Psychedelic FM sermons are Layne’s specialty, but you may feel less tripped out than pissed off the closer you listen. Through hot and brittle realism, Desert Oracle Radio subverts diversion and asks the listener, “Which side are you on?” If there’s one thing that’s not going to stave off the apocalypse, it’s entertainment.

This episode looks at the core fundamentals of Desert Oracle Radio. Followers and strangers will both find something to ponder in this candid interview.

Listen/download here.

Links:
Desert Oracle Magazine sampler
Desert Oracle Radio audio feed
Music by Red Blue Black Silver
Desert Magazine piece cited in the episode

Hosted and produced by Chris Greenspon
Special thanks to Red Blue Black Silver and Kristin Scharkey

Photo: Desert Oracle publisher and host, Ken Layne, in front of his office on Highway 62 in downtown Joshua Tree.
Credit: Chris Greenspon

There aren’t many people who introduce themselves by their full name, but for J.P. Story, there’s no other way, and as for his relationship with the SGV, there’s no other place this self-proclaimed non-artist could hail from. Take a trip into the mind of one of our most relevant cultural critics (if he even knows it), and ask yourself, “Who is J.P. Story?”

This episode is for anyone who’s ever had a socially unacceptable idea, and the willpower to carry it out. As always, I agree with nothing my guests say.

Listen/download here.

Links:
Buy J.P.’s books of photos and poetry
J.P.’s amazing video archive
Instagram: @Your_Personal_Photographer_Jp

Hosted and produced by Chris Greenspon
Editorial assistance by Alex Aguilar
Rap tape by J.P. Story

Photo Credit: J.P. Story, Las Vegas, 2012

The Flesh Eaters are one of LA’s best cult secrets. No, not the famous line-up, the metal n’ soul one! Bassist Robyn Jameson recounts how creative tensions flowered, flamed out, and gave way to the more mature Divine Horsemen. He thought they were gonna make “A Minute to Pray 2,” but the records they made are just as vital to Los Angeles’ history.

This episode is for fanatics and newcomers alike, blending Robyn’s candid interview with classics, deep cuts, and rare live tape, all …messed with… for this episode.

Listen/download here.

Links:
Tickets for Divine Horsemen’s show at the Echo
The Flesh Eaters’ records are available from Atavistic and Superior Viaduct
Books by Chris D. available at Chris’s Amazon Author’s page
Flesh Eaters and Divine Horsemen on good ol’ Facebook

Hosted and produced by Chris Greenspon
Live tapes by Noise Addiction II and Gil Fuhrer of Safari Sam’s, Huntington Beach
Special thanks to Chris Desjardins and Ryan Pacheco

Photo line-up L-R: An early version of Divine Horsemen. John Doe, Julie Christensen, Robyn Jameson (sitting), Chris Desjardins, Matt Lee, Rex Roberts. Credit: Unknown.

Comedian Ember Knight would’ve gotten away with asking who had the biggest spicy sausage in the safe space… until Satan showed up and offered her fame. From there, it was a deep and raw digression into what’s problematic in contemporary stand-up, complete with faked death and real nudity.

This episode interweaves Knight’s interview with tons of live sound from her performance.

Listen/download here.

Featuring music by Ember Knight:
emberknight.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: @emburgler
Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/EmberKnight/

Hosted and produced by Chris Greenspon
Live recording from Dominic A. Reyes’ Domestic Violence Benefit @ Bridgetown DIY, La Puente, 11/24/17
Audio guidance by Ryan Pacheco

“There is nothing brown and queer like that, and punk all together,” Sanchez friends pleaded with him, after a one-off dj night at Akbar. So Ray and his dj’ing partner Rudy Garcia concocted sCUM, a monthly club in Montebello. Since early 2016, sCUM has brought the likes of Martin Crudo, Alice Bag, Allison Wolfe, Seth Bogart, Brontez Purnell and countless drag performers to a loyal following of queer poc punx in ELA. Regulars have become performers and vice versa. Sanchez shares his roots in the club scene and the backyard scene in this great episode.

Listen/download here.

Featuring music from CAUSA:
causapunx.bandcamp.com/releases
T Party pix:
www.instagram.com/nochedejotiar/
Follow sCUM:
https://www.instagram.com/club_scum_ela/

Hosted and produced by Chris Greenspon
Photo by Scott Freeman, @ogscottfree, at Bridgetown DIY
Music assistance by Crasslos

Valinda’s Desilu Munoz fell into film at an early age, and used it to document scenes and hoods all over Southern California, until she realized that everything she cared about was right in the SGV. But what’s next for the photog who covers the Valley’s humble beauty?

A note from your host: After recording this interview, I decided to start a mini-series within The Vacuum Seal called “SGV Stories.” These episodes are dedicated to the people and places in the San Gabriel Valley.

Listen/download here.

Follow Desilu’s art:
http://desilumunoz.squarespace.com/
https://www.instagram.com/heydesilu/

Hosted by Chris Greenspon
Theme song by Great Ghosts

La Mirada’s Felipe Flores is the cartoonist behind Trabajo Press, a working class comics and zine publisher that examines pop culture. In this episode, Flores talks with Chris Greenspon about The Simpsons, his comic ‘Hyper Time,’ that pits the historical figures like the Ramones against fictional characters like the Warriors, AND, he also sheds light on why it’s important to make comics about things that disgust you.

“…Time exists in the subspace between the poetry created about it as well as from it.” —taken from the inside cover of Hyper Time #1, “New York 1976”

Listen/download here.

Follow Felipe’s art here:
www.instagram.com/felipeflorescomics/
www.facebook.com/trabajopress

Theme song: Untitled by Jet Elfman
Closing track: I Couldn’t Let You by Felipe Flores

Many thanks to Felipe for designing The Vacuum Seal’s logo.

The Vacuum Seal is the show I’ve always dreamed of doing. It’s meant to showcase  artists and thinkers who aren’t on the bubble of the consumer-driven establishment. The show sounds like an elongated NPR feature, with all those bells/whistles/narration, stretched out to about 15-25 minutes. I don’t agree with everything I publish from our conversations, but I put them out so that you can pick them apart, or appreciate them for what they are. The two things that draw me to an interviewee are their attitude and their mission.

I was born in 1991 and grew up in La Puente, California, the son of a non-practicing fourth generation Romanian-American Jewish father, and a first generation, Mexican immigrant mother who is very Catholic. My passion for music and writing was given to me by them at an early age, as well as a love affair with PBS and cartoons that  influenced me to pursue my career in media.

My obsession with punk and otherwise anti-authoritarian ephemera began in junior high, and has never really left. To this day, the autonomous, non-judgmental, party atmosphere of real gigs is an inspiration to me, and fanzines like Search & Destroy, Slash, No Mag, and Zig Zag laid the groundwork for what I’m doing now.

I attended Mt. San Antonio College out of high school, with no true career direction. About three years in, I fell into college radio, and quickly found an entry-level job at one of the lowest performing stations in Los Angeles. It was a great place to get started.

Whilst driving to work one day, I decided that if I was going to work in radio, I should listen to the radio. Driving south over the bridge on Hacienda Boulevard, approaching the 60 Freeway, I saw a billboard for Pasadena’s NPR affiliate, KPCC. “Why not them?” I thought, and tuned in.

The first program I ever heard on public radio was KPCC’s Off-Ramp. I was instantly in love with the sound-rich, snotty style of the show. Some months later, after dogging various employees of KPCC for station tours and the like, I applied for an internship with Off-Ramp. I did not get it, but the host, John Rabe, asked me to start freelancing for the show because he liked my demo.

Since then, I’ve produced dozens of features for Off-Ramp and more public radio shows, and have had stints working for other stations and the odd engineering gig. Currently, I’m producing this show, and it has honestly been one of the greatest challenges yet. Every episode, I strive for better writing, interviewing, voicing, and production. This is not a perfect show, these are not perfect interviews, but here they are, preserved in time.

Enjoy, and feel free to criticize.

Oh, and if you’re listening at work, there’s the occasional f-word in the program.

–Chris