I heard you on Satan’s wireless

Last night took us down one of our favorite paths at Bubbles in the Think Tank East.  The one that examines the love/hate relationship we have with media and its regulation.

We love it when it keeps us connected, lets us know what's going on, makes us laugh hysterically, or at least snicker a little.

We hate it when we can't play something because it might get us in "trouble," we don't hear our position included in the conversation, we're disgusted by what passes as news, or disappointed in the lack of higher thinking in general.

Here in the Tank, we may be silly, but we try to be smart and respect you, the listener.  Hopefully, each and every episode gives you a little something to chew on for the week or at least lets you know how much we care.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:  We're beautiful and brainy at Bubbles in the Think Tank.

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST February 6, 2010 [ 115:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (12)
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07
Feb
2010

Have you ever been told that you look like a llama?

You know llamas are right up there with the monkeys and the chickens in the Bubbles in the Think Tank oeuvre.  Heck, you should have seen me this week fighting back the laughing tears at the new statement of anger:  I'm going to reach back to my second stomach on you.

But we're not angry now.  No, not a bit.

Right now we're elated to see an overnight increase in the Think Tank Posse.  I like to see it grow before my very eyes.  Nod, wink, etc.

And as the new peeps filter into the fold, remind us to speak in complete sentences, to fill in the back stories of history when you don't know what we're talking about, and to keep covering new territory that the Posse can mark as its own.

So enjoy last night's show.  We tried to fill in a blank or two.  But I'm sure we'll have more to fill in later.

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST January 30, 2010 [ 139:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (12)
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31
Jan
2010

I do what I do, indeed I do

January Fairy celebrated her 10th anniversary at Bubbles in the Think Tank last night.  I've just passed 25 years in radio in some form or another with the 20th anniversary of Bubbles right around the corner.

Why do it?  Why deal with wacky stations, the endless fundraising, late nights followed by work the next morning, driving on dark snowy nights when everything else has closed its doors?

Why not do it?  Who doesn't want to share everything that makes them laugh with their friends?

That's you, you know?

I'm sure we're unanimous in this when I say that the Think Tank posse is what keep us coming back week after week, year after year.  Thanks for having us.

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST January 23, 2010 [ 118:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (15)
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25
Jan
2010

We kissed to that voice each night

Getting ready for last night's show had me looking to the past.  I must've listened to a portion of 15 cassettes of Unsanitary Outhouse from the 1986-89 era.  Strangely, most of them did not have Bill Brinkmoeller on them.  Why would I have not recorded more when we did the show together?  When we were together on an odd tape, we sounded like two great friends having a blast spinning tunes and yarns.

I was left with so many questions after the listening session (which, by the way, did not produce what I was looking for), most of them not to be shared aloud.  I did, though, remember that early romance with WAIF and community radio.  How on earth could programming like that be allowed on the air?  Dirty words, dead air, studio noise, talking tech with people off mic.  It had everything that the radio I had been listening to didn't.

Memories of my formative radio years are hazy at best as any tape I listened to suggested.  Taking notes along religiously taping and listening to recordings in the later years certainly aided my long term retention.  My recent archaeological dig through a fraction of UO/BITTT memorabilia unearthed artifacts worthy of the Smithsonian.  Or at least a small shrine in my home or office.  Some of those pics have been migrating their way onto this site, but I hope to someday get a more organized approach for sharing the wealth.

Where's my intern anyway?

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST January 16, 2010 [ 125:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (24)
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17
Jan
2010

Under the stars on a big hard rock

Have you ever listened to Bubbles in the Think Tank outside?  Not just out on the porch, but really out there.

I, obviously, never got to do it.  I've always been inside the studio.  A somewhat controlled environment (I am doing community radio, after all) that tries hard to separate me from the elements.  Not that it's always been totally successful in its separation efforts, but that's another story.

Would nature-listening enhance the experience? Would you be bemused yet alert to more silliness than you would notice under the low ceilings of everyday listening?

Or should I be more focused on the rock part of this post's title?  Sometimes I feel like I'm just banging rocks together looking for that spark of silliness.  Talk about bemused but alert...

Well, enjoy this episode no matter where you may listen.  But do sometime tell me about how your listening environment enhances the experience.

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST January 9, 2010 [ 137:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (30)
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10
Jan
2010

I hear the crash of music and a thousand guitars

Alright, maybe not a thousand guitars. But a couple of times I had the monitor volume loud enough in the studio to think that it was.

It was a wild ride through our 2009 top 10 cds.  It was also an exercise that reminded me of why I never make these lists:  I want to change them almost as soon as I've listed.

Have you got your own top 10?  Why not post them here? Or let me know what you think of these.

Till next week...

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST January 2, 2010 [ 125:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25)
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03
Jan
2010

Top 10 albums so stop asking! No, really, ask for more if you want…

Tune in for tonight's Bubbles in the Think Tank for an earful of these!

Chandler Travis - After She Left
Careful, I may swoon.

Terry Adams Rock & Roll Quartet – Crazy 8s
The man understands the value of new product releases prior to tours of Japan. I love it for "There Should Be a Book,"  plus another version of "Imaginary Radio."

Tennessee Ernie Ford - 6000 Sunset Boulevard
No pea pickin' heart on this record and I am more than ok with that. This collection is a selection from his radio show recordings of 1200 tunes. I want them all.

Geraint Watkins – In a Bad Mood
Smooth and soulful from the best tunesmith no one's ever heard.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – Goodnight Oslo
If Scott McCaughey is on it, why wouldn't it make my list?

Euclid Records 7 inch series
I'll be honest, these records are so good looking I haven't even played them yet. I've been saving them up to be part of tonight's party excitement. They just feel so special.

Hot Shots – Teen Street
It was a long wait for this one and worth every second. Within days of getting my copy from Japan, Clang! issued a US release.

Tommy Ardolino - Unknown Brain
Actually, I don't have the new 2009 vinyl release of this yet, but I do have the Japanese cd version. Not exactly what you'd call easy listening, but it's a great peek into Tommy's teenage brain.

Chris Ligon - Look at the Birdie
I laughed, I cried, I got a little creeped out. What more do I want in an album?

Dennis Diken with Bell Sound - Late Music
"No One's Listening" ... that's just wrong.

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02
Jan
2010

It’s called the cult of inspiration and it is rewarding

Back in the oft-heard chair of the WMFO studios (hey, it's freeform...the chair can do what it wants), I felt right at home as I settled in for a night of Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST style silliness.

But I wasn't settling.  I felt even a little amorphous to start, but the fabulous Lyle and Mike of the Classic Rock Mine provided the perfect bud for the show's flower.  It was one of those nights where I stopped the car to write down what I needed to plant for you to dig it later.

So, my adherents, enjoy this week's show and let me know what kind of treasure you find find in that fertile soil.  It's ok if you only find manure.

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST December 26, 2009 [117:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (37)
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27
Dec
2009

The week has come today

Well, it's official.  No Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST this Saturday night.  But you will be treated to an extended Classic Rock Mine as Mike holds down the fort in my absence.

But, fear not.  You're silly fix is still in the offing, just one night later.  Don't forget to tune in for the original Bubbles in the Think Tank on Sunday night cum Monday morning at midnight eastern as Belinda joins January Fairy and the English Muffin for the annual Heap Big Christmas Mad Lib.  Get your dialing fingers ready starting at 1am to stake your claim to history in the annual festivities.

Who knows who will show up.  You'll just have to listen in...WAIF 88.3FM in the Greater Nati or online right here.

Your presence is demanded as your presents await.

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16
Dec
2009

So meet me on the corner of your life

We've met here before and we'll meet here again.  At least that's what I always tell myself.

I show up at the appointed place and time.  I check the time.  I straighten up.  I look both ways.  I exercise my voice.  I try to appear comfortable and prepared.

I've got things to share with you when you get there.  Hopefully you'll like them and want to know more.  You might even have something to share with me in return.

Or you might not show up at the appointed time.  I'll still be there, sharing with other passersby who choose to stop to find out just what's going on.

Thankfully the corner is no longer so limited.  At least I think I'm thankful about that...

Sometimes it's just good to have you here now.

 
icon for podpress  Bubbles in the Think Tank EAST December 12, 2009 [119:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (54)
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13
Dec
2009
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