November The Dozenth

 THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB: 11/12/2011


Originally aired on WRIR 97.3 FM Richmond

Podcast: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/55765 

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Pink Floyd- Up The Khyber

Melomane- Dreams of Ships and Lightning

Taxi To The Ocean- Flag On The Moon

Tadpoles- Race To The Mustard Patch

Oingo Boingo- Run Away

Stranglers- Toiler On The Sea

XTC- Life Is Good In The Greenhouse

Of Montreal- Death Is Not A Parallel Move/Beware Our
              Nubile Miscreants

Joan As Policewoman- Kiss The Specifics

Ray Manzarek- Downbound Train

Pink Frost- Who I Belong To

Roxy Music- Would You Believe

Sparks- This Is The Renaissance

Area 27- Driving With The Future Self

Capt. Beefheart- Peaches

Michelle Malone- Teen Lament

Neil Young- Come on Baby, Let's Go Downtown

Cat Dail- Future Fridays

Steve Hillage- Sea Nature

HuDost- Skeleton Key

Cecile Corbel- Suil a Ruin

The Purrs- Stay With Me

Cardiacs- Leader of the Starry Skies

Jeannine Hebb- I Believe

The Fierce and the Dead- 10'X 10'

Don't Make Me Hit You

It has been a long, long time since I beat the shit out of somebody just because they deserved it. In fact, I'm pretty sure the last time was the winter of 8th Grade and that the person was my brother- I had baked a batch of Christmas cookies for my Grandparents and my dirty rotten bother stole them and took them to his homeroom class for their Xmas party. When I discovered his misdeed, I punched him out as best I could, which really wasn't very much of a beating- I was plenty pissed, but he was still my brother and I didn't really want to harm him, I just wanted him to know that he fucked up when he messed with my Grannie treats. He needed a lesson in respect and he got one, albeit a totally wimpy version. I mostly sat on his back and punched his shoulders, if I recall...anyway.

Why am I telling you this? Because this morning I came as close to getting in a punch-up as I've been since I quit drinking, and it was all about respect. Or lack thereof.

A few weeks ago I was out on a date (with a woman that I'm still dating) and while we were out,  we ran into J, the guy who fills the snack machines at my office. J is a big fat Jamaican who I usually enjoy shooting the shit with when he makes his rounds- he's a funny , if a bit obnoxious chap. Which is fine.

He stopped and said hello to me and kept going, which was diplomatic of him. I was on a date after all, and it would have been rude to interrupt us...so far, so good, right? J is an alright dude, eh?

Well, I saw him this morning for the first time since that chance encounter  and he asked me a very rude 'dude' question. I generally don't get into that sort of discussion with guys, so I pretended not to hear him until he asked me a second time.

"No, nothing like that", I replied tersely. I had overslept and missed my shave, shower and coffee- I was in no mood for manly trifles.

Then he said something  that I really didn't like and won't repeat here.

"Look", I started in on J, "there was a time when I'd  have been OK with that. But that was a long time ago and I'm not an out-of-control fucked-up kid anymore. Before any of what you described happens, I want to be sure that I like and respect the other person. And vice versa. That takes time, it isn't a contest or a race, it is a long-term two-way project. That isn't what you are talking about. You are just talking about meaningless fuckery."

J looked at me as if I were crazy, and perhaps I am. Ten years ago, I never would have imagined that I would be dispensing angry, improvised lectures on  the virtues of chivalry to a chauvinistic Jamaican  truck driver in the break room of a high-rise office building.

"Women don't want to be respected", J told me.

Then he elaborated on how women really want to be treated. His description began with "Like pigs..." and got worse with every word. It was unbelievably ugly and it made me want to punch him, but the sad thing is, there are women who do feel that way about themselves- my mother was one-  and J had learned to identify that characteristic in women and to exploit it for his own personal gratification. He was a sexual parasite and proud of it.

 "You are turning bright red", observed J.

 He was right. I was so angered by his callous display of sexism and and gleeful tales of degradation that I was having what almost amounted to an out-of-body experience. I wasn't exactly sure what my body was going to do- it looked like I was getting ready to throw a punch at J, which would probably have been a big mistake, since he is a full foot taller than myself and outweighs me by at least 120 pounds.

So I walked away and went back to my cubicle to drink coffee and think about abusive men and the women that they attract. Abusive men always seem to have at least one girlfriend and/or wives, so there must be plenty of women with the requisite psychological damage needed to fill those roles. That really sucks.

My new friend is not like that. She's very pretty and of course I'm attracted to that, but it her person-ness  that has earned my respect. Out of that respect , I am not going to blog any details about her except for a few positive things that really took me by surprise:

- She's a good mother. That might sound like no big deal to some people, but I find it to be a very attractive trait. That's new to me.

- She'd probably laugh uncontrollably and question my judgement if she were to read this, but I think she manages her time very well. That says a lot about a person. A lot good.

- She remembered my birthday and is taking me out to celebrate it! Happy!

I spent my last birthday alone in a Fort Lauderdale hotel, stuck on a shitty business trip. I just checked my blog from 2009- I don't even mention my birthday at all, so I'm guessing I didn't do anything that year...in 2008 there's a brief , depressed mention but no celebration. I did find a short story I wrote- it is a dark piece, but also one of my personal favorites (reposted here). I'd forgotten about it...I bet I could publish at least two books if I went back through all my old archives. Later for that. My point is, my birthday is usually a non-event.

This year is a little different. I'm looking forward to my 45th birthday. Friday  I'll be engineering a live studio performance by a small Gamelan orchestra, after which I'll be treated to dinner by a beautiful woman...so that kinda rocks as far as days go.

Next week is our station's Fund Drive and I'll be engineering a LOT of live shows as our DJs pull out the stops during our pleading period- we don't have advertisers, so we rely on listener donations- without them, I wouldn't have been able to air this fabulous broadcast:


THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB: 9/10/2011
Originally aired on WRIR-97.3 FM Richmond

Podcast here

Helios Creed- Dimension 5

King Crimson- Prozack  Blues  (live)

Brian Eno- King's Lead Hat

The Purrs- Feeling Fine

Be Bop Deluxe- Love With The Madman

Stackridge- Marzo Plod

Joni Mitchell- You Turn Me On (I'm a Radio)

Captain Beefheart- This Is The Day (live)

Pink Floyd- Pigs on the Wing

Mothers of Invention- Directly From My Heart To You

Angelfish- King Of The World

David Bowie- Beauty and the Beast

The Kinks- Powerman

Funkadelic- Nappy Dugout

The Stranglers- Go Buddy Go

The Tubes- I Was A Punk Before You Were A Punk (live)

Elvis Costello- Stella Hurt

Oingo Boingo- Whole Day Off

Crack The Sky- Skin Deep

Of Montreal- Everything Dissappears (When You Come Around)

Cursive- Making Friends and Acquaintances

Bird York - What Are You Running After?

Cat Dail- Squeeze Your Play

Elu- Beautiful Things

Kalliopi- Summer Is Over

Iron Butterfly- Stamped Ideas

Gong- How To Survive
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I Trust My Guitar

This past Monday I had the pleasure of being a guest on Lakota Phillips' talk program Breaking Taboo, which airs weekly on New Dissident Radio. It was the second time I've been on and I must say I really enjoy it. The free-wheeling,  uncensored talk format is a real change of pace from my own freewheeling, barely-censored music show...sometimes I wish that I had a radio talk show of my very own- yeah, like that could ever happen.

Wednesday night I had a dinner date, my third with the same woman. It is more like a slow, meandering walk through a forest than it is a mad race to the finish line...this is a new experience for me. Women sure were a lot easier to figure out back when I only dated alcoholics, but I have a feeling that the slow approach might yield better, longer-lasting results in the long run.

Thursday night I took a look into my larder and saw that I was out of almost everything that could reasonably be considered food...it didn't take me long to figure out that Cheerios and chutney may be alliterative, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they belong in the same bowl, so I headed to the local market, which has been randomly changing the layout of its aisles and contents as they remodel the interior. The milk is...where...there...where...here, whew...the supermarket experience left me simultaneously exhausted and over-stimulated andwhen I finally got home, I realized I had leftover Thai from last night. So I nuked that and by that time it was time for bed.

The office closed early Friday, so I went home and started working on my music show. Then I took a short nap. Then I got up and worked a bit.
Nap.
Work.
Nap.
Work.
 
This went on until about midnight, at which time I took an eight-hour nap.

I woke up this morning and found that I had no blank CDs to burn my show's music selections to, so I dashed off to store to buy some. When I returned, I noticed that last night I'd saved my show files as 96k mp3s, which is too low-fidelity for radio broadcast. I was forced to re-create all of my segments at the very last second and re-burn them as audio files. As a result, I barely arrived at the station in time for my show.

The show went really well but I was disheartened by the lack of internet listeners- my listenership has been slowly but steadily increasing and today's number was so dismal that at first I thought I was looking at my painfully vanishing 401k and not at our web meter. But the DJ who came in after me told me he'd listened to the stream just a while ago and it was noisy and distorted. Hmmm.

Sure enough, when I got home, my recording was totally ruined by digital noise and distortion.

I'd spent two days on it and *poof*, gone forever...but...but...aha! I still had most of the show saved as individual segments!

I threw them into the old mixing bowl, stirred in a few songs that I'd added on the fly during the broadcast, sprinkled it with some artist-promo program IDs and voila! Instant podcast- by instant, I mean twelve hours of repetitive, carpal-tunneling work, but at least it is done.

Tomorrow, while the rest of you drink beer, eat tasty grilled meats and frolic in the sun with your friends and family, I'll be shopping for a mop and new shower curtain.

Then I'll do housework and later on I'll fix some pasta for dinner.

Long live Rock and Roll.

THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB SEPT.  3, 2011. 

Broadcast every Saturday from 1pm-3pm on WRIR 97.3 FM, Richmond. Podcast here.

Joan As Policewoman- I Was Everyone

Cafebar 401- You Got Something

Michelle Malone- Light of Day

Paula Cole- Road to Death

Sparks- Biology 2

Funkadelic- I Wanna Know

Can- Half Past One

The Tubes- I'm Just A Mess

Patti Smith- The 25th Floor/High On Rebellion

Portishead- Insensible

Massive Attack- Live With Me

HuDost- Glacier

Pinback- AFK

Angelfish- Mummy Can't Drive

Garbage- Driving Lesson

Richard Thompson- MGB GT

Capt. Beefheart- New Electric Ride (Live)

Stackridge- No One Is More Important Than The Earthworm (live)

Mothers of Invention- Oh No/Orange County Lumber Truck

John Cale- Bring It On Up

Jimi Hendrix- Hey Baby (New Sun Rising) live

Chrome- Zombie Warfare

Pere Ubu- Life Stinks

The Kinks- Mountain Girl

Bill Laswell- Assassin

Monday Machines- Ruined Morning (bonus)
I began this re-created broadcast using a very cool program ID that Cary Grace made for my show, so I thought finishing  with a very appropriate song that she wrote for me would be a fitting end to it all.

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An eventful week for me:

On Monday I had the honor of being a guest on the multi-talented Lakota Phillips' thought-provoking radio program Breaking Taboo on New Dissident Radio. It was great to make a cross-country  connection with my fellow new media pioneers. From the NDR site:

Allan Coberly with WRIR 97.3 and America Revealed’s S. Paul Forrest join Lakota for a fast-paced, exciting show that cracks open the dissatisfaction Americans have with leadership in Washington and the current state of the country and the world. Why all the grumbling and no action? The riots in London, what they really reflect, as well as how they relate to similar unrest in America is discussed with some intriguing points that will make you go “hmmmmm.”

 Podcast downloads of this show and previous BT episodes are available from the link above.

On Wednesday I engineered and produced a live radio appearance by New Jersey trio  Screaming Females- video by Jim Nelson here:


Screaming Females on WRIR from Jim Nelson on Vimeo.

Thursday I stayed up way past my bedtime putting together the playlists below.

Friday I told my boss that I don't make enough money for what they expect, I am very discouraged and am thinking about quitting. Then I went on a second date with a beautiful woman who makes me smile...we had a great dinner and I gave her an autographed copy of The Screaming Females CD.

So.

Right now I have two major unresolved questions:

1) Do I still have a job?

2) Will I ever have a girlfriend again?

But all that had to wait, because this morning I had a four-hour marathon of live radio:

 I had the great honor of filling in for Buzzy Lawler on his fantastic Shake Some Action program on WRIR today- mostly 1960's and early 1970's guitar rock. The good kind- the kind they don't make anymore.

SHAKE SOME ACTION-NEW BREAKFAST SNOB EDITION: 8/20/2011

SSA Podcast here.

NBS Podcast here.

Sweet - Daydream

Sweetwater- Motherless Child

Pink Floyd- Point Me At The Sky

Flaming Groovies- Love Have Mercy

Humble Pie- Shaky Jake

Manfred Mann- My Name's Jack

Ten Years After- Sugar The Road

Taj Mahal- Take A Giant Step

Everly Brothers- Love Is Strange

Alex Chilton- With A Girl Like You

Small Faces- Sha La La Lee

Great Society- White Rabbit

Cat Stevens- I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun
Once and future Stinky Hippie Cat Stevens gleefully singing about going on a homicidal shooting spree , cheerfully exacting revenge on everyone who ever called him a Stinking Hippie. Seriously, even I couldn't make that up.

The Troggs- I Can't Control Myself

The Scorpions -Greensleeves
This is not the 1970's Scorpions, this is an entirely different band. I got yer other Scorpions on the next show...see below.

Gun- Race With The Devil

Neil Young -Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Fairport Convention- Chelsea Morning

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers- All Your Love

Rare Earth- Share Your Love

Edwinn Starr- 25 Miles
I got a caller during this show who informed me that this song was the very first 45rpm record he ever bought as a kid. It made me happy to hear that.

Wilson Pickett- Don't Fight it (Feel it)

Captain Beefheart- Here I Am

Atomic Rooster- Play The Game

Electric Sandwich- Devil's Dream

Fleetwood Mac- Heartbeat Like A Hammer

Jimi Hendrix- We Gotta Live Together

Emerson, Lake and Palmer- Are You Ready, Eddie?

Spirit- Morning Will Come

Electric Flag- Make Your Move

Funkadelic- Standing On The Verge of Getting It On


So, OK. That was one show down. Things were rolling merrily along until suddenly disaster struck- our webstream went down and I could not coax it back to life. WRIR was reduced to a mere broadcast radio station...but rather than skip a week of podcasting, I went home , used my under-appreciated telepathic powers to painstakingly re-create nearly the entire damn show by hand and then I uploaded the simulacrum in lieu of a recording of the actual program.

Why do I do this? Well...because...um...yeah. Or not.

THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 8/20/2011: Telepathic Upload Edition


Jeff Beck- Roy's Toy

Brian Eno- No One Receiving

Klaus Schulze- Weird Caravan

Caravan- Be Alright

David Bowie- Sons of The Silent Age

Jennings- Surrender

Lost In The Trees- Song For The Painter

Mavis Staples- You're Not Alone

Bird York- Punish Me With Kisses

Area 27- Wild Card

Manfred Mann's Earth Band- Messin'

Adriana Kaegi- When The Money Runs Out

The Kinks- Money and Corruption

Joan As Policewoman- Chemmie

Michelle Malone and Band du Soliel- Sitting In The Sun

Paula Cole - Hitler's Brothers

Norine Braun- Hanna To Hollywood

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood- Some Velvet Morning

Kalliopi- Summer's Almost Over

Fruup- Prince of Darkness

Can- Full Moon On The Highway

Scorpions- Fly People Fly
This is by (the) Scorpions that you  have heard of.

Ray Manzarek- The Golden Scarab
Ray, along with Jim Morrison, was in The Doors. To my knowledge, Morrison never mentioned dung beetles in his lyrics...Ray does mention dung beetles in this tune. That might be why I almost never play The Doors but play Ray quite often. Or maybe I have other reasons.

Astronauts of Antiquity- Strangest Places

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One of these days, I'll actually do something...

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Sonics and Tonics

Sometimes I have dreams in which I still have a full head of hair. I call these dreams 'nightmares' because my life used to suck back in the days when I had hair. I've been shaving my head for nearly six years and my life has almost completely turned around since I stopped using shampoo.

I've had a weekly music program on our local non-profit radio station WRIR 97.3 FM for over five years now, but next Monday (8/15/11, 7PM EST) will mark  a radio first for me: I'll be a guest on another host's program:  Breaking Taboo, a weekly discussion program hosted by the redoubtable Lakota Phillips on New Dissident Radio.

From the BT website:

"Breaking Taboo is hosted by artist, writer, and erotic muse Lakota Phillips who kidnaps her guests from around the country, ties them up using only the softest shibari ropes, and forces them to explore our societal myths, stereotypes, art, sex, and taboos; but not necessarily in that order or all on the same show.  She’s considerate like that. The show delivers a huge dose of humor mixed with controversy on Pandora topics your mother never wanted you to know about."

Along with   S. Paul Forrest of America Revealed, we'll discuss the London riots and America's own dissatisfaction with our own government- are we unable to change our government or are we merely unwilling to even try? That topic and 'all manner of other controversy' @4pmPST, 7pm EST. Listen live here.

Wednesday 8/17/11 @7pm, I'll be producing a live in-studio performance by The Screaming Females, a hot trio from NJ who'll be appearing on Mike Rutz's WRIR Activate! show , giving us a preview of their 8/18 BFD show at Richmond's Bike Lot.

Friday night I have a second date...I think maybe, just maybe, we might sorta kinda like each other a little bit. It is really soon but I am optimistic. And charmed. 

Next Saturday I'll be guest-hosting Buzzy Lawler's Shake Some Action program at 11am and continuing on through my own show beginning at 1pm and running until 3, which means four consecutive hours of live radio. Bring it on!

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THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 8/13/2011

Podcast:http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/53727

Goldfrapp- Crystalline Green

Gong- Gris Gris Girl

Liars- Scissor

Funkadelic- Some More

Mothers of Invention- San Berdino

King Crimson- Cat Food

Green Man- Do Bheatha 'Bhaile

Aphrodesia- Ayala

Steve Hillage- Electrick Gypsies

Ashlee Rose- Devil's Town

Cafebar 401- Blame the Villian

Amy Winehouse- Stronger Than Me

Joan As Policewoman- The Magic

Joni Mitchell- In France They Kiss On Main Street

Michelle Malone & Band du Soliel- Woman on the Floor

Richard Thompson- Crash The Party

mr. Gnome- Bit of Tongue

Adriana Kaegi- It Feels Like

Paula Cole- Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

Sparks- Talent Is An Asset

Ray Manzarek- Boiling Rage

The Purrs- Big Black Wall

Bardo Pond- Wank

Deluka- OMFG


I'll be catching my breath now...a pizza may be called for. Literally.

A Head Full of Quandry and a Mighty, Mighty Thirst

                                                 I love my radio friends


There are many ways to cope with the lingering spectre of depression. One way would to stay up all night listening to six billion songs in a single evening, imagining to oneself how the songs will fit together,for example: how will the end of this Bird York song fade into the beginning of this Joan Wasser tune?

Pretty damn well, it turns out. If you don't believe me, download the podcast and hear for yourself. If you do believe me, download the podcast and enjoy it.

What I'm trying to say here is: download the podcast.




 THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB: AUG. 6th 2011
         (Originally aired on WRIR 97.3 FM. )



The Kinks- Preservation (Single)
This is a nearly-unknown Kinks track...a very un-Kinks-like  groove rocker with very Kinks-y timeless lyrics.

Booker T. Jones- Progress
You can get the awesome compilation CD that this soulful tune is taken from here, for FREE.

Joni Mitchell- Don't Interrupt The Sorrow
Ah, Joni. This song is nothing short of brilliant. The title of this post is taken from it.

Bird York- Bought A Gun
"By the time I'm eleven, I'll be a man"

Joan As Policewoman- Nervous
Had a couple callers on this one, they loved it and they should, it is awesome...I have been a huge Joan Wasser fan for years...why is she not totally fucking famous yet?

Sparks- I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song
"And only you and only you, my love"

Of Montreal- An Eluadarian Instance
This band is better than a million circuses.

Kalliopi- Summer Is Over
She's from Greece. Things are tough in Greece right now, hopefully there's some solace in music.

Nouvelle Vague- Making Plans For Nigel
XTC cover. 

Tom Waits- Make It Rain
"Sharpen my knives on my mistakes"

Amy Winehouse- Fuck-Me Pumps
Add Amy to my list of unattainable post-mortem crushes; Voltairine DeCleyre, Clara Bow, and Amy Winehouse.

Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald- Frim Fram Sauce
Oooo tasty.

Rare Earth- Is Your Teacher Cool?
Depends on the lesson.

The Stranglers- The Sweet Smell of Success

Funkadelic- Funky Dollar Bill

Jimi Hendrix- Message of Love

Miles Davis- Spanish Key (single edit)

Michelle Malone  and Band du Soliel- Cortez the Killer
Awesome live cover of classic Neil Young song...Michelle Malone is the real rocking deal.


Jennings- Surrender
New album coming soon!

Manfred Mann's Earth Band- Cloudy Eyes

Atomic Rooster- Devil's Answer

Roxy Music- Three and Nine

John Cale- Taking It All Away

Brian Eno- The True Wheel

David Bowie- Blackout
Man, this song is about best thing that ever happened to my ears, ever.


Astronauts of Antiquity- Breakthrough


Misty Boyce- Be A Man
I like the way the title of this song doesn't say what you probably think it does...but if she was a man, she couldn't sing like she does. And that would be a bummer, 'cause she sings great.

How To Listen To The Radio In 2011

Podcast here...

THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB JULY 30 2011

Sparks- Intro/I've Never Been High

Amy Winehouse- Amy, Amy, Amy

Edwinn Starr- Who Cares If You Are Happy Or Not? (I Do)

F&M- Another Closing Number

Jennings- Surrender

Gong- Digital Girl

Steve Hillage- Searching for the Spark

Goldfrapp- Strict Machine

Bird York- Prozac Day

Area 27- Human Alien

Hawkwind- To Love A Machine

Pink Floyd - Summer '68

Jimi Hendrix- Sunshine of Your Love

The Fierce and the Dead- 10'x 10'

Jeff Beck- Loose Cannon

Green Man- Cold Blows The Wind

Clannad- Battles

Rare Earth- When I Write

Funkadelic- Super Stupid

Hot Tuna- Extrication Love Song

Joan as Policewoman- Furious

The Whispering Tree- So Many Things

Stefanie Seskin- Your Own Road

Misty Boyce- Razor

Garbage- #1 Crush

John Cale- Heartbreak Hotel

HuDost- Salome

Catching Up, Going Out

Things have been a bit hectic but the show must go on - and so must the podcast of the show.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have been invited to dinner by one of my recent coffee dates and I need to make myself presentable...that should take at least 10 minutes.

PODCAST OF 7/16/2011 SHOW

PODCAST OF 7/23/2011 SHOW


THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 7/16/2011

Rathkeltair- All About You

Jethro Tull- The Valley

Apache O'Raspi- Hostal Simplex

Frank Zappa- Stinkfoot

The Whispering Tree- So Many Things

Misty Boyce- Be A Man

Cranberries- Zombie

Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield-Stop

Hot Tuna- Baby, What You Want Me To Do?

Good Rats- Reason To Kill

DOTMIG- Going To The Top

Israel Darling- Brilliant Plan

Triumvirat- The Walls of Freedom

Renaissance- Kiev

Area 27- Stereofab

NEU!- Isi

Manfred Mann's Earth Band- California Coastline

Sparks- No More Mr. Nice Guys

10CC- Sand In My Face

Beach Boys- Back Home

Taxi To The Ocean- I Live At Home

Crack The Sky- Suspicion

Ozone Player- Orange Apples

Early Bird Collages- Untitled #3

Love Kills Theory- Region of the Worms

Tiger- Suzi Slicker

Traffic- Memories of a Rock and Roller


THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 7/23/2011



Danny Kaye- The Maladjusted Jester

Pink Floyd- Echoes pt. 1 (Live)

Crack the Sky- Ice

Pretty Things- Cold Stone

Kalliopi- Fire and Sea

The Fierce and the Dead- Pt. 2

Neil Young- Don't Let It Bring You Down

Papa John Creach- The Janitor Drives a Cadillac

Speck Mountain- Twinlines

Gong- City of Self-Fascination

Billie Holiday- Nice Work If You Can Get It

Andrews Sisters- I Can Dream, Can't I?

Louis Armstrong- Lucky Old Sun

Flaming Groovies- She's Falling Apart

Suzi Quatro- Suicide

Carpenters- Superstar

Jethro Tull- Moths

Katie Lee- Something Psychological

Goldfrapp- Lovely Head

Rare Earth- Hum Along And Dance

Michelle Malone & Band du Soliel -Black River

The Tubes- Mondo Bondage

Hawkwind- Out Here We Are

Be Bop Deluxe- Shine

Low Pressure

The future looks pretty bright from where my guitar is sitting but the present keeps pulling the rug out from under me.

Not long ago, I met a woman that I really liked and while my head was still swimming with thoughts of her, I was also saddened by the loss of my long-time friend and party companion Tim M., who had finally lost his battle with cancer.

Obviously, my old friend isn't coming back, but it doesn't seem as if my new friend is going to come back either. And that's OK. I'm saddened and a bit hurt, but life goes on.  If anything, I learned a lesson: only date women with stable lives. I keep forgetting that I'm stable and reliable- I was so drunk and generally fucked-up in the head  for so many years that it is hard to get out of imagining myself as being  any other way. But that is changing-it has to or I'll never be happy.

So my next round of website dates was selected from a very short list of women. Intelligent, very attractive professional women of sound mind, spirit and body. The kind of women who wouldn't give the old me a second glance, much less their phone number. But that was the old me.

I had a great radio show this afternoon and afterwards I went to meet one of the women who had replied to me. She's brilliant, well-educated and funny, she had me laughing and at ease in no time. We had coffee and talked for a couple of hours and have agreed to do it again soon.  At the very least,it was a fine way to spend an afternoon.

Tomorrow I have a coffee date with a second woman. She was actually the very first woman that I messaged from the website I was using; she seems to be good at everything. She is a helicopter pilot- I've always wanted to find a date who was willing to go sky-diving with me, but I'm guessing my next date has already done that. I'll have to ask.

I learned something about dating sites today. My date, who is my age (44), told me that most men our age have a 'search range' for their partner's age that usually cuts off a few years before the man's age. For example, a 47-year old man might be looking for a date between the age of 21-44...a 45 year-old man might have 25-42 listed. My own range was 35-50 and my date liked that, apparently very few  men my age are willing to date older women. She asked me if I had any insight on why that is:

"Because most men are shallow and don't know how to have a conversation with an intelligent woman their own age."

She agreed.

The guys that won't date women my age are missing out. I love women my own age, they've already got themselves figured out by now and don't really need anyone to "complete" them; that and the importance of a shared historical context can't be over-rated.

I also learned something about myself. My past doesn't matter. Today's date is a psychotherapist  by profession, and I wasn't sure how much of my past to reveal, or if to I should tell her I'm actually in therapy at the moment...but we clicked really well and the gist of my story of addiction and brokenness  came tumbling out...it wasn't taken as a negative at all. Quite the contrary, in fact. She echoed what my own therapist has told me- there aren't many people like me out there. She knows what a hopeless addict looks like- it is her job to know- and I'm not like that at all, there is no 'profile' for me. I'm OK with that.

Today brought good music and quality company and tomorrow promises to bring more of the same.

Here's the podcast that proves it.

And yeah...I jinxed myself at the beginning of the show and flubbed a whole bunch of talking and generally got my words and facts dsylexicated.  Happiness trips me up and makes me clumsy but hopefully I'll get used to it.


The New Breakfast Snob: July 2nd, 2011

Rathkeltair- Spanish Chicken

Elvis Costello- Everyday I Write The Book

Jimi Hendrix- Red House

Spirit- Prelude to Nothing to Hide

Bird York- Had A Dream

Peter Ivers- Pursuit of Treasure

Rare Earth- Hey Big Brother

Family- Second Generation

Liars- Proud Evolution

Shadowfax- New Electric India

Sloe Panda- Skeleton

Genesis- I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

Area 27- Dancing On The Moon

The Tubes- What Do You Want From Life?

Dresden Dolls- Bad Habits

Triumvirat- The School of Instant Pain

Alice Cooper- Go To Hell

The Who- Heaven and Hell

Carrie Rodriguez- Infinite Night

Jennings- Hero

Ace No Face- Snakes

Arvel Bird- Crow

Crack The Sky- Goodbye Mrs. Nature

Green Man- Dirge

Neil Young - Depression Blues

Traffic - Medicated Goo

.

Baby, You Can Talk To Me

 This week I had two radio shows,filling in for my friend Paul on his Thursday night show, and then doing my own on Saturday. It's been a long, hard week and certain things aren't working out quite the way I'd hoped.

I mean, I know exactly how hard it is to make a phone call. I understand the difficulty of email and I sure as hell grasp the inherent barriers involved in sending a text message from a cell phone. So my guess is that my new friend has been trying desperately to get in touch with me and just hasn't found the right technology for doing so. Maybe all she had was a postage stamp and I'll have to wait for Monday's mail to get her reply to my simple question about this weekend.

Yeah. That's it.

Anyway. I have music and lots of it, and if you want it all you gotta do is come and get it.



DOUBLE BONUS PODCAST DOWNLOAD - TWO SHOWS, FOUR HOURS!(click)


PAUL'S BOUTIQUE 6/23/2011 w/ Guest DJ,THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB


Astronauts of Antiquity- Breakthrough

Melomane- Buddha Statue

Clara Bellino- Peaceful Solution

Frames- Giving It All Away

Old Haunts- Not Hopeless

Gang of Four- You Don't Have To Be Mad

Green Man- When Love is Done

Hudost- Hunger

Obits- You Gotta Lose

Jon Yeager- Like a Train

Cop Shoot Cop- Two At A Time

Firewater- Anything at All

Cat Dail - Think of a Story

Monday Machines- Spinning Plates

Motorhead- I Don't Believe A Word

Ross Phazor- You'll Never Change

Wire- Flat Tent

Norine Braun- I'm The One

G-Spot- Happy Denial

Jupe Jupe- If I Could Go Back In Time

Nicholas Howard- Blood From a Stone

Monacy- Orbit

Jeannine Hebb- Only Ones

Shawn Farley- The Last Time We Talked

Lucinda Williams- Something About What Happens When We Talk

Purrs- Fear of Flying

Cat Nights Begin- and Once the Last of Autumn Leaves



THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 6/25/2011

Stefanie Seskin- Chill Now

Stranglers- Skin Deep

Curtis Mayfield- No Thing

Rickie Lee Jones- Young Blood

Tracy Chapman- Son of a Preacher Man

Hot Tuna- Hesitation Blues

The Band- The Shape I'm In

Jefferson Starship- Hyperdrive

Ten Years After- If You Should Love Me

Rare Earth- Satisfaction Guaranteed

Garbage- Temptation Waits

Elu- Coventry Carol

Lou Reed- Don't Talk To Me About Work

Bob Dylan- One More Cup of Coffee

Jennings- Doorway

Nijole Sparkis- Everything


Astronauts of Antiquity- Beautiful Fate

The Service Industry- Seaworld

Gong- Tropical Fish

The Geraldine Fibbers- Dusted

Guiltless Cult- What Do I have To Say?

Green Man- I Am Stretched On Your Grave

Traffic- Love

Joan as Policewoman- The Ride

Fleetwood Mac- Believe Me

The Kinks- Life Goes On

Carpenters- Top of the World

Leo Kottke- Ice Cream

Trouble In The Air

I used to have the occasional head-butt with our old station manager, but she did a lot more work than I realized and it is starting to show now that she is gone.

This morning, for instance I was listening to the radio stream and a channel was out. Again. So I grabbed a few tools that I really hoped I didn't have to use (because I pretty much don't know what  they do and some of them are really sharp) and hustled down to station, where I  traced wires and generally got underfoot until I rigged up a temporary solution that lasted at least long enough for me to finish my shows and record the podcasts linked below.

Four straight hours of live broadcast is a lot of broadcast and I'd be damned if I was gonna let a bunch of guerrilla wiring ruin my shows. So there.

For your enjoyment, I present:


6182011 New Breakfast Snob & 6182011 Songs From The Big Hair Download
 

THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 18 JUNE 2011


Rathkeltair- It's All Good

Damien Dempsey- It's All Good

The Purrs- Mostly

Astronauts of Antiquity- Everywhere

Jeannine Hebb- Too Late To Change Me

Angelfish- Dogs In A Cage

Love Kills Theory- Poverty of Student Life

801- Flight 19

Mythica- Don't Be

HuDost- Skeleton Key

mr. Gnome- Three Birds

Cafebar 401- Damn These Blues

Belly- Untogether

Peter Tosh- Won't Fool Me Again

Ramsey Lewis- Sun Goddess

The Kinks- Get Up

XTC- Poor Skeleton Steps Out

Al Stewart- Song On The Radio

Alan Parsons- One More River

Jethro Tull- Big Dipper

Frames- Monument

Stackridge- Happy In The Lord

Cat Nights Begin- Of Mettle

Traffic- Withering Tree

Shannon Sharon & Steve Earle- Galway Girl

Little Feat- Time Loves A Hero

SONGS FROM THE BIG HAIR 18 JUNE 2011

Birthday Party- Guilt Parade

Stranglers - Let Me Down Easy

Dire Straits- Setting Me Up

Dave Davies - In You I Believe

Nouvelle Vague- In a Manner of Speaking


Tuxedomoon- Jinx


Warren Zevon- The Factory


David Lindley- Talk To The Lawyer

X- Because I Do


Replacements- Go

Pretty Things- No Future


Dream Syndicate- When You Smile


Robyn Hitchcock- The Cars She Used To Drive

Husker Du- These Important Years

Crack The Sky- Frozen Rain

Wire- Getting Sucked In Again

Hawklords- Psi Power

Peter Blegvad- Model of Kindness

Suzi Quatro- Breakdown

Waterboys- All The Things She Gave Me

Golden Palominos- Strong, Simple Silences

Lou Reed- Underneath The Bottle

Meat Puppets- Lost

Pat Benatar- Helter Skelter

King Crimson- Sleepless

Troublefunk- Woman of Principle

Richard Thompson- Bone Through Her Nose

Joe Jackson- 50 Dollar Love Affair

Neil Young- Shots

No Warning

THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 3-26-2011

Download Show here

Or listen below...after about an hour I regain my ability to speak.









Golden Palominos- Gun

Tranquility Bass- Soldier's Sweetheart


Old Canes- Under

Warren Zevon- Detox Mansion

Stills- Young Band- 12/8 Blues

Wire- I am the Fly

Electric Flag- Earthquake Country

T.Rex- Ride A White Swan

Rare Earth- Eleanor Rigby

Fleetwood Mac- Green Manalishi


Mothers of Invention- Absolutely Free

Hot Tuna- Song For The Fire Maiden


Papa John Creach- String Jet Rock

Captain Beefheart- Trust Us (Take9)


Pretty Things- There Will Never Be Another Day

Jimi Hendrix- Castles Made Of Sand


Todd Rundgren- Eastern Intrigue


Taxi To The Ocean- Flag On The Moon


Klaatu- Perpetual Motion Machine


Dare Dukes- Kick and Holler

Greg Lake- It Hurts

Faces- Had Me A Real Good Time


Miles Davis- Saturday Miles

Snakefinger- Don't Lie


Lou Reed- Vicious


Babe Ruth- Fistful of Dollars


It's A Beautiful Day- Hot Summer Day (live)


Peter Blegvad- White

HuDost- Lonely Ship

Can't Spell 'Vacuum' Without Two of You

 I'm not even sure who I am anymore. For the length of a grueling three-day business trip, I was Mr. Together, a real cool cucumber who doesn't sweat or worry no matter how much pressure he's under or how dire the situation is. Mr. Together always has a kind word for his peers and he's astonishingly calm in the face of other's panic.When Mr. T tells you that things are gonna be OK, you can take it to the bank.

I have no idea who this Mr. T guy is; the me that I'm used to seeing is the one who can be  brought  to a state of tearful incapacitation by the faintest first note of a lightly strummed minor chord and paralyzed with sorrow by a Facebook eulogy to a virtual stranger's dog. A real sap.

I expected some sort of depressive transformation once the job was done and I had time to grossly misjudge just how truly awful my life is. On the long ride home Friday, I stared through the window of my train, waiting for the misery to kick in. I was braced for the expected emotional impact of my own wayward thoughts, not exactly tense but not exactly mellow either.

After a half-hour had passed without any nascent despair, I ventured to the 'Cafe Car' for a cup of Amtrak coffee. If anything will make you miserable, it's a cup of Amtrak coffee coupled with the permeating, rubbery smell of microwaved cheeseburgers and the passengers who eat such fare- but this time the java tasted OK and the woman in front of me in line smelled good, like clean sheets and warm sun. Perplexed, I returned to my seat and waited for the train to derail. It didn't.

When I finally got to the station, I was surprised to find that I hadn't left my car lights on and that my battery wasn't dead. The sight of four fully inflated tires failed to inspire the slightest bit of anxiety. The car started right up and the late-night traffic was light on the short and shockingly uneventful drive home.

Home held no trauma, it was just as I left it, save for the not-unexpected presence of my imaginary friend Fancy. She was sitting on my couch, thumbing through my journal.

"Hi", I said.

"The Universe lives inside of you and what appear to be the pinpoint lights of distant stars  are in fact the faintly glimmering last rays of your lost hopes reflecting off the tiny yet infinitely broken shards of your shattered dreams and scattered personalities", replied Fancy.

"Says you", I said by way of clever retort.

"No, you said that-well, you wrote it. It's right here after this awful poem..."

I snatched the notebook away from her, looked at the pages and read a few lines to myself.

"Wow. This really is dreadful."

Fancy nodded and we laughed together until she was gone.


________________________________________________________



THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB, MARCH 19, 2011

Hot Tuna - Water Song

Planet Gong- Floating Anarchy

Gong- Oily Way/Outer Temple

ELP- Trilogy

Genesis- Can-Utlity and the Coastliners

Be Bop Deluxe- Japan

Stranglers- Nuclear Device

Stranglers- Something Better Change

Jeannine Hebb- Things Haven't Been So Bad Lately

Gary Numan- Engineers

Dave Cousins- Tears and Pavan

The Duhks- Mighty Storm

Lost in the Trees- Song For The Painter

Patti Smith- Wave

Allan Coberly- Fall and Reflect (demo version)

Monday Machines- Ruined Morning

Cursive- I Couldn't Love You

Golden Palominos- Faithless Heart

Capt. Beefheart- Same Old Blues

Peter Green - Fool No More

Ten Years After- Tomorrow I'll Be Out of Town

Robert Fripp- I May Not Have Enough of Me but I've Had Enough of You

Ozric Tentacles- Thyroid

3/19/2011 Podcast download here.

Archives here.

.

In One Ear

 The New Breakfast Snob 3-12-2011


Frank Zappa- The Black Page (1984) 
Super Furry Animals- White Socks and Flip Flops
Patti Smith- Dancing Barefoot
Marianne Faithfull- Ghost Dance
Johnny Indovina- The Poisoning
801- Postcard Love
Steeleye Span- Wee Wee Man
Richard Thompson- Bad Monkey
Strawbs- Little Sleepy
Dare Dukes- Ballad Of Darius McCollum
Robyn Hitchcock- Night Ride to Trinidad
Chris Huff- Lost in the Mausoleum
Monday Machines- Spinning Plates
Garbage-Nobody Loves You
Todd Rundgren- International Feel
Steve Hackett- Clocks
Damien Dempsey- It's All Good
Damien Rice- Volcano
Carrie Rodriguez- Waterbound
Jefferson Airplane- Pretty As You Feel
Robert Wyatt- Gharbzadegi
Moody Blues- For My Lady
Rickie Lee Jones- Lucky Guy
J.J. Cale- You Got Me On So Bad
X-Come Back To Me

.

Ooops

 I close my eyes but I can still see her, she's smiling but blood streaks her face and I reach out to touch her, to clear away the crimson, but I have no fingers on my hand, I see them and they are severed, dangling moist and red from a necklace around her alabaster throat and she is smiling not at me but at someone behind me, and although I cannot turn my head, I know her necklace is a gift from him and he is back, wanting more...

Holy shit. Where am I?

Oh wow. I'm in the broadcast booth, smack-dab in the middle of a live radio broadcast. How long have I been lost in a semi-hallucinatory recollection of last night's horrid dream?

I look at the timer on one of the CD decks: about ten seconds.

Ten seconds is plenty of time for things to go wrong on live radio and sure enough, when I looked down at the broadcast console, I was lost amongst all the blinking lights and attention-seeking buttons. There were three CDs playing simultaneously and, panicking, I accidentally turned on the fourth deck, bringing my total number of inputs to four.

By this time I'd forgotten which deck had the song I intended to play, I'd even forgotten what song it was...

...but...

...the choir on the song in 3, it is in key with the guitar from 2 (or is it 4?) and there are two violins that work together, 1 and 4 maybe?, and if I can avoid any abrupt percussive outbursts from any of these songs, I just might be able to pull this off, because this sounds pretty good all mixed-up like this...

We have a light that flashes  when the phone rings and it took me by surprise...hello?

There was a woman on the phone with a question: who is this playing ? This is great!

It's Love Kills Theory and a few other things that are happening by mistake.

Way cool.  Keep it up!

That was good to hear. I'm listening to the recording now and she was right, it's the best part of the show. As usual, there are a lot of flubs but that particular passage has got some interestingly  musical moments.

With dreams like I've been having, it's amazing that I can function at all, much less do something as complex and wildly exposed as a live radio broadcast, but somehow I get by. Somehow.

But don't take my word for it: Get the Podcast here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE NEW BREAKFAST SNOB, FEB. 19th, 2011 :


.Joe Strummer and Mescaleros- Coma Girl               
The Bitter Tears- Slay The Heart of The Earth               
Of Montreal- Will You Come and Fetch Me?               
The Duhks- You Don't See It               
Elfpower- Old Familiar Scene                
Various Artists Live Mixed-up Mess /Love Kills Theory- Lost in Vacuum Space Mash Up      Melomane- Even Though You're Born Toulouse               
Speck Mountain- I Feel Eternal               
Geraldine Fibbers - House Is Falling               
Jordan Reyne - The Proximity of Death               
HuDost -Trespasser                
Cocteau Twins- Road, River and Rail               
Monacy- Twisted               
Garbage- Cup of Coffee           
F&M- Rising To The Moon               
Atris- That Would Be The End               
Taxi To The Ocean- Crystal Cuts               
Mr. Gnome- Three Birds               
The Purrs- Fear Of Flying
Beauregard Ajax  -Things Will Work Out Fine                
Scream Daisy- Learn To Fight               
Frank Black- I've Seen Your Picture               
Cursive    - The Recluse             
The Frames- Sad Songs
Beauregard Ajax- Take You Far Away           
801- Rong Wrong               
No Restraints - I Was Wrong               
Pink Frost   - You Should Know               
Cafebar 401-   Troubles

What Could Happen?

Last Week's podcast was delayed on account of rescuin' orphans from floodwaters being such hard work. I was too tired and damp to do much podcasting, so here's a triple shot of podcasts, 6 full hours of live radio, hosted by yours truly.


Two editions of my own weekly show, plus a special edition of Songs From the Big Hair , WRIR's weekly 1980's show, each show is available in mp3 format  here:


Download 1/22/2011


Download TWO 1/15/2011 shows


And my fabulous archive.



NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 1/22/2011

Song- Artist-Album-Label-Year

-Tension Building Intro-
 Time To Kill -Gentle Giant Free Hand
 The Hidden -Aid Fantasm -The Kind  Bandcamp 2010
I Couldn't Love You- Cursive- Mama I'm Swollen-   SaddleCreek 2009
Swept Up- Old Smile- Hawkins Bridge
 Trust- Pretty Things -S.F. Sorrow -Motown 1969
Answers? Questions! -Focus -Focus 3 Sire 1972
Fidelity Shake -Speck Mountain- Some Sweet Relief
2009
Devil Be Gone- Mr. Gnome- Heave Yer Skeleton- Bandcamp 2010
Holiday- Joan as Policewoman- Survive
 Giving It All Away- Frames- Fitzcarraldo
I Live At Home- Taxi To The Ocean
Suffocate Me- Angelfish- Suffocate Me MCA 1993
Bleed Like Me -Garbage- Bleed Like Me
 Little Wrecking Ball -Tori Sparks- Scorpion in the Story Glass Mountain 2009
Where Do You Go (When You Need a Hole to Crawl In) -Strawbs -Ghosts A&M 1975
When I Burn This Place Down -Firewater -Get Off The Cross, We Need the Wood for the Fire
 Breakdown Buildup -HuDost- Trapeze OS 2009
Infinite Night- Carrie Rodriguez- She Ain't Me Blu Hammock 2009
Bone Through Her Nose- Richard Thompson -Daring Adventures- Polydor 1985
Pure Cold Stone- Pretty Things- Rage Before Beauty Snapper 1999
Underneath The Bottle- Lou Reed- Blue Mask RCA 1982
That's Really Super, Supergirl- XTC- Skylarking Geffen 1986
How I Wanted To- Richard Thompson- Hand of Kindness Hannibal 1985
Jar Song -Damien Dempsey- Shots UFO 2004
Lost On Your Merry Way- Grandaddy -Sumday v2 `200

NEW BREAKFAST SNOB 1/15/2011

Torture Never Stops-    Frank Zappa & Captain Beefheart-    You Can't Do That     Ryko    1976
Princess of the Streets-    Stranglers-    Rattus Norvegicus    A&M    1976
Sirens of Titan-    Al Stewart-    Modern Times     Janus    1975
You Got Something-    J.J. Cale-    Troubador    Shelter    1976
Fool No More-    Peter Green-    In The Skies    Sail    1979
Rainmaker-    Traffic-    Low Spark....      
Tangled Up In Blue-    Bob Dylan-    Blood on the Tracks    Columbia    1974
Ice-    Crack the Sky-    Live Sky    Lifesong    1976
Blame The Villain-    Cafebar 401-            2009
Bullet-    Frank Black-    Dog in the Sand        200
Visions of Johanna -    Bob Dylan -   Blonde on Blonde        1966
Intergalactic -   Area 27       -     2006
Trespasser-     HuDost   - Trapeze    OS    2009
Down in the Zero-    Monday Machines -   Monday Machines    Door 13    2010
If There is Something  -  Roxy Music -   Live    Atco    1976
Stay Where You Are-    Stephanie Seskin -   Edge of Reason        2006
Esnuria-    Gong  -  Gazeuse!    Virgin    1976

SONGS FROM THE BIG HAIR 1/15/2011

Big Hollow Man -Danielle Dax- Inky Bloaters Sire 1986
The Blacksmith- Steeleye Span- Hark! The Village Wait Chrysalis 1985
A Poisoned Heart and a Twisted Memory- Richard Thompson- Hand of Kindness
Is This The Life -Cardiacs A Little Man and a House- ABC 1985
Trouble -Troublefunk -Trouble Over Here Island 1987
Fender Bender- MX-80 Sound -Out of the Tunnel Ralph 1980
Clampdown- Clash -Londons Calling Columbia 1979
The Ugly Underneath- XTC -Nonesuch Geffen oops
Not Weak Enough -Peter Blegvad -Downtime ReR 1988
Lucky Number Nine- Nina Hagen -single Columbia 1979
Vanishing Girl- Dukes of Stratosphere- Geffen 1986
 Golden Brown- Stranglers- Feline Epic 1982
Groovin' On An Inner Plane- Robyn Hitchcock- Groovy Decay Albion 1985
Legs- Helios -Creed- Kiss To The Brain Amp Rep
Clean Plate- Golden Palominos
The Welcome -Fred Frith -Cheap at Half The Price Ralph 1980
The Age Of Self -Robert Wyatt- Old Rottenhat Rough Trade 1985
Siamese Trap -Opal- Happy Nightmare Baby SST 1987
Bring Back Reality- Snakefinger- Manual of Errors Ralph 1982
Kill The Great Raven -Snakefinge-r Live In Chicago TEC 1986
Jerking Back and Forth- Devo- Here It Is TDK 1988
Me, I Disconnect From You- Gary Numan Replicas Atco 1979
No Future -Pretty Things -Crosstalk Warner 1980
Days Of Wine and Roses -Dream Syndicate- Days of Wine and Roses Slash 1982
Bolingo -Poto Doudongo -Here it is TDK 1988
Maybe The Poet- Bruce Cockburn- Stealing Fire GoldMountain 1982
True Story -Tom Verlaine -Words From The Front Warner 1982


My good friend Kevin, host of The Sunrise Ocean Bender , will be filling in for me next week. Your ears will be in good hands.

.

A Country Drive Sort Of Day

I didn't really know where I was going. I just knew that it was a beautiful day and that  I was restless, so I got in my car and headed out of town. Soon I found myself driving aimlessly through the countryside on roads that I knew well but had not traveled on for years.

A spray-painted "House For Rent" sign caught my eye as I passed by. A scenario unfolded inside my head as I executed a bootlegger U-turn, slalomed between 'Farm Use'  vehicles and pickup trucks, then headed back to investigate the  house.

I do need to move, my rent is consuming over half of my income... a country house is probably cheaper than my rent...it would give privacy for music-making. I could practice whenever I wished. I could set up a home studio and start recording bands again. I could sip lemonade and play banjo on the porch.

It doesn't look like the sort of neighborhood where noise complaints are likely.

 I liked the front yard but the house was a bit dodgy:

The first thing I do when assessing a potential living space is to determine how easy it would be to break into. This glorified double-wide didn't require much thinking since it wouldn't require much breaking to get inside. The flimsy aluminum  door could probably be jimmied with a library card and I wasn't sure if the windows locked or not but it hardly mattered since the entire domicile looked as if it could be quickly dismantled with a screwdriver and stacked neatly on the back of a truck, leaving only the wooden deck behind.

I made a mental note:in case of tornado, I would seek shelter underneath the deck while the house flew to pieces and went  whirling through the air.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not above living in shabby conditions;  'derelict chic' is well inside my comfort zone. But I don't have a dog and music gear is expensive and difficult to replace- by the time anyone responded to an alarm in this remote locale, it would be too late.

So I returned to the noise and clutter of the city.


NOISE  AND CLUTTER


This is what my radio show looks like:

If you wish to hear it, it is now available as a podcast download!! (click here)

I have been doing live radio for five years and have only just now begun to podcast, so there is only one show up so far, but I'll be adding a new one every week.

Stay tuned!