I am a history professor who grew up in Western New York, but now find myself teaching in Western Montana. My primary areas of interest and research are in American cultural history, especially in relation to the intersection of popular culture and politics. This blog is primarily to help me keep in touch with my far-flung family and friends, and give me the chance to spout off a bit on whatever happens to be on my mind.
Dr. John's Record Shelf is my weekly radio program on KDWG, 90.9 FM broadcast from the University of Montana Western. My goal is to offer an eclectic mix of various styles, genres and eras, focusing primarily (but not exclusively) on music that you won't hear anywhere else on the dial (at least not in SW Montana). My co-host, Art Vandelay and I (with the assistance of station flunky Rico Muckman) also provide some additional bits to liven up the show, including Three People I Know (where I mention three people I know), The Cultural Corner (where we engage in lively banter on art, literature and poetry), Dr. John's Top Five (where we take a shot at ranking almost anything), and Record Shelf Theater (where we re-create a scene from some famous movie, play or TV show). If you find yourself in Dillon, tune us in; otherwise, below are some lists of songs that have been aired on recent shows:
Dr. John's Record Shelf 121104
Bill Fay, "This World"
Steve Goodman, "Turnpike Tom"
Ani DiFranco, "Which Side Are You On?"
Bruce Springsteen, "We Are Alive"
Decemberists, "Don't Carry It All"
Carole King, "Pleasant Valley Sunday"
Drivin'n'Cryin', "Moonshot"
Bruce Cockburn, "Wondering Where the Lions Are"
Neil Young & Crazy Horse, "Oh Susannah"
Texas, "Postcard"
Bob Dylan, "Soon After Midnight"
Charms, "American Way"
Belle & Sebastian, "I Want the World to Stop"
Krayolas, "Find a Girl"
Beatles, "Tomorrow Never Knows"
Neko Case, "Things That Scare Me"
Avett Brothers, "Will You Return"
Craig Finn, "New Friend Jesus"
Dr. John's Record Shelf 121028
Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues"
Golden Shoulders, "I Will Light You on Fire"
Spoon, "Finer Feelings"
Girls, "Just a Song"
Devandra Banhart, "Shabop Shalom"
Gaslight Anthem, "The '59 Sound"
Those Darlins, "Mystic Mind"
Son Seals, "I Can't Hold Out"
Johnny Ace, "Pledging My Love"
Charlotte Gainsbourg, "Dandelion"
Aimee Mann, "Borrowing Time"
Elliott Smith, "Between the Bars"
Carpenters, "It's Going to Take Some Time"
Hayes Carll, "Girl Downtown"
Fiery Furnaces, "Even in the Rain"
Billy Ward & the Dominoes, "Chicken Blues"
Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause, "You Think You Know Me"
Sophie Zelmani, "Most of the Time"
Dr. John's Record Shelf 121021
Cabaret Voltaire, "No Escape"
Us3, "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)"
Hank Mobley, "The Break Through"
Rodriguez, "Sugar Man"
Mary Weiss, "My Heart is Beating"
Pete Shelley, "Think For Yourself"
Buddy Holly, "Take Your Time"
Raincoats, "No One's Little Girl"
Detroit Cobras, "Ya Ya Ya"
Public Image, LTD, "Public Image"
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, "Bad Reputation"
Love Is All, "Wishing Well"
Louie & the Lovers, "I KNow You Know"
Forty-Fives, "The Devil Beats His Wife"
John P. Strohm, "Better Than Nothing"
The Naysayer, "Currency"
Sir Douglas Quintet, "Who'll Be Next in Line"
The Seeds, "Mr. Farmer"
Dr. John's Record Shelf 121014
TV on the Radio, "Second Song"
Can, "Oh Yeah"
White Stripes, "300 MPH Torrential Downpour Blues"
Mary Lou Lord, "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"
T-Bone Burnett, "The Murder Weapon"
New Bomb Turks, "Statue of Liberty"
Ramones, "Surfin' Bird"
Paris Sisters, "Dream Lover"
Lee Dorsey, "Ride Your Pony"
Michael Hurley, "Sweet Lucy"
Gary Numan, "Cars"
Neil Diamond, "Delirious Love"
Undertones, "We All Talked About You"
Shadows of Knight, "Shake"
Cub, "Magic 8 Ball"
Rilo Kiley, "The Frug"
Terry Allen, "Lubbock Woman"
Kinks, "Lincoln County"
Dr. John's Record Shelf 121007
Corin Tucker Band, "Summer Jams"
Go-Betweens, "Too Much of One Thing"
Feelies, "Change Your Mind"
Billy Bragg & the Blokes, "Baby Faroukh"
Marcia Griffiths, "Don't Let Me Down"
Velvet Crush, "Hold Me Up"
Chris Mills, "Calling All Comrades"
Insect Trust, "Hoboken Saturday Night"
Broken West, "So It Goes"
REM, "Exhuming McCarthy"
Dire Straits, "Twisting By the Pool"
Tom Rush, "Urge for Going"
Paul Westerberg & Joan Jett, "Let's Do It"
Fred Astaire, "Cheek to Cheek"
The Who, "I Can See For Miles"
Liz Phair, "Uncle Alvarez"
Steve martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, "King Tut"
This one is for all you good folks who enjoy spending time in your kitchens or, alternatively, whipping up a few lines of verse at your writing table:
2 comments:
Anonymous
said...
After listening to the top five list for some time, I have to finally ask... What is that picture next to the electronic components?
I assume you are in the KDWG studio. Is it an album cover on the wall? Has the studio changed since 2003? I remember all the CD players on the left and the level dials in the center, yet the point of view appears to be from the right?
Hi Michael, It's actually a picture of my niece Natalie that sits on the end of my office work table, which also includes my stereo system. I got into the habit of recording my show when it first started so I could check my performance and make improvement. I kept it up so I could send copies to family and friends who weren't in the listening area and to extract bits for possible re-broadcast (mainly Record Shelf Theater segments). When I started the blog, I thought I would embed the Top Fives but couldn't figure out how to do just the audio. Uploading a video, though was easy, so I just aimed a camera at the radio on my desk (with the adjacent picture visible) to capture the recorded audio that way. I hope that clears up the mystery! Dr. John p.s.- I don't think the layout of the studio has changed since you were there, though some of the equipment has been replaced over time. By the way, I don't know how close you are, but if you can make it down to Dillon on Friday, April 15, there's a big festival planned to celebrate the station's tenth anniversary-- a bunch of bands, graffiti artists, a beer garden, etc. running from about 3 to 10. It'd be great to see you if you can make it.
2 comments:
After listening to the top five list for some time, I have to finally ask... What is that picture next to the electronic components?
I assume you are in the KDWG studio. Is it an album cover on the wall? Has the studio changed since 2003? I remember all the CD players on the left and the level dials in the center, yet the point of view appears to be from the right?
The mystery is too much, doctor.
-michael
Hi Michael,
It's actually a picture of my niece Natalie that sits on the end of my office work table, which also includes my stereo system. I got into the habit of recording my show when it first started so I could check my performance and make improvement. I kept it up so I could send copies to family and friends who weren't in the listening area and to extract bits for possible re-broadcast (mainly Record Shelf Theater segments). When I started the blog, I thought I would embed the Top Fives but couldn't figure out how to do just the audio. Uploading a video, though was easy, so I just aimed a camera at the radio on my desk (with the adjacent picture visible) to capture the recorded audio that way. I hope that clears up the mystery!
Dr. John
p.s.- I don't think the layout of the studio has changed since you were there, though some of the equipment has been replaced over time. By the way, I don't know how close you are, but if you can make it down to Dillon on Friday, April 15, there's a big festival planned to celebrate the station's tenth anniversary-- a bunch of bands, graffiti artists, a beer garden, etc. running from about 3 to 10. It'd be great to see you if you can make it.
Post a Comment