Insanity Sounds (#60)

Source available here. The show was originally broadcast on June 15th, 1997.

This show might have been a planned theme show or just named after the theme appeared spontaneously. It seems to hover around/jab at/scurry under the topic of mental health & illness, and it employs delicate as well as blunt instruments. The overall feel is harried, and you can hear a lot of frantic voices, some heavy effects, and an occasionally violent instability, as well as deja vu à la Catch-22 and excerpts from a psychology radio program.

This is a good example of a long-format show which sticks to the collage-mix with little to no break until the end. It's quite difficult to be so frenzied and confused for a straight 90 minutes. Often times the shows drop into musical interludes, but with this one, you get no such breathers.

1. Fuzz For Junk/Extended Cyborg Death Scene
2. A World Insane
3. A Slide Whistle Sneaks Up & Blows in Your Ear
4. Cheering Man Takes His Date to a John Zorn Show
5. Did He Say Dr. Tiger?
6. Strangled or Strangling
7. It's the Bomb-ardier, & He's Still All Right
8. Recipe: Waco Funk-Rock Puree
9. Happy Place Soundtrack
10. Twinkling Spasms in Turtle Soup
11. Talkin' World War Baby Telephone Call Blues
12. Time Travel in the Seventies/Sound of Blood
13. Black Belt Coming Down

Upcoming Holiday, 2-for-1 Sale

In light of the national holiday and my own 8th wedding anniversary, I am preparing to post the next two shows this weekend. One reason is that I am really enjoying revisiting the shows.

Second, this will mean that the bonus post will be a show originally from July 3, 1997, almost exactly thirteen (13) years ago to the day. Seems to me like a coincidence worth celebrating.

Here's hoping your plans to grill your food over flames and explode small, controlled incendiary devices go well and with only minor injuries.

The Clumsy Attempt (#58)

Source here. Originally aired May 29th, 1997.

Once again, I'm stumped for a Theme. This may be the reason this particular tape is called "The Clumsy Attempt". It does have a lot of experiments with negative space, though. One problem you get with a collage show (especially a college collage show), is the urge to throw everything at the broadcast antenna you can in the space of the hour or so you have allotted.

This is a mistake.

The value of "less" cannot be overstated. I could go into lots of music theory about why this is the case, but this is something to hear more than write about. Listen to pop music all this week, and if you find yourself confused and disoriented, consider what the music would be like if producers followed a maxim of "less".

1. Crazy Birds are the new Crazy Dinosaurs
2. Zoo Gymnastic Meet
3. Carly Simon / Mr T. / Tammy Faye
4. Field Mice and Bad Jokes
5. Smugglers and Marriage
6. Somebody Else's Problem
7. Fish
8. And Mice Jesus
9. French Dressing
10. Oh My God It's Amway
11. Twitchy Violins
12. Z-Man Speaks
13. Americana

Added by Ian F-r:
This show's flowsheet, with Stern comments added.

Black Boxes (#57)

Source here. Originally recorded on May 22nd, 1997.

I hesitate to say this is a completely muddled mess, because sometimes it just worked out that way. However, in this case we were working with a particular CD and everything just snowballed on itself. The CD was Des Incurables, by Disque 9. And it seemed to infect everything in the show with its off kilter chewy distorted craziness.

I mean, the whole thing is sort of nuts, even the perverse hip-hop stuff at the end.

1. Maybe actually too much stuff going on at once
2. Non-ICP Dark Carnival
3. Jazz Fusion with occasional bursts of Metal
4. Hand Cranked Distortion Pedal
5. Guitar Meets Angle Grinder
6. Brian Eno has a Clumsy Intern
7. Crosstown Moped Muppet Traffic
8. Mushroom Disco
9. Tammy Faye Break
10. Twitchy Creepy Talking Moment
11. Put up the oars and get with the Lord
12. Can't ford the Fjord in a Ford
13. Rocking out with the Chorus

Added by Ian F-R:
I'm so glad to hear this show (and the Disque 9 itself) again. This is one of those records that haunts you for years as a lost unknown classic.
This show's sparse flowsheet.

Fuller Brush Man (#55)

Source here. Originally recorded on May 15, 1997

Yes, I skipped a week.

Sometimes, things get a little busy.

I've made it up to you, though, because this one is EXTRA LONG. Initially, when I was ripping these tapes, when I got to a show that took up two tapes, I'd paste them together. That turned out to be much more of a pain than I thought it would be, so I stopped. This is a show from before that.

Lots of interesting voice samples again, from speeches, stories, and radio plays. More use of reverb, and much more French House music than is necessary.

1. Rubber Band Reverb Speech
2. Round and Round
3. Now you are Scratching
4. Make French House Sound Even More Like Space Disco
5. (#4 Reprise)
6. Piano Prepared by Aliens
7. Tight Loop Kung Fu Battle
8. Do Not Argue with the Cops
9. Coyotes signify wilderness
10. Redneck Rave-Up
11. Excuse Me, Sir
12. Focus! Man!
13. There is No Exemption for Home Taping
    

Added by IanF-R:
This show's flowsheet.