Observation

It's interesting that no one can ever look cool around their family. All the posturing you do to impress your friends, all the fun stuff that you did that you want to mention and talk about, and all the music / movies / books / comics / etc. that you know about that is worth mentioning at a party, doesn't matter for shit around people who watched you cry about your first girlfriend, and remember when you would dance and sing along to Fleetwood Mac. It's just one of those rules of nature that, when in the presence of your family, you are about 100 times less cool than you are any other time of the day.

How you deal with that, however, is the true measure of a man.

Brothers & Sisters

To make up for missing my regular broadcast yesterday, I increased the cast of my show two-fold as I brought in two of my blood relations to help DJ the hour away. Let me introduce you to Karly and Kyle Rich, appearing during a special Sunday coverage broadcast (covering PDX Soundtracks, the show on Sundays at 3 PM). Ob-soive:

Episode 030: A Family Affair Part II
(Featuring music picked out by my brother and sister.)

Playlist & Footnotes.

Next week we'll be back at our regular day and time, so tune in for a DJ set like none other.

See ya in six.

Stragglers

A few more pictures of Horde of Two popped up, which are now visible as part of the photo set, and slide show. Thanks again, Ricardo Wang!

When Radio Discovers Itself

This week, I've got almost four hours of radio for you, most of it extremely self-refrential. "Radio About Radio" goes all the way back to my first 2009 broadcast, but this time, it appears in a much more concentrated, two-hour presentation, heavily influenced by Negativland. Ob-soive:

Episode 029: A Sound Salvation (Radio About Radio) Part I
Episode 029: A Sound Salvation (Radio About Radio) Part II
(Featuring all songs about Radio itself, including some valuable information from a professional DJ.)

Playlist & Footnotes.

Since this is not the first time I've tackled this subject, I did a special FM / Inter-Web-A-Tron only broadcast of that first 2009 show, during the 11 AM hour this morning.

Repeat of Episode 001: Of A Beginning

Original Playlist & Footnotes

Lastly, I let my iPod run the show for most of the 10 AM hour (about 10 minutes in), which is always hilarious for those who are curious about what helps me survive the long bus commutes I regularly have to make.

10 AM: DJ iPod
(For completists only.)

Thanks again for all the callers and listeners. I've already got a lot of ideas for a follow up show. Tune in next SUNDAY at NOON (just for next week) for Part II in a series: "A Family Affair." This time, there's three of us. Yikes!

See ya in Seven... ish.

Top Of My Head

I wish I had some great thought, some epiphany, or even a funny observation, that I could post here that would make everyone scratch their heads, become more humble, and see the world in a new and interesting way. But that doesn't seem to be happening lately; after a grueling year of classes, I find myself in full-on summer, with no job, no girlfriend, no money, and swaths of free time witch which I could use in whatever no-cost way I see fit. I've even been on vacation already. Why don't I have something amazing and crazy to share with ya'll?

No news is good news, I guess, and 'round here there is nothing new to report. My days are filled with reading Love & Rockets, writing, working on radio tidbits, and playing with the cat and ducks; and my nights are filled with Dr. Who, peanut butter cookies, and checking again to see if I still don't have any money. It's a strange life to be living. There's nothing to be tragically, horrifically, devastatingly upset about, except all the things that everyone is upset about. More than anything, there is a thick blanket of waiting lying on top of me, and the more I struggle with it the slower time seems to pass.

Maybe there's a Miles Davis album I haven't heard yet. Somewhere...

Finally: The Caped Crusader Returns To The Air!

I know, I know. One of the newest features on Blasphuphmus Radio was set on the back burner for so long, you thought we'd almost forgotten about it. Well, it took a while to wade through all the live bands and special guests, but we finally sorted it all out, and have returned with Part IV of the chronicles of Superman. This week, the mighty conclusion of, The North Star Mining Company. Ob-soive!:

Episode 028: Blasphuphmus Radio Theater Presents!: The Adventures of Superman, Part IV
(Featuring three vintage 1940 recordings of the legendary The Adventures of Superman serial, including contemporary music and commercials as a continuous broadcast.)

Playlist & Footnotes.

This one's a shocker, and includes a huge twist to the ongoing story at the very end! You won't want to miss this.

Tune in next week for a special two-hour music blast as I cover for What's This Called? Time to return to my roots...

See ya in seven.

Holga of Two

This Just In: when I hosted Horde of Two a couple weeks ago, Ricardo Wang stuck around to shoot a few pictures with his Holga camera. If you've never seen his camera-work before, you should definitely look at his Flickr Page, which has a number of photos taken at KPSU, and quite of few of his own arty snaps from all over the place. I highly recommend his work.

So, now included in the Horde of Two photoset are his Holga snaps, which are also available in the slideshow. It's this kind of tireless dedication to our shows and guests that sets us apart from your average, too-cool-for-school, hungover College Radio DJ.

Santiago Latorre!

About a month ago (May 30th) I had the pleasure of hosting Santiago Latorre as he came to the KPSU studios to play a set of live music, and promote the show later that evening. The set was fantastic, but my camera crapped out at the last minute, and I was unable to snap any shots. Fortunately, one of his elite entourage was able to take a handful of pictures, and finally, through the beauty of modern technology, I can bring them to you, too.

Entire Photoset

Slideshow

Enjoy!

The Return

Coming home is just as strange and weird as leaving or traveling. For a few hours you're not used to being stationary, and regardless of when you get home, you're tired and groggy but it's too late for a nap and not early enough to just go to bed. And when was the last time you ate? Ugh.

So now I've slept and am faced with the daunting task of unpacking my baggage, physical and emotional. Spending a week with three generations of any family is bound to be unusual for a variety of reasons, and if you happen to be a relation too, stand back. Things could get... familial.

For a week that contained at least one national holiday, things were fairly subdued, actually. Most of the time was filled with the usual conversations and mundane experiences that usually brims over onto the table during similar occasions. My 91 year old grandma had some great stories to tell about building planes for the US during WWII (her partner in construction was actually named Rosie), my mom bought me my first tailored suit, and my sister took me to see my first Amanda Palmer show. My brother, taking a slightly different approach to the visit, instead offered to watch TV between his general grumpiness and complaints. So it goes.

And now I'm home, with my summer vacation already over, and a slight panic that perhaps I left something behind that I can't yet remember what it is. Was it on the coffee table? The entertainment center? Or in the bathroom. I keep searching my suitcase, trying to see what's missing, but I can't find it yet.

I'll make sure to let you know when I do, though.

4th of July Treat

Even though I was out of town for my usual show this week, there was a two-fold treat for those who just can't get enough Blasphuphmus Radio. Live, in the studio, Ricardo Wang did a special two-hour version of No Skinny Ties in honor of our Nation's most important celebration. Those of you who tuned in live got to experience that. However, there is also an internet-only treat for the truly dedicated listener. Ob-soive:

Episode 027: Retrocast: "Live From An Actual 4th of July Bar-B-Que" 2007
(Featuring phone interviews with Johnny & Tom, each present at an actual 4th of July Celebration.)

Playlist & Footnotes.

This is one of my all-time favorite shows, and now it can be yours, too, with a mere Inter-Web-A-Tron download. Can you believe it?

Tune in next week, when I actually DJ an hour of radio for a change of pace. What will happen? Who can say? Tune in and find out.

See ya in seven.