Archive for the 'Treasure' Category

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“Love Workshop” Box Set Now Available!

Published on April 7, 2009 in Obligations, Obsessions and Treasure. 6 Comments Tags: , , .

Say what you will about the convenience of the cloud, there are still some people who prefer the greater perceived permanence of a piece of plastic that they can stick on their shelf, toss in the back seat of their car or stash in the back of their closet. Those folks will relish the following piece of news: the Love Workshop Box Set is finally a reality!

Yep, Andy Olsen at Radio Free Phoenix has finally put final touches on his six-disk compilation of KDKB’s legendary comedy program from 1976. And now, he’s offering this labor of love to the public for less than what you’d pay for a tank of gas these days. Andy and his shopping cart and standing by right now, waiting for your purchase:

http://radiofreephoenix.com/loveworkshopcd.html

Whether this makes the shows archived here, at WFMU’s Beware Of The Blog and at Archive Dot Org more or less of a valued public service depends, I suppose, on how you stand on this whole getting-your-entertainment-for free-from-the-Internet issue. It’s moot point to me, since I received my copy for free anyway (I was, after all, a contributor). But if I hadn’t, I’m sure I’d buy one just the same.

Be sure to visit the Bostworld “Love Workshop” tribute pages for more info on this great program, including audio from the show, articles from the period and a lengthy exclusive interview with one half of the “Love Workshop” creative team, Russ “Wonderful Russ” Shaw.

(Now, if someone would come forward with recordings of “Bunkhouse Capers…”)

Your Favorite Little Podcast: Episode Fifteen

Published on March 3, 2009 in Obligations and Treasure. 6 Comments Tags: , , .

Last year, the best “new year’s resolution” I could think of was “make better pictures.” I don’t know if I succeeded or not, but I had a new camera last year, so it seemed like the obvious choice. But this year, I’m back to my old tricks. The average person might announce, “I promise to lose ten pounds and keep it off at least until mid-November,” or ” I hereby resolve to finally begin and hopefully complete that tedious home improvement project that’s been haunting the bottom of my to-do list,” But I’m more inclined to redouble my efforts to shed attachments and cultivate acceptance of the inevitable. A lofty goal perhaps, but not exactly productive.

When I look at the world around me, I start to think this is less of a cop-out than it seems. More than ever, our entire physical, social, economical and political landscape seems ready to just fall away. What’s the point of announcing, “this year, I resolve to separate my recyclables more carefully and think twice before I use my car to drive up to the corner,” when it’s so clear that decades of distancing ourselves from responsibility has left this country all but circling the drain? Why try to delay the inevitable? And besides, it’s unlikely that when the boss up in Washington starts getting the itch to push that doomsday button of his, he probably won’t stop to remind himself that Derrick made a greater effort this year to print on both sides of the paper.

But these are all just excuses; better that I just say it and be done with it and get on with my life: “this year, I resolve to make a greater effort to do things that will make my life a better one to live.” Of course, what I really mean is “my best chance of making it out of this year in one piece is to lower expectations.” Either way, it’s all about sacrifice.

And now, we party:

“Love To Be Your Man” – The 13th Power “Niagara Vizeses” – Tabanyi Mihaly Es Szolistai “Young Girl” – The Raymonde Singers, Etcetera “McCloud” – John Gregory Orchestra “Yes I Understand” – The Flying Machine “Rosemary’s Baby” – The Brass Ring “If This Isn’t Love” – Dean Martin & The Hi Lo’s “Tell Me What You Want” – Armada Orchestra “The New Generation” – Sqibb Pharmaceuticals “Glide Time” – High Llamas
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Postcard Collection: New York City

Published on February 10, 2009 in Treasure. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

I made my first visits to New York City as a touring musician, but my experiences were of a no less hayseed variety: getting lost looking for a public restroom, getting lost trying to follow directions after dark (“go east after exiting the subway…”), and my greatest moment: waking up in the back of the van, thinking I was in Buffalo and getting lost.

Eventually, I graduated from the back of a van to an actual hotel bed, as my career elevated me from the notorious CBGBs men’s room to the posh washrooms of mid town. My band-mates and I would bounce from one office building to the next, discussing the poor quality of our music with the record company, the poor quality of our finances with the accountants, and the poor quality of our contracts with the lawyers. In between, we got to partake of some mighty fancy restaurants (all charged to the band, no doubt).

Now that I’ve returned to civilian life, my visits to The City are much less frequent. So I supplement my experiences vicariously, using visual aids. In addition to books and videos, I’ve also got the family postcard collection. And while I doubt there’s little I can add to the vast plethora of Manhattania already available on the web, here they are anyway:
New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard New York City Postcard

The Damon Show, Part Six

Published on January 27, 2009 in Obligations and Treasure. 4 Comments Tags: , , .

Over the years, my brother Damon has left a long list of projects behind him — many completed, some not so much. Sometimes, the strain of trying to hold all the pieces together is just too great to sustain for any length of time. People lose focus of his quixotic vision, or he gets fed up with cajoling them into following his lead. Sometimes, there are feuds. It’s always gratifying, though, when you see people committed enough to see it through to the end, especially when you can’t pay them.

I don’t know if all the players in these clips remain in Damon’s good graces or not, but he managed to coax terrific performances from all of them. Michael Block’s droll commentary in “The American Eating Show,” is charming to the extreme, but I confess I have no idea what’s going on with the hallucinatory visual effects Damon has added. The two gentlemen in “About Five Minutes” do an acceptable job with Damon’s convoluted script, though they sound like they could have used more rehearsal time. Regardless, if nothing else, this piece succeeds in making my wife very nervous.

My brother has created a lot of music in his life. He started and disbanded more groups than I’ll ever be able to remember. He’s even produced music for the City of Tucson as well as a couple of churches. Just this last weekend, he joined the Unitarian Church Choir for a performance of a couple of his pieces at a service commemorating the installation of their new minister. And while everyone was very proud of him (especially his parents), in my heart, it will never supplant “About Five Minutes.”

Postcard Collection: Chicago

Published on October 6, 2008 in Oddities, Trash and Treasure. 8 Comments Tags: , , .

I haven’t been to Chicago in over a dozen years, but I still have my memories. Unfortunately, most of them involve trying driving around the club trying to find safe legal parking for two vans and a trailer. So the next best thing for me are these postcards from my grandfather’s collection, some of which date back a hundred years, to the 1893 World’s Exposition.

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Hazy Osterwald Jet Set

Published on September 2, 2008 in Treasure. 7 Comments Tags: .

I found this album as I did most of my records — for a buck at a thrift store down in Phoenix somewhere. But I had no idea how dear it was until recently when one of my fellow deejays at LuxuriaMusic told me he’d give his life for it. Seems its lead off track, “Swinging London,” was included on the second volume of “The In-Kraut,” a popular series of groovy German pop obscurities from the sixties and seventies. Oddly enough, this album doesn’t appear to have found its way onto any of the share sites on my short list. Either nobody else has it, or the blogosphere has issued a collective thumbs down on this album. Either way, I quickly passed it along to my friend, and his life was spared. And since the links are still good, I figured I pass them along to everyone here.

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Your Favorite Little Podcast: Episode Thirteen

Published on August 19, 2008 in Obligations and Treasure. 19 Comments Tags: , , .

Why do I continue to drag myself out in the open like this, week after week? For one thing, it helps to counter the toxic effects of a 40-hour week in the name of another man’s dime. It’s also a great way to add extra enjoyment to my collection. In addition to the thrill of the hunt, the capture and the inevitable cataloging (always with the cataloging), I can also revel in the pleasure of sharing all this ephemeral crap with my visitors.

I also love it when the wrong people visit this site by mistake, venting their disorientation and discomfort in the comments. I especially love it when they use terms like “elevator music” as if this was incisive criticism. After all, some folks still obsess over “authenticity,” preferring “immediacy” and “spontaneity” above all other concerns. Somehow, the soundtrack to a long-defunct Saturday morning kids show or a 30-year-old vanity pressing from an unknown lounge singer just doesn’t work for them

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