Nutshell Cosmos

This eleventh episode featured Stephen Hawking's audiobook The Universe in a Nutshell with The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra and 2 bands from Hamilton Ontario: psychedelic rockers Simply Saucer and indie-rockers Tristan Psionic. Aired January 28, 2009.

Part 1

1. Nebulae – Sun Ra
2. Air Traffic Control – Tristan Psionic
3. Naval Aviation in Art? - Frank Zappa
4. Other Worlds – Sun Ra
5. Illegal Bodies – Simply Saucer
6. Of Heavenly Things – Sun Ra
7. Zone of Compass Unreliability – Tristan Psionic

Part 2

1. Mole Machine – Simply Saucer
2. The Cosmos – Sun Ra
3. Clearly Invisible – Simply Saucer
4. Thither & Yon - Sun Ra
5. Exit Plexit – Simply Saucer

Gunshots & Bloodletting

Words in this episode come from Take All of Murphy, a story played from Vincent Lam's Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, an audiobook of true stories from the operating theatre. Lam's descriptions of medical students cutting into their first cadavers were accompanied for the most part by the ethereal instrumentals of The Hylozoists' CD La Nouvelle Gauche, and complemented by the controlled chaos of John Zorn's Naked City, which was itself offset by the low-fi blues groove of The Pack A.D. and violent experimental rock of the Butthole Surfers' Locust Abortion Technician. Aired January 21, 2009.

1. intro -- The Hylozoists - The Hylozoists
2. You Will Be Shot – John Zorn
3. Naval Aviation in Art? - Frank Zappa
4. A Shot in the Dark – John Zorn
5. Bang – The Pack AD
6. Reanimator – John Zorn
7. Newrealmsofvibration – The Hylozoists
8. James Bond Theme – John Zorn
9. Paper Bag – The Pack AD
10. Weber – The Butthole Surfers
11. Hardtack Saloon #1 – The Pack AD

Part 2

1. Bone Handle – The Pack AD
2. Blood Duster – John Zorn
3. Parisianeyes – The Hylozoists
4. The O-Men – The Butthole Surfers
5. Thecrippledgiant – The Hylozoists
6. Demon Sanctuary – John Zorn
7. Graveyard – The Butthole Surfers
8. Graveyard Shift – John Zorn
9. Gold Rush – The Pack AD
10. Igneous Ejaculation – John Zorn
11. Outro -- Human Cannonball – The Butthole Surfers

Guitars & Birds & Freedom

Episode 9 explored the nature of freedom by reading the bird poems (sprung-rhythm Petrarchan sonnets) of 19th Century Jesuit monk Gerard Manley Hopkins with some ground-breaking solo improvizations from the late British guitarist Derek Bailey. Added to the mix were some Zappa, Hendrix, and several tracks from DOA's 2008 release Northern Avenger, named after Joe Keithley's guitar.

AS a dare-gale skylark scanted in a dull cage
Man’s mounting spirit in his bone-house, mean house, dwells—
That bird beyond the remembering his free fells;
This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life’s age.

Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage,
Both sing sometímes the sweetest, sweetest spells,
Yet both droop deadly sómetimes in their cells
Or wring their barriers in bursts of fear or rage.

(Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1877)

Part 1

1. This Machine Kills Fascists – DOA
2. intro -- M1 – Derek Bailey
3. Human Bomb – DOA
4. Naval Aviation in Art? – Frank Zappa
5. Theme from Captain Black – James Blood Ulmer
6. M2 – Derek Bailey -- As Kingfishers Catch Fire – Gerard Manley Hopkins
7. Revealing – James Blood Ulmer
8. Set Them Free – DOA
9. M6 – Derek Bailey -- The Sea and the Skylark – Hopkins
10. Golden State – DOA

Part 2

1. But Who Was Fulcanelli? – Frank Zappa
2. Flux Capacitor - The Surfadelics
3. M5 – Derek Bailey -- The Windhover - Gerard Manley Hopkins
4. Woodstock Improvization – Jimi Hendrix
5. Last Chance – DOA
6. M7 – Derek Bailey -- The Caged Skylark - Gerard Manley Hopkins
7. California Hardcore Last Chance - DOA
8. M8 – Derek Bailey
9. Villanova Junction – Jimi Hendrix
10. For Duane – Frank Zappa -- outro

The Road to Wealth

This 8th episode, aired February 7, 2009, featured Suse Orman's book-on-cd The Road to Wealth played simultaneously with instrumental tracks and on occasion rudely interrupted by Gogol Bordello's World Underdog Strike CD among others. Suse's staccato delivery worked particularly well with Ornette Coleman's mid 70s free jazz fusion on the Science Fiction LP.

Part 1

1. Intro -- Fiesta from Piano Concerto – Claude Champagne; CBC Montreal Orchestra, Neil Chotem on piano
2. How Many More Years – Howlin' Wolf
3. Naval Aviation in Art? – Frank Zappa
4. Sally – Gogol Bordello
5. from Symphony No. 3 (Allegro Vivace – Lento) - Jacques Joseph Robert Hétu; National Arts Centre Orchestra
6. Do the Manic – The Sleepless Knights
7. Civilization Day – Ornette Coleman
8. Not a Crime – Gogol Bordello
9. I, Robot – Turnbull AC's

Part 2

1. Fast and Frenzied (from Flute Concerto) - R. Murray Schafer; Robert Aitken – flute; Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
2. Immigrant Punk – Gogol Bordello
3. Law Years – Ornette Coleman
4. Fuck Knob – The Quiffs
5. Thunder Dragon (from Music for Heaven and Earth) – Alexina Diane Louie; Esprit Orchestra
6. I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again – Gogol Bordello
7. Rock the Clock – Ornette Coleman
8. Outro – Fiesta from Piano Concerto – Claude Champagne
9. Moanin' at Midnight – Howlin' Wolf