Black Forest Myth

No.155, aired January 25, 2012. This episode began with the arrival of a double-CD live set of Sun Ra from the early 1970s – Black Myth / Out In Space – and from there it was only a matter of finding supporting material from Buckethead’s Cuckoo Clocks of Hell CD, Schoenberg’s psychodrama set in the woods, Erwartung, and a live reading from pages 76-79 of the densest forest in English Literature, Finnegans Wake.

Part 1

1. Erwartung, Scene I – Arnold Schoenberg (composer) / Janis Martin (Soprano) / BBC Symphony Orchestra
2. No End In Sight – Contaminate
3. Naval Aviation In Art? – Frank Zappa
4. The Black Forest – Buckethead
5. Black Forest Myth – Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra
6. India Speaks Cryptically To The World – Swelter
7. Erwartung, Scene II – Arnold Schoenberg (composer) / Janis Martin (Soprano) / BBC Symphony Orchestra
8. Numbskull – Contaminate
9. Friendly Galaxy No.2 - Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra
10. Swift Pulls A Fast One – Swelter

Part 2

1. Oblivion Trail - Swelter
2. Erwartung, Scene III – Arnold Schoenberg (composer) / Janis Martin (Soprano) / BBC Symphony Orchestra
3. Deadly Sins – Contaminate
4. Strange Worlds / Black Myth / It’s After The End Of The World - Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra
5. Dismal Land – Swelter
6. Woods Of Suicide – Buckethead
7. Zone Of Compass Unreliability – Tristan Psionic

Cosmo-Orgazmic Finale

No.149, aired December 14, 2011. This was the finale of the Orgazmo-Cosmic Ascension series, featuring the 1st edit of John Coltrane’s Ascension (the 2nd was played on June 1, 2011 to kick off the series).

The episode culminated with a playing of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (on audiobook) with the final few minutes of Ascension – an episode wherein Neptune raises his trident as the sea rises apocalyptic and armies of dolphins invade the woods – unplanned but strangely appropriate!

Part 1

1. Whatever Would Beckett Have Said - Swelter
2. Descent Garden – Emetics
3. Cage Around The Sun – Monster Magnet
4. Naval Aviation In Art? – Frank Zappa
5. Ascension, edit 1 – John Coltrane

Part 2

1. Ascension, edit 1 (continued) – John Coltrane
2. Caving In – Emetics
3. Dinosaur Vaccum – Monster Magnet

Cozmo-Orgazmik Components + Un-Poems

No.130, aired July 20, 2011, the fourth in the Cosmo-Orgazmic Ascension series (see no.123 for info). The featured disc this time was Bobby Hutcherson’s 1965 jazz masterpiece Components, which was accompanied by an on-air reading of Dennis Lee’s incredible Un-Poems, the tonic twists of which did such lovely tango with the ping pong pounces of Hutcherson’s vibes. Another Best Episode Ever candidate.

Part 1

1. Riding That Oblivion Trail – Swelter
2. Pastoral – Bobby Hutcherson
3. Think Locally Fuck Globally – Gogol Bordello
4. Naval Aviation In Art? – Frank Zappa
5. A Grim Occupation In A Grim Landscape – Swelter
6. Movement – Bobby Hutcherson
7. Common Blood – Jungle
8. Little B’s Poem – Bobby Hutcherson

Part 2

1. Sex Mad – Nomeansno
2. Juba Dance – Bobby Hutcherson
3. Hey Little Child – Jungle
4. Air – Bobby Hutcherson
5. It’s So Fuck’N Great To Be Alive – Jungle
6. Dead Bob – Nomeansno
7. Madam, Your Grave Is Ready – Forbidden Dimension
8. March Of The Crabs - Anvil

Hot & Putrid

No.126, aired June 22, 2011, the Summer Solstice Special, featuring music & spoken word from Frank Zappa’s Civilization Phase III, The Red Hot Lovers, Regina’s Swelter, Sun Ra’s Pathways To Unknown Worlds, and readings from Ulli Freer’s Burner On The Buff.

Part 1

1. Hot and Putrid – Frank Zappa
2. High After Death – Red Hot Lovers
3. “Flowing Inside Out” – Frank Zappa
4. Naval Aviation In Art? – Frank Zappa
5. “I Had A Dream About That” – Frank Zappa
6. The Leper’s Honeymoon – Swelter
7. Gross Man / “A Tunnel Into Muck” – Frank Zappa
8. Dice Of The Knucklebone – Swelter
9. Why Not – Frank Zappa
10. Teenage Thunder – Red Hot Lovers
11. “Put A Little Motor In Em” – Frank Zappa
12. Extension Out – Sun Ra – “Sinking Ink Possibilities” / “tenderness desire” / “bite to copy buff” – Ulli Freer

Part 2

1. “You’re Just Insultin’ Me, Aren’t You!” – Frank Zappa
2. The Wolves Do Their Own Hunting – Swelter
3. Cold Light Generation – Frank Zappa
4. Rob The Dead – Red Hot Lovers
5. Dio Fa / “That Would Be The End Of That” – Frank Zappa
6. The Gods Were Fucking – Swelter
7. Cosmo-Media – Sun Ra –- “Spreading Like There Is” – Ulli Freer
8. Staggering Into The Night - Swelter

Winter Solstice 2010

No.102, aired December 22, 2010, third annual Winter Solstice special, celebrating imaginative peaks & outer darkness. Featuring further passages from Joseph Conrad’s Heart Of Darkness, audiobook ran simultaneous with mostly Braxton’s Open Aspects, but also with other tracks. Played four Nursery Hymns by W.B. Yonder (a.k.a. Regina’s Patrick Johnson), where he sets nursery rhymes to classical hymns, thus re-uniting once popular (as opposed to classical) tunes with popular (as opposed to religious) content – more info at http://www.wbyonder.citymax.com/firstpage.html.

Part 1

1. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star / Redhead No.76 – W.B. Yonder
2. Overture To A Holiday In Berlin – Mothers Of Invention
3. Dead Christmas – Monster Magnet
4. Baa, Baa, Black Sheep / Melita – W.B. Yonder
5. Naval Aviation In Art? – Frank Zappa
6. The Only Junior Fiction – Godfried & Soy
7. Open Aspect, No.1.2 – Anthony Braxton
8. Eansy-Weensy Spider / Judas Maccabeus - W.B. Yonder
9. The Treeman – Buckethead

Part 2

1. This Old Man / Praise, My Soul - W.B. Yonder
2. All Friends & Kingdom Come – Monster Magnet
3. Open Aspect, No.6 – Anthony Braxton
4. Staggering Into The Night – Swelter
5. A Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown – Mothers Of Invention
6. Sailin’ On – Bad Brains

Canadadaday

July 1, 2009 Canada Day episode, featuring live readings of E.J. Pratt's Towards the Last Spike, F.R. Scott's The Canadian Social Register and Scott's brief retort to Pratt, All the Spikes But the Last. Readings were accompanied by orchestral works by various Canadian composers.

Part 1
1. Oh Canaduh - Subhumans
2. Canadian Customs - Frank Zappa
3. Divertissement for String Quartet - Pierre Mercure
4. The Only Junior Fiction - Godfried & Soy
5. Inquisition Day - Subhumans
6. Carnival Overture for Orchestra - Oskar Morawetz
7. Surfin' Canada - Lungbutter
8. Look at the Dawn - Subhumans

Part 2
1. Naval Aviation in Art? - Frank Zappa
2. Ronald McRaygun - Dayglo Abortions
3. Concerto For Piano & Orchestra: Allegro - Michael Conway Baker
4. Staggering Into the Night - Swelter
5. So Fine - The Real Slow Drag
6. Canadian Mosaic, Suite for Orchestra: The Contented House - Jean Coulthard
7. Elan for Orchestra - Linda Bouchard
8. Proud To Be a Canadian - Dayglo Abortions
9. Broken Ship - Immaculate Machine