In Search Of The Ghost Hunters of The Mid-Valley (A Hellraiser Installment)

WFMU Playlist & Interactive Live Chat

It’s the holiday season, and as usual, we find that the once-a-year tradition of seeing the Ghost Hunters emerge and get sighted by any number of local oddball, here in the Mid-Valley. Miss Rikki (of legendary Closet Radio  fame) joins me for a tour of the Mid-Valley, in search of ghosts and other mysterious happenings. There’s plenty of music, natch, and we do our best to find the scariest parts of the Mid-Valley… all while trying to raise a little coin for WFMU.

Enjoy!

… IN HELL.

WFMU Playlist & Interactive Live Chat

In a rare radio event that was far too long in the making, Miss Rikki of Closet Radio notoriety joins me for a pseudo A Momentary Lapse of Reason reunion, as we join forces as Jungle Room correspondents, who have gone on-location, to a town at the southern end of the Mid-Valley, with the unlikely name of Hell. In this scripted adventure with a cast of characters almost too numerous to mention, we’ll go to Hell and Back just to bring you some Holiday Entertainment. Will we survive this incredible adventure? Who will we meet along the way? Will it all be in the name of ridiculous Halloween fun?

You can count on it.

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

The Language & Music of The Wolves: A Momentary Lapse of Reason Retrospective (#239) (848)

Miss Rikki joins me for a trip through nostalgia and great mixes, as we replay some choice selections from a few of our finest radio moments together. We also catch up with Miss Rikki, to talk about all the things that she is involved in now.

Enjoy!

Live Playlist & Comments

A Momentary Lapse of Reason (Part II) (#85)

The writing was on the wall from the beginning, and A Momentary Lapse of Reason was doomed (if by name alone) to be short lived. Getting off the ground initially was extremely time consuming. Half way through, KPSU experienced all new management, and they were unsure of who I was, what the show was about, and when they could schedule it. (The new staff were unaware that I was celebrating my 10 year anniversary at KPSU.)

And part of the confusion was the fact that I’d quite KPSU twice previously. While it is difficult to talk about this without ultimately pointing fingers, the fist time I left for due to “creative differences,” and the second time was to pursue new projects that, at the time, were very promising. That being said, the name of the new show was far too appropriate; while I thought I was making one joke (regarding Pink Floyd’s return to recording after their “final” cut), it turned out the “momentary” aspect of the program was entirely too relevant. By the end of July of the 2014, the show was over, and by September, the last Momentary Lapse of Reason show went out under the disguise of the last Closet Radio broadcast to go out on KPSU. (Sometime the details of Closet Radio‘s ascendence and disappearance should be covered by someone, but for now, I’ll have to leave that to a future someone.)

There were several factors that led to the end, but one was a simple matter of technical problems. KPSU, at the time, regularly had issues, with equipment, access to the studio, the turntables (as most notably heard on the Closet Radio sessions, which had a hum that was only identified afterward running throughout the performance), and sometimes, there was a band sitting in the studio, wanting to play. This is, of course, the adventure of college radio, but when you rely on the full studio to create your program, these limitations can be very frustrating. On at least two occasions, the station was mysteriously closed and we couldn’t do a show. (We ultimately podcasted in place of those, an entirely other permutation of this show that is also not represented here and now.) And in the end, the station just didn’t know what to make of the show. Trying to explain a collage / interview / talk / music show was hard, and they never understood why it didn’t work to have a rock band recording in the room next door while Rikki & I were trying to talk. (Not to mention how hard it was to mix.) It was clear, for both of us, that KPSU was not the place for this show.

Add on top of all of this availability. In spite of my best efforts, KPSU didn’t make it easy to hear A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Sometimes, the show was not listed on the site. Other times, the feeds weren’t working, so you couldn’t even hear us live. When we did manage to get incomplete recordings, getting them properly documented in a way for listeners to find and hear were a challenge, and at one point, it seemed like I had lost all the source recordings for the program. To say that it was little heard (and badly recorded) is an understatement, so at the very least, bringing these recordings to a wider audience is to finally do justice to these shows that have, more or less, languished in digital oblivion.

Another factor that competed for attention at the same time was my own proximity to Portland, where KPSU is located. Very quickly, due to a number of reasons that are boring and tedious, I found myself moving to Salem rather suddenly. While I initially commuted to PDX for work and radio, I soon landed a job in Salem, and getting to Portland was no longer easy or possible for the time slot we were inhabiting. Initially, this was only going to be a temporary roadblock; both Rikki & I were working out ways that the podcast version of the show could be done remotely, and there were talks of us changing the show entirely to The Secret True History of Rock & Roll, a new idea that grew out of A Momentary Lapse of Reason. But all these plans were scuttled when Rikki moved Closet Radio to KRXY, and then, moved away from Portland entirely. At that point, the nail in the AMLOR coffin was officially pounded in place.

Obviously, something like this is about a time and a place. Rikki & I did some incredible radio at KPSU, and we both enjoyed our shows, and this one in particular. But it was clear that our lives were moving in other directions. But for one year, we managed to create a show that was absolutely a representation of what we are like when we are on the radio together, and that alone is something that is worth quite a bit.  My hope is that, buried in the mix here somewhere, you can hear Miss Rikki and I, laughing and rocking out, so incredibly pleased with ourselves that we got to make such wild radio.

Even if it was only temporary.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

A Momentary Lapse of Reason (Part II)

HOUR 1

Part I: (From Episode 2, 5 February 2014)

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Silence vs. Answers * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part II: (From Episode 18, 11 June 2014) 

03.) The Warm Up * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part III: (From Episode 20, 25 June 2014 & Episode 21, 2 July 2014) 

04.) Having Something To Rebel Against * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part IV: (From Episode 21, 2 July 2014 & Episode 22, 9 July 2014)

05.) The Subdivisions of Time * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

HOUR 2

Part V: (From Episode 22, 9 July 2014) 

06.) Firesign Wilson & George ‘Lilly’ Theater Play Vanilla Fudge (or, “The 70’s) * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part VI: (From Episode 22, 9 July 2014 & Closet Radio Episode 151, 27 September 2014) 

07.) Small Stories of The Night * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part VII: (From Closet Radio Episode 151, 27 September 2014)

08.) Well I Never * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part VIII (Bonus): (From Closet Radio Episode 151, 27 September 2014)

09.) When You’re Uncool * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

A Momentary Lapse of Reason (Part I) (#84)

Some moments in our lives are just wistful memories of which we have little record. But sometimes, you get a glorious snapshot of something from the past, and when you revisit it, you realize there is wisdom and glory is looking back on what had been done before.

For a short period of time in 2014, I returned to KPSU while I was working at PSU. I had twice left the station before, to work on other radio projects elsewhere, but as a student, alumni, and then employee of the school, KPSU was never far from my mind, or my memory. I would hear it as I roamed the campus during work hours, and it soon filled my mind with all sorts of ideas about a new was of doing radio. It’s not like I’d ever strayed too far away. Every iteration of my show has been, essentially, the same. (That is to say, me and my interests, on display, for all the world to hear.) But I wanted to distill all the facets of my radio personality into one, rambling, massive, pulsing thing that was, for all intents and purposes, me in audio form.

It took a long time to set this up. Starting in 2013, I began planning and preparing, working with the station and with Miss Rikki to get it to come into being. There were delays and setbacks, and stations management changes that always make it difficult to explain everything all over again to someone new. But we launched, at the end of January, and for most of 2014, this became my favorite thing to do, creatively.

While the show was never supposed to include anyone else other than myself, Rikki had been so much a part of planning this show, that it only made sense to have her on the first one. Then, very quickly, she was there for every show, and so was a whole cast of characters that littered the conversations and spots on the program, none of which are represented here. The backbone, the essence of the show was Miss Rikki and I, mixing records and other stuff, and seeing how it all turned out.

In fact, aside from the first DJ set of the first show, almost none of what was aired on A Momentary Lapse of Reason was planned any way. The spontaneous and improvised nature of the show relied heavily on the KPSU music archive, which we played relentlessly in various capacities, but this sort of ignores that both Rikki and I would bring piles of stuff to play, too. But one we got to chatting, and picking stuff out, it always became clear that the shows were never going to even get to the stuff we’d selected before, a tradition that is long standing a common in radio.

This show was short lived, and perhaps I’ll talk about the ending in the next episode. But here, let’s focus on some of the best and choicest moments from the first several episodes. While our show was full of segments, talk, calls, and live music, the connective tissue / thread that would hold it all together was our mixes. This is the stuff that has aged the best, represents the spirit of the show that I remember fondly, and is truly wild in a way that makes me want to bring this element back to Mid-Valley Mutations in a big way.

As a special treat, there are a few extra “bonus minutes” on the podcast version, that the FM version did not get. If you were listening live, and want to hear that, the bonus minutes are at the end. And: stay tuned next week, as we continue this exploration, and bring you more magnificent mixes from Miss Rikki and myself.

Enjoy!

Spinitron Playlist

A Momentary Lapse of Reason (Part I)

HOUR 1

Part I: (From Episode 2, 5 February 2014)

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Silence vs. Answers * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part II: (From Episode 6, 5 March 2014 & Episode 7, 19 March 2014) 

03.) That Neu Number Station In Astro Space * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part III: (From Episode 8, 26 March 2014 & Episode 12, 23 April 2014) 

04.) Full Skronk Git Down * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

Part IV: (From Episode 14, 14 May 2014 & Episode 17, 4 June 2014)

05.) The Jazz Numbers Theory on Botflys & Mr. Topsy Turvy * A Momentary Lapse of Reason w/ The Professor & The Professor’s Wife * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)

HOUR 2

Part V: (From Episode 17, 4 June 2014 & Episode 18, 11 June 2014) 

06.) The Meta-morph-osis * A Momentary Lapse of Reason * 2014 Sessions * KPSU Radio (2014)
07.) Tonto * Battles * Mirrored * Warp Records (2007)

Part VI: (From Episode 3, 12 February 2014)

08.) As of Now * Ken Nordine * A Transparent Mask * Asphodel Records (2004)
09.) Tommy Goes Berserk * Melvins Lite * Freak Puke * Ipecac Records (2012)
10.) Gauze * KARP * Stars Kill Rock * Kill Rock Stars (1993)

Part VII: (Episode 3, 12 February 2014 2014 & Episode 6, 5 March 2014)

11.) SPMC * The Icarus Line * Mono * Buddyhead Records (2001)
12.) Up In Her Room * The Seeds * A Web of Sound * GNP Creshendo (1966)

On The Flip Side
(Longer description of the episode, with weird esoteric links and notes about the show.  Originally broadcast on 9 July 2014 on KPSU.)

Playlist & Footnotes: http://anywhereanywhen.com/2015/06/23/on-the-flip-side

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

Closet Radio Episode 151: Skipping Past Conclusions

(9-27-14)

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.

MyFacester+ TwitsGrams

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

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.

Enjoy!

The Secret True History of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Part I: Some Things Old

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

The Most Brilliant Piece of Gobbelty-Gook Ever (A Lester Bangs Tribute Show)

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 Stuff That Myths Are Built On
(For this show, we throw our listeners to the wolves.)

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

The Secret True History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Part I: Introduction
(Miss Rikki & I discuss music old and new as we introduce a new format for our show when we’re suddenly not able to get into KPSU. )

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 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

</Secret Hidden Playlist>

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?

06.) A Date With John Waters

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!

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

Part II: Color Coded Life

06.) Project Perfect * PM+

Part III: Tuesday Is Always A Holiday

07.) Black Elk * Black Elk

Dancing Into The Future (‘The Prom Show’)
(Inspired by Waiter AZ David’s recent prom photos, Tunacan Jones & Miss Rikki join me in conversations about proms.)  

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.

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 no more ramblin’ to do.

Enjoy!

The Prom Show

Part I: “Insert Generic Prom Music Here”

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

Mutual Radio Theater (Retrocast #2)

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)

Part II: Boyband vs. “What’s This Called?”

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 Ship is Docking (‘Dispatches From The Southernmost Outpost’)
(On the subject of packing, moving, ‘mancaves’ – how awful they are, and Miss Rikki’s lateness.)

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

Part II: Fuck Packing

09.) Quiet Village * Martin Denny

Part III: Obvious Resentment

09.) Silver Sail * The Wipers

Four Dimensional Nightmare, LIVE! (Pledge Drive 2014)
(With our first ever live in-studio performance on AMLOR, we bring in our good buddy Four Dimensional Nightmare for a mind-melting performance.)  

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.

Enjoy!

Four Dimensional Nightmare, LIVE!

Part I: Introduction

01.) Excerpt * Four Dimensional Nightmare * Live on “What’s This Called?” 2 March 2013

Part II: Four Dimensional Nightmare, LIVE!

02.) 16 April 2014

Hang The DJ, Hang The DJ, Hang The DJ. (Pledge Drive 2014)
(On the subject of DJs, Radio itself, and the 2014 Pledge Drive.)

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

We Have No Idea What This Sounds Like:

09.) Spark In The Chain* Cheap Time * Exit Smiles

Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. (Pledge Drive 2014)
(Miss Rikki & I go into great detail about the Pledge Drive, what we are offering, and how you can make a big difference for KPSU.org.)

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

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)

08.) Light Echoes I * Steve Moore * Light Echoes

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

</Secret Hidden Playlist>

Retrocast DJ Set #1

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.

Enjoy.

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

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
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

</Secret Hidden Playlist>

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:

Is This Music? w/ RABBITS, Live!

Nasalrod, LIVE!

(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

</Secret Hidden Playlist>

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

</Secret Hidden Playlist>

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

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.