the done for horror fiction, and only Nathaniel Hawthorne was able to match this tone in the years previous. Poe’s own life was full of tragedy and sorrow, and for someone who had trouble integrating himself into the world he lived in, he had no trouble creating moods and literary landscapes where someone like himself would feel right at home. Reading his stories now has a very unusual effect on readers, as his command of language and the structure of his most famous stories feel like they are a part of the very fabric of scary, campfire narratives.
It is not surprising that Iggy Pop should read this particular selection. Iggy himself loves to mine the world of the horrific for his own narrative purposes, and all of his music has a dark and wonderfully creepy undertone that fills me with both joy and discomfort at the same time. Like Poe, who was developing a tone and style that would become Horror Fiction, Iggy developed what would become Punk Rock, building on a foundation that few before him had already begun, but a number of others afterward would pick up and use ever onward. The merger of these two artists is one that continues to impress me, and when you read the text along with Iggy’s performance, you realize how dedicated he was to this story. His pauses, the lines he emphasizes, and the rise and fall of his delivery flow along with the original text in a way that is completely faithful, and as today’s show unfolds, you’ll find him building to a fantastic crescendo that only someone as masterful as Mr. Pop can deliver. It also illustrates the incredible through-line that exists between this era in literature, and Punk Rock itself.
For those of you unfamiliar with the recording in today’s presentation, it comes from a fantastic double-CD entitled Closed On Account Of Rabies, a collection that I have drawn upon before for this very holiday. It was produced and released by Hal Willner, and if you don’t recognize that name, I am not surprised. His work has been primarily in the realm of tributes and film collaborations, releasing only one album of his own work. His efforts are incredibly diverse, producing tributes to the music of Federico Fellini films, Charles Mingus, Leonard Cohen, Tim Buckley, Randy Newman, Shel Silverstein, Allen Ginsberg, Carl Stalling, and William S. Burroughs, among others. This particular album of Poe stories and poems contains some incredible (and wonderfully strange) performances by the likes of Diamanda Galás, Dr. John, Christopher Walken, Gabriel Byrne and Deborah Harry. Wilner’s production and musical accompaniment is nuanced, and even sounds like a Halloween Record at times. But the effect when combined with Iggy’s throaty, harsh tones not only sound as if it might be Poe’s voice himself, but has a musicality to it that only reveals itself near the end of the tale.
But don’t take my word for it. Sit down and enjoy yet another journey into The Punk-In Patch, as we bring you another Halloween Spook-tacular here on Blasphuphmus Radio.com!
Enjoy!
The Tell-Tale Heart!
Part I: “True! – nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous”
01.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part I) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
02.) Halloween * Siouxsie & The Banshees * Juju
03.) Haunted House Of Rock ’95 * Satan’s Pilgrims * Soul Pilgrim
04.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part II) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
05.) Splatterhouse * The Koffin Kats * Straying From The Pack
06.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part III) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
07.) Monsters * Scratch Acid * The Greatest Gift
08.) Dead Souls * Nomeansno * The Day Everything Became Nothing
09.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part IV) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
10.) In Love With The Dead * Behead The Prophet No Lord Shall Live * Soul System Blackout 7″
11.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part V) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
12.) Raise Up The Dead * Dead Moon * Destination X
Part II: “The old man sprang up in bed, crying out – ‘Who’s there?’ “
13.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part VI) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
14.) King Of The Monsters * Man… Or Astro-Man? * Experiment Zero
15.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part VII) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
16.) The Living Dead * The-Front * “Bad Boy” b/w “The Living Dead”
17.) Back From The Dead * Black Eyes And Neckties * Stiletto
18.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part VIII) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
19.) Blood Visions * Jay Reatard * Blood Visions
20.) Dracula * Sawyer Family * Scary As Hell
21.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part IX) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
22.) Fearless Vampire Killers * Bad Brains * Bad Brains
23.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part X) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
24.) Dead Or Alive * G.G. Allin & The Motor City Bad Boys * Always Was, Is And Always Shall Be
Part III: “If, still, you think me mad, you will think so no longer”
25.) Mummy’s Little Monster * Frankie Stein And His Ghouls * Monster Sounds And Dance Music * Power Records
26.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part XI) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
27.) Monsters * Mad Marge And The Stonecutters * Mad Marge And The Stonecutters
28.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part XII) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
29.) I’m A Mummy! * The Fall * Levitate
30.) I Was A Teenage Werewolf * The Cramps * Songs The Lord Taught Us
31.) The Tell-Tale Heart (Part XIII) * Iggy Pop * Closed On Account Of Rabies
32.) Heartaches * Ted Weems And His Orchestra * The Purple Knif Show
33.) Tell Tale Heart * The Gravetones * On The Edge Of Madness
34.) Undermutter’s Monster Update * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign
It’s always a lot of fun when any one of these artists manage to make their way onto the What’s This Called? airwaves, and usually Ricardo Wang is kind enough to throw me a bone, and bring me in when it’s time to run sound. Each of these artists have not only managed to perform in the kpsu.org studios, but bring with them a reputation that not only precedes them, but demands that listeners drop everything and listen with rapt attention for the duration of their sets. Furthermore, when you factor in the rabid What’s This Called? listening audience, and its a guarantee that any number of people worldwide are bumping any artist that appears on this show.
However, today’s show was a special treat. Not only did we get three full sets of noisy goodness, but one included a three-way jam that was not only mesmerizing, but managed to bring the fuckin’ house down for anyone who managed to hear the event. First, we had a full set by the legendary Crank Sturgeon, an artist that I’ve had the pleasure to see a number of times now, but who always manages to captivate and confound even the most hardened of listeners. Next, we had a truncated set by Styrofoam Sanchez, a trio of incredible noise sculptures who pulled out all the stops with a Halloween-themed set that was not only mind melting, but almost terrifying. We topped the show off with a two-for-one deal, beginning with a mini-set by the wall-of-sound stylings of Overdose The Katatonic, who’s weird and wonderful ear candy set the stage for an improvised jam with all three groups, blending into a fantastic cacophony that you can only hear on What’s This Called?
I was extremely pleased to be a part of this fantastic sampling of audio insanity, and it is one more reason why I’m thrilled to be a member of the What’s This Called? team. But really, to experience, just follow the link above. Your ears will thank you.
More audio madness is coming your way all throughout the month of October, so stay tuned!
01.) Breeze Full of Spirits * David and Jad Fair * Halloween Songs
02.) Nibby Grimes * Miss Massive Snowflake * Tandan
03.) Live * Crank Sturgeon * on What’s This Called?
04.) Remix by Muddmakr – My Brother’s Guns & Knives * Remora * Tandaan
05.) Live * Styrofoam Sanchez * on What’s This Called?
06.) Zombie King * David and Jad Fair * Halloween Songs
07.) Coda Cacciatori * Party Killer * Tandaan
08.) Live * Overdose the Katatonic w/ Crank Sturgeon & Styrofoam Sanchez * on What’s This Called?
Episode 187: Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Featuring the complete 1963 story, “Frankenstein’s Monster Talks!” written by Cherney Berg and performed by Hal Johnson & Gabriel Dell.)
Dr. Victor Frankenstein was a scientist of some renown during the early 1800’s, and was not only responsible for the study of a number of fascinating aspects of medicine and biology, but also developed an extremely crude form of sound recording nearly 40 years before the technology was even conceived of by other inventors. Probably his most famous – and dangerous – creation is the Modern Prometheus, the monster that terrorized the world until it was presumedly destroyed in a mysterious fire.
What was not known until the early 1960’s is that Dr. Frankenstein’s monster used this primitive recording technology to document his side of the story. These recordings have been circulated over the last 50 years not only as a document of one of the oldest known recordings to exist, but offer a fascinating look into the life of this creature that terrified people until its tragic demise. (Or so we have been told.)
Now, as part of our annual Halloween Spook-tacular, we present these recordings without any alteration or editing, to give you a chance to decide for yourself the intentions of this often misunderstood creature. Dr. Frankenstein, for many years, has offered his version of these events in prose (as told to an unlucky sailor whom he met just prior to his demise). Now, it’s is the Monster’s turn to talk. To accompany these recordings, we’ve included music in tribute to The Monster, and the time of year associated with him. Brace yourself for a tale too chilling for broadcast radio, entitled “Frankenstein’s Monster Talks!”
As I’ve said numerous times in the past, there is something about Halloween Records that strike a chord and fills me with a certain kind of joy that is hard to explain. Perhaps it is because they embody novelty, a D.I.Y. spirit, childish glee and sense of nostalgia that is fully concerned with the kinds of stories you tell around a campfire, late at night, at the end of summer when you’re trying to build the courage to face the impending winter. There’s probably more to it, too, that any number of psychologists could elucidate I have a few fond memories of listening to Halloween Records as a kid, but to be honest, I never owned any until I was in my early 20’s, and didn’t start collecting with a serious fervency for a few years more.
The golden age of Halloween Records began in the 1950’s and ran through the 1970’s. There were a number of scary and spooky novelty records before that, and they were certainly popular. But in the post-war era the US had a number of things working for it: Television, the LP as a format for music and a burgeoning youth culture with an interest in things esoteric and unique. With the introduction of Shock Theaterin 1957 (and Son Of Shock a year later), TV stations had access to over 70 classic horror movies they could package and use to fill air time in the evenings, where Horror Hosts of every variety dressed up in kooky costumes and waxed poetic about Edgar Allen Poe and Universal Studios.
This was also a period of social change in a number of ways. Culture was homogenizing as the family unit began to solidify and suburbia began to develop. The holiday of Halloween began to morph, and instead of carrying regional variety for reckless, drunken, and sometimes violent adults, became a candy-centric children’s romp with neighbors and at parties, the kind of holiday that middle America craved. The stage was set for Halloween merchandise of every variety to become the seasonal backbone of any company that wanted to manufacture costumes, candy, and of course, novelty records.
The correlation between rock music and Halloween Records seems to be almost too good to be true. Their origins stem from the same post-war realities, their audiences seem to be more or less the same, and when they work in concert with each other, the results are incredible. While the Misfits are an amazing modern example of what can be done when you blend rock music and horror themes, almost as soon as there was rock and roll, there were musicians singing about monsters, graveyards, and prowling the streets at night. It is no wonder that it is a trope that people return to again and again, and one of which I can’t seem to get enough. I have hours and hours (and hours) of Halloween music and scary sounds albums, and every time I think I’ve plumbed the depths, each year I uncover a new batch of things that get me excited about doing Halloween shows like this one.
This particular record, Famous Monsters Speak!, has been reprinted a number of times since its original release in 1963, and is now available in iTunes (and on CD). The production on it is actually quite good for the time, and is above average for Halloween Records in general. Hal Johnson created all the sound effects, about whom it is hard to find any biographical information. (It is safe to assume that he probably worked at A.A. Records, who released the album for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, through which you could order the LP when it first came out.) All of the voices, however, were performed by Gabriel Dell, a member of the Dead End Kids, a group of New York actors who appeared in a series of plays in the mid-to-late 30’s, and then movies through Universal Studios. His career included a number of films, a stint on Broadway, and quite a few TV shows until until the late ’70’s. He died of leukemia in 1988, and while my Grandmother still waxes poetic about how great the Dead End Kids movies were, I will always remember him fondly from this recording. I was convinced that the other voices were done by different actors, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he’s just that good.
The writer of this particular story is Cherney Berg, someone with a level of fame between that of Hal Johnson and Gabriel Dell. Cherney wrote story adaptations for records, including two other Halloween Records, and two other story records (according to his “discogs.com” page linked above). While I can’t say that the writing stands out here (the great parts of this story are still owed to Mary Shelly), there is a certain style to adapting stories to an audio format that Mr. Berg certainly has dialed in. The B-Side of this record, “Dracula Returns!” is like this too, and sounds more like a one-person radio play making it particularly suited to this program.
Sadly, as the ’70’s wore on, Halloween Records began to decline quite drastically. Scary Stories appeared less frequently on albums, and Scary Soundscapes began to dominate before disappearing entirely. Fewer Monster Songs were recorded by artists to the point where they became actual novelties worse than “The Monster Mash,” performed only by novelty acts who specialized in z-level quality. As companies like K-Tel and Pickwick began to move into the market, re-issues and re-makes began to become the standard for this genre and fewer new compositions were entering into the market. By the ’80’s all you had left were bands like The Misfits and The Cramps keeping the spirit of Halloween Records alive.
The occasional band in the ’90’s and 2000’s (Satan’s Pilgrims, The Bomboras, The Ghastly Ones) worked to right this wrong, and no less an artist than Rob Zombie produced a fabulous Halloween Record featuring one of the most important figures in this genre, Zacherle himself (perviously known as Roland in his Horror Host days in the ’50’s). Now, with bloggers and websites working overtime to help gather material both new and old for modern consumers, the mode and media have changed dramatically, but the genre is sort of back on track. It seems that you can easily find any number of quality songs, new and old, that pay reverential homage to this by-gone era. It’s my dream that, in the not so distant future, the spirit of this Golden Age will return, and spooky compilations and audio oddities will return to the marketplace with the same creepy attitude these records used to embody.
In the meantime: Blasphuphmus Radio will bring you their Halloween Spook-taculars to help fill the void.
See you in seven!
Frankenstein’s Monster Talks!
Part I: Crude Recordings
01.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part I) * Famous Monsters Speak!
02.) Doom At Midnight * Frankie Stein And His Ghouls * Shock! Terror! Fear!
03.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part II) * Famous Monsters Speak!
04.) Over At The Frankenstein Place * The Rocky Horror Picture Show
05.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part III) * Famous Monsters Speak!
06.) Monster Swim * Bobby “Boris” Picket & The Crypt-Kickers * “Monster Swim” b/w “Werewolf Watusi”
07.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part IV) * Famous Monsters Speak!
08.) Graveyard * Leroy Bowman * Monster Bop
09.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part V) * Famous Monsters Speak!
Part II: From Which Graves Did I Come?
10.) Frankenstein * Jad And David Fair * Sing Your Little Babies To Sleep
11.) Frankenstein * Edgar Winter Group * They Only Come Out At Night
12.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part VI) * Famous Monsters Speak!
13.) Frankenstein Walk * Gene “Bowlegs” Miller * “Frankenstein Walk” b/w “Everybody Got Soul”
14.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part VII) * Famous Monsters Speak!
15.) Midnight Monsters Hop * Jack And Jim * Midnight Monster Hop
16.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part VIII) * Famous Monsters Speak!
17.) Frankenstein’s Den * Hollywood Flames * Doo Wop Halloween
18.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part IX) * Famous Monsters Speak!
Part III: Frankenstein Conquers The World!
19.) Frankenstein Conquers The World * Jad Fair & Daniel Johnston * It’s Spooky
20.) The Black Cat * Ozzie Nelson & Orchestra * Halloween Stomp
21.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part X) * Famous Monsters Speak!
22.) Frankenstein Meets The Beetles * Goodman and Ramal * The Monster Album
23.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part XI) * Famous Monsters Speak!
24.) The Boogy Man Is Here * Tom Gerun & Orchestra * Halloween Stomp
25.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part XII) * Famous Monsters Speak!
26.) Main Title (Theme From “Young Frankenstein”) * John Morris * “Young Frankenstein” Original Soundtrack
27.) Frankenstein’s Monster Talks! (Part XIII) * Famous Monsters Speak!
Every year about this time, I feel a slight chill enter my bones, a feeling that sinks into my very thought processes and stays with me well into the winter months. The days are shorter, colder, and cause a little more pause when the sun has set and there is nothing but the darkness behind you. It’s at that time of year that I can think of nothing else but the greatest holiday our fair program celebrates: Halloween! And with this show, we kick off five full weeks of programming as part of our annual Halloween Spook-tacular, the backbone of any year here it BlasphuphmusRadio.com.
It’s hard for me to exert any amount of reserve once October rolls around, and before the week is out I’m listening to non-stop monster songs until sometime in December. What can I say? I’m a sucker for it. But this year, instead of jump the gun when it still feels like the end of summer outside, I instead opted to ease our way into this most sacred of holidays, with a show that dramatically presents the night as it begins to take over our lives, and the effect that darkness has on us all. It seems like a happy medium; rather than blow my wad on songs about zompires and vampwolves this early in the game, I thought I would set the scene first, before jumping out of the darkness and saying, “Boo!”
For those of you who want to stay on top of our Halloween Broadcasts – and relive our past triumphs – this handy link will allow you to subscribe to these shows in iTunes, where all the magic will appear on your computer as these shows come out. Last year I produced a number of great programs that I think are among the best ones I’ve ever done, and there are several in the archives that are bound to set the mood for any kind of party you may be hosting this year. I will be adding a few more shows to this archive throughout the month, so now is a perfect time to fire up the old iTunes and find out what we’ve been up to all these years.
Stay tuned, as there will be plenty of Monster Mash’s and rattling chains for the next several weeks. I get so excited this time of year, I can hardly contain it! Fortunately for you, it comes in the form of listening pleasures the likes of which you will rarely hear anywhere else.
Talk to you next week.
Darkness Descends!
Part I: Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark
01.) Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark * The Sonics * Boom
03.) Night Beat * The Phantoms * Lux and Ivy’s Favorites Volume Eight
04.) Dark Thoughts * New Dawn * Love, Peace & Poetry: American Psychedelic Music
05.) Dark Entries * Bauhaus * In The Flat Field
06.) Thru The Night * The Estranged * Singles
07.) Thanks For The Night * The Damned * “Thanks For The Night” b/w “Nasty”
Part II: Paging Doctor Dark
08.) In Dark Tree’s * Brian Eno * Another Green World
09.) One More Night * CAN * Ege Bamyasi
10.) Oh, Deadly Nightshade * The New Bloods * 09/29/06 In-Studio Performance
11.) Doctor Dark * Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band * Lick My Decals Off Baby
12.) Relief Of The Night * Jandek * Living In A Moon So Blue
13.) Heart of Darkness * Pere Ubu * Terminal Tower
Part III: Darkness, Darkness, Darkness
14.) Nochnaya Melodiya (Night Melody) * Orkestar Vyacheslav Mescherin * Orkestar Vyacheslav Mescherin
15.) Late Night * Syd Barrett * The Madcap Laughs
16.) Night Of The Lotus Eaters * Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds * Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
17.) Dark Lights The Dark * Bishop Of Battle * Prequel Plus
18.) Night Rain * Deuter * Cloud Cuckooland
19.) And Last Night? * The Enablers * End Note
20.) Midnight Raffle * Langston Hughes * The Voice Of The Poet
Brand spankin’ new band from the hairy depths of Portland, Not Now, Not Ever, joined Closet Radio live in the KPSU studios for an instrumental whiplash of dark-post-prog-with-a-steaming-side-of-strings experience that you’ll thank me for later!
This fierce foursome is immensely talented at bringing epic tales of adventure to any ear brave enough to slip into their web of cinematic audio bliss. But that’s not all, because the interview portions of this episode are equally entertaining as we discuss gaming, sci-fi movies, Portland music, and how this beast of a band came to life. If you’ve gone to the dark side of the moon and were able to come back, then this is definitely and episode you won’t want to miss!
Our good pal and righteous dude, Austin Rich of Blasphuphmus Radio was also on hand to plug things in, turn knobs, push buttons, provide commentary, ask the important man questions, and of course, proving once again to be the best co-host and sound guy a Rikki could ask for! I haven’t even mentioned that he also took photos (including the one below), video, and wrote an awfully nice two-cents worth over at his portion of the web-o-tron! Be sure to check out his show as well if you haven’t already to have a spot of tea, a good listen, say hi and thanks!
Austin’s Notes:
It’s not just that Miss Rikki Lee always has her finger on the pulse of what is great and wonderful in this world. If you tune in to Closet Radio with any frequency, then you know that she is on a mission to present all that is beautiful and fun in this world, both new and old. And this logic extends to both music new and old. It’s not enough that when she books touring acts that she picks some of the finest bands that she’s come to know and love over the years, but when she picks local artists, she manages to find them before just about everyone else. Case in point: Not Now, Not Ever, a Portland band who performed for an audience for the first time the other day on her program, and I was lucky enough to engineer the sound.
Mining the cinematic, progressive rock sound that has been labeled everything from “instru-metal” to “post-rock,” Not Now, Not Ever incorporates orchestral elements into their compositions while writing their songs using improvisation in equal parts, to create beautiful soundscapes that transport you to another realm without a single trace of lyrics. What shocked me was that that they did this as if they has been playing in front of crowds since the late ’90’s, and their competence clearly undermines the fact that they’ve only been at it for two years. And they’re so young! Not only is it easy to appreciate their skill as artists, but when they do start playing around town, you can still see them during their relative infancy.
In the meantime, I recommend enjoying this two hour blast of live music goodness. Not only do I run the sound, but Miss Rikki and I tag team the interview, getting at the heart of what makes this band tick. And as if that were not enough, Miss Rikki selects some stellar songs for the DJ portions of the show, rounding out this fantastic hour of Closet Radio. It’s everything you’ve always wanted, all in one concentrated blast of radio goodness.
Brand spankin’ new band from the hairy depths of Portland, Not Now, Not Ever, joined Closet Radio live in the KPSU studios for an instrumental whiplash of dark-post-prog-with-a-steaming-side-of-strings experience that you’ll thank me for later!
This fierce foursome is immensely talented at bringing epic tales of adventure to any ear brave enough to slip into their web of cinematic audio bliss. But that’s not all, because the interview portions of this episode are equally entertaining as we discuss gaming, sci-fi movies, Portland music, and how this beast of a band came to life. If you’ve gone to the dark side of the moon and were able to come back, then this is definitely and episode you won’t want to miss!
Our good pal and righteous dude, Austin Rich of Blasphuphmus Radio was also on hand to plug things in, turn knobs, push buttons, provide commentary, ask the important man questions, and of course, proving once again to be the best co-host and sound guy a Rikki could ask for! I haven’t even mentioned that he also took photos (including the one below), video, and wrote an awfully nice two-cents worth over at his portion of the web-o-tron! Be sure to check out his show as well if you haven’t already to have a spot of tea, a good listen, say hi and thanks!
In my ever-continuing quest to fill the various holes in my record collection, I have been accumulating some 50’s compilations to try and get at the roots of what I love the most: Rock And Fucking Roll. While I am pretty savvy with a lot of the big names, and I would even say I probably know more than the av-er-age bear, I am also constantly amazed at the things I don’t know about. So I am always interested in learning more about music, and especially this era in particular, mostly because it seems that there are so many buried treasures that you really could just limit yourself to the 50’s, and never really discover it all.
So, this is my first attempt and mining for musical rockabilly gold.
This show goes out to Miss Megan, the host of Songs The Lord Taught Us, a long lost show that taught us all about the amazing world of R&B, Country, Roots Rock, and everything great and wonderful in this world. She and I did a few shows together, where I ran the sound for bands she was hosting, and I regularly lament that we no longer have her on the airwaves. With that in mind, I did my best to try and follow in her footsteps, and while I’m nowhere near as cool or knowledgable as she was, this is my attempt at being that cool.
The show is in three parts, and sort of follows a bit of a story. Our lives are full of heartbreak (literally and metaphorically), and we often use partying and chemicals to help quell the unrest we suffer from. But in the end, we want to make another effort at love, not only for the companionship and the physical joy that comes with it, but also to help offer and be understood by another. Sometimes this story is repeated in a number of ways, and all the symbols are interchangeable when it comes to any particular pursuit we may be in search of. But in the end the three-act structure seems to work so well that even The Story of Rock And Roll has that sort of structure to it.
This one is short and sweet, but if all goes well, I’ll get two more shows posted this week. Yes, we are ambitious, but haven’t we always been?
See you soon!
The Story Of Rock And Roll
Part I: She Broke My Heart
01.) Grandpa Stole My Baby * Moon Mullican * Hillbilly Bop ‘n’ Boogie (Roots Of Rockabilly 1944-56)
02.) The Huckle-Buck * Paul Williams * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
03.) Please Don’t Leave Me * Fats Domino * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
04.) Baby Don’t Do It * The 5 Royales * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
05.) You Upset Me Baby * B.B. King * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
06.) Who’s Been Here * Commonwealth Jones * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
07.) Tore Up * Tommy La Beff * Rock ‘N Roll and Rockabilly Inferno
Part II: There’s A Party Goin’ On
08.) Teenage Boogie * Web Pierce * 20 Rockabilly Classics
09.) Moovin’ N’ Groovin’ * Duane Eddy
10.) Put Your Cat Clothes On * Carl Perkins * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
11.) Rock Billy Boogie * Johnny Burnette * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
12.) Move * Boyd Bennett * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
13.) Hang Out * Lloyd Arnold Katche * Rock ‘N Roll and Rockabilly Inferno
14.) Sunglasses After Dark * Dwight Pullen * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
15.) Let Me Go Home, Whiskey * Amos Milburn * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Part III: But I Love Her So
16.) Sh-Boom * The Chords * The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
17.) I Got A Woman * Booker T & The MG’s
18.) Crazy Baby * The Rockin’ R’s * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
19.) Let’s Go Baby * Billy Eldridge * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
20.) Swamp Gal * Tommy Bell * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
21.) I Love Ya Honey * Jimmy Apostle * Rock ‘N Roll and Rockabilly Inferno
22.) Rootie Tootie Baby * Lee Charles Mitchell * Rock ‘N Roll and Rockabilly Inferno
23.) Scuttle Bug * Bo Diddley * Bo Knows Instro
24.) Little Girl * John & Jackie * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
25.) Farewell to Fans (Outro) [November 12, 1959] * Alan Freed * Rock ‘N Roll and Rockabilly Inferno
Some people like to keep their family at arms length when it comes to their creative life, and aside from the David Sedaris’ of the world, family and art rarely cross paths. However, we’ve always thought differently on this program, and going back to our humble beginnings in the late ’90’s, family have often made appearances on the air as we head in the broadcast booth. As I was spending all of last week in Washington state (visiting family) – and more to the point, now that our show has entered the realm of the Inter-Web-A-Tron – it only made sense to record a program while “on the road.”
While I would be the first to say that our family is unique, I don’t think that any of us disagree in the slightest, and more to the point, the overall dynamic of having a family at all is about the unique combinations of personality and social development coming together in a way that demands that you love each no matter what. We are all strange and confusing in our own ways, and I only need to look at the fact that I’m recording a radio show alone in my office every week for 14 years in a row to make that point abundantly clear to anyone who might say otherwise. Fortunately for us, music has always bound my family together from the very beginning, and this makes radio the perfect place to try and reinforce these bonds. I have always been lucky in that my family might not understand why I do a radio show every week, but they are more than happy to participate in it when they are able to do so.
This episode is unique in that it has more family members participating than any previous show ever has. Not only do we kick things off with a song written and recorded by my mother, but we also get conversations with her, Karly and Kyle, all vetrans of this program, and in the case of my mom, an ex-DJ herself. I also managed to get some candid recordings of my Grandmother when Karly and I visited her, and as if that weren’t enough, some candid campfire conversations in their backyard with my Cousin Brandy, her kids (Sydney, Tanner and Reuben), and her boyfriend Jeff. (That segment is Sidney and Tanner heavy, but you can hear the others here and there too. You will probably hear overhead planes in that segment, as Boeing is not too far away.) I wanted to try and get a few others into the mix too, but time and logistics prevented me from doing more. Still, there’s a lot to digest in this mostly-interview heavy show, and it offers a little insight into the musical world that my extended family lives within.
As mentioned in the Mini-Cast, this program was late, mostly due to the fact that I wanted to spend time with my family, and not editing audio. I’m still one show behind for the month, so stay tuned, as I will try to rush another show out before too long. And while I haven’t had a chance to mention it yet, tune in to Closet Radio this saturday (29 September 2012) for a live performance by Not Now, Not Ever, engineered by yours truly at 1 PM. It should be a lot of fun, as working with Miss Rikki Lee is ALWAYS fun.
That’s it for now. Talk to you soon!
A Family Affair Part VI
Part I: Getting The Party Started
01.) Butt Dialed (a.k.a. Ode To Kathleen) * Marti Grissom * YouTube.com
02.) Family Affair * Sly & The Family Stone
Part II: Radio, The Bookstore & More (featuring Marti Grissom & Karly Rich)
03.) Look At Me, Look At You * Dave Mason
04.) Message To Myself (Live) * Melissa Etheridge * Yahoo.com Live Series (2007)
Part III: Grandma’s Boyfriend & Campfire Chatter (featuring Evelyn Martin, Karly Rich, Cousin Brandy, Sydney, Tanner & Reuben, and her boyfriend Jeff)
05.) The Rant * Bo Burnham, Sidney & Tanner
06.) Comatose * Skillet
Part IV: Kitchen Confidential(featuring Kyle & Karly Rich)
Mini-Cast #8 (Featuring my brother Kyle – and my sister Karly – announcing the impending “A Family Affair” episode that is running a little late.)
Since I am out of the Lava Lamp Lounge this week, away on a trip visiting family, our next program is going to be a little late. But! I can now safely reveal that it will be a new installment in our on-going A Family Affair series. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had anyone from the extended family on the program, and we are excited to be able to incorporate a larger cast and crew with this particular show. While Kyle and Karly are sure things, we are also looking to include my mother, Marti Grissom, as well as recordings of our grandmother, and possibly even our Cousin as a surprise guest. I’m hoping to pull in a cast of characters to talk about music, and give the family perspective. Hopefully it’ll be as much fun for you as it will be for us.
So, sit tight. There’s a full show on the way. In the meantime here’s a teaser of what to expect. We should have the complete show available by the end of the week. In the meantime, let these two track satisfy your need for a new show.
Patience, dear listener. Soon.
Mini-Cast #8
01.) Starship Enterprise Idling
02.) Today’s Tom Sawyer * Rush * Moving Pictures
03.) Do It With A Rock Star * Amanda Palmer * Theatre Is Evil
Episode 183: Bless This Mess (Featuring music and recordings offered in loving tribute to the country that I love, with tongue placed forcibly into cheek.)
While I am a big fan of political music that skewers whatever the flavor of the week happens to be, and have done a few Fourth of July shows that were less than respectful to the institutions this country holds dear, I have never had the balls to get down and dirty regarding the subject of 9/11. And with good reason: while the event is well in the past, there has been a cultural sacred cow in place when it comes to mocking what was, in the end, a really awful event in our country’s history. My usual knee-jerk reaction to everything is to make a joke, and while there always seemed like plenty of great throw-aways that could have been used when planning a 9/11 show, I never allowed myself to go down that road for fear that there would be some sort of outcry the moment I showed any amount of disrespect for what has become an accidental holiday in this country.
However, time seems to have dulled my sense of what is and isn’t appropriate, and now that it’s been 11 years, I feel like America might be ready for a podcast that goes the whole 9 yards, and delivers some music that obtusely tackles a subject that seems to be somewhat taboo. While I would never go so far as to be critical of the awful events of that day, it seems odd to me that the day now carries this cultural baggage that causes everyone to get far too serious about their patriotism. I’ve always considered myself a patriot, but in the sense that I am willing to question things, discuss them, and find ways to make sense of them through culture and art that addresses complex issues in entertaining ways. Sometimes these take the form of agressive punk songs that speak their mind without concern for who will be pissed off when all is said and done.
Since Tuesday falls on this particular day this year, and since I will have no one to answer to but myself in the event that people do get pissed off, this year felt like a good year to finally break the silence, and bring you a bunch of songs that present different visions of America. I tried to cover a lot of ground, and thus bring in a number of different voices for this show. But in the end, it’s a bunch of stuff that I like listening to, and all of it has a particular perspective that I feel is very worth exploring. Even if it is temporarily.
And: this mix kicks a whole lot of ass.
Next week’s show may be delayed somewhat, as I will be out of town. However, I will do my best to bring you a road show, which may just end up being short. We shall see.
So: don’t forget to pull out your miniature American Flags, plant it firmly in the most inappropriate place you can think of, and turn this one up just loud enough that it’ll piss off your neighbor in the cubical next door.
See you in seven.
Bless This Mess
Part I: Growin’ Up In America
01.) Boy From Nowhere * DMZ * Live At The Rat
02.) All American Twist * The Champs * “All American”
03.) American Heartbreak * Langston Hughes * The Voice Of The Poet: Langston Hughes
04.) Growin’ Up In America * The Colors * Killed By Death Vol. 20
05.) Terror In America * GG Allin & The Murder Junkies * Brutality and Bloodshed for All
06.) Thinkin’ Of The USA * Eater * Thinkin’ Of The USA 7″
07.) American Terrorist * Chris Burke * diymedia.net
08.) Experiment In Terror * Henry Mancini * Greatest Hits
09.) The Ugly American * Big Black * The Hammer Party
10.) The Half-Eaten Sausage Would Like To See You In His Office * The Locust * The Locust / Melt Banana Split 7″
11.) American Dream * The Redundants * I Hate The Redundants
12.) Amercan America * Godless * 7″
13.) Middle America * J.F.A. * Rat Music For Rat People
14.) N.O.U.S.P.T.D.A. * The Nation Of Ulysses * The Birth Of The Ulysses Aesthetic (The Synthesis of Speed And Transformation) EP
15.) America Has Spoken * Patton Oswalt * Werewolves and Lollipops
16.) Fyt * This Mortal Coil * It’ll End In Tears
Part II: Freedom’s Waiting
17.) Early American * Sonic Youth * Confusion Is Sex
18.) Help Stamp Out America * Kermit Schafer * Pardon My Blooper
19.) Cityman * Negativland * Free
20.) 9/11 is a Joke * Delusions of Parasitosis * Coupon D’état
21.) Mecca: A Vision Of The Next Crusade * Thomas M. Disch / X’s For Eyes * Mecca|Mettle
22.) We’re An American Band * MX-80 * We’re An American Band
Part III: The ABC’s of The USA
23.) Politics In America * Bill Hicks * Philosophy
24.) Pow Wow * Grace Tennessee & The American Spirits * Lux and Ivy’s Favorites: Volume Six
25.) A.B.C’s of the U.S.A. * Ada Jones and Billy Murray * Edison Gold Moulded Cylinder Record: 9903
26.) Land: Part I: Horses, Part II: Land of a Thousand Dances, Part III: La Mer (De) * Patti Smith * Horses
27.) Crimes vs. America * Old Time Radio Commercial
28.) Alaska * The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black * A National Heath Care
29.) Freedom Of Choice * Devo * Freedom Of Choice
30.) Contract With Depravity * Kenyon Hopkins * Crime Jazz: Music In The First Degree
31.) Our Nat’l Anthm * Abbie Hoffman * Wake Up America!
32.) Unwanted Workers Of America * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign
After a full year plus in a state of “hiatus,” Blasphuphmus Radio Theater Presents!is proud to bring you the next installment in The Adventures of Superman! A strange visitor from a doomed planet has taken up residence on planet Earth. Content to merely work as mild mannered reporter Clark Kent, his job continuously puts him at odds with crooks, thieves, street thugs, gangsters, corrupt politicians, misguided corporate masterminds, and a host of down-to-earth criminals that conventional law cannot manage to deal with on their own. It’s up to Superman to settle the score!
This week’s installment finishes the story Donelli’s Protection Racket, which was started in Part II. As The Adventures of Superman is highly serialized (and, on top of that, incredibly fun to listen to), our recommendation is to subscribe to our newest iTunes subscription option, where you can receive all the back episodes (and all new forthcoming ones) delivered to your Borg Implant of choice. Just past the following link – http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blasphuphmus-radio-adventures/id558120421 – into your aggregator, and watch the content accumulate!
The relationship between our program and these seventy year old adventures series goes back to 2008, when I began to really explore Old Time Radio recordings on the incredible archive.org website. When I began to come up with new ways to improve our program to coincide with the 2009 relaunch, I knew that I wanted to incorporate OTR into the modern radio landscape. When you listen to these programs, it really is like listening to a completely different time and place in American History. It fascinates me to think of a time period when these quaint and entertaining stories where a regular part of radio, and I am constantly lamenting the fact that radio has changed so dramatically that stories like this do not make it into daily programming. The world of podcasting has definitely helped in this department, and features like The Thrilling Adventure Hour offer a modern take on this kind of storytelling. However, modern radio is just not interested in anything but watered down music formats and an endless string of pointless commercials.
Regardless, I’ve been wanting to bring these stories to you – with period appropriate music and commercials in the mix – ever since. While there are many other characters that wound up being interpreted for radio, Superman was not only the most popular, but has the largest wealth of material to draw upon. (There are almost 1000 episodes in existence, spanning a few decades.) What is interesting about this version of Superman, though, is that he is slightly different than the one we meet in comics. In the late ’30’s and early ’40’s, ideas like “continuity” were not in place, and the people who were writing for the radio were not writing for the comics. The radio version of Superman arrives on Earth as an adult, and is not raised by Ma & Pa Kent. He’s got a little bit of a “street-wise” element to him, and is willing to beat a crook into submission, intimidate someone into doing the right thing, and has no qualms with lying to his friends and co-workers in an effort to protect his identity.
The kinds of crooks that Superman gets involved with in these stories aligns more with the earliest comics that were published, too. Unlike the Superman of today, who has powers that attract super-villains of the extreme variety, this is the populist interpretation of Superman, where bad businessmen and corrupt racketeers work against the poor and downtrodden, who are just out to survive in a post-depression America. Rather than use super-powers, a simple fist-fight is usually how most crooks are brought to justice, and where he has a host of abilities to help him in comics, only his strength and flight get any play on the radio. In a way, this is like looking at an adolescent Superman, who has a lot of growing up to do in order to get to the world of today.
These stories are also fascinating to me, in that they introduce elements to the Superman mythology that eventually become important in the comics. Perry White and Jimmy Olsen – two characters that play a huge role in Clark Kent’s job at The Daily Planet, were introduced to Radio Audiences before they ever appeared in the comics. In fact The Daily Planet was a radio invention. Superman, as a comic book, was only introduced in 1939, and before the year was out the radio show was in production. While Superman was being outsold by Captain Marvel on the newsstands, Superman was pulling an incredible share of listeners on the radio, and it was this version of the character that America fell in love with (and, eventually, drove readers to buy the comics). In what was to be a rare set of circumstances, the characters that were unique to the on-air program made their way into the comics. Donelli’s Protection Racket introduced America to Jimmy Olsen, who would soon become a permanent fixture in the series, and would cement the program in the hearts of youngsters across the country.
Unfortunately, information about this period of radio broadcasting is spotty at best. I’ve consulted a number of resources to get the details as accurate as possible, and have used sites like archive.org and the Old Time Radio Researchers Group to make sure these presentations are accurate. However, documentation about these programs were not kept at the time they were broadcast. In 1940, these programs were not seen as media to be saved for the future. Aside from big name voice talents, like Bud Collyer, very few voice actors, foley artists, or writers received much credit for their work, and WWII itself made the production and preservation of transcription discs a feat in and of itself. Superman’s popularity allowed for these shows to be saved when other, lesser-known shows do not exist in any format, and details of their production are nearly nonexistent. These kinds of shows put into perspective the transient nature of media and information as a whole, and helps us to reflect on the value of documentation, in whatever form it may be.
And now, patient reader, its time to travel with us to the past, over 70 years ago, as we bring you the incredible and action-packed story, Donelli’s Protection Racket, part of the continuing Adventures of Superman!
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The Adventures of Superman Part VIII: Donelli’s Protection Racket!
A thug, gangster, and racketeer by the name of Chip Donelli has created a protection racket on Spruce Street in Metropolis, where the recently-introduced new character, Jimmy Olsen and his mother happen to run a candy store. Clark Kent – both as a reporter, and as his alter ego of Superman, must catch Donelli, thwart his kidnapping plans, and bring him to justice!
The queen Sexbot makes an instudio visit. 1st Hour is electronic music Pre-Game Show, 2nd Hour features Ilima Considine interview and preview of Sexbots album Love Hotel!
I have always been interested in behind-the-scenes aspects to media. There is something fascinating about the notion that there are things happening that you don’t see, and any opportunity I can get to read an interview, talk to someone, or just be there when there’s something happening, has been part of the impulse for me to get involved in radio. I think most people who wind up being DJs are nerds, and we’re the kind of people that post to forums, read Wikipedia obsessively, and listen to all the commentary tracks we can get our hands on.
The idea to do a radio commentary track has been bouncing around in my head for a while now. While variations on this idea have been percolating for years, it was put into focus as to how easy it would be during the infamous DJ Throwdown that happened in January of this year. DJs are an interesting breed, and any one of them has a million stories, about how they got into the business, and about the music they play. While Miss Rikki Lee and I have tried to integrate the “stories” element into our particular shows together, this opportunity to hang out during Ricardo’s 7 Year Anniversary seemed like the perfect combination of opportunity and event to make this happen.
Special thanks this week to Ryan, Renee and Lennon, all of whom contributed to the conversations that made up this show, and to KPSU, for hosting his show. In the show, I make reference to the first time Ricardo appeared on KPSU, and fortunately, the episode is now called Sub-Basement Psyche, broadcast on 5 August 2005. At the time, I had switched my show to an all-psyche rock show, because I had just discovered Nuggets and was getting really excited about rock and roll. I did not name my shows in those days, so this name comes from a mix CD Ricardo gave me the day we did this show. While I have tried to track down everything on it, there are still a few gems that cause me to hang on to it to this very day. If you are ever so lucky to get a mix CD from Ricardo, you are lucky. You can hear pretty much the entire one he made for me in this show. I am so happy that, 7 years later, his show is still going strong.
I shot some behind-the-scenes photos, which are available on our Picasa Page. The last photo should be credited to Miss Rikki Lee.
Thanks again to everyone who tunes into our show, the first one posted on our new official domain! I’m really excited about moving the show into new places, and this is one that I’ve been wanting to go for quite some time. If you aren’t already, use this opportunity to access the iTunes link to the right, and subscribe to our show. It’s entirely free, and I often post the collaborates between myself and Ricardo. There are a variety of subscription options in iTunes, and if you would leave a comment about what you like about our program, we will use that information to help improve the show.
See you in seven.
Commentary Track
Introduction: Are You Gonna Start Soon?
In this segment, I introduce everyone to the show.
Part I: Pre-Game Show Warm-Up.
In this segment, Ricardo Wang, Ryan, Renee & Lennon talk about music and radio during the “pre-game show” that Ricardo was mixing during the 11 AM hour.
Part II: Commentary Track.
In this segment, I interview Ricardo while he’s performing his show, getting a historic overview of his career, and some insight into the songs that he picked for this particular show.
Ricardo Wang has been a radio personality just about longer than everyone currently in the business, and seven years ago he began the newest incarnation of his program in the humble basement of KPSU. His enthusiasm for radio, and his extensive knowledge of music in general (and experimental music in particular) made him an extremely valuable resource at KPSU, and ever since has been belting out and hour of fantastic music every week. I was fortunate enough to be involved with his program from the very beginning, when he first guested on my show when he wanted to learn the KPSU ropes, and we’ve been friends ever since. It was not hard to say yes when he asked if I would join him for his 7 Year Anniversary, and this episode contains an extended format that gives the listener a fantastic cross-section of what his program is like.
My role in this program is more behind the scenes than anything else, and there was a bit of miniature party going on with the guests milling around in the lobby. A few of Ricardo’s friends (and former WTC guests) called in to wish him a happy anniversary, and on the whole it was a great way to celebrate a show that has consistently impressed everyone, and will hopefully continue to entertain and please listeners for another seven years. In the meantime, you can enjoy this stellar show from the comfort of your own computer, thanks to the wonders of modern digital technology.
If you’re not already tuning in every Saturday, do yourself a favor and park your receiver at kpsu.org on Saturdays (or at 98.1 FM on the PSU campus). Between this, Closet Radio, & Hogwash Hodgepodge & Musical Detritus, there’s pretty much nothing else for you to listen to if you want to have a good time.
Part I: 11 AM
02.) Freeform Radio * Ricardo Wang (When the 11 AM DJ didn’t come in, Ricardo performed an extended, free-form mix of music that kicked a lot of ass, and was mixed entirely off the cuff. The program begins with this mix, in its entirety, in preparation of the main event.)
Part II: 12 Noon.
03.) Der Mussolini * DAF * Electricity
04.) Time Dilations in a Holographic Universe * Four Dimensional Nightmare * Icicles
05.) Otherness Blue * Sun Ra * My Brother the Wind Volume II
06.) Somebody Else’s World * Sun Ra * My Brother the Wind Volume II
07.) Obe * Fela Kuti * The ’69 LA Sessions
08.) Back to Nature * Fad Gadget * Electricity
09.) Track 8 * Abusive Consumer * Concrete Decimation in Dub
10.) The Modest Ambitions of Cedric the Centipede * Edward Ka-Spel * Dream Logik Part Two
11.) Slip It to the Android * Chrome * Alien Soundtracks
12.) Nancy Knows * Jandek * Glad to Get Away
I have always been a fan of space exploration, and as a young kid I even wanted to be an astronaut. But as time went on, and it became clear that I would not be the first man to Mars, I started to let my mind wander toward the stars instead, and soon became extremely interested in music, writing, and art. Now, in honor of the successful Curiosity Rover landing on Mars on the 6th of August, I present an audio essay dedicated to that success, filled with music about Mars, and information about exactly how hard it was to get there from here.
There is no shortage of music about our neighbor in the sky, and it was very easy to quickly fill the playlist with a number of choice songs. But the real backbone of this show are the samples from NASA TV. I was watching the rover landing live with some friends of mine, and their coverage of the event was great. They also made some very informative, and extremely well-produced, short videos that helped put into perspective exactly what the task at hand was. Using those videos and a jumping-off point, I assembled an audio essay that highlights two of the greatest forces in the universe: Science and Rock Music!
So, sit back for a journey into both space and sound. See you in seven!
Blues For Planet Mars
Part I: Transmitting Live From Mars
01.) Landing On The Surface * NASA TV
02.) Mars Attacks!: Main Title * Artie Kane (Conductor)* Brain In A Box: The Science Fiction Collection
03.) Commander Scott On Mars * The Muffins * Secret Signals 1
04.) Mars In A Minutes * NASA TV
05.) The Stars Our Destination * Stereolab * Mars Audiac Quintet
06.) Seven Deadly Minutes * NASA TV
07.) Conrad Adrift Toward Mars * Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 * I Hope It Lands
08.) Game Over * NASA TV
09.) Within A Martian Heart * Man… Or Astro-Man? * What Remains Inside A Black Hole
10.) The Atmosphere * NASA TV
11.) Martian Band * The Wildtones
12.) Flyin’ Saucers Rock ‘n’ Roll * Billy Lee Riley & The Little Green Men * Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk & Rockabilly
13.) The Parachute * NASA TV
14.) Beacon From Mars * Kaleidoscope * Egyptian Candy
Part II: Going To A Martian Hop
15.) Wheel On Mars * NASA TV
16.) Mars [Excerpt] * John Coltrane * Interstellar Space
17.) Ballrooms Of Mars * T.Rex * The Slider
18.) Looking At The Surface * NASA TV
19.) Life On Mars? * David Bowie * Hunky Dory
20.) Lowering The Rover * NASA TV
21.) Martian Hop * The Ran-Dells * Brain In A Box: The Science Fiction Collection
22.) We Won’t Know Right Away * NASA TV
23.) Knocked Out Joint On Mars * Buck Trail * Brain In A Box: The Science Fiction Collection
24.) Sending A Signal Back To Earth * NASA TV
25.) Here Come the Martian Martians * Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers * The Best of..
26.) The Odyssey’s Role * NASA TV
27.) Mars * The Wipers * Silver Sail
Part III: Planet Heart
28.) We’re Safe * NASA TV
29.) Blues For Planet Mars * Last Of The Juanitas * “The Jay” b/w “Blues For Planet Mars”
30.) Mars, Bringer Of War (From “The Planets”) [Excerpt] * City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra * Brain In A Box: The Science Fiction Collection
30.) Not A Life Detection Mission * NASA TV
31.) Next Stop Mars * Sun Ra * Nothing Is…
32.) Sending More Data * NASA TV
33.) Honey Bee (Let’s Fly To Mars) * Grinderman * Grinderman
34.) Rocket Science * NASA TV
35.) I Turned Into A Martian * The Misfits * Boxset
36.) Gale Crater * NASA TV
37.) Planet Heart * Guitar Wolf * Planet Of The Wolves
38.) State Of The Art Labs * NASA TV
39.) Life On Mars * Nerf Herder * How To Meet Girls
40.) N.N.End * Mars * Mars LP
No stranger to What’s This Called?, Overdose The Katatonic is a solo noise project that hits the spot if you like harsh drones, sudden changes of pace, or are just interested in a little something new. This 11 minute live set, mixed with a number of selections by none other than Ricardo Wang, your experimental host with the noisiest most. Today’s show would make an excellent jam, so download it and burn a disc that you can bump in your car as you head out to the river, or stuff it into your i-object of choice for the perfect jogging soundtrack.
As usual, I run the sound during the performance, which was not only super intense, but quite excellent to watch. Both Ricardo and I snapped shots, and there’s a few minutes of video, too. So for the complete multi-media experience, this is your one-stop shopping.
It sounds like he’s be back this way in October, so you may get another chance to hear this kind of thing again, but in the meantime: here’s a link to his 18 June 2011 performance on What’s This Called? Even in small doses, this is guaranteed to knock your socks off.
Relive college radio from the late 90’s as it actually happened! Experience five edited presentations from the earliest days of this very program, as they were originally heard on KWVA in Eugene Oregon, broadcast at 88.1 FM. For the fist time since their original air dates these programs are being heard again, and at the correct speed in most cases! Join a clumsy and youthful Austin Rich as he stumbles through the act of playing College Radio DJ, and listen to some authentic late 90’s rock as we journey through the decades.
This is part of our 14th Anniversary Explosion that’s been happening all throughout the year, and to a smaller extent, part of an on-going attempt to accurately archive the history of this program in a way that’s accessible to listeners. As many of the programs from the early days are not complete, and in many cases missing entirely, I’ve been creating these shortened “edited” versions of these shows, to give you a taste of what it was like in these early days. As there are still a few shows to come in this series – and still many others for you to enjoy – you may want to slap this feed into your podcast-catching device of choice, as it will keep you up to date with all the appropriate episodes, and give you a good cross-section of the entire history of the program.
Of these particular episodes, it is fascinating to attempt to recreate the circumstances that these programs were recorded under. When Kyle would visit, he would often join me when I would go to the radio station. Both Geni and Pat were roommates at one point or another, and Chris was a near-permanent fixture in the legendary Blitzhäus where we used to live and party in the olden days. These shows evoke a lot of memories, not just of the music that we played, but the parties, shows, girlfriends, boyfriends, arguments, D&D games, and the hundreds of other things that went down in the late 90’s. In an era before cell phones, .mp3s, regular internet access, or very much money to speak of, we still created culture, built mythologies, and had a great time doing in. If only some of that nostalgia can seep through these tape-hiss-infused recordings, then I will feel as if my work here is done.
A request to listeners: if anyone can identify the Man Is The Bastard song that I play during the “Track Night” segment, please let me know! I’ve been trying to identify that one for a while now.
Many apologies for the lateness of the program. Hopefully this is a fluke occurrence, but you know how it goes.
See you in seven!
Introduction: The More Things Continue To Blah Blah Etc.
01.) Adventures Through Inner Space * The Bomboras
Part I: “Senses Shattering” w/ Kyle Rich (06 May 1998)
02.) Jessica * They Might Be Giants
03.) Baby Puts Out Old Flames * Rye Coalition
04.) Beastie Boys * Beastie Boys
05.) There Ain’t No Sanity Clause * The Damned
06.) 13 Ways To A Cavity * KARP
07.) Battle of the Planets * godheadSilo
Part II: “Feet Together, Buttocks Tight” w/ Kyle Rich (14 July 1998)
08.) Imperial Dance * Supergenius
09.) Can You Feel It? * The Jacksons * Jane Fonda Workout
10.) Die Eier Von Satan * Tool
11.) Delirium & Disorder * Bad Religion
12.) Rock & Roll McDonalds * Wesley Willis
13.) Nuts To You * godheadSilo
Part III: “Track Night” w/ Geni (09 September 1998)
14.) Peter Gunn Theme * Poison Ivy
15.) ?? * Man Is The Bastard
16.) The Creeps * Social Distortion
17.) Paul Revere * The Beastie Boys
18.) Degobah * Monkey
19.) Two Little Boys * Splodgenessabounds
20.) Stayin’ Alive * Anal Cunt
21.) “You fuckin’ die.” * The Pixies
Part IV: “Rock And Roll” w/ Chris Brooks (16 December 1998)
22.) Sidewalk City * The Phantom Surfers
23.) Iron Fist * Motörhead
24.) Drag Strip Race * The Rondelles
25.) Ace Of Spades * Motorhead
26.) Take You Higher * Tight Bros. From Way Back When
27.) Clockwork Orange * Walter Carlos
28.) Is It Wicked Not To Care? * Belle & Sebastian
29.) Dad Why Did My Friends Explode? * Deadbolt
30.) Smokin’ Banana Peels (Re-Mix) * The Dead Milkmen
Part V: “A Geosynchronous Orbit” w/ Pat The Pirate (24 March 1999)
31.) Ghoulash * Satan’s Pilgrims
32.) Love Story * Lagwagon
33.) Self Cleanin’ Lovin’ * Royal Grand Prix
34.) Fake Fake Eyes * …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
35.) High School Shop Class Constructs Bicycle Built For Twenty-Six * Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo
36.) No Brains * Eater
37.) Stranger Than Fiction * Bad Religion
38.) Escape Through The Air Vents * Man… Or Astro-Man?
39.) Freak Scene * Dinosaur Jr.
Join us for a full two hours of spooky, campy Rock n’ Roll hi-jinks with The Limit Club straight from the dark depths of Hell, Arizona!
The boys of The Limit Club popped into the KPSU studios on August 11, 2012 taking time from their West Coast Tour in support of “This is Cutthroat Business” to play a live set of their best jams, introduce us to a few of their favorite bands and chat a bit for all of you lucky Closet Radio listeners out there!
Also joining us for this episode was DJ Austin Rich of Blasphuphmus Radio to run sound (doing a smashing job as always despite having monitor issues) and hang out during the good times that happen when you cram so much awesomeness into a small broadcasting booth!
These types of episodes are always my favorite to do because I get to spend time with good friends and hopefully let all of you out there in on the secret of brilliant music and the people that make it. I’d like to give a huge thanks to Nick, Monty, Juan, NickDave, Austin, and KPSU for making this episode possible and of course, to everyone listening and supporting independent radio!
Live set starts at about 42 minutes in.
“The Limit Club” – The Damned
“I’m The Wolf” – Howlin’ Wolf
“I”m Ready” – Fats Domino
*Interview pt.1″ – Limit Club on Closet Radio
“Whatever Happens, I Love You” – Morrissey
“herjazz” – Huggy Bear
“China Girl” – Iggy Pop
“The Tunnel” – The Blue Cats
“Children of The Lord” – Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
“Make A Circuit With Me” – The Polecats
“Club Country” – The Associates
“Shake” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
“Bleeding Taper Candle” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
“Laugh Track” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
” ” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
“Pirate Love” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
****
“Shadow Of Love” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
“Just A Mirage” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
“Condemned Vessel” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
“Seven Rusty Blades” – The Limit Club (in-studio)
*”Interview pt. 2″ – The Limit Club on Closet Radio
“Viento” – Caifanes
“Paradise” – Manual Sex Drive
* Notes and Links *
Original Playlist and 2-part download available at KPSU.org
Everything you could ever possibly want to know about The Limit Club (including where you can find their tunes and when they might be coming through your town) can likely be found HERE. LimitClub.com is actually regularly updated and easy to navigate.
Information on Manual Sex Drive can be found HERE and there is plenty more to find if you choose to seek it.
Newer episodes of their pod/ potcast are available via the Manual Sex Drive Soundcloud Page HERE.
This is where I’ll put the long blog entry once it’s finished. It’ll explain that this week’s show features the work of Kermit Schafer, a radio and TV engineer in the ’50’s through the ’70’s, and who not only coined the idea of a blooper, but also collected hundreds of on-air gaffs and announcer mistakes, which he endlessly released during his lifetime. Mention that included in this episode is a 20 minutes audio essay about his work, and an hour of music mixed with these strange audio oddities from his records.
Make sure to expand this episode entry to include lots of biographical information, and details as to why I picked the different tracks, etc.
See you in seven.
We Interrupt This News Bulletin To Bring You A Program
Part I: Afraid Of The Russians
01.) Edited Sections * Kermit Shafer * Pardon My Blooper
02.) Nuages * Django Reinhardt * Verve Jazz Masters 38
03.) The Bathing Suit She Wore * Jerry Nelson & Marilyn Sokol & Paul Williams * Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas
04.) Welfare Bread * King Khan & The Shines * What Is?!
05.) Afraid Of The Russians * Styphanoids * History Of Portland Punk Vol. 1
06.) Russian Dance * Tom Waits * The Black Rider
07.) Big Wave * Johnny Dowd * Temporary Shelter
08.) Confused * The Nuns * The Nuns
Part II: Drinkin’ Man’s Cursing
09.) Prison Camp * Coyle & Sharpe * The Imposters
10.) Limehouse Blues * Django Reinhardt * The Best Of…
11.) Drinking’ Wine (Spo-Dee-O-Dee) * Stick McGhee & His Buddies * Atlantic Rhythm & Blues
12.) Sloppy Drunk Blues * Lucille Bogan * Barrelhouse Mammas
13.) When The Shit Hits The Fan * Circle Jerks * Repo Man Soundtrack
Part III: Kermit Shafer: The Man Behind The Blooper
14.) Honeysuckle Rose * Django Reinhardt * Verve Jazz Masters 38
Part IV: My Outer-Space Mixtape
15.) Wally Ballou: Man On The Street * Bob & Ray * The Lost Tapes Vol. 2
16.) Minor Swing * Django Reinhardt * The Best Of
17.) A4 Preview * The Apollo Four * Soundcloud Page
18.) Rocketman * The Red Elvises * I Wanna See You Bellydance *
19.) Mixtape * JJCnV * Brainiac Handsome
20.) Rock ‘N’ Roll Nurse * Compulsive Gamblers * Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing
21.) The Master’s Bedroom (Is Worth Spending A Night In) * Thee Oh Sees * The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In
22.) Don’t Blow Up Your Dog * Half Eye * Don’t Blow Up Your Dog
I know I’ve been teasing something “special” for the last several weeks, and I can now say that it is here: the next installment of our ongoing Blasphuphmus Radio Theater Presents!, with live scoring by Moth Hunter.
YES!
This is something that I’ve always wanted to bring to this show: live, narrative radio. It’s happened a couple of times, in very striped down ways, but never like this. Moth Hunter performed a nearly sixty minute set in may, as the score for an edited version of the X Minus 1 classic, “No Contact.” (In fact, this was the first story X Minus 1 broadcast when they first went on the air on 24 April 1955.) As I have also teased, this will not be an isolated incident. I’ve been working with some other artists too, and this could become a regular feature in the very near future.
As an experiment this time, we’re doing something we’ve never done before: we’re offering the entire live performance, unadorned, as a download via our Bandcamp Page:
We wanted to try something new, and this seemed like a natural extension of this show. Getting to hear them both allows you to enjoy the performance as a stand-alone piece, and then appreciate it more as it is incorporated into the narrative of this show. It’s something that the Inter-Web-A-Tron was intended for in the first place, and I think it’s a very sensible move on our part.
Additionally, I would like to direct you to the photoset below. I always like to snap a few shots when I host bands, and this time was no exception.
We hope you enjoy today’s presentation. We put a lot of work into it, and we are really proud.
Join me for a conversation with Miss Rikki Lee, as we go into detail about her early years as a cub reporter and photographer as she tried to make it on the streets of Chicago. In this episode: musical accompaniment that not only connects specifically with her life while she lived there, but in many cases care a chi-town kind of vibe, too. As she recounts her adventures, strap yourself in, as we have cumulatively produced three entire hours of music and interviews. Hope you like Miss Rikki, cause we’ve got nothing but her this entire show.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? If you’re not already doing so, check her out on Tumblr, and on kpsu.org every Saturday from 1 – 3 PM. Her show is more “FCC-friendly” there, but when she and I get together there are no rules. If you end up liking what you hear in this episode, and you want to hear more, then check out Episode 158: This Is Not A Photograph, where she and I covered her time in Arizona, and some more general information about her life as well. We’re hoping to do this a little more often than every four months, but we shall see.
With that said, let’s get on with “The Scumburg Manifesto.”
The Scumburg Manifesto
Introduction
Incidental music during our interviews provided by “The Chess Story: 1947-1975”
Part I: She’s In Love With Rock N’ Roll
01.) Fun Tonight * The Riverdales * Riverdales
02.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 1
Part II: I’ve Felt You Up Before
03.) Janie Jones (Demo) * The Clash * Clash On Broadway
04.) Rat Patrol * Naked Raygun * Throb Throb
05.) Time For Me, Time For You * The Felt-Ups
06.) Demons Wear Spurs * The Gravetones * On The Edge Of Madness
07.) She Knocks Me Out * The Runarounds
08.) Little Sister * The Neutron Bombs * E.P.
Part III: Elvis Was My Gym Teacher
09.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 2
Part IV: Record Breakers Frequent Buyer Club
10.) This Is The Part Where I Hit You * Milk At Midnight * A Fit To End All Time
11.) Time Warp * Rocky Horror Picture Show
12.) Underground Army * The Threats
13.) Cranked Up Really High * Slaughter & the Dogs * Cranked Up Really High
14.) Street Where Nobody Lives * The Pagans * Pink Album
15.) I Don’t Give A Fuck * The Partisans * The Partisans
Part V: The Geography of Five Year Differences
16.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 3
Part VI: Geek America
17.) Hero Marauder * Tilt * Collect ‘Em All
18.) Motherfucker Are You Ready To Rock? * Boris The Sprinkler * Is…Gay!
19.) Punk Rock Girl * The Dead Milkmen * Beelzebubba
20.) Hey Ya * Outkast
21.) take a shit * The Left Rights * The Left Rights
22.) Poo Out My Ass * The Left Rights * The Left Rights
23.) Say What You Mean * The Lunachicks
Part VII: Low Brow in High Fidelity
24.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 4
Part VIII: Back Seat Driving
25.) Pussy * Lords of Acid
26.) Promises * Buzzcocks * Singles Going Steady
27.) Six A.M. * Screeching Weasel * Kill The Musicians
28.) Rock Around With Ollie Vee * Buddy Holly * Rockabilly Trash
Part IX: Pop Goes The Weasel
25.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 5
For those of you who are just tuning in, join me for a conversation with Miss Rikki Lee, as we go into detail about her early years as a cub reporter and photographer as she tried to make it on the streets of Chicago. If you’re not already doing so, check her out on Tumblr, and on kpsu.org every Saturday from 1 – 3 PM. If you end up liking what you hear in this episode, and you want to hear more, then check out Episode 158: This Is Not A Photograph, where she and I covered her time in Arizona, and some more general information about her life as well. We’re hoping to do this a little more often than every four months, but we shall see.
We are also trying something experimental with this episode, in that we’re presenting it in two parts, over two days. Part One is was available on Tuesday. Part Two now available. This gave you (hopefully) some time to digest Part One, before you’re ready for the rest. However, if you are like me, and you want your podcasts really long for maximum enjoyment, then you are in luck: The Director’s Cut version is now available, too. Please let us know what you think of this. We’ve been toying with the length of shows for a while now, and we feel that by doing things like this, we can offer a range of listening options for people who have different tastes. As usual, we look for feedback here, or any other our other conduits of communication.
With that said, let’s present Part II of “The Scumburg Manifesto.”
See ya in five!
Rocky Horror
The Scumburg Manifesto Part II
Introduction:
Incidental music during our interviews provided by “The Chess Story: 1947-1975”
Part V: The Geography of Five Year Differences
16.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 3
Part VI: Geek America
17.) Hero Marauder * Tilt * Collect ‘Em All
18.) Motherfucker Are You Ready To Rock? * Boris The Sprinkler * Is…Gay!
19.) Punk Rock Girl * The Dead Milkmen * Beelzebubba
20.) Hey Ya * Outkast
21.) take a shit * The Left Rights * The Left Rights
22.) Poo Out My Ass * The Left Rights * The Left Rights
23.) Say What You Mean * The Lunachicks
Part VII: Low Brow in High Fidelity
24.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 4
Part VIII: Back Seat Driving
25.) Pussy * Lords of Acid
26.) Promises * Buzzcocks * Singles Going Steady
27.) Six A.M. * Screeching Weasel * Kill The Musicians
28.) Rock Around With Ollie Vee * Buddy Holly * Rockabilly Trash
Part IX: Pop Goes The Weasel
25.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 5
(Due to a complication with the webstream at KPSU, the first hour of this broadcast was not archived. We include the entire second hour and the small section of the first hour that still exists.)
Join me for a conversation with Miss Rikki Lee, as we go into detail about her early years as a cub reporter and photographer as she tried to make it on the streets of Chicago. In this episode: musical accompaniment that not only connects specifically with her life while she lived there, but in many cases care a chi-town kind of vibe, too. As she recounts her adventures, strap yourself in, as we have cumulatively produced three entire hours of music and interviews. Hope you like Miss Rikki, cause we’ve got nothing but her this entire show.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? If you’re not already doing so, check her out on Tumblr, and on kpsu.org every Saturday from 1 – 3 PM. Her show is more “FCC-friendly” there, but when she and I get together there are no rules. If you end up liking what you hear in this episode, and you want to hear more, then check out Episode 158: This Is Not A Photograph, where she and I covered her time in Arizona, and some more general information about her life as well. We’re hoping to do this a little more often than every four months, but we shall see.
We are also trying something experimental with this episode, in that we’re presenting it in two parts, over two days. Part One is obviously available now. Part Two will be available on Thursday, giving you a two day wait, and offering you a chance to digest the interview slowly, over time. If you are like me, and you want your podcasts really long for maximum enjoyment, then you are in luck: we will also be releasing, on Thursday, the Director’s Cut version of this show. Please let us know what you think of this. We’ve been toying with the length of shows for a while now, and we feel that by doing things like this, we can offer a range of listening options for people who have different tastes. As usual, we look for feedback here, or any other our other conduits of communication.
With that said, let’s present Part I of “The Scumburg Manifesto.”
See ya in two!
The Scumburg Manifesto Part I
Introduction
Incidental music during our interviews provided by “The Chess Story: 1947-1975”
Part I: She’s In Love With Rock N’ Roll
01.) Fun Tonight * The Riverdales * Riverdales
02.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 1
Felt Ups
Part II: I’ve Felt You Up Before
03.) Janie Jones (Demo) * The Clash * Clash On Broadway
04.) Rat Patrol * Naked Raygun * Throb Throb
05.) Time For Me, Time For You * The Felt-Ups
06.) Demons Wear Spurs * The Gravetones * On The Edge Of Madness
07.) She Knocks Me Out * The Runarounds
08.) Little Sister * The Neutron Bombs * E.P.
Part III: Elvis Was My Gym Teacher
09.) A Conversation With Miss Rikki Lee Part 2
Part IV: Record Breakers Frequent Buyer Club
10.) This Is The Part Where I Hit You * Milk At Midnight * A Fit To End All Time
11.) Time Warp * Rocky Horror Picture Show
12.) Underground Army * The Threats
13.) Cranked Up Really High * Slaughter & the Dogs * Cranked Up Really High
14.) Street Where Nobody Lives * The Pagans * Pink Album
15.) I Don’t Give A Fuck * The Partisans * The Partisans
Episode 175: Summer, Jam (3365) (Featuring a selections of seasonally appropriate songs, selected by our long-lost, unstuck-in-time co-host, DJ Really Sloppy.)
While the idea of doing a summer show seemed like a good idea at the time, it turned out that this week, I had nothing. Not a single idea for songs about summer, outside of just listening to surf music. Fortunately, my good friend DJ Really Sloppy accidentally called me, and babbled for about an hour about what he thinks of when he hears the term “Summer Jam.” The results are this program.
Summer, Jam
Part I
01.) Island In The Sun * Weezer * Weezer * DGC Records
02.) The Savage * The Ventures * Walk – Don’t Run: The Best of The Ventures
03.) Hipalong Hop * B.J. Cole and Luke Vibert * Stop the Panic * Astralwerks
04.) Penny Loafers * Daedelus (with Inara George) * Bespoke * Ninja Tune
05.) Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto remix) * Massive Attack * Heligoland (Extended Version) * Virgin
Part II
06.) Taco Wagon * Man… Or Astro-Man? * Destroy All Astromen!
07.) A Kissed Out Red Floatboat * Cocteau Twins * Blue Bell Knoll * 4AD
08.) I L U * School of Seven Bells * Disconnect from Desire * Vagrant Records/
Ghostly International
09.) Underwater Love * Smoke City * The Rebirth of Cool Four * 4TH & BWAY/Island
10.) Awake in the Sand * Kaitlyn ni Donovan * Songs for Three Days * hush records
Part III
11.) Monkey Safari * Messer Chups * Crazy Price
12.) Something Tropical * Tipsy * Trip-Tease * Asphodel
13.) Rum and Coca Cola * Wanda Jackson * The Party Ain’t Over * Third Man Records
14.) Groove Is In the Heart * Deee-Lite * World Clicque * Elektra Records
15.) I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) * The Proclaimers * Sunshine On Leith * Chrysalis
16.) Walk Don’t Run * The Ventures * Walk – Don’t Run: The Best of The Ventures
17.) Strawberry Jam * Michelle Shocked * Arkansas Traveler * Mercury
Episode 174: The Mop Top Report (Featuring a selection of fabulous tunes to help provide the perfect soundtrack to a nice summer haircut.)
As life continues to get complicated, I had to actually schedule a haircut during my weekly podcast. Of course, there’s little I can do about it, so instead I just got with a hairy theme this week, and pursue music that is not only dense with follicles, but provides all the vitamins and nutrients of an actual treatment with Salon Selectives products. If nothing else, consider this a companion show to our “teeth” broadcast from last week. Nothing says “radio” like teeth and hair.
Presented in two acts, we offer plenty of rock, noise, punk, drone, and other such incredible musical offerings to track down what, exactly, is under our hats. Armando Iannucci helps explain it all to us, as to Peter & Raymond. All while Tara J. Merritt, of the Tara J. Merritt foundation, gives me my regular trim.
Short and sweet, just the way we like. Until next time, enjoy our Mop Top Review.
See you in seven!
The Mop Top Review
Part I: The Beauty Salon
01.) Cut My Hair * The Who * Quadrophenia
02.) The Long Hair Of Death [Excerpt] * Stereolab * Aluminum Tunes
03.) My Barber 1 * Armando Iannucci * The Armando Iannucci Shows * BBC Television
04.) Hair Pie: Bake 1 * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica
05.) Robbie’s Hair Cut * Artless Motives * Everything But The Kitchen Sink
06.) Free Haircut * Dead Fucking Last * Proud To Be DFL
07.) Hairy * The Vaselines * The Way Of The Vaselines: A Complete History
08.) Wind Blows Your Hair * The Seeds * Travel With Your Mind
09.) By Hairs On My Chinny Chin Chin * Thee Headcoats * Knights Of The Baskervilles
10.) Star Of Hairs * Robyn Hitchcock * Invisible Hitchcock
11.) His Hair * Mad Magazine * Fink Along With Mad!
12.) Beauty Salon * Mars Production Library * Mars Production Library CK-713
Part II: Sunset On Hair Mountain
13.) Longhair Stomp * Professor Longhair * The Mercury New Orleans Sessions 1950 & 1953
14.) My Barber 2 * Armando Iannucci * The Armando Iannucci Shows * BBC Television
15.) Hairpiece Lullaby 1 & 2 * Sonic Youth * Made In USA
16.) Hairdryer Peace * The Hospitals * Hairdryer Peace
17.) Hair Raising Excitement * Hunger Artists * Cruisin’ In Zargon
18.) Hairgrowth Speed * Zach Hill And Mick Barr * Shred Earthship
19.) Hair Waves * Mars * Mars LP: The Complete Studio Recordings NYC 1977-1978
20.) Curly Hair * Doo Rag * Chuncked And Muddled
21.) Theme From “Sunset On Hair Mountain” * Hugh Swarts * Duck, Duck, Chimp (Rarities 1987-2001)
22.) Golden Hair * Syd Barrett * The Madcap Laughs
23.) We’ll Set Your Hair On Fire * Raymond And Peter * Shut Up Little Man
24.) New York Mood (A New Haircut And A Busted Lip) * Tom Waits * Night On Earth Original Soundtrack Recording
25.) Hair Pie: Bake 2 * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica
26.) Widen Your Horizons: How To Brush Your Hair * Bob & Ray * The Lost Episodes, Vol. 2
Episode 173: Dental Jams (Featuring a selection of recordings about teeth, dentists, and oral hygiene related issues.)
I have been fascinated by media relating to teeth and dentists since I first wrote about dentists in 2007, but as with anything you become interested in, interets ebb and flow over time. However, a recent set of trips to the dentist – with at least two more appointments on the horizon – has caused me to start thinking about teeth more than I’m usually doing so. So with that in mind, I decided to dig up an hour of Dental Jams, to help ease my nerves as I prepare for another visit to have sharp implements put into my mouth for the soul benefit of fixing my already broken teeth.
This is another short show, as I continue to adjust to my various schedule changes and whatnot in my personal life. But it has some top notch music by some of my favorite bands, and closes on a Melvins song. What more could you ask for in a radio show about teeth?
Keep up the good work, and I’ll see ya’ll next week.
Enjoy!
Dental Jams
Part I: Teething
01.) Dentist! * Steve Martin, Michelle Weeks, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell * Little Shop Of Horrors: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
02.) Performance Excerpt * Toiletooth * What’s This Called? Broadcast 13 March 2010
03.) Strawberries Are Growing In My Garden (And It’s Wintertime) * The Dentists * Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts of the 2nd Psychedelic Era 1976-1996
04.) Scotch Teeth * Half Eye * The Rose Mary Murders
05.) 13 * Teeth Collection * Triskaidekaphobia: 13,000.00 MilliSeconds
06.) Sleep (Part II): Carry Stress In The Jaw * Mr. Bungle * Disco Volante
07.) Painted My Teeth * Jandek * Modern Dances
08.) Spolier * Different Dentist * Triskaidekaphobia: 13,000.00 MilliSeconds
Part II: The Tooth Fairy Isn’t Real, Is She?
09.) The Mad Dentist * Cold Pizza * I’m More Like I Am Then, Than I Was Now
10.) Tooth Fairy Retribution Manifesto * Rodan * Rusty
11.) 13 * Teeth Mountain * Triskaidekaphobia: 13,000.00 MilliSeconds
12.) Sharp Teeth * Ax * Our Queen of Dirt
13.) Teeth * Royal Trux * Cats And Dogs
14.) Can God Fill Teeth? * Lard
Part III: They’ve All Gotta Be Pulled Sooner Or Later
15.) The Dentist [Live] * The Action Zone * Blasphuphmus Radio 18 April 2007
16.) Dedicated Thespian Has Teeth Pulled To Play Newborn Baby In High School Play * Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo * Strange But True
17.) The Braces on Your Teeth * Mad Magazine *Fink Along With Mad!
18.) Toothless Baby * Pez Abacus * December 11 2009
19.) Teeth * The Mekons * Punk Rock
20.) Brush Your Teeth * The Queers * Don’t Back Down
21.) Sweet Tooth * King Khan & The Shrines * The Supreme Genious Of…
22.) The Tooth Fairy And The Princess * Hüsker Dü * Zen Arcade
23.) With Teeth * Melvins * Lysol
24.) Tooth Decay Dramatization * Coyle And Sharpe * Coyle and Sharpe: The Imposters Podcast Ep. 83 * MaximumFun.org
Episode 172: Eels, Love & Guns (Featuring an assortment of novelty records culled from the archive here in the Lava Lamp Lounge.)
As we prepare for the bountiful fun that summer has to offer, these days spent sequestered in the warm comfort of the Lava Lamp Lounge here in Historic St. John’s are a real treat. I often get to dig through things I have yet to hear, and enjoy rare treats that I don’t always get to listen to. Like this fantastic interview conducted by Chris Morris on BBC3 in January 1994 with none other than Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling himself! I know that I don’t need to get into what an amazing and fascinating person the knighted gentleman is, so I’ll merely let the practiced stylings of Mr. Morris guide us through what will be an hour of Prado meanderings, philosophical musings, drunken engagements, and other random shenanigans.
There will also be music, too.
As part of our series exploring novelty records, we tread ground old and new this week, in an hour-long format that’s perfect for keeping you awake during the commute. As long as you remember that everything you know is wrong, and that you are currently living on a more wonderful alternate earth, then there will be no end to the enjoyment you’ll get out of this episode of Blasphuphmus Radio.
See you in seven.
Eels, Love & Guns
Part I: Everything You Know Is Wrong
01.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt I] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
02.) Hoedown At Alice’s * Steve Martin * King Tut EP
03.) Clink, Clink, Another Drink * Spike Jones & His City Slickers * Musical Depreciation Revue: The Spike Jones Anthology
04.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt II] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
05.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt I] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
06.) Everything You Know Is Wrong (About Shoes!) * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign
07.) Marketing & Advertising * Bill Hicks * Arizona Bay
08.) Meaning Of Life * Monty Python * Monty Python Sings
09.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt III] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
10.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt II] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
11.) Selling Out * Tom Lehrer
12.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt IV] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
13.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt III] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
14.) Shaving Cream * Benny Bell
Part II: An Alternate Earth
15.) Skokian * Hot Butter * RE/Search: Incredibly Strange Music Vol II
16.) The Loose Wig * Del Close & John Brent * How to Speak Hip
17.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt IV] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
18.) Earache My Eye * Cheech & Chong
19.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt V] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
20.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt V] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
22.) Don’t Put Onions On Your Hamburger * Fink Along With Mad * Big Top Records
23.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt VI] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
24.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt VI] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
25.) The Laughing Policeman * Tiny Tim * I Love Me * Seeland Records
26.) Alternate Earth * Patton Oswalt * Werewolves and Lollipops
27.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt VII] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
28.) Ben * Crispin Glover
29.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt VII] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
30.) Buchanan & Goodman On Trial * Buchanan & Goodman * Luniverse Records
31.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt VIII] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
32.) Exotic Suite Of The Americas [Excerpt VIII] * Pérez Prado * Exotic Suite Of The Americas
33.) The Beverly Hills Telephone Directory Cha Cha Cha * Bob McFadden * Songs Our Mummy Taught Us
34.) Eels, Love and Guns [Excerpt IX] * Chris Morris and Peter Cook * Why Bother
On crummy days like this I like to get my chores done early, eat a massive breakfast, and listen to a lot of sludgy metal to accompany the strange weather. Often I like to clean my office, too. It’s the kind of day that was meant for reflective listening and clearing out the cobwebs, and there’s nothing better than a nice dose of metal. Sure, it works for a number of other occasions, too, but rainy house-bound days call for nothing more than making a wasted Saturday suddenly awesome with the addition of metal. And, to match the mood, let’s call for some sludgy doom!
There’s really not much to this show. I wanted to hear some metal, I listened to some metal. And now you can enjoy it, too. While by no means an expert, or someone who can claim “metal guru” status, I can say that I knows whats I likes, and I likes me some KARP, Pentagram, Black Sabbath, and Melvins. What can I say? It hits the spot.
Any hopefully it hits yours. This should be me on track for shows that I owed up until last Tuesday. Hopefully I can get one out for this week on time, and we can return to business as usual. Until then, enjoy this blast of hearty metal for a rainy day, and we’ll meet again in the Lava Lamp Lounge with more crazy stuff soon enough.
See ya then!
metal
i
01.) Thor Is Like Immortal [Edit] * The Fucking Champs * IV
02.) Into The Grave * Bedemon * Child Of Darkness
03.) Electric Funeral * Black Sabbath * Paranoid
04.) The Nile Song * Pink Floyd * Relics
05.) Queen Of Bees * Witchcraft * Firewood
06.) All Along The Watchtower * Träd, Gräs Och Stenar * Träd, Gräs Och Stenar
ii
07.) Schuylkill [Edit] * Stinking Lizaveta * …hopelessness and shame.
08.) When The Screams Come * Pentagram * First Daze Here
09.) Meet Me In Lacey * KARP * Suplex
10.) The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) * Melvins * The Maggot
11.) Nostos Algos * Thrones * Day Late, Dollar Short
A very special edition of the Guitar Shop! Janet Robin, live in-studio – and tonight, she’ll be at the Alberta Pub at 9:30 p.m. and Music Millenium at 6:00 p.m.
Returning to Ken Nordine‘s fantastic Colors album, this episode offers a meditation on color and colors, just in time to celebrate Pride, and to revisit one of the most incredible recordings made in the last 100 years. Nordine has carved out an interesting place for himself over the years, and this episodes helps illuminate his career, and this album in particular, juxtaposed against music that is either color themed, or very much in line with his own musical sensibilities. Plus: it’s just a really good mix of music, if you ask me.
The audacity of someone to do an entire album about color in a medium that is devoid of visual cues itself is sort of like that of a person who would do a radio show that is based on a visual theme. Still, Nordine manages to bend both words and ideas to his will, and presents a fantastic soundscape that is equal parts improvisational and observational, cutting straight to the heart of the human condition in something that is seemingly about the colors of the rainbow. This episode, which features some background information about Nordine and this album, is an attempt to musically capture what he did in this album. The results are for you to hear, now.
Part I of this show, from 2010, was not created with that much forethought. Without a show prepared, I went into the studio with Colors and literally nothing else, I began to present the oldest albums in KPSU’s catalog to highlight what the station would have sounded like in the mid ’90’s. However, the presentation worked much better than, in some cases, an over-thought theme or show. Only recently did I post a playlist for that episode, which inspired this sequel. Rather than plan this one out meticulously, I selected a few things I wanted to hear, and built the show around that.
I could go on and on about the delays and production problems we’ve been having lately, but the short version is: we’re ironing out some kinks in the way we produce this show. In the end, this will be good. But for now, the schedule may be a little wonky, especially since summer is here and there’s a lot more going on. Hopefully we can return to weekly shows, dropping on Tuesdays, for your enjoyment. Until then, we have back-episodes going to 2009, and there is plenty to enjoy while we get our ducks in a row.
That’s all for this week. Keep up the good work, and we’ll see you real soon.
Take care!
A New Coat Of Paint
Part I: Blue Is The Color Of The Sky
01.) Colors * Roky Erickson * Hide Behind The Sun
02.) The Color Of Holy Water * Sun City Girls * Wah
03.) Lavender * Ken Nordine * Colors
04.) Lavender * Jandek * You Walk Alone
05.) Green * Ken Nordine * Colors
06.) Green Man * Bardo Pond * Lapsed
07.) Beige * Ken Nordine * Colors
08.) Beige Balloon * Billy Jack * Wrestling The Bald-Headed Champ
Part II: Are Those Color’s Supposed To Do That?
09.) Colors * Hunger * Love, Peace & Poetry: American Psychedelic Music
10.) Are Those Colors Supposed To Do That? * Cold Pizza * Now Buying Souls By Appointment Only
11.) White * Ken Nordine * Colors
12.) White Ink * Deerhunter * Cryptograms
13.) White Night * MX-80 * “Someday You’ll Be King” b/w “White Night”
14.) Purple * Ken Nordine * Colors
15.) Purple * Morgen * Morgen
16.) Muddy * Ken Nordine * Colors
17.) Mud * Universal Order Of Armageddon * City EP
Part III: “Color Climax” b/w “Coral Flower”
18.) Color Climax 85/86 * Half Eye * Fascist Rumble
19.) Brown * John Oswald * Plunderphonics 69/96
20.) Hazel * Ken Nordine * Colors
21.) Slow Fast Hazel * Stereolab * Emperor Tomato Ketchup
22.) Grey * Ken Nordine * Colors
23.) It’s Gray * T.S.O.L. * Change Today?
24.) Grey Light * The Miss * No Radio
25.) Coral * Ken Nordine * Colors
26.) Coral Flower * Tamaryn * The Waves
Summer Solstice! We’re playing summer songs. Also, Janet Robin will be in-studio KPSU on Thursday, June 21st, on a very special edition of the Guitar Shop. Finally, in the 5:00 hour, we honor Chet Atkins’ birthday, born June 20, 1924.
(This Show Is Not Recommended If You Are Prone To Peanut Allergies)
Episode 169: Good Grief! (Featuring selections from an unusual novelty record from 1962, wherein Charlie Brown and Lucy – with musical accompaniment – offer an audio version of their incredible comic universe.)
In 1962, when this record was first released, the cultural milieu that encouraged novelties like this was actually only a few years old. Prior to 1958, when Mort Sahl released The Future Lies Ahead on the Verve label (previously known for jazz music), comedy was relegated to 45s and other “short” mediums. The market for things that were “funny” seemed only to be niche at best, and LPs were considered a format for “high” art, or at the very least, actual music. When Inside Shelly Berman was released a year later, and became a huge hit, this completely changed the face of the industry. Comedy LPs of every variety began to make their way into the mainstream, and at the beginning of the 1960’s a format that had not existed a few short years beforehand began to dominate American culture, and the airwaves.
When considered in this light, Peanuts begins to make a lot more sense. A number of labels began to release comedy albums in the hopes that this new market could offer another means of making money. With the rise of teenagers spending more and more money on audio recordings, and the nature and cost of going to the kinds of clubs that would offer live comedy, the LP soon became the primary means through which the middle class, and younger folks, were able to get exposure to a wide range of artists. Much like any boom in the world of recorded sound, labels began to rush into production albums that were remotely connected to comedy, in an effort to absorb this potential revenue. While the comic strip Peanuts had been around well before these events, the strips’ own popularity had caused the syndicate to look for ways to expand the merchandising possibilities of good old Charlie Brown. It is under these circumstances that this album came into existence.
Now, fast forward to present day. I discovered this record in a crate that was given to me by my father, who was delivering it to me via my step-brother, who was cleaning house and found no need for them any longer. There were about a hundred albums, most of which were not worth saving. Not knowing anything about it, I stumbled across the above Peanuts album, and decided to put it on to see if there were any Vince Guaraldi cuts mixed in. Instead, what I found literally blew my mind, and you can now hear selections of this rare gem or audio glory in this very broadcast you are now reading about, intercut with musical accompaniment that I feel only accentuates the glory that is within these grooves.
For those who are curious, here’s a little more backstory on this bizarre (and wonderful) album. Kaye Ballard (the voice of Lucy on this album) was no stranger to comedy by 1962, having worked as a musical comedienne in the 40’s, eventually working with Spike Jones and His City Slickers. She had a slightly acerbic quality to her, and performed stand-up, music, and straight acting through the 50’s. She was the first person to record, “In Other Words,” which would be popularized by a number of other people when the title was changed to “Fly Me To The Moon.” In the late ’50’s and early ’60’s, she had begun making a name for herself in television, and at the time this album was recorded, was a fairly well known entertainer. She has remained active ever since, though never managed to achieve a big break that gained her much national recognition outside of Spike Jones enthusiasts, and an appearance on the first season of The Muppet Show.
Arthur Siegel (the voice of Charlie Brown), on the other hand, was the lesser known member of the duo. Arthur was primarily a songwriter during his formative years, having attended Juilliard, penning a song for Eartha Kitt, and the songs in a number of Broadway revues through the ’50’s. Primarily known on Broadway, and as a pop tunesmith, how exactly he was called upon to work on a Peanuts album is anyone’s guess. Arthur never really achieved mainstream success, in spite of his nearly 50 year career as a songwriter, and passed away in 1994. There are two album from the early ’90’s that document his work.
Lastly, and the component to the album that really makes my mind split open, Fred Karlin “composed” the “music” that accompanies the spoken segments by Kaye and Arthur. Having attended Amherst College, he studied jazz composition, and arranged music for a number of artists, including Benny Goodman. This led to work scoring documentaries, TV commercials, and Radio City Music Hall productions. In later years he would go on to score a number of films, and write three books on the subject of composition before passing away in 2004. However, his most innovative and challenging work during his career was that of the music for the Peanuts LP, something recorded almost as a throw away, and possibly under the assumption that it would never be heard or connected to him. Pure avant guarde experimentation is what he recorded here, using children’s instruments and toys in a way that borders on Harry Partch by way of the Residents. It is astoundingly prescient, for someone who never pursued that kind of music again.
This is a novelty in a way that few others are. The music and voices here have never been associated with the Peanuts property again, and in many ways this album was meant to be forgotten, a throw-away in a world where the audio industry was finding its footing, and trying to figure out what the next move was. Accidentally, they created a strange and wonderful gem, that you can sample here, today, on Blasphuphmus Radio.
Enjoy!
Good Grief! Playlist
Introduction
01.) Charlie Brown * The Coasters
02.) Excerpts from “Introducing Charlie Brown & Lucy” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
Part I: Strive For Perfection
03.) Excerpts from “Introducing Charlie Brown & Lucy” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
04.) Perfect * Kaye Ballard & Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
05.) All But Perfection Is Error * Sailboats * Starchart
06.) Deep Beauty * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
07.) Beauty Is Only Skin Deep * Robert Mitchum * Calypso Is, Like, So…
08.) I Can’t Even Get Sick Right * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
09.) Sick * Rice * Fuck You, This Is Rice!
10.) Wishy Washy * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
11.) I Can’t Win * The Monacles * Back From The Grave Vol. 1
12.) You’re Kinda Stupid * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
13.) Super Stupid * Funkadelic * Maggot Brain
14.) Lucy’s Psychiatry Help, 5 Cents * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel Peanuts
15.) You Must Pay * godheadSilo * Elephantitus of The Night
16.) I Am Not Alone * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
17.) Absent Friends * Fred Frith * Cheap At Half The Price
Part II: Blahdom
18.) Excerpts from “Introducing Charlie Brown & Lucy” & “Bugs & Birds” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
19.) You Are So Blah * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
20.) Habla Blah Blah * Guyve * Smegma Demos
21.) A Face Face * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
22.) Funny Face * The Kinks * Something Else By The Kinks
23.) Autograph * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
24.) The Ego’s Last Stand * The Flaming Lips * Embryonic
25.) You’ll Get Run Over * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
26.) U Got Me Bugged * Devo * Hardcore Devo Vol. 2
27.) The Queen Bug * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
28.) Jelly Bean * Cold Pizza * Cold Pizza
29.) They Don’t Look Up * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
30.) Ant Man Bee * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica
Part III: Solving The World’s Problems
31.) Excerpts from “Bugs & Birds” & “Political Cartoons” * Fred Karlin * Peanuts
32.) What Good Are Bugs * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
33.) Army Ants In Your Pants * Bruce Haack * Listen Compute Rock
34.) South For The Winter * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
35.) Bird Journey * Mandrake Memorial
36.) I’ve Been Wrong Before * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
37.) Afraid Of Being Wrong * Husker Du * Everything Falls Apart
38.) Ridicule Everything * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
39.) Mockingbird, Yeah! * Nation of Ulysses * Plays Pretty For Baby
40.) Lashing Out With My Crayon * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
41.) Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing * Minutemen * Double Nickels On The Dime
42.) Solving The World’s Problems * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peanuts
43.) World Problems * The Causey Way * With Loving And Open Arms
44.) Editors * Kaye Ballard + Arthur Siegel * Peantus
45.) Blackmail * Horde Of Two * Guitar & Bass Actions
Episode 168: The Hobbit (Featuring a nearly-complete retrocast from 12 August 1998, wherein I present an audio version of the story of 1977 animated feature film, The Hobbit.)
In preparation for the impending new film version, join us for a special retrocast of this rare Audio Essay from 1998, where we present the story of the 1977 animated classic, The Hobbit, contrasted against Mike Patton’s Adult Themes For Voice, Mel Brooks & Marlo Thomas, and a host of other College Radio classics. This episode has not been heard since it was originally broadcast on KWVA, and offers listeners another glimpse into the development of our Audio Essay format that has come to dominate much of what we do now. A nearly complete show – only missing 13 minutes of content – this program has been reconstructed using the surviving recordings and documented playlist, offering a close approximation of the kind of show we began doing all those years ago.
Originally scheduled to be a Holden Craft collaboration, circumstances prevented him from showing up until the very end of the show. I had originally planned on just playing “The Greatest Adventure,” among other things, but with time on my hands, Orson Bean and friends got a little more air time than anticipated. It was very much like an Unexpected Party. In the end, I think the results weren’t bad, and it set the tone for a future format that has since become a big part of the show. Heavily influenced by Over The Edge and the usual musical format of KWVA, I had always wanted to bring more sampling and oddness to the program. This, along with the previously presented Flight F – I – N – A – L episode, were probably as close to that vision for the show as I ever got. Fortunately, I’m easily distractable, and had many other visions for the program, too.
A note about the recording: the source tape is a little distorted, and the overall sound clips a little throughout the program. The record of The Hobbit itself, that I used to make the recording, was salvaged from my then-girlfriend’s garage, where it had languished in a filthy box (along with the Marlo Thomas record) for some time. I cleaned it up the best I could, but there is a fair amount of surface noise, or at least, more than normal. Additionally: at some point after the initial recording of the show, for some reason, I excised all the commercials and two or three songs (the names and artist of which completely escape me now). Originally, I also cut out a number of other (yet left them on the playlist), and furthermore removed The Hobbit segments to put them on another tape. So, this show has been reconstructed as best as could be, using my own memory and the surviving record to produce this show. Keep in mind that all of these things happened years ago, before podcasts or digital archiving (on the scale that its available now) was not possible. I never imagined that anyone else would ever hear this, or that there would be some value (or some way) to present this show in a “complete” form. So, all of this is a cicuitous way of saying: this is as good as this one gets. At least it makes me happy.
As with the Flight F – I – N – A – L show, the musical selections used in this one are somewhat curious and confusing at times. Unlike the vast archive I’ve accumulated over the years since this show, my collection was quite small in the late ’90’s, and much of my radio show was dependent on what the station had to offer. This meant that planning a show was sort of a crapshoot, and I often just played something I wanted to hear, over something that made sense, storywise. Some of the song choices are quite inspired: “Where The Hell Is Bill?,” “Ride of the Valykries,” etc. Some song choices are just confusing. At this time in the show’s history, a running “gag” was to play a handful of Mike Patton songs every show, and while that seems to make sense to me at the time (when you listen to the shows over time), they seem like odd selections now. I debated redoing this show entirely at one point, but I like the naive charm and rough, learning-curve qualities this one illustrates. If I only ever did rad shows, right from the beginning, then where’s the fun in that?
Special Thanks to my amazing girlfriend, who is on vacation and who I miss dearly; Lyra Cyst, houseguest and tolerant friend who did not mind that I spent a lot of time while she was visiting recording and editing this episode, Holden Craft, for giving me a ride home after I originally broadcast this program in 1998, and kiisu d’salyss, for, well… you know.
I know that I’ve been, essentially, in re-runs lately, as I re-present all of these old episodes. While most of the material I’m posting now has never been publicly available (at least, not since the original broadcast), there is a certain amount of, “Yes, but…” when it comes to repackaging old-as-new, etc. I have tried to balance this a bit, with new shows mixed with the old shows. My hope is that I can soon wrap up the trip down memory lane shows – of which I believe there will be three or four more – so that a good cross section of the best segments from those early shows are available again. It’s a project with a definite end, and I’m exited about wrapping it up and moving on to something new. I’ve really enjoyed the work I’ve done this year on this program, and I think that with this in the can, the other ideas I have yet to get to will be next.
As you may have noticed, various life obligations have completely destroyed our production schedule as of late. For this I apologize, but as the “we” here at Blasphuphmus Radio is actually a “me,” little can be done to avoid this. However, if all goes well today, we should be able to get back on track with Episode 169. I make no promises, except that someday, we’ll either get back on track, or I will officially take a week off and pretend that we’re back on track. You know how it goes.
In the meantime: In a hole in a ground living A Hobbit…
The Hobbit Playlist
Introduction: “The Bravest Little Hobbit Of Them All”
01.) Bilbo Baggins * Leonard Nimoy
02.) Gollum’s Riddle [Excerpt] * The Hobbit Animated Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Part I: “The Greatest Adventure”
03.) The Hobbit Part I
04.) For Your Entertainment * Unwound *
05.) The Hobbit Part II
06.) Brown Eyed Girl * Lagwagon *
07.) The Hobbit Part III
08.) Pajama Party Horror * Mike Patton * Adult Themes For Voice
09.) The Hobbit Part IV
10.) Get Me Back * Teengenerate * Smash Hits!
11.) The Hobbit Part V
12.) Joco Homo * Devo * Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! * Warner Bros. Records
13.) Boy Meets Girl * Mel Brooks & Marlo Thomas *
14.) Dick * King Missile [Dog Fly Religion] * Fluting On The Hump
Part II: “Burglar, Do Your Burgling!”
15.) Roads (Instrumental) * The Hobbit Animated Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
16.) The Hobbit Part VI
17.) Round And Round * Germs * (MIA)
18.) The Hobbit Part VII
19.) Anti-Pleasure Dissertation * Bikini Kill * The Anti-Pleasure Dissertation 7″
20.) The Hobbit Part VIII
21.) Return Of The Knucklehead * DFL * Proud To Be
22.) The Hobbit Part IX
23.) A Leper With The Face Of A Baby Girl * Mike Patton * Adult Themes For Voice
24.) The Hobbit Part X
25.) Cuts And Bolts * Man… Or Astro-Man? *
26.) The Hobbit Part XI
27.) When You’re Fat And Lonely * Bruce McCullouch *
28.) The Hobbit Part XII
29.) Cooky Puss * Beastie Boys *
Part III: “My Precious”
30.) The Greatest Adventure (Instrumental) * The Hobbit Animated Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
31.) The Hobbit Part XIII
32.) Danimal [Excerpt] * Deathstar * Deathstar 10″
33.) The Hobbit Part XIV
34.) Another Day * Crimpshrine *
35.) The Hobbit Part XV
36.) Where The Hell Is Bill? * Camper Van Beethoven *
37.) The Hobbit Part XVI
38.) The One Armed vs. 9 Killers * Mike Patton *
39.) The Hobbit Part XVII
40.) Let’s Have A Party Tonight * 5.6.7.8′s *
41.) The Hobbit Part XVIII
42.) Funeral Home * Daniel Johnston *
43.) The Hobbit Part XIX
44.) Pillow Biter * Mike Patton *
45.) The Hobbit Part XX
46.) Desert Search (Supergenius) *
47.) The Hobbit Part XXI
48.) Jackals of Botswanna * Deadbolt *
Part IV: “Oh Smog The Magnificent”
49.) Down, Down To Goblin Town * The Hobbit Animated Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
50.) The Hobbit Part XXII
51.) Queerbait * The Queers *
52.) The Hobbit Part XXIII
53.) Rocketman * The Red Elvises *
54.) The Hobbit Part XXIV
55.) Twisted * Zeke *
56.) The Hobbit Part XXV
57.) Swingin’ On Pier 13 * Bomboras *
58.) The Hobbit Part XXVI
59.) Ride Of The Valkyries * Woody Phillips * Toolbox Classics
60.) The Hobbit Part XXVII
61.) Me Big Mouth * KARP *
62.) The Hobbit Part XXVIII
63.) No Fair * Wipers
In the earliest days of the program, my notion of having guests on my program was to invite my roommates into the studio, while we were all drunk, to listen to some college radio. Now, in the distant future, I’m asking you to join us on a similar journey. Highlighting four episodes from 1998, here are my roommates, my friends, and my guests, from the embryonic era that is so near to this programs beginning.
I have to say, with the complete perspective that hindsight so acutely offers, it is interesting to comb through the airchecks, and revisit these programs. I’m friends with nearly all of these people to this very day, and each of them have moved on to pursue their own lives and interests in amazing ways. These programs are small cross-sections, a blip on the radar from their perspective. But to me, these were important evenings, fun times that I happen to have a documented record of, and that is so rare for anyone who considers their youth. Hopefully, some of the joy I get out of these seeps through as you listen to these recordings today.
For the first time since I recorded these shows, they are hearing the light of day, and at the proper speed! The tape recordings were often too slow – or too fast – to make much sense, but modern technology has allowed me to fix these errors. To my knowledge, only these people have ever heard these recordings before, as this program began in a time before podcasts, and before digital distribution. My hope is that this functions as a record of those times, and a sampling of the various formats this show had in the early days.
Many apologies for the delay getting this episode posted. There were a number of personal and production delays, mostly because I wanted these episodes to be presented at their proper speeds, and other recording opportunities popped up at the last minute. Fortunately, these opportunities have manifested in shows that you can download now, and one that you will hear in the future. These opportunities involve live music, and also some cool Sci-Fi remixes. I’m hoping to get back on track, and there may well be another episode this week to make up for this, at least a Mini-Cast. So, stay tuned.
That’s all for this Memorial Day. Thanks again for indulging me.
See you real soon.
Bit Players In The College Radio Drama That Is Blasphuphmus Radio
Introduction: The More Things Stay The Same
01.) Updated Theme From Supercar * Man… Or Astro-Man? * All Punk Rods!: A Gearhead Magazine Collection * Lookout! Records
02.) Sonata For Loudspeakers * Unwound * Challenge For A Civilized Society * Kill Rock Stars Records
03.) The Trials of Being A Jedi * Supergenius * Star Wars Breakbeats * Suckadellic Records
04.) Some Hits * Anal Cunt * Top 40 Hits * Earache Records
05.) Driver Down * Trent Reznor * Lost Highway Soundtrack * Interscope Records
06.) Dragnet Theme * Ray Anthony And His Orchestra *
07.) Fame * Irena Cara * Fame Soundtrack * RSO Records
08.) Satan’s Little Lamb * Ethel Merman * I Get A Kick Out Of You * Pavillion Records
09.) Raw Meat Torn By Saxophone Blasts * Mike Patton * Pranzo Oltranzista
10.) Frank Talk About Mutants, Also * Men’s Recovery Project * Frank Talk About Humans
11.) Rebel Girl * Bikini Kill * “New Radio” b/w “Rebel Girl” 7″
12.) Hard Knock Life * “Annie” Original Cast Recording
13.) ?? * ??
14.) I Love Livin’ In The City * Fear * Fear The Record
15.) Let’s Have A Party * The 5.6.7.8’s * Can’t Help It! * Rockville Records
Part III: “Never Before Has The Beauty Of The Sexual Act Been So Grossly Exploited” (19 August 1998)
16.) El Perversio * Deadbolt * Tijuana Hit Squad
17.) Adventures Through Inner Space * The Bomboras * Head Shrinkin’ Fun * Zombie A Go-Go Records
18.) Eugene OR * The Varicoasters *
19.) Istanbul (Not Constantinople) * They Might Be Giants * Flood * Elekra Records
20.) My Mind’s Got A Mind Of It’s Own * ?? *
21.) When It’s Over * The Wipers * Youth Of America
When Miss Rikki Lee asked me to run sound for her show, I knew I would say yes before hearing anything further. I love meeting bands, especially touring ones, and running sound has been one of the most fun and fulfilling parts of being involved in radio. So the fact that it was with such a cool band like JJCnV only made the entire situation that much cooler. It’s sort of like being asked, “So, do you want to have fun for a few hours?” The answer can’t be anything but, “Uhm, duh?”
On tour to support a recent, self-released album, entitled Brainiac Handsome (and available on 12″ vinyl, or digitally), these guys are the kind of rock band with which you want to spend every Saturday. Funny, crass, rockin’, and loads of fun, they pack entertainment into every iota of their being. What comes across for most listeners is exactly how much fun they’re having. Within minutes of meeting them for the first time, we were all joking and crackin’ wise as if we’d been good friends for years, the kind of relationship that few sound engineers ever have with a band, let alone a touring one you met less than a quarter hour ago. I had a great time hanging out with them, and that’s mostly because they rocked the fuck out, too.
JJCnV perform three short live sets, help Miss Rikki Lee pick out the DJ portions, and chat us both up for the better part of two hours. I felt extremely honored not only to help run the sound, but perform the interview! Rikki insisted that I join her in the booth, and I hope I conducted myself like a true gentleman as I invaded her very own program. While I know that this is not the last time we’ll be working together like this, I have to say we started off with a bang.
JJCnV are on tour for another week or so, with shows in San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and San Pedro before returning home. They have a number of websites, through which you can keep track of their various exploits, which include their personal website, a bandcamp page (where you can check out their back catalog), a MyFaceSter+ page (so you can keep up with them while you’re at work), and a variety of pages here and there, available exclusively through the search engine of your choice. (Your usual Inter-Web-A-Tron rates and fees still apply.) I should point out that if you pick up a copy of the LP, it comes with a download card, too, giving you no excuse to start up that record collection you’ve always wanted to ask your friends to help you move whenever you get kicked out. It is very much worth the purchase.
I could wax poetic until the frogs come home, but I think it’s probably best that you just check them out by streaming or downloading this show, and then watching them live when you get a chance. Special thanks, again, to Miss Rikki Lee, for not only booking these guys, but asking me to run sound. As always, a real treat.
In this episode, JJCNV, one of my favorite Phoenix bands, stopped into the KPSU studio during their recent West Coast Tour to play some songs and tell some stories. Not only will this band blow your stripey socks off, but they’ll also leave you in stitches and begging for more! I’m so thrilled that they took the time out of supporting their new album Brainiac Handsome to come down to the underground radio cave and show Closet Radio listeners a thing or two about what playing music is all about! They’ve promised to come back soon and I most certainly hope they hold to it.
Former Experimental Saturday co-hort, DJ Austin Rich took some time away from hatching his usual audio adventures on Blasphuphmus Radio to run sound and join in the hi-jinks. He also managed to nail the entire experience on the head, as it were, over on his blog as well as being kind enough to also host the download of this episode, so I’ll try not to ramble too much and recommend hopping on over to his website to get the full run down and to also hear both glorious hours of on-the-air magic for yourself.
The recent thunder and lightning – very atypical for the Portland Metro area – has filled out town with lights and sounds that are not usually part of the typical makeup of our fair city. In many ways it reminded me of nothing less that The New Gods themselves traversing the threshold of a Boom Tube, a sound so dramatic that is insists that you listen, above all other things. It was with that in mind that I decided to let The King by my guide, and put together an hour of spacey wonder, ambient landscapes, and droning rock music that would make the man himself proud of where we are going for an hour. It is my great pleasure to bring you The Kirby Krackle! A special How’s It Named? presentation while Ricardo Wang is out of town.
This all came about in an unusual way, but for the sake of brevity: with summer here, much of the KPSU staff were unavailable this week, leaving Miss Rikki (of Closet Radio) short-handed when she needed an engineer. After some wrangling and favor-promising, KPSU offered to let me handle the audio work (more on that next entry). Meanwhile, Ricardo had to leave town unexpectedly during the same week. Thinking back to the days when we were on back to back, episodes of How’s It Named? were a regular feature, and since I was going to be there anyway, he asked if I could lend a hand. And, of course, I was happy to.
As Rikki and I were going to be prepping for the live music blowout (again, more on that next entry), I opted for a long songs show, something I’ve done before and rather enjoy. However, the sounds of thunder and lightning shifted the focus very suddenly, not merely to long songs, but to spaced out rock in honor of the strange storms that appeared out of nowhere, much like Kirby’s amazing artwork. In the end, it worked out perfectly, and the results are this broadcast you can now stream to your heart’s content.
I didn’t get to mention it during the show, but I always like to draw attention to Sailboats whenever I can. Little known, and even less seen, they manage to capture some of the eeriest and most beautiful strangeness every time I listen. They are on the Pecho Grande label, and while their site says that much of their catalog is out of print, I bet if you asked nicely you could locate a copy or two. I highly recommend checking out Sailboats, as well as the other incredible things they have to offer.
Special thanks to KPSU, Ricardo Wang and Miss Rikki Lee, as each of them helped make this show possible. It was fun to be back in the studio for a while, and I know that neither Ricardo or Rikki will allow me to take nearly as long between future appearances. That’s just the way they are.
And then, there was live music…
The Kirby Krackle!
01.) Yeti (Improvisation) * Amon Düül II * Yeti
02.) Trigger In, Trigger Out * Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno * Just Another Band From The Cosmic Inferno
03.) 777 * Autechre * LP5
04.) Attach * Sailboats * Adrift * Pecho Grande
Join us for a very special live performance by local circuit-bent, experimental noise artist Moth Hunter! This performance was recorded in his home studio on 08 May 2012, at roughly 8 PM that evening, and was quite possibly one of the best performances I’ve heard using these kinds of home-brewed items. I was also able to shoot some great footage as well, giving you a truly multi-media experience just short of being there with us. Couple that with an appearance by DJ Really Sloppy, and a few other odds and ends, and you’ve got this week’s program.
Moth Hunter
Moth Hunter is one half of Knuckle Children, a fantastic noise duo that has been creating sound experiments since at least 2007. Both have appeared on this show before, and Moth Hunter DJed a Halloween show, too (those shows are available here). We’ve been trying to set up this show for a while now, and after a couple of false starts in the last couple of weeks, we’ve managed to sort out the technical and scheduling details that had enabled us to bring you live music.
I have to say, I’m really excited to have live music back on the show. While Historic St. John’s has offered a number of great opportunities for the direction this show has been heading, I’ve been very sad that it is difficult to include live music in our studio. However, with the addition of new equipment and the changing landscape of digital recording, this is no longer a challenge. This really opens up new possibilities for our program, and we’re already lining up other possible ways to exploit this technology.
At this point, I’ll let the music speak for itself. Thanks for listening.
In the mid ’90’s, a group of punky anarchists started a movement called Resist & Exist. The goal was to put on music events, workshops, and allow attendees a chance to forge new friendships and contacts for ‘zine writers, musicians, artists and activists. Primarily organized via message boards, newsgroups, and a variety of websites, these events were happening all over the US, and was rather successful for the simple fact that a lot of folks got to meet, watch a number of bands, and have a good time. In spite of the fact that it happened in 1996, which seems like decades since people were first introduced to the concept of punk rock, a number of people freaked out in Eugene, leading to some of the most hilarious Local News Footage I have ever seen.
Trying to explain Eugene OR to people who never lived there has proved to be rather hard in the years that have passed since I lived there. The best way to make sense of it is to explain that the town is equally comprised of the Ken Keasy type refugees who were counter-culture, creative activist types, and on the other side, UofO Duck supporters. The town was fueled equally by LSD and touchdowns, and this split seemed to run through the entire town to some degrees. You could walk from The Whiteaker Neighborhood – where I lived – to the UofO campus, and you would watch as the weirdos became fewer and fewer, and you ran into more and more people wearing school colors, driving trucks, and were ready to beat the shit out of you. I was lucky enough to never get jumped, but I had a number of friends who were not.
This split seems to manifest itself almost entirely when you listen to the news footage that was broadcast by KEZI, the local ABC affiliate, as they try to make sense of Resist & Exist. As news casters struggle to decide if “punk rockers” or “punkers” is the more appropriate noun to be using, it starts to become apparent why neither side can see the other for what it really is. The police are confused why there is no “leader,” and how something like this could be organized using “The Internet,” while it seems mind numbing to the other side how camping in public spaces, and trying to foster these kinds of workshops and music events, could be construed as “bad.” All of this seems to have been repeated in a number of ways when thinking about the Occupy Movement that has been going on recently, though I worry that the comparison does not bode well for the Movement, considering how well Resist & Exist went in Eugene.
In the end, one person died, a large number of people were arrested or incarcerated for no good reason, a handful of violent assholes took advantage of the situation to beat the shit out of other kids who just wanted to participate in the event, and the city of Eugene provoked and manipulated anyone who wanted to compromise, to the point where the WOW Hall pulled out their support for the event, and everyone was reduced to putting on shows under bridges using generators, while dodging police the entire time. As someone who fed out-of-towners with stolen food, and let a number of people camp in our yard, I was pissed. Though, in hindsight, I’m much more angry that I worked the entire time, instead of participating. I guess my youthful enthusiasm seemed to think that there would be another time.
To go with the samples from the Newscasts, I’ve also selected more wonderful music from the fair burg in question. I tried to focus a little more on the Icky’s Teahouse scene, as they were name checked several times in the Newscasts, as well as being the kind of music that was the backbone of the Resist & Exist Fest. However, I also included a number of tracks from the fantastic Panic on 13th Music Blog, as well as selections from my personal collection of music. I recommend that you check out both of these sites if you are interested in more music from this amazing town. In the two episodes I’ve done, I’ve barely scratched the surface. That being said: if you happen to have been in one of the bands that I’ve featured in these shows – or you were in a band in Eugene and you are noticing your music is suspiciously absent from these shows – please contact me! I would love to expand the scope of these programs, and we can do it… together.
I also want to give a special shoutout to Josh Jones, who was not only in the band Artless Motives (and a number of others), but maintains the Icky’s Teahouse site (and the MyFaceSter+ Page). It was on his Tumblr page that I was able to track down the KEZI footage, which I remember seeing some of when it was originally broadcast, and kept cursing myself for not recording it. Fortunately, he did. Josh was in a few of my favorite Eugene bands when I lived there, and continues to make great music to this very day. I am making it my personal goal to get him on the show in the fairly near future.
Next Week: A Live Performance by Moth Hunter! Fuck Yeah! For those particularly observant folks who might have seen my posts when I accidentally tipped my hat earlier, there was some confusion as to when we would be able to record, how we would do it, etc. But as of this writing, this is a guarantee, and we’ll be bringing it to you in the next program. For those not “in the know,” Moth Hunter is one half of the duo Knuckle Children, and he allowed me into his private studio to record the performance. I’m pretty stoked, as he has been a guest on this show before, and has only gotten better. I’m really looking forward to doing more stuff like this, both with him and with other guests, as I work out the technical challenges that made this one hard to sort out. I really appreciate his efforts to work with me on this, and I know that if you dig experimental, circuit-bent weirdness, then you will LOVE this show when it drops.
And, of course, we’ve got some other great stuff int he works, too. Things are really shaping up here in Historic St. John’s, and we’re excited to bring it to you, one week at a time.
See you in seven!
Resist & Exist: A Eugene Celebration Part II
Introduction: Growing By The Minute
01.) The Punk Rocker Gathering That’s Growing By The Minute * KEZI Local News * 1996
02.) Headline News * The Readymen * Restless
Part I: Rape, Rob & Pillage
03.) [Live Excerpt] * Holy Rodent * 1993?
04.) Most Of Them Are Not Violent People * KEZI Local News
05.) This Fascist Thing * Bovine Impulse * Panic On 13th
06.) 12 Creeps Living In Here * KEZI Local News * 1996
07.) Lame Week * Not My Son * American Devil
08.) Rape, Rob & Pillage * KEZI Local News * 1996
09.) Cuddle * Bicker * Universal Choking Sign
10.) The Crowds Of Punk Rockers * KEZI Local News * 1996
11.) To Protect & Serve * Circus Tents * Circus Tents
12.) What The Threat Was Gonna Be * KEZI Local News * 1996
13.) How Many Pacifists Does It Take To Kill A Cop? * The Spoils * Live At Icky’s 1993
Part II: The Punker Convention
14.) Punker Convention * KEZI Local News * 1996
15.) Viva Albuquerque * Los Mex Pistols Del Norte * Esta Noche We Ride
16.) Officer Dick Grimes * KEZI Local News * 1996
17.) We Are Products Of * Products Of Society * Punk Out Of Springfield
18.) The Whiteaker Neighborhood Is Scared Of The Punkers * KEZI Local News * 1996
19.) Social Anxiety * Some Cheap Christ * Some Cheap Christ
20.) Police Are Already Here * KEZI Local News * 1996
21.) ?? * The Outclass * KWVA Radio
22.) Punkers, Elementary School Children, & Gay Pride Events * KEZI Local News
23.) Don’t Crowd Me * The Falling Spikes * 13th St. Revisited
24.) 500 vs. 30 * KEZI Local News * 1996
25.) Status Quo * Piglet * Not Ralphing At Your First Keg Party
Part III: Hopeless & Pathetic
26.) The Violent Nature Of Some Of Those Punks * KEZI Local News * 1996
27.) Death March * Pecus Gravitas * Eyeeee
28.) Every Day, More Punk Rockers Arrived * KEZI Local News * 1996
29.) Living In The Sewer * The Redundants * I Hate The Redundants
30.) Hopeless & Pathetic * KEZI Local News * 1996
31.) Too Many * Cap Gun Suicide * Bloodstains Across Eugene 2
32.) How Can Folks Get Involved? *KEZI Local News * 1996
33.) Killing Cops * Artless Motives * Everything But The Kitchen Sink
34.) What Is It That Makes You Think These Folks Are Dangerous? * KEZI Local News * 1996
35.) Barefootin’ At Yer Own Risk * Cathead * In Loving Memory Of Harold
36.) 500 Punks Rule *KEZI Local News * 1996
37.) Call In Dead * The Wristrockets! * Humans Are Stoopid
Part IV: Tips On Where To Shoplift
38.) A Man Dressed Like A Punk Rocker * KEZI Local News * 1996
39.) Track 22 * 200 Yang
40.) It’s Hard To Get Hard Answers * KEZI Local News * 1996
41.) Lucy * Billy Jack * Wrestling The Bald Headed Champ
42.) Drunken Chaos Fest * KEZI Local News * 1996
43.) What Makes * Johnson Unit * Panic On 13th
44.) Since The Punkers Came To Town * KEZI Local News * 1996
45.) Still Haunts Me * Snakepit * Soul Like A Goat
46.) Chaos Days Festival * KEZI Local News * 1996
47.) Love * KPANTS * “Love” b/w “Hospital”
48.) Tips On Where To Shoplift * KEZI Local News * 1996
49.) Todd Sparrow * Redmond Shooting Stars * Demo Tape
50.) Icky’s Teahouse * KEZI Local News * 1996
51.) It’s So Dark * Bottled Hungarian * Positively 13th
52.) Where Will All The Punks Sleep Tonight? * KEZI Local News * 1996
53.) No Role (In Society) * Pecus Gravitas * Eyeeee
54.) Broken Windows & Trespassing * KEZI Local News * 1996
55.) My Own Worst Enemy * The Hoogendoorns * We Are The Hoogendoorns
55.) It Should All End Sunday * KEZI Local News * 1996
Epiloge: Punk On Punk Violence
56.) Eraser * Oswald 5-0 * “Eraser” b/w “Felony Flats”
57.) Punk On Punk Violence * KEZI Local News * 1996
Join us for a special 14th Anniversary Retrocast of a program from 1999, where we present the fascinating audio-drama that dares to create, “…a dramatic comparison to death.” Presented in this episode: three quarters of the original broadcast (recreated from cassette recordings and partial playlists that have survived into the modern era), PLUS!: A brand new A Minute With The Pope, a feature that comes and goes with the whims of The Pope Himself, and a confused phone call from DJ Really Sloppy, who has recently become unstuck in time and seems to be having trouble figuring out exactly what that means for a person as confused as him. Plus a couple of Phantom Surfers tracks for good measure.
As you can tell from this show – which approximates what it was like to hear us when we first started – our murky origins have many of the elements that came to dominate our format now. I knew I wanted to play music I liked, and as a huge Over The Edge fan, I knew I wanted to do some form of re-mix on the air. But as a novice, just getting started, my first forays into this realm were not as skilled as they have become. That’s not to say that they were bad, but that they were of an amateur level. The ideas were in place, but the execution was not what it would become.
I remember finding a copy of this record – one that I had heard sampled and began to wonder exactly what it could be – and knew instantly that sooner or later it would appear on the show. In what form, I wasn’t quite sure. But one night I showed up to do the program solo, noticed that I had packed it along with a bunch of other stuff, and it was then that I went to work. The results – or, at least, most of them – are audible in the show you’re hearing today.
Note: If anyone can identify the Satan’s Pilgrim’s song included in this playlist, please let me know. Thanks!
See you in seven.
Flight F-I-N-A-L Playlist
Part I: “One Of The Passengers Appears To Be Singing…”
01.) Holiday Harbor * The Phantom Surfers * The Great Surf Crash of ’97
02.) Revenge * Black Flag *
03.) Land Of Treason * Germs * (MIA) * Slash Records
04.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part I *
05.) Be Good (The Frumpies) *
06.) All My Drugs * Royal Grand Prix * High Performance
07.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part II *
08.) Pacific Coast Highway * Sonic Youth * Sister
09.) Embarrassed Teen Accidentally Uses Valuable Rare Postage Stamp * Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo * Strange But True
10.) High School Witch * The 5.6.7.8’s * The 5.6.7.8’s
11.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part III *
12.) Indication * The Rondelles * Fiction Romance, Fast Machines * Smells Like Records
13.) I’m Gonna Make Him Mine (Tonight) * The Donnas * The Donnas
Part II: “Inter-World Airlines, Flight FINAL.”
14.) Know It Alls * The Fartz * Because This Fuckin’ World Still Stinks * Alternative Tentacles Records
15.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part IV *
16.) The End Of A Skater * The Phantom Surfers featuring Davie Allen * Skaterhater * Lookout! Records
17.) ?? (Satan’s Pilgrims) *
18.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part V *
19.) Brother Rat / What Slayde Says * NOMEANSNO * The Day Everything Became Nothing * Alternative Tentacles Records
20.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part VI *
21.) Here’s To The Losers * Frank Sinatra * Softly As I Leave You * Universal Records
Part III: DJ Really Sloppy Calls In!
22.) Out Of The Window * The Phantom Surfers * The Great Surf Crash of ’97
DJ Really Sloppy, who has become unstuck in time, calls into the show from a darkened room containing a cat, and is not entirely sure what name he knows me by, or what time he is currently a part of. Thinking it is 1999, the time period of my show, he briefly flirts with changing the time stream, then gets confused.
Part IV: “I Am Your Captain, The Lord Jesus Christ.”
22.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part VII
23.) Here Comes The Martian Martians * Jonathan Richman * The Beserkley Years: The Best Of Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers * Rhino Records
24.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part VIII *
25.) The Old Man Blues * Cathead * Greatest sHits * Self-Released
26.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part IX
27.) Title Track * King Missile * Mystical Shit * Shimmy-Disc Records
28.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part X
29.) Mongoloid * Devo * Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! * Warner Bros. Records
30.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part XI *
31.) Don’t Know What I Am * The Wipers * Is This Real?
32.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part XII
33.) Old Queen Cole * Ween * God Ween Satan: The Oneness
A Minute With The Pope 06: Bob Is Dead All That’s Left Is Earl * The Pope * Recorded on a Handheld Cassette Recorder & an iPhone.
Part V: The Gate Of Death
34.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part XIII *
35.) Bleach Boys * The Dead Milkmen * Beelzebubba * Enigma Records
36.) Lousy Weekend * Daniel Johnston * Fun * Atlantic Records
37.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part XIV *
38.) Pie * KARP * Suplex * Kill Rock Stars Records
39.) Cowboy Love * The Reverand Horton Heat * Holy Roller * Sub Pop Records
40.) Flight F-I-N-A-L Part XV *
41.) The Halo Benders * The Halo Benders * Don’t Tell Me Now * K Records
42.) Hair * Adickdid * Stars Kill Rock
43.) Brainwashed * The Crabs * Brainwashed * K Records
44.) Reason To Live * The Oblivians * Soul Food * Crypt Records
As we continue our journey through the nostalgic origins of this program for our 14th Anniversary, we cannot overlook the influence of none other than The Ramen City Kid. Roommate, zinester, bread baker, and much much more, I met him in 1994, and we’ve been friends (and often roommates) ever since. His taste has affected my interest in film, music, radio, people, books, and everything in between, and without him, I would not be the person (or DJ) I am today. It is to him that this episode is dedicated, as we listen to edited highlights from five of his recorded appearances on this program in 1998.
There were others, of course, but time has not been kind, and many of these programs went un-recorded, or lost in the years since. Still, these excerpts serve to give you a sense of what the program was like in those days, with and ear for emphasizing his voice and musical selections as best as possible. None of these shows exist in their complete forms, but I’ve done my best to present the spirit of these shows for a modern audience. I hope you enjoy the results.
As a point of order: aside from the spots, and voice overs, all the music heard in this program were taken from the original broadcasts as listed below. Those songs were actually played that night. I’ve created loops for the voice overs, but those songs really were heard on those days.
This one is a concentrated blast of nostalgic radio, without any of the bells and whistles. Hopefully there will be more bells and whistle in future shows.
01.) The Dr. Who Theme Music
02.) High School Is A Prison * Mojo Nixon
03.) Sunday [Excerpt] * Sonic Youth
04.) Start! * The Jam
05.) Vampire Girl * KPANTS
06.) DIY * Screeching Weasel
07.) The Dreams Of A Working Girl * Comet Gain
08.) godheadSilo [Excerpt]
09.) Polish Cabaret Record
10.) The World Wasn’t Built In A Day [Excerpt] * Nomeansno
11.) Rendezvous Service * Hungaria
12.) The Kids At The Club * Comet Gain
13.) Save The Children! * Sam & Joe
14.) Let’s Go Get Cokes! * The Faction
15.) In The Kingdom #19 * Sonic Youth
16.) Frankie Carle [Excerpt I]
17.) Creep In The Celar * The Butthole Surfers
18.) Another Weekend * Comet Gain
19.) The Switch Is Down * Universal Order Of Armageddon
20.) Fake Fake Eyes * …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
21.) Frankie Carle [Excerpt II]
22.) In The Air Tonight [Excerpt] * godheadSilo
23.) Rah Rah Replica * Bikini Kill
24.) Kill All The White Man [Live] * NOFX
25.) Oregon * The Western Front
26.) D&D Fantasy * KARP
27.) Talent, OR * Fuck
28.) Anatomically Correct * God Is My Co-Pilot
29.) Teenagers Are Boring [Excerpt] * Red Monkey
30.) 49er Stomp * 9th Life
31.) “There’s Always Time To Heal” * Batman Animated Series
32.) “Sinner” * Kult
33.) The Love Theme From Kiss * Adam Woodrow
34.) Beers, Steers & Queers [Excerpt] * Revolting Cocks
35.) Tighten Up * Comet Gain
36.) Carousel of Madonnas * Eva Demarcheck
37.) Rearranged * Crimpshrine
As the 14th Anniversary of our first broadcast was on Sunday, today’s show is a retrocast of selections and samples from our earliest recorded programs from or KWVA years. In the late ’90’s, College Radio (the kind of radio I prefer) was a very different place. We had different technology, and a different approach to what qualified as entertainment. Fortunately, the glory of cassette tapes has maintained a way for us to capture these broadcasts and re-present them to you here, and now.
However, there is a slightly sinister element to this episode, too. In somewhat of a sequel to “It Looks Like Thousands Of Stars” (and episode from 18 July 2007), I accidentally encounter a space / time anomaly, where I encounter none other that DJ Really Sloppy, who has also become unstuck in time. As I continue to experience the sounds of past radio programs, I hope that by listening to them may offer me a chance to return home afterward. Will I? Tune in and find out!
This episode was a lot of fun. While the official archive of our programs does not include every show we aired (or, even, complete shows), we do have a number of recordings of the shows from our KWVA incarnation. Digging through that archive – now digital, thank Earl – allowed me to pick some of the more well known moments captured on tape. As you can tell, I was heavily influenced by Negativland’s “Over The Edge” program, and you’ll find that these mixes and whatnot are but the tip of the ice berg when it comes to what the show really was like.
Having done a lot of preliminary editing, there will be more “best of” programs as I sort and organize the material. But this is a show I’ve been wanting to do since 2004, and only now do I have the technology to really bring it to you the way I was hoping I could.
Along with this show, we’ve also released a new podcast feed, entitled “14th Anniversary,” that we suggest as a compliment to this program. It contains a number of programs that illustrate more of the kind of program this show was like in the early years, as well as some other anniversary broadcasts, including: an interview with Exene Cervenka, two programs featuring Holden Craft’s appearances on this show, and the surviving audio from our very first program on 15 April 1998. It’s all part of the anniversary fun.
I hope you enjoy these strange and twisted audio creations I made during my radio show really late at night in Eugene during the late ’90’s after I would get fully loaded at the bar and broadcast on FM Radio. They were as much fun to make as they are to describe.
See you in seven!
Explosion!
Part I: Two Turntables, To CD Players, And A Microphone
01.) Man… Or Astro-Man? Intro * 21 April 1999 * KWVA Radio
02.) Have A Cigar Re-Mix * 05 August 1998 * KWVA Radio
03.) Back In The Days Of Canadian Sport Fishing w/ The Ramen City Kid * 08 July 1998 * KWVA Radio
04.) Dub Narcotic Sound Re-Mix * 02 September 1998 * KWVA Radio
05.) Beastie Boys “License To Ill” Backwards * 02 September 1998 * KWVA Radio
06.) Excuse Me Put Pardon My Re-Mix * 19 August 1998 * KWVA Radio
07.) Grateful Dead Backwards * 14 April 1999 * KWVA Radio
Part II: Backwards sdrawkcaB
08.) April Stevens, The Weathergirl * 14 April 1999 * KWVA Radio
09.) The Sound Effects of Vince Guarldi * 30 December 1998 * KWVA Radio
10.) A Minute With The Pope * 13 January 1999 * KWVA Radio
11.) Nirvana “Incesticide” Backwards * 02 September 1998 * KWVA Radio
12.) Butthole Surfers Re-Mix * 19 August 1998 * KWVA Radio
13.) Mertz Commercial * 29 April 1998 * KWVA Radio
14.) Henry Rollins, Frankie Carle and Walter Carlos Get A Drink Late At Night * 27 January 1999 * KWVA Radio
15.) Praise The Lord Jesus * 28 April 1999 * KWVA Radio
Part III: “Face” b/w “The Cremation Of Sam McGee.”
16.) School Cancelations * 10 February 1999 * KWVA Radio
17.) Face Re-Mix * 02 September 1998 * KWVA Radio
18.) The Cremation Of Sam McGee * 23 December 1998 * KWVA Radio
19.) The Sound Effects Of White Christmas * 23 December 1998 * KWVA Radio
20.) The Passing Of Dick Clark w/ Holden Craft & The Pope * 13 January 1999 * KWVA Radio
21.) Hovercraft Outro * 27 May 1998 * KWVA Radio
I lived in Eugene from 1994 until the year 2000, when I moved to Portland. In that time I was in one band, wrote a fistful of ‘zines, and drank beer with my friends. I also listened to a lot of music. In this show, I make a solid effort to feature a much of the great music that Eugene has had to offer over the years. A lot of amazing bands came out of the Eugene scene, many of which are still playing and performing. While the years that I lived there were only a small slice of the history of this town, I’ve expanded the content of this show to include a number of bands that I’ve discovered since I moved away. It’s a veritable cornucopia of music that sets the context for life in this unusual town.
A show like this could not have been done without help, and I want to thank two websites that really made this show possible. Panic On 13th is an excellent music blog that features releases by a number of Eugene bands. This site is fantastic, and all the links lead to amazing discoveries that I’m still sorting through. I cannot recommend this site enough. While I still had a number of my own contributions that I could donate to this show, this site really made it possible. Give them the love and respect they really deserve.
I would also like to thank the Icky’s Teahouse Online Music Library. While I only used a few selections that I got from this site, I should point out that they do host recordings by my old band, Cathead, but recordings by a number of other bands that I was really fond of, and I can already sense a few sequels in the works. This site really draws attention to bands that had little more than a cassette release, and it’s great to find a way to hear this music again.
In addition to these sites, there are a few people without which I wouldn’t have the interest in this music that I do. Isosceles Diego (also known as The Ramen City Kid) is not only an important friend who introduced me to a number of amazing bands, local and otherwise. He was the brain behind the fantastic ‘zine, Ramen City USA, which I used as a guide on more than one occasion.
Syd Louse and kissu d’salyss were two people I met when I started taking classes at LCC. Meeting them, and their group of friends, has established a core group of friends that I still know to this day. They also played in Cathead with me, and both continue to play music to this day.
There are also a number of people that influenced my life in a big way, and only a few were mentioned in the show. Hopefully, as I continue this series I will manage to credit everyone who deserves it. Until then, a very special thank you to: Chris Brooks, Jesse Ransom, Lyra Cyst, Brian who is called Brian, the folks that lived at The Blitzhaus & The 19th St. House, the staff at House of Records, Green Noise & Happy Trails, all the members of all the bands, and anyone else we knew back in the day. You guys are all incredible.
Full disclosure: this show is not going to encompass the entire Eugene scene. There are just too many bands. I went from a five hour show to this slim production you hear now, and left at least 30 other bands off the playlist. But the subject of this show has really gotten me excited, so I’m already planning parts two and three. If you were in a band in Eugene at any time, and would like to submit your music for future episodes, please contact me at blasphuphmus [is-at] gmail [ditty-dot] com. I would be more than happy to include your band, too.
And, for that matter, if you were in any of these bands, and you like to comment on your participations in them (or, happened to live in Eugene at any time, and has some memories they would like to share on a future show), you can reach us on Skype at: blasphuphmus. Feel free to leave a message, and it will end up in a future episode. There are a million good stories about bands in Eugene, and there is no way that I know them all. I would love to hear your side of the story.
This show is really near and dear to my heart, and I had a lot of fun putting it together. Stay tuned next week, as I’ll be bringing you our 14th Anniversary show, where I’ll be digging up clips of my airchecks from the earliest days of this program, when I was on KWVA in Eugene, Oregon. This should prove to be… interesting.
See you in seven.
The Grumpy Punk Presents: A Eugene Celebration
Introduction
01.) Eugene, OR * The Varicoasters
02.) Theme * Los Mex Pistols * KWVA Radio
Part I: Got To Get Right Out
03.) Freedom Attack * Attack and the Fun * Freedom Attack 7″
04.) One Step Closer * The Undertakers * Slaughter on 13th Street
05.) Jesus 4 Sale The Treatment * Pollen Count
06.) Sometimes * The Black Dahlias * Slaughter on 13th Street
Part II: We Are Angry And We Have Guitars!
07.) Salt Pepper Ketchup Flavor * 200 Yang * Hot Taste
08.) Track 02 * 200 Yang * Free Samples
09.) Humor Demons * E-13 * No Mercy For Swine EP
10.) Welcome To The Truth * Artless Motives * Everything But The Kitchen Sink
11.) My Own Way * The Redundants * I Hate The Redundants
12.) Weekend Christian * Piglet * Not Ralphing At Your First Keg Party
13.) I Am Undecided (SOPA) * /root_DIR
14.) Apathetic Media Slave * Young Death
15.) Idiot * Cathead * The Album
16.) 49er Stomp * 9th Life
Part III: Anxious
17.) Another Journey By Bus * Johnson Unit * Panic On 13th
18.) Keep Steady * Readymen * Restless
19.) Attraction / Distraction * Mondale * Square Roots Radicals
20.) Alien Girl * The Crabs * Alien Girl EP
21.) Teenage Chainsmokers * The Wristrockets! * Humans Are Stoopid
22.) When I Was * Redmond Shooting Stars * Down In Front: Outtakes + Unreleased 24 Songs
23.) Jungle Law * Thee Headhunters * Jungle Law EP
24.) Pretty Girls * Billy Jack * Wrestling The Bald-Headed Champ
Part IV: A Short Narrative About Surviving
25.) Short Narrative * Snakepit * Panic On 13th
26.) Be In A Country Band w/ Me * Honey Vizer * I Wish We Could Go To The Moon
27.) Guns-Guitars-n-VCR’s * Holy Rodent * Pollen Count
28.) Track 14 * 200 Yang * Free Samples
29.) Tour of Eugene * Zombie Toolshed * Positively 13th
30.) Look At The Girls * Moose Lodge * New World Babies
31.) Decay * Snakepit * Positively 13th
32.) Self Destruction * Johnson Unit * The Triangular Effect
33.) Preyed Upon * Oswald Five-O * Pollen Count
34.) Animal Box * Robert Christie * The Way of Things
35.) Flatland Radio * The Flatlanders * Flatland Radio
36.) Amazing Grace * 13th Ave. Parking Lot Choir * The Way of Things
Time Travel has always been my favorite Sci-Fi subject, and I’ve toyed with the subject myself on this very program a few times before. But it is not always a subject that easily translates to music. For some reason, there are just not that many songs about the Grandfather Paradox. Nonetheless, myself and DJ Really Sloppy made a bonafide effort to piece together a short musical tribute to some of the artists that have tackled the subject. Abstractly at times, yes. But you know how it goes.
This episode also marks the introduction of our new studio! Soylent Green Is People Studios has undergone some improvements in the last week, and we’re happy to report that the show now sounds… well, like a radio program. I appreciate the patience that listeners have shows in the last several weeks as we’ve recorded in some less-than-stellar enviorns, and your reward will come in the form of bigger, better, and more impressive sounding shows. I’ve got a slew of new ideas that will be coming your way in the coming weeks, and now we have a good place to create it all from. If you’ve dug what I’ve done in the past, then you know that what’s to come will be right up your ally.
I want to give a special shout out to kiisu d’salyss, who performed much of the backing music that is throughout this episode. kiisu and I have been friends for years, and he’s appeared on this show in a few of the different bands that he’s been in, and as a solo artist. For the music in this particular episode, the music was performed on a Kitara, a computer / keytar / guitar hybrid, manufactured by Misa Digital. I’m hoping to incorporate more of his performances with this instrument in future episodes, and I really want to thank him for his willingness to join the madness that is our show. If you hear something that sounds spacey in this show, it’s him.
This one is short and sweet, just the way these shows used to be. I’m still trying to pin down exactly how long this show is going to be, now that I have the freedom to go as long as I want. For the time being, I’m going to say that I’ll go anywhere between an hour or two, depending on my mood and the theme. But I do have some ideas for some longer programs in the future, so we shall see.
See you in seven.
Traveling Through Time Part III
Introduction
01.) Is Time Travel Possible? * Michio Kaku * YouTube.com
02.) Kitara Composition [Excerpt I] * kissu d’salyss * Blasphuphmus Radio
03.) Time * The Heartaches * Too Cool For School
Segment One: How To Travel Through Time
04.) Introductory Physics of Time Travel [Excerpt I] * Lost University * YouTube.com
05.) Kitara Composition [Excerpt II] * kissu d’salyss * Blasphuphmus Radio
06.) Slide Machine * 13th Floor Elevators * Easter Everywhere
07.) Introductory Physics of Time Travel [Excerpt II] * Lost University * YouTube.com
08.) Kitara Composition [Excerpt III] * kissu d’salyss * Blasphuphmus Radio
09.) Introductory Physics of Time Travel [Excerpt III] * Lost University * YouTube.com
10.) Time Has Come Today * The Ramones * Subterranean Jungle
Segment Two: Let’s Go Back In Time
Thrift Store 31 March 2012 * The Sounds Of Salem Oregon A Minute With The Pope 04: On Tuesdays * The Pope * Recorded Entirely On An iPhone.
11.) The Conversation We’re Having Right Now * Hurley & Miles * Lost * ABC Television
Segment Three: The ADD Minute And A… w/ DJ Really Sloppy
DJ Really Sloppy and I discuss the Time Travel App he installed on his iPod, and his experiences watching the LACMA Rock get moved, experiencing the awful fashion of the mid ’60’s via Mad Men, and his impressions of the new Nicki Minaj single, and then really becomes unstuck in time. Again.
Segment Four: Some Kind Of Parallel Universe
12.) Time Flies By * Quasi * Early Recordings * Touch & Go 1996
13.) “My name is Peabody.” * Mr. Peabody * Jay Ward
14.) Time (Live) * Clifford Brown & Max Roach * At Basin Street * Verve 1956
15.) Time Machine * Grand Funk Railroad * Capitol Collectors Series * Capitol 1969
16.) “I never look back.” * The Incredibles * Pixar 2004
17.) She Lives (In a Time of Her Own) * The Judybats * Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson * Sire/Warner Bros. 1990
18.) “Some kind of parallel universe?” * Chris in the Morning * Northern Exposure * Universal
19.) Time Theory 11:11 * Miss Murgatroid * Through Alien Empires * Japan Overseas 1995
20.) “Don’t touch it!” * Time Bandits * HandMade Films / Janus Films 1981
Downtown Traffic 31 March 2012 * The Sounds Of Salem Oregon Traffic
Segment Five: Time (Slowly) Marches On
21.) Slow Down Time * Sky Cries Mary * This Timeless Turning * World Domination Music Group 1994
In the ’50’s, amid the din and clatter that was dramatic theater on the radio, the show that blew almost all the others away was undoubtedly X Minus One. They had an amazing crew of writers who went on to do a number of outstanding things, among them Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein and Frederik Pohl, just to name a few. It was the kind of show that could not be missed, and is a big influence on my entire aesthetic.
As part of our Traveling Through Time series, we present A Gun For Dinosaur, writeen by L. Sprague de Camp, originally broadcast on NBC on 7 March 1956. I’m proud of this audio essay, which also includes The ADD Minute And A … with DJ Really Sloppy weighing in on the subject of the Geek & Sundry launch at Wonder Con. And, of course, we have A Minute With The Pope, recorded entirely on his iPhone. I like to think we attempt to deliver a new interpretation of those fantastic radio stories. With music.
As DJ Really Sloppy seems to have become Unstuck In Time, next week will mostly likely continue our Traveling Through Time series. Will he survive his experience unscathed? Tune in next week, to find out.
See you in seven
A Gun For Dinosaur
Introduction
01.) Vanishing of Time * The Vivian Girls * Share The Joy
02.) Live Performance * Mortal Engines * Blasphuphmus Radio * 11 April 2009
Segment One: A Gun For Dinosaur Part I
03.) Have Another Drink * MX-80 * Alway’s Leave ‘Em Wanting Less * Atavistic Records
04.) Tell ‘Em * Sleigh Bells * Treats
05.) Headhunter * Thee Headhunters * Jungle Law EP
Wedding 25 March 2012 * The Sounds Of Portland Oregon
Segment Two: A Gun For Dinosaur Part II
06.) The Small Stuff * The Dismemberment Plan * !
07.) Open Up Your Door * Richard & The Young Lions
08.) Raw Meat * The Black Lips * Arabia Mountain
Dinner Cooking 08 February 2012 * The Sounds Of Portland Oregon
Segment Three: A Gun For Dinosaur Part III
09.) How Long Do I Have To Wait For You? * Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings * Naturally
10.) Where Did He Go? * The Briefs * Hit After Hit
11.) I Don’t See You * Camper Van Beethoven * Telephone Free Landslide Victory
12.) Dinosaur Rock * Narthex * Duo-Phonic Sounds System: 1980 – 1983
Segment Four: The ADD Minute And A .. w/ DJ Really Sloppy
DJ Really Sloppy and I discuss the launch of Geek And Sundry that he attended while he was at Wonder Con, then he accidentally becomes Unstuck In Time after talking about Wil Wheaton.
13.) Museum 1 * 6955 * Nintendo Museum EP
Segment Five: A Gun For Dinosaur Part IV
16.) Bad News * The Trashmen * Tube City! The Best of The Trashmen
17.) All Tied Up * The Shakers * Teenline Vol. 3
18.) Paid In Cigarettes * Hot Snakes * Suicide Invoice
A Minute With The Pope 03: Computer Fight * The Pope * Recorded Entirely On An iPhone.
Segment Six: A Gun For Dinosaur Part V
20.) Prevenge * The Might Be Giants * The Spine
21.) Tell Me When It’s Over * The Dream Syndicate * The Days Of Wine & Roses
22.) No Doubt About It * The Wipers * Follow Blind
How do you sum up someone as multi-faceted as Miss Rikki Lee? There are just too many sides to her various creative outputs. Not content to merely host Closet Radio on kpsu.org (1 – 3 PM on Saturdays), she is also the mastermind behind Closet Photography (Flickr Page), and the proprietor of Dust Bunnies on etsy. She also finds time to update the hilarious Twitter Feed, @closetphoto, which not only regularly has me in stitches, but regularly stumbling upon countless Pop Culture treasures. It’s a wonder she had the time to sit down an hang out for a few hours.
But, she did. And while she was at it, spilled an amazing amount of details about her time working with AZ Kaos, a ‘zine she was heavily involved with during her years in Phoenix, AZ. She also assembled two sets of fantastic tunes from those stomping grounds. This is one of those fantastic shows that I really enjoy, and it was awesome to have Miss Rikki in the studios for this one.
While we forego a lot of the segments that have become part and parcel of recent shows, this show contains a priceless interview in three segments. Miss Rikki Lee is a wonderful storyteller, and for those who have a fondness for the kinds of stories that are born out of small scenes and xerox machines, then this show is for you. There is also a fantastic mix of music in this show, and I’m stoked to have gotten leads on a bunch of bands that I’m itching to check out. In fact, if you were featured in some way during this show, I would love to include proper links and whatnot to help flesh that out. As you can see, Miss Rikki Lee will be returning for further stories of her various adventures, with music!, so stay tuned for that.
The footnotes this week will be heavy with links, so enjoy your homework.
See you in seven.
This Is Not A Photograph:
Opening Theme * Paco Jones & Austin Rich
Segment 1: Austin Rich, Curator of Taste
This Is Not A Photograph * Mission of Burma * Signals, Calls & Marches * Ace Of Hearts Records, 1981 Animal Collective * Sung Tongs * Fat Cat Records 2004
Dinner Cooking 08 February 2012 * The Sounds of Portland Oregon
The Music Machine & Sean Boniwell’s passing a few months ago, Cambodian Rocks!, Not in the FER Studios this week because Greg & Sarah were sick, Loosing An Hour, SxSW, Music Break, Paco Jones & The Infernal Connundrum or TiC (from Malaysia!), The Sounds of Portland Oregon, Moebius dead at 73, Peter Bergman dead at 72, An Ad For Rush Limbaugh, DJ JustanotherDJ is now DJ Really Sloppy, and his Segment is now called The ADD Minute And A H… Did I tell you this one is about the show Community?, Music Break, The Sounds of Portland Oregon, & Community Service Day 1.
This week, I’m flying solo, and in my home studio in Historic St. John’s as Greg & Sarah were both sick. So it goes. This seems to have been another installment of “The People Who Died,” in that I talk about three different deaths, all by people who were amazing. Hopefully, you find them amazing, too. Tune in Next Week for an interview with Miss Rikki of Closet Radio, among other things. Thanks for listening!
A Minute With The Pope 02: What You Think * The Pope * Recorded Entirely On An iPhone.
Segment 2: Starting Over Leftovers
01.) New Dreams * Naked Raygun * All Rise
02.) New Direction * The Black Lips * Arabia Mountain
03.) New Rose * The Damned * Damned Damned Damned
04.) Begin The Beguine * Esquivel * Space Age Bachelor Pad Music
05.) Window * Paco Jones & The Infernal Conundrum aka TiC (http://soundcloud.com/ticnoise)
Bus Stop In The Rain 09 February 2012 * The Sounds of Portland Oregon
Segment 3: The Grumpy Punk vs. The Music Nerd.
Moebius (Jean Giraud) dies at age 73 after a long battle with Cancer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Giraud)
01.) Tower Music / Let Us Pray * Wendy Carlos / The London Philharmonic Orchestra * Tron Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
02.) Miracle And Magician * Wendy Carlos / The London Philharmonic Orchestra * Tron Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Peter Bergman dies at age 72 due to complications from Leukemia treatment. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bergman_(comedian))
01.) Ralph Spoilport’s Going Out of Body Sale * The Firesign Theatre * Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death
02.) The News Drought Continues * The Firesign Theatre * Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death
Advertising For Rush Limbaugh
01.) Sledgehammer * Peter Gabrial
02.) Halloween Theme * John Carpenter
The ADD Minute And A … w/ DJ Really Sloppy. “Community.”
01.) Short Attention Span * Fizzy Bangers * Short Music For Short People
01.) Spanish Key * Miles Davis * Bitches Brew
02.) Excerpts from “Allison Brie & Danny Pudi in ‘Too Many Feet’ ” & Selected Episodes of “Community.”
Segment 4: DJ Really Sloppy’s Set
01.) At Least It Was Here * The 88 * Community Soundtrack * 2011
02.) Dark Matter * Björk * Biophilia * 2011
03.) Coffins * Explode Into Colors * Quilts * 2010
04.) Glass * Joy Division * Substance 1977-1980 * 1978
05.) “Yay! We’re doomed!” * Gir * Invader Zim * 2001
06.) Cold Turkey * John Lennon * The John Lennon Collection * 1969
07.) “Nice party…” * Kaylie * Firefly * 2002
08.) Movement * LCD Soundsystem * LCD Soundsystem [Disc 1] * 2005
Cascade Mall 26 February 2012 * The Sounds of Portland Oregon
Segment 5: Odds & Sods
Community Service Day 1: Like Pulling Nails From A Board * Austin Rich & Ornette Coleman
Episode 156: Starting Over (Again) (Our very first episode on FunemploymentRadio.com, with special guests, my new bosses Greg Nibler & Sarah X. Dylan!)
Welcome to a new era for Blasphuphmus Radio. I wrapped up my first show in the Funemployment Radio studios, and man it was a blast! I can already tell that I am really going to enjoy the new possibilities that this show is going to offer. Already, I’m impressed with what I put together for today.
There are a number of new segments. Now that I have installed myself in the Lava Lamp Lounge (beneath the Funemployment Radio studios here in Portland, Oregon), I have been able to put together a number of new and fun segments for the show. We have A Minute With The Pope, featuring audio oddities that are sent to me by The Pope of The Church Of Blasphuphmus. We have The Sounds Of Portland Oregon, featuring field recordings of the sounds that surround us. We have the first installment of my Community Service series of audio journals I kept when I served my time in February. We also have a conversation between myself and DJ JustanotherDJ about the as-yet-untitled segment that he will be hosting from week to week. Oh, and we even have a bunch of music. It’s a taste of what this show is going to become as we make ourselves comfortable in the Lava Lamp Lounge.
Special thanks goes out to Paco Jones for writing the new theme music for the show, my wonderful (and understanding) girlfriend, and Greg and Sarah for helping me get this thing off the ground. I had a lot of fun, and I know it’s only going to get better.
See you in seven!
Starting Over (Again):
Opening Theme * Paco Jones & Austin Rich
Segment 1: Austin Rich, Curator of Taste w/ Greg Nibler & Sarah X. Dylan
Don’t Let’s Start * They Might Be Giants * They Might Be Giants * Restless / Bar/None Records * Released 04 November 1986
Rites of Spring * Dischord Records * June, 1985
A Minute With The Pope 01: Enterprise * The Pope * Recorded Entirely On An iPhone.
Segment 2: Starting Over Again Part I
01.) My Life Is Starting Over * Daniel Johnston * Artistic Vice
02.) Start Wearing Purple * Gogol Bordello * Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
03.) Start! * The Jam
04.) Start To Move * Wire * Pink Flag
05.) Cartoon Beginning * Eat Skull * Sick To Death
06.) Formed A Band * Art Brut
Pool Hall 01 March 2012 * The Sounds of Portland Oregon
Segment 3: The Grumpy Punk vs. The Music Nerd.
The Agenda * Start The Panic *
Davey Jones: 30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012
Davey Jones of The Monkees died on Lead Day 2012.
01.) Theme From The Monkees * The Monkees
02.) Hey Hey, We Are The Monkees * The Monkees * Head Soundtrack
03.) I’m A Believer * The Monkees * “I’m A Believer” b/w “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”
04.) The Porpoise Song * The Monkees * Head Soundtrack
Fair Use?: I Don’t Agree With Your Politics, So You Can’t Listen To Good Music.
01.) Eye Of The Tiger * Survivor
02.) Wavin’ Flag * K’naan
03.) Fuck The Motherfuckin’ President * Witchy Poo * A Slice Of Lemon * K / Kill Rock Stars Records
Guyve * Delaying The Inevitable * Self-Released (Official Release Party at Cloud 9 on 24 March 2012 in Corvallis, OR w/ T.O.A.S.T & Nasalrod.)
Woody Allen’s Fall Project * DJ JustanotherDJ & Austin Rich. A brief conversation about his new segment for the show.
Swami * The Monkees * Head Soundtrack
Gresham (Rainy) 02 March 2012 * The Sounds of Portland Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Segment 4: Starting Over Again Part II
01.) Waste Of Time * The Fastbacks * Answer The Phone, Dummy
02.) Comeback Kid * Sleigh Bells
03.) New Orthophony * Stereolab * Aluminum Tunes
04.) The Beginning * The Collectors * Everything You Always Wanted To Know About 60’s Mind Expansive Punkadelic Garage Rock Instrumentals But Were Afraid To Ask
Segment 5: Odds & Sods
Construction Site (Valentie’s Day 2012) * The Sounds Of Portland Oregon
The Ex * Starter & Alternators
Community Service: Getting The Ticket. Produced by Austin Rich (with music by Santiago Latorre) at Soylent Green Is People Studios.
The MAX 02 March 2012 * The Sounds Of Portland Oregon
(Note: This recording contains background hiss during the voice-overs. This was an unavoidable tech issue with the live stream at KPSU. I’ve re-built the episode, and have cleaned up as much of the hiss as possible. It’s like listening to an old tape version of us talking now.)
In the Spring of 2004 I wandered into the KPSU studios to see if I could revive my radio program, which had been off the air for a little while and was looking for a new home. By the 25th of June, I was back on the air, and was given a paid job that lasted me quite some time. It was the beginning of something new and exciting, a challenge that I could face with new ideas and experience, and a new way to interpret a radio program that I felt very strongly about.
In that time I’ve had a number of incredible experiences, have met amazing and incredible people, and have gotten to have my say and play my music to a number of fantastic listeners and fans from all over the place. It has been one of my favorite things to do, ever. Now, as I am faced with a new chance to start over, to reinvent the show, and to face new challenges to make the show something completely different again, I wanted to mark this occasion not with sadness, but with a party. And that’s what happened during this show.
A number of people joined in the fun to make this one happen, including Miss Meghan from the long-lost Songs The Lord Taught Us, DJ Swill who provided the swill, DJ JustanotherDJ via our sister-station down south, Jaycation, Jonathon Boober and Miss Rikki (all three current and amazing DJs at KPSU)… even Ricardo Wang dedicated an entire hour to us at 12 Noon. It was a really heartfelt, and amazing show, and not only did I play some great songs and have a great time, but it was the perfect send-off. I can’t imagine anything better.
Of course, this is not the end. Not by a longshot. As we take a week off to re-tool, re-align, and re-vamp our program for its new version at FunemploymentRadio.com, we will return on 06 March 2012 with something new, something old, something borrowed, and something that rocks. I’m really excited about the new direction the show is heading in, and I think that alone will overcome the sadness of leaving something that I’ve grown to know and love over the years.
To everyone who listening and came to the studio yesterday: thank you. Here’s to something new!
The Last KPSU Broadcast Show
# Title * Artist * Album
01.) Hello, Goodbye * The Beatles * Magical Mystery Tour
02.) Finale- Endcredits * George & Caplin * Electronic Eulogy From Morse Code Infinity
03.) The Last Goodbye * Agent Orange * Living In Darkness
04.) Goodbye, Bird * The Fastbacks * The Day That Didn’t Exist
05.) Hello / Goodbye * Nomeansno * One
06.) End Titles * Wendy Carlos / The London Philharmonic Orchestra * Tron Original Motion Picture Soundtracks
07.) Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man * Grinderman * Grinderman 2
08.) Two Beads At The End * Minutemen * Double Nickels On The Dime
09.) Goodbye Blues * The Mills Brothers * Chronological Vol.1 (1931-1932)
10.) Goodbye Johnny * The Gun Club * Da Blood Done Signed My Name
11.) Goodbye Maurice Or Steve * The Soft Boys * …And How It Got There
12.) End Song * The Willowz * The Willowz
13.) Don’t Say Goodbye * The Standells * The Best of the Standells
14.) Repeater * Fugazi *
15.) Goodbye * Supersuckers * Motherfuckers Be Trippin’
16.) End Of The Season * The Kinks * Something Else By The Kinks
17.) Fri/End * Thurston Moore * Trees Outside the Academy
18.) Goodbye * Land of the Loops
19.) Invader Zim
20.) Bye Bye Blackbird * Quasi
21.) Say Goodbye * Boar * Triskaidekaphobia: 13,000.00 MilliSeconds
22.) Making You Tapes Is Better Than Sex * That Stupid Club
23.) Summer’s End * Gordon Taylor * 14 September 2006 (Practice)
24.) End Times * Weekend * Sports
25.) Everending * Sailboats * Adrift
26.) End On End * Rites Of Spring * End On End
27.) The End Of Radio [Excerpt] * Shellac * Excellent Italian Greyhound
28.) Bye-Bye, Goodbye, Goodbye Everybody * Space Ghost * Musical Bar-B-Que
29.) Ending * Nintendo * Legend of Zelda
30.) The Song Is Ended * The Mills Brothers * Chronological Vol.5 (1933-1938)
What’s This Called? for this week is dedicated to our beloved co-host Yet Another Pope Austin Rich who will be leaving the KPSU building this week with the final KPSU episode of Blasphumus Radio this very afternoon, Saturday February 25th. Austin will still be coming back once a month or so to What’s This Called? as our co-host, but Blasphumus Radio is off to new horizons (no not the swingers club in Seattle called New Horizons, I swear you people have such dirty minds!) We love you Austin, this notes for you.
Astute listeners of Funemployment Radio (dot Com!) have noticed that I have been lurking in the backgrounds in a number of recent episodes of their near-daily podcast. I have to say, it has been fun. I get to be in the room while also in the Live Chat that they have going during the show. It has been a lot of fun, and as a radio nerd I love seeing the behind-the-scenes that goes on with Greg & Sarah. They’re a lot of fun to hang out with, and their studio is a lot of fun.
I was particularly excited about this episode, as they asked me to come on near the end to talk about my show that will be joining them on the 6th of March at 3 PM. It was not expected, but a lot of fun, and I think I got a few good quips in, too. While I always recommend checking out their show, this one is doubly worth it, as I get to be a part of it.
I imagine this will happen from time to time, and in this episode I talk about my experiences performing Community Service. You’ll get to hear more of this story, from my audio journal that I kept while I was working. You’ll have to tune in to hear the complete story.
My original vision for Blasphuphmus Radio was to mix DJing and other radio reporting in the same show. A little music, a little news, and little remixing, a little radio art, all in one. Of course, this vision almost never occured. In the early shows, I mixed in some music news, and occasionally would do a few talk segments. But on the whole, talking about anything related to music just never happened.
Until Captain Beefheart died about a year ago, and I was completely overcome with the idea of doing a tribute… and not just to him, but to everyone who had recently passed that I had missed for one reason or another. And thus, The People Who Died was born. I knew instantly that I wanted to make this a regular feature on the show, which of course meant that when it came time to do part two, that it would have to be delayed for several weeks. Nonetheless, it is ready for you, now.
This show is notable because friend and artist Paco Jones contributed some music to use in the show. Paco and I had discussed the idea of doing a collaboration, and we were excited to see if we could work on something in the radio vein. When I told him I was doing a tribute to people who have recently passed, he sat on the idea for about four hours, before sending the songs that I ended up using. Paco has appeared on the show a few times, and I am a big supporter of his work. The link above goes to his Soundcloud page, where you can enjoy even more of his work. I also recommend picking up one of his discs, which you can find via CD Baby. I’m excited to see if we can do more collaborations like this going forward, and in possibly more unusual ways. (Do I hear a radio drama in our future? Only time can tell.) Regardless, we really want to thank Paco. Keep up the good work.
This show mostly speaks for itself, and I really had a good time assembling this one. While big tribute shows like this may not happen in the future, this segment will definitely make more appearances in our new format on Funemploymentradio.com. Don’t forget: the 25th of February is the last show on KPSU. If you want to join us during the show, either by phone or in person, please drop us an e-mail at austinrich@gmail.com. We are hoping to have a bit of a party that day, and really enjoy the last show in a studio and at a station that I really enjoy. Please, join us for this party. For more information, you should check out this Facebook Page.
Thanks again for listening. See you in seven!
The People Who Died Part II
# Title * Artist * Album
01.) I Left Her in Austin, Forever * Paco Jones
02.) Nobody But Me * The Isley Brothers * Lux and Ivy’s Favorites Volume 05
03.) You Know I’m No Good * Amy Winehouse * Back To Black
04.) IF * Dennis Hopper * The Johnny Cash Show
05.) If You Don’t Know Me By Now * Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes * Soul Spectacular!: The Greatest Soul Hits Of All Time
06.) Clip 1 * Harry Morgan * The Cat From Outer Space
07.) The James Bond Theme * John Zorn * Naked City
08.) Ann McCaffrey * Blöödhag * Hellbent For Letters
09.) Frazetta [Live] * Wizard Rifle * Blasphuphmus Radio on 18 September 2010
10.) Rainbow In The Dark * Dio
11.) Clip 2 * Harry Morgan * The Cat From Outer Space
12.) Doctor Dark * Captain Beefheart * Lick My Decals off Baby
13.) Somewhat Alone * Paco Jones
14.) No Surrender * Bruce Springsteen
15.) Knock-Down Drag-Out * Weezer * Weezer
16.) Wide Wide River * The Fugs * It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest
17.) Circle * Wild Man Fischer
18.) Can’t Find My Mind * The Cramps * Psychedelic Jungle
19.) I Know Your Whole Story * Peter Falk & Kermit The Frog * The Great Muppet Caper
20.) Floods of Spring (Rachmaninoff) * arr. Earl Wild
21.) Hulkamania vs. Macho Madness * Randy “Macho Man” Savage * Arsineo Hall
22.) Remember Me? * Randy “Macho Man” Savage * Be A Man
23.) Rocky Racoon * Lena Horne
24.) Titoro * Ed Thigpen
25.) Bullitt Car Chase (Full Scene)
26.) Democracy In America * Howard Zinn * BigThink.com
27.) The Revolution Will Not Be Televised * Gil Scott-Heron
28.) Track 09 * Deanne McAdams * Goodbye Deanne
29.) The World Today * Howard Zinn * BigThink.com
30.) Painting of a Mountian * Paco Jones
31.) Do The Clam * Elvis Presley * Elvis At The Movies
32.) I’m Looking For Trouble * Jane Russell
33.) Groovin’ * Willie Mitchell
34.) I Left Her in Austin, Forever * Paco Jones
35.) The Passage Of Time * Andy Rooney * 60 Minutes
36.) Later Aligator * Bobby Charles
As Greg & Sarah announced today on their show, the cat is out of the bag: Blasphuphmus Radio will be joining the Funemploymentradio.com network as the second new show on their channel! I’ve been sitting on this news for a while, so I’m very excited to be able to tell everyone.
So, 06 March 2012, at 3 PM on Funemploymentradio.com: A new chapter in the Blasphuphmus Radio saga! In the meantime: you should go and sign up as a subscriber, so you can catch the live show. (And, to hear their other fine programs, too.)
Careful listeners have probably noticed that I’ve been hinting at some changes that this show would be experiencing in the future. Part of me feels bad about teasing something like that, as my style is much more directly obtuse. But for a variety of reasons I’ve had to keep quiet about these changes. It’s sort of the way these things work. But now I can say a few things about what’s coming up, and so this show is all about announcing, telling, and otherwise making yourself heard. And, of course, there’s an actual annoucement!
So let’s cut to the chase: On February 25th I will be broadcasting my last show on KPSU. This news is mixed with sadness and excitement. I’ve been broadcasting on KPSU since 2004, and while that is a large chunk of the 14 year history of this show, it is by no means all of it. In order for us to grow and change into something new and challenging, it is time to part ways. So the 25th will be a farewell show to KPSU.
But, fear not! This show will continue, on a new day, at a new time, and on a new network! Yes, the excitement is about the new future this show holds. We will continue to podcast, and this blog will continue to be a touchstone for this show. But we will be provided by an entirely different network.
That is the one bit of information that I have to tease you with. I cannot say where you will be listening to our show for the time being. That will have to wait for another time. But just remember: Tuesdays at 3 PM, Blasphuphmus Radio will be coming at you with its all new format.
That’s right. We will be incorporating more talk segments into the show from that point forward. In fact, there are a number of changes coming. Everything will be announced in this press release. But for the next two weeks, we’re going to continue with business as usual. In the meantime, I put together this show about announcements, telling, and what that entails. It’s my way of treating the listeners with a few more doses of the usual good stuff.
That’s all I have for now. Next week: The People Who Died, Part II.
See you in seven.
A Special Announcement
# Name * Artist * Album
01.) Announcement * Negativland * Escape from Noise
02.) Quiet Please * Negativland * Escape from Noise
03.) Special Announcement * Mars Records Studios * MARS-H906
04.) Tell Me Something Good * Sun City Girls * Midnight Cowboys From Ipanema
05.) Only Time Will Tell Me * Bettye LaVette * I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise
06.) Tell It Like It Is * Aaron Neville * Soul Spectacular! The Greatest Soul Hits Of All Time
07.) Tell Mama * Etta James * The Chess Story: 1947-1975
08.) I’m Gonna Tell You A Story * Cathead * Live @ Icky’s Teahouse 23 November 1994
09.) 1-10 Announcement Female * The Conet Project * The Conet Project
10.) An Announcement Please / We Are Our Own Disease / Who Has More Enemies / Than You And Me / If You Step Up Above Par / For King Dumb Babylon / You Might As Well Paint A Bullseye / Across Your Fucking Face / Babble On In Babylon * …Worms * …Worms 7″
11.) Sagittarius Silver Announcement * The Flaming Lips * Embryonic
12.) Tell It To The Mountain * Animal Collective * Hollinndagain
13.) We Call Upon The Author * Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds * Dig! Lazurus Dig!
14.) Tell Me * Debris * Static Disposal
15.) Tell It Like It Will Be * The Make-Up * Sound Verite
16.) I Had To Tell You * 13th Floor Elevators * Easter Everywhere
17.) Tell Mama (Live) * Janis Joplin & The Full Tilt Boogie Band * Janis Boxed Set
18.) Don’t Be Afraid To Tell Your Mother * The Mills Brothers * Chronological Vol.3 (1934-1935)
19.) Tell Him * The Exciters * My Boyfriend’s Back: Girl Groups Of The ’60s
20.) 1-10 Announcement * The Conet Project * The Conet Project
21.) Snuff Box Title Theme * Matt Berry * Snuff Box TV Show
22.) Tell All The People * The Doors * The Soft Parade
23.) Go Tell The Woman * Grinderman * Grinderman
24.) Tell Me * King Khan & The Shrines * The Supreme Genious Of…
25.) Talking In The Dark * Elvis Costello * Armed Forces
26.) I Want To Tell You * The Beatles * Revolver
27.) Tell Me Pretty Baby * Screamin’ Joe Neal
28.) Airplane Jet Interior With Cabin Announcements * Found Sound * 100 Spectacular Sound Effects
29.) There’s This Thing * Eleventh Dream Day * Lived To Tell
30.) Something I’ve Got To Tell You * Glenda Collins * It’s Hard To Believe It: The Amazing World Of Joe Meek
31.) Words Enough To Tell You * The Mascots * Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond
32.) I Want To Tell You * The Rockers * Teenline Vol. 1
33.) Tell Her Again * Mike Runnels * Homework # 101
34.) Tell You Why Tomorrow * Hüsker Dü * Warehouse: Songs And Stories
35.) Tell Me When * Jandek * Nine-Thirty
36.) Tell ‘Em * Sleigh Bells * Treats
37.) Tell Me * Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 * Mother Of All Saints
38.) Tell It To Me * Tom Waits * Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
39.) Tell Me * Galaxie 500 * On Fire
Today on What’s This Called? from Noon to 1 PM Pacific Time, I’m joined in the KPSU studio by cross cultural multi-instrumentalist Eric Hausmann! Eric has played with Tres Gone, Dead Air Fresheners, Tiffany Lee Brown’s Easter Island Project, Gone Orchestra, and countless other ensembles. His solo work is something special as well!
If you’re a fan of music in all its varied size and scope, it doesn’t take long before you realize how powerful soul music can be. I find myself endlessly fascinated by the depth of soul music, and that around every corner you can hear your new favorite thing, sometimes several times in a single song. So it’s always nice to dig through a bunch of cool songs and throw together a show that just cooks.
This show is also a tribute to Don Cornelius. While I can’t say that I watched a lot of Soul Train, I do remember it fondly. The show was an important part of getting soul music out to a larger audience, and his influence is undeniable. Given that DJ JustanotherDJ paid tribute to a few other’s that passed in hour one, it seemed appropriate.
Today’s show would not exist without Isosceles Diego, a man who is my Soul Connection. He was the one that introduced me to Detroit Soul From The Vaults, Shrine, and The Northern Side Of Philly Soul, all albums that I used (among other things) to piece together this show. Isosceles has been an influence on my musical taste from when I was a wee pup, and it is always good to give him a shout out. I can only hope that he can have a chance to tune in and rock out.
Soul Explosion! (Part III)
# Title * Artist * Album
01.) Go Down * The Highlights * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two
02.) My Love’s A Monster * Clea Bradford
03.) Mystery * Jimmy Armstrong * Shrine: The Rarest Soul Label
04.) Todo Gira * Los Impala * Sensacional Soul
05.) Popcorn Baby * Freddi / Henchi And The Soulsetters * Crown Princes Of Funk: The Last Set
06.) Soul Food * Johnny Rogers * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two
07.) Fortune Teller * Benny Spellman
08.) Try My Love * Moses Smith * The Northern Side Of Philly Soul
09.) Bury Me Dead * Huey Smith & The Pitter Pats
10.) Ain’t That Just Like A Woman * Douglas Banks * The Northern Side Of Philly Soul
11.) The Weekend * Sidney Hall * Shrine: The Rarest Soul Label
12.) Laugh Laugh * Augusto Alguero * Sensacional Soul
13.) A Lady’s Man * The Volcanos * The Northern Side Of Philly Soul
14.) Arabia * The Royal Playboys * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two
15.) Girl I Love You * Temptones * The Northern Side Of Philly Soul
16.) Kool & The Gang * T.R. Selection * Sensacional Soul
17.) It’s Your Voodoo Working * Charles Sheffield
18.) Do What I Want * The Cavaliers * Shrine: The Rarest Soul Label
19.) Lookin For A Woman * Brooks Bros * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two
20.) Don’t Let Him Hurt You * Les Chansonettes * Shrine: The Rarest Soul Label
21.) If You Walk Out Of My Life * Doni Burdick * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two
22.) Melenas Club * Frank Miller & Hispania Soul * Sensacional Soul
23.) Lovin’ Touch * Satin Dolls * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two
Inspired by last year’s Soul Explosion episode (as you know, it takes me a while to get around to things), I put together an R&B Explosion. This partially arose from the fact that, well, soul music arose from R&B, which itself sounds nothing like it did originally when you hear the music currently defined as “R&B.” Where’s the rhythm? Where’s the blues? So, I thought it was time to look back at what this music was…maybe not right at the beginning, but closer to the beginning, and maybe try to get an idea of how it developed into what was then called “soul” – not to far off from its originator.
And, I may not have to many actual answers for you, but I believe quite a few other people do, if you’ll look around a little bit.
Today’s playlist:
I know I usually give you a web address for stuff, but seriously – just go look it up on Wikipedia. That’s where I’d end up sending you anyway.
It sucks that I had to miss another show this week, but with my parents in town, I had to make the sacrifice. But not to leave you empty handed, I decided to throw together this short Mini-Cast. It contains all the details of the show on the 10th, as I knew them then. The full details, which came together since then, are below in the press release for the show.
What can I say? This show is gonna rule. And the songs I included should be enough evidence to make you want to go, too. Let your ears help you decide, and listen.
=================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
=================
KPSU PRESENTS:
TYRANTS, DRATS!!!, & NITEBRITE
with DJ Tuff Gnarly
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012
FOOD FOR THOUGHT CAFE – 1825 SW BROADWAY (BASEMENT OF SMITH MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION) PORTLAND, OR
7:30 PM DOORS, 8:00 PM SHOW
$3 FOR STUDENTS, $5 FOR NON-STUDENTS
ALL AGES
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR DAY OF THE SHOW ONLY
While I’m out of town this weekend, and unable to provide a live show for ya’ll from coastal Oregon, I thought I’d present a little information about our show, and our presence on the ol’ Inter-Web-A-Tron. While I have tossed around that you can find our show in iTunes, which is quite an achievement in and of itself, we’ve also adding different feeds to the iTunes Store, where you can subscribe to the different kinds of shows that you are interested in. It’s an innovation that we’re very excited about, and this seemed like a good opportunity to give you a quick run-down. For those of you who hate plugs, there is also a good mix of music that follows (without me talking over it), and it is well worth the wait, methinks.
Since this is a digital medium too, here is a textual version of the information provided in this podcast. This also affords me the opportunity to provide specific and direct links, that you can easily copy and paste into your podcast aggregater of choice. While I have not listed all of our currently available podcasts (the holiday shows are available too, but won’t be updated until next year), these are the ones that will give you the widest and best possible overview of the kind of show we are, for those of you who may be new listeners.
Blasphuphmus Radio Podcast Feed
This feed offers you every new episode that we broadcast, including any and all radio appearances that get recorded on other people’s shows. If you just want to hear everything, as it happens, then this is the feed for you.
In-Studio Performances
Like live music? Any time we have a guest on the show (or, any time I help run the sound for a guest on another show), the recording ends up in this feed. This winds up offering a wide assortment of music from all over the map, on tour, local, and all points in between. This feed includes a number of collaborations with fellow DJ, Ricardo Wang, on his show, What’s This Called?
Novelty Recordings
As a collector of Novelty Records, these show represent the times I do my Dr. Demento impersonation, and play all the weirdest and strangest recordings I have access to.
Science Fiction Shows
I am a huge fan of Science Fiction, and in particular the convergence of Sci-Fi and music. So, it’s no wonder that I regularly incorporate the two into the same show. These often include re-edited versions of old Sci-Fi broadcasts, UFO-centric music, movie soundtracks, and a host of other spacey things. This is the show for the Sci-Fi Geek in all of us.
Radio About Radio
Radio broadcasts reflecting on the nature of radio itself, touching the very seam that runs across the self-awareness threshold. Music has always been dimly aware of its own nature, and radio even more-so, but every so often I like to bring out the musical mirror and really get down to what it’s all about.
The Grump Punk Blasphuphmus Radio started as a sort of mutated punk show back in 1998, and while I regularly (and sometimes with conscious conviction) steer away from this subject, in the end that label identifies what could be considered my favorite music, period. So it is no wonder that the Grumpy Punk rears his ugly head fairly often, to add new items to the cannon, and ruminate over well-established classics.
Vinyl Solution
Occasionally the urge to carry heavy, plastic records great distances overwhelms me, and so I put together an all-vinyl show to accommodate this. Radio has changed so much over the years that it is easy to forget that all radio source material used to be pressed to black lacquered discs. While the majority of radio now is often reduced to plugging in a metaphoric iPod and hitting random, I like to remember what it was like to dig through crates, hand-writing playlists, and doing basic math to calculate how many songs you can fit into an hour. These, more than anything, are the most rewarding shows to do.
DJ JustanotherDJ
DJ JustanotherDJ runs the Blasphuphmus Radio affiliate in Southern California, and regularly takes over for me when I am running late, or need someone to cover for me for a week. This is just a small sampling of the kind of work he does on a weekly basis for his own station.
In addition to our presence in iTunes, you can also find us / contact us / etc. via the following social media networks, as it is apparently vital to your very existence to be present on them. I try to update each of these services as often as I can, given that I need to eat, sleep, breath, spend time with my family, and other extremely important things first. Nonetheless:
You’ll find that I update one more than the others. Investigate them all so you can find out which it is!
Blasphuphmus Radio On kpsu.org
Since 2004 (minus some time in 2008), kpsu.org has been syndicating our show on 98.1 FM (on the Portland State University Campus), and on their webstream at kpsu.org. In the past they have also provided podcasting and archived downloads. You can hear the show live (when it is live) from 1 PM – 3 PM on Saturday afternoons, right after What’s This Called? and before Hogwash, Hodgepodge, & Musical Detritus. Audience Participation happens at 503-725-5945. Your donations to kpsu.org help keep shows like mine on the air, so please help them out by clicking that link back there, and donating generously. Thank you.
I think that covers all the informational bases that I wanted to cover. Now, onto the fun stuff:
All the music from this show came from a wonderful website, Kogar’s Jungle Juice. I’ve mentioned him before, and his website is stellar, so I don’t need to rehash any of that. But if you like what you hear on this Mini-Cast, then you need to check out his website. There are hours of cool things to listen to, all available through him. Very worth your time and effort. For this show, all the selections are from his compilation, Kogar’s Jungle 45s.
That does it for this week. Thanks for listening, and thanks for all the new listeners, too. We appreciate every one of you. And now, the playlist.
See you in seven.
Mini-Cast #5
# Track * Artist * More Information.
01.) Tum Tiki * The Enchanters
02.) Safari * The Four Sharps
03.) Congo Pt. One * Twistin’ Kings
04.) Ungaua Pt. Two * The Kingpins
05.) Un-Gowa * The Rimfires
06.) Bi-Aza-Ku-Sasa * The Mogambos
07.) Wa-chi-bam-ba * The Watusi Warriors
08.) Mama Ubangi Bangi * The Four Sounds
09.) Jaguar Hunt * The Crew
10.) Jungle Call * The Gaynighters
11.) The Natives Are Restless Tonight * Ernie George Quartet
12.) Baia * Mickey Baker
Having gathered a tremendous amount of music to meet the challenges of the previous DJ Throwdown, I was well equipped to assemble an hour Bonus Throwdown to fill time until Jonathan’s show at three. Again, there is not much to say about this show, aside from: listen to it! I do a little more relaxed mix of weird and wild records from the fatty layer below the usual meat that the show is comprised of for the most part. This is most certainly a Novelty Records show, in that most of these recordings most definitely count as novelties in their own genres. I was most excited to play the very weird recording of “Wild Thing,” sung by someone impersonated Senator Bobby Kennedy. It’s a fascinatingly strange record, and I only draw stranger and stranger conclusions about it the more I listen to it.
I should correct myself on two things I said during this show that are patently not true. This does not mean that I should not have said them; a good lie is just as entertaining as the truth. But I would like to set the record straight so that they lie is even more interesting than it usually is. First, while I claimed that we were listening to Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III during the voice over for the third segment of the show, we were in fact listening to the other side of that record, on which is contained the music of Tärr. Both Tärr and Cornelius appear on a great split record, but the record itself is unlabeled. I had a 50% chance of being right that time, and of course, lost. Also: while I said that O-Type was essentially MX-80 under a different name, I’m afraid I was mixing up my stories with that one. O-Type was actually the name of the songs on the record, written and performed by MX-80, who were performing as themselves, oddly enough. When you get to be my age, it’s hard to tell one story from another. My bad.
I also need to give a special thanks to Ryan, who has become a bit of an archivist, recording our shows off the KPSU webstream. He has been doing this for Ricardo Wang the last few weeks, and now I have used his services this week. It is a good interim solution, until something better can be sorted out. But this recording would not exist without him, nor would the last few WTC shows that have appeared here and there. Ryan: thank you.
Stay tuned, as there will be more odd shows in the coming weeks. But I will be taking next week (the 21st) off, as it is my anniversary, and my ladyfriend and I are going to the coast.
See you in fourteen.
Bonus Solo Throwdown
# Title * Artist * Album * More Info
01.) The Blob * The Five Blobs * “The Blob” b/w “Saturday Night in Tiajuana” * Columbia Records
02.) Martian Melody * The Martian Band * “Flying Saucer The 2nd” b/w “Martian Melody” * L’Universe Records
03.) Leisurely Waiting * Debris * Static Disposal * Anopheles Records
04.) Linda Wants To Be Alone * Gary Wilson * Mary Had Brown Hair * Stone’s Throw Records
05.) I Been Refused * Devo * Hardcore Devo Vol. 2 * Warner Bros. Records
06.) Springtime For Hitler * Henry Mancini * The Big Latin Band of Henry Mancini * RCA Victor Records
07.) “Baseball” Excerpt: Barbershop Quartet Warning * Jesse Thorn * The Sound Of Young America * maximumfun.org
08.) Phonograph Records * Mars Production * Mars Production Library CK-713 * Mars Records
09.) Space/Time Continuum: “Heaven And Hell, Part I” * Vangelis * The Music of Cosmos * RCA Records
10.) Smile Awhile * Michael Yonkers Band * Microminiature Love * Sub Pop Records
11.) Signal Processor Failure / Why We Are Lazy * Men’s Recovery Project * Make A Baby EP * Vermiform Records
12.) Mole Machine * Simply Saucer * Cyborgs Revisited * Get Back Records
13.) Embraceable You * Ornette Coleman * The Best of Ornette Coleman * Atlantic Records
14.) Barber Shop * Mars Production * Mars Production Library CK-713 * Mars Records
15.) metalized excitements of our shared dreams of technology [Excerpt] * Tärr * Tärr / Cornelius F. Van Stafrin III Split 12″ * oms-b Records
16.) Wild Thing * Senator Bobby & The Hardly-Worthit Players Featuring Bill Minkin * Wild Thing 7″ * Parkway Records
17.) Hurricane [Excerpt] * Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 * Admonishing The Bishops * Matador Records
18.) L’Agonie * Jacky Chalard * Je Sus Vivant, Mais J’ai Peur De Gilbert Deflez * Finders Keepers Records
19.) O-Type Part Two * MX-80 Sound * O-Type: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 7″ * Ralph Records
Why We Are Lazy? Because the future goes to the slipshod and the slothful and the bovine, because the dimbulbs get the fleshy pulp & the brights settle for the rind. This is why, this is why, why we are lazy? Because it’s the boors and dinks and dullards who always win the prizes, and it’s the virtuous who get the shaft and the chaff that always rises. This is why, this is why!
The What’s This Called? founder and the cohost throwdown for who can spin the weirdest tracks as judged by guest moderators Miss Rikki and DJ Hogwash!
Introduction * Ricardo Wang & Austin Rich * What’s This Called? * Live on 14 January 2012
(Ricardo Selection)
Phantom Fire Ball * Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno * “Another Band From The Cosmic Inferno European Tour 2005″ Cosmic Funeral Route 666 * Self-Released
(Ricardo Selection)
Withers in the Whist (Wandering Embers Mix) * People Like Us & Ergo Phizmiz * Withers in the Waking * Touch 7 Records
Agent Oranges (Fancy Mix) * Replikants * This Is Our Message * 5 Rue Christine Records
(Ricardo Selection)
I Remember Us Naked (Blues Version) * Post-Materialists * I Remember Us Naked * Self-Released
(Ricardo Selection)
(Ricardo Selection)
Wild Thing * Senator Everett McKinley & The Hardly-Worthit Players Featuring Bill Minkin * Wild Thing 7″ * Parkway Records
(Ricardo Selection)
Power * John Oswald * 69 Plunderphonics 96 * Seeland Records
(Ricardo Selection)
Mecho Madness * The Homosexuals * Astral Glamour * Hyped 2 Death Records
(Ricardo Selection)
Ballet Dans Le Cosmos * Janko Nilovic * Percussions Dans L’Espace
(Ricardo Selection)
History Repeats Itself Part II * Buddy Starcher * History Repeats Itself * Decca Records
(Ricardo Selection)
Polylog * Frank Bretschneider * EXP * Self-Released
(Ricardo Selection)
(Ricardo Selection)
The Bublight * The Blue Men (Joe Meek) * I Hear A New World * RPM Records
(Ricardo Selection)
Tron Scherzo * Wendy Carlos & The London Philharmonic Orchestra * Tron Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Various Selections From “Side Two” * Star Trek Cast * Trek Bloopers * Blue Pear Records
(Ricardo Selection)
Last week Ricardo Wang called me and put me up to the challenge: a good old fashioned weird-off, on his show. It seemed like the perfect way to start the year, and so I stepped up, piling my bag full of vinyl and .mp3s of my favorite musical oddities. Miss Rikki and Jonathon Boober were elected as judges, to insure that everyone played fair. The results were one of the most fun two hours I’ve had on radio in a while. Ladies and gentleman, our DJ Throwndown, performed with the impending threat of a snowpacalyse, live on the radio.
There’s not much else I can say about this one, as the show speaks for itself. I was happy to play some of my favorite oddities from my collection, and I had almost as much fun throwing together a hodge-podge of music to answer anything Ricardo Wang was willing to throw down. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that he has now sparked a virus among our DJs, and you won’t have to wait long to hear the next one.
Then, of course, there’s the 2 PM hour…
See you in 120.
DJ Throwdown
(Note: Ricardo’s Selections are not present, as we lost the original playlist that he posted. If you would like to know the songs in question that he played, e-mail him for the answers. We apologize for this loss in data.)
# Title * Artist * Album * Other Information
01.) Introduction * Ricardo Wang & Austin Rich * What’s This Called? * Live on 14 January 2012
02.) (Ricardo Selection)
03.) Phantom Fire Ball * Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno * “Another Band From The Cosmic Inferno European Tour 2005” Cosmic Funeral Route 666 * Self-Released
04.) (Ricardo Selection)
05.) Withers in the Whist (Wandering Embers Mix) * People Like Us & Ergo Phizmiz * Withers in the Waking * Touch 7 Records
06.) Agent Oranges (Fancy Mix) * Replikants * This Is Our Message * 5 Rue Christine Records
07.) (Ricardo Selection)
08.) I Remember Us Naked (Blues Version) * Post-Materialists * I Remember Us Naked * Self-Released
09.) (Ricardo Selection)
10.) (Ricardo Selection)
11.) Wild Thing * Senator Everett McKinley & The Hardly-Worthit Players Featuring Bill Minkin * Wild Thing 7″ * Parkway Records
12.) (Ricardo Selection)
13.) Power * John Oswald * 69 Plunderphonics 96 * Seeland Records
14.) (Ricardo Selection)
15.) Mecho Madness * The Homosexuals * Astral Glamour * Hyped 2 Death Records
16.) (Ricardo Selection)
17.) Ballet Dans Le Cosmos * Janko Nilovic * Percussions Dans L’Espace
18.) (Ricardo Selection)
19.) History Repeats Itself Part II * Buddy Starcher * History Repeats Itself * Decca Records
20.) (Ricardo Selection)
21.) Polylog * Frank Bretschneider * EXP * Self-Released
22.) (Ricardo Selection)
23.) (Ricardo Selection)
24.) The Bublight * The Blue Men (Joe Meek) * I Hear A New World * RPM Records
25.) (Ricardo Selection)
26.) Tron Scherzo * Wendy Carlos & The London Philharmonic Orchestra * Tron Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
27.) Various Selections From “Side Two” * Star Trek Cast * Trek Bloopers * Blue Pear Records
28.) (Ricardo Selection)
Today on What’s This Called? Ricardo Wang featured an interview with local artist Ilima Considine. In-Studio interview with Ilima Considine. However, Ricardo was suffering from a frog lodged inexplicably in his throat. So, at the last minute, I stepped up to the plate and offered my vocals for the purposes of helping interview, and feature, her band The Sexbots, with tracks from their new album, and some violin pieces from a zombie movie soundtrack that she recorded. Check out her website (liked above) for information about upcoming shows, and how you can get a copy of her new album, Don’t Stop. While I always feel a little strange filling in for The Wang, he was there the whole time helping guide the show, and this is very much a WTC? show in every form.
Today on What’s This Called? Ricardo Wang featured an interview with local artist Ilima Considine. In-Studio interview with Ilima Considine. However, Ricardo was suffering from a frog lodged inexplicably in his throat. So, at the last minute, I stepped up to the plate and offered my vocals for the purposes of helping interview, and feature, her band The Sexbots, with tracks from their new album, and some violin pieces from a zombie movie soundtrack that she recorded. Check out her website (liked above) for information about upcoming shows, and how you can get a copy of her new album,Don’t Stop. While I always feel a little strange filling in for The Wang, he was there the whole time helping guide the show, and this is very much a WTC? show in every form.
Broadcasting on a holiday is always a bit of a strange affair. Most everyone else is enjoying themselves, while you’re actually working. There is a certain kind of loneliness that sets in under those kinds of circumstances. While is why for New Year’s Eve, I decided to throw a party.
Aided by a few recordings that offer insight into this unusual holiday, I mix up a batch of songs about looking forward, onward, and into the future that is rapidly approaching. The cool thing about this show is that you could play it just before Midnight. If you start it about five minutes after 10 PM, it should time out just right.
Either way, I had a lot of fun assembling this one, and I hope you enjoy listening to it. This is our last broadcast in 2011. On to new and different things in 2012.
See you in a year and seven.
A New Year’s Eve Celebration!
# Title * Artist * Album * More Info
01.) New Year’s Countdown * HeWhoIsiam * Times Square, 2008 * Youtube.com
02.) Forward Into The Past * Tit Wrench * Temporarily Committed For Life EP
03.) The New Pomp and Circumstance * Lamborghini * Major Vampire * Battlesnakes.com
04.) Push To The Front * The-Front * Riot Agents * Self-Released
05.) Forward To Death * Dead Kennedys * Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables * Alternative Tentacles
06.) Look Ahead * Senseless Apocalypse * Japanese Assault (2003)
07.) Look Ahead * Gloom * Fuck The System (1991)
08.) Whilst You’re Ahead * Unwound * Demo Tape * Self-Released
09.) New Direction * The Black Lips * Arabia Mountain
10.) Origin of New Years Is Pagan 1 * Megan * Hot Facts Girls * Youtube.com
11.) Time For Livin’ * The Beastie Boys * Check Your Head
12.) What Are You Doing New Years Eve? * Unknown * Black Christmas
13.) Theme From Two Steps Onward (Demo) * R.E.M. * And I Feel Fine: The Best Of The I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 * I.R.S. Records
14.) Frontier * Denizens * Messthetics Vol. 8 * Hyped To Death Records
15.) Kings Of The Wild Frontier * Adam And The Ants * Kings Of The Wild Frontier
16.) Origin of New Years Is Pagan 2 * Megan * Hot Facts Girls * Youtube.com
17.) Full Stop Ahead * Johnny & The Velvetones * History Of Northwest Rock (Vol. 1)
18.) Klingon Advance * The Vulcan Freedom Fighters * Stardate Unknown
19.) Go Ahead * Wire * Chairs Missing
20.) Frontwards * Pavement * Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe
21.) New Flava * 69 A Go-Go * “New Flava” b/w “Fag Hag” * With An X Records
22.) Retired Woman Starts New Career In Monkey Fashions * Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo * Strange But True
23.) New Interns Watusi * Earl Hagan and the Interns * The Purple Knif Show
24.) High Pitch Polytone * The Conet Project * The Conet Project
25.) Origin of New Years Is Pagan 2 * Megan * Hot Facts Girls * Youtube.com
26.) New Prospect * A special group of the Sacred Harp Singers * Southern Journey, Vol. 9: Harp Of a Thousand Strings
27.) It’s a Beautiful World * Devo * E-Z Listening Disc
28.) The Curious Advance * Antediluvian Rocking Horse * Music For The Odd Occasion
29.) 2012 And Countless * Hella * There’s No 666 In Outer Space
30.) Zooing Forward * Oliver Squash * 30 Piece * Self-Released
31.) In the Year 2,000!!! * Lucia Pamela * Into Outer Space with Lucia Pamela * Arf! Arf! Records
32.) Truth About New Years Day 1 * MorningSun29 * Janus, Dionysus, Cronos-Grim Reaper, Pagan Gods * Youtube.com
33.) New Way * Men’s Recovery Project * Resist The New Way
34.) Onward * Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra * Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth / Interstellar Low Ways
35.) New Wilderness * Static Films * A New Soul’s Bene / Diction * Self-Released
36.) On and On * Dead Moon * Dead Ahead * Tombstone Records
37.) New Race * Radio Birdman * The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978)
38.) Truth About New Years Day 2 * MorningSun29 * Janus, Dionysus, Cronos-Grim Reaper, Pagan Gods * Youtube.com
39.) One Step Ahead * Jandek * Living In A Moon So Blue * Corwood Industries
40.) Forever Again * The Prids * Until The World Is Beautiful
41.) New Dawn Fades * Joy Division * Unknown Pleasures * Factory Records
42.) Yet Onward We Marched * Joy Wants Eternity * You Who Pretend To Sleep
43.) New Year’s Countdown * HeWhoIsiam * Times Square, 2008 * Youtube.com
44.) New Year’s Eve * Tom Waits * Bad As Me
45.) The Dust Blows Forward ‘n The Dust Blows Back * Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica
Episode 148: Back For Christmas (Detective Dexter Roland presents a classic episode of Suspense from 23 December 1943, with Peter Lorre in the lead roll!)
Detective Dexter Roland, Private Investigator, was about to head home to Max’s Bar, for a few Christmas Eve cocktails to celebrate the holiday properly. Little did he know that Peter Lorre was going to drop by, to deliver a tale that is perfect for the holiday season. From the Old Time Radio radio archives, we bring you Back For Christmas, a tale well calculated to keep you in… Supense!
This podcast-only show features a perfect marriage: moody, holiday-ish music with a creepy tale with a last minute turn that is perfect for this kind of medium. Bartók has always had a bit of a spooky feel to him anyway, and his renditions of Roumanian Christmas Carols seemed all to appropriate to complement Peter Lorre’s European-is accent. While I can’t exactly claim that Moonbell fits exactly right, I feel as if the “White Light” being sung about could be seen as a metaphor for what the main character may be thinking at that point in the story. And Dexter Roland tying it all together? Well, let’s just say it had been a while, and our guest Peter Lorre inspired his return.
Not much else to say about this one. If all goes well, there should be a good New Year’s show coming up this weekend. And stay tuned for big things in January. 2012 will be interesting.
See you in seven.
Back For Christmas
# Title * Artist * Album * Further Info
01.) Back For Christmas * Suspense Cast * 23 December 1943 * CBS Radio
02.) Roumanian Christmas carols Sz. 57 * Béla Bartók (Performed by György Sàndor) * Complete Solo Piano Music
03.) Winter Snow * Booker T & The MGs * The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959 – 1968 * Stax Records
04.) White Light * Moonbell * Figurine EP * Self-Released
05.) Listen, The Snow Is Falling * Galaxie 500 * This Is Our Music * Rough Trade
Episode 147: 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.)
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
With the holidays in full swing, I knew that holiday shopping and whatnot would prevent me from being able to assemble a two hour show this week. Fortunately, DJ JustanotherDJ (at our Southern California affiliate) is regularly able to get my back in situations like this, and it was easy enough to program the quantum number generator to switch the feed to him for the first hour of the show. With that in mind, we present one of the more unusual interpretations of holiday broadcasting, as DJ JustanotherDJ dives into A Seasonal Show.
A Seasonal Show (22259)
SHOW NOTES 12/17/2011
Hey, folks. DJ JustAnotherDJ here.
THE NIGHTS ARE GETTING LONGER! No, I’m not trying to depress anyone – beyond any S.A.D. they may already be going through on their own. That’s just my first correction. During the show, I said the days were getting longer this time of year, when, of course, we all know it’s the nights. I guess since I’m a night person, I just kind of turned things around there. I did a lot of that this week.
My other correction is that “Splinter” is actually about the Snow Queen, not the Ice Queen. Guess that fairy tale isn’t all that famous after all, if I can’t even remember what she’s the queen of – no, that would just be my problem. It’s famous enough. The version of the song heard here is a “bonus” track, which isn’t as easy to throw onto a CD as it is on vinyl – it’s actually contained in the track for the final song of the album, “White Linen”, after about 15 minutes of silence. Stupid CDs. Though, for my money, better than “the Cloud.” Hey, lets all line up to buy things we can’t actually possess! Yeah, that’ll end well.
For the “bells” section of the show, all those songs are from 2010. In fact, a couple of the bands had their debut that year, and they all were formed generally around that time. Interesting how there were decades of music with no bands that had the word “bells” in their names, then, all of a sudden there’s, like, four. Life is an odd place.
So, yeah, maybe I can’t get seasonal music right, but I hope I played some songs that you liked. And, I also hope you all have a happy whatever-you-do for this time of year!
# SONG * ARTIST * ALBUM * LABEL * WEB
01.) Infinity Guitars * Sleigh Bells * Treats * Mom + Pop/N.E.E.T.
02.) Make A Deal With The City * Hurricane Bells * Down Comes The Rain * Invisible Brigades (self-release)
03.) Babelonia * School of Seven Bells * Disconnect from Desire * Ghostly International / Vagrant Records
04.) Your Head Is On Fire * Broken Bells * Broken Bells Columbia
05.) Winter * Tori Amos * Winter – Maxi Single * Atlantic
06.) The Pool * Tori Amos * Winter – Maxi Single * Atlantic
07.) Take to the Sky * Tori Amos * Winter – Maxi Single * Atlantic
08.) Sweet Dreams * Tori Amos * Winter – Maxi Single * Atlantic
09.) Inside Out * Tori Amos * Winter – Maxi Single * Atlantic
10.) Under Ice * Kate Bush * Hounds Of Love * EMI
11.) Splinter (alternate version) * 17 Reasons Why * The Dark Years * 17 Reasons Why
12.) Winter On Ice * The Spinanes * Strand * Sub Pop
13.) Icepond * Sunset Valley * Icepond * Barsuk
14.) Every Iceberg Is Afire * Sky Cries Mary * This Timeless Turning * World Domination Recordings / Capitol Records
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.
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
Episode 144: 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.)
Space Out
# Title * Artist * Album * Label
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)
It has become a bit of a tradition to put on a Thanksgiving show in the last few years, and while I didn’t want to break tradition, I knew I was going to be out of town for this year’s show. Given that I have recently become much more savvy about podcasting, and more to the point now have it in my own total control, this seemed like a good opportunity to be able to record and post a show and not miss a single minute of my holiday vacation. The result is this episode, which I am quite proud out.
I have to admit, which the theme isn’t very new, this one took some
searching. Special thanks go out to DJ JustanotherDJ, who not only suggested the “Thank You” idea, but threw a couple of songs my way, too. I would also like to thank the Firesign Theater, for having a comedy routine for every occasion, all the listeners (it is Thanksgiving, after all), and Marla Pemberton, my partner is all things, and who was patient with me while I threw together this show. She is number one on my list of things to be thankful for this year, and she deserves no end of thanks.
But, more than anything, this is an entertainment-oriented show. No big ideas, no grand effects, and no fancy editing. Just songs about food, being thankful, and a little bit of funny to lighten things as we go. What more do you want on this particular grazing holiday?
We should be back to doing live shows again next week. I love each and every one of you. Thanks!
See ya in seven.
Even More Thanksgiving Leftovers
# Title * Artist * Album * Label
01.) Soul Food * American Four * Lost Treasures!: Rarities From the Vaults of Del-Fi * Del-Fi Records
02.) I Thank You * Sam & Dave * The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 * Stax Records
03.) Thank You * The Remains * The Remains * Epic Records
04.) Thanksgiving, Or Pass The Indian Please! [Excerpt I] * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign * Artemis Records
05.) Soul Food * Johnny Rogers * Detroit Soul From The Vaults Volume Two * Goldmine Records
06.) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) * Sly & The Family Stone * The Essential Sly & The Family Stone * Epic / Legacy Records
07.) Happy Thanksgiving * The Residents * Demons Dance Alone * Ralph Records
08.) Thank You Boss / Black Feldman #6 * MX-80 * Always Leave ‘Em Wanting Less * Atavistic Records
09.) Meat Balls * Ken Nordine * Ken Nordine Does Robert Shure’s ‘Wink’ * Asphodel Records
10.) 5-Piece Chicken Dinner * The Beastie Boys * Paul’s Boutique * Capitol Records
11.) Undigested Food * Men’s Recovery Project * Immense Ovary Reject EP * Walkabout Records
12.) Great Food Is Cooked By Psychos * Patton Oswalt * Werewolves and Lollipops * Sub Pop Records
13.) I Like Food * The Descendents * Somery * SST Records
14.) I’m So Thankful * The Reigning Sound * Live At Maxwell’s * Telstar Records
15.) Thanksgiving, Or Pass The Indian Please! [Excerpt II] * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign * Artemis Records
16.) Thank You [Live] * The Flaming Lips * Finally, The Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid * Restless Records
17.) Lonesome Electric Turkey * Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention * Fillmore East – June 1971 * Bizzare / Reprise Records
18.) Thanks To You * Devo * Pioneers Who Got Scalped: The Anthology * Warner Bros. Records
19.) Thank You For The Music * Cornelius * Fantasma * Matador Records
20.) Let’s Talk Turkey * Ima Robot * Ima Robot * Virgin Records
21.) Thanksgiving, Or Pass The Indian Please! [Excerpt III] * The Firesign Theater * All Things Firesign * Artemis Records
22.) Sour Biscuits * Wes Dakus * Forbidden City Dog Food * Vip Vop Records
23.) Turkeyneck Stretch * Grady O’Niel and the Bellatones * The Purple Knif Show * Muster Records
24.) Thank You And Goodnight [Excerpt] * Cathead * Live At The Monkeyhouse 15 April 1995 * Self-Released
Sounds To Make You Shiver
Ghostly Sounds 
Haunted House
Mid-Valley Mutations 
