December 10, 2005

WFMU Homepage Image Gallery

Homepage_galleryWFMU webhamster Henry Lowengard has taken all the images that have ever appeared on our homepage and has made a gallery out of them. They're all there - all the sloths, chimps, Old Codgers, dubyas, DJs, radio images - even the images that I was shamed into removing after ten minutes by our own internal Parent's Radio Council. Here's the gallery.

And let me now take a moment to thank and acknowledge Henry for founding the WFMU website back before there even was a world wide web! Henry set up a WFMU gopherspace (old-timers may remember that term...) on Echo NYC. That was the site that evolved into wfmu.org, which launched in October, 1993. Thanks Henry!

December 09, 2005

Laura Veirs on WFMU

Veirs_1Just confirmed! Laura Veirs! On WFMU! This Monday, December 12th, the ecclectic singer/songwriter will make a pitstop from her busy touring schedule for a live session on Irene Trudel's show. Expect songs from her fantastic "Year of Meteors" album, as well as her Nonesuch Records debut, "Carbon Glacier". Too bad this didn't happen last week when we got late word that Lady Sovereign was here, as I sense the two of them could've spun together a killer duet.
No matter -- When showtime rolls around, you can tune in live on any of WFMU's webstreams, or catch it on Irene's archive page whenever you'd like. In the meatime, here are a couple songs from the WFMU archives to get you primed for the performance: "Secret Someones" ++ "Cool Water" ++ "Galaxies". You can hear more on Laura's page on the Nonesuch Records website, and check tourdates on this page.


Ed Shepp Podcast In Effect

62981405_0b1298fcff_1Just added to our growing roster of podcasts: The Ed Shepp Radio Experiment! Have the podcast version of Ed's weekly thematic misadventures, glitched-out interviews, and A.D.D.-ridden pop euphoria automatically zapped to your MP3 player by visiting our recently revamped podcast page.

Special thanks to Volunteer Ed Word for p-castifizing the show!

December 08, 2005

Live At The Stork Club: Quintron, The Frogs and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

The_storkFor a brief but delirious spell way back in the 1990s, The Stork haunted our halls.  That's him on the left.  Stork hosted a must-listen program called Live At The Stork Club, mostly on Sunday nights, if memory serves.  As the name might imply, mostly Stork hosted live musical guests, in his own impeccably gracious manner. 

I bet somewhere on The Internet there exists a full list of all the bands who served time in Stork's "Moose Room".  Unfortunately, most of this stuff happened during the last Stone Age, just before we began archiving all our programming.  Happily, many of these shows do exist, someplace, in some form or another; and where time, technology and endurance permit, we'll make the archives available to you.  Here's three vintage shows to get you started:

  • Christmas With Quintron - Mr. Quintron, Miss Pussycat and Flossie & The Unicorns joined Stork on Xmas Eve, 1995 for a uniquely warped evening of organs, drum buddies & puppet shows.  Listen here (mp3 stream).
  • The Frogs - Wisconsin's legendary Flemion brothers celebrate their newfound 90s celebrity among the era's alt-rock elite; spin records by Wesley Willis, Beck and Jewel; and perform an acoustic set of music positively guaranteed to get us some major FCC finery were this show to be aired today.  From July 20, 1997.  Listen here (mp3 stream)
  • Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - On July 16, 1998, WFMU consummated its love affair with these Welsh psych-folk imps.   And Stork was there.  Gorky's would visit us three more times over the years, visiting Irene's show and my own show (twice, in fact).  Listen here for their first appearance, with Stork.

I was fortunate enough to attend these last 2 sessions - jump the flip if you're interested in my fuzzy recollections.

Continue reading "Live At The Stork Club: Quintron, The Frogs and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci" »

WFMU Listener Art

Dec05shirt_1A few months ago, WFMU was lost in a dark wooded forest of creative blockage, with nary a flashlight or compass to guide us back to the path of artistic awareness. We sent out a desperate cry for help, beseeching listners to submit their t-shirt and sticker designs for us to have our way with, and o, were we led back to the light!

This year's Logo-Rama contest elicited the largest number of artistic submissions on record, and they were all so good that we can't help but share them with you. Take a gander at the myriad of listener art submissions right here.

Wfmu_dancetteThe decision was tough, but we could only select 2 winners: Gregory Jacobsen's "Creepy Meatball" design (left) is featured on our December t-shirt giveaway (snag one for yourself by donating $45 or more to the freeform cause), and Nick Dewar's "Dancette" design (mock-up on the right) will be featured on a sticker to be given out during WFMU's 2006 on-air fundraising Marathon.

A big thanks to all of our artistically-endowed listeners who participated!

December 07, 2005

From the WFMU News Vault: Local Coverage

Newsboy3_3This week:  Local news coverage from past and present.

Recent coverage:  The December 4, 2005 Bergen Record featured WFMU in "the third of a 5-part series looking at people who help shape alternative culture".  Music & Program Director Brian talks about his favorite music, including Sun City Girls, Jason Forrest, and Southeast Asian Blink 182 wannabes:  "To me, it's interesting to hear a band from Southeast Asia try to be like Blink 182. I don't know why. I don't even have any Blink 182 records."  The complete article can be read here.

Past coverage: Thanks to Listener Ed for sending this article from the Newark News of September 13, 1969.  It is about the closing of WFMU in 1969, as mentioned earlier in this blog, "following a conflict between the school and station personnel".   

December 02, 2005

Lady Sovereign performs live on WFMU

Sovereign_mug_1No less a woman than S-O-V -- Lady Sovereign herself -- stopped by WFMU last Saturday for a live set on Plug and Play with OCDJ. The pint-sized UK rapper spits incredible stacatto wordplay that incises hectic beats like none other, and her WFMU set righted all residual wrongs leftover from her marred-by-illness NYC appearance last summer.

UPDATE: You can now stream the entire performance from WFMU's archives in either MP3 or Real Audio.!

Allez!

December 01, 2005

WFMU Heavy Airplay List

WFMU Top 30 compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner
(click on artist name or compilation title to hear a sample tune in real audio)

Various - Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads (Smithsonian)
Various - Searching For Soul (Luv N' Haight)
Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain (Load)
Wanda Sa - Vagamente (Dubas)
Dirty Three - Cinder (Touch & Go)
Lori Burton - Breakout (Rev Ola)
Various - The Midnite Sound of the Milky Way (Big Beat)
Various - Invisible Pyramid: Elegy Box (Last Visible Dog)
Michael Waisvisz - In Tune (Sonig)
Various - Coconut FM: Legendary Latin Tunes (Essay)
Greg Davis and Sebastian Roux - Paquet Surprise (Carpark)
Zelienople - Ink (267 Latajjaa)
Riz Ortolani - Cannibal Holocaust O.S.T. (Grindhouse/Coffin)
Animals and Men - Revel In the Static (Hyped 2 Death)
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (Rhymesayers)
Matthew Herbert - Plat Du Jour (Accidental)
Geraldo Pino & the Heartbeats - Heavy Heavy Heavy (RetroAfric)
Mahalara Rai Banda - Mahalara Rai Banda (Crammed Disc)
Nurse With Wound - Livin' Fear Of James Last (Sanctuary)
Fireball - Blessed Be (High Roller Society)
The Hospitals - I've Visited the Island of Jocks and Jazz (Load)
The Gasman - The Grand Electric Palace of Variety (Planet Mu)
Koenjihyaekkei - Angherr Shisspa (Skin Graft)
Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
Various - Rolas de Aztlan (Smithsonian Folkways)
Bush Chemists - Raw Raw Dub (ROIR)
Hanin Elias - Future Noir (Cochin)
Fourtet and Sa-Ra - Sun Drums and Soil (Domino)
Various - Bread, Beard, and Bear's Prayers (Bastet)
Red Dirt - Plus (Audio Archives)

DJ Compilation Of The Month: Songs From The Midnight Matinee

Jerry_1_1MP3s: 26 of them below the jump.

Long before the the great convergence of all media into one, John Schnall was remixing movies for the radio on his WFMU program The Midnight Matinee. The show combined dialogue from movies with music in various ways, and turning such cinematic classics as Jerry Lewis' feel-good Nazi flick The Day The Clown Cried into hour-long radio programs. In the process of remixing, songs were sometimes created out of the dialogue and musical snippets. Many of the the full shows are archived in realaudio on this page. Here are 26 of John's Midnight Matinee songs, along with the title of the episode each song came from, which often suggests the film that provided the original source material.

Continue reading "DJ Compilation Of The Month: Songs From The Midnight Matinee" »

Off-Mic DJ Activities for December 2005

Ahh, the end of calendar year 2005 approacheth, and where matters of off-mic activities are concerned, we've got the proverbial bizzle in our hizzle, as the kids say. Now that our ceremonial decompression rituals associated with Record Fair recovery (let me just say that Pseu Braun gives one MOTHER of a foot massage...) have passed, we're tightening all the escape hatches for the ensuing end-of-year holiday madness that's on deck, but also pointing our collective bad selves towards tomorrow's horizons and whatever 2006 holds in store.

GalapagosTake Fabio Roberti for example; erstwhile host of the Strength Through Failure program (currently off the schedule, but enjoying enormous celebrity on in the internet in archive form). Never one to be caught lounging around his stylishly decorated flat wasting time,  Fabio will soon be participating in a film presentation at the GalapagosBronwyn art space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The weekly "Ocularis" exhibit on December 5th will feature the films of Mr. Roberti, along with contributions from Larry 7, Jim Sharpe, Michael Wolf, and Oscar de la Renta. More info on the specifics of the screenings can be found here.

Later that week (December 8th at 8 PM), catch the L train back into Manhattan and do the thousand-meter-mosey downtown to Burrow (31 Crosby St. between Broome and Grand Streets) for Bronwyn C.'s reading of one of her self described "scary little stories" as part of the inaugeration of Burrow's non/fiction series of readings. Other participants slated to read are Jason Bitner of Found Magazine, and Glen Szabo of Sweet Action and Purple Fiction. Admission is FREE, and will feature delicious beverages courtesy of Sixpoint Craft Ales.

Continue reading "Off-Mic DJ Activities for December 2005" »

Oh My God, You Don't Know What You TOOK?

TongueI was watching the Brian Turner / WFMU-curated episode of NY Noise the other night, and up comes this Public Service Announcement from the Bad Council (who've actually done some cool things - remember The Crying Indian (RM video link)? One of theirs).  Two little kids are having diner dinner with Dad, who's clearly got a scar on his ear where once hung an earring.  The announcer says something to the effect of "your dad had an earring back in the day when only bikers and hippies had earrings" (the dude's only like 30, but whatever).  "And you know what bikers and hippies had in common?  The Drugs."  The remainder of the hour was filled with similarly snarky anti-drug messages from the same source, like the dad who rolls himself up in the rug and tells his daughter he's a joint.  Relating, you know.  A bunch of grownups desperately trying to convince their kids they're hip to the now scene, while maintaining a just-say-no message. 

One of my duties here at the so-called Magic Factory is serving as Public Service Announcement Director, so if some organization's got an anti-drug campaign, they're sending their material to me.  Mostly it's dreadful.  Mostly it's the former mayor of Hillsborough or some such place politely suggesting the kids find something else to do: "Hey kids, my anti-drug is politics!" - in astoundingly low fidelity.  But not the Bad Council!  They're F-U-N!  Sometimes.  No, mostly not.  Here's all the fun ones, enjoy.Eagle

(mp3s) A-B-C-D-PCP...  |  Baa Baa Black Sheep  |  Humpty Dumpty

These here all cleverly update some of your favorite nursery rhymes, while the ones that follow get a little more "very special episode" on you:

(mp3s) You Wanna... y'know?  |  You Don't Know What You Took?!

Now let's go back to 1973, when Bill Cosby actually did this kind of thing pretty well (RM link to Kenny G's show). "The Dopepusher" (alright, the chorus blows -- but those shouted verses are great!)

And finally, don't forget: Daddy drinks because you cry.  (mp3)

Upcoming Special Programs on WFMU

SplatDecember is set to be a heartstopping month in terms of live music and special programming on our webstreams, archives, and ever-lovin' FM signal. Go to our upcoming page to peer through the bug splattered windshield that I like to call "the future" for Townes Van Zandt documentarian Margaret Brown, UK folkie Bridget St. John, MIT Professor Noam Chomsky, Garage Rock legends The Original Sins, Philly-style newcomers Jukebox Zeros, avant noiseniks The Noisy Meditation Band, and early 70s John Peel fave Michael Chapman -- all of whom will be swinging through our hallowed halls this month. Also worthy of special attention is the multi-band extravaganza that will be hosted LIVE on Transpacific Sound Paradise from Barbes in Brooklyn. If you're local to the NYC area, come down and experience some LIVE seat-of-the-pants radio with hosts Rob Weisberg and Irene Trudel! More info on all of these special programs can be found here.

November 30, 2005

From the WFMU News Vault: The Reincarnation of WFMU Poster

ReincarnationIn the great tradition of WFMU-related art, here is a poster heralding "the Reincarnation of WFMU", created by an unknown artist sometime in the very-early 1970's.

As seen earlier on this blog, in the Summer of 1969, the WFMU staff walked out in protest in part due to pressure from Upsala College over their "far-out" (free-form) programming.  WFMU was off the air for about 10 months until Upsala hired a new Station Manager who would run the station with "a more professional effort"

At left (click to enlarge) is a copy of this poster which a listener donated to the station.  We estimate that it dates back to the time around when the station went back on the air in 1970.  It is a seriously groovy flyer for the night-time slots, and promises "good karma" and that "a splendid time is guaranteed for all".



November 28, 2005

The Lost Art of Jim Flora

Innocentbystandersh5_1_1Purveyors of fine vinyl have no doubt come across the amazing LP designs of Jim Flora, whose illustrations graced the covers of albums by artists like Sauter-Finegan, Gene Krupa, Sidney Bechet and dozens of other jazz LPs from the 40's and 50's. WFMU's own Irwin Chusid was so enamored of Flora's art that he authored a book about him, The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora. Flora's art has also been used on various WFMU T-shirts and bumper stickers, and his style has influenced dozens of current artists such as Tim Biskup and Gary Baseman to name but two.

Recently, Irwin discovered a previously unknown cache of unpublished Flora artwork which showed a new, more demented side of the artist. From an interview with the AIGA Journal of Design, Irwin described the untombed cache of Flora art:

Crosscountrymergesh2"A lot of his work is cartoonish. It's fun to look at, evocative of childhood nostalgia and dereliction of adult responsibility. There are clowns and kitty cats, grinning faces and beaming suns. But despite his later reputation for G-rated kid-lit, Flora, in many of these works, did not restrain himself from expressing darker impulses. There's no shortage of guns and knives and fang-baring snakes. Muggers run amok, demons frolic with rouged harlots and Flora's characters suffer from severe disfigurement. These elements - the banal and the violent - often co-exist within inches of each other on the canvas."

Here is the full interview with Irwin about his efforts to preserve and publish Flora's discovered works, and here's the great Jim Flora site.

 

Long Live Lassiter

Lassiter1 While it wouldn’t be accurate to call Bob Lassiter the best talk radio host of all time, it would be fair to say that he’s probably the least famous great one. In the metro areas where he took calls on the radio (Miami, Tampa and Chicago) he’s still loved and loathed by those who remember his work, but everywhere else he’s mostly known by those who collect and trade tapes of arcane and unusual radio. That is, except for some lucky WFMU listeners who have heard us rebroadcast some of Bob’s radio shenanigans (and yes, there are archives).

So, why am I writing about a local Florida talk host who hasn’t been on the air for six years? And what would make recordings of a talk show collectable in the first place? And more significantly, why in the world would we play portions of his show on WFMU? Simple. When Lassiter was good, he was REALLY good. He could make your jaw drop, make you curse the radio, or maybe just pee your pants.

Unlike other talk hosts who hope to change the world (assert an agenda) or want to be liked, Lassiter's was always driven to simply grab and hold the listener's attention. And he would do whatever he could get away with (or whatever amused HIM at the time) to shock or awe listeners into becoming addicted to his program.

A key element to what made Lassiter’s radio work mind-blowing was how he consistently generated confrontational calls and turned them into compelling radio theater.  Every other talk host I’ve ever heard usually gets off on like-minded callers, but not Bob. In fact, he was often quite impatient with callers who agreed with him. As a master contrarian, phone-in fans and callers on his side merely bored him. They were just getting in the way of the pissed off listeners who were steaming on hold, waiting for their chance to take on “The Mad Dog.”

Continue reading "Long Live Lassiter" »

November 27, 2005

New York Noise Features WFMU This Week

Nynoise1New York City's Channel 25 TV spotlights WFMU this week on it's great music video program New York Noise, giving an insider glance at the Record Fair that went down earlier this month at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Music and Program Director Brian Turner, most likely picked for his uncanny similarity in appearance to Adam Curry,  hosts some video clips from his own collection (including Afrirampo, Lightning Bolt, Devo, Captain Beefheart (!), Deerhoof and Serge Gainsbourg), plus there are cameos from WFMU DJ's Trouble, OCDJ, Mac, and Small Change. Tune in if you're in the New York area, the show is on both broadcast and cable TV, and the episode runs Tuesday, November 29th at 10PM, Friday December 2nd at 9PM, and Sunday December 4th at 10 PM.

November 23, 2005

From the WFMU News Vault: The Man Comes to WFMU

Fritch_1According to the Freeform Timeline,  "April 24, 1958 - WFMU's first ever broadcast. Nothing is known about it. For its first ten years, WFMU serves Upsala College students, broadcasting lectures, Lutheran services, classical music, jazz and international music."  On November 4 of 1967, WFMU's first-ever freeform show, Vin Scelsa's The Closet debuted in the midnight to 6am slot, and as seen earlier on this blog, by 1969, WFMU was getting more and more national media exposure for it's "far-out" free-form programming, and the station staff was getting more and more heat from the college administration for it, as well.    On August 31st, 1969, the staff walked out in disgust and Upsala College shuttered WFMU for 10 months. But what happened at the end of those 10 months?  According to these undated clippings (93k Jpeg) (supposedly from The New York Times), a new station manager was brought aboard by Upsala to "teach students the proper guidelines for radio"...

November 16, 2005

WFMU in the News: Mixed Bag

Gr50smallThis week a myriad of current WFMU press clips:

WFMU Keeps All Us Weirdoes Tuned to the Same Wavelength  - Francis Joseph Smith reports on his experience recently volunteering at the 2005 Record Fair.  "A weirdo is someone who goes beyond the norm and operates entirely on their own frequency. Sometimes they happen to hear each other out there in the ether, but it takes a station like WFMU to bring them all together. Once you’ve got a bunch of weirdoes in one place, no one is really that weird anymore."  Nice!

Online Radio:  A Weird Wonderful World - Mary Coyne Wesling writes about her two favorite discoveries in the realm of online radio.  KUCI's "Lesbosmak", and WFMU's Seven Second Delay.

Alive and Rocking in Berlin:  An interview with Jason Forrest - Melanie Cohn speaks with Jason Forrest, formerly known as Donna Summer, host of Advanced D&D, about his musical endeavors, art, and life in New York vs life in Berlin. 

Country in the City -  Kurt Gottschalk writes for the Village Voice about the country music scene in New York City.  Radio Thrift Shop proprietress Laura Cantrell speaks up on the state of radio in relation to the development of this scene.

No Wave -  In their "guide to the best websites that play cool music", supermarket check-out aisle mag Entertainment Weekly gives WFMU the nod:    "WFMU is a "freeform" station, which means that the DJs pick the music without any programming oversight. Its programs are all over the map (folk-rock, dirty disco, and avant-retard are some of the colorful designators). Plus, the station's free podcast archive includes archival-quality history-of-music feeds dating back to 1896." 

November 15, 2005

Name Dropping

Circle_1We know how to win friends and influence people, just check out the smattering of A-listers who have popped into the WFMU studios over the past few months (click links to listen to the performances in real audio):

The Posies
(sweet pop melodies from Ken Stringfellow, Jonathan Auer, et al.)
Rob Sonic (hip-hop from the Def Jux label, ex-Sonic Sum)
The Hospitals (trashcan garage rock thrown in a blender)
Yura Yura Teikoku (catchy Japanese art-psych)
King Coleman (legendary mashed potato man)
Doug Gillard (can you say ex-Guided By Voices?)
Burmese (fuzzed-out noisy rock from SF)
Art of Flying (lovely off-kilter folk)
Paul Metzger (improv banjo, experimental folk)
Circle (crunchy space-core from Finland)
Art Brut (snotty 3-chord hooks from the UK)
Enablers (contemplative spoken word over dark harmonic rock)
Marissa Nadler (singer-songwriter on acoustic guitar, mysterious and minimal)
Magik Markers (no wave destructo)

November 09, 2005

More Record Fair Recap

Bronwyn and Miss Amanda have already written Record Fair round-ups, but here are a few more pictures of the fun and mayhem from this past weekend. 

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Early Friday morning.  An empty Metropolitan Pavilion awaits the arrival of hundreds of record dealers, who are lining up outside on 19th Street, waiting until noon, when they can start bringing thousands and thousands of obscuro records and CDs.  The two fellows in the far right picture were at the front of the line.  They arrived at 6am to secure their place!

Marybike_2Stingercycle_1





The night before, the Pavilion had hosted a fancy-schmancy benefit dinner where a motorcycle autographed by former Police-frontman Sting had been auctioned off.  When we arrived early Friday morning, the motorcycle was still there, and some of the volunteers and I  took turns sitting on it, including lovely volunteer Mary, who you see here.  The Stinger-cycle was just the first of many brushes with fame during the Fair.  Other reported celebrity sightings at the Fair this year included actors Benicio Del Toro and Rosie Perez, musicians Carlos D (Interpol) and Tom Verlaine (Television), and comedians Rachel Dratch, Jeffrey Ross, and Horatio Sanz, who showed extremely good taste in choosing a "Where Dead Air Lives" t-shirt to purchase from the WFMU Swag table.

Continue reading "More Record Fair Recap" »

November 07, 2005

Record Related MP3s

Sparkly_turntableAs a way of thanking everybody who came to the WFMU record fair this weekend, and also in an effor to engender cross-format peace and understanding, here are a few record-related MP3s:

John Lennon - Tower Records Ad
John does a great job as a guest DJ on Los Angeles station KHJ as he hawks Tower Records.

Althea and the Memories - Worst Record Ever Made
Kim Fowley pulled some pre-pubescent fans into the studio for the backing squeals.

Akaten - Suite USA Record Company
Atsushi Tsuyama (Acid Mothers Temple) and Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins) provide a muscial recitation of the major record labels.

Vernon Oxford - Turn The Record Over

Tom Tall - Stack of Records

Playmates - While The Record Goes Around

Moose Jackson - Big Ten Inch Record

Dinah Washington - Record Ban Blues

Bob and Ray - Columbia Phonograph Spot

November 05, 2005

Amanda's Record Fair 2005 Photos

The wfmu record fair isn't all butt-crack boys and goth girls. Well, there is a lot of that, but there are other things, and I took pictures of some of them for you. By the way, these aren't just blurry, crooked pictures, they're Arty pictures. Arty, I tell you. With informative captions.

They don't call it a record fair for nothing. See, a lot of people looking for records. See, a person looking for records. See, dj Rich models looking for records at the wfmu dollar record table.

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Swag and the people who pimp it. Swag central. Vinyl killers Swagster Megan and dj Gaylord. The debut of the new  battery/manual-powered Eco-sensitive Hybrid Vinyl Killer 2005.

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Things you can't buy at the record fair. Museum of pretty records. Don't touch the museum of pretty records. Life-sized Bette Page (they don't say it, but it's understood that you don't touch the life-sized Bette Page).

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Just because they call it a record fair doesn't mean it's only records.
It's things that look like records (ok, they actually look like cds, but they're paintings by Steve Keene), things that are made of records (bracelets and bags by HiFi Bags), and things that have nothing to do with records, but need good homes that aren't wine bottles (Corky Critters).

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Continue reading "Amanda's Record Fair 2005 Photos" »

rekkid fair!!!!

The weekend is half over but there's still time for anybody with even a casual interest in buying vinyl to get down to the Manhattan Pavilion  on 18th Street for this year's Record Fair. Unlike many radio stations who annoy you throughout the year with desperate pleadings for cash, WFMU only has two fundraising activities a year: the marathon and the record fair, both of which are a lot of fun. Wfmuechoboy

Never been to a record fair? You can read a nice write up about last year's fair over on the Rhino site.

November 03, 2005

Help Chris T. To Not Feel Like A Fraud

Christwfirstradio As mentioned in the recent Blast O' Hot Air, WFMU has a new Web-Only morning lineup from 6 AM - 9 AM: WFMU Unshackled! My podcast, Communication Breakdown, heard Friday mornings - morphed into a three-hour no-holds barred music and talk show (a podcast version is no longer available - ask the lawyers why), with much more music than I'd like. It's been years since I faked being a DJ (which doesn't stand for Dumb Jerk, as some people think...) and doing two music-crammed programs (the third show never happened due to technical problems) has me feeling like the biggest fake this side of our President.

Listeners have praised my programming when I do the occassional fill-in - and I certainly feel I have good taste in music - but that's not NEAR enough to be called a WFMU DJ, not IMHO (or even IHOP). Around here it's like saying you have good balance and then trying to join a trapeze act. WFMU DJs have mad skills. Okay, some of them are technically inept but these are people with massive record collections, who listen to a ton of new music and who are forever on the hunt for interesting slabs to lay on you, dear listener. Me? I haven't bought a new CD in years. With my two jobs and other responsibilities, I almost never get to hear WFMU in real-time. I cram my iPod with podcasts and other MP3s and swear I'll get to them someday - but - as John Fogerty once wrote - "someday never comes". But it's okay. I long ago came to the realization that my role at WFMU is as talkshow host. I've even become so sensitive to using the proper label that I've corrected people who refer to me as a DJ vis a vis WFMU. It's not that I'm trying to be a snob - it's just that I have too much respect for what WFMU DJs actually do. I'm not in that pantheon. I run my mouth. I make my opinion known. I rant. I rave. I take calls. And the problem - so far - with the new Unshackled Communication Breakdown is that the calls just ain't coming in. This is partly because the thing is so new - I understand that. People have to discover it, know it's there, get used to the idea of a completely FCC-Free zone. Then they have to pick up the phone and call 201-536-WFMU (9368). But part of it - a BIG part - is the cost involved with calling from other parts of the country and the world. That's why I'm thrilled to report yet another step forward, technologically-wise, for WFMU that will allow you to call Communication Breakdown from anywhere FREE OF CHARGE. It's called Skype - you've heard about it recently because eBay just bought the company. Their basic software is free and allows you to use your Mac or PC as an Internet telephone. All you need is a decent internet connection and some kind of microphone hooked up to your computer.

In addition to regular calls, I'll be taking Skype calls Friday morning at my brand new Skype contact name - CommBreak - but be aware: you'll need to lower your computer's volume when I put you on the "air" - or SCREECHING FEEDBACK will occur (how I look forward to yelling, "TURN YOUR COMPUTER DOWN!" the first time THAT happens). CommBreak is also set up with voice-mail, so download Skype and leave me a message - and let's keep marching into the 21st century together!

November 02, 2005

4-Legged Mind Control

Zombie_dog2I readily admit to have toyed with the idea of recording an instructional tape loop that would hypnotize my cat into starting up a pot of coffee in the morning... But some folks, presumably the ones who lurk in superstore pet emporia sporting sweatshirts screened with a photo of Mr. Snuggles all dolled up in tacky holiday-themed accessories, have come up with an internet radio station designed for pet owners to leave on for their furry friends as a substitute for human interaction during the workday.

It sounds like a good idea, right? Keep Rover's mischievous daytime habits at bay by distracting him with noise while you're at work... But as any good parent might ask, what kind of brainwashing methods will be used, and how effective are these protocols in clinical trials? Now, for the expose...

A few examples from CatDog Radio's playlist: Elvis "Hound Dog", Baha Men "Who Let the Dogs Out", Hall & Oates "Everytime You Go Away", Mariah Carey "Can't Let Go"... could you possibly select a better soundtrack for Snowball to chew through your cashmere and light your couch on fire? Rather than acting as a soothing sedative, these tunes are likely to crank up the aggro dial on any self-respecting animal, including humans. If a dog is capable of learning the names of 200 toys, he sure as hell knows when he's being fed offensive music.

Of course, WFMU provides plenty of high-quality pet-friendly programming, guaranteed to keep your companions in a happy trance. Rather than subjecting poor Fifi to the swill of late 80's, try some of our wiser alternatives:

- Pet-fronted bands: Hatebeak, Caninus, Dutch Singing Parrot (all real audio links)
- Ken's favorite parrot training record (real audio)
- Check out the Greasy Kid Stuff archives which are full o' tunes for kitties, doggies, and rodentia (all real audio links)
- MP3s of the entire Beatle Barkers album 
- The fantastic Thai Elephant Orchestra (real audio)
- A clip from Phillip Kent Bimstein's album Garland Hirschi's Cows (real audio)
- The Jingle Cats perform "Little Drummer Boy" (real audio)
- Rats screeching from an excerpt of "Rat Relocation" by Matmos (real audio)
- Mader's "Loons" (real audio) should please the flying reptiles
- Sealy Dan "I Feel Good" (real audio)
- Chicken versions of "Psycho Killer" and "Mission: Impossible" (real audio)
- "White Cat Heat" by Godz (real audio)
- Or if foul-mouthed foul is more your speed, check out archives for the Dirty Duck's program

...and so on.

Thanks to volunteer Jared for the tip, and thanks to Ken for schooling my novice ass on the joys of animal and fake-animal recordings (according to the expert, songs that employ fake-animal sounds are far superior)!

"Fat Gal" by Merle Travis, now in Visual Form on WFMU's Comics Page

Fgthumb_1WFMU's Comics Page has a new addition!

Listener-artist Ken Struck created this comic based on Merle Travis' 1947 song "Fat Gal" (mp3, 1.8mb).  He submitted it to us many moons ago and has given his kind permission for us to make it available for your funny-pages pleasure.  He has other "cool comix" for sale and you can email him at Kennethstruck at aol dot com if you have any inquiries.

Ken's comic joins works by Mary Fleener, Chris Worden, and John McLeod, who were inspired by the songs of Captain Beefheart, The Angry Samoans, Arthur Lee and Love, Earl Bostic and Pastor John Rygden. 

The Comics Page also features Jim Ryan's 1989 strip "Among the Vinyl People", which serves as an amusing preview of what's in store at the WFMU Record Fair, coming this weekend

Enjoy the funnies, and if you are a cartoon artist who has a song-based comic you would like to submit for consideration, please drop me a line!

November 01, 2005

WFMU Record Fair THIS WEEKEND!

RecordsThe bum-rush at your local ATM machine can only mean one thing: The WFMU Record & CD Fair has come out of hiding after our one-year hiatus! This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, thousands of WFMU listeners will descend upon Manhattan's Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W. 18th St.) for three days of scavenging for the most immensely wonderful LPs, CD, and 45s in every tweaked out style orbiting at the fringes of the genre spectrum. More than 200 dealers will present, for your perusal and manic consumption, countless thousands of titles representing only the finest in glitchy Electronics, resin-stained Psychedelic freakouts, undergound Hip Hop 12"s, outlaw Rockabilly, unusual Pop sounds from other galaxies, in/out Jazz platters, obscure film Soundtracks, Brasilian Post Punk 7"s, chin-stroking Experimentalia, Punk nuggets from 1966-now, dreamy indie rock, R&B honkfests, International crooners and swingers, Contemporary Classical, left-field Folkways, Afrosoul, killer Disco breaks, Roots & Twang, Song-Poems, Salvation-salivatin' Gospel 78s, singin' starlets, ESP-DISKS, French Freakbeat, catalog goodies from labels like Arf Arf, Telstar, Distortions, Ecstatic Yod, Troubleman Unlimited, Twisted Village, Sundazed, Norton, and pretty much anything else you might wanna lay your hands on that doesn't suck eggs.

As previously hyped on this blog, we're set to present a weekend of live music sure to knock 'em out at  the starting gate, including DMBQ (Saturday at 2 PM), Slavic Soul Party! (Saturday Steve_keeneat 5 PM), King Coleman & the Creepy T's (Sunday 1 PM), and the Super Karaoke Fun Time Band (Sunday, at 3 PM) + a weighty arsenal of visual stimuli all weekend long in the A/V Lounge! Here's a complete schedule of all videos and live events at the Fair. So come down, find the weirdo music you love but can't get anywhere else, grab a new Steve Keene painting for your cramped apartment, make friends you didn't know you could have, and support WFMU all at the same time. Not bad for one weekend, eh? And you've been telling everyone that the world is ending. Silly.

More information on the Record Fair is available here and here.

WFMU Heavy Airplay List

WFMU Top 30 compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner
(click on artist name or compilation title to hear a sample tune in real audio)

Various - Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds From Iraq (Sublime Frequencies)
Jason Forrest - Shamelessly Exciting (Sonig)
Albert Kuvezin & Yat-Kha - Re-Covers (Yat-Kha)
David Axelrod - The Edge (Capitol)
Kevin Blechdom - Eat My Heart Out (Chicks On Speed)
The Fool - The Fool (Rev-Ola)
Hobart Smith - In Sacred Trust (Smithsonian Folkways)
The Kallikak Family - May 23rd 2007 (Tell-All)
Modey Lemon - The Curious City (Birdman)
The Answer Tapes - The Answer Tapes (Heresee)
Mean Red Spiders - Still Life Moving Fast (Clairecords)
Lau Nau - 2005 US Tour CD (Lau Nau)
Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction (Legacy)
VVV - Resurrection River (Mego)
Chrystal Belle Scrodd - Belle Du Jour (Klang Galerie)
Nortec Collective - Tijuana Sessions Vol. 3 (Nacional)
Evie Sands - Any Way That You Want Me (Rev-Ola)
Miss Alex White & the Red Orchestra - s/t (In the Red)
Soundtrack - Doctor Who at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop Vol. 1: 1963-69
(BBC/Mute)
Ilk - Canticle (VHF)
Baby Washington - I've Got a Feeling (Stateside)
Afrirampo - URUSA In Japan (Gyunne Cassette)
Beautiful Skin - Everything, All This, and More (GSL)
Hurdy-Gurdy - Prototyp (Northside)
Jonathan Kane - February (Table of the Elements)
Times New Viking - Dig Yourself (Siltbreeze)
Art of Flying - As If You Were the Sea (Discobolus)
Dandi Wind - Bait the Traps (Bongo Beat)
Henrik Nordvargr Bjorkk- Vitagen (Essence Music)
Little Howlin Wolf - Brave New World (Heresee/Ehse)

Web-Only Shows and Podcasts

Steveporcaro1982_1WFMU Unshackled: With our new Fall-Winter schedule, WFMU unveiled a radical new concept - 15 hours a week of freeform programming which is aired only on the internet. (Since Nachum Segal's JM in the AM already had established it's own 24-hour-a-day webstream, we replaced JM in the AM on the freeform stream with programs that are free of the FCC's incomprehensible language restrictions. JM in the AM is still heard over the air, and online through Nachum's JM website.)

After a few false starts and technical snafus, the web-only slot is now running smoothly, from 6-9am EST Monday through Friday mornings. On Mondays, you can hear John Allen's new show, Thursdays brings you the return of the Cosmic Cowboy and on Friday mornings, Chris T returns to the phones with a three-hour edition of Communication Breakdown (you can call Chris while his show is in progress at 201-536-9368 or toll-free via the internet phone service Skype at "WFMU-FM."). On Tuesday and Thursday mornings you can hear various WFMU DJ's stretching out in the FCC-free zone with pre-recorded web-only shows. Like all WFMU shows, the morning web-only shows will be archived in both mono Realaudio and stereo MP3 formats. Thanks to Bill Zurat and John Fog for their hard work in making this innovation possible!

Podcast Update:
With our new schedule, twelve WFMU shows are available as podcasts, meaning that the MP3 archive of each new show is be delivered automatically to your computer and/or MP3 player. Returning to the podcast roster is the found-sound extravanganza The Audio Kitchen, and joining our podcast ranks for the first time is Clay Pigeon's brand new Dusty Show, an analog audio orgasm in its own right. There's more information on our Podcasts, the links you need to subscribe to these showsand instructions for getting started on our Podcast Central Page.

Next up at the geeky buffet: live WFMU streams and archives via internet-enabled cell phones and PDAs. Stay tuned...

Off-Mic DJ News for November, 2005

Oh, sure, I hear you all saying: "What a paltry set of listings for the month of November!" Not even, naysayer. It's just that all of our DJs are saving themselves for the totally majestic and awe-inspiring Record Fair, which will be taking place November 4th through 6th at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Terre T and Dave the Spazz are just some of the FMU-style luminaries who will be appearing live and in the flesh at the Fair; to see who is else there, you'll just have to show up yourself!

If you don't get enough of the Spazz at the fair, however, you can catch him at his regular spin-o-rama at Union Pool, every Sunday night in November. Union Pool is at 484 Union Street (at Meeker) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. If you arrive early, there's no cover. Actually, there's no cover whenever you arrive, but you can use the money you save buying Dave a beer, and then gyrating in front of him. 

October 26, 2005

"The Worst Talk Show Host Ever..."

Andy_whirlyAndy Bowers, writing for Slate, crowns Seven Second Delay "Pod Pick Of The Week". Quoting Mr. Bowers:

Imagine a New Jersey call-in radio show where the host doesn't want to talk to you. As he moans about having to deal with the public, he also berates listeners for not calling in more. When he answers the phone, he mockingly mutters the talk-radio clichés before they can: "Love the show," he says in his best bored curmudgeon voice. "First-time caller, longtime listener, blah, blah." He routinely derides the audience and his co-host as hippies. And he spends a good portion of his weekly, hourlong time slot asking his co-host when they can go home.

Read the entire article here: Pod Pick Of The Week

From the WFMU News Vault: New York Times Magazine, 1999

Timesmag99

This week features a sort-of lengthy article (html link) entitled "No Hits, All the Time",  written about WFMU for the New York Times Magazine's April 11, 1999 issue.   Fast forwarding 30 years from WFMU's groovy past, we get a picture of the station as it is, more or less, in these modern times.  Quotes from Citizen Kafka, Kenny G, Monica, and other DJs attempted to elucidate for the coffee-sipping Sunday morning Times readers exactly what it is that makes FMU so different from your average pitstop on the radio dial.   



 

October 24, 2005

The Stradivarius of the Washtub Bass

Hello, everybody—nice seeing you again.

WashtubOne reason Sluggo and I are still together, after ALL THESE YEARS, is that he is never boring. He’s always finding some new thing, like Punjabi Radio   or the Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio.  And he likes all the weird, interesting things I dig up, too.

Sometimes people I don’t know very well, like someone I work with at my dayjob, will express doubt about our eclectic tastes; one guy I thought was a good friend of mine said he was surprised that I really like this stuff, and that I wasn’t just pretending to like it to seem “cool.” I still don’t understand that. Why would you pretend to like something? When I lived in the Midwest, I never assumed that people pretended to like Paul McCartney and Wings just to seem pathetic.

Anyway, the latest thing that Sluggo’s really into is washtub bass. Here’s THE web site.  And here’s a link you can start with if you want to hear what a washtub bass sounds like.  But before Sluggo could start playing washtub bass, he had to build one. First he built one out of an beat-up little galvanized garbage can we had lying around, along with an old broom handle and some sash cord, but already he’s improving on that. He went out on a local hiking trail and found a big tree branch that blew down in the last storm, brought it home, debarked it, whittled on it, and made a staff that’s the pole for his new washtub bass. Of course he’s carving a block of wood into a figurehead kind of thing for it, and now we have to buy some taxidermy eyes of various sizes. He’s already invented a double bridge, and is making me drive him around to garden supply stores to look for just the right kind of weedwhacker cord to make the perfect string. I’m sure it won’t be long until he’s the Stradivarius of the Washtub Bass. He’s also very excited about getting his photo up on this one web site that has a picture gallery of people with their washtub instruments.

When I was growing up in Iowa, the washtub bass was still around. It wasn’t exactly common, but it was common enough that I got the message that it was kind of outré and not a proper thing to like, even though I DID like it. I liked the sound of it, and the fact that it was made out of, you know, a washtub. I liked the cigar box banjo, too. (Now here is a digression—how is it that the people of Southwest Iowa are taking over WFMU? There’s me, sometime DJ Bronwyn C., from Pottawattamie County, and there’s DJ Clay Pigeon, from Audubon, and there’s DJ Bethany from just across the Missouri River in Omaha. What’s that about?) Anyway, I don’t care what’s  supposed to be cool, and what isn’t, I like what I like, and I’ve always been that way. I guess that’s why I like WFMU.

Thanks for reading my blog entry this week, and may God Bless.

October 19, 2005

We Call It 'Carbonated Sugar Water'

Bubbles_1What do they call it in your neck of the woods? Visit this non-scientifically-derived interactive map to find out which regions of the U.S. use the terms soda, pop, or coke in reference to soft drinks (pop wins the majority by a narrow margin). via wohba

But that's not the disturbing part... oh no. Delve a bit further to find out what the non-conformist Americans are calling cavity fertilizer in lieu of the 3 most popular answers. "Sodie," "tarzan slam," "drank," "large farva," and "tonic" appear to be popular.

If you're feeling nostalgia for old coke, new coke, tab, or crystal pepsi at this point, take a listen to this fantastic episode (real audio) of WFMU's Aircheck program, featuring soft drink jingles of the 1960s.

Or, listen to the "best soda song ever" according to Mike Lupica: Negativland's "Drink It Up" (real audio).

Hooray for Friday!

Congratulations FRIDAY!

The Village Voice recently named Friday on WFMU the Best Day of Radio in their recent "Best of NYC 2005" issue.  Props were given in particular to Doug, Monica, and Mike Lupica, who has, in fact, moved to Monday nights from 8pm to 11pm since the new schedule went into effect (pre-publication of the Voice Best ofs).  Doug and Monica still start off Fridays with a bang, and drivetime is now hosted by the delightful DonnaCheck out the full praiseful listing here.

 

October 14, 2005

WFMU Record Fair Approacheth November 4th, 5th, and 6th!

Rf_splash_2I suspect that most of you, like all of us here at WFMU, are pretty irresponsible about curbing the endless jones for acquiring more music. Do you visit foreign cities or remote college towns and casually try to sniff out the local record shops? Do you find it hard to resist thumbing through those boxes of stoop-sale vinyl that languish so helplessly on the curbsides of Carroll Gardens and Jersey City? Have you ever climbed INTO a dumpster because someone told you there were records in it?

Well, we have.

It should come as no great shock to you that every WFMU on-air personaility has a litany of vinyl or CD scoring tactics and stories that could easily be likened to peg-legged sailors swapping tales in some burnt-out bar stinking of vinegar and pipe tobbacky. That's part of the reason we cooked up the annual miracle that is The WFMU Record & CD Fair. And it's coming up again in just a couple weeks!

To set your imagination in motion, I could tell you about the indcredible Records & CDs I've scored in my years as a die-hard attendee of the Record Fair, or I could tell you about the amazing assortment of live bands that have graced the Record Fair stage. (Can I get a Metal Urbain? Is there a Cul de Sac in the house? Ladies and gentlemen, would Oneida, The Evolution Control Committee, Isaiah Owens, Dan Deacon, The Pontani Sisters, People Like Us, The Pretty Things, Flaming Fire, The Demolition Doll Rods, Brother JT, Laura Cantrell, and The Chocolate Watchband please approach the concession stand?) Or I could just tell you about the massive outpouring of WFMU-flavored love that this annual event has become. In so many ways, the Record Fair is the social event of the season for music scene elders, novices, band members, hipsters, weirdos, DJs, and even a celebrity or two because they already know what you're going to find out on November 4th, 5th, and 6th!

Continue reading "WFMU Record Fair Approacheth November 4th, 5th, and 6th!" »

Fading In and Out

Radio_tower_1Last week I was going to post an exquisite elegy for my husband, Robert Boyd, who died on October 6, 2003. Among many other things, as "Mr. Boyd" he was an occasional WFMU dj, and that's how I became connected to the station. But I felt surprisingly sad on this year's anniversary, then I felt stupid for feeling still so sad, and then I felt stupid for feeling stupid, and then I didn't want to feel anything anymore, so I didn't write that damn elegy, and then I didn't write the funny smut I usually do, because feeling sad and stupid and empty does not generate funny smut.

Rob once said he believed in two things, and WFMU was one of them. (The other was not God, in case you were wondering--it was the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where we met, and he had worked off and on since 1987, and founded the BAM Archives.) Though he was sick for five years with an auto-immune disease called sarcoidosis, he died suddenly, from a pulmonary embolism. You would think when someone goes from being young and healthy to being in a wheelchair, and in and out of the hospital a lot, and on a list of medications as long as your arm, you might talk about the possibility of that person dying. We didn't, in case you were wondering.

Continue reading "Fading In and Out" »

October 13, 2005

The Secret of Lil' Markie Revealed

Lilmarkie_bigVideo: Quicktime file of Large Happy Man holding Lil' Markie captive inside his body.
MP3s: 17 Lil' Markie tracks below the jump.

Listeners to Kenny G's show or Irwin's old show Incorrect Music may recall the pleadings of a certain helium induced duck-child named Lil' Markie, as he begged his mother not to abort him (Diary of An Unborn Child MP3), or his drunken Daddy not to feel so bad about killing him (Story of An Alcoholic Father MP3). As bizarre Christian Kiddy records go, the Lil' Markie material stands alone.

But something never felt right to me about Lil' Markie. For one thing, he looked human, but he sounded suspiciously like a puppet. But there were no strings to be found. From the sound of it, Markie carried himself like a well respected leader of the  Christian Puppet community, but unlike Lil' Joey, Lil' Harry or Lil' Jackie, not only were there no strings, there were no hands up the back, no hinged dummy-jaws. Nothing to suggest puppetry. It didn't make sense. To my mind, the helium duck-child voice was not of human origin.

Now at last, the mystery is solved. The other day on the Bomarr blog, this video surfaced (Quicktime file). In it, you will see video footage of a Large, Happy Man singing the Large_happy_manpraises of Jesus. But that's not the strange thing. About halfway through the video, the voice of Lil' Markie emerges from The Large Happy Man.

This is visual proof that The Large, Happy Man swallowed Lil' Markie whole and is now exploiting him on tours of churches around the United States!! When Lil' Markie sang Use Me (MP3), he didn't mean this! The actual identity of the Large Happy Man has not been verified, but he claims to be one Mark Fox.

Ignore Mark Fox's preposterous claims and jump below the fold for Otis Fodder's MP3 collection of Lil' Markie tracks, plus other Lil' Markie links. Thanks to Otis, Bomarr, and Pea Hicks.

Continue reading "The Secret of Lil' Markie Revealed" »

October 12, 2005

From the WFMU News Vault: Look Magazine, 1969. Eye Magazine, 1969.

Some really great moldy oldies this week:

On June 24, 1969, Look Magazine published an article about "the new radio" - "stations with a far-out format" including KMPX and KSAN in San Francisco, KMET in Los Angeles, WNEW in New York, and there's a mention about a little station in East Orange called WFMU, which had just managed to raise all of $13,000 for their operating expenses that year.  Also, a creepily prescient scene featuring pot-smoking, mandala-wearing record executives who are none too concerned about "renaissance radio" encroaching on their profits.
Download the article here.  (PDF, 524k)

Later that year, Eye Magazine featured an in-depth 3 page article about WFMU and it's incongruous presence at Upsala College, which in description sounds a bit like the Faber College campus.  This article has some really fascinating facts:

  • WFMU's first marathon ever raised $2,500, which was enough to keep the station on the air in the summer of 1968.
  • Leonard Bernstein once called the station to tell them "he liked what was going on".
  • Some things have really changed, like "A listener could call to request a song and hear it played 10 minutes later."
  • And some things haven't changed at all such as the station "being under the care of various dropouts, mistfits and professionals" and the perception of WFMU as being "considerably looser, more spontaneous and less professional".

Interviews with Vin Scelsa, Lou "The Duck" D'Antonio, biker mama Toni Stevens, and the Kokaine Karma guys, among others, round out this very interesting piece of WFMU History.  Download the article here. (PDF, 1.18 MB)

October 07, 2005

Adult Contemporary Anarchy

Oh do we love celebrity train wrecks. In fact, we lean forward at the edges of our seats, fingers crossed, toes anxiously tapping, in earnest anticipation of the moment some public figure makes an ass of themselves.

EltonThis week's cringe-worthy news: Elton John, Roger Daltrey, and Robert Plant are going to cover the Buzzcocks song "Ever Fallen in Love" (real audio, from an archive of Diane's Kamikaze Fun Machine) as a tribute to the late John Peel. An old song being covered by dinosaurs to preserve the memory of Peel: fantastically inappropriate on so many levels! Can't wait for the video footage.

Some cover tune zen that's been spinning on WFMU lately (real audio):
The Fall "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" (as heard on Bill Zurat's show)
Los Punkrockers "Holiday in the Sun" (from an archive of Brian Turner's show)
Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha "Black Magic Woman" (as aired on Transpacific Sound Paradise)
Hubble Bubble "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" (from Mike Lupica's show)
Ammer / Einheit / Haage "I Will Survive" (from an archive of Ken's show)
...and finally, a supermarket mix of "Ever Fallen in Love" by Punk Rock Baby (from Frank O' Toole's show)

October 05, 2005

WFMU Art Contest

ArtisteAttention artists: WFMU is hungry for tasty new T-shirt and bumper sticker designs to be used for our 2006 fundraising Marathon.

Enter our contest, Logo-Rama 2005, where fame, glory, and $300 worth of records, CDs, and/or MP3s can all be yours if the spoils of your right brain prove worthy. We're accepting both digital and analog works up until Thursday, October 20. Hit up our online store to see examples of art we've used in the past.

Digital submissions may be sent to "contest (at) wfmu (dot) org" as attachments (.jpg, .tif, or .pdf formats only, please do not send files over 1 MB in size).

Original artwork, high-quality reproductions (no slides, please), and CD-Rs or DVD-Rs containing digital files (.jpg, .tif, or .pdf only) may be sent to:

WFMU
c/o Logo-Rama 2005
P.O. Box 2011
Jersey City, NJ 07303

Artwork will be returned upon request, but please remember to provide your address.

There is no limit to the number of designs any one person can submit, but do include your full name, a valid e-mail address, and daytime phone number when submitting designs. Questions may be directed to contest (at) wfmu dot org.

Decorate your Desktop with WFMU Wallpaper

Now you too can decorate your computer desktop the way the Movie Stars do, with our amazing WFMU Wallpaper!  To take advantage of this fabulous offer, simply click the link below for your desired selection, and once it loads, right click over the image and choose "Set as Wallpaper".  Or, if your computer doesn't have that option, you can right click on the image (once it loads) and choose to "Save Image As.." and then set the wallpaper via your computer's control panel settings.  This site has more information on how to set your wallpaper up, or you can drop me a line if you are still stuck. 

Now, on to the fabulousness.  Today's selections include artwork from WFMU T-shirts past:

640endtimes_2Making the End Times Happy Times

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800x600, 176k.
Bruno Nadalin designed this happy-calyptic image for a WFMU T-shirt a few years back.   Perfect for the computer user who rarely leaves home.

Flora_composite3_2Jim Flora Kiddie Ensemble
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Inspired by the artwork of Jim Flora, designed by Dave Cunningham for the 2003 T-shirt.  Download this one and imagine that the mad little children are responsible for all that music in your head. 

640keeneInvestigate Fish Farm
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800x600, 233k
Steven Keene created this lovely design for WFMU's Marathon 2000 T-shirt.

640love_2Powered By Love
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Forget Dell.  Power your desktop with Love.  Danny Hellman designed this super-cute image for the first-ever WFMU Iron-On back in 2003.

800wareLearn Radio
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Impress your friends and family with this Chris Ware creation in which Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, teaches us about the wonders of Radio.

Enjoy!  And, if you would care to decorate your body with any of these designs, take a stroll over to our Olde Time Internet Emporium to take a look at our fine t-shirts, bumper stickers, and more.

October 04, 2005

Bunnybrains, singing about WFMU listeners

Bunny_brains_btm_6750When I was a tyke, I got a birthday present of a book about myself. That is, for $12.99, some publishing company writes a kids' book that inserts you as a character (in this case I was led by a talking giraffe whose name was mine backwards into a world dominated by giraffes), citing your family and friends as other characters, obviously culled from a data printout your own parents provided. Well, for the 2004 marathon, listeners who pledged a certain amount to my show (and wanted the prize) got the distinct honor of being the subject of a Bunnybrains song, mailed out to them on a CD compilation of all the winners' songs. The Bunnybrains have provided such amazing memories for me since the early 90's: seeing them all burst into tears during a set at Under Acme while my friends consoled them and took up instruments, holding Dan Bunny's baby at a WFMU benefit at the Westbeth Theater while the band played an hour longer than the theater's personnel were being paid to be around for (performing in front of a screen showing dog porn films nonetheless,  the Westbeth owners were thrilled about that needless to say), Dan breaking my borrowed guitar when my band played with them at the Cooler while their smoke machine belched so much smoke upstairs and out the door to 14th street that the NYFD came, and stayed to watch the set. But maybe the greatest moment was them opening for Hawkwind (!) at Coney Island High. The tiny place already had half the floor taken up by Hawkwind's tons of laser show/light gear, and was also overstuffed with psychedelic hermits just coming out of their homes for the first time since 1977. Many of them dosed, not a good idea during the Bunnybrains' set, lots of people were abusing the 'brains verbally for their ensuing "bad trips" and I saw at least 4 of 'em drop to the floor. Whoa. Anyway, I hope these songs warmed the winners' hearts, I especially love "Art Carlson" myself. (Not safe for work).

"Jeff Kling" (MP3)
"Martin Nieusteadt" (MP3)
"Chris Montoya" (MP3)
"Art Carlson" (MP3)
"Frank Scanlon" (MP3)
"David Slotnick" (MP3)

DJ Comp of the Month: Mac's Big Seven Inch Collection

Trini_lopez_1MP3s: 29 of them below the jump.

This month's MP3 compilation comes from our own Mac, host of the Antique Phonograph Music Program, who compiled a batch of sales-oriented seven inches for the WFMU record library. This collection was never offered during our marathons, Mac put it together specifically for the WFMU record library. So sing along with the Telephone Pioneers of America, shed a tear with Art Linkletter, and lasso some tefillin with Harold Stern, the Jewish Cowboy. If you like these, be sure to also check out Mac's Museum of Carboard and Oddity Records, one of the hidden gems of our vast website.

Continue reading "DJ Comp of the Month: Mac's Big Seven Inch Collection" »

WFMU Heavy Airplay List

WFMU Top 30 compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner
(click on artist name or compilation title to hear a sample tune in real audio)

Ari Up - Dread More Dan Dead (Collision)
Husky Rescue - Country Falls (Minty Fresh)
Soundtrack - Broken Flowers (Decca)
Richard Hell - Spurts (Sire/Rhino)
Amadou & Mariam - Dimanche a Bamako (Nonesuch)
The Greenhornes - East Grand Blues (V2)
Cobra Killer & Kapajkos - Das Mandolinenorkester (Monika)
Various - Boobs: The Junkshop Glam Discotheque (RPM)
Volcano the Bear - Classic Erasmus Fusion (Volcano the Bear)
The Fall - Complete Peel Sessions Box (Castle)
Susumu Yokota - Symbol (Lo)
Various - Dimension Mix: The Music of Bruce Haack and Esther Nelson (Eenie Meenie)
Nurse With Wound - Sililoquy For Lilith (United Jnana)
Various - Vertigo Mixed by Andy Votel (Family Recordings)
The Holy Mackerel - The Holy Mackerel (Collectors Choice)
Hot Fire - Hot Fire (Vibe Theater)
Rogerio Duprat - A Banda Tropicalista Do Duprat (El)
Waco Brothers - Freedom and Weep (Bloodshot)
Mutamassik - Definitive Works (Soundink/Traffic)
Zuco 103 - Whaa! (Six Degrees)
Curse Ov Dialect - 7 Song Demo (Curse Ov Dialect)
June Carter Cash - Keep On the Sunny Side (Legacy)
Death Sentence: Panda! - Puppy, Kitty, Or Both (Upset the Rhythm)
Drinking Electricity - Overload (Survival)
Endless Boogie - Volume 1 (Mound Duel)
Various - Rough Guide To Balkan Gypsy (WMN)
(International) Tall Dwarfs - In the Dying Days of Helen Young (Tall Dwarfs)
Philip Blackburn - Habanera: A Soundwalk Through Old Havana, Cuba (Innova)
Hexa - Hexa (Hexa)
Various - I Like Yellow Things: MSR Madness Vol. 5 (MSR)

Off-Mic DJ News for October 2005

When our DJs aren't out scaring neighborhood children with bloody claws, grotesque masks or their own personal frightwigs, they honor the calendar's scariest month by offering up dark musical sacrifices to their own personal gods. Abandon hope, all ye who enter here:

FinewineOn Saturday, October 1st, Downtown Soulville's Mr. Fine Wine, along with his minions Jared, David G. & the Chairman spin with their very special guest CUT CHEMIST (Jurassic 5, "Brainfreeze," "Product Placement," etc.). 10PM-4AM at the apt, 519 West 14th Street, Manhattan. Only $10!

The last "purpose-built" Communication Breakdown podcast arrives Monday, October 3rd and features all the songs Chris T. sang with the Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia since the tradition began in 2001. Communication Breakdown first appeared two weeks after Aerial View went off the air and has featured music, rants, interviews and lots of filth. The one element missing is what made Aerial View so compelling: real-time communication (hence the "breakdown") with listeners on the phone. What's that crap about one door closing and another opening? If all goes well, beginning October 14th, Communication Breakdown will no longer be time-shifted but will join WFMU's new "Mayhem in the AM" web-only roster, streaming live 6 - 9AM Friday mornings. A portion of the 3-hour program will subsequently be excerpted for the new-style Communication Breakdown podcast. The best part of this new paradigm? The phones will once again be open, with listeners able to call in from all around the world! And the filth will remain: because it's a webcast, the FCC's got no horse in this race. Saddle up, suckers!

Continue reading "Off-Mic DJ News for October 2005" »

Singing Sadie: All That, and a Pair of Tap Shoes

Sadie12Recently, Irwin hosted the second artist to ever tap dance in the WFMU studios*, Australia's Singing Sadie. Assaulting our audience with a saccharine-sweet schoolyard tattletale's voice laid over 1930s big-band recordings, Sadie's cheerful wailing and spunky wit will win you over (click to hear the performance in real audio or streaming MP3). Download a video of Sadie performing the song "Until Drink Do Us Part" (mpg, 18 MB), to get the complete singing/tap-dancing experience (minus the backing music).

* Matmos was the first: they were accompanied by a tap-dancer for a set that aired on the Re:Mixology program, click here to listen to the archive in real audio.

September 29, 2005

Avant Retard

Do_diy_coverPeople Like Us, WFMU's sound collagier and host of the avant-audio montage program, Do or DIY,  is taking a breather during our new schedule (which runs through June 12, 2006) to make time for extracurriculars.

As a consolation to her many fans, PLU is offering up a special hour-long Do or DIY super-mix MP3 download (80 MB), complete with cover art and track listing.

If that doesn't satisfy your cravings, check out WFMU's vast library of archives for Do or DIY.

September 23, 2005

Trumped Up

Trump_prDonald Trump came to Jersey City yesterday to announce that two big buildings will be built down the street from WFMU. Well, he didn't put it quite that way. Mostly he was fixated on the fact that the big buildings would be so big that they would be the biggest buildings in New Jersey. They'll be 55 and 50 stories big, while WFMU is only 4 stories not-big.

The Trump Plaza amenities include a fitness center, a basketball court, and a rooftop outdoor swimming pool. The WFMU amenities include a lack of fitness, an arcade version of Asteroids that doesn't work, and a basement prone to sewage backups.

Local pols bent over forwards to welcome Trump to the neighborhood. For his part, Trump commented incoherently: "I am the largest developer in Manhattan, and I am coming to Jersey City. So a lot of people come the other way, and I am coming this way, and I am pretty good at predicting trends, so let's hope that's a trend."

The Jersey papers made it sound like Trump was actually developing the property, but 1010Wins says "Metro Homes in Hoboken has essentially paid Trump a licensing fee to use his name on the project." So what we're talking about here are ugly big-ass buildings with ugly big-ass Trump bumper stickers on their ugly big-asses, unlike all the other Trump projects which are...well, just like that.

(And don't you think putting twin towers on the Hudson river and bragging about how tall they are is creepy?)

The $415 million project at Washington and Bay streets will have about 900 condos with prices estimated to start at $525,000. Plans are for groundbreaking in November, completion in fall of 2007.

September 21, 2005

Archive Goodies, now with 33% more Nuns!

NunFirst lets get these nuns off my chest. A Nun Puppet and The Pink Nun (Keeping your who-ha in check)

Now good stuff in the WFMU archives that you can be hearing (with your ears) right now!

Chris T - Aerial View : August 20th 1993 Everything you always wanted to know about Men but were afraid to ask. With special guest Ken Freedman.

Kenny G - Anal Magic : 09.17.03 (Playlist) Listen (RealAudio) Live with R. Stevie Moore, Krys O, Irwin Chusid, Vicki Bennett

Ed Shepp- The Ed Shepp Radio Experiment: July 22, 2005(Playlist)Drugs(RealAudio) This show is great! It may be his best yet.

Mark Allen - From his August 4th show (Playlist) Listen (RealAudio) - some tedious radio, in a good way!

And lastly,

Scott Williams - August 22, 2005 (RealAudio) - Listen (RealAudio) to my dream come true! Then me being a bad caller (RealAudio)

Announcing the Fall/Winter WFMU Schedule

SchedThe new WFMU Schedule is up, kicking in Monday October 3rd, and running through June of 2006. Some new shows, new DJs, and old ones returning to the fold, and also a new twist to things: while JM in the AM continues to broadcast from Monday through Friday from 6-9 AM, we will be offering internet-only freeform broadcasting as well. This means basically there will be 15 new hours of 6-9 AM internet programming featuring some rotating slots and weekly shows from hosts like Chris T., John Allen, and the Cosmic Cowboy. We should also note that these web-only shows are free of FCC language restrictions since they won't be going out over the airwaves. Have a gander at the schedule in table form here, and as a long list with show descriptions here.

WFMU Gets Macedonian Props

BtMuisc and Program Director Brian was recently interviewed for an article in the Russian music/ culture magazine PNTAM. (PDF) 

If anyone can translate this, please drop me a line.  Otherwise, just check out the sweet coat BT is all bundled up in.  Nice. 

Continue reading "WFMU Gets Macedonian Props" »

September 20, 2005

Montreal Post-Punk Invasion

WearewolvesWe Are Wolves dropped into the WFMU studios last week for a live set that aired on Bill Zurat's show (click to hear the set in Real Audio or streaming MP3). The trio left us with a dancey, damaged set of epileptic electro punk, tinged with some Québécois flava'. Grab a short video of the performance right here (avi file, 43 MB), and get busy with your synthi.

September 19, 2005

Scientifically-Formulated Pop Hits

A psychologist has determined a recipe for the perfect pop tune:

Waveform_1P + Pos + T + BPM + I = S

P = Pitch
Pos = % of positive lyrics
T = Tonality
BPM = Beats per Minute
I = Images or Memories associated with the music
S = Serotonin level

Based on this, here are the Top 10 perfect pop songs (click on song title links to listen in real audio):

1.  Boo Radleys "Wake Up Boo!"
     from an archive of Janitor from Mars w/ R. Lim
2.  Beach Boys "Good Vibrations"
     from an archive of Stereo Odyssey with Yancy
3.  Jackson 5 "I Want You Back"
4.  Beatles "Here Comes the Sun"
     from Shrunken Planet with Jeffrey Davison
5.  Madonna "Holiday"
     from and archive of the Ed Shepp Radio Experiment
6.  Van Morrison "Brown-Eyed Girl"
7.  The Foundations "Build Me Up Buttercup"
     from an archive of Ken and Harry filling in for Greasy Kid Stuff
8.  Michael Jackson "Wanna Be Starting Something"
     from Diane's Kamikaze Fun Machine
9.  John Paul Young "Love is in the Air"
10. The Darkness "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"
      from an archive of Trouble's show

I performed a literature search on Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, who lectures at the Goldsmiths College in London, concerning these findings, and did not unearth any published work by him on the subject in any scientific journal. Then I discovered why: dude moonlights in the marketing dept for a mobile phone network company that has some fancy ringtone technology.

Thanks to Station Manager Ken, Sound Scavengers list, and Guardian UK for this one

September 16, 2005

Starring... WFMU's T-shirt

Newporno2The New Pornographers have just released the video for their pop anthem "Use It" (watch the video in Windows Media or Real Player), which appears on their latest album Twin Cinema. If watch closely, you may notice Carl Newman (the band's red-headed frontman) sports a WFMU t-shirt (designed by Chris Ware; also seen on Blaine Thurier in the photo to the left) for part of the head-bobbing sing-along. Playing supporting roles to our t-shirt are comedian/actor David Cross and Canadian rocker Nardwuar.

If you missed it, the New Pornographers recently performed live on WFMU during Brian Turner's show: you can listen to the archive right here (real player) or download a video clip of the band's performance (avi file, 44 MB).

September 15, 2005

Stop the Bop

Hanson_2Kenny G, you've been served.

A catholic high school in McSherrystown, PA is raising money for Hurricane Katrina victims by playing Hanson's "MmmBop" (oh yes, we've gone there... real audio from an archive of Greasy Kid Stuff) over the loudspeaker before school, in between classes, and during lunchtime, until they raise $3000 (click here to read more).

Thanks to listener Scott in D.C. for the red alert.

September 14, 2005

From the WFMU News Vault: WWOZ-in-exile and Thomas Edison's Attic

A couple of articles this week about the WWOZ-in-Exile stream:

This is a long article from the Nashua Telegraph.  It features interviews with both WFMU and WWOZ Station Managers and a rather somber photo of our own Station Manager Ken.

This is a article about preserving the cultural heritage of New Orleans. (registration required)  WWOZ-in-Exile gets a mention in a few paragraphs.

Speaking of the efforts to save WWOZ, thanks to the many WFMU listeners and WWOZ supporters who have pledged so far!

Also in the news this week: 

A fascinating article (registration required) about Thomas Edison's wax cyclinder recordings.   Jerry Fabris, host of WFMU's Thomas Edison's Attic and curator at the Edison National Historic Site, talks about these early recordings and efforts to preserve them in digital format for future generations to enjoy.

Click here to listen to the August 23, 2005 episode of Thomas Edison's Attic.  (RealAudio)   All playlists and archives for the show can be found here.

September 09, 2005

From the Trenches - Triac In the WFMU Live Room

They came from Baltimore to grace the WFMU airwaves; TRIAC, featuring one member of Hatebeak, were musical guests last night on Andrew Listfield's fill-in program for Pat Duncan. Listen here (about 22 minutes in) for the MP3 version of Triactheir set; here to check it out in RealAudio. Triac treated the listening audience to an onslaught of 10 songs of their trademark sludgy, furious grind. The new cd, Dead House Dreaming, that features cover artwork from artist extraordinaire Stephen Kasner, is just recently out onHawkh_1 the Reptilian label. The Cosmic Cowboy got a good aerial shot of them while clutching onto a ceiling fan for dear life, fearful of dropping into the whirling madness of the room below. Before they left, we chatted off-mic about things near & dear; Route 17 and the Paramus Mall, a website where you can listen to the entire HAWK album and other classic 80s metal finds, cutlery and good posture. Check out the archive, buy their album, see them live, Triac commands you!

9/11 On The Air

Wolverton04_2If you missed it, last night's episode of Aircheck was incredible. It's an hour of 9/11 radio coverage from live news/talk stations in New York City. The archives are up here: Streaming Realaudio | Streaming MP3.

Hearing this coverage brings back the confusion and chaos of that day four years ago, and it also puts into perspective the current coverage of Katrina and the storm's aftermath.

You'll hear all the rumors and spreculation (some right, most wrong) as they fall off the presses and off the lips of announcers at WOR, WABC, WCBS-AM and other New York City stations. A propeller plane has hit the South Tower. The FBI announces that the attack was NOT terrorism. The left half of the south tower has collapsed.

Great editing job to Evan for this episodem and to Brian for the great Aircheck Series, and hats off to The Professor for capturing all this when it happened.

September 07, 2005

From the WFMU News Vault: 1987 - Village Voice Declares Best New York Radio is Made in New Jersey

Voice87Back in age of the dinosaurs, I mean, in 1987, the Village Voice ran a lengthy front page article entitled "New York's Best Radio Station Broadcasts from a Jersey Basement."    They were talking about WFMU, which at the time was still located on the Upsala College campus in East Orange, in the basement of Froeberg Hall.  The article features, among other things,  Irwin expounding on the art of freeform, The Hound testifying on the state of radio and the world, and this amusing anecdote from the late Vanilla Bean,  about how he first came to be involved with WFMU:

"The turning point, what got me involved in WFMU, was when they were doing the marathon.  I called them up to tell them the pope had been shot.  This was back when Reagan first got elected.  So I called up and somebody who answered the phone sounded really harried and said 'Who gives a shit?' and hung up.  And I though, 'Wow, they sound like a great bunch of people.'"

Some nice illustrations by Kaz, as well. 

The article can be found in full here, in all its cut and pasted glory.  (PDF, 1.7MB)

September 02, 2005

If You Missed Easy Action on WFMU

You don't have to beat yourself up (they might, though); you can listen to the archive in Real Audio or MP3 formats (fast forward in about an hour). Check Andrew Listfield's playlist to be sure (great job filling in for Pat Duncan last night), but they treated the WFMU audience to 10 Images_2 ear damaging numbers of Detroit's harshest guitar rock.  And here's more reasons why you should listen... They drove straight from Detroit to play WFMU after seeing the Rolling Stones perform on Wednesday night.. Their new record called Friends of Rock & Roll on Reptilian Records kicks ass... That aforementioned record was produced by Ez_1Detroit veteran Jim Diamond... Their vocalist, John Brannon, is responsible for being the center point of the band that put out the most ferocious hardcore record ever released: Negative Approach's debut 10 track 7" in 1982. His voice is still a force to be reckoned with & Easy Action definitely deserves the attention. Just off a 7-week tour, they picked up a couple of East Coast dates just to play WFMU & will be back in this area again later in the month; check their date listings to be sure. And they LOVED the decor at WFMU; they requested to have their photo taken in front of the DJ Lockers, what's not to like?

New Orleans, WWL and WWOZ

Jesus_weep_1I have a big batch of MP3 and movie posts to put up here, but Katrina has changed things.

This one hurts.

Where to begin. The humanity? The musicians. The architecture. The culture that's lost. The hell it has become.

There's always been a connection to New Orleans on WFMU, as there would have to be for any station that takes music seriously. As I tap, Monica's doing a great show dedicated to the victims of Katrina. Doug and Spazz both did incredible New Orleans / Louisiana shows this morning and last night. (Doug's archives are here: MP3 | Realaudio and Dave the Spazz's archives are here: MP3 | Realaudio.) Doug aired that incredible interview with New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin, which you can download here: MP3.

Nagin was interviewed on WWL 870 AM last night. WWL's coverage of this disaster has reportedly been incredible.

UPDATE: WWL now was an online stream, as part of a radio consortium called United Radio For New Orleans. Go here and click on "listen live" for a windows media player feed. Thanks Chris T!

As for WWOZ, the great community radio station in new Orleans, I've been in touch with David Freedman, their General Manager. WWOZ's been destroyed - transmitter and production studio under water, no word yet on their main studios, but it seems unlikely to me that they are still in useable shape even if they were above the water. David is holed up in a motel in Arkansas, the closest room he could find when he evacuated. Needless to say, WWOZ is off the air completely, not even their stream is up. The staff is scattered all over the south, some even in the hellhole at the Superdome. They're searching for family members and each other.

And even if WWOZ were to rebuild their transmitter in a year (which is highly unlikely) how much of their audience would still be there listening to their FM signal? The hurricane has destroyed their over the air audience, but it doesn't have to also mean an end to their significant online audience. I'm working with David to help get some kind of temporary WWOZ stream back up as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow, and then as the WWOZ staff find one another, the station will get back up with a temporary studio. WWOZ's website is till up here and when the temporary stream goes up, there will be links to it there. General relief agencies are listed here. I'll keep you posted about the OZ stream here as well, and if I get a minute I'll put up a batch of MP3s.

UPDATE: The WWOZ In Exile stream is up via the WWOZ Home Page. Thanks to all the FMU staffers who've offered help, and especially to The Professor and Bill Zurat for getting a WWOZ stream back online. In the coming weeks, this stream will be replaced by WWOZ proper, and the folks at WWOZ are already laying out plans for putting up a new temporary transmitter.

Laura Cantrell & Jason Forrest Make Beautiful Glitch Together

ForrestIn the tradition of Lindsey and Stevie, Elton & Kiki, Captain & Tennille, Mitch & Mickey, and Shields & Yarnell, a classic male/female artistic duo has collaborated once again to make lovely sounds (or in Shields and Yarnell's case, non-sounds). In possibly the first commercially-available musical team-up of two WFMU DJs, Jason Forrest AKA Donna Summer (of Sunday night's Advanced D&D radio extravaganza) and RadioLaura_1 Thrift Shop Proprietess Laura Cantrell have released "Nightclothes and Headphones" (MP3) as a track on Jason's new Shamelessly Exciting CD (Sonig label) hitting the streets now. Laura's sweet pipes add some nice sheen to our boy's music, but don't worry, he gets back to blowing up David Essex in a digital blender and spitting his carcass out at 300 BPM shortly thereafter and we love him for it. Laura, as many of you may know, is basking in the glow of many fans and critics alike with her new full-length album on Matador, Humming By the Flowered Vine, played a fantastic set in Battery Park on July 4th on a bill with Yo La Tengo and Stephen Malkmus, and she may be playing in your neck of the woods sometime soon.

September 01, 2005

WFMU Heavy Airplay List

WFMU Top 30 compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner
(click on artist name or compilation title to hear a sample tune in real audio)

Various - Thai Beat A G-Go Volume 3 (Subliminal Sounds)
Marc Brierley- Autograph of Time (Castle)
Creme Soda - Tricky Zingers (Radioactive)
Cat Box Quartet - Running Uphill (Radio Khartoum)
Cause Co-Motion - EP (What's Your Rupture?)
Afrirampo - Kore Ga Mayaku Da (Tzadik)
Merry-Go-Round - Listen, Listen (Rev Ola)
Various - Nightmares at Toby's Shop (Toytown Productions)
Mike Wexler - Mike Wexler (I and Ear)
Shantel - Buccovina Club Vol. 2 (Essay)
Hannibal and the Sunrise Orchestra - Children of Fire (Universal Sound)
Scavanger Quartet - We Who Live On the Land (Acidsoxx)
Klimperei - Baboler (Acidsoxx)
Ed Askew - Ed Askew (ESP)
White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (V2)
Spacious Mind - Rotvalta (Goddamn I'm A Countryman)
King Khan & BBQ - The King Khan & BBQ Show (Goner)
Rod Lee - Vol. 5: The Official (Club Kingz/Morphius)
Excepter - Throne (Load)
Fifths of Sevens - Spry From Bicer Anise Folds (Les Disques du Soleil)
Mike Rep & the Quotas - Black Hole Rock (Old Age/No Age)
Crystal Belle Scrodd - The Inevitable Crystal Belle Scrodd (Klang Galerie)
Icky Boyfriends - A Love Obscene (Menlo Park)
Toyah - The Safari Records Singles (Safari)
Pernice Brothers - Discover a Lovelier You (Ashmont)
Differnet - Come On and Bring Back the Brjoken Sounds of Yore (Friendly
Noise
)
Black Helicopter - That Specific Function (Traktor 7)
Fire - Could You Understand Me (Skyf Zol)
Various - Funky Funky Houston (Tuff City)
Encre - Flux (Clapping Music)

Download Kingface MP3s

Dc_at_night_1 The endlessly storied 1980's hardcore scene based around Washington DC is a topic I spent a good deal of time obsessing over during my formative years as a fan of the weirdo music. Every rotten generation has musical saving graces of one sort or another, and being a dispossessed and underachieving teenager while Government Issue, Scream, Shudder to Think, Beefeater, Soul Side, and a then-new group called Fugazi (click any band name to stream songs in Real Audio from the WFMU archives) were doing their thing is something that I still feel pretty fortunate for, given that most of my peers seemed eerily satisfied with the flaccid metal and pantywaist pop of that same era.Kfflyer1_4

In 1984, I'd only been to DC once (with my parents, on vacation) but a handful of years later, I could rattle off two dozen miniscule bands, the names of the clubs they played at, what bands the members had been in previously, and all sorts of other esoteric crap that probably contributed to my nearly flunking out of school several times prior to graduation. It's a pretty typical phenomenom, actually, and I can sense a few of you shaking your heads right now with the recognition.

Always being the sort that was drawn to the outsider amongst the outsiders, one DC band that has remained a source of immense joy for me so many years later is Kingface. Although they performed alongside all the fabled bands who propelled the Dischord record label to international prominence as a premier source of underground rock music, Kingface was neither A.) a hardcore band, or B.) part of Dischord's roster of bands.

Continue reading "Download Kingface MP3s" »

Off-Mic DJ News for September, 2005

Though I'm loathe to shatter the commonly held fantasy that all WFMU staffers (pictured right) live together in a bigWfmu_staff house, eat communal meals at a large wooden table, and are lead in song each night by Ken (front row, extreme left), who keeps time by beating a wooden spoon against an old rusty pot, the sad fact of the matter is that some of us have lives outside the immediate realm of broadcasting. This month, I am able to dish out the following details.

Music Director, Program Director, and self-described "hoagie kingpin" Brian Turner will be spreading the WFMU love like so much apple butter while DJing along with Plastic Crimewave Sound's Steve Krakow and Dublab Sound System at the giant ARTHUR Magazine festival on September 4th and 5th in Los Angeles. The show features three stages and musical performances over the two days from various luminaries of screen and stage like Sonic Youth, Yoko Ono, Merzbow, T-Model Ford, Circle, Comets On Fire, Sunn o))), Olivia Tremor Control, Earth, and many more. You can get more info on the hoo-haw by clicking here.

Closer to home, WFMU's Mr. Finewine, host of the Downtown Soulville program continues to spin
sixties and seventies soul 45s in all their infinite variety and magnificence on Wednesday nights at SoulvilleNYC's Botanica Bar, a glorious tradition that dates back to 1996. This is not "classic soul", but rather the obscure stuff that never made it out of Detroit, New Orleans, Norfolk, or Mobile. In other words, it's a death-defying (and drink-enabling) barrage of non-hits encompassing gritty drum-break-laden funk, sweet group soul with instantly stuck-in-your-head melodies, screaming southern deep-soul ballads, raw gospel, urban dance blues, mind-blowing overmodulated organ instrumentals, and more! You never know who may wander in, though recent sightings of Cut Chemist, Keb Darge, the Dirtbombs, and Eddie Vedder, would suggest it's worth finding out for your own bad self on any given Wednesday at Botanica, 47 East Houston St., NYC. 10 PM - closing, no cover.

Continue reading "Off-Mic DJ News for September, 2005" »

August 31, 2005

From the WFMU Press Vault: Greasy Kid Stuff in the News

B_n_gHello blogosphere.  Welcome to the WFMU Press Vault, home of WFMU-related newspaper and magazine clippings, both new and recent and moldy and old.  This week we will cover a couple of articles about everyone's favorite Saturday morning sugar-bomb breakfast treat: Greasy Kid Stuff.

Hova and Belinda and DJ Waah Waah were very recently featured in a front page article in the Sunday Arts section of The Oregonian on August 25th 2005.  In it, we learn some GKS history, find out about their new remote set-up, and discover some secrets that make GKS the magic machine that children (and their parents) enjoy every Saturday.

Here's an excerpt:

"Kindergarten Rock
INARA VERZEMNIEKS

Among discerning rock 'n' roll parents -- parents who would much rather raise their offspring on ska, punk or quirky retro-pop than the Wiggles or Raffi -- the names Belinda Miller and Hova Najarian enjoy a certain cult status.

On a recent Saturday morning, Belinda and Hova, as they are known to their loyal listeners, were holed up in their Southeast Portland home, fueling up on coffee and Voodoo Donuts and shuffling through stacks of CDs and LPs in preparation for their two-hour radio show, "Greasy Kid Stuff."

Rather than play music specifically written for children, Belinda and Hova have turned 'Greasy Kid Stuff' into a national phenomenon by playing grown-up music they think kids would like instead."

The entire article can be found online here or, you can download the original article here (PDF, 453k).

The Oregonian's story also refers to a New York Times article from April 11, 2004 hanging on Hova and Belinda's wall. That entire article is available here (PDF, 433k)!

Next week:  A trip in time to 1987.

August 30, 2005

Bronwyn's iPod Shuffle

Hello, Everybody—nsya.

There’s lots of things I don’t have, money being probably the main thing because if I had some money I might get some of the other things I don’t have now. Then I would have those things, but I wouldn’t have the money any more.

One of the things I don’t have is an iPod Shuffle. But if you go to the web site that explains how to automatically fill up your Shuffle with your favorite corporate listening product, you will see that Syncitunes_1Bronwyn's device is copying a tune called “Tonight We Fly.” I wanted to hear what that song sounded like, so I googled it and found a reference to a group called Divine Comedy, but I couldn’t find any links to that song or any little samples of it. I did find a record company called Divine Comedy that has lots of stuff I think I’d really like to hear. Maybe we can get them to send some things to Program and Music Director King Brian at WFMU. But even if I did have some money, I don’t think I would trade it for an iPod Shuffle, because if I were listening to real music I might not be able to hear the songs that are always on in my head.

Thanks for reading my irregular blog entry, and MGB.

August 29, 2005

Shooby Taylor CD in the Works

ShoobyA few years ago, WFMU's dynamic duo (Irwin Chusid and Ken Freedman) played a crucial role in digging scat legend Shooby Taylor (aka The Human Horn) out of obscurity and placing him in the spotlight (click for real audio of an interview with Shooby on Ken's show in 2002) for some well-deserved, albeit belated, recognition.

Unfortunately, Shooby passed away in 2003, while plans for cleaning up and releasing the music from his legendary tapes were still in the initial planning phase. News of progress on the project has just hit Irwin's Key of Z site, indicating that a CD of Shooby's songs may soon come to fruition.

Read the whole story surrounding the rediscovery of The Human Horn in Key of Z's Shooby Taylor Journal, or check out this site for some Shooby MP3s.

August 28, 2005

WFMU's Psychological Profile: The Dollar-Store Method

WadellHaving too much free time one evening, I fed some names and phrases thru WFMU's site search. It was revealing. If you have too much free time.

Backtrack: A few weeks ago (with the encouragement of too much cachaça) I proposed that WFMU's puppetmasters hire a qualified clinician to compile a psychological profile of station staff. Such a survey would provide valuable insight into the WFMU psyche -- and, perhaps more importantly, spark a Seven Second Delay episode in which Andy Breckman could further ridicule his colleagues (I suggested Andy fund the study). Besides chronicling our common delusions, such a profile would extend to our volunteers and listeners. The WFMU family -- strange DNA, yes?  We could data-mine the results to our advantage -- improve fundraising outreach, or fine-tune next year's T-shirt motif. The emerging character patterns might prove useful to the Department of Homeland Security. WFMU: Confronting paradigms of hegemonic conformity with a near hesychastic acuity.

Mix me another, Hank.

We estimated the study would cost around $25,000 -- a sum that might require actual labor on Andy's part to earn -- then the cachaça wore off, and we came to our senses and dropped the idea. By "we" I mean "they."

Continue reading "WFMU's Psychological Profile: The Dollar-Store Method" »

August 21, 2005

Rock On, Young Punks

Dscn3270_1A nice big Sunday article on Greasy Kid Stuff in the Oregonian.

Not so nice: only available for 2 weeks online, and mentions me "coming out of the shower" (eeeww).

Also not nice: no pictures online, so here's one of DJ Waah Waah spreading WFMU cooties to the good clean people of Portland. Let's hear it for viral marketing.

August 17, 2005

New Pornographers Visit WFMU

NewpornoLike a grape popsicle consorting with a parched tongue in the dead of summer, Vancouver's power-pop supergroup, the New Pornographers hit WFMU's airwaves yesterday during Brian Turner's show. Our studios were inundated with a much-needed blast of hand-clapping, tambourine-spanking tunes full of quirky hooks and satisfying harmonies bleeding with oohs and aahs: click to hear the performance in Real Audio or streaming MP3, or pretend like you were here by downloading a video clip (avi file, 44MB) of the set.

The band's line-up this time around has shifted just a bit, with 6 members present for their current tour, each individual a separate force to be reckoned with in the music world apart from their work with the New Pornographers: Carl Newman (vocal, guitar), Todd Fancey (vocal, guitar; also has a solo career), John Collins (bass, vocal; also in Canadia's goofy spazz band, Thee Evaporators), Blaine Thurier (keyboard, vocal; filmmaker by night), Kurt Dahle (drums, vocal; co-produced Fancey's album), and the debut of Carl's niece Kathryn Calder on vox (making her first radio appearance and second ever live performance with the band). Neko Case will be meeting up with the group later on the tour route.

In other Pornographer news, Carl Newman dons a WFMU t-shirt (Chris Ware design, same one as shown in photo above... c'mon, you know you want to be a copycat) in the band's new video for "Use It," which co-stars Vancouver rock icon and celebrity interpreter Nardwuar the Human Serviette and comedian David Cross. The clip should be available on Matador's site soon. Twin Cinema, the New Pornographers' latest album, will be released August 23.

August 16, 2005

Phone Home

Sns2

MP3 download | Fast Matt "sns"

All children of the late 70’s/early 80’s (along with E.T. fans) reserve a special place in their hearts for the Speak & Spell learning appliance (even have-not kids like me). If you're now feeling a burning nostalgic sensation, visit this Speak & Spell simulator site to relive the halcyon days of your youth (minus the skinned knees), or download this poor-quality vintage commercial for Speak & Spell (wmv), starring then-ubiquitous super-dad Bill Cosby.

Inevitably, someone somewhere on the gravy train thought it would be clever to mix up the circuity guts of the S&S, rendering arty noise from the innocent spelling robot's voice; thenceforth the music world was forever changed. Listener Steve alerted me to Fast Matt, a prolific bender (geek name for circuit-shuffler), who sells his glitched-out S&S devices and offers some amazingly scatalogical MP3 audio from his creations.

You can visit this site for more souped-up S&Ss, or go here for some instruction on S&S deconstruction.

And, of course, WFMU has played many a song featuring the sounds of a manipulated Speak & Spell, so take a listen:

Kraftwerk  “Numbers” from an archive of Nickel and Dime Radio
Experimental Audio Research  “Track 2” as heard on Andrew Listfield's show
Komputergurl  “I Love My Speak and Spell” swiped from Pseu Braun's show
Christina Kubisch  “Speak and Spell (excerpt)” from an archive of Strength Through Failure with Fabio

August 12, 2005

Voyeurs' Delight

FoundFound4Found5Hit up Found Magazine's Find of the Week page for oodles of found object zen.

(Thanks to Karrie for the hint)

For your found audio needs, look no further than WFMU's own Audio Kitchen archives, where dusty unlabeled casettes unearthed from thrift stores open a portal to the sordid lives of strangers. The Audio Kitchen is also available as a podcast, which you can pick up by visiting WFMU's Podcast Centralia page.

WFMU Fashion on the Road

Hooray! On my way to WFMU Thursday I saw TWO people wearing WFMU t-shirts. TWO I say! TWO sightings! Good lord, this is exciting, and the fact that I didn't kill either one of them while driving is just as amazing as the sightings themselves. The first was a guy on a motorcycle wearing a blue metalflake helmet coming out of the huge postShirt_6843 office in the bowels of Yhst98874242389720_1856_2849Kearny. He was sporting the "Learn Radio at Home" shirt by Chris Ware that we still sell in the WFMU webshop; it looked comfortably broken in. The other fella, who was helping/teaching someone how to park their car on the street in Jersey City was wearing a sweat-stained vintage "Stop the Descent" shirt. I always chuckled to myself "Stop the Decent" whenever I wore mine  (pictured right), as WFMU has to stand for something, and although indecency by FCC standards is not really what I meant, being anything but decent in today's society is commendable and completely in line with my Beavisian humor. And just because I mentioned our gear & the only link in the posting is to our store does not mean anyone put me up to this. OK, Ken, let go of my hair....

August 04, 2005

Cymraeg Ceraint Deilyngu Yn Deall

In a previous post, I solicited WFMU anagrams.  Now I'll propose another: 

Welsh Friends Merit Understanding.

Believe it or not, we've got a pretty strong Welsh contingent here:  Wales may claim myself (myfi), Brian Turner (Durniwr), Evan "Fwnc" Davies, Gaylord Fields (Barciau), and Bronwyn Carlton (no change). There may even be others, and I wish they'd stop hiding.

Sheep_at_fence_1Ha ha ha, sheep at a fence - oh yeah, never heard THAT one before!  Ah, but frankly I'm not here to foster understanding and warm relations between Us Welsh and everybody else - not in that way, anyway.  We revel in your misunderstanding.  No, I just like the language, and since You People are always with the "what the, whaaa- it's all consonants?!", I thought maybe I'd address it... a little bit.

Back in the day when just about every DJ we've got took to mangling the band name Gorky's Zygotic Mynci on the air, I gained a reputation as the guy who knew how to pronounce it.  I had, after all, just returned from a trip to Llangollen, (mp3) host of the annual Eisteddfod, (mp3) where I learned how to pronounce both of those words.  Click on 'em to hear me say them, then look below the fold where I'll teach you how to do it too.

(By the way, "Gorky's Zygotic Mynci" actually contains no Welsh words, it's just all nonsense -- I think.)

Conwy_castle_1

So anyway, there I was, just back from Conwy Castle on the North Sea, and nearly every day I'd hear someone on the in-house intercom going "Scott, will you please come to the main studio and tell me how to say 'Merched yn neud Gwallt eu Gilydd', or 'Iechyd Da'".  It was a hoot - I even got a Welsh phrasebook.  I haven't picked it up since 1998, but I still have it.  Now along comes Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals with his "Chwarae'n Troi'n Chwerw" and his "Yr Atal Genhedlaeth", and I don't feel like such a smartypants anymore.

Ha ha ha, sheep at a water fountain... Fountain_sheep
 

Continue reading "Cymraeg Ceraint Deilyngu Yn Deall" »

August 02, 2005

WXHD Party in Wurtsboro, NY!

WxhdAlthough we here at WFMU give hourly acknowledgements to our sister station WXHD in the form of an FCC-mandated hourly station identification announcement, some might argue that the lip service ends right there and that we've never really done anything to cater specifically to the listeners to ou 90.1 signal in Mt. Hope, NY. It shouldn't be forgotten that although WXHD repeats FMU's programming, it really is its own radio station all by its big self. It has its own antenna, and its own transmitter, which is housed in a decrepit wooden shack, high atop the slopes of Mt. D'Antonio, where numerous Yeti-like creatures shriek endlessly into the inky night.

Now it goes without saying that our older and more established 91.1 signal is the one that gets listened to here in New Jersey, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, etc. whereas WXHD broadcasts across the endless, lush bounty of upstate locales like Matamoras, Newton, and Wurtsboro. You may have also noticed that "WFMU" is the corporate brand name that gets most of the play on our t-shirts and swag.
But on Sunday, August 28th, we're fixing to change all that by sending ourselves packing for the Uncommon Grounds Coffee Shop in Wurtsboro, NY for an afternoon of live (in person and over the air) DJ-ing courtesy of the one and only Gaylord Fields, to be coupled with all manner of bumpersticker/schedule/t-shirt/swag distribution upon the good people of what we affectionately refer to here as "XHD country." More details will be posted here in the coming weeks, so keep a sharp eye on the blog and a keenly tuned ear to WF.. I mean WXH... FEH, just keep doin' what yer doin', for crying out loud and sooner or later we'll show up with details.

Calling All Web Designers!

WFMU is in search of a new design for our homepage and our On the Download mp3 site. If you've got web design skills and want to throw your hat in the ring with a re-design idea, go to this page for all the details on our newly unveiled Web Design Contest. Submissions (sent as URLs, PDFs, or JPEGs of no more than 1MB) can be emailed to contest (at) wfmu dot org. Deadline is September 1st, and the prize is WFMU-In-A-Box (one copy of each DJ premium from our 2005 marathon). Ready... set...javascript!

WFMU Heavy Airplay List

WFMU Top 30 compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner
(click on artist name or compilation title to hear a sample tune in real audio)

VARIOUS - Molam: Thai Country Groove (Sublime Frequencies)
TOY LOVE - Cuts (Flying Nun)
MARY LOU WILLIAMS - Mary Lou's Mass (Smithsonian)
CONFUSIONAL QUARTET - Confusional Quartet (Elica)
JAMES BLOOD ULMER - Birthright (Hyena)
BETTYE LAVETTE - Some of Her Best Songs (Anti)
FOURTET - Everything Ecstatic (Domino)
MARISSA NADLER - The Sage of Mayflower May (Eclipse)
MEADOW HOUSE - Tongue Under a Ton on Nine Volters (Alcohol)
SHUKAR COLLECTIVE - Urban Gypsy (Riverboat/WMN)
ZIPPER - Zipper (Whizeagle)
VARIOUS - History of the Hip Hop DJ Vol. 4 (HHS)
THE EVENS - The Evens (Dischord)
MARC BOLAN/T. REX - Born To Boogie Sdtk (Sanctuary)
EDDA DELL'ORSO - Dream Within a Dream (Cherry Red)
ED SHEPP - Five (Ed Shepp)
GAINSBOURG/VANNIER - Cannabis (Universal France)
THRONES - Day Late, Dollar Short (Southern Lord)
BUDDIE EMMONS - Steel Guitar Jazz (Verve)
VARIOUS - Swissotic Commune Document (Chocolate Monk)
SOUNDTRACK - Dirty Harry (Aleph)
LEE RANALDO - Music For Stage and Screen (Les Disques Du Soleil)
VARIOUS - Dub Massive Vol. 2 (Trojan)
VARIOUS - Radio Sumatra: The Indonesian FM Experience (Sublime Frequencies)
WAYNE BUTANE - Imbalanced (Flaming Canine)
OIL TASTERS - Oil Tasters (Lexicon Devil)
GNOUA BROTHERHOOD OF MARRAKESH/MASTER MUSICIANS OF JOUJOUKA - Moroccan
Trance II: Sufi (Sub Rosa)
MACROMANTICS - Hyperbolic Logic (Macromantics)
CHARLIE POOLE - You Ain't Talkin' To Me (Legacy)
DIANE CLUCK - Macy's Day Bird (Diane Cluck)

Sites For Sore Eyes

The Internet is a funny creature. Sometimes it helps us find a clown. Sometimes it allows us to feel superior to outraged hamburger-eaters. Mostly, though, it just shows us unicorns copulating. Consider yourself warned.

Stuff on My Cat
Oh dear. Cats wearing plungers, cats forced to don undergarments, cats snuggling with Urkel action figures...this is just criminal. Where are PETA and the ASPCA when they're needed?

Clowns of America International
Hey, being a clown is serious business. In addition to the clown code of ethics (in which one must pledge not to get drunk prior to, or during, a performance), clowns have conventions, carry insurance, and elect ambassadors to carry the code of clowndom throughout the world. If that ain't enough to draw you to this site, may I also mention the "find-a-clown" feature?

Scopitones
What is a Scopitone, you ask? Perhaps a precursor to the music video, perhaps the most logical progression from the jukebox--however you describe it, it was created in France in the 1960s and was derided by Time magazine for being a "monstrous new machine" that "floods the premises with delirious color and hi-fi scooby-ooby-doo." Still don't get it? Maybe the best thing is just to look (and listen!): includes faves like Nancy Sinatra and Petula Clark, as well as lots of wild and free French '60s pop.

Food 911
Audio file of a crazed burger lover calling 911 to complain about poor service at her local Burger King. One hopes this is a hoax...but even Snopes isn't sure.

Brilliant Axe Guitarist Video
Brilliant? Well, you be the judge. He does have great hair, but the comments left by viewers are almost better than the video.

Bitch Spray
"Keeps unwanted boyfriends at bay." If that's true, why can't we create a version for humans? Preferably one to be sprayed directly on the dudes--oh wait, that's called "pepper spray," isn't it?

Freddie Mercury Memorial
In a magical place called the Swiss Riviera one can enjoy the beauty of Lake Geneva, attend the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, tour nearby vineyards...and pay a visit to the Freddy Mercury memorial. For those who can't afford the trip: you can get a downloadable postcard.

The Unicorn Orgy
You know, there comes a time in the life of every Blast of Hot Air editor when the veil of innocence is lifted from one's eyes, and one becomes...sullied. Not for the kiddies. 

Paper Toys
Genius. Legions of printable cutouts that can be easily crafted into Bruce Lee paper dolls, replicas of Angkor Wat, the Sydney Opera House, or Shakespeare's Globe Theater. The all-purpose tiara, party hat and party bugle are good too.

Lucky Kazoo
A man has a deeply affecting pas de deux with a piece of heavy machinery. What would JG Ballard think?

This month's links were sent in by Rebecca Lewis, Rich Hazelton, Listener Mike, PGB, Hatch, Listener Miles, Irwin Chusid, Stefan, Brian Turner, Lou, and the editor.

July 27, 2005

The Chief Rocker, Frankie Crocker! (MP3)

Crockerjpg"For there is no other like this soul brother - tall, tan, young, and fly."
    Frankie Crocker on Frankie Crocker

Frankie Crocker was one of the flashiest and most flamboyant radio personalities to ever rock a mic. His smooth come hither raps, movie star lifestyle, and broad-based musical taste are the stuff of legend. From his late 60's days on Top 40 giant WMCA (following Murray the K) to his Black Power stint on WWRL to his powerhouse years at WLIB and WBLS - where he pioneered a progressive urban blend of R&B, rock, Latin, disco, jazz, and even Frank Sinatra - Crocker took New York radio by storm.

And Frankie's ego knew no bounds. At the height of his fabulosity he could be seen squiring Jayne Kennedy, walking his matching Afghan hounds, arriving at Studio 54 on a white horse, appearing in "Cleopatra Jones," taking on-air bubble baths with model Beverly Johnson, leading his own disco orchestra, and commanding local record labels to subsidize his live remotes from Cannes and fetch his fried chicken. But there was no disputing that Frankie was King of the New York airwaves. As he himself put it,"when Frankie Crocker isn't on your radio, your radio isn't really on."

The classic Frankie rap below (thanks to Steinski for the vinyl-to-MP3 transfer) is part of WFMU's ongoing Aircheck program: an ever-expanding archive of radio ghosts recaptured. Heard every Thursday from 6-7pm, Aircheck preserves some of the more unusual and unpredictable moments and personalities in radio. The complete Frankie Crocker show can be heard here.

An All-Time Classic Frankie Crocker Rap (MP3)

July 26, 2005

This Jandek Must Die, and WFMU Revealed.

ReadyfthsmallDespite the nicey-niceys you always hear on the radio, behind the scenes we can be a catty bunch.  As a listener, I used to imagine WFMU was some idyllic collective in common pursuit of a pure appreciation of art and culture.  Fuckin' hippy.  Ultimately, my perverse nature got the better of me, and I peeked behind the curtain - and summarily got my big notions pricked, toute de suite.  These People can't even get it together to enjoy a nice game of softball!

I have learned and gained much from the barbs, goofs, put-downs, cheap-shots, derision and humiliation WFMU DJs regularly inflict upon each other, but one recent near rumble illuminated something that's being lost to all of this: The Mystery. 

The subject of the scuffle was Jandek.0758small_5

Oh boy... Should he or Shouldn't he have gone public?  Many think shouldn't.  Others think should, for a variety of reasons. Most think it's a pointless argument that is utterly irrelevant to the man himself and offered only for the distraction of critics, fans and DJs.  I'm with the Should Nots, but I should note that my opinion is based on a position of indifference.  The last time I played Jandek on the air was August 20th 2001, and it was as part of a collage, fer cryin out loud!

Nope, never really been a fan - but the one thing I could always feel excited about concerning the elusive representative from Corwood Industries was the absolute mystery that surrounded him.  One time, Irwin said this:

"...imagine a subterranean microphone wired down to a month-old tomb, capturing the sound of maggots nibbling on a decaying corpse and the agonized howls of a departed soul desperate to escape tortuous decomposition and eternal boredom." 

There you go!  Now imagine that while looking at this picture (hidden!)

0744smallNo no no no no, that's not what Jandek music looks like!  Jandek music looks like Jandek album covers, some of which illustrate this here blog post (and all of which live here.)  And one time, Jandek said this: 

"It's probable that your crafted story would be more interesting than any other. Intrigue goes a long way sometimes." 

In fact, I think he was talking to Irwin.  So yeah, I agree with that Jandek.  Oh, maybe you've never heard Jandek.  If that's the case, click any one of these words to hear a different Jandek song played on WFMU.

I shall now reveal some WFMU Mysteries for you, and you won't like it!  Look below the fold, then remember the halcyon days when you had to rely on your own crafted story...

Continue reading "This Jandek Must Die, and WFMU Revealed." »

July 20, 2005

Afrirampo Live at WFMU

Afrirampo3Afrirampo, the Japanese rock duo (Pica on drums and Oni on guitar) that favors eating while singing (singing while eating?), slipped away from their Pygmy captors and popped into WFMU to perform live on Brian Turner's show. Click to listen to their playful set in Real Audio or streaming MP3.

This video clip (avi, 39MB) shows Afrirampo performing in the WFMU studios, as Meg and Jack White jealously take notes from the sidelines.

July 15, 2005

Take Warning

Sure, many disclaimers contain important information meant to preserve life, limb, and the American way, but let’s face it, we’ve long since passed a fork in that road and are now obsessed with stating the obvious. There are two more cases to add to the if you spill hot coffee on yourself, you may get burned” file:

Soft drink disclaimers. Wait, back up the train, soda contains sugar?

Gta_1Hillary’s outrage over Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. You can download a hack for the video game that shows cartoon sex. Big surprise. The game’s disclaimer reads as follows: Rated Mature, for ages 17 and older, due to intense violence, blood and gore, strong sexual content, strong language and use of drugs. ‘Nuff said, Hillary. And anyway, if you are so determined to see virtual peg-people gettin' it on that you go through the trouble of searching out and downloading a program that mods your video game, then by god, you should be rewarded for your efforts with some pixillated porn.

Continue reading "Take Warning" »

July 14, 2005

Fury Fest: France's Answer to Heavy Metal Parking Lot

Horns450For Diane's accompanying audio archives on Fury Fest 2005, click here: Realaudio | MP3. For the playlist, click here and for the bigass Fury Fest Foto Gallery, click here

After the bloodbath in Paris, see this blog entry, was I really ready to go to LeMans for Fury Fest, the best metal/punk/heavy lineup of the summer for three days of camping and partying with my horns up? Hell yeah!

June 24th, Friday, my friend Rob & I were off, leaving from Paris for an uneventful but safe drive to LeMans once we found the Peripherique (the highway that encircles Paris, and basically the "way out"). Fury Fest was right next to the LeMans raceway at Le Parc Expo du Mans, but although the two sites were next to each other, both were huge and I could not get a decent photo of the racetrack from the site, it was still too distant.

We met friends near the festival entrance & proceeded to set up camp; putting up the tents was theTent4804 easy part - finding an area where we'd be able to find our tents at night while in any condition, that was a bit trickier. A spot by a light pole was perfect, and the labor was done in minutes, voila!

The festival was set up with three stages, all inside; total band count for the festival is a whopping 96, and as far as I know, the only band who did not make it was Murphy's Law. Most of the bands on earlier in the day are given half hour sets, then 45 minutes to about 25% of the performers, then the headliners get anywhere between one & 1.5 hours to play. The Velvet Stage would be the first one I hit today; Belgium's Leng Tche, featuring the vocalist from Aborted on drums was on at 12:55. The Velvet Stage is the smallest

Continue reading "Fury Fest: France's Answer to Heavy Metal Parking Lot" »

WFM-Blue

Filthy_logo_1_1It's a sad but simple irony: radio DJs are uncannily drawn to the Filthy Talk.  We love nothing more than coming out of a fucking uptempo record (MP3) every time we do a goddam death dedication.

WFMU DJs, some have argued, have an even greater tendency than most toward the potty-mouthery.  Yet consider: is WFMU an acronym?  Of course it's a fucking acronym!!  With "F" and "U" built right in!  So it's in our DNA. But of course, we more than you have to curb the urge, and Good God In Heaven, don't you know that it's hard!

And really, that's what we like about The Internet, whose sewage runs so deep those regulatory tentacles up on the hill just can't reach (mmm, yet).  So we've gotcher Blue programs, right here! Innuendo! Bush-bashing!  And your meat & potatoes dirty talk - it's all below, and it's Not Safe For Work, so quit your pussyfooting, look under the fold, and roll around in some of the muck we like to hurl...

Continue reading "WFM-Blue" »

July 13, 2005

Lunch Minutes for 7.13.05

Most organizations with any semblance of order keep minutes for all their meetings, both formal and informal. At WFMU, most of the meetings amongst the small office staff fall into the informal category, with proper station procedure, technical issues, programming matters, and related cultural phenomena frequently discussed at the lunch table while gobbling down inexpensive takeout food. What follows are the lunchtime minutes for today, July 13th, 2005.

Those present for this meeting were: Ken Freedman, Scott Williams, Megan Murphy, Liz Berg, myself, + volunteers Wendy, Greta, and Ed Word. Brian Turner, Moshik, and Bill Zurat were also present, but were forced to eat in the other room because of poor behavior at yesterday's meeting.

The menu: Most of us ordered from a local Asian place called Nutty Handjob's. A few non-believers either brought food from home or ordered slop from some other place that I can't necessarily endorse. In most cases, lunch was complemented by icy cold and delicious (i.e. "free") water.

More_hippiesThe topic of today's lunch discussion was hippies. (Yesterday, we talked about Oingo Boingo, so there is a logical progression evident at work here.) Here are some of the sub-categories of the hippie subject that were tackled this afternoon:

* The DJs on staff who either shy away from the hippie music, as opposed to those who embrace it warmly and cradle it to their bosom appreciatively.

Continue reading "Lunch Minutes for 7.13.05" »

July 07, 2005

Rumor Mill: David Lee Roth to Replace Howard Stern

Davidleeroth0626_bigWord on the street is that commercial radio's bad-boy is going to be replaced by rock and roll's bad-boy. A nice pick, since DLR has been honing his stand-up routine for years now, earning a reputation as the Rodney Dangerfield of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll.

Celebrate the occasion:
- David Lee Roth performs "Let It All Hang Out" (Real Audio)
- Grab the MP3 of a 3-year-old performing Van Halen's "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" from this post

"I used to jog, but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass."
"The National Enquirer is the only paper I use for more than rolling joints."
"I won't go down in history, but I will go down on your sister."



July 06, 2005

Live! Naked! Comets On Fire!

CometsnudeComets On Fire recently stopped by Brian Turner's show for a fuzzed-out, balls-out (see photo, left) performance. Witness part of the blowout live session by grabbing this video clip (avi file, 39 MB), or listen to the whole performance in all of its raging psychedelic glory (streaming MP3 or Real Audio).

July 03, 2005

Interview with Kenny G

Kv_1WFMU's Kenny G, although spending the summer in rehab, granted an interview with Repellantzine.  Kenny holds forth on various alleged theories which, in his muddled mind, excuse his on-air hijinx. Read it here.

July 01, 2005

WFMU Heavy Airplay List

WFMU Top 30 compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner
(click on artist name or compilation title to hear a sample tune in real audio)

Various - New Thing! (Soul Jazz)
Electrelane - Axes (Too Pure)
Jack Nitzsche - Hearing Is Believing (Ace)
Various - Nao Wave (Man Recordings)
Oneida - The Wedding (Jagjaguwar)
Julia R. Masterman School - Moog School (NL)
The A-Lines - You Can Touch (Sympathy)
Various - Cold Heat: Heavy Funk Rarities (Now Again)
Milk n' Cookies - Milk n' Cookies (RPM)
Various - Everything Comes and Goes: Tribute to Black Sabbath (Temporary Residence Limited)
Eyeball Skeleton - #1 (My Pal God)
Letta Mbulu - Letta Mbulu Sings/Free Soul (Stateside)
Davie Allan & the Arrows - Cycle-Delic Sounds (Sundazed)
Nurse With Wound - Shipwreck Radio Vol. 1 (ICR/United Dairies)
Debashish Bhattacharya - Calcutta Slide-Guitar (WMN)
Iva Bittova - J.H. (Indies)
Forest - Forest (Radioactive)
Luke Vibert - Lover's Acid (Planet Mu)
Alu - Autismenschen (C.I.P.)
Penetrators - Basement Anthology (Swami)
Wevie Stonder - The Horse of Wooden Troy (Skam)
Mitchell Akiyama - Small Explosions That Are Yours To Keep (Sub Rosa)
Delta Rhythm Boys - Guldkorn (Metronome)
Eric Malmberg - Den Gatfulla Manniskan (Hapna)
Kylesa - To Walk a Middle Course (Prosthetic)
Grachan Moncur III Octet - Exploration (Capri)
Somatic Responses - Pounded Mass (Hymen)
Insiememusicadiversa - Insiememusicadiversa (Die Schachtel)
Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind (Crucial Blast)
We Are Wolves - Non-stop JE Te Plie En Deaux (TMC)

Vintage Old Codger Archives Now Online!

Old Codger radio programs from the 1990s are being archived online. The Codge (a.k.a. Courtney T. Edison), the station's longtime irascible mascot, Codgerdoes not know these relics are preserved on the web -- and would not approve. He scorns all archival media except 78 rpm discs, which he professes to play "like they're goin' outta style." Despite beggary and threats, the Codger (he claims he's old enough to have been pals with Mark Twain) has never been given a regular program. However, since the early 1990s he has on various occasions filled in for The Hound, Irwin, and Laura Cantrell's Radio Thrift Shop. He lives in an East Orange bunker, surrounded by his precious 78 stacks. He's a cranky mutt, who taunts listeners by sneering, "I've got shoes older than you," while sputtering contempt for WFMU management and DJs.

The Codger -- who still hosts the occasional fill -- refuses to spin compact discs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, or any format except 78 plattersColumbiadiscjpg, which he lugs to the station in a rickety shopping cart. He abuses studio equipment, and disregards station protocol with impunity. Once asked by a female staffer what he wanted for Christmas, he replied, "My house needs a dishwasher and a doormat. Which would you prefer to be?" The libidinous Codger is notorious for on-air come-ons to female admirers, smirking that he loves "younger women -- age 45 or 50," though he draws the line at "40-year-old jailbait." Though never married, Edison has been linked romantically to hefty torcher Sophie Tucker, vaudevillian Effie Cherry, actress Ida Lupino, R&B siren Nellie Lutcher, and TV sitcom vixen Betty Rubble.

About 35 Codger programs exist. Many new ones have just been posted for online listening. By the end of the summer, we expect to have all programs online.

If you want to call the Codger at home, he always touts his private line on the air. Since 1890 he's had the same phone number -- "6."

Off-Mic DJ Activities

With summer upon us here at WFMU, many of our DJs have stumbled (slow-zombie style) from our hallowed halls and gotten themselves involved with all manner of DJ gigs, rock shows, live appearances and other extra-curricular activities in a feeble attempt to kiss up to the guidance counselor. Though there's little hope for any of us getting into college someday, a few noble attempts have been made lately...

Laura_2Laura Cantrell, proprietress of the Radio Thrift Shop and solo artist en route to the stars has just released her third LP (her first for Matador Records) entitled "Humming by the Flowered Vine" to truckloads of ballyhoo. You can download an MP3 of the song "14th Street" by right-clicking here,  check out what Vanity Fair had to say about Laura in this favorable review, or marvel at the miracle that is the Interactive Laura Cantrell NYC Subway Map. That ought to be more than enough to nudge you in the direction of Battery Park this 4th of July at 3:30 PM, when Laura performs with labelmates Yo La Tengo as well as Steven Malkmus. (More info here, all the way at the bottom of the page.)

In the event that you're reading from the charming suburb of Jersey City that we like to refer to asPlu "London" and have an open dancecard on the evening of July 22nd, you can go see Vicki Bennett, aka People Like Us, perform live at The National Film Theatre as part of the Optronica Festival. We're pleased as punch to have welcomed Vicki's wholly astounding Do or DIY back to our airwaves for the summer schedule, and we look forward to her next stateside visit with open arms and hastily made karaoke plans. (She and Pseu Braun do an utterly bitchin' "Bohemian Rhapsody"...)

Continue reading "Off-Mic DJ Activities" »

WFMU's Amazing Floating LP

Russian_jazzAs much as we here at WFMU tend to reject characterizing ourselves as "nutty," "wacky," "boffo," "screwy," "batty," "balmy," "loony," "goofy," "jokey," "nutso," "waggish," "bonkers," "cuckoo," "harebrained," "zany," "daffy," "cockamamie" or otherwise anything even closely resembling a state of being "totally bananas," this can still be a pretty weird place to hang around. Case in point: WFMU's mysterious and now-legendary floating record album.

Yes, WFMU's alphabetically-arranged record library is not only home to some of the tools of our trade -- that trade being freeform radio -- it is also home to a genuinely nomadic record. A record that can not be filed alphabetically. A record that knows nothing about structure or boundaries and refuses to hemmed in by that whole limitations trip the other records and CDs are always trying to lay on it. Considered in this light, it is very much a microcosm of our mission here at WFMU. In another way, it's a corny Russian jazz record with a name I can't type out on this keyboard. What makes it truly unique, however, is that every time one of our DJs comes across it in the stacks, it is their duty to then refile it someplace else. Anyplace else.

As you can see by the detail of the jacket, this tradition dates back to 1990. No one around here will fess up to starting it, however... Even Irwin claimed not to know anything about it, and he constantly ribs me for being such a kid in comparison to his elder statesmanship at FMU. (He recently reasoned that he'd been into the band Grauzone (click to stream Real Audio) since "before [I] was born", which leads me to believe that Irwin thinks I am only 11 years old.)

But back to the matter at hand: Hokey Russian Jazz records. Here's an MP3 (right-click to download)  of the second song on side one, the title of which reads something that (in Russian) looks like "Mpncmotpn Aahr MactylIok", which according to one of those online translation programs means "Electric Pork Tuxedo". (Other songs on the record not available for download include "Aeebea" ("Asphalt"), "By Abte Aoepbl" ("Lick my Boots"), and "Xaomanhte B AaaoIihn" ("Marmalade and Heroin".)

Word on the street is that this hot combo's LP was released in a limited, hand-numbered run of only 800 copies (ours is #49). In order to secure yours, I'd suggest you soon start jockeying for position at our next Record Fair, to be held November 4th-6th in Manhattan. In the meantime, I'm heading downstairs to re-file the LP. I'm feeling drawn to somewhere between the Creedence records and the last RJD2 12"...

The Shirts On Your Back

FrenchAs many of you know, WFMU thrives due to the dedication and support of many people: DJs, listeners, volunteers, the staff. But there is also a somewhat neglected group: the artists and designers who have kindly provided us with the visuals for our many geegaws and gimcracks. Listed below are the websites of many of the artists whose imagery has adorned our t-shirts. Click on their names to go to their website.

Jim Flora: Popular designer of record covers of the 1950's and influence on many current artists. He is our first posthumous designer, responsible for this popular shirt and hoodie (with a little help from our very own Dave Cunningham).

Jonathon Rosen: Responsible for the freeform-defining "Head In The Hand" shirt.

Mary Fleener: Her cubist cartoon style graces this fabulous shirt.

Eric Walczak: The fine vinyl adorning this tee was designed by Mr. Walczak.

GreenblattRodney Allen Greenblatt: Rodney gave us this shirt that proves once and for all that you can teach an old dog new tricks, or a new dog old tricks, or something like that. (Image to the right is by Rodney Allen Greenblatt.)

Gary Taxali: Gary is responsible for the pale, crying sissy rodent you see on the bodies of so many WFMU-types.

Renee French: Not only do we have a crying rodent, but also a flying rodent. Actually a floating rodent, courtesy of Ms. French in both his and her styles. (Image at top left of this post by Renee French.)

Chris Ware: The best read among our shirts by the creator of Jimmy Corrigan.

ZingarelliMark Zingarelli: Mark designed the shirt for this year's marathon. I've already had someone try to speak to me in Spanish while wearing this shirt. (Image at left by Mark Zingarelli.)

Steve Keene: The most prolific painter of our age graced our heavy cotton tees with a fine painting of the entrepreneurial spirit in action.

Unfortunately, several of the artists who have designed t-shirts or sweatshirts for us do not have websites dedicated to their fine efforts. These include:

Drew Friedman: The man responsible for our beloved icon. I cannot fathom why there is not a Drew Friedman webpage.

Marco Almera: There was a www.marcoalmera.com. That's how we found out about him. Several webpages have links to it but it currently does not exist.

Here are a batch of links to WFMU T-shirts by the following artists:

Bruno Nadalin | Takeshi Tadatsu | Joe Siena | Bill Graef | Alex Ross | Burt Schlatter and Jim Coppola

And for all you longtime listeners to the station, there were indeed shirts designed by Kaz, Mark Newgarden and Joost Swarte. However, since their shirts are no longer available and their designs grace other WFMU product, we will deal with them in another post.

Recent Faves From the WFMU New Bin

Reviews by Music/Program Director Brian Turrner

Reviewed1_1ICKY BOYFRIENDS / A Love Obscene (Menlo Park)
Their first gig was in the late 80's opening for the Melvins and Thinking Fellers in their hometown of San Francisco, and they cleared the room. A guy who put out their first single had to live in his van for doing so. They starred in a film called "I'm Not Fascinating" which was about 500 times cheaper and 500 times better than the "Great Rock N' Roll Swindle". Thus is the legend of the Icky Boyfriends. Call it spazz rock, retard rock, panic rock, whatever, the Ickies were key players in SF's anti-scene scene in the 1990's and this overview of their 2LPs plus odds and ends is well overdue. Totally primitive odes to PCP, cops, hatred of Tower Records, guys who collect recycled bottles, and Nixon aides who were quoted as saying they'd rather have their toenails pulled out than rat. They have a sensitive side as well, and "Nervous Guy" (real audio from Terre T's show) speaks volumes more than your average college rock crybaby staple. We demand a Sockeye box set next.

Londontheverge_1COUNTRY TEASERS / Live Album (In the Red)
Meanwhile, in Scotland, the Country Teasers also care enough to bring you the very best, despite the fact they have as well been rejected by their scene, that is, the burgeoning rootsy-cowpunk-garage circuit that you would think might embrace them more than the indie rock world (see their 3.2 out of 10 rating in Pitchfork). Often making the Mekons look like Crucial Youth in comparison, the Teasers' main ambition is to entertain themselves while reaching deep down inside their plastered souls, and more
of than not, that is quite entertaining within itself as testified by this live disc. Between begging for drinks, responding to the audience screaming "you suck" while they disembowel Randy Newman's "Short People" (real audio). They also take on New Order, the Butthole Surfers (Real audio of "Moving To Florida"), and even Swedish brutes the Brainbombs, which makes perfect sense.

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ QUINTET / Actions 1966-67 (Atavistic/UMS)
Alp250_mini250 Atavistic's Unheard Music Series continues to do wonders in tracing the geneology of American/European free jazz rarities, pulling from a rich well of out-of-print records that voiced unique indentities but may have gotten lost in the shadow of others, until now. The CJQ formed in Denmark in the late 1950's playing hard-bop until the doors blew open all over Europe with the advent of Ornette Coleman's records and all the American heavies who took up residencies on the Continent (and in particular Albert Ayler who came through Scandinavia). These 1966-67 recordings show a fiery unit in total harmony with what was going on not only in the formative FMP camp in Germany (where trumpeter Hugh Steinmetz would later wind up to record with Manfred Schoof) but with the rest of the free jazz revolution happening in the USA on labels like ESP. This reissue remains a stunning lost gem on par with much of both those labels' high point moments, and is especially fantastic due to the presence of a bonafide musical saw courtesy of Niels Harrit. Here's one track featuring Harrit prominently, "Action #VI" (real audio).

Ungodly Quantity of Rare Music and Related Hooey on eBay!

Consumerism_1We've just added a boatload of rare records, CDs, and other items to our eBay auctions page that'll get you frothed into a materialist frenzy in no time. An autographed copy of the The Saints' "Know Your Product" single (click to stream Real Audio), a boxed set of Bruce Springsteen fanzines from the 80s, some out-of-print Chris Ware comics, rare French moog CDs, and apparently, some naughty bits that you'll need age verification to look at. You can see the full listings of WFMU's current eBay auctions by clicking here. Our auctions are updated frequently, so be sure to check back often, lest you miss that 3rd edition Incredible String Band commemorative magic marker/whistle/bottle opener you've been hankering for.

Culture Shock MP3s From Doug

Cultureshock_5MP3s: 20 of them contained in this post.

Disco from India? Doo-Wop from Malawi? Rap from Vietnam? Salsa from Scotland? With bagpipes?

They're all included here in the online version of Doug Schulkind's 2004 marathon premium, Culture Shock. Dont pass up this amazing collection of jaw-dropping, mind jarring cross-cultural music hybrids. Eighty minutes of melodious map-melters that set the world on its ears. A bonus: The music is not just goofy, it's good!

1. Salsa Celtica - Fuerte
Combining rumba with reels, son montuno with ceilidh tunes, this Scottish conflagration has the hots for Latin music. And speaking of hot, check out the scorching bagpipes - doing the violin's charanga part no less - on this track from 2000. Download MP3

2. The King Elio Boom - El Fulo
Identified as "highlife ragga" on the disc this comes from, "El Fulo" has more in common with Congolese soukous. It's a slice of funk typical of the champeta created by the African-music-crazed youth of Baranquilla and other port cities on Columbia's Caribbean coast. Download MP3

Continue reading "Culture Shock MP3s From Doug" »

Podcasting Just Got A Whole Lot Easier

BananaipodminiWelcome to the future. Presuming you already possess a pair of white headphones connected to some sort of digital audio playback device, please continue neglecting the need for human contact in favor of listening to hours of entertaining sounds in the safety of your own personal bubble. Easily indulge in this fantasy through the magic of podcasting.

WFMU is offering up 16 programs for portable playback, and now the new version of iTunes (v 4.9) supports podcasts. Here's a quick lesson on how to get our podcasts pumping through iTunes:

1. In iTunes, go to the Advanced menu and select Subscribe to Podcast
2. Highlight, copy and paste the http...xml links listed below for the program(s) of your choice in the resulting Subscribe to Podcast window and click OK (more help right here)
3. iTunes will now download the most recent show to your computer, and automatically download new shows each week as they are added

All WFMU podcast programs are listed below, just highlight, copy and paste the "http" address into the "Subscribe to Podcast" window of the new version of iTunes (v 4.9):

Music programs
Advanced D&D
(breakcore) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/SU/SU.xml
Antique Phonograph Music Program (early recordings, 1890s-1920s) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/AP/AP.xml
Coffee 2 Go (underground hip-hop, podcast-only program) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/CG/CG.xml
Downtown Soulville (soul 45s) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/SV/SV.xml
Sinner's Crossroads (gospel, religious) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/CR/CR.xml
Thomas Edison's Attic (early cylinder recordings) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/TE/TE.xml

Talk Shows
Aerial View (archives, with Chris T.) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/AV/AV.xml
Aircheck (unusual moments in radio) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/AC/AC.xml
Communication Breakdown (with Chris T., not safe for work) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/CO/CO.xml
Dave Emory (anti-fascist researcher) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/DX/DX.xml
Jonesville Station (with Glen Jones) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/JS/JS.xml
Professor Dum Dum's Lab (metal, phone-in) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/DL/DL.xml
Seven Second Delay (with Ken Freedman and Andy Breckman) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/SD/SD.xml
The Speakeasy (with Dorian) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/SE/SE.xml

Sound Collage
Audio Kitchen (found sound) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/AK/AK.xml
Do or DIY with People Like Us (cut-ups, audio artistry) - http://podcast.wfmu.org/PL/PL.xml

WFMU Yard Sale Wrap Up

WFMU's third un-annual Yard Sale was nothing short of a hoot and a vinyl huntin' dollah hollah! We Cartmachinecleared our pathetically overstuffed basement of thousands of dollar records, so as to make way for new donations, and we also unloaded our equipment closet of things like antique cart machines, mini-disc recorders, and a slightly water-damaged but otherwise workable Technics 1200 turntable, all for something south of five bucks apiece. If you didn't make it, you can either console yourself with the knowledge that our utterly legendary (and 200 times as big) Record & CD Fair will be back in effect on November 4th, 5th, and 6th, or you can listen (Real Audio) to the live edition of Seven Second Delay that was taped12 during the yard sale, during which Andy Breckman offered one minute of face time for the paltry sum of one dollar. Per minute. The wily OCDJ, who moonlights under the employ of Mr. Breckman, used his dollar wisely as you can see from this picture, in which he enjoys an uninterrupted 60 second Andy hug while Ken Freedman and Gaylord Fields look on. This was a particularly sly move on OCDJ's part -- there's no way Breckman can ever fire him now. You can check out more pix from the WFMU yard sale in this post, including one of Diane Kamikaze's amazing Egyptian Pharaoh skeleton guitar case, and another one of some dude with a mohawk buying it off her. (Thanks to Listener Max for the pic.)

June 23, 2005

New Coffee to Go Podcast

No, as a matter of fact we won't shut up02cup about Podcasting. To wit, we hereby present the new edition of Coffee to Go, which highlights the latest unsigned beats and rhymes for your ongoing hip hop edification. You can subscribe to the Coffee to Go podcast by going here, download it and listen to it whenever you want to by right-clicking here, or stream it as you would any other WFMU MP3 archive by clicking here. That's a whole lotta options, which is what we're all about here at this little magic-factory-on-the-Hudson. You can find out more about Coffee to Go, or the myriad other programs we're podcasting by visiting WFMU's Podcast Centralia. Allez!

June 22, 2005

Amazing DJ Yoda Mini Mix

YodaA few listeners asked me about this track I played this morning, so here it is for you: DJ Yoda's Annie Mac Mini Mix (mp3), which he did specially for Annie Mac's BBC radio program last month. And here is the set that DJ Yoda did for a British magazine, which we aired on Re:Mixology a few years back (realaudio archive ).
mp3 via boomselection

Audio Time-Travel

Img_0806_1Fans of early American recordings get a chance to revisit the tunes of a bygone era every week on WFMU, courtesy of both the Antique Phonograph Music Program and Thomas Edison’s Attic, alternating with each other Tuesday nights from 7-8pm EST. The sounds of ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville, 78 cylinders, and flapper music from the late 1800’s through the 1920’s are featured on both programs.

Img_0814_2WFMU’s Studio B experienced a negative-106-year time/space glitch on June 14, when Rick Benjamin’s Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and acoustical recording expert Peter Dilg visited Jerry Fabris and the Thomas Edison’s Attic radio program.  As the 11-piece orchestra played Scott Joplin tunes into Dilg’s 1899 wax cylinder phonograph, radio listeners heard an Edison-era recording session in progress. Click to listen to the archive of this program in Real Audio or MP3 stream, and check out the playlist for more info.

Before audio’s electronic age of recording with microphones and amplifiers, musicians played into acoustical horns, which funneled the air vibrations onto a small diaphragm pointed with a tiny sapphire knife.  Sound pressure pushed the vibrating knife into the surface of a rotating wax recording blank, cutting a record groove.

Img_0812_4If you’ve ever wondered about the distinctive sound of antique phonograph records, be sure to check out archives of Thomas Edison’s Attic and the Antique Phonograph Music Program. WFMU is now podcasting both of these programs, with XML feeds available here.

June 21, 2005

Murray Saul on Aircheck

SaulIf you missed the return of Aircheck last Thursday night, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Realaudio or the MP3 archives of Murray Saul. For years, we only knew of Murray as the "It's Friiidayyy!" guy, and we included a brief snippet of his insane on-air banter on Radio Archival Oddities, Vol. 2.

From there, he was ID'ed by former Clevelandites, who remember his rants as the city's top rated DJ on WMMS. Saul's take on the rapid-fire Top 40 radio announcer is unique to say the least, due to his utter inarticulateness. But he doesn't let a loss of real words stop him - he descends into yowza bowza wowzas, roaring infectious gutteralisms that'll soon have you joining in his celebrations of the weekend, potsmoking, sex and his endless tirades against the evil slavedriver.

June 20, 2005

Treasure Trove of Found Sound Vocal Workouts

Karaoke200

MP3s: 30 of 'em, below the fold.

Back when WFMU's Professor was still producing The Audio Kitchen - the greatest found sound radio program of all time - he threw together a compilation for WFMU's record library called Sing Along With The Music. It featured 21 tracks of people singing along with music, usually in the privacy of their own homes. Those are the first 21 tracks I've included below, and I've added nine more that seem to fit in with the theme.

While it's easiest to refer to most of these recordings as karaoke, it's not that simple. Karaoke usually takes place in bars, with an audience. What sets most of these recordings apart is that they were, for the most part, recorded at home, usually without the intention of an audience ever hearing them. This gives most of the recordings a refreshing lack of self consciousness. Of course there are exceptions. Moritz' version of Bohemian Rhapsody (mp3) definitely sounds like a karaoke performance, and Biz Markie's version of Benny and The Jets (mp3) was intended to have an audience. Those singalong tapes were how Biz built his early career.

Continue reading "Treasure Trove of Found Sound Vocal Workouts" »

June 19, 2005

WFMU Yard Sale Photos

Yardsale_1ButtaMummyGgSevenSold

June 17, 2005

California Shimmies and Shakes

Here are some earth-shaking songs to serenade the golden state as it slides into the Pacific (all songs link to real audio from the WFMU archives):

SanandreasMargo Guryan "California Shake"  from an archive of Tony Coulter's show
13th Floor Elevators  "Earthquake"
from Brian’s show
Mama Cass
 "California Earthquake" as heard on Charlie’s show
Little Girls  "The Earthquake Song
" from an archive of Hova’s show
100 Flowers "California's Falling into the Ocean" from The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Die Kreuzen "Earthquakes" from Mike's show
Terry Dunavan  "Earthquake Boogie" as heard on Music To Spazz By with Dave the Spazz
Johnny Thursday and the Friday Knights  "Earthquaker" from The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Chris Cacavas "California (Into The Ocean)" from an archive of Dan Mackta's show
Bomboras "Earthquake"  from Airborn Event with Dan Bodah
Prince Buster  "Earthquake" as heard on Hova’s show
Skunks  "Earthquakeshake" from The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T
Speedealer "California Tumbles Into The Sea" from an archive of Three Chord Monte with Joe Belock
 

June 16, 2005

Yard Sale Preparation

Yard-Sale-1Here you see Cosmic Cowboy, Scott Williams and Ken Freedman sifting through WFMU's dead technology room, looking for suitable Yard Sale items. Ken especially agonized over an old Lafayette receiver he's been lugging around since his college days - can you really put a price on such memories? Yes!

Join us in our parking lot (next to 66 York Street in downtown Jersey City) this Saturday, June 18 from 10 AM to 4 PM for tons of $1 LPs and CDs and stacks of previously important, somewhat outmoded low, medium and high-fidelity equipment.

Many of your favorite FMU "personalities" will also be unloading their own personal stashes of porn and weaponry (maybe not weaponry) - so even if all you do is steal music, there will be something for you to buy!

June 13, 2005

Laura Cantrell in Vanity Fair

Laura_c_1WFMU's own Laura Cantrell is featured in the current issue of Vanity Fair, along with Mark "Deep Throat" Felt. Laura will be touring the US later this summer to support her new CD, and she'll also be doing a version of The Radio Thrift Shop for BBC Radio Scotland.

Matching Japanese Doll Women

Peanuts1Remember the miniature singing Japanese fairies from the Godzilla movie Mothra? They were The Peanuts, and their appearance in three Godzilla movies launched hugely successful singing careers. Here's an MP3 of The Peanuts serenading Mothra, and there are two full albums worth of The Peanuts MP3s here.

But as successful as The Peanuts were, they merely paved the way for another female Japanese duet, Pink Lady, who ruled Japanese popular culture for three years in the late Seventies, and dropped off the radar just as suddenly after their attempt to break into the US market sputtered following their TV show, Pink Lady and Jeff.

Pink Lady and The Peanuts both represent an archetype of Japanese pop music - twin female singers who sing, act, talk and dance in unison. While the basic act has been updated with the times, it hasn't completely disappeared. Puffy Ami Yumi fit the mold, and in a weird way, so do Afrirampo, g-strings and pasties notwithstanding. Here's a realaudio archive of Osaka's Afrirampo rocking it on Brian Turner's 9/14/2004 show. They may not talk in unison the way The Peanuts did, but the old archetype of matching doll-women singing and acting cute wont fade away. It runs deep. Girls just like to have fun. And wear matching dildoes.

WFMU Podcast Update

Mj_ipodLots of news on the WFMU podcasting front! This is the first week of our new summer schedule, and three new shows join the roster of WFMU podcasts - Professor Dum Dum's Lab, Aircheck, and The Ed Shepp Radio Experiment, bringing the number of WFMU Podcasts to 18! And one show that we're already podcasting - Do or D.I.Y. with People Like Us - will switch from re-runs to new shows. The new FMU schedule is here, and our podcast page is here. (Podcasting delivers the MP3 archives of these shows automatically to your computer and/or MP3 player so you can take the shows with you.)

Our two podcast-only shows both have new episodes out. The new episode of Chris T's FCC-unfriendly Communication Breakdown can be downloaded directly here (MP3), or streamed from this page. And the new installment of Noah's biweekly podcast of unreleased hip-hop, Coffee To Go can be downloaded here (MP3) or streamed from this page.

June 10, 2005

Classic Aerial View Archive

Av931119 CassetteSince the demise of Aerial View on March 18 I've been making older programs available as MP3 archives. Currently, shows from Fall of 1993 are featured. When I began digitizing old airchecks I tried to keep the archive date and current date aligned. A show dated May '93 would be available May '05, for instance - it didn't work out that way. There's a gap in the fossil record and until I chase down all cassettes from the "early years", the archives will be out of step. Listening last night - as I converted the cassette into an MP3 - I discovered it's refreshing to hear the callers and I reference November and Thanksgiving on a hot June day.

The archive available now is one of my favorite shows ever. Titled Civil War Sitcom, it began as a quiz show: I ask if anyone knows why November 19 is a famous date in American history. Once someone guesses it was the date of the Gettysburg Address, we piggy-back on the whole Ken Burns-PBS-Civil War series to imagine a half-hour comedy set during the same era. During the course of the show I welcome people into my "Hollywood Hot Tub Think Tank" to flesh out a pilot episode. Suggested titles include Southern Belles and Whistlin' Dixie. During the mayhem Ken Freedman drops into Studio A at some point. Listen for these callers:

  • James Marshall, aka "The Hound", who suggest Andersonville Prison as a setting
  • Tom Scharpling, who calls 4 or 5 times with casting and plot suggestions (I keep hanging up on him - I didn't know it was you, buddy!)
  • Singer-Songwriter Paula Carino, who suggests a theme song
  • Jim Ryan, cartoonist and WFMU stalwart
  • The Vanilla Bean, explaining why he might be late to the studio (he was filling in for William Berger)

Other things to listen for include a mention of Pseu Braun's close personal friend Crispin Glover and newly-minted Tony Award-winner Bill Irwin. Jim Teemer's notes for the program appear here.

Dave The Spazz Waxes Wax and CBS-FM

SpazzLast night on Music to Spazz By, Dave the Spazz did his longest non-marathon monologue ever, but it was a great one. He listed the defining musical moments of his life, waxed nostalgiac about CBS-FM and his favorite Top 40 DJs like the great Dan Ingram and Harry Harrison. In short, everything that made Dave the social retard he is today. Hear Dave's monologue as a streaming MP3 here, or as a streaming Realaudio archive here. If you miss CBS-FM, you can join the roster of mourners in the comments section of this post here

June 09, 2005

Masters of Psychobilly

Dean_carterOne of my favorite recent records is a little gem that Program Director Brian found called Call of the Wild by Dean Carter, on the Big Beat label. Calling him the missing link between rockabilly and garage punk doesn't do him justice. Recorded mostly between '65 and '68, it's psychobilly pure and simple, with a backdrop of echo chambered heavy breathing, tortured off kilter guitar and barely controlled singing. Here's a sample of four Dean Carter songs from the WFMU realaudio archives, and here's the same four-song clip as a streaming MP3 archive. The songs in the archive clip are: I Got A Girl, You Tear Me Up, Run Rabbit Run and Would You Believe?

The only thing I could connect Dean Carter to when I heard it was another classic of inbred psychobilly, The Musical Linn Twins, which was recently reissued by Norton on a seven inch single. From our Realaudio archives, here are The Musical Linn Twins doing Indian Rock and Rockin' Out The Blues.

June 08, 2005

Deerhoof performance

Deerhoof2_1San Francisco's post-rock noise-pop heroes, Deerhoof stopped by the WFMU studios recently for a performance that aired on Brian Turner's show. Click to hear the set in real audio.

23 MP3s of Wild and Wooly Vocal Stylings

Mouth_press2_3In honor of Donna's return to WFMU weekly schedule (Wednesday's 3 - 6pm, beginning June 15th), here are the MP3s of her 2001 marathon premium, Babble. She described it this way:

All manner of vocal stylings, ranging from Ethiopian herdsmen serenading their cow's udders to avant garde types with microphones lodged in their esophaguses.

Continue reading "23 MP3s of Wild and Wooly Vocal Stylings" »

June 07, 2005

Crash Course in Radio Technology

I spent this morning at WFMU's transmitter, assisting Chief Engineer John Fogarazzo, or "The Fog Machine", as we affectionately refer to him around here at the Magic Factory. Our transmitter is located in a heavily guarded bunker in East Orange, and accessing it requires a complicated series of fingerprint verifications, retina scans, and the presentation of multiple forms of identification, including this one.

Over the years, I've been sent on many of these missions with John, and I look forward to them because he often bestows some of his considerable knowledge of radio science upon me. As someone who still doesn't really understand how the little bumps on the record make the music come out when they touch the needle, I'm hopeful that these lessons will one day transform me into the Edwin Howard Motherfuckin' Armstong of my generation. This is what I learned today:

This:
Audion_tube2






 

doesn't do the same thing as this:
Foam_attack_2

There Are No Excuses. Party Like a Rockstar.

Njalltheway_1Think you understand the enigma that is New Jersey? Known for mall hair, competent driving (PDF), and unique variations on the common pronounciation of words like coffee (cwa-fee in garden state speak, check out this Chris T-certified NJ MP3), even a former governor claimed that the middle finger was the official state bird. WFMU’s beloved and oft-stigmatized home state earned its reputation somehow. I was beginning to think it had a lot to do with the trail of ruin left behind by the likes of NJ stalwarts Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi.

But really, there is so much more to the culture of this most densely populated state in the union than a few blue collar rock heroes, diners, and numbered exits on the turnpike. You wanna see what NJ is really all about? The answers to questions you have yet to pose may be found on the NJ Guido site (which might be old news to you if you're a NJ-native). Or if you’ve had it with beer pong, venture into the occult on the Weird NJ site. Click here for some garden state factoids. I can't even begin to scrape the surface of toxic waste, gubernatorial scandals, or the grammatical rules concerning the phrase "down the shore."

NJ also has plenty of international class, with towns named Lebanon, Oxford, Bogota, Dover, Newfoundland, Verona, Stockholm, Bethlehem, Gloucester, Hamburg, Vienna, Manchester, and Cologne. “I'm from Berlin... Berlin, New Jersey, of course.” Original names of Jersey townships include Hopatcong, Cheesequake, Beemerville, Keasbey, and Ho-Ho-Kus. Possibly the best one is Delaware, NJ; isn’t there a rule against that? More funny city names here. Or just listen to Dave Van Ronk's "Garden State Stomp" (real audio) from an archive of Irwin's show.
 

Come experience the pleasures of the WFMU Old Bin page

Addrisi_3The Addrisi Brothers (pictured) beckon you to shed the Towel of Indifference and join them in the Tub of Life that is known as the WFMU Old Bin. WFMU's library contains a box of LP's and CD's where various staffers pluck forgotten nuggets out of the wall both obscure and known and drop them in to turn on their fellow DJ's to sounds that may have evaded them. We've been keeping a page on our site chronicling the years of entries to the Old Bin, and the short reviews various FMU-ers have given them, and it's built up into quite a little database of lost grooves. It's also a little bit buried on our site. So, have a gander, (sorry, no MP3 or audio links, maybe someday) bring a towel, and some hair care products for the Addrisis.

People Like Us new Film: Story Without End

Story_wo_endA new short film by WFMU's own People Like Us can be downloaded or viewed here as a streaming file from the Internet Archive. People Like Us' weekly radio show, Do or D.I.Y returns to the airwaves on June 15th and will air each Wednesday from 7-8 pm, following Seven Second Delay. Do or D.I.Y is one of 15 WFMU shows which are available for automatic mp3 download via podcasting. Currently, we're podcasting the old Do or D.I.Y shows. On June 15th, we'll begin podcasting the new ones.

June 06, 2005

Electrelane Live on WFMU

Rachel_mia_1Electrelane stopped by last week to record a great session for OCDJ's Plug and Play program. You can hear their set as a streaming Realaudio archive here. Electrelane's set starts 5:40 into each archive. And here is a short video file of them playing in WFMU's Love Room (avi file for download).

Yo Deseo Ser Su Perro

HotdogsggdiphdIt seems that "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by Iggy & the Stooges has achieved placement in that special realm of recorded sound we know as "The Popular Standard". Looky here to download many, many cover versions of the classic room-shaker.

And if those leave any doubt in your mind, come back here and check out some of our faves (all streaming Real Audio from the WFMU archives) such as:

- Archigram's mega ass-shakin' version of the Stooges' hit
- Allun's more amateurish take on those same mystical chords
- Bob Hund's uniquely Swedish rendering
- A bedroom-recorded acapella version by Ed Schneider
- A futuristic electrojam cover by Futon
- The terrifyingly atrocious parody from the Seven Stooges -- a record that comes with a barf bag.

I'm sure this is exactly the sort of thing that Iggy had in mind and he can thank DJs Bill Zurat, David Suisman, Ken, Irwin, Michael Goodstein, and Brian Turner for keeping the flame alive.

Hippie Death March

HippieThough many may soon face prosecution, there are no dead hippies at WFMU.

Really. Here's the evidence:
- Hippie version of 23rd psalm -- the comic and the soundtrack (real audio)
-
Rod McKuen -- "Kranko's Hippie Party"  (real audio) from an archive of Scott's show
- Fourth Way -- "The Far Side of Your Mind" (real audio) from Charlie's show
-
Dead Milkmen --  "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies" (real audio) from an archive of Brian's show  
-
Spiro T. Agnew --  "Challenge To The Hippies" (real audio) from Black Ops' show  
- Pastor John Rydgren -- "Hippie Version of Creation" (real audio) from an archive of Ken's show
-
Kim Fowley --  "Inner Space Discovery" (real audio) from Ken's show
- Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle -- "Hippie Melodie"  (real audio) also from an archive of Ken's show  
- Pneumershonic
-- "Hippie Freakout" (real audio) again, from Ken's show 
- But don't get the wrong idea about Station Manager Ken (he has embraced the very un-hippie genre of cheesy Euro disco). Real hippie noise can be found anywhere and everywhere within the confines of John Allen's show, Belly of the Beast with Stefan, Stan's show, Irene's show, and Tony Coulter's show.

June 03, 2005

MP3s of 78 rpm Records

Hrecord_retIf you like to mix and match your ancient and modern technologies, then head over to Turtle's 78 rpm Jukebox for a batch of mp3s of records made during the acoustic era of recording, before electricity was used in the recording process at all. Turtle is offering up scads of public domain material  by Bill Murray and others who've been featured on both of WFMU's 78rpm / Edison Cylinder programs, Thomas Edison's Attic and The Antique Phonograph Music Program, both of which are also available as podcasts. via boingboing

June 02, 2005

WFMU Yard Sale!

YardsaleWe know, we know...you missed our now-discontinued May record fair. Fear not: we'll make a triumphant return to the Metropolitan Pavilion on November 4th, 5th and 6th! Until then, we offer our semi-traditional, once-in-a-while, when-we-feel-like it, Yard Sale! That's right: oodles of dollar LPs, scores of old FMU riot gear, and maybe even Fabio's hat. In the parking lot next to 66 York Street, Jersey City. Saturday, June 18th, 10am-4pm. Rain date: Saturday, June 25th, same time, same place.

WFMU Top 30

WFMU Top 30 Compiled by Music/Program Director Brian Turner based on recent arrivals played by WFMU DJs.

VARIOUS - Yellow Pills: Prefill (Numero)
THE MASONICS - Outside Looking In (Vinyl Japan)
VENETIAN SNARES - Roszz Csillag Alatt Szuletett (Planet Mu)
CLASSICAL M - Complete Collection (Lion)
VARIOUS - Radio Phnom Penh (Sublime Frequencies)
DMBQ - Hercules Hits (Avex Trax)
THE PONYS - Celebration Castle (In the Red)
VARIOUS - Wasted (Cock Rock Disco)
LOUISE FORESTIER - Avec Enzymes (Unidisc)
YO LA TENGO - Prisoners of Love / A Smattering of Outtakes (Matador)
CHARMING HOSTESS - Punch (ReR)
VARIOUS - Sound In Color (Sound in Color)
BLACK MERDA - The Folks From Mother's Mixer (Funky Delicacies)
LITTLE HOWLIN' WOLF - Singles (Heresee)
BEARSUIT - Cat Spectacular! (Microindie)
HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS - Heels N'Wheels (Get Hip)
WAYNE JARRETT - Showcase Vol. 1 (Wackies)
VARIOUS - Mass Culture Control Bureau: Things From the Past (Ad Hoc)
MONGEZI FEZA - Free Jam (Ayler)
ALASDAIR ROBERTS - No Earthly Man (Drag City)
VARIOUS - Jump & Shout (J & S)
SHAPESHIFTER - Reticulum Flux (Schematic)
VARIOUS - Tokyo Flashback Vol. 5 (PSF)
TONY MASON-COX - Heartfelt (No Label)
VARIOUS - Next Brel (DRG)
PHAROAH OVERLORD - #3 (Riot Season)
GO HIRANO - Corridor of Daylights (PSF)
LOVE JOYS - Lovers Rock (Wackies)
MERLE TRAVIS & JOE MAPHIS - Country Music's Two Guitar Greats (Sundazed)
ALUMINUM KNOT EYE - Trunk Lunker (Trick Knee)

Recent Faves from the WFMU New Bin

This month Music and Program Director Brian Turner reviews:

Shapeshifter / Reticulum Flux (Schematic)

Dave Soldier / Da Hip Hop Rascals

Electrelane - Axes (Too Pure)

Continue reading "Recent Faves from the WFMU New Bin" »

DJ Fave Five

Hippiepants_1This month the refreshingly polite Hatch, currently holding down the Saturday 2-6 AM shift, shares "five top-notch Spanish and Latin American psych reissues:"

Pau Riba -- Jo, La Donya I El Gripau (PDI, Spain, 1971) click to hear real audio of the song "Mama Nen"
Congreso -- El Congreso (Record Runner CD/Shadoks LP, Chile, 1971) click for real audio of "Maestranzas De Noche"
Ana y Jaime -- Es Largo El Camino (Amort, Colombia, late 1960s) click to hear "Cafe e Petroleo" in real audio
Jaume Sisa -- Orgia (Discmedi, Spain, 1970) listen to "Carrer" in real audio
Congregacion -- Viene... (IRT, Chile, 1972) click to hear real audio of "Arrebol"

Off Mic: WFMU DJ News

Offmic_2Plug and Play's OCDJ offers up a live solo ambient laptop improvisation on Monday, June 6th during his regular night at the Lucky Cat (245 Grand Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn). 8PM, FREE! On Wednesday, June 8th the young lad moves to the Knitting Factory Tap Bar (74 Leonard Street, Manhattan), where he'll spin between sets. Featuring performers Printed Circuit, Bit Shifter, Dan Deacon, and The Dares. 8PM $8 cover.

Dave the Spazz (Music to Spazz By) tosses around the rock'n'roll records every Sunday night at 10PM at Union Pool (484 Union Avenue at Meeker, Williamsburg, Brooklyn). Best of all, you can experience the action for no cover!

The Radio Thrift Shop's Proprietress, Laura Cantrell, celebrates the release of her new album ("Humming By The Flowered Vine" on Matador Records) with an in-store performance at the Virgin Megastore (52 East 14th Street, Manhattan) on Tuesday, June 21. 7 PM, no cover. She'll also be performing at Maxwell's (1039 Washington Street, Hoboken) on Saturday, June 25th. 9:30 PM, $10 cover. East Coast tour dates, album ordering information, and all other Laura-related info. can be found here.

It's Chris T.'s 16th year as MC of the Mermaid Parade, a Coney Island tradition since 1983. Saturday, June 25th, at 2 PM. For the best views, Chris says, "Show up early and park your carcass near the reviewing stand, by the Cyclone roller coaster (Surf Ave & 10th Street)."

Sites for Sore Eyes

Eyeyiyi From hemorrhoid discussions to inspirational foot pads: the "best" of the 'net, such as it is. Collected by Amy and Mike, who hope they will not be killed in workplace accidents this year.

In-Souls: Inspirational Shoe Inserts
Fascinating. Will give Material Christianity author Colleen McDannell a whole new chapter to write: Mormon garments, sidewalk shrines, Lourdes' water, and now... Biblical shoe inserts!

Secret Fun Spot!

Coffin banks, Nerf rocket launchers, Andy Gibb collectibles ("Move him to the Disco Beat! Disco dancing with the stars!"), Merlins... what more could aging hipsters ask for?!

The Clint Howard Variety Show
Savvy web-sters may have already seen this-but "Bingo, out popped the hemmie"?!! Dang.

And the Bride Wore...
It is June, after all.

Under the Orange Roof
With the news that the Manhattan Ho-Jo will be demolished, this seems appropriate.

Robot Cats

The Japanese really do think of everything!

JamminJohns
For the guitar aficionado who also likes... toilets.

Dunun
At last, a virtual drum circle. And so much more. If you can figure it all out. (Flash page).

High Speed Videos
Jello, explosions, facial expressions and so much more, all filmed at super high speed.

Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison
Very cool site of black and white surrealist photographs.

This month's links were sent in by Listener Jules, Listener Matthew, Listener Annie, Listener Joe, Station Manager Ken and our beloved Lou Ziegler, who is deserting us for Ohio. Boo hoo.
  

Tampon Cases, Sun Ra and Nimoy to Benefit WFMU

NimoyAnother round of auctions are up on eBay to benefit WFMU and keep us out of the clutches of the man. We periodically clean out the residue from our prize closet and put it up on eBay. You can see the WFMU auction items here. Up right now are rare LPs by Sun Ra and Leonard Nimoy, a tampon case and an out of print biography of Ed Wood.

June 01, 2005

New Aerial View Podcast

Yet another archival edition of Aerial View has hit the web via Podcast and this time around, it's Chris T.'sPeeps1 Halloween special from October 29th, 1993. Only here will you learn the sordid details of how Chris' decision to dress up like Divine almost landed him in the midst of a knife fight. You can download this historical Aerial View by right-clicking here, or if you choose, you can stream it as you would any other WFMU archive by going here. If your tech-savvy is easily likened to the proverbial 10 & 1/2, you can subscribe to Aerial View, or any of 14 other WFMU programs via podcast by visiting WFMU's Podcast Central.

May 31, 2005

WFMU's Stunt Turntable

WFMU recently acquired what we in the radio biz refer to as a Stunt Turntable (MP3), which is to say, we've acquired a Numark TT-100 to aid in the creation of good, freeform radio. This new Stunt Turntable not only plays records, but it plays them backwards, forwards, and at pitches so freely adjustable that many DJs openly weep at the mere thought of it. This Stunt Turntable also has a number of visual elements that are sadly lost on the listening audience due to radio's limited opportunities for visuals. For your further education on WFMU procedure, here are a few recent stills of WFMU DJs pushing the new Stunt Turntable to the limits.

Brian Turner    Liz Berg     Scott Williams     Vicki Bennett     John Allen and Fabio

WFMU's Summer 2005 schedule

Radio6_2WFMU's Summer 2005 schedule goes into effect on Monday, June 13th and runs until October 3rd. There are two ways it can be viewed, in easy table form, or a comprehensive list that includes individual program descriptions, home page and playlist links, and more.

May 27, 2005

New Communication Breakdown Podcast now available

UnpluggedThe new edition of Chris T.'s utterly filthy and totally unsafe for work Communication Breakdown is now available for download, which you can do  here (right click to download MP3.) You can also stream Communication Breakdown as you would any other WFMU archive by going here, or sign up to have each new edition of the show automatically downloaded to your computer via the miracle of Podcasting, which you can learn more about by visiting Podcast Central.

Summer Drink Specials

Hood1With the Memorial Day holiday just around the corner, we could use a reminder about urban summer recreational options. While rollin' with the top down or BBQ-ing on the beach seem to be West Coast-centric hot weather activities, city-dwelling East Coasters tend to prefer malt liquor or cocktail sipping on the stoop.

During a discussion of summertime in Brooklyn, The Professor alerted me to a seasonal drink recipe guaranteed to cool you down after a hot afternoon spent sitting on the stoop:

Thug Passion (Tupac's favorite drink)
            1 shot of alize
            1 shot of hennessey cognac

If reading that doesn't make you feel nauseated, here are a few more urban-themed summer drink recipes:

Continue reading "Summer Drink Specials" »

May 26, 2005

Duty now for the future

FuturistweirdoSome nerd passed this story along to me, since I’m the resident out-of-the-closet geek around here... It would appear that the top futurist (pictured left, not a Russian Futurist (real audio of “The Plight of the Flightless Birds” from a fill-in show by Bob W.)) at some think tank is telling the egghead community that we’ll be able to download our memories into computers by 2050, creating artificial consciousness just like some movie you might have seen. But perhaps more alarming is this claim by our clairvoyant illuminati:

"The new PlayStation is 1 per cent as powerful as a human brain."

You can click here to read up on all minute details of the future, according to our expert (left), from capitalism to yogurt.

But don't get too excited yet, there’s always the chance that such high hopes for the future could be thwarted by the findings of future research. I’ll bet the dudes behind the recent Time Traveler Convention were absolutely crestfallen when they read about this study concerning the plausibility of traveling through wormholes. I suppose they could team up with the teleportation pundits to formulate a revised plan of action.

ODB Tries Out For The Part of Mister Ed

Mr_edMP3: ODB tries out for the part of Mister Ed.

Odb_back_1Last year, when Ol' Dirty Bastard died, there had been rumors about him possibly doing the the voice of Mister Ed in the Fox TV remake of the series. Then today in my inbox arrived this mp3 (right-click to download) of the alleged audition. Is it true? Did Dirty really try out for the role of talking horse? And while you research the possibilities, experience ODB's interpretation of Phil Collins Sussudio from Brian Turner's show of 11/23/04 (streaming realaudio).

May 25, 2005

New Coffee to Go Podcast

CccThe new edition of Coffee to Go with Noah Zark, the podcast sister show to Coffee Break for Heroes and Villains is now available to satisfy all your cravings for underground hip hop. You can download the show right now (MP3), or you can stream it as you would any other WFMU archived program by clicking here. Coffee to Go is just one of fifteen WFMU programs that are available as podcasts. You can sign up to have any of our podcasts delivered to your computer automatically by visiting WFMU's Podcast Centralia.

I see London, I see France

XmanApparently, the Dept. of Homeland Security will not heed the warnings offered via fictional foreshadowing on the topic of x-ray vision. Sure, seeing naked people walk through the airport was a jolly good time in Airplane!, but what have we learned from the tortured souls burdened with this superpower?

Get down in your skivvies to X Ray Spex "The Day the World Turned Dayglo" (real audio, from an archive of Stefan's show, Belly of the Beast)

Or get fired up about bon voyage voyeurism by spending some time with our own X Ray Burns on the Glen Jones Radio Programme.

May 24, 2005

Nice Girls Don't Wear Cha Cha Heels

ChachaMP3: Razormaid remixes "Cha Cha Heels" (excerpt)

I was listening to Sigue Sigue Sputnik's "Jayne Mansfield" (click for real audio, from an archive of Diane's Kamikaze Fun Machine), and realized that the song contains a reference to cha cha heels. Of course, this term was popularized in the 1974 John Waters flick, Female Trouble, by the ultra-fabulous juvenile delinquent Dawn Davenport ("I'm a thief and a shitkicker... and I want to be famous!").

Exploring the topic further, I discovered that Bronski Beat had written a song for Divine (aka Harris Glenn Milstead) to record, entitled "Cha Cha Heels." Unfortunately Divine passed away before the tune was recorded, but as a tribute, Eartha Kitt offered to lay down the vocals. The result is available above as an MP3, as remixed by Razormaid. Divine did manage to record a few tracks before her departure, and WFMU's DJ Monica was all over that drag queen sass... check out "Native Love (Step By Step)" (real audio) for a fix.

And be sure to get yourself a proper pedicure before slipping into a pair of cha chas. (Thanks for that one, Metafilter)

May 22, 2005

The Saints Preserve Us From Peter Frampton

Stranded_shad_2The Saints came all the way from Australia to play live on Terre T's Cherry Blossom Clinic yesterday. You can hear their set here in streaming MP3, or here in streaming Realaudio. And here is a short video clip of them performing in WFMU's Love Room (avi video file, right-click to download).

As they were loading in, Chris Bailey from the band informed me that, if it werent for The Saints, we'd still be playing Peter Frampton. Taken aback, I informed him that we never stopped playing Peter Frampton (realaudio). He then gave me a big bear hug and licked me all over my face. OK,  that didnt actually happen. Except for the Peter Frampton part. And the licking.

May 19, 2005

Jim Hawthorne - The First Freeform Radio DJ Ever

Jim_hawthorneFor many years, I subscribed to the conventional wisdom that freeform radio got its start on KPFA in Berkely, the first non-commercial radio station in the country, and the cornerstone of the Pacifica Radio anti-empire. In the mid-Fifites, story has it, some late night DJs at KPFA began to experiment with formats, techniques and illicit substances, even going so far as to do the occasional audio collage!

Then I heard Jim Hawthorne, and I had to rewrite the history of freeform radio, at least in my own head.

Continue reading "Jim Hawthorne - The First Freeform Radio DJ Ever" »

May 18, 2005

Prom-a-rama

MP3 download: The Fugs "Nothing"

WFMU volunteer extraordinnaire Jared shares this story with us:

Fugs_itcrawled_5As my own high school prom approaches, I recall what my dad passed along to me about his senior prom in suburban Long Island in 1967. At his prom, along with the usual assortment of non alcoholic refreshments, dresses, tuxes, corsages, and dance music provided by a local band, there was an additional attraction. After the last slow dance, a special guest performer -- The Fugs took the stage and rocked the gymnasium for the graduating class of 1967.

Take a listen to a few of these Fugs tunes captured from the WFMU archives, and imagine how quickly the carnation boutonnieres wilted on that fateful night...

“Wet Dream” (Real Audio)

Government Surveillance Yodel” (Real Audio) from Pseu Braun's show
"Ah, Sunflower Weary of Time" (Real Audio) from World of Echo with Dave Mandl 

Stay tuned to WFMU for the latest updates and trends sweeping the nation's high school dances.

May 17, 2005

Cookie Monster: The Real Most Influential Musician of All Time

Cookie_monster_worth_1MP3s: Ted Shred's Michael Jackson vs Cookie Monster and Daniel's Death Metal Warmup Exercises (right-click to download, plus streaming Realaudio samples below).

I have to take issue with Program Director Brian's characterization of "Animal" from the Muppets as the most influential musician of all time. I didnt think I would have to explain this to you Brian and I hate to publicy correct you, but "Animal" is a puppet. Made of cloth and wire. He doesn't really play the drums at all. When you watch "Animal" during a drum workout, the drums you hear are played by a session musician working for Sesame Workshop. That Buddy Rich clip was done with puppets and trick photography.

Just because the term "Animal From The Muppets" brings up an impressive 807 google citations doesnt mean that any drummers out there actually want to sound like Animal. So how can he be an influential musician?

I grant you that Animal may be a convenient lynchpin for current drummers and rock writers. But he is far from the most influential musician of all time. He's not even the most influential Muppet. If we seek to honor one musician who has been extraordinarily influential, a lone artist who has singlehandedly influenced world wide musical markets and scenes for over a decade, from the deepest underground to the most mainstream, we need look no further than Cookie Monster.

Continue reading "Cookie Monster: The Real Most Influential Musician of All Time" »

May 16, 2005

Hip to the Hop

Wigga_smallIf you’re wondering how the commercial radio suits manage to stay on top of “urban” culture while reclining in leather ergonomic chairs as they peer out over the panorama of metropolis X from the tinted safety windows of their executive suites, this quote from the Program Director of KHTS in San Diego may satisfy your curiosity, "I need to be tuned into Pop culture and to be tuned into what’s going on with my demo[graphic]. That means I need to be into MTV and what part of Hip-Hop crosses over to there..."

Closely observing this creed are some of WFMU’s own DJs, ears to the ground in pursuit of the ever-changing tastes of our primary demo. Check out some of Noah’s upcoming special guests on Coffee Break for Heroes & Villians, an amazing array of superstars for the overnight hours:

DJ Mathematics of the Wu-Tang Clan
this Wed, May 18th, 2am - 6am
Thirstin Howl III, Rack-Lo, & Dana Dane (aka The Spit Factory) next Wed, May 25th, 2am - 6am

If you happen to be busy shampooing your hair those nights, you can always relive the moment via the magic of archives (click for archives of Noah’s shows).


More high profile urban contemporary guests from the recent past (click for Real Audio):

Dizzee Rascal (on The Push Bin with Lou, April 30, 2005)
Q-Unique (from Coffee Break for Heroes & Villians, May 4, 2005)
Nomadic Wax founder Benny Herson (aka Nomad) (on Coffee Break for Heroes & Villians, April 27, 2005)
Josh Korwin DJ set (on Coffee Break for Heroes & Villians, April 6, 2005)

For the podified masses, Noah is also offering a hip-hop podcast, Coffee 2 Go (click for .xml feed).

May 15, 2005

The Road From Yamasuki to Bananarama

Yamasuki400UPDATE: MP3 now available for download - Yamasuki. Thanks, Finder's Keepers!

One of my favorite recent records is a reissue from 1971 called Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki. It's a wild amalgam of psychedelic pop, fuzzed out guitars, children's choirs and karate chants, coming together to create a sort of multi-kulty rock opera. The record started off as a cross-cultural dance project intended to bridge gaps between Europe and the Far East, but the two French pop producers in charge of the music quickly got carried away, learning Japanese, importing children's choirs and even hiring a famous Judo master from Japan to yelp and roar in the background. OK, so I'm a sucker for yelping. Especially Japanese yelping.

Continue reading "The Road From Yamasuki to Bananarama" »

May 13, 2005

Jesse Says No to the Bitches and the Ho's

StilettoRev. Jesse Jackson publicly denounced *some* radio stations for turning a profit by playing songs that use degrading terms like “bitch” and “ho.” Because we are a non-profit station, WFMU’s own coddled bitches and ho's remain immune to the reverend’s wrath. Celebrate with us, won't you? Presenting the honor roll...


WFMU's Bitches

Soft Pink Truth  “Big Booty Bitches” (Real Audio) from an archive of Advanced D&D with Donna Summer
DJ Johnny Blaze "Rick James Bitch" (Real Audio) courtesy of Nickel and Dime Radio with $mall ¢hange
Gary Wilson "Chromium Bitch" (Real Audio) from Scott's show
David Bowie  “Queen Bitch” (Real Audio) from Black Ops' show
Elton John "The Bitch Is Back" (Real Audio) from an archive of Charlie's show
Koonda Holaa & the Beetchees "Fat Bitch Must Die" (Real Audio) from Scott's show
Consume & DJ Paedofile "Bitch my Smack Up" (Real Audio) from an archive of The Pounding System with Clay
Lil’ Kim  “Queen Bitch (excerpt)” (MP3) thanks to Megan (WMV), always on bitch-patrol
Notorious B.I.G. “Just Playing (Dreams)” (excerpt, MP3) aka “Dreams of Fucking an R&B Bitch” (another excerpt, Real Audio) lovingly selected by WFMU's Monica, hand-picked from her vast card catalog of bitch


WFMU's Ho's

Lidell Townsell "Get Da Hoe" (Real Audio) from an archive of Mike Lupica's show
DJ Assault "Hoes Get Naked" (Real Audio) from Nickel and Dime Radio with $mall ¢hange  
Ludacris "Area Codes" (Real Audio) from one of Debbie's fill-in shows
Baccara “Sorry I’m a Lady” (MP3) courtesy of Ken Freedman, who knows his disco ho's; the Baccara ladies yearn to let their inner-ho's loose as they feast their eyes upon a handsome gent.
Tragic Mulatto
 "She's a Ho" (Real Audio) from Mike Lupica's show
Dr. Dre  “House Wife (excerpt)” (MP3) from The Chronic (2001), you can't make a ho a house wife
DJ Rod Lee "Gimme a Ho RMX" (Real Audio) from Nickel and Dime Radio with $mall ¢hange   

And if that isn't enough for you, consider this self-described Pimpumentary. 

May 10, 2005

Recent On-Air Guests

German_jug_band_2Why are folks from the mod/rocker/rhymer/outsider A-lists battling for parking spots in Jersey City? It’s certainly not the scrumptious chromium-laden soil. If you were unawares, WFMU regularly hosts live performances and interviews from a rotating line-up of underground all-stars. Check out these recent appearances (below), or delve into our special archives page to peruse our list of studio guests from the more distant past.

Jennifer Gentle (the band, not a lady) click for Real Audio: These Italian psychedelic rockers stopped by Scott Williams’ show.

Go-Betweens (Real Audio): The core duo behind the legendary Go-Betweens, Grant McLennan and Robert Forster, played a set during Irene Trudel’s show.

Terry Reid (Real Audio): An interview with the late-60’s rocker who managed to wriggle past Jimmy Page and Deep Purple. From an archive of John Allen’s show.

Sylvain Sylvain (Real Audio): This New York Doll returned to Jonesville Station recently to discuss the band's career and reunion tour as well as his life and times in Rock & Roll.

DMBQ (Real Audio): Japanese spazzoid-psychedelia, from an archive of Three Chord Monte.

Benny Herson aka Nomad (Real Audio): The founder of the Nomadic Wax label stopped by Noah’s show, Coffee Break for Heroes and Villians, to discuss the hip-hop scene in Africa.

Mia Doi Todd (Real Audio): Lovely acoustic guitar ballads from her latest album, Manzanita. Performed on Trouble’s show.

Kimya Dawson (Real Audio): This Moldy Peach delighted us with her honest folk tunes on Plug and Play with OCDJ.

Dizzee Rascal (Real Audio): The London garage MC stopped by The Push Bin with Lou for a live set and interview.

Cowboy Jack Clement (Real Audio): The acclaimed producer, songwriter, and renaissance man of Music City USA paid a visit to the Radio Thrift Shop with Laura Cantrell.

Undertones (Real Audio): Reunited power pop legends and John Peel personal fave, the Undertones, played live on The Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T.

Ike Turner (Real Audio): The R&B godhead reveals the allure of the whammy, the meaning of "bootie lips", and the wisdom of Miss Boozie on Fool’s Paradise with Rex.

May 09, 2005

Donna Summer MP3s

Cobraguitar_1WFMU's own Donna Summer (aka Jason Forrest - no, his cease and desist letter hasn't yet arrived) has a page up of MP3s from his label, Cock Rock Disco. Donna beams his show / podcast to WFMU from Berlin, and it airs Thursday nights at 6pm on WFMU.

An Interview with Ken Freedman

Ken_possessed_1If you've ever wondered what keeps this station running (aside from the obvious) check out this interview with WFMU's own fearless leader, Station Manager Ken Freedman (courtesy of The Rock and Roll Report).

Look deeply into Ken's eyes (left) as he discusses WFMU's programming philosophy, his thoughts on podcasting and blogs, how the current FCC climate is affecting our broadcasts, and why future FMU webcasts may allow us to unleash all the bathroom-talk we desire.

May 08, 2005

Two For Mothers Day

MomsHere's two appropriate songs for Mother's Day, in case you're still living with her or she happened to have been killed by Rock and Roll.

First, Rock and Roll Killed My Mother (streaming Realaudio) by The Hi Fi Guys, from Brian Turners show from December 7, 2002. Second, I Still Live With My Moms, (streaming Realaudio) by Thirston How III, from Noah's Coffee Break With Heroes and Villains from July 19, 2004. Thirston Howl III will also be live on Noah's show this coming May 25th.

Two More Telemarketer Strategies

Following up on Andy Breckman's pretend-to-be-retarded telemarketer ploy, here are two more strategies. First, Eugene Mirman negotiates a killer long distance rate, while simultaneously destroying the gay agenda (MP3 download). Second, Jessica Kane reveals the most subversive technique of all - being nice! (streaming realaudio from Kenny G's April 13, 2005 program)

May 07, 2005

Hasil Adkins Tribute

Adkins2UPDATE: Rex did a two-hour tribute to the late Hasil Adkins, on Fool's Paradise today. Joining Rex to remember the true wildman of rock and roll were Billy and Miriam from Norton Records (whose reissues reintroduced Hasil to the world), artist Joe Coleman, Jesco White and other. Hasil passed away April 27th. You can listen to the archive of Rex's tribute to Hasil in Realaudio here, or in streaming MP3 here.  

May 03, 2005

Attention Online Mallrats

Wfmu_mrthn04_shirt3WfmucardboxUniversal truth #1: WFMU gives away the most swinging of swag to our loyal donors each year during our fundraising marathon.

Universal truth #2: The batch o' giveaways changes every year, as directed by our image consultants who orbit the planet in corporate HQ.

Common myth: If you missed out on last year's swag, there is no way to recuperate from your loss of cool points... or is there?

Check out our online store, Crapola Central, where you can purchase all sorts of WFMU swag from  past years. Guaranteed to launch your hip quotient through the roof. Items offered in exchange for local currency include T-shirts, sweatshirts, CDs, stickers, magnets, various household adornments, collectors cards, and even cassette tapes (grab 'em before they make a comeback). WFMU swag from our 2004 Marathon has just been added, so prepare to consume, consume, consume!

May 02, 2005

MP3 Archives Just Got Fatter

Painting_hogStarting today, all of our MP3 archives will be recorded in resplendent 128 kilobits-per-second audio, instead of that measly, insect-like 96k rate that we once used. (What were we thinking with that 96k crap anyway?) The first show recorded at the new, better-sounding rate is Tony Coulter's show from today, Monday May 2nd. Hear it in all its life-affirming sonic glory here (streaming MP3). All MP3 archives from now on will be at 128k, instead of 96k, and as usual, we will keep them posted for 15 days, while the Realaudio archives stay up until the Phat Lady Sings.

New Communication Breakdown Podcast Available

A new episode of Chris T's FCC-unfriendly podcast, Communication Breakdown is out and can be downloaded as an MP3 here, or streamed here (not safe for work). You can sign up to have all new episodes of Communication Breakdown (or our 14 other podcasts) delivered to your computer or iPod on our Podcast page.

April 29, 2005

Do Geese See God?

Baby_gramps2_1Here's an MP3 of Palindromes, performed by Baby Gramps on WFMU in June of 1988, hosted by Nicholas Hill. Baby Gramps is a Seattle based performer who is best described as a cross between Popeye and a Tuvan Throat Singer. This track is his crowd-pleasing ode to palindromes, words, phrases (or in his case, entire books) that are spelled the same backwards and forwards. Not to be confused with the current Todd Solondz movie.

April 28, 2005

Monica's Disco Panel

Fuck_studio54_b_1My own personal disco mentor and WFMU DJ Monica hosted a panel discussion on Disco April 28th at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. Interesting article by David Hinckley in The Daily news here. And while you consider radio's non-role in Disco, download another Baccara track "Koochie-Koo" or this classic seven inch by The Funktionaries "Deutschland Uber Disco" (MP3s).

April 27, 2005

Podcast Number Fifteen: Coffee To Go

Ipod_cartoonWe launched our fifteenth podcast today, Noah Zark's podcast of underground, unreleased hip-hop, Coffee to Go. This is our second podcast-only show and our first podcast-only music show. You can download the MP3 of the first Coffee to Go here, and you can sign up to receive all future shows (and our 14 other podcasts) on our podcast page. You can also listen to Coffee to Go as a streaming archive on this page. There will be a new MP3 of Coffee to Go every other Wednesday at Noon, starting today. Noah describes his new show:

"When it comes to hip-hop, radio either supports the major label funded sounds or the independently released up & comers. Where do unsigned acts go? Look no further; "Coffee 2 Go" is THEE spot to drop your most raw and grimey unmastered demos! The half-hour shows are hosted by Noah Zark, DJ BrownBum and The Custodian Of Records. Download the MP3 of the show every other week as a new batch of tracks gets their due! A new edition of the show will be available for download or streaming every other Wednesday."

April 21, 2005

Android Love

Robojockey_1All I wanted to do was alert BoB readers to the new robo-jockeys being used for camel races in Qatar... However, being semi-obsessed about the inevitability of a devolved, post-apocalyptic future made glossing over the subject of robots replacing humans nearly impossible.

First, the battle of humans vs. androids must be accompanied by an appropriate soundtrack: check out this archive of a special episode of Greasy Kid Stuff, Monkey Vs. Robot (Real Audio).

Next, read about the latest in robot research here. Or, find out who won the first robot vs. human arm-wrestling match.

Earlier this month, Station Manager Ken posted a somewhat disturbing video of an interactive teen femme-bot. If that didn’t give you goosebumps, robo-go-go dancers might be more your speed (right-click to download wmv). For more links to robot videos, click here or here.

And if lightning strikes, perhaps this story will have a happy ending, after all.

April 20, 2005

Pseu Braun Sells Out To Best Buy

The film that was called "the best rock documentary since Gimme Shelter" by, uh, someone, "DIG!", is out on DVD. Double DVD. Double DVD with a special CD exclusive to Best Buy. "GULP", you people think; "what the hell is going on here? What is up with the Best Buy plug?" Well, there is nothing I can do about the Best Buy plug, but me needs go give a huge shout out and congratulations to WFMU's very own Pseu Braun for getting her interview (unedited, btw) with Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre included on this very major release exclusive to the national retailer. This is the film that sort of studies the celebrity deathmatch style goings-on between BJM and the Dandy Warhols and more or less went head to head with Metallica's "Some Kind of Monster" at Sundance. You can listen to the full Brian Jonestown Massacre live broadcast and the interview that Pseu conducted on October 24, 2003 with Anton here,
But check out the DVD coverDigbig with special sticker alterting the savvy consumer to the particular version with the limited edition CD included, and the CD listing itself that credits her along with WFMU, without any typos. If you buy your own copy, you'll be pleased to see the Best Buy logo on the bottom of the cd sleeve that I lopped off for space considerations here. And if you haven't already, you might just want to actually check the movie out.Intvwbig

April 14, 2005

A Public Service Announcement

Problemas_socialesThe best public service announcement we ever received was this one here (MP3 download), which was mailed to every radio station in the country by Donald Wildmon's American Family Association, which apparently still harbors fantasies of liberal gestapo squads shoveling heaps o' Bibles into the secular humanist bonfire. No word on whether this magical piece of radio theater generated the million signatures they were aiming for.

After that, the silver medal for funniest PSA has to go to Father Harry, God Squad.   I dont have the record handy, but the streaming realaudio is here. It's a touching tale of a young boy who loved his mother so much that he was forced to cut off his hands. Or should I say hand. Since he already lost the first one in an unfortunate fishing accident.

MonografiadrogasThe Mexican government has a tradition of printing up public service posters with wonderful artwork portraying the hazards of Alcoholismo, La Prostitucion, the scourge of Drogadiccion and Los Problemas Sociales in general.

While no satire can top Donald Wildmon or Father Harry, that doesn't stop people from trying. Ebaum's world remixed a batch of GI Joe video PSAs, which earned them a Cease and Desist letter from GI Joe's parents. And then there was Evolution Contol Committee's We Will Rock You PSA (Streaming Realaudio).

But the ultimate Public Service Announcement - the Holy Grail for PSA hunters - is an Arthur Godfrey clip which was recorded at the behest of President Dwight Eisenhower during the height of the cold war in the mid-Fifties. Godfrey recorded an announcement which was to be aired only in the event that the US was attacked with Russian nuclear weapons. After all, who better to calm raw, irradiated nerves than the man who sang that great paean to abused women, Slap Her Down Again, Paw!

April 13, 2005

Six degrees, indeed

Saurod_ponsThe task at hand seemed simple: dig up the dirt on early-80’s SF new wave band, BOB. With the internet at my disposal, I’d just pick up a few brief factoids, report to the blog readers, and then get back to twirling my hair and filing my nails. But oh, the tangents I discovered!

First things first. Delve into this nugget, BOB “The Things That You Do” (MP3). The tune was extracted from a self-titled single released on Dumb Records out of SF in 1980. A decidedly lethargic version of this song also appears on their "Backwards" album that was released on the label 3 years later. I wanted more info, but imagine the search terms I could possibly use in this situation: bob, dumb, San Francisco. Real helpful. Ok, so I was able to find a few useful facts...

Releases by Dumb Records
Ixna “Mi Ne Parolas” (click for Real Audio) Marina La Palma and Jay Cloidt, vocals in Esperanto.
Novak “Oh Farrah” single
The Survivors
Other Music (released on Nth Degree, a Dumb sublabel)

Now it gets really weird. I start searching for BOB’s members: Jim Lively, Dewey Bruse, Margret Blanche... found a few real estate agent name-twins, but still no BOB info. Then, wait, I live in a hole and I recognize this name... Pons Maar! That’s right, holy shit, this dude was not only BOB’s drummer, but also the Lead Wheeler in Return to Oz, the lizard-man in Masters of the Universe, the lead character in the TV show “Dinosaurs” AND the voice of the Noid! His website of art/video clips is here. Maar only appeared as BOB's drummer on the single, and was replaced by Dze Bayles by the time their LP was released.

On a side note, I learned that Return to Oz is apparently some sort of portal to my subconscious (I blamed the film for my childhood nightmares of animated mannequin heads on this very blog a few weeks ago). And thus, my adventure has come full-circle.

April 06, 2005

Mao-ee Wowee

Dinomao_1Dinos_2Now, I’m no art phag, but I do love me some commies. A friend in SF clued me in to Sui Jianguo’s “Sleep of Reason” exhibit that’s happening at the Asian Art Museum over thar. If you look closely, the sleeping Mao is surrounded by armies of plastic dinosaurs (images stolen from this blog). Click here for a candid photo of Marx during a recent sabbatical he took from being dead.


What kind of pinko station is this, anyway?

The Eat “Communist Radio” (MP3)

Real Audio from the WFMU Archives (mostly from Comrade Freedman's show):

Kenny G reads Karl Marx
Red Shadow (The Economics Rock & Roll Band)
Understanding Marx”
Felix Kubin Backed with Quotations from Chairman Mao 
Alabama Three "Mao Tse Tung Said"
“Commie Lies”
Lulu Bellle & Scotty I’m No Communist”

April 04, 2005

Don't see nothin' wrong with a little bump 'n grind

Middle_school_dance_lg_1Natrona County High School students in Casper, WY are being denied their right to party (read the article here). The school is requiring students to sign a contract stating that they will not participate in "freak dancing, lap dancing, bumping, grinding, thrusting, dirty dancing and any dancing that involves excessive physical contact" during their prom. In retaliation, students are organizing a MORP (hint: number nine, number nine) as an alternative to the school prom, allowing their adolescent hormones to fully detonate, unhindered by contractual agreements. WFMU supports NCHS’s need to express sexually suggestive booty shaking on their own terms, and we heretofore suggest the following tunes for their MORP:

MP3s:
"Wide-Ass Whumpin"
"Damn, Your Booty Don't Stop"

Real Audio from the WFMU Archives:
Peaches, Gonzales & Feist “aa/XXX”  (from Scott's show)
Sexual Harassment “Sexual Connection”  (from Mike's show)
Missy Elliot and Smith and Hack “Track one and Get Your Freak On”  (from Ken's show)
The Incomparable Rutland Junior High School Ensemble “The Hustle” (from Monica's show)
Sonny Dublin “Pigimy (sic) Grind”  (from Black Ops' show)
Kenny G and Irwin “I’ve Had the Time of my Life” (from Kenny G's show)

(from Downtown Soulville with Mr. Fine Wine)
Too Sweet
“Hustle and Double Bump”
Ellen Jackson “Ghetto Boogie”
Jackie Wilson “Shake a Leg”
Sean "Mr. Esquire" Taylor Funky Soul Dance”

 

Your Emergency Preparedness Dollars At Work

The air staff at WFMU has grown accustomed to the electronic ravings of our Emergency Alert System unit. Periodically, it starts spitting out nonsense about an officially sanctioned "Unknown Event" which we are duty-bound to inform the public about, under penalty of federal fines. Then of course, there was that certain Tuesday in September when the unit didn't utter a peep, because (as the FCC told us later) certain emergencies (like truths) are "self-evident."

CivilemergencyThis is the $3,000 unit that the federal government forced us to purchase and install in our main studio so that the WFMU staff could keep you, the public, informed in the event of an emergency. (The fact that the likes of us are entrusted with such a duty should tell you something about the system's shortcomings right there.) But this past weekend, our beloved EAS unit pulled a fast one on us. It issued a "Civil Emergency Message"  issued by "A Civil Authority." Glen Jones was perplexed enought to call me at home about it. Announce it, I advised, and announce it Jones did. We had to announce it - that's the law. But what was the civil emergency - was Canada invading at last? Flaming hailstones? A mysterious odor? And who was the mysterious civil authority making this mysterious pronouncement - the governor? The mayor? The dogcatcher? Ours was not to understand - as broadcasters, we are merely proxies for passing on this momentous piece on non-information to the public at large, the better to quell public fears and sow utter confusion.

Checking the news later, it would be fair to assume that the civil emergency was related to the floodingArk_1 caused by this weekend's rains. In which case it might have been useful to warn people of something specific, like.. flooding. But the flood warnings ceased a while before the civil emergency warnings began. Ah well. At least it wasn't an "unknown event."

Maybe next time, for clarity's sake, we'll throw on Johnny Cash's German language version of Five Feet High and Rising. (MP3).

Three More WFMU Shows Being Podcast

Dog_cast_2Three more WFMU shows are being podcast, bringing to fourteen the total number of WFMU programs which you can subscribe to and have the MP3 archive automagically delivered to your computer and/or MP3 player.

Our three most recent entries into the podcast realm are Bronwyn's brand new talk show, Wise Up; Chris T's new FCC-unfriendly podcast-only show, Communication Breakdown; and the favorite gospel program of Jesus himself, Sinner's Crossroads with Kevin Nutt. A full listing of all of our podcast shows, with RSS feeds and instructions on how to get it all working are on our podcast central page. Of course, you can also download any of these shows manually, but everyone already knows how to do that, dont they?

April 01, 2005

Medieval Technology In Action: WFMU's New Antenna

March 29th, 2005. A day to ascend to the heavens - despite the fact that The Rapture wasn't scheduled for another six years, two months and three days. The last snow of the year was still on the ground and a light drizzle was falling as WFMU set out to replace it's 91.1 FM antenna. 016b_tower_framedBy the end of the day, the sun broke out and WFMU signed back on the air, pumping out a better signal than ever. The technology that made it happen spanned millenia, from ancient and medieval devices like axles, wheels, ropes and winches, to the old fashioned twentieth century art of tower climbing by eccentric tower guys, to the high tech back-seat-of-your-car computer analysis of the whole operation. Not to mention the laser guided hole cutter which carved out the precision entry system for the transmission cable. There's a photo gallery of the day's exciting events, and a batch of avi movie files for your downloading pleasure. Click here for the photo gallery, and here is a list of the movie files for downloading:

Johnny pulls some rope to send the new cable to the top of the tower. Download AVI file here.

Dave and Al hang out up top as the storm breaks up. Download AVI file here.

Johnny uses precision guidance systems to cut the transmission cable. Download AVI file here.

WFMU Chief Engineer John Fog tunes up the new antenna. Download AVI file here.

March 30, 2005

The Song in a DJ's Heart, Part II

For five Img_2002years running now, WFMU has closed out our annual fundraising marathon with a cavalcade of singing DJs, each performing a song of their own choosing while backed up by the Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia -- a live karaoke band comprising even still more WFMU DJs. To paraphrase the great Scott Williams, (seen here taking a much-deserved break between sessions) who acts as Hoof & Mouth organizer and band leader supreme, this event is the source for our most animated water-cooler discussions in the 364 days that precede each annual performance of the band. Recollections of whose performances were the best, most drunkenly delivered, or most juxtaposed to that particular DJs playlists are all elements that figure into these discussions. (Efforts to convince Fabio to perform "True" by Spandau Ballet have consistently failed, year after year.)

We're gluttons for tradition around here, and tradition clearly dictates that this mess takes place not only on the airwaves of WFMU, but on a webcam feed as well, effectively delivering these hastily rehearsed renditions of the classics live from our main studio and into the hard drives of FMU listeners scattered across the globe. This year, ace listener Jeff T not only captured and recorded the entire thing, but has edited it down into convenient, DJ-sized chunks, which we are now pleased to present for your horror/amusement here.

Continue reading "The Song in a DJ's Heart, Part II" »

March 29, 2005

Our Lips Aren't Sealed

GogoSome of us at WFMU are getting worried about losing our edge. In honor of falling behind the times, I bring you a review for a video that first surfaced years ago...

Now that rock stars are documenting their sexual conquests via cell phone video clips, don’t you just wish for the good ol’ days when a fistful of quaaludes and a camcorder did the trick? Yeah, so do I. Luckily my local video store had this puppy in stock.

Three high and boozy Go-Go’s tease and torment a completely wasted groupie in this bootleg. Poor video quality doesn’t matter since you’ll be fast-forwarding through most of it. Trust me, this is the painless route to experiencing legendary footage without enduring 30-plus minutes of innane slurring conversations. I’m sure there are a few sound-bite worthy nuggets to be gleaned, but, oh, it hurts.

Thematic tunes from the WFMU archives (click for real audio):
Frogs “Vacation”
Bran Flakes “I am a Groupie”

March 20, 2005

Article on Yo La Tengo Request-a-Thon

Today's issue of Jersey's Star Ledger has an article about the annual Yo La Tengo Request-a-Thon.

March 15, 2005

Ode to the Vee-Dub

Rabbi_3Mike Lupica’s last post mentioning his favorite teenage past-time of destroying shopping carts using his VW Rabbit made me all teary-eyed and nostalgic… my first car was also a VW Rabbit (’83 convertible, holla’). Alas, we reminisced about the endearing mechanical misgivings of the Volkswagen anymodel, circa late-70s through mid-80’s, and discovered that our vehicles had oh-so-many maladies in common.

Here is the shortlist of our favorite vee-dub idiosyncrasies:

  1. Temperamental horn or oil alarm
  2. Simultaneous malfunction of speedometer, odometer, and gas gauge
  3. Water dripping on feet while driving in rainy weather
  4. Side window/rear view mirror spontaneously detaching
  5. Sh-sh-shudder if driven over 80 mph

VW-inspired tunes from the WFMU archives (click to hear Real Audio):
Il y a Volkswagen “Kill Myself”
Gilberto Gil “Volks, Volkswagen Blue”

Os Incriveis “If My VW Bug Could Talk”

To further establish the divinity of the VW Rabbit, this ’84 beast that runs on used veggie oil says it all. Take that, Delorean.

And speaking of garbage-powered vehicles from the future... Crispin Glover (interview, Real Audio) swung by WFMU last week for a chat with Pseu Braun.

March 14, 2005

How to be a WFMU DJ

How_to_be_dj_2Here's an interesting piece of WFMU history: In 1985 when I became Station Manager of WFMU, one of the new DJs I gave a slot to was Neal Adams, who had a background as a commercial rock DJ. Unlike most WFMU DJs, Neal has one of those resonant radio voices, and his years working as a commercial jock had given him a totally different delivery than your typical FMU host. Although I liked Neal's show, there were some listeners and staffers who felt that Neal sounded too slick or commercial for WFMU. Irwin and I decided to give him an on-air training on how to sounds more like a "regular" WFMU DJ. Here is a realaudio clip (download only) of this segment from 1985 or 1986. Thanks to Lipwak for uncovering this.

Here are Neal's own recollections:

I was quite nervous about sounding "too commercial" when I first started on FMU. I had just finished working at a pretty bad commercial station in Westchester during the Phil Collins Susudio era and wondered if I now sounded like a complete outcast on FMU no matter how many Crass or Lilliput records I played.

I remember driving home from my show one day and hearing another DJ who I barely knew take a call from a weird-sounding crank, to which the DJ commented, "Well he certainly sounds like he belongs on WFMU more than that last guy!" Ouch, that hurt.

I let both Ken and Irwin know I was extremely self-consicious that my whole delivery and presentation may not fit in with the rest of the station. I truly stopped worrying after receiving the "How to Be an FMU DJ" lesson because we were all making fun of the whole notion of what's "artistic" vs. "professional" when it comes to radio, and from that point on I stopped taking it so seriously.

March 09, 2005

The Song in a DJ's Heart

I don't lay claim to much, and I'm not one of those guys who brags about doing, seeing, hearing, or smoking something way before it got trendy and all the kids in Brooklyn started doing it, but I'm also a big enough guy to stand up and take the blame for something bad that I've done. Like the time I accidentally burned down that puppy sanctuary. I'm still losing sleep over that one.

A more recent case in point: You know how Kenny G has been starting his Wednesday show by singing a few songs karaoke style? Ummm.... that's kinda my fault. He started doing that after I organized a WFMU night out at a Chinatown karaoke bar last year. If memory serves, this particular evening was a going-back-to-England party for Vicki Bennett, and featured brilliant performances from Monica ("Never Been to Me"), Pseu Braun (some Queen song with a lot of "la la la"'s in it) and Ken ("We Are the World"). Actually, Ken was up on the stage 3 or 4 times that night. Total karaoke whore, that guy is. Those flaming shots obviously go right to his head. Anyhow, everybody's performance was out-of-the-ballpark stellar and earned the appreciation of the other patrons as well as a drunk dwarf sitting on the side of the stage, who pumped his fist with approval after each DJ's performance.

Except when Kenny G sang.

Kenny had never sung karaoke before that evening and I'm sure he wouldn't mind me telling you that he rather plainly sucked at it. (Certainly not the fault of the song he picked, which was "Hava Nagilah" -- a cornerstone of the entire karaoke phenom.) However, I think that evening is what planted the seed in his head that lead to catastrophic on-air events such as this: (Right click to download AVI file of Kenny and Irwin singing karaoke on the air last Wednesday.)
Singing
It is for this and at least 51 other Wednesday afternoons that I offer my most sincere and humble apologies for.

This all got me thinking about other instances of DJs singing on the airwaves of WFMU. (You know, lest you think Kenny and Irwin have the market entirely cornered...) Now for the purpose of this blog post, I am purposefully excluding the extravagant cavalcade of singing DJs that's facilitated by the Hoof n' Mouth Sinfonia at the conclusion of our annual fundraising marathon each year, and scheduled to occur once again on March 20th at 7 PM. That's a whole 'nother blog post for a different day.

What follows here are just a few shining examples of WFMU DJs spontaneously bursting into song while behind the mic, in the midst of their shows. It is by no means a complete list, and if you know of other instances and can supply me with specific archives and approximate start times, feel free to send 'em along and I'll add them to the permanent record.

Tom Scharpling sings Elton John

Ken Freedman sings "Begin the Beguine"

Pseu Braun, Scott Williams, Mike Lupica, Megan Murphy, Vicki Bennett, Maria, and Marty the Dog sing "Annie's Song"

Charlie Lewis sings "Goin Out of my Head"

Nachum Segal wraps up the 2003 JM in the AM Marathon

All sound clips will open with Real Player.

And as stated, since we are currently in the midst of the WFMU Fundraising Marathon, which is traditionally the time of year when the most DJ-soul-baring takes place, I would expect a lot more spontaneous croonings, incantations, and tuneful squakings in the coming days. And make sure you tune back in on the 20th to hear how alcohol coupled with extreme fundraising exhaustion affects our collective perception of good taste. With a live karaoke band taking center stage.

Miracle on Montgomery Street

Grilledcodger4Crowd_outside_1Today, March 9th 2005 will forever be remembered as the day the hand of the almighty reached down and touched WFMU. I'd go into more detail, but I'm on the air right now and our marathon is underway.

This morning listener Greg went to the diner down the street from WFMU - the Flamingo Diner - and he ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. When the sandwich arrived, it miraculously contained the image of WFMU's mascot, The Old Codger. The image is in way too much detail for this to be a mere coincidence. Sure, there are those who will write this off as a mere coincidence, but true believers in freeform radio will see this for what it truly is - the beginning of the golden age of all manner of grilled cheese and patty melt related sandwiches.

On this day, the power of the supreme being has touched WFMU.

The sandwich was brought over to WFMU and we started talking about it on the air. The next thing I know, there's a crowd outside our building asking to see the sandwich. At first there were a few people and we let them in. Then a dozen. Then more. We had to stop letting people in. We are now completely under siege. Hundreds of people are outside. The news crews have arrived.

The miraculous sandwich has now been sealed in acrylic and has been posted on eBay for a benefit auction for WFMU. The winning bid amount will be commensurate with the appropriate level of WFMU swag, in addition to this holiest of cheese sandwiches.

March 08, 2005

Andy Breckman is a Bad Man

HenrySince it's marathon time here at WFMU, I'd like to remind everyone just what an awful (albeit wealthy) person Andy Breckman is.

Last week on Seven Second Delay, Andy made a nine-year old boy cry. This isn't the first time Andy's made someone cry. Several years ago, he called a listener's elderly relative in a nursing home and drove poor Aunt Tess to tears.

Continue reading "Andy Breckman is a Bad Man" »

Creepy mannequins

This morning as I stumbled into the kitchen for my first cup of coffee, I was greeted by an inanimate stranger: Debra Manikin, as introduced by the label on her neck.* Automatically, I flashed to that scene from Return to Oz (mpeg download) where the evil Princess Mombi threatens to remove Dorothy’s cranium for display in her gallery of bitchy mannequin heads that come to life, a source of many of my childhood nightmares.

4114a_140124151mManhead91wManhead84_1Mannew91s_1



As the coffee worked its magic, I recalled the gleefully absurd plot of Mannequin (1987), in which the lead character creates a mannequin so perfect he falls in love with it… then she comes to life as a misplaced ancient Egyptian, and together they create beautiful window displays. Yep. And Princess Mombi fades back into my subconscious, resuming her small role in controlling my daily decisions.

A few lullabies for Debra (Real Audio from the WFMU archives):

Mannequin “Romanticizing Again”
Wire “Mannequin”
Mothers of Invention “Plastic People”
Senor Coconut y su Conjuto “Showroom Dummies” (Kraftwerk cover)

*Logical explanation: roommate in cosmetology school = mannequin head clamped to countertop.

March 07, 2005

We Hate Sun Ra

It_was_brians_idea_i_swear

And we're not telling you why

(Right click to download 10 meg AVI file)

Guess the DJ Locker, Round 2

It's on to round two of the Guess-the-DJ-Locker game... The competition in round one was pretty fierce, but after the dust settled, it was Listener Fextone whose mastery of the WFMU air-schedule (and the mentally bent people behind it) who showed up for class with the right answer.

For those of you who missed the beginning of this contest, it's not too late to get in on the action. So for the benefit of the unitiated, here is the skinny:

1) Every few days, we will post a different LP cover from the DJ locker room. (Pictured below.)

2) We will only show LP covers for lockers of DJs who are on the current on airDj_lockers_1 schedule.

3) One guess per listener / reader per LP cover, as judged by their IP number.

4) Once the correct cover has been guessed, we will announce that on the comments list. The first person to correctly identify four DJs, wins one of our stylee WFMU Messenger Bags.

5) This is harder than it seems. *Think* about your answer before you go swiping wildly at the dank air of the accursed blogosphere. There may not be a winner.

On to today's entry:

What_did_you_expect_a_hint_1

And here's a Real Audio Sample from Scott Williams' show to help get you in zee mood while you consider your answer.

Sad stuff

ClioHaving just watched The Saddest Music in the World, I started to loosely poke around in my collection to come up with artists that could also be feasibly judged in a contest by a legless Isabella Rosellini. A few years back I was asked by Index Magazine to come up with such a list, but being a wiseass I put stuff like Lionel Richie's "Hello", Kiss' "Beth" and Lou Reed's "The Kids" (which probably IS one of the saddest songs with all those toddlers crying at the end) figuring everyone else would be putting Scott Walker, Nick Drake and such.

Admittedly, my goofball list was also due to the fact that I was asked relatively late to come up with something, but ever since, I wondered what I would have put if I had given it serious thought. Last year I picked up a CD reissue of a 1972 record by a Viennese group called Paternoster (real audio sample) which was totally amazing; sobbing goth-prog with some definite Krautrock leanings and whoa, an ultra-bummer lyricist with a voice like Ian McCulloch having just witnessed his dog being run over. There's a song called "The Pope Is Wrong", another that turns lunchtime into a desolate peon to isolation, and possibly the clincher, "Blind Children", sporting the lines "Rotten eyeballs feet between/hanging down the cheese machine". Makes Nick Drake look like that elderly dude dancing to techno on the Great Adventure ads.

I am also recently blown away by Luciano Cilio's Dell' Universo Assente,  recently issued on CD on Italy's Die Schactel label; a stunning statement of inner turmoil and sheer weight-of-the-world-transmitted-through-music as valid as your Big Star Sister Lovers, Skip Spence Oar, or Gary Higgins Red Hash. Like all the best composers, Cilio draws on so many subtle influences to create some kind of new music, something not done before. But unlike the records mentioned above, this disc (containing Cilio's 1977 LP Dialoghi del Presente with extra tracks) takes the song structure into its barest essence; rather than chords and verses there are stretched out basic elements painted like colors providing texture and pure emotion, while still touching on recognizable elements of experimental folk, prog, and classicism. The pureness of the spirit of this record comes mostly from Cilio himself on all instruments, though he is aided by musicians from both academic and non-academic backgrounds going through his mix. Wordless female vocals loom over gorgeous drones, chamber instruments loop basic figures over what sounds like a grey rainy surf in the distance, loping piano lines in unusual settings all contribute to this record's lonely vibe. And the untimely suicide of Cilio in 1983 even during critical acclaim adds yet another sad coda, but the fact remains that  document is a work unlike any other, a true personal vision depicted vividly and colorfully. It's also great to see the nicely packaged reissue done so well. Here's a real audio link from Bill Zurat's show. So, what's your saddest record?

Sensei Rebel's Favorites

Sensei_1Listener Sensei Rebel posts his favorite songs and moments from the last week of WFMU, in streaming MP3 and streaming Realaudio. (Via the WFMU Messageboard.)

International
from Trouble's show, March 3, 2005
TBA - "If Your Heart Stops Beating..." MP3 | Realaudio

Ambient
from Trouble's show, March 3, 2005
µ-Ziq - "The Wailing Song" MP3 | Realaudio

Rock
from Pseu Braun's show, March 4, 2005
Electric Six - “Radio Gaga” (Queen cover) MP3 | Realaudio

Dance/Techno
from Pseu Braun's show, March 4, 2005
MP3 | Realaudio

Jungle
from Nickel and Dime Radio, March 4, 2005
Kings of the Jungle - “Jungle Theme” MP3 | Realaudio

Best Song of the Week
from Brian Turner's show, March 1, 2005
Muslimgauze - "Zibib" MP3 | Realaudio

Talk
from Chris T.'s show, March 4, 2005
Mick tells Chris he's never understood a word he's said MP3 | Realaudio

March 06, 2005

San Diego Seen Report

So last weekend I went out to San Diego for a tattoo/hot rod convention. The first song I heard on the radio once I hopped in my rental vehicle (NOT a hot rod) was Let's Go by The Cars...not a bad omen; hell, at least the weather was decent. Featured at the show was Barris Custom - they had their Munster Koach Thumb_munsterthere & were selling some great swag (I felt compelled to buy every mini tiki patch they had). There were plenty of other car customizers there, and a ton of really great tattooers as well. On Friday night I headed up to northern San Diego to catch The Weirdos and Duane Peters' Gunfight play in a pool hall. Does punk exist in San Diego anymore? I'm not sure... I had a great time & both bands were smokin', but the turnout was really frikkin crappy. In attendance: Mike Palm of Agent Orange, so I was in good company, but still felt bad for the bands. This kind of thing drives me nuts... a band I adore is playing, the show is underattended, so I get a great place near the stage that I don't have to get bloody for & get to talk to the band longer than I would because NO ONE ELSE IS THERE. It's the "My Band" or "everybody's band, including mine and I stand in the very back so my nose doesn't get broken.. again" syndrome, and I've suffered from it often. I get greatWeirdos1_1 stories to take home, but the band probably lost their shirt(s), and that sucks. I did get to have a conversation with John Denney, vocalist for the Weirdos about crop circles; that'll stand out in my mind for awhile - so I guess I will just deal with the ordeal of being torn on this front. This was a "My Band" night & I won't apologize for it, I mean, really, I flew across the country and then drove almost an hour; by the time the Weirdos went on I think it was 4am NY time, so yes, I earned that, even though I wish they could have sold more merch and didn't get tossed out of the club as soon as they were done playing! So much for respect & the San Diego scene.
Back at the convention on Saturday, sets by Go Fast, The Saddle Tramps & Honky all kept the crowd happy, but there wasn't a local band in sight. Now I know that San Diego is home to Cattle Decapitation and the Locust, but is that it? I'm not going to blubber about what I didn't see, and I was only there for a weekend, but when the east coast show queen comes to town, well, you'd better deliver! Sheesh. Basically, the convention was a success, the weather cooperated; people had a howling good time (sometimes too good)13, and that's all she wrote. For now.

March 04, 2005

Guess the DJ Locker Contest, part 1

KitchenAs some of you know, each WFMU DJ has a locker at the station, and we use LP covers instead of name tags to mark each DJ's private cache. We're going to have a little "Guess the DJ Locker" contest here. The first person to correctly identify four correct DJs will win a WFMU messenger bag, or some other suitable WFMU Crapola if the winner already has the bag.

1) Each week, I will post a different LP cover here. You have to guess the owner of the cover that is featured here, not any of the other covers pictured in the locker picture to the left.

2) I will only show LP covers for lockers of DJs who are on the current on air schedule.

3) One guess per listener / reader per LP cover, as judged by their IP number.

4) Once the correct cover has been guessed, I will announce that on the comments list. First person to correctly identify four DJs, wins.

5) This is harder than it seems. There may not be a winner.

And here is the first mystery LP cover:

Hippies

And while you peruse the drug addled duo above, have a listen to some incredibly bad between-song comedy from a Crosby, Stills Nash and Young concert in 1970. (MP3) Thanks to listener Bruce for this clip. It captures something quite odious about the stupid 60's.

How to Procrastinate: Tip No. 7—Seriously, Beware of The Blog

Kenblob_1Every time I check out this blog, or post to this blog, or think about this blog, or try not to think about this blog, the insanely infectious Burt Bacharach song “Beware of the Blob” starts up in my skull. Station Manager Ken will think I don’t realize that “Beware of the Blog” is a clever allusion to the B-movie featuring an enormous, hostile liver, but he basically thinks I’m retarded, which means I have to make it clear that I get the blob/blog joke. I get it, but that doesn’t make the loop in my head any less aggravating.

In case you’re not familiar with the tune, I found an mp3 snippet that should be just big enough to lodge itself in one of the furrows in your brain like a piece of popcorn in your back teeth. If you want the whole song (and you have been warned), you can listen for the classic version by The Five Blobs on Dave the Spazz’s show, or the Guy Kluczevek cover on Greasy Kid Stuff. Here are the lyrics, smartypants, in case you think you have managed to elude the Blob:

Blobdoor_3Beware of the Blob
It creeps
And leaps
And glides
And slides
Across the floor
Right through
Wallblob_1The door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the Blob

(repeat x infinity)

The most maddening thing of all is that I have a sure-fire way to delete annoying songs from my internal iTunes. Simply sing, out loud, in its entirety,“Chapel of Love” by  the Dixie Cups. This will erase the offending song while not itself getting stuck in your head, like a refreshing palate cleanser. Works every time.

So why is the Blob beating the Dixie Cups in the smackdown for my limited brain bandwith? 

Paperdixiecups_1 Blobliver_1

Next time: smarter-sounding words (for porn).

March 03, 2005

Halcali Vs. Fannypack

HalcaliDon’t be so quick to call us music snobs... contrary to what you may believe, many of us at WFMU have embraced the genre of underaged, pre-packaged all-girl pop groups. After hearing a hyper-cute Halcali song on Charlie’s show this week and investigating, I found that this Japanese hip-hop duo has much in common with NYC’s Fannypack. Check the stats:

Halcali                                                Fannypack

Hometown                     Meguro, Japan                                     Brooklyn, NY

Members                       2                                                        3
                                    Halca                                                  Jessibel Suthiwong
                                    Yucali                                                 Belinda Lovell
                                                                                              Cat Hartwell

Songs (click                   Track 2 from their album                       “Hey Mami”
to hear Real Audio)          “Bacon”

Street Cred                    Never heard the term                            Electroclash uniforms,
                                    "hip hop" before forming                         were selected for Fannypack
                                    Halcali                                                 because of "their multicultural
                                                                                               good looks and command of street                                                                                                                     level slang."                              

The Men Behind             Rip Slyme Ryo-z                                  Matt Goias
the Curtain                     DJ Fumiya (AKA Oshare                       DJ Fancy
                                     Track Factory)

Fame Factor                 Friends with Halfby, Yuka                       Their song “Cameltoe” spent
                                    Honda (Cibo Matto), Denki                      a full 15 min in the spotlight
                                    Groove, and Okamura
                                    Yasuyuki (who all appear on
                                    their upcoming remix album),
                                    along with photographer Muga
                                    Miyahara

Lyrical Epiphanies         "Darling falling love/electric                     "Get outta town then pack it up/
                                    
sensai is in the house"                          killing me soft Roberta Flack it up"

New WFMU Auctions

NbnWe've got a few unusual items up for auction right now, including the Naughty By Nature bullet-proof bedsheets and pillowcases. It's true! Except for the part of them being bullet-proof. And next week we will have some great rare records to put up, just in time for the marathon. You can always check for WFMU's eBay auctions at this link. It's yet another great way to support the station and keep us free of The Man.

March 02, 2005

Thanks for the Cookie, but we prefer Cash

Listener Services Director Megan says:

Cookie_3Last week, we mailed out our pre-Marathon brochures to everyone on our mailing list. Now, the fruits of that labor are paying off in the form of stacks of envelopes coming back to us, filled with the dollar-based joy that keeps WFMU running for an entire year.

Unfortunately, however, some people take the opportunity to use their business reply envelopes to send us Objects, rather than the Donations we so desperately need. For example, one fellow mailed us an issue of the newsletter "American Free Press" with the headline "THE MEDIA IS THE ENEMY". Right on, my man!

Another person, a lady from Texas, took the opportunity to send us a bunch of literature on W's drunk driving conviction - including photocopies of arrest records, and a handwritten note letting us know about a negligent homicide allegedly commited by Laura Bush. Don't think the fun ends there. Our Texan friend also took the time to send us a photocopy of a letter she got from the office of the Vice President, which contained this slightly ominous line: "Vice President Cheney was pleased that you let him know of your views." Hm, what would happen if Dick sent her a BUSINESS REPLY envelope? I bet she would send him lots of cool stuff, too.

Anyway, this morning, takes the... cake. An envelope arrived in the morning mail, encased in the tell-tale "the contents of this envelope were damaged during mail processing" plastic bag which we get from the post office from time to time. Volunteer Director Scott examined the bag, declared that it was filled with some sort of particulate matter, and refused to touch it anymore.

I, consumed with curiousity and heedless of my health, forthwith opened the possible anthrax letter, and used the empirical science skills I learned in 9th grade Chemistry, to determine that the particles were, in fact, cookie crumbs.

Someone mailed us a cookie.

Do you find this as somewhat incredible as I do? A cookie. The mind reels. Why a cookie? What kind of cookie was it? The crumbs sort of smell like peanut butter, but it could be butterscotch as well. Did they bake this cookie themselves? Did they take a bite out of it before they mailed it? I can't tell, because the poor thing got pulverized by the postal machines.

All I know is that I hope it is not an anthrax sprinkle cookie, because I really have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks keeping track of all of the pledges from all of the kind people out there who realize that it takes money, and not cookies, to keep WFMU and freeform radio rolling along.

So, that's just one of the weird tales from here on the 4th Floor as we gear up for Thee Marathon. Back to you up on 5, Liz!

 

MP3 Download Dinner Bell

Hold out your plates, kiddies, here are the savory new MP3s WFMU is serving up for the month of March:

David Blair - "The Antichrist" 1991 Cassette recording falling somewhere between Current 93 and Abner Jay. Taken from the album "Sir Blair of Rothes"; Blair has a determination to point out in massive detail his roots to Scandinavian royalty in many letters in the past to WFMU. The only thing found on the internet about him is here.

Black Lodge Singers - "The Flintstones"
The Canyon label has been putting out a lot of contempo Native American sounds, lots of hip-hop variations especially. But this track from their Kids Pow Wow Songs CD from the late 90's has always dropped jaws whenever it got airplay on WFMU through the years.

Ray Kroc flexidisc
Part of the the kickoff for the May 7, 1979 "Nobody Can Do It Like McDonald's Can" ad campaign, with too many versions of said jingle. Ray Kroc sounds crocked as he tries to rally his troops.

Improved Sound Ltd - "Hit Em In the Face"
This Nuremberg band specialised in German TV and movie soundtracks, but on this wild track they either decided to exploit psychedelia, or someone spiked their Jagermeister with very pure LSD. From the comp "Electrick Loosers."

Herter's Crow Calling Record, Part Two
Just in time for the global avian bird flu pandemic, Herter will teach you how to create as much of a riotous bedlam as possible. Blam! Blam! Blam! From the Only in America comp on Arf Arf.

The Huntress Makes Squirrel Melts
From the cringe-inducing When TV Attacks video comp; an audio excerpt of a late 80s/early 90s cooking show where the hostess (a somewhat Zolofted Martha Stewart-like hunter) gets her own food to cook up; in this case, Rocky the Squirrel gets blasted from a tree by her kid, and made into delicious after-school snax on an English Muffin with melted cheese on top. Obviously without the video, you don't get to see the skinned fella getting is "little butt" (as she says) coaxed into the pan, but the creepy tone in the creation of this delightful treat warrants an MP3.

Slint - Live
Slint is the band that all the kids love, but weren't old enough to see. Since WFMU has a long and glorious tradition of doin' it for the kids, and since the band has reunited for some NYC gigs, we present for your consideration a live track from a 1989 performance in Chicago.  

Frances Bebey - Pygmy Divorce This sad tale of love and divorce amongst the Pygmy population will nail you right in the ticker... and have you contemplating whether that lovely bride was really worth swapping out those eight elephant tusks for.

Television Personalities - I Hope He's Everything You Wanted Me To Be
The story of Dan Treacy of the TVP's has been a sad one over the last few years; one of punk & post-punk's most beloved bards recently was released from incarceration in an offshore prison ship in the UK after numerous years of drug problems, and thankfully has landed back in the studio with a forthcoming record on Domino. Dan himself emailed WFMU this MP3 preview of things to come, and it's classic TVP beautiful angst.

Mad Bunny Sad Bunny "Steal Away"
MBSB is a gnome from Bayonne, New Jersey, whose fascination with the vocal timbre of He of Curly Locks and Exposed Navel has led to some obsessive sonic explorations, this one in particular tickling the fancy of many FMU DJs as of late.

Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons "Happy Funeral"
Little to nothing known by this Euro-synthpunk outfit circa early 1980's. This song sounds like a very gothed-out assortment of Peanuts characters doing their bobble-headed, arms-to-their-side dance in a graveyard.

Jeffrey Lewis - History of Punk on the Lower East Side
9 minute acoustic medley opus performed live by anti-folk sweetheart Jeffrey Lewis! Damn good job too, made sure he included the Godz! Jeffrey has also created a comic book to goes along with this song; more info can be found on his website.

To receive WFMU’s monthly e-mail newsletter, Blast of Hot Air (click to read this month’s issue), featuring our latest MP3 downloads on the first of every month (among other table scraps), sign up here.

And if you just can’t stomach sorting through all of our blog posts to grab the oodles of MP3s we offer on this forum, cyber-simplification is here to the rescue. Visit WFMU’s On The Download site, where we provide an easily digestable and comprehensive listing of each month’s MP3s collected from Blast of Hot Air (BOHA) and Beware of the Blog.

Now, brush your teeth before you kiss us.

March 01, 2005

Snack Rock

On one of my first days here at WFMU, I noticed Mike Lupica drinking coffee out of a mug emblazoned with the “Go-Nuts” logo. Magic factory, indeed, Mr. Lupica. How did this piece of west coast rock memorabilia find its way into a Jersey City cupboard?

During my final year of residence in the people’s republic of California, I had the fortune of bearing witness to the mighty food-fighting genius of the Go-Nuts. A self-described snack-rock band, their music is poppy, punky, fun, and super cheesed up. But the live show, friends, the LIVE SHOW pushed the limits of reason.

Gonuts_2With names like Kap’n Korn Nut, Donut Prince, Donut Hole, and Korn Dog, they could only be outfitted in superhero regalia (capes and masks included), with Go-Go Gorillas at their sides. At the time, I was told that the Go-Nuts only perform every few years because their stage act was so expensive. At first, the black plastic forming a sheath over the venue’s speakers and bar seemed overly cautious. Only when the show began did I understand that this effort was, in fact, an underestimation of the mayhem associated with a Go-Nuts performance.

Three thousand Twinkies. Fifty pounds of confectioner’s sugar. Popcorn, Ho-Ho’s, Sno-balls, various sugar-coated cereals, whipped cream, marshmallows, bananas, chocolate Quik, corn tortillas (apparently the flour ones don’t fly as well). The sound of the first chord commenced the food fight. Massive quantities of junk food were launched via Snack-A-Pult, rigged-up leaf blower, or by hand. Clouds of powdered sugar filled the venue throughout the entire performance, at times mixed with a rain of Frosted Flakes, a pelting of Twinkies and marshmallows, or tortillas whizzing by. The crowd was half dodging food missiles, half participating in the fight, and half eating the unsquashed ammo.

I left the show with sugar-coated lungs, cereal twisted into my hair, Ho-Ho shellacked to my ear and forehead, and Twinkie filling on my sleeves and shoes, all evenly coated with a thin white layer of powdered sugar. And, oh, how I wanted more.

Experience the full glory of the Go-Nuts (Real Audio from archives of “Greasy Kid Stuff”). But first, smash a Twinkie on your face.

"Go-Nuts Theme"

"S.N.A.K.R.O.C.K."

"Snik Snak Skaduliak"

February 25, 2005

How to Procrastinate: Tip No. 6—Jersey City Goes to 11

Did you know Jersey City is a "Sexy City"?

Apparently no one else did, either. A recent poll done by some annoying deodorant company found that Jersey City is the 11th Sexiest City in the nation. This is such powerful branding information that WFMU is going to change its tag line to “Freeform Station of the Nation, in the 11th Sexiest City in the Nation.”

What constitutes “Sexy”? Apparently these deodorant  scientists used some special metrics to figure it out, but over here in the Department of Procrastination Studies we need to see for ourselves.

Participant_ethnographyA note on scientific methods
: Station Manager Ken sent me this article (you have to do a minor log-in to read it, but I read it so you don't have to) two weeks ago, and I want to be clear that it’s not that I put off writing about it until now. I was doing research. OK, last Friday night I did some research.  I could have just made some crap up while I was watching the umpteenth rebroadcast of “160-Lb. Tumor” on the Discovery Health Channel, but I did not. I chose to do participant observation, an ethnographic method in which I have extensive training. As this site says, "Think Jane Goodall studying chimps."

Stuffing_3Since I had only been out in Jersey City one night in my entire life, I needed expert advice. I don’t know why—this is science, so I’m reluctant to offer a hypothesis without some evidence to manipulate to support it—but the wfmu dj’s were useless informants. They don’t know from Sexy. I have a cousin who lives a few blocks from the station, and she is  super-Sexy (imagine an unplaticized Irish Cher), so I asked her to be my guide/driver. It was cold and I didn't want to walk.

Evidence collected 2/18/05:

Group01_1The evening started out with the needle on the Sexy Meter bouncing into the red. I was at wfmu to stuff envelopes* for the marathon. When I walked in, volunteers Taso, Ryan, Bill and Charlie were sitting around the table under the supervision of Volunteer Coordinator Scott, looking like the Fab 5, but not so gay. But so Sexy!

Sexy Swagster Megan was also there and interrupted her game of computer Scrabble (the computer spelled “boner,” which I took to be a good sign) to help me plan my itinerary. Turns out Megan does know from Sexy. Scott began frothing like a mad dog when he started talking about bars where the “cute fake people hang out,” so I stopped listening to him, and excluded his data from the experiment.Empty

Cousin Cher and I went to the Hyatt first.
Not Sexy, unless Empty is the new Sexy. But it was early.

Next stop was LITM, which stands for “love is the message” (down, Scott, down!). The meter went into the red as soon as we walked in and saw two extremely cute girls making out at the front of the bar. I think lesbian love is a better message. The bartender might have flirted with me, but I was too busy getting the gossip on my extended family to pay attention.

Having worked up an appetite from doing all this science, we went to the Hard Grove Cafe for steak sandwiches. I was ready to call the research over, but then we hit Sexy pay-dirt. Cousin Cher was waiting for the Ladies Room, and it was a long wait. Finally the door opened, and it was not a Lady but one of the Hombres who worked in the kitchen. Then the door shut. After a few minutes a Lady did come out and oh-so casually returned to her table. Cousin Cher and I analyzed the evidence and concluded that there was something Mucho Sexy going on in there. Something that might have even been Sex.

Since I had to get back to Brooklyn to get a few hours sleep before returning to board op for Greasy Kid Stuff Saturday morning, we decided our rigorously scientific experiment had run its course.

Scientific conclusion: Next to the envelope-stuffing table at wfmu, the Ladies Room at the Hard Grove is the Sexiest Place in the 11th Most Sexy City in the Nation.

Ladies_room_sign_lg_1

*Brownie points for me!

Next time: porn? Maybe not, my mom's in town.

 

February 24, 2005

Laura Cantrell in the Daily News

Here's a quick writeup of WFMU's Laura Cantrell from today's Daily News. Laura_1

February 23, 2005

How to Procrastinate: Tip No. 5—Drown Kitties

Catbowl_2SWAG PROTEST

The U.K.'s Foreign Investment art group has announced that it will drown three kittens to protest the Tate Modern's commodification of conceptual artist Joseph Beuys.

In a statement, they said that they are "really angry about the current Joseph Beuys exhibition, where the Tate Gallery has decided to take upon itself to sell key fobs with little bits of felt inside, small blackboards with chalk, jigsaw puzzles and biscuit tins making a mockery of the artist's work. [...] On their website they describe him as being charismatic, innovative, influential and unconventional, so they key fobbed him."

The event will take place in a special at home exhibition in South London on Monday, February 28, 2005. For information contact mcgowan1@camb.linst.ac.uk.

05_clock_2The artists feel they have no other option but to drown the kittens, saying, "We feel really bad about the kittens but it's the Tate Gallery's fault blame them."

If three kittens = a key fob, how many get offed for a clock?

(Oh yeah--Next time: porn, but not just any porn, Jersey City porn.)

The Partisans on Diane's Kamikaze Fun Machine

Partisans2Diane Kamikaze sez: In 2002 I invited '79 brit angst punkers The Partisans to perform on Diane's Kamikaze Fun Machine. They were unavailable for a live session, but came in for a taping. I was excited, as I had really adored their old material. I felt they defined the early waves of punk "back in the day" and hoped they still had their fury.

As it ends up, none of the session was airable. Some band members were drunk, belligerent, or both; hooray! I have gotten over my initial embarrasment and now offer it to the WFMU listenership for better or worse. That said, they have a new release as of 2004 on Dr Strange Records called Idiot Nation, that is quite good, and their performance at CBGBs just days after the WFMU taping was really good as well.

Download the mp3 of the unaired session here.

February 19, 2005

History of Punk on the Lower East Side

Lewis_jeffrey2Has everybody heard Jeffrey Lewis' "History of Punk on the Lower East Side?" Stream it in: Realaudio or MP3.  It's a nine-minute tour de force tracking New York punk from Harry Smith to the New York Dolls. Thanks to listener Thelma for sending it along to us. When and if we get permission for an MP3 download, we'll make it available.

February 18, 2005

Aerial View Ends March 18

Dear Friends In Radio:

Ct_3I announced this on the air tonight: Aerlal View comes to an end Friday, March 18. It's been on WFMU 16 years and I'm sorry to see it go. My job's gone full-time and I'm no longer free Friday nights.

The Iowa Firecracker Bronwyn will host Friday nights 6 - 7 PM, beginning March 25.

Thanks for everyone's support over the years, especially the staff of WFMU. I've always been given the freedom to do my show as I see fit, and for that I am eternally grateful.

All best,

Chris T.

P.S. Look for “Chris T.'s Cursing Like A Sailor” podcast, sometime in April!

Marathon 2005

Zing_final2The annual combination-potlatch -barnraising -self-abasement-festival that is known as the WFMU marathon is upon us! Our new marathon pages are up!  See the new line of swag, our DJs new premiums, the remodeled Mouse prize warehouse, the unfinished co-hosts and webcam schedule. Oh, did I forget to explain what the marathon is? Check marathon central. The marathon runs from March 7th to March 20th.

February 17, 2005

How to Procrastinate: Tip No. 3—Talk Dirty to Me

I’m happy to see Station Manager Ken and Music Man Brian dropping the f-bomb in their recent posts. That's leadership! Frankly, I thought the fmu djs were going to rain a shit-storm of curse words upon the blogosphere. Since even thinking about things like poopy on the radio is gonna cost $500,000 a pop, let me remind everyone that online shit is FREE.

However:

I do wonder, and this is gonna show how long it’s been since I’ve had a real job, how much “indecency” generally causes corporate online V-chips to kick in? I don’t want my potty-mouth to single-handedly keep you guys from procrastinating at work.

Next time, maybe: porn.

February 16, 2005

WFMU eBay Auctions

Ministryoil_2Check out the latest crap WFMU is offering up for auction on eBay!

Click here to bid away.

Highlights include Ministry Motor Oil, tube socks with the Breeders’ logo, and a few Plastic Ono Band shirts to please the Yoko fans.

Breederssocks_2Yokoshirt


February 15, 2005

More Goodies From The Bandwidth Fairy

Bandwidth_fairy2With the installation of our extra bandwidth proceeding swimmingly, we can really start rolling out the goodies for our online listeners.

First off, if you're listening to WFMU's live MP3 streams, the Accuplaylist info will now start appearing in the player itself. This is only true if the DJ at the time is actually doing an Accuplaylist (typing in the names of the songs and artists they play on the air in real time as their show proceeds). There is a page which lists all Accuplaylist DJs here.

In the past, you would've needed a separate web page open to see the song title info. Now you can see it within your player, whether you're using Winamp, iTunes, or Realplayer (and my condolences to you if you're still using Realplayer). The song titling will also appear in other, less popular players.

Moving our streams away from Live365 will also mean that our live MP3 stream will hopefully stop experiencing those outages which had been happening with increasing frequency.

Later this year we are going to experiment with changing the live MP3 stream to a variable bit rate stream, which means that the fidelity will improve for people with good solid broadband connections. Also on the agenda of the Bandwidth Fairy: experimenting with the new format of AAC Plus, which should give improved stream fidelity for all broadband listeners.

February 13, 2005

R. Stevie Moore in Today's New York Times

I know I just mentioned R. Stevie Moore a few days ago, but lo and behold, today's New York Times has a great profile of the man and his union jack geetar. And here's an MP3 of his song Colliding Circles, which was in heavy WFMU rotation back when I first started doing a show.

February 12, 2005

Copyright law and Sampling

Sugarminott_1As I was listening to Doug Schulkind’s show this morning, the song “Love and Understanding” (click to hear in Real Audio) by Sugar Minott struck a faint memory of some misfiled factiod in my brain... I seemed to recall that this artist, one of the most prominent figures in the Jamaican reggae and dancehall movement, was also one of the first to record new songs over old and established rhythm tracks. It turns out that the backing track for “Love and Understanding” is actually William De Vaughn’s “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” (Real Audio link from WFMU's archives).

PublicenemyFast-forwarding to the late 80’s/early 90’s hip-hop scene, the art of sampling pop songs exploded, with copyright and intellectual property law trailing behind closely. I came across an interview with Chuck D  and Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy, discussing how copyright law is affecting hip-hop (link to June 2004 article in Stay Free! Magazine).

 

Back in 1988 when the Public Enemy album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” was released, copyright issues were rarely considered, save for cases where the entire rhythm track of a pop song was looped and rapped over. But what about hip-hop songs that sampled bits and pieces from many different sources? Did the artists then have to purchase rights from each of these sources individually? You betcha. So a band like Public Enemy, who typically used to sample tens of other songs, were in a tough spot. Just listen to the instrumental track of P.E.’s “Bring the Noise” (Real Audio) from Charlie’s show a while back. And for good measure, here’s the a capella vocal track for “Bring the Noise.”

There are two different copyrights to pay for per sample:
1. Publishing, which is for the written music
2. Master recording, which is for the song as it is played on a specific recording

(i.e., Jacko owns the publishing copyrights for most Beatles songs, but EMI owns the master recording copyrights)

DrdreFor hip-hop artists, the way around paying BOTH of these fees is to have their musicians imitate the original recording (thus avoiding having to pay the master recording copyright). This method was used by Dr. Dre (looking mighty gangsta in this photo). Listen to his song, “Deep Cover” here (Real Audio snagged from an archive of Nickel and Dime Radio), featuring Snoop Dog. The backing track of this song was originally derived from an unknown source (the rumor mill says it was from Underground Railroad, but don’t condsider that gospel), which was emulated by Dre’s studio musicians for his purposes.

 

Now consider mash-ups, the latest sampling craze that the kids have co-opted. For those not riding the metaphorical L train these days, mash-ups are created when a DJ superimposes layers of 2 or more different pop songs, rendering a strange, yet somehow apt, new interpretation. For example, in mash-up land:

The Beatles “White Album” + Jay-Z’s “Black Album” = Mash-up “Grey Album”

Sounds like it wouldn’t work, right? You will no doubt be amazed by how well-produced a lot of mash-ups are. Some WFMU favorites include Go Home Productions and the Kleptones (click to hear  Real Audio mashups from the WFMU archives).

How will copyright law affect these masher-uppers? Check out these articles: L.A. Times (via Sound Commons) and Alternet for more info.

Do the fun police approve of mash-ups? Read about the RIAA’s stance here. They may be sending a mixed message, though. This year’s Grammy Awards will feature a mash-up medley with the likes of RIAA-buddies Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Eve, Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5, and Franz Ferdinand. (Link to the story in the NY Daily News)

February 11, 2005

Momentum Gaining in Opposition to Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act!

Are we making progress? Twice as many congressmen voted "no" when this year's version of the "Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act" came up for a vote on Wednesday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Yes, this time around, two legislators voted against the bill that would increase the fines for a single randy comment to half a million dollars. Last year, only one representativie dared vote against the measure. But hats off to Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) for standing up for free speech. Their courageous vote will no doubt be used against them when they come up for reelection.

At this rate of added enlightenment, the House Commerce Committee will come to its senses around... 2027. Is my inner smut-peddler starting to show through? Bear in mind that we're not talking about fines for the seven dirty words anymore. Those days are long gone. I'd give anything to have a list of offensive words, phrases or topics that  we as broadcasters aren't allowed to utter. No, the FCC is acting like a highway authority that keeps issuing larger and larger speeding tickets, but refuses to post the speed limit. For a few years now (dating back well before Janet Jackson's pasty was exposed for 19/32nds of a second), any euphemism, or even scrambled, indecipherable words which happen to tingle the hineys of at least three out of five FCC commisioners could result in larger and larger fines and threats of lost broadcast licenses. 

Delaybutton2_1To the left, you can see how I am using my hands these days while doing my radio show. Finally our show Seven Second Delay is appropriately titled. Thanks to the FCC's sword of Damocles hanging over our head, we've installed a fancy new delay unit which delays our broadcasts by 14 seconds, allowing us two seven second dumps before we have to break out the automatic weapons on the offending source material.

And how about that Paul McCartney? All his lyrics about nymphomaniac transvestites and dope peddlers notwithstanding, (realaudio archive of Laibach's version of "Get Back") the FCC still received it's first ever complaints about a broadcast being offensive due to it's sheer, mind-numbing dullness.

February 10, 2005

Pardon My French (and My Portuguese, and My Hindi and My Xhosa)

While recently toiling away at the manifold busy-bee tasks that make up a successful WFMU radio broadcast, i received a phone call from a listener with a beef. "Why is it that you WFMU DJs always mispronounce foreign words, like French?" he asked me, appointing me designated spokesman for all WFMU on-air staff in the process. Cravenly speaking only for myself, i replied, "Personally, it's because i don't speak French, but i do let the listeners know that when i inevitably mispronounce or poorly pronounce names and titles." That oughta settle his hash, i thought. But he then parried with, "But surely you know the right way to say a simple name in French." "Uh, i've got to answer another call," i quipped. The caller never mentioned it to me in any direct manner, but what seemed to have clumped this fellow's BVD's was that in my announcement of a previous set of music, i pronounced the surname of the French musique concrète composer Pierre Henry like the English name it resembles [HEN-ree] instead of à la français [awn-REE]. (Full disclosure: I also sometimes render the famed French yé-yé chanteuse's name Françoise HAR-dee instead of ah-DEE. But only sometimes.)

Pepelepew_1Yes, my French stinks. And yet i feature lots of Gallic music, as well as songs in many other languages i don't speak or understand. My foreign-language education consists of five years of Spanish and one long semester of German. Thus, i will occasionally overenunciate Spanish, in the style of those TV reporters who used to file stories from datelines such as "war-torn mah-NAH-wah, nee-kah-RRRRRAAAH-wah," as inadequate compensation for my woeful fumbling of other, stranger tongues. And let's face it: Some languages are easier to fake (mainly phonetically regular ones with consistent vowel sounds similar to English ones, such as Italian and Japanese). And French, with its nasalizations and guttural tones, ain't runnin' with that posse. Now, as the caller astutely noticed, i am by no means alone as an idiom mangler here at WFMU. So i took an informal (i.e., imaginary) poll of FMUers and discovered that scant few of us have the time or money to tip on in to Berlitz. But i do know that if we stuck to playing songs only in languages we know, then scads of great music would not be heard on one of the rare radio venues in which you're bound to witness many tongues tumbling out of your radio higgledy-piggledy instead of being sealed off in their own tiny radio ghettos. So please, please, please cut us a nice slab of slack when we pronounce Brazilian singer/songwriter Jorge Ben's name HOR-hay ben instead of ZHOR-zhee beh (but pronouncing it george ben would be pushing it, i admit).

Xin nian yu kuai!

Pampellone says:

Just in time for 4702 (or February, 2005, if you're still using that system)

Rooster75(Hey blue eyes, what makes your big eyes so round? Allow me to get into costume and entertain the powdered academic novelty of Chinese-Americans living in a predominantly dis-Oriented landscape. As one who has, by accident and venture, spent a significant part of his life interpreting the synthesis and dichotomy of East-West relations, the tendency to gawk at behavior that teeters a gerrymandering line between the socialized and the savage* is irksome first and rarely comes back for seconds. With that disclaimer said, I present ...)

Outtakes for Take-Out

a) Ben Gerstein, a guest artist (along with Mat Maneri and John McLellan) on Jeffrey Cobb's August 19, 2004 show, features three fine photos and 16 edited snippets a fine summer's day in New York's Chinatown on his Other Listening page. The mp3s are a tad brief, for my tastes, but I'm a sucker for the all too sparse genre of street sounds.

b) Eight internet years is a very long time. Since '97 (er, I mean 4694) I've been a fan of Sabrina's "A Taiwanese in NY" website. It used to provide more in-depth astrological info -- guess she wants you to buy her book to get the juicy details -- but you haven't heard the whole story till reading the concise horoscopes that are up. Oh! And Toss the bread crumbs to the pigeons 'cuz you will get lost on this site.

c) And now, the news. Lots of news. Courtesy of Radio Free Asia, news programming in Mandarin and Cantonese (and Burmese, Korean, Lao, Khmer, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Vietnamese) is available in mp3 and real audio formats. Most of the Mandarin news I've heard seems to be talk radio. News-speak, in every language I've heard, has two things in common: a) a trotting 4/4 rhythm and b) horrible stories.  Dissolve the latter into a wallpaper of ignorance and your left with hours of blissfull banter.

Slightly off subject: the Korean News is in typical am radio fashion and serves up some delightful sounds of the 70s between segments.

* Hear: Robert Jensen, "The Political Economy of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East and Central Asia: Why Iraq First?", as featured on The Belly of the Beast with Stefan,  January 28, 2005. (Realaudio link)

WFMU Random Song Generator!

Jukebox_4Do you live by the moment? Thrive on spontaneity? Yearn for unpredictability? Well, friends of audio entropy, WFMU has just unleashed a fuzzy new 'net pet for you to play with: check out our Random Song Generator!

With the click of a button, a string of discriminating binary will deliver 10 random songs from various shows in the WFMU archives straight to your computer via Real Audio or MP3. And because you favor chaos, you won't even mind that the start times of songs are a tad, well, random.

Fans of mixin' it up may also enjoy our Random Archive Selector, which arbitrarily selects a WFMU archive from our vaults to throw your way.

Let the audio anarchy begin.

Nu-Q-lar

Today North Korea announced that it has nuclear weapons. This, of course, means that we will no doubt have to hear Dubbaya mispronounce the word "NUCLEAR" for the 36,989th time.

If you, too, are confused about the proper way to articulate this word, Seattle punk band The Spits can help you out. Listen to their song entitled "Nuclear Bomb" (from an archive of Brian Turner's show), where they point out the difference between NU-CLE-AR and NU-Q-LAR.

February 09, 2005

R Stevie Moore's WFMU Song

Stevie_1Since I posted Crazy Mary's, how-shall-we-say... historically accurate WFMU song, I have to post another piece of WFMU history, R. Stevie Moore's  song, "Pledge Your Money"  (MP3 link) The phone number is no longer in service, so don't call it! If you haven't checked out Stevie's WFMU program archive,  you should. When I first started listening to the station in 1983, his shows blew me away and were one of the reasons I made the trek to East Orange.

New Wave Fever

KlausnomiI've got new wave on the brain yet again, as an interview with the director (Andrew Horn) of the new Klaus Nomi biopic (The Nomi Song) recently took place in the WFMU studio on Pseu Braun's show last week (click to hear the entire show, which includes many Nomi tunes along with other new wave weirdness).

My second collision with new wave came last night during Brian Turner's show, when he played "Happy Funeral", a cool song by Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons. Thinking I could gather info on this band to share with my fellow bloggers, I searched the internet far and wide for details. No dice, man. All I found was this list of their releases (and a few mentions in various European DJ playlists):

Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons
Happy Funeral 7" (1980, Kitchoons Plastics)
Icecream To God 7" (1981, Flexi Castor)


Dow_jonesFeeling mighty unfulfilled, I performed a search on another great new wave-ish band, Dow Jones and the Industrials. This venture, my friends, proved fruitful. Dig the song "Ladies With Appliances" (as swiped from an old archive of Mike Lupica's show).

Hailing from West Lafayette, Indiana near the Purdue campus, Dow Jones was only around for a few years ('79-'81, methinks). Members included Greg Horn, Chris Clark (aka Dow Jones), Brad Garton (aka Mr. Science), and Tim North. Interestingly, Mr. Science, who released a song of his own on the Red Snerts comp (1981 on Gulcher Records, reissued a few years ago) is now head of the computer music department at Columbia University. At this moment, I felt like a true stalker. But I can't suppress the thought of extracting this man from academia to relive his youth for the benefit of FMU listeners...

Redsnerts_3
Gizmos
member Dale Lawrence describes the Dow Jones stage act in a Nuvo article from 2003:

The band’s crowded stage-set included several mannequins (snagged from Clark’s father’s clothing store), a TV set permanently tuned to static and “the Dude”: a life-size stand-up of a debonair young gentleman in suit and tie, enjoying a cigarette. They also had a live secretary seated to one side of the stage at a desk, typing away throughout the show.

And if that's not enough, you can listen to another excellent song, "Can't Stand the Midwest" by Dow Jones, as played on Bill Zurat's show a while back. Incidentally, the Gizmos wrote a reply to this song entitled "The Midwest Can Be Allright."

Normal_1
For good measure, here's a link to hear "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal (aka Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records) from 1978.

End transmission.

February 08, 2005

Baghdad Radio

Faber_img_0010_1Lest you think that nobody in the military listens to WFMU, here is a picture of WFMU Listener Corporal Richard Faber, posing in Baghdad next to his truck, which is sporting the 2004 WFMU Bumper Sticker.

Colonel Faber recently e-mailed me and asked if I could send him some MP3 archives of his favorite FMU shows, such as Kenny G, The Audio Kitchen and Fabio, to name but a few. 

The notion that he might be listening to Kenny and Irwin doing their Karaoke version of Meatloaf while the mortars fly into his compound boggles the mind.

No matter how self-indulgent Kenny might get, it sure as hell must beat the local radio fare  (MP3).

Get Your Shit Outta My Way: The arcane art of etiquette at WFMU

Emilypost_1

OK, I’ll be the first to reveal it publicly – it’s an open secret here that there are some DJs at WFMU that haven’t mastered the social mores as they pertain to uh, talent interaction between radio shows.

I’ve outlined some circumstances and rules for the uninformed to delicately handle such matters:

Your radio show is in two hours. You enter the record library to find an Offender seated in the main listening station surrounded by stacks of records and CDs. You have options here. You can make this exchange as pleasant as possible but as history has often dictated, pleasantries yield limited results.

Take a deep dramatic breath, drop your personal effects to the ground and with one sweeping arm clear the Offender’s belongings into a crashing heap on the floor. Time-consuming verbal niceties are generally eliminated after this gesture. The Offender is quickly enlightened and will move to an auxiliary listening area.

Your radio show is in one hour. Hurried for time, you begin to flip through CDs in the "new bin". Out of nowhere two Offenders have appeared astride you and without a word also begin to flip through the new bin. Offender One is a wet-behind-the-ears kid trying to make a demo for a show. Offender Two is a staff member who is too overwhelmed to remember that you have a radio show that day.

When dealing with Offender One, no matter the gender, move directly behind that person taking care to brush any prominent sexual organs up against their back. Helping them flip through the bin, gently whisper in their ear "How badly do you want to taste the freeform? Bad enough to step aside and let your Mommy/Daddy show you how it’s done?" If performed adequately, this will provide a permanent solution to the person’s breach of etiquette. They may in fact, never return to WFMU.

Offender Two almost always becomes aware of his own rudeness when the following question is put to him: "Excuse Me, but don’t they pay you to WORK around here?"

You come into the studio to begin your radio show. The preceding DJ has left the operating board in functional disarray, forgotten his/her cell phone, glasses and other belongings. To top it all off, there’s a faint essence of ass in the room.

This is your opportunity to be of great service to not only the Offender in question, but to the entire listenership of WFMU. You have the attention of thousands, and it’s your duty to announce to everyone that this nonfulfillment of the obligation of decorum has offended your pristine sensibilities. You are a radio professional and may effectively implement any tools at hand to create dramatic audio effects. Utilize the sound of those glasses crushing beneath your boot heel, create an noise collage involving the cell phone dialing to a grocer in India, and by all means, exercise your skill with language to colorfully describe what the previous DJ smells like.

I hope these tips will prove helpful for my unacquainted cohorts here at the station. Community impropriety is something that can be corrected so very delicately!

February 07, 2005

Crazy Mary's WFMU Song

The band Crazy Mary recorded this song for us and the amazing thing is how historically accurate it is, right down to the year Vin Scelsa started freeform programming on FMU, what night he was on, FMU early influences (WBAI), the FCC non-duplication rule fer Godsakes!

Now if I just had a copy of Chris Knox' "WFMU" song from his benefit at Westbeth ten years ago, I'd be  complete.

I Know What Boys Like

Hello, Everybody—nice seeing you again.

I know what boys like: Boys like Beetlejuice although, being a girl, I don’t quite understand why. Beetle is a 37-year-old black microcephalic man. He is extremely short, but technically neither a dwarf nor a midget. His tiny head is emphasized by his very disproportionately broad shoulders. Beetle became famous when his friend and manager, Sean R., got him on Howard Stern’s radio show. I guess guys enjoy Beetlejuice because he says whatever comes into his head and, being that his head is unusual, so are some of the ideas inside of it.

Sluggo adores Beetlejuice. For years he has spoken of his dream of someday having lunch with Beetle. So, when Sluggo’s 40th birthday approached last week, I knew what I had to do.

In the old days, Beetle would have been called a “freak,” and he might have made his living exhibiting himself at carnivals. How do I feel about that? I’ve seen interviews with retired carnival people who say they were grateful for the chance to make a living, but I hate the idea of someone being exploited. A guy I know—and admire—made a movie about some retarded people. He loaded them into a bus and drove them around the country and filmed them doing things they probably wouldn’t have thought to do on their own and, while I know that the guy was genuinely fond of the retarded people, the movie made me really uncomfortable. I think the key is that they wouldn’t have been doing the things they were doing if this guy hadn’t put them up to it.

Beetlejuice, on the other hand, met his manager when they both were hanging out at the same bar together, and I don’t feel Beetle ever has to do anything he wouldn’t be doing anyway, even if he weren’t being paid. For Sluggo’s party, Beetle came to a bar with his manager and sat with us and had some drinks and talked with everyone, and after about an hour we said good-bye and he went home. This cost me my entire savings account, but it was worth it. I have never, ever seen Sluggo so happy.

The funny thing was that Sluggo’s birthday is January 25 but because of scheduling considerations we had to have his party on January 27, which is my birthday, which means that in the midst the hoopla of the Beetlejuice Birthday Party everybody pretty much forgot about me, except—I got a voicemail message at my dayjob from someone who sounded just like Dirty Duck. He wished me happy birthday and then told me to go fuck myself, which is par for the course with him, except isn’t he supposed to be dead? I’ve heard of phone calls from the dead, of course, but as far as I know they don’t leave voicemail. Maybe Dirty faked his own death, just like Andy Kaufman—I wouldn’t put it past him. But how would he know where I’m working now?

So that’s the way the birthdays went this year—Sluggo got drinks with a microcephalic dwarf and eternal blissful memories, and I got an empty bank account and voicemail from a feathered biped junkie.

Thanks for reading my blog entry, and may God bless.
-Bronwyn C.
Sean40

Life at the Magic Factory Part One: Lunchtime

My hope for this blog is that it will offer a behind the scenes look at the intricacies that help keep this little miracle called WFMU up and humming. For the benefit of listeners who live too far away to volunteer, who are too painfully shy to come to the Record Fair, or who are too fat to squeeze through our doorway anymore, I humbly offer the following look at the pasty innards of WFMU. Today's episode focuses on LUNCH.

Lunch is a family affair here at WFMU. Which is to say, all the members of the daytime office staff sit together at a big round table, eat their respective meals, and generally get into a heated discussion about something of peripheral importance, at best.

Lunch_1

But I love lunchtime here because it's heavily steeped in tradition. And who doesn't love tradition? WEIRDOS, THAT'S WHO.

Who's responsible for this mess? The Cast of Characters:

Ken -- He's the Station Manager and he eats the exact same lunch every single day: Tacos. Legend tells of a time when Ken brought frozen lasagna for lunch, but that was before my arrival here at the Magic Factory. The story goes that not only did he eat the frozen lasagna, but that he made everyone else eat it too. I'm glad I missed out on this era of WFMU.

Megan -- She's the WFMU Swag Hag Listener Services Director, and has the most varied palate of any of us. She generally brings her lunch from home, as opposed to trying her luck with the local takeout joints, and I''ve seen her produce everything from sushi to beef burgundy from her tupperware containers.

Scott Williams -- The Volunteer Director. Scott is a pure and natural carnivore who wholly endorses the "If it was alive recently, I am going to eat it and you and your pantywaist friends aren't going to stop me" theory of culinary enthusiasm. He is also the first of WFMU's three coffee snobs.

Bill Zurat -- He is our computer whiz guy. He keeps the webstreams workin' and the archives chirpin'. Bill eats Alphabits Cereal for lunch every day, but prefers the 1's and 0's for obvious reasons.Alphabits

Brian Turner -- He is the Music and Program Director (or the Camp Counselor to the Stars, as we sometimes refer to him.) Faced with tough professional challenges on a daily basis, Brian needs more raw nutrients than the rest of us combined. To wit, every day at 1 PM, Brian sits back in a reclining chair and opens his mouth in a heavenward direction. A plastic tube descends from the ceiling, goes into his mouth and pumps a grey vitamin paste directly into his stomach. Usually, a volunteer will stand over him with a copy of The Wire or Black to Comm held in front of his face. Brian slaps the table when he wants the page turned.

Liz -- WFMU's long-sought Assistant General Manager hasn't been around these parts long enough for me to have figured out her luncheon preferences. However, she took no time in revealing that she is also a major coffee snob. Her first official act in her new job was to get all of us hooked on some exotic blend of coffee that comes from the future. Or propels you there with great velocity, at any rate.

Me -- I am WFMU's Special Events Director and complete the trinity of WFMU's coffee snobs. I eat whatever the hell I feel like eating, but mainly keep an eye on the coffee potCoffee to make sure the Enemies of Progress (Ken and Megan) don't try to sneak a cup from the pot before it's done brewing, thusly destroying the delicate integrity of the entire pot. The two of them try this on an almost daily basis and their tactics get lamer and lamer as time goes by. When they are caught, which is almost always, they are chased back upstairs and threatened with a large wooden spoon.

Lunch Conversation: Welcome to the low-class tea party:

We mostly stick to classic topics like the cinema, politics, who sucks the most at karaoke, popular literature, modern fashions, celebrity gossip, and the needless slaughter of the innocents. At times of special celebration, we actually talk about music.

Acid Reflux Party: Release the Hounds!
Devout listeners know that there are a lot of dogs here at WFMU. After the coffee is made and we are preparing to climb back up that great spiral staircase to the stars, Ken's dogs Poodlesare given their daily workout. This requires each of us to surrender a portion of our own lunches to Nachum, who mixes the tacos and sushi and beef burgundy and Alphabits and vitamin paste into a big pot. Then he wads the mixture into balls, roughly the same size as the kind you'd play tennis with if you'd put down the 20-sided dice for a few minutes.

Nachum then takes the foodballs and squats on a brightly colored surfboard outside his office door at the end of the hallway. Ken restrains the dogs by their collars, Megan yells "PULL!", and Nachum fires a foodball at 90 MPH down the hallway towards the waiting pooches. The dogs are released, run towards the hurtling treat, up a ramp, into the air, past the painting of Osama bin Laden, and whichever one catches it is given a doggie treat and a pat on the head by the Cosmic Cowboy.

Then we go back to work.

Next time: "Gettin' Busy on Monty." Or: "Why are there so many used condoms in WFMU's parking lot"?

Two More Podcast Shows

Fresh on the heels of adding Dave Emory to the list of WFMU shows that are being podcast, I'm happy to say that we've added two more: Downtown Soulville with Mr. Finewine, and The Audio Kitchen with The Professor. You can get the full skinny on our podcasts on our podcast page.

Downtown Soulville  is currently on the air on Friday nights at 7pm, and features tons of great (mostly) Detroit based soul from the golden era. The Audio Kitchen was a show that featured found sound - thrift shop cassettes, answering machine tapes, home recorded travelogues and the like. It's not currently on the air (although the realaudio archives  are still up) because of the hundreds of hours The Professor needed to produce it on a weekly basis. The Audio Kitchen podcasts are the MP3 archives of the old Audio Kitchen shows that The Professor produced back when the show aired weekly. We'll make a "new" Audio Kitchen MP3 podcast available every Wednesday night.

ComplacencykillsPodcasting simply automates the process of downloading our MP3 archives onto your computer or portable MP3 player. We're somewhat limited by the copyright police as to which shows we're able to make available this way, but don't you worry - we'll find more and more shows to put into your iPod. Soon to come will be People Like Us' Do or D.I.Y.,  and Noah is working on a podcast-only show of underground and unreleased hip hop.

So we're up to ten podcast shows, and more to come. Download ipodder  already and get aboard!

January 20, 2005

Jersey City, Orange Tabby

Chris_wCats

I'm sitting here at quarter to two Saturday morning sipping a nice cocktail - a new concoction, very much needed - pulled together from what I had in the house. I don't know if it already exists or if I’ve created something truly new. I doubt it. How often does THAT happen? It doesn’t matter, really. What matters is that it’s good to sip and it has alcohol in it. I need it for my nerves.

About half an hour ago I was driving home to Hoboken from WFMU. Westbound on Montgomery, headed toward Grove, I see this white and orange object in the oncoming lane. I couldn’t tell what it was. I squinted through my windshield and figured, Piece of clothing. Maybe an old stuffed animal. Then I was upon the thing. It was a dead cat. An orange tabby with a white belly.

I pulled up even with the cat, stopped and put on my four-way flashers. I got out of the car and walked over to where it lay, then crouched above it. Someone had just hit it. I can say that with assurance because I’ve seen many a runned-over cat in my day. Cats that have been hit a second time are pretty much flat. This one wasn’t. There wasn’t much damage on the face up side. If it weren’t for the blood-trail you’d think Kitty had decided to sleep in the street.

The face down side was another story. As I rolled him over, another cat - a gray tabby - came out from an alley on the north side of the street. It ran past me into an alley opposite, where our orange friend was headed, I suppose. Our orange friend had probably been caught completely unawares by an undercarriage. It had been hit mostly in the head. The left side of Kitty's face was smashed in, covered in fresh blood. Its right eye was dislodged, the fur over its right front elbow completely skinned away. There was two feet of blood smeared down the street. Kitty never had a chance.

People go fast down Montgomery. As I stood there, several Hondas and Maximas and Jettas went roaring past, stereos pumping to the max, doing 40 - 50 miles an hour. At that speed and that volume you wouldn’t know if you hit your own grandmother, never mind a fifteen-pound cat.

No one slowed down to see what I was up to. No one slowed down for anything.

I decided to move the cat out of the road before it became permanently bonded to the pavement (I hate when people keep running over some dead thing in the road, never thinking to remove it). I got my hands around its middle, lifted and heard a definite groan. I carried Kitty at arm's length and could swear I felt it purring. I laid it down in a huge planter on the sidewalk.

The planter was full of fresh dirt and I thought I could bury the cat in it but looked around and found nothing to dig with. Then I got alarmed, thinking about the groan I’d heard. Could it be the cat was still alive? I've seen cats get the hell torn out of them and live. I once extracted a cat from under the hood of a neighbor’s Volvo, where it had gotten firmly wedged in the fan blades when the car was started. The cat lost a leg but survived. What about this one? Did it have one life left? I shook it, hard. I squeezed it again. It wheezed once more but the wheezing must've been air being pushed out of its lungs. By me.

I stood around feeling stupid, wishing a cop could pass by so I could tell someone official. I didn't want to leave dead, bloody Kitty there for some kids to see first thing in the morning. I waited around a few minutes and asked passersby if they knew the cat (it had no tags). The first two looked at me strangely. The third guy didn’t. He was an Asian man, late twenties, nicely dressed, coming home from the train, like everyone else at that hour. I brought him over to the planter and he recognized the cat. I told him about finding it in the street and the first thing he said was, “Did you run it over?” I told him “No” but wasn't sure he believed me. He seemed to feel bad about it. He said something I thought sounded funny: “If it's still there in the morning I'll get rid of it.” I offered to do so, saying, “If I had a plastic bag...” I thought he might take the hint and go get me one. “If it's still there in the morning...” he repeated.

“If you have a plastic bag you could take it and bury it.” I said. He nodded. We wished each other good night. I flipped the cat back over on its “good” side then got in my car and drove home. I made the drink when I got through the door. It's almost gone. I think I’ll make another. Here's the recipe:

Three ice cubes, crushed
One teaspoon of honey,
One teaspoon of maple syrup
One teaspoon brown sugar
Two fingers of bourbon (I used Old Grandad)
Orange-Tangerine Juice
Sprig of mint

To one 16-oz tumbler add the ice, honey, maple syrup & brown sugar. Stir. Add  the bourbon. Stir. Fill with Orange-Tangerine juice. Garnish with the sprig of mint

It tastes something like a Tequila Sunrise but the syrup and honey give it sweetness and body. I like it. But I don’t know if it’s new. I’m going to pretend it is just so I can give it a name.

I call it “Orange Tabby”.


January 16, 2005

Filming "Guest of Cindy Sherman"

Hello, Everybody, nice seeing you again.

On Thursday DJ Kelly and I had to go out to the station to be filmed for a documentary called “Guest of Cindy Sherman.”  Maybe some of you heard “The Kelly Jones Show, Starring Bronwyn Carlton” last May 25 (it’s in the archives) when we answered Listener Paul H-O’s request for advice as to how to deal with his famous girlfriend. We guessed it was Cindy Sherman and that turned out to be right. Now he’s making a film about his problem, and he wanted us to be in it.

I used to think that people who wrote fiction were actually making up the stories, but then I met some fiction writers and found out that most of it is just thinly-veiled autobiography. That was a little disillusioning, although then I started writing fiction myself. Anyway, it turns out that documentaries are similar: When you watch them you think you’re seeing something just the way it happens, but actually it’s all pretty much staged. They wanted us to re-enact the show we did last May, and I was hoping it would be like Civil War re-enactors and we’d get cool uniforms and get to make our own bullets and stuff, but it wasn’t like that at all.

First, it was really hard to schedule the shoot, because Listener Paul H-O is working with real film crew guys who are all working on multiple projects, and I work at my weird dayjob where it’s hard to get a day off, and of course DJ Kelly is a delicate hothouse flower and must be scheduled for the exact day she is in bloom. Plus we needed to film in Studio A, so we had to pick a day when everyone could get there AND our engineer, John Fog, wasn’t doing maintenance  AND the DJ whose show we would disrupt would agree to broadcast from Studio B. Thanks to DJ Diane Kamikaze for letting us have the studio during her regularly scheduled show, we were able to shoot for 3 hours on Thursday. DJ Volunteer Director Scott was invaluable, too—he spent hours helping the crew work out all the technical audio stuff. Program Director Brian helped a lot with scheduling, and Station Manager Ken peeked in the window, and I know DJ Special Events Director Mike did something, because he always does.

Anyway, it was sort of stressful. There were big lights everywhere and cameral guys and then, because one film crew wasn’t enough, Phil and Lauren came in to film the filming of the Paul H-O documentary for the WFMU documentary. DJ Kelly and I were sitting in the middle of the maelstrom, and they told us to relax and just do our show the way we normally do, except not with bed music and maybe the director was going to feed us lines through our headphones. I guess it went okay, though—they kept telling us it was good. Then we changed clothes and invented a completely made-up show where we had Listener Paul H-O into the studio and interviewed him. If you ever see the movie, you’ll know that part documents not a real show that we ever actually did but the show that we pretended  in retrospect that we had done.

I liked all the film guys very much, and the only thing that bothered me about the whole experience was when we were doing the faux show and they had us introduce it by saying something like, “Now that we found out that Paul H-O’s girlfriend really is Cindy Sherman, we wanted him to come in and talk to us in person.” That made it sound like we were celebrity suck-ups, and it’s something I would never do—have someone come on a show just because they were famous or knew someone famous. We were genuinely interested in Listener Paul H-O’s problem, but it didn’t matter to us who his girlfriend really was.

Paul H-O is planning to have a screening of the film “Guest of Cindy Sherman” next summer, so keep an eye out for that. DJ Kelly and I plan to arrive at the screening as if it’s a big premiere and we’re huge stars. I want us to wear sparkly dresses and arrive in a white stretch VW Beetle.

When I got home on Thursday I opened my mail and found I’d been invited to Petra Nemcova’s tsunami disaster benefit at the club NA. Petra Nemcova is the Czech supermodel who got her pelvis shattered in the tsunami and held on to a palm tree for 8 hours while her photographer boyfriend was washed away. I have no idea how I got on the list for this event, which featured “special guest host supermodels Jessica Miller, Anne V., and actress Rashida Jones” and even listed the name of the celebrity doorperson who was going to be letting people inside—not a celebrity who was acting as doorperson, but somebody who does that for a living and is therefore a celebrity in and of themselves. Obviously someone made a big mistake. I am a middle-aged suburban housewife and not even a DJ any more, although I play one in documentaries. I hope they made a lot of money for the tsunami victims, though.
Thanks for reading my blog entry, and may God Bless.
-Bronwyn C.

January 14, 2005

How To Talk To WFMU DJs (and Talkshow Hosts) at Parties

Asteroids_close WFMU recently held its annual "Holiday" party and - as usual - lots of non-staffers showed up. We encourage this - it's a great way to bring new blood into the station so us aging vampires can suckle - but the initial interaction between those of us "on the inside" and our listeners can often be awkward. Because I kibbitz with the public every week on my show - Aerial View - I'm frequently accosted at these station events. It usually goes something like this:

LISTENER:    "Hey, are you Chris T.?"
ME:            "Yes, yes I am Chris T."
LISTENER:    "You hung up on me last week!"
ME:            "Yeah but... I but... see but..."

See how quickly this conversation dead-ended? I'd like to help WFMU's listeners and staff avoid these pitfalls by outlining some DOs & DON'Ts to remember when meeting for the first time:

LISTENERS:

DON'T
Sneak up on the WFMU DJ/Talkshow Host. You will spook your prey and send him/her fleeing. Always approach the WFMUer from head-on, keeping your hands out of your pockets at all times.

DO
Indicate to the WFMU DJ, etc., that you are not armed by waving or extending a handshake.

DON'T
Mis-identify who you're speaking with. A man at a WFMU Record Fair spent 15 minutes trying to convince me I was Andy Breckman. He kept saying, "You know, the show where you had the guys at the tollbooth and you blah blah blah...." No matter how many times I told him it wasn't my show he was listening to, he wouldn't accept that I wasn't Andy Breckman. I finally owned up to it, told him to go fuck himself and never listen to 7 Second Delay again.

DO
Double-check the identity of your new friend: "Say, you ARE Andy Breckman, right?"

DON'T
Announce to anyone within earshot, "HEY! It's BRONWYN!!!" once you've confirmed the identity of your new WFMU friend.

DO
"Cut to the chase," as they say. Your typical WFMUer has trouble staying focused and may lose interest during a long, rambling, "You won't remember me..." introduction. State your name and keep it brief.

DON'T
Intercept a WFMU DJ or Talkshow Host on the way to the bathroom. At the Loop Lounge during a Glen Jones show a guy recognized my voice, stepped in front of me and began spinning an elaborate story about a call he made YEARS ago to Aerial View. I'm standing there with my eyeballs floating and he's nattering away. I finally said, "I really gotta pee..." and he stepped aside.

DO
Follow the WFMUer into the bathroom and continue your yarn while he or she is peeing. We don't mind, really.

DON'T
Tell your new WFMU friend: "You don't look ANYTHING like I thought you would." Most WFMU DJs (and some Talkshow Hosts) - because of breeding or dissolute lifestyles - don't look at all like you expect they will. This remark, no matter how tenderly offered, usually is heard as, "You're much uglier/fatter/balder/older than I imagined." Remember, if you want friends, be friendly.

DO
Compliment your new WFMU friend by saying something like, "You do a wonderful show. It's the high point of my week." Lie if you must.

DON'T
Get into specifics: "Do you remember that record you played back in March when I called you in the studio and said it sounded exactly like this lullaby my sister's aunt used to sing to me at the beach - the same aunt who made the tomato and mozzarella sandwiches, the ones she'd drizzle with olive oil, on that Italian bread, the bread she got on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx  - and you told me the name of that song and I said I'd write it down but I totally forgot to write it down and I also forgot the name of the song. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT SONG?!"

DO
Keep the entire interaction brief. WFMUers are busy people with lots of responsibilities and serious drinking to do.

DON'T
Request a song (or, in the case of a talkshowhost, topic). No WFMUer carries a notepad everywhere. Get your own damn show and play/discuss whatever you want.

DO
Offer to have sex with the WFMUer, even if your mental image of the DJ (or Talkshow Host) and actual reality violently collide. The WFMUer may not be able to take you up on it but we all appreciate the overture.

DJs (and Talkshow Hosts):

DO
Remember those four little words that can ease any social awkwardness when meeting your public: "I really gotta pee."

January 13, 2005

Punk Rock Songs about New Jersey

Punk Rock songs about New Jersey seem like a no-brainer, don't they? People yell a lot in Punk Rock. People yell a lot in New Jersey. Don't be too startled by this alarming similarity and don't get too hot and bothered, because I'm only going to treat you to my two favorite examples. NJOK by the band Detention, and the slightly more abrasive (and considerably less complimentary) Hoboken_Sucks by Äss (featuring WFMU's Brian Turner on guitar).

Detention is more famous for their oft-deified track "Dead Rock & Rollers" -- a song that I happen to know enjoys iTunes space on the personal computer of Irwin Chusid, which I recently stole from him. (The computer, not the song.) I understand that the band still plays live from time to time, and that the Shields brothers of said band own a gym somewhere in Jersey Centralia.

The legacy of Äss is somewhat more mystical. After channeling and re-interpreting only the best parts of Action Swingers -styled brutality, the members of Äss drifted to other projects, as varied as brickface and stucco installation to making pilgrimages to the Burning Man festival, where one member personally stuck his head into the Goat of Truth's papier mache ass and achieved enlightenment. Or something closely approximating it, if your standards are low.

I'm sure that somewhere right now, some ex-member of irrelevant, podunk Jersey hardcore band #227 is firing up their angry email finger in order to tell me what a gross misinterpretation I'm giving to their scene by not mentioning their band's song about the tough streets of MahwahMahwah (image by Google Image Search), former Governor Tom Keane's weirdo accent, or the chemical fire that burned for years underneath the Pulaski Skyway Pulaski_2(image by Burt Schlatter ). Well, things are tough all over. Like I said, I was only gonna mention my two favorites. Perhaps you can find validate your teens while perusing the formidable recollections of this man? 

In addition to Brian Turner, many other WFMU staffers have spent time behind the shrieking mic and raging guitar. Pseu Braun and Diane Kamikaze were both a part of the local miracle that was Children in Adult Jails , Chris T  wielded an axe of some ferocity in The Nihilistics, and Dan Mackta tore shit up in A Priori.

Now that I've outed everybody, I'm thinking I should probably get out of here before a horde of the above staffers start massing in the parking lot screaming for blood and vengeance.

January 06, 2005

Pulaski Speedway

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New Jersey – like most places in the world – can lay claim to at least one Eighth Wonder of the World. If you’ve seen The Sopranos, you’ve seen our Eighth Wonder: the Pulaski Skyway. A succession of interconnected bridges and roadway soaring high over the Hackensack River and Passaic Rivers and the town of Kearny, the Skyway (as locals call it) is, technically a “viaduct”, carrying Routes 1 & 9 one and a third miles from Jersey City to Newark.

Originally called “The Diagonal Highway”, it was built at a cost of twenty million dollars, fifteen construction casualties and one “labor-related” murder to connect the easternmost portion of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway to the Holland Tunnel. When it opened in 1932, the Skyway got raves from the American Institute of Steel Construction, which singled it out as "Most Beautiful Steel Structure" among long-span bridges. Upon dedication, it was re-named in honor of the “Father of the American Cavalry”: Revolutionary War hero General Casimir Pulaski,  killed while galloping heroically into battle.

“Galloping heroically into battle” pretty much sums up how one approaches the Skyway – as locals call it. With no shoulder to harbor police, drivers feel emboldened to go AS FAST AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN. Despite the posted 45 mile per hour speed limit, most times I'm doing twice that just to keep up with traffic. It's INSANE! And in the sixteen or so years I’ve been using the Skyway I’ve NEVER seen someone pulled over for speeding.

Which gave me an entrepreneurial idea: if the two-lane Skyway is going to be used like a speedway, why not make it official? Create a starting line, install a “Christmas tree” staging light (they count down red, yellow, green), mark off a quarter-mile and put in some automated cameras at the finish line. The new Pulaski Speedway could host thousands of races a day.

Imagine your mother’s “pavement-pounding ’96 Honda Civic!" up against those three guys in the "ground-shaking Dodge Palacios Carpets delivery van!”. Or your “insane ’97 Jeep Wrangler taking on Big Al in his "gas-guzzling 1985 Pontiac Parisienne!” And the best part is the merchandising: I envision a whole line of Pulaski Speedway tchotckes, apparel, drinking glasses, etc., all taking advantage of its impressive silhouette and subtle Sopranos connection. Sure, whoever gets to the finish line first gets a ticket in the mail… BUT they also get the satisfaction of knowing they beat the other guy AND a commemorative Pulaski Speedway T-shirt. The other guy just gets a ticket in the mail.

December 28, 2004

Desperate Housewives

There I was Sunday night, working on my computer with the TV on in the background, and didn't feel like watching the same Sopranos re-run for the third time so I tuned in Desperate Housewives instead. Holy shit. It's just as vapid as I thought it would be. Chock full of stereotypes, it plays like one of those Spanish telenovellas, there's even a hot Spanish lady with a stupid rich husband - she bangs her hunky hot gardener behind his back.

Then there's the frigid Stepford Wife Bitch Widow and the Bleach Blonde Divorcee Slut and the Really Smart Former Career Woman Trapped In Stultifying Housewife Mode. In one way or another they're all subordinate to the men in their lives, scheming and plotting and conniving, setting fires in neighbor's houses  - and all of it accompanied by voice-over narration by a dead lady. The only good thing I can say about the show is that I tuned in 14 minutes late and didn't have to see the whole episode.

Here's a line of sample dialogue: "And then, suddenly there he was - rising like a phoenix from the ashes."

THIS is the No. 1 TV show in the country? Somebody 'splain please...

Logo-Rama 2005

  • Winner (T-shirt): Gregory Jacobsen
    We received such an outpouring of extraordinary listener artwork submissions for our recent logo design contest that we just couldn't keep it all to ourselves.

    Hold your champagne glass high, extend your pinky, turn up your nose, and take a stroll through this gallery of WFMU-centric works from the modern era.