The Chill Room

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) / Jack Nitzsche-Performance / Echowanderer-Changes Dub / 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) / 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, 7 November 2009, 0100 PST

160k, 73 minutes.

She has to consider multiple possibilities!

Setlist: Scanner-BBC 2002 / David Hykes Harmonic Choir-Current Circulation / Bree Sharp-Dirty Magazine / Camouflage Danse-Suicide Girl=Gangrene Pete / Throbbing Gristle-Hot on the Heels of Love (Ratcliffe Mix) / Nurse With Wound-Window of Possible Organic Development / Tori Amos on writing music / The Raincoats-No One's Little Girl / Go Home Productions-Dirrrty Stones / The Models-Bend Me Shape me / Joan Baez-Love Is Just a Four Letter Word / Kate Bush-Wuthering Heights / Lulu-To Sir with Love (prechilled) / Jack Smith and Tony Conrad-Carnival of Ecstasy (from Flaming Creatures) / White Noise-My Game of Loving / Cosey Fanny Tutti-Time to Tell / Roland Kayn-Cybernetic Music / Coven-Satanic Mass / The Flamingoes-I Only Have Eyes for You (Traktor mix) / The Petticoats-I'm Free

with thanks to my listeners, wfmu.org, killradio, podomatic, Special thanks to the Reverends, who brought kill back from disconnection. This show was inspired by my friend Kitty Diggins. Photo: Bree Sharp.

These are bumpy times, this may just be a bumpy ride.

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) / 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, 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, 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 September 2009, 00:00 PST on killradio.org

160k, 2 hours 10 minutes, in two 65 minute segments.

"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."
- William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell

Tonight we take on Music That Fails. I'm not talking about "bad music," this is about music that is so ambitious and over-reaching that many consider it to fail. Music that is over the top. This is also about when rock'n'roll grew up into rock, when it became serious. Each song played is an example of how far out it got. History, science and art all in one fine package.

Set list of part one:
The Driving Stupid-Horror Asparagus Stories
Phil Ochs-The Crucifixion (studio version)
The Beatles-It's All Too Much (complete unedited take May 26-June 2, 1967 mono)
The Buckinghams-Susan
Eric Burdon and the Animals-Sky Pilot
Sonny Bono-I Just Sit There (Inner Views)
Jefferson Airplane-The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil (7")
The Monkees-Star Collector

The Chill Room thanks everyone who ever turned me on to music, to wfmu.org for inspiration, to my listeners, to Dave Parker, to Jason and Sarah, to podomatic and to killradio.

You need to get both parts for the whole. And comments are requested.

This is the second half of "The road of excess" show from killradio. You need both parts to get the full statement.

Indulgences, irritations, dance floor nightmares. A little of this could drive some people insane. A little more could change the world. Get comfortable with the palace. This set is a bit darker and harsher than the first half, but then it would have to be.

Set list:
The Rolling Stones-Sing This All Together (See What Happens)
Mad River-The War Goes On
Poppy Nogood (Terry Riley with Averne)-You're No Good (edited)
Fifty Foot Hose-God Bless the Child
Richard Harris-The Hymns from Grand Terrace
Van Dyke Parks-Palm Desert (Song Cycle)
Allen Ginsberg-Birdbrain

"The more I am, the less I know." - George Harrison

The Chill Room, 15 August 2009 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 70 minutes.

I didn't discover them until last year, but I have been playing this band almost every week since I did. Finnish krautrock, edgy experimental ambience and fire, intelligence and adventure. The founder is a guitarist named Jussi Lehtisalo and the band formed in Pori in 1991. Here is a sampling of what makes them stand apart.

All performances by Circle: Madman I / Gravion / Berserk / B.F.F. / Suopea / Kekkone / Hamaat Linnut (Scarecrow on No Man's Land) / Hard to Realize / Viitane / Eripwre / Kultaa / Madman II

under a soft but dense ambient bed that includes Times Square 1983, Paul Schutze, Zoviet France, sex tapes, Damion Romero, Zeitkratzer.

With thanks to wfmu.org, Dave Parker, killradio, podomatic, and the internets.

All Circle material comes from the albums Tulikoira (2005), Miljard (2006), their myspace page, and from wfmu.org.

http://www.myspace.com/circlefinland

This can be difficult and challenging music, but it shines and shimmers like a perfectly cut diamond.

The Chill Room, 8 August 2009, on killradio.org

192k, 70 minutes

A darker 40th anniversary this week, see photo, yet truly a thing of beauty, because when we are able to comprehend our issues, we see clearly. You can even see in the darkness as we make our way up the hill. Are you not loyal to your pride?

Music over intro: Patrick Dorobisz-Extended Games / Set proper: ?-Block (Opera Act V Scene 1) / Circle-Mercy and Tuesday / Damion Romero at REDCAT 29 July 2009 / The Beach Boys-Never Learn Not to Love (Dennis Wilson's rewrite of Charles Manson's song "Cease to Exist") / Nico-Secret Side (she said she would never perform this live until Manson was freed) / Psychic TV-Roman P (7 September 2006 live on WFMU.org) / Big City Orchestra-Bluejay / Yeller Skeltin-Clam Crab Cockle & Cowrie (youtube) / Country Teasers-Thank God for Making Me an Angel / satanicpornocultshop-Wild Party (myspace) / Tori Amos-Only Women Bleed / Tony Bennett-Slow Cold Heart / Mama Cass-Dream a Dream a Little Dream / Sounds Nice-Flying / ?-Prologue (Opera Act 1 Scene 1)

Balboa was a chamber opera, for bass flute and drums with two voices, written by ? (composer) and Bennett Theissen (lyrics and staging). The musicians were double bass Jim Bergman, flute Scott Villiger, percussion John Seremula, and the singers Michelle Rosen and Dennis Goodwin. Written summer 1981, staged at Club Soda fall 1981, and taped for video February 1982.
http://www.greatdome.net/yellerskeltin/
The Damion Romero performance was recorded by bt.

With thanks to wfmu.org, Yeller Skeltin, Michael Schmitt, Damion Romero, killradio, my listeners, and podomatic.
Comments needed.

The Chill Room, 25 July 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org

192k, 68 minutes

The Chill Room is a kind of cultural credit card offered for the exchange of ideas and pleasures. You have a part in this -- leave a comment. Tonight I am revisiting materials collected over recent episodes. This is radio to make you better.

Ingredients in the collage: Scott Williams-Stay Tuned / Tuxedomoon-Devastated / Cracked Latin-My Hallucination / Circle-Eripwre / Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking-1988 / Leadbelly-In the Pines / Suck-Season of the Witch / Train to Poetry City (from No-Body by Richard Foreman) / Miley Cyrus-See You Again / Krys Olsiewicz-I Go Into Your Mind (myspace) / Jean-Luc Godard 1980 interview / Bob Dylan-Just Like a Woman (27 May 1966 Royal Albert Hall, London) / Psychic TV-Foggy Notion (live on WFMU 7 Sept 2006) / AMK-The Lonesome Echo / Brian Routh-Do You Know What I Mean? / Spaceheads-Joyriding / Patrick Dorobisz-Extended Games / Brigitte Bardot-Contact / Ultimate Spinach-Mind Flowers (mono lp)

Special thanks to wfmu.org, my listeners, podomatic, killradio, the ether.

Auditory hallucinations are signs of mental disorder.

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, June 20, 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 67 minutes.

It's Radio Right if you get it, but to paraphrase Richard Feynman, if you think you understand quantum mechanics, then you don't. Seething, bubbling, boiling and coming to the surface, this set has more wild beats than any dance show on pod, but it also slows down because anything that stays in one place for an hour long overstays its welcome. A tight-as-a-drum show, tell people about this and please leave me a comment.

Intro-How It Works / Understanding Pop Art / Patsy Cline-She's Got You / Inancu Dumitrescu-Medium III / Incredible String Band-El Wool Suite (excerpt) / Merzbow-Emu (Merzbird) / Circle-Eripwre (Finnish heavy metal) / Johnny Cash-The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (chilled) / Tomita-Pictures at an Exhibition / Jerry Lewis-I Lost My Heart in the Drive-In Movie (The Patsy) / Richard Foreman-Walled Garden (Language) (February 1982 first reading of Creation Co. production I directed) / Scanner-? / Eric Cordier-Vieux Pays de Mes Peres / Figments Park-Dawn of the Dead / Nurse With Wound-Several Odd Moments Prior to Lunch / George Sarah and Anthony Stewart Head with Holly Palmer-We Can Work It Out (Music for Elevators) / Muslimgauze-Gulf Between Us / Marc Behrens-Architectural Commentary 4 / Brian Eno-French Catalogue / The Shining Path-I Am Becoming God / Nurse With Wound-Salt Marie Celeste / Eyeless in Gaza-No Noise / Elvis Presley-Tomorrow is a Long Time (Spinout) / Omenopus-Qui est ce singe? (world premiere) / Miles Davis-He Loved Him Madly / Mott the Hoople-All the Young Dudes / Outro-How It Works

With special thanks to Louise and L.M. Potts for Omenopus, to wfmu.org for inspiration, to Vicki Bennett because she's the best, to R.Stevie Moore for eternity, to Michael, to Michael, to Dave, and to killradio.

The Chill Room, May 23, 2009 0100 PST, on killradio.org.

192k, 75 minutes, a show about Edie Sedgwick (1943-1971).

"You better do something quick, she's your lover now," warned Bob Dylan. Edie Sedgwick blazed a path across the public consciousness in the mid-60s and has, despite serious problems and even death itself, stayed there.

In this show I outline the details of Edie's cometary trajectory, play some of the music she informed and inspired, and offer several points of view on who she was and how she did.

Andy Warhol's Poor Little Rich Girl with Edie and Chuck Wein / The Voice of Gerard Malanga / Edie Brickell-Little Miss S / American Masters TV doc on Warhol: voices of Andy Warhol, George Plimpton, Laurie Anderson, Ron Tavel, Stephen Koch / Andy Warhol's Inner and Outer Space with Edie, brief excerpt / Bob Dylan-Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat, Just Like a Woman, She's Your Lover Now, Sooner or Later (1966 7") / Velvet Underground-Femme Fatale (single mix) / Kevin Ayers-Girl on a Swing / "The Ciao Manhattan Tapes" / Nico-These Days / Gerard Malanga

Special thanks to Michael Transparency for the Poor Little Rich Girl and Inner and Outer Space DVDs.

Thanks to Louise and to Michael Schmitt, to Gerard Malanga, to Kenny G of WFMU and ubuweb, and all my teachers.

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, March 15, 2009, 00:00 PST, on killradio.org.

160k, 76 minutes. A special devoted to the music of Lane Steinberg.

The Chill Room is experimental, dance and pop musics mixed -- and Lane's oeuvre hits all three with power. This New York based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter's years of incredible music fill me with awe. Listen deep and you will be filled as well.

All tracks by Lane Steinberg 1980-2009.

with R.Stevie Moore-PermaFrost / How Sign Is High?-Back to Stinko (excerpt, from youtube) / Interview with Lane / Timon of Athens / It's Mustafio (myspace) / Your Guess / with R.Stevie Moore-Little House (myspace) / Dr. Kurtz's Program (excerpt, unreleased) / A Pagina Do Relampago Electrico (from Passion & Faith) / Wall of Orchids-Come Back to Me / Tan Sleeve-I Think I Love You / with the Beach Boys-Tidal Wave / The Backtrackers-Take the Medicine Baby (myspace) / with R.Stevie Moore-The Middle (excerpt, from single) / Little Mustafio (The Family Bastard) / Sad Lions / Face Down / with R.Stevie Moore-Sentimental Ties / Cracked Latin-My Hallucination / Away

I do misidentify one Mustafio track in the show, and the audio for the interview isn't perfect, but it's very listenable.

Tan Sleeve is Lane working with Steve Barry Katz. Cracked Latin is Lane with Luis Accorsi.

with thanks to Lane Steinberg, Michael Transparency, wfmu.org, R.Stevie Moore, my listeners, and killradio.

Lane's new album Passion & Faith is now available.

www.lanesteinberg.com
www.transparency.us.com

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.

The Chill Room, 19 October 2008 00:00 PST, on killradio.org. A special on the Velvet Underground.

The Primitives-The Ostrich (early 1965 Pickwick City 7") / Miss Joanie Lee (Factory rehearsal tape 3 Jan 1966) / Andy Warhol introduces the Velvets-Venus in Furs (WNET-New York 7 Feb 1966) / end titles-Heroin (7 Feb 1966) / Hedy or the 14 year Old Girl (bass and guitar rumblings accompanying Warhol film Feb 1966) / Text by Larry McCombs (read by bt, from Boston Broadside July 1966) / Nothing Song-Melody Laughter (excerpts) (Valleydale Ballroom, Columbus Ohio 4 Nov 1966) / The Black Angel's Death Song (4 Nov 1966)

The most important American rock band, and my favorite, in a stretched out almost 100 minute Chill Room special. Long rumored tapes appear decades after they were recorded, and they present us with the evidence of how ahead of their time they were. While dozens of rock bands played long blues-based psychedelic jams, the Velvets' speedy trance-inducing flashes, ambient passages, and wham-bam-crunchy riffs are unlike any other from their time. For the right people, this is a life-changing experience.

Get both parts to see what I mean.

The second half of A Velvet Rush. As you listen, remember that Marshall McLuhan credited the Velvets and Warhol with inventing the light show. And that the Velvets were a dance band, in the sense of raves and trance.

I'm Not A Young Man Anymore (Gymnasium NYC 30 April 1967) / Run Run Run-Sister Ray (excerpt) (30 April 1967) / Pale Blue Eyes (La Cave Cleveland 2 Oct 1968) / Sister Ray-The Murder Mystery (Boston Tea Party 15 Mar 1969) / Head Held High (unused single mix from Loaded sessions June 1970)

This is the second all-Velvets Chill Room special. You can still hear the first, titled Velvet Crush, on radio4all.net at http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/21222.

Feedback requested (yes, a pun, but also seriously, give me some feedback on this stuff). Posted for educational purposes only. With much thanks to Dave Parker for finding that Factory tape, to my listeners and friendly support systems, to John Cale and Sterling and Mo and Doug and yes Lou, and to the Internets.

The Velvet Underground: Lou Reed, guitar, vocals; John Cale, viola, bass, organ, piano, machines, vocals; Sterling Morrison, guitar, bass, vocals; Maureen Tucker, drums; Nico, vocals, Doug Yule, guitar and keyboards, vocals.

This show lives up to its name. Gypsy Death, and You.