The Chill Room

The Chill Room, 30 January 2010, 0100 PST, on killradio.org.

256k, 43 minutes, a dip into mortality.

A response to the sheer irrationality of contemporary life. Will make you think. Eliminating as many sideways distractions as possible to keep it short and based purely in sonic texture. A new adventure in audio. Uses strings rather than pure noise. Designed to frustrate mindless automatic listening. Has sense of humor. Designed to make your head explode. Broken in half. Please leave your ego at the Door. Warning: Contains science. Not good enough.

Incomplete set list, alphabetical by artist:
Gavin Bryars-The Squirrel and the Rickety Rackety Bridge
EditorB-Tomorrow Never Knows; I Will
Jefferson Airplane-A Small Package of Value Will Come to You Shortly
Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza-Series of Dreams
Matmos-Supreme Balloon
Ennio Morricone-Wait; Humanity Pt. 2
Nihilist Spasm Band-I Have Nothing to Say
Elvis Presley-DonchaThinkIt'sTime (chilled to death)
Terry Riley-Olson 3
Tachyons and Cosmological Inflation (from Michio Taku)
Traktor-Norwegian Wood
Welfare State White Noise-Silence Is Requested in the Ultimate Abyss
Scott Williams-Stay Tuned
Amy Winehouse-Wake Up Alone

With thanks to Dave, my listeners, Michio Kaku, killradio, and podomatic. Illustration of Atlas by Mark Marren. http://www.facebook.com/bennett.theissen. Comments are requested for this ultimate Abyss.

No man is an island, he's a peninsula.

The Chill Room, 23 January 2010, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 73 minutes, a thousand stings.

Setlist: Luc Ferrari-Strathoven / Pixeltan-That's the Way I Like It / Frank Sinatra-It Was a Very Good Year (slowly and softly) / Egnekn-The "Official" Sound of Lamination / M.Blumenberg-Scheherezade Mon Amour / Merzbow-Ushiwaka 2 / Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66-Going Out of My Head / Cluster-Untitled 3 (Cluster 71) / John Cale with William S. Burroughs-Love Your Enemy / Malcolm McLaren-Delirium / Ennio Morricone-Sterlization (The Thing) / Nihilist Spasm Band-Planned Obsolescence / Sonic Youth-Karen Revisited / Steve Fisk-I Wish I Was Dead / Wire-Heartbeat (excerpt) / imPlog-Holland Tunnel Dive (12") / Butthole Surfers-American Woman / Mason Williams-Classical Gas (7") / Excerpt from the film Midnight Cowboy / Can-Kama Sutra / Beth Orton-Rectify (Fourtet Remix) / Nurse With Wound-Two Golden Microphones / Yoko Ono and DJ Spooky-Rising / The Irrepressibles-I'll Maybe Let You (myspace) (for Dave) / Go Home Productions-LSD Forever / Scott Walker-The Girls and the Dogs / The Rockets-Let Me Go / Starland Vocal Band-Afternoon Delight (chilled)

With thanks to Jason Berthume, Dave Parker, my listeners, Scott Williams, wfmu.org, killradio.org, podomatic. Photo: Viv Albertine 2009 by Carolina Ambida.

Comments requested.

The Chill Room, 2 January 2010, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 72 minutes, tasty and rich collage.

How deep is this eerie feeling of living in multiple timezones simultaneously? Of living in disambiguation, hyperlinks, and fractured reality? Of being a sample in someone else's mix? Some people say I shouldn't call this the Chill Room because it's so intense, but I still think that you can drift off while listening. I am making dangerous sonic wallpaper, but the goal is always immediate pleasure with an aftertaste of thought.

Set List: Amos & Lepke-Modern Shite Will Make You Ill / Matmos-Rag for William S. Burroughs / Vito Ricci-Cross Count / The Tape-Beatles-Waves of Waves (ubuweb) / Etoile 2000-Niety Noon / Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds-Good Morning (from Singin' in the Rain) / Bob Dylan-It's All over Now, Baby Blue (Royal Albert Hall, London 27 May 1966) / The Glass Orchestra-Zyklus (Karlheinz Stockhausen) / People Like Us-Abridged Too Far (ubuweb) / Damion Romero live at REDCAT 20 December 2009 / The Beatles-Norwegian Wood (mutated) / R.L.Burnside-Rolling and Tumbling (remix) / Michael Snow-(Short) Wavelength / The Guess Who-No Time (Traktor 2.5 mix) / David Lynch-The Pink Room (Fire Walk With Me) / Rolling Stones-2000 Light Years from Home (mono) / Sunroof-Burial in the Sky / Tellus 11 / Senor Coconut-Trans Europe Express / Merzbow & John Wiese-Luxor Skyship / 4 Tops-Baby I Need Your Loving / Friday the 13th / Nilsson-You Can't Do That / Headxones (Agent A)-Aleotoric Audiovisual / Mitchell Brown-Cherimoya Zen / Apollo Zen-Kate Bush vs. Kano: I'm Ready and Running Up That Hill / Violent Onsen Geisha-Dynamic Summer Groove 78 / Osiris featuring Bridget Wishart-Starlight Scorpio / John Cage-Variations IV

With thanks to Dave Parker, Jason Berthume, Agent A, Bridget Wishart, Zed Null, Sly John the Harmonica Man, DJ Spooky, wfmu.org, killradio, my listeners, and podomatic.

We're setting off with soft explosion.

The Chill Room, 26 December 2009, 0100 PST on killradio.org.

192k, 72 minutes, a deep collage.

Everything can be remixed. Meaning depends only on its connections. Where once we all watched and listened to the same things, the technological control has been redistributed into a private media landscape which is our own selves, and we make ourselves up as we go along. We are now pods and blogs. The dealers still hold the cards, but we can do our own mix.

This collage is about the texture of sound itself, from words spoken to electronic softness and metallic harshness, from pop songs to beat peace to slow chords to backwards rush, from familiar to strange and back again. Find your own meaning. Thank you for listening and it would be terrific if someone would leave a comment.

Set List: Nina Rota-Toby Dammit theme / Bruno Menny-Cosmos / Terry Riley-A Rainbow in Curved Air / Ray Dennis Steckler-Sinthia, the Devil Doll / Merzbow-Driving Me Backwards / John Cage / Steve Reich-It's Gonna Rain (ubuweb) / Spirit-All Along the Watchtower / Peter L. Bastin-How to Make a Tape Recorder / Karlheinz Stockhausen-Gesang der Junglinge / Ergo Phizmiz-1000 Year Mix / Crosby Stills Nash-Suite Judy Blue Eyes (backwards) /David Hykes Harmonic Choir-Earth to the Unknown Power / Randy Grief-I'm Mad You're Mad (Alice in Wonderland) / Pat Robertson's Police State of Love-Telephone Line / Roedelius 5 / The Byrds-Change Is Now (mono) / Mouse on Mars-Owai / Comitatus-You Can't Win / Messer Chupps-Sex Change / Arthur Alexander-You Better Move On / Norah Jones-Heart of Mine / Emilie Simon-I Wanna Be Your Dog / Karlheinz Stockhausen-Hymnen Region II / Francois Bayle-Extra Soft Earthquake / Kotyk-Final Cut / Talking Heads-Pulled Up

With thanks to wfmu.org, source of so much goodness, my listeners, DJ Spooky, Jason B for the title, to killradio.org and podomatic. This is the last show of 2009.

More than ever, nothing is true and everything is permitted.

The Chill Room, 19 December 2009, 0100 PST, on killradio.org

192k, 72 minutes.

This is my holiday gift to my listeners -- an exclusive listen to the December 5 concert by Celletti and Roedelius performing their album Sustanza di cose sperata on the Los Angeles leg of their American tour.

This is music of special lightness, perfect for a quiet winter night, and the soul of modernity.

All music by Alessandra Celletti and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, recorded 5 December 2009 at Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. Recorded on a TASCAM stereo digital recorder. The piano was a Fazioli:
Alessandra Celletti-E Satie Gnossienne No. 1` (Lento) / Gnossienne No. 4 (Moderato) / M.Ravel Anime (from Sonatine)
Alessandra Celletti and Hans-Joachim Roedelius-Sustanza di cose sperata (The Essence of Desired Things), for piano and electronics: Azure (C piano) / Purple (R piano) / Orange (R piano) / Text by Roedelius: Life Is... / Magenta (C piano) / Our North (C vocal and piano) / Rilke (R voice, with sound collage by Nagashima, Nagashima and Capanni on tape, German text by Rilke) / Turquoise (C piano) / Strecciatu I (C voice) / Strecciatu II (R voice, with text by R translated into Corsi and then in German) / Lilac (R piano) / Emerald (R piano) / Black and White (C piano) / Rose (R piano) / Green (C piano) / By This River (R vocal, C piano, song by Eno, Moebius and Roedelius, lyrics Brian Eno)

With special thanks to Michael Transparency, without whom none of this would have happened. Thank you, Alessandra and Achim, for permission to use the recording. Thanks to Damion Romero. Thanks always to my listeners and to podomatic and killradio. This is the second of a two part Chill Room, though each segment stands alone. The photo is of Joachim, Alessandra and your dj, photo by Alan Keogh, photoshopped by Chris Michiels.
http://www.roedelius.com/
http://www.alessandracelletti.com/
http://www.myspace.com/alessandracelletti
www.transparency.us.com

A joyous holiday season to all, if that's possible.

The Chill Room, 19 December 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 53 minutes, a special on the music of Hans-Joachim Roedelius, sound painter, electronic folk musician, and extraordinary human being.

Brian Eno says it best: "Discreet almost to the point of self-effacing, introspective almost to the point of hermeticism, Roedelius' music nonetheless has a quiet intensity and conviction that burns stronger on repeated listenings. More than anything else, you have the sense of someone completely alive in the present; alive to nuance, alive enough to stay balanced."

This brief survey of Achim's music is only an introduction, and attempts to place him where he belongs, as one of the major figures of modern music. Prefiguring what was called Krautrock, or Industrial music, or electronic dance, Ambient or even (heaven forbid) "New Age," his ouevre is unique and deserves deep study. Which is not to say that the music is nothing but joyous and liberating as well as contemplative and serious. Listen and awaken.

Setlist:
Cluster and Eno-Die Bunge
Kluster-Klopfzeichen side two
Cluster-7:38 / Marzipan / Rotor / Dem Wanderer / Heisse Lippen
Cluster and Eno-Fur Luise
Roedelius-Die ernte reifl
Cluster-Glissander
Celletti Roedelius-By This River

From the albums Kluster Klopfzeichen (1969), Cluster '71 (1971), Zuckerzeit (1974), Sowiesoso (1976), Cluster and Eno (1977), Roedelius Piano Piano (1991), Celletti Roedelius Sustanza di Cose Sperata (2009), Cluster Qua (2009).

With grateful thanks to Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Alessandra Celletti, especially to Michael Sheppard and Transparency, to Damion Romero, to Stephen Ilife (author of Painting with Sound, a Roedelius biography), my listeners, killradio, and podomatic. And let's never forget Dieter Moebius, the other half of Cluster.
http://www.roedelius.com/
http://www.myspace.com/roedelius
www.transparency.us.com

The photo is of Cluster, with Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius.

This is part one of a two part Chill Room, though each segment stands on its own.

The Chill Room, 12 December 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 72 minutes.

You can cut into Naked Lunch at any intersection point, and, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of this radical blueprint, which through the metaphor of addiction shows us the depths of control, let's listen deep into Bill himself reading from his Word Hoard, mixed densely into a Chill Room collage. "Burroughs alone made us pay attention to the realities of contemporary life and gave us the energy to explore the psyche without a filter," says Lou Reed. So join the celebration of Old Bull Lee and stop for a moment to ponder what's on the end of YOUR fork.

Readings by William Burroughs from the Naked Lunch Audio Book 1995 and from Call Me Burroughs 1965.

Setlist: Talking Heads-Warning Sign / Atrophied Preface / Jonathan Zorn-so too were processed meats / quick.... / Lt Caramel-J'ai dix doigts / Throbbing Gristle-Unknown (Desertshore Installation 2007) / CoH and Cosey Fanny Tutti-Mad / Bradley the Buyer / Ry Cooder-Powis Square / Jack Nitzsche-Rolls Royce and Acid / and start west / Old Farmers Almanac (Real English Tea Made Here) / Mitchell Brown-Magnetic Celadonia / Jack Nitzsche-Harry Flowers / Mikel Rouse-Monsters (myspace) / Tyrannosaurus Rex-By the Light of the Magickal Moon / Fraternity of Man-Don't Bogart That Joint / Meeting of International Conference of Technological Psychiatry / THU20-Het Archief / Underworld-Dark Hard / Islam Incorporated and the Parties of Interzone / The Haters-Strength Through Emptiness / Lou Christie-Two Faces Have I (a capella) / Throbbing Gristle-Weeping

Special thanks to Greg Bishop -- who had the audio book. With thanks to killradio, podomatic, my listeners, Jason and Sarah, wfmu.org, and to Mr. Burroughs himself, for being the only artist I know who was never changed by success.

Wouldn't you?

The Chill Room, 28 November 2009, 00:00 PST on killradio.org.

192k, 63 minutes, a weird look at The Fall.

The vixen got no friends. She needs a poison pen. Even in Switzerland, the people cry "vixen." It had taken her a long time, suddenly back on its own, to sit, friendless & alone. She is friendless and alone. Vixen's got no home. She is friendless and alone.

All performances unless otherwise noted by The Fall. Setlist:
Lay of the Land (The Wonderful & Frightening World of The Fall, 1985)
Intro
(The Fall without MES) Haf Found Bormann (There's a ghost in my house b-side 1987) / Debacle/Portugal (Theme from Sparta FC b-side 2004) / Crew Filth (Code:Selfish 1992) / Hotel Bloedel (Brix with MES) (Perverted by Language 1984) / Vixen (Brix with MES) (Cruiser's Creek b-side 1985) / North West Fashion Show (Cerebral Caustic 1995) / Birthday (Lucy Rimmer) (1995) / I've Been Duped (Elena) (Imperial Wax Solvent 2008)
(two covers) Terry Edwards and the Scapegoats-Totally Wired / Les Godzillas-Hotel Bloedel (10" France 2004)
(MES without the Fall) Edwyn Collins featuring Mark E. Smith-Seventies Night / Mouse on Mars featuring Mark E. Smith-Wipe That Sound (Von Sudenfeld)
(The Fall) Last Orders (1977 live) / Dresden Dolls (1977 demo)

This show is a collaboration with Dave Parker of London.
Special thanks to Dave P, wfmu.org, my listeners, killradio.org and podomatic. My previous Fall special, The Fall of 2006, features a classic lineup of Fall songs, get it at http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/20013.

(People laughing...people fighting...people watching) Between the ticker and the mind lies an air-block of wind.

The Chill Room, 14 November 2009, 0100 PST on killradio.org

160k, 76 minutes, dense and inviting collage

Killradio is celebrating its ninth anniversary, and in that spirit, here is a collage for the ages. Dense, dark and very much about Love Sex and Death, still a lot of light comes in through narrow chinks in the cavern. Curl up with the Chill Room, where it's always 3 o'clock in the morning, and the next day is always going to be good.

Setlist: Edie Sedgwick on love (myspace) / Kraftwerk-Zuckruck (1st album) / Buddy Holly-Fool's Paradise (vamp loop) / Echowanderer-Changes Dub / Jack Nitzsche-Performance / Merzbow-Live Deformation Holland / Scott Williams-Stay Tuned / The Teardrop Explodes-Christ vs Warhol / Steely Dan-Do It Again / hmm, not really sure what's playing right here -- it's vinyl and it's modern / Patsy Cline-You Made Me Love You / Charlemagne Palestine-Jamaica Heinekens / Dialogue from Drugstore Cowboy / Lt. Caramel-Brasse Coulee / Desmond Dekker and the Aces-The Israellites / Bob Dylan-Obviously Five Believers (7") / Reptilicus and The Hafler Trio-Anamorphosis / Chris & Cosey-The Giant's Feet / John Cale and Terry Riley-Church of Anthrax / Lee Michaels-Do You Know What I Mean? (chilled) / Tellus Audio Magazine-Guitar Feedback Loop (No. 14) / Nurse With Wound-Salt Marie Celeste (first section) / Keith Jarrett-Koln 1974 / Psychic TV-Thee Shadow Creatures / Zoviet France-Car Crash / Chapterhouse-Rain / Jerry Garcia-Love Scene from Zabriskie Point (outtake 1) / Spalding Gray-The Perfect Moment (from Swimming to Cambodia) / Caroliner-Legs Go Mind Goes Lungs Go (7")

With thanks to Jez the Echowanderer, my listeners, wfmu.org, Scott Williams, killradio, and podomatic.

Please, please, please -- leave me a comment.

The Chill Room, 6 November 2009, 11:00pm PST, on killradio.org.

128k, mono, 9 minutes.

In 1929 Federico Garcia Lorca left Spain and relocated to New York City in the U.S. He did not speak English and experienced America in the late 20s as an outsider, drawn to the poor and disadvantaged and charmed by American cinema. Besides his collection A Poet in New York, he also wrote a "closet drama" entitled Buster Keaton's Walk, which was not published until the 1960s. As in many surrealist plays of the time, it is unstageable as written. As a stage director I worked for months on finding a way to make it work, developing many different and sometimes frenetic variations/visions/versions with much action, but finally settled on what you will hear. It is not a radio play as such, but a description of the play coming to life. When I performed the final version at ReCherChez in New York, one audience member gave me the greatest compliment I ever received: "I didn't know the theater could do that."

With thanks to my listeners, killradio.org, and podomatic.

The Chill Room, 24 October 2009, at 00:00 PST.

192k, 40 minutes.

This is an attempt to make a Zen koan of a Chill Room. You know, like a show that demonstrates "what is the sound of one hand clapping?" So this is an adventure in listening.

Setlist: Personal field recordings: 21 August 2005 3am in Illinois country / 3 February 1998 rain in L.A. / Railroad night field recordings / Zoviet Frances-Cyclonic Sub Alien (Vienna 1990) / Beequeen-10 minutes before the worm (Sugarbush) / Cluster (untitled early piece) (Cluster 1971) / Frans de Waard-Meet Melt (Zelphabet.com) / Beequeen-Return to Sender / John Barry-Science Fiction / Slowdive-Golden Hair (Syd Barrett song with lyrics by James Joyce)

with special thanks to James Broughton and Amos Vogel for inspiration, thanks to Damion Romero, Michael Transparency, Jezz the Echo Wanderer, my listeners, killradio.org, and podomatic.

Please, comments welcome.

The Chill Room, 17 October 2009, 00:00, on killradio.org.

160k, 75 minutes, a deep listen to the more "difficult" music of Tori Amos.

In this decade Tori Amos moved from her original record label Atlantic to Epic and she continues to make excellent music. Was Atlantic unhappy with Tori's more experimental musics? Her sales slipped and they let her go, but since then Tori has not produced the same darker-edged material she did in the 90s. This show is a listen to Tori's music from the edge -- so shimmy once and do it again.

All performances by Tori Amos 1991-2001.
Girl / Humpty Dumpty / If 6 Was 9 (Hendrix cover) / Bells for Her / Butterfly (from Higher Learning) / Father Lucifer / Tallula (original version) / Siren (from Great Expectations) / She's Your Cocaine / Cruel (Shady Feline Mix) / Hotel / Raspberry Swirl (Lipgloss Version) / Bachelorette / Juarez / Happiness Is a Warm Gun (Lennon cover) / Ambient Spark / Datura

Special thanks to my listeners, to killradio, and to podomatic. Comments requested!

She's not a girl who misses much.

The Chill Room, September 18, 2009, 11pm PST

192k, 42 minutes. A special on Wet Dog.

Seeking the opposite of excess, here is minimalism in the form of a contemporary British avant-punk trio of stabbing staccato guitar, mighty thick slabs of bass and teetering, crashing drums with complex vocals and terrific voice. This is Wet Dog, a band you'll want to know.

The current lineup is Rivka Gillieron on vocals and guitar, Billy Easter on bass, and Sarah Datblygu on drums, though Sophie Politowicz plays bass on many of these tracks.

All performances by Wet Dog: Steal a Car / Send a Delegate / Zah und Zaheet / I Can't Say It / Train Track / Train Track (live at 12-Bar) / Nancy Riley / Eight Days / Alibi / Alibi (session) / Stumpy Torso / Counter (session) / How Sweet The Sound (new song) / Jane Bowles / Lower Leg (live) / Steal a Car (live)

from the files of Dave Parker, from the album Enterprise Reversal (Angular Recording Corporation), from Resonance and XFM radio sessions, one track from the new album, and their myspace page.

Special thanks to Dave Parker for sharing this marvelous band with me, to Rivka for "How Sweet to Go" and for being great, to my listeners for their encouragement.

Comments are much appreciated.

http://www.myspace.com/wetdogthebest

The Chill Room, 22 August 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 65 minutes. Sun Ra 1971-1972, lecture and music at a time of particular genius.

All tracks by Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Solar Research Arkestra from the Transparency sets:
The Lost Reels Collection, Volume One, The Creator of the Universe, and Volume Two, Intergalactic Research.
Helsinki 1971 -- The Complete Concert and Interview.

Music: Theme of the Stargazers / Love in Outer Space / Strange Worlds / It's After the End of the World / Outer Space Race Incorporated / Why Go to the Moon? / Watusi / Enlightenment / Space Is the Place / Somewhere Else / To Nature's God / Intergalactic Research

In 1971 Sun Ra and his Arkestra served a residency in Berkeley, and Ra taught a class called Black Man in the Cosmos at UC. In the fall they traveled to Europe and performed in Scandinavia, Italy and Egypt. This to me is one of Ra's strongest periods, where the movement was beyond jazz and into what i think of as magic tribal music. This show primarily comes from the new Transparency Helsinki release, licensed from the Finnish Broadcasting Company.

Ra was here to show us the way it could be if we were truly free. His clan of musician/angels, including June Tyson, John Gilmore and Marshall Allen, shine with that freedom.

Special thanks to Michael Transparency and my listeners, killradio and podomatic.
www.transparency.us.com

The Chill Room, 5 June 2009, 11pm PST, on killradio.org.

160k, 79 minutes.

This program was inspired by Paul Williams and Clinton Heylin, who both separately have written of comparing different versions of Visions of Johanna and what can be learned from them.

All performances by Bob Dylan.
Freeze Out, 30 November 1965, Columbia Studios NYC, take 8
Freeze Out, 30 November 1965, NYC, later take
Freeze Out, 21 January 1966, Columbia Studios NYC
Visions of Johanna, 14 February 1966, Columbia Music Row, Nashville, mono Blonde on Blonde lp
Visions of Johanna, 20 April 1966, Festival Hall, Melbourne
Visions of Johanna, 16 May 1966, Gaumont Theater, Sheffield UK
Visions of Johanna, 27 May 1966, Royal Albert Hall, London
Visions of Johanna, 25 February 1999, Portland Maine
Visions of Johanna, 2 May 2009, Glasgow Scotland

Trust me, this is a fascinating listening experience. Tell any Dylan fans you know about this show.

With thanks to Paul and Clinton, Michael, Michael, Jason and Sarah, and to my listeners. This show is for Weezy.

Presented for educational purposes.

The Chill Room, 18 July 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org

192k, 33 minutes.

From the Earth to the Moon in half an hour. 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy (400 years since Galileo first used a telescope to observe the universe) and July 20, 2009 is the 40th anniversary of landing on the moon. A funk good time taking off, oh that Texas sun, sliding through space, from trains to spaceships, concluding with that cannibis lover Carl Sagan's words on the mythic adventure of our first steps off this planet.

James Brown-Doing It to Death / Psychestra-Air on a Superstring / Marschmusic Nurse With Wound-The Schmurz / Night Trains after a rain / Big Blood-She Sells Sanctuary / Circle-Duunila (Miljard) / Scott Williams-Stay Tuned / Jonathan Kane-Blissed Out Rag / Brian Eno-Discreet Music / Carl Sagan-Pale Blue Dot / MP3J-You've Got to Hide Your Lighthouse

With grateful thanks to wfmu.org, Louise Bialik, Simon and Thor House, Vicki Bennett, Maria Levitsky, Scott Williams, podomatic, killradio, and my listeners.

The Chill Room, 27 June 2009, on killradio.org.

160k, 75 minutes.

The first time I heard R.Stevie Moore was around 1980, on the Uncle Floyd Show, and on WFMU (I was East Coast then), and I bought some of his cassettes at the See Hear store off Second Avenue. So I've listened to him for ages, and he amazes me, he's one of the great musical impressionists, who plays the studio as well as he does his guitar.

All I want to do with this program is moor you to this fine man's depth and breadth as an audio artist. He writes cool songs, interprets music with a control that most musicians should study, has a wild sense of humor, and each track is a full Chill Room by itself.

All music by R.Stevie Moore, from 1959 to the present.
Open Love / Sounds of the Studio / But You Love Me, Daddy (RSM's first record, with Jim Reeves) / Take Back / Chantilly Lace / My Three Sons / Positively 4th Street / Sister Souljah / I Wish I Could Sing / Disembodied Poetics / Both Sides of the Coin / Jungle Chick / Bucket T / Be Bop A Lula (with Jad Fair) / Little House (with Lane Steinberg) / What Do I Do with the Rest of My Life (with Lane Steinberg, from Passion and Faith) / I Love All the Girls / To Sir with Love (with Krystyna Olsiewicz) / Third Stone from the Sun (with Robert Dick) / The Middle (with Lane Steinberg) / A Whiter Shade of Pale / I Go Into Your Mind (with Krystyna Olsiewicz) / Goodbye Halo (live at Maxwell's 30 November 2007)

All material from various RSM projects, including AWOL, FUKT, Stop Them!, Fakebook, and Unpopular Singer. Also from myspace and youtube and wfmu.org. The photo is by Krys O.

With thanks to R.Stevie Moore, Lane Steinberg, Michael Transparency, and wfmu.org.

http://www.myspace.com/thersteviemoore
http://www.rsteviemoore.com/

The Chill Room, May 16, 2009 0100am PST

128k, 42 minutes, in glorious mono.

A brief but intense listen to the strange surreal world of early Elvis Presley love songs. You may think you've heard all this before -- it contains a bunch of familiar songs -- but I am trying to place this music in a context that lets its utter spookiness shine through. No need to list what songs are played, since you've heard (most of) them. No, come on in and let this most peculiar music remind you why it's so special.

The Chill Room, 1 May 2009 11:00pm PST

128k, one hour.

This is one that you have to go into in order to get out. It's not linear, even though I read straight through about thirty pages of the last section of the novel. I am not trying to "act" the text, i.e., no fake Irish brogue, I am just letting the words go on their own and take me with them. It begins sort of haltingly, catching up with itself, grows confident and more and more assured, until I lose myself in the reading and I become Beckett's voice and he becomes me. And then I don't know anymore.

With this I am sort of reminded of the weirdest things I've ever heard on the radio, like how in 1981 on WBAI in New York John Cage did a reading of his Empty Words -- it took about twelve hours and was about putting a Thoreau text to I Ching operations. My favorite part, which ran from about 5 to 6 in the morning, eliminated all vowels from the text and for an hour all Cage read were the consonants of the words. Or back in the mid-90s the amazing Damion Romero played, on his Psychotechnics radio show on L.A.'s KXLU, a forty minute recording of a woman giving birth! While the words I read do make sense, where the consciousness goes during this [unnamable] experience is like nothing I've ever done before.

The Chill Room, 4 April 2009, on killradio.org.

192k, 2 hours in two one hour segments.

Part One -- The Homosexuals

For over twenty five years I told people that one of my very favorite bands was a British postpunk art band called The Homosexuals, but since no one had heard of them, all anyone ever did was look at me funny.

Here are the Homosexuals, their records and a live set from the Echo on March 29. Give them a listen -- you won't believe your ears. Space rock, prog rock, freakbeat psych pop, African drumming, jazzy fusion, dub, even punk and disco all emit from their collective conscious. Along with a March 30 phone interview with leader and chief songsmith Bruno Wizard, this is a deep listen into truly timeless, exciting music for the ages.

All tracks in the first segment are by the Homosexuals.
Prestel / Astral Glamour / Hearts in Exile-Soft South Africans (live 30 March 2009 at the Echo in L.A.) / Vociferous Slam / Flying / (Do the) Total Drop / Walk Before Imitate (WFMU 20 July 2004) / Kiss With Venom / You're Not Moving the Way You're Supposed To / Soft South Africans (slow version) / Jesus

The Homosexuals original trio 1978: Anton Hayman, guitar; Jim Whelton, bass; Bruno Wizard, vocals, drums.

The Homosexuals 2009: Travis Harrison, drums; Dave Siegal, guitar; Mike DeSantos, bass; Bruno Wizard, vocals.

Thanks to Bruno, Dave Parker, Louise Bialik, Steve Streight (he found them first!), wfmu.org, The Echo, Chuck Warner and hyped2death.
http://www.hyped2death.com/HS%20discography.htm
http://www.myspace.com/thehomosexuals

Part Two -- And Beyond

Continuing and concluding the Bruno Wizard interview, and moving from the Homosexuals to other music that I associate with this incredible band. To properly touch on the associations, I present this part in collage. This is music by musicians who may not have the skill to play what they are attempting, yet they don't care and push everything to the extremes. Lush, beautiful and strange, this brings the story up to date.

George Harassment-Making Eyes / The Homosexuals-A Million Keys / The Homosexuals-Radio Hamstory Jam / The Homosexuals-Collapsible You / L.Voag-Your Own Hair-Your Own Chance / The Just Measurers-Calling All Teenagers / L.Voag-We Dress Up Our Ideas To Make Them Seem Greater Than They Really Are / The Just Measurers-It's War Boys / George Harassment-Re-Entry / Sara Goes Pop-Fleeced / The Homosexuals-Walk Before Imitate (The Echo live) / Narky Brillans-"Scotch and Ice" / It's War Boys-I Can't Go On (private tape) / Bing Selfish-Rejkyavic / Lowest Note on the Organ-Trial By Silhouette / It's War Boys-The Vanishing String (private tape) / Lepke B live on the BBC May 2002 / Amos-Steer Clear of England / Die Trip Computer Die-We Are Your Friends

A million keys
to a thousand doors.