Monday, December 23, 2024

Hell's Kitchen Radio #553: Yuletide Hell

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Being the resident non-holiday-celebrating host that I am, I figured I'd host a holiday show. Go figure. I'm no bah humbuger however. Oh no, far from it. I was married to two, count them TWO women who were both very much into the decorate-the-house-get-a-tree and all that jizzy jazz. And who did most of the decorating with glee? Me! Your own Hellacious Claus. 

And I have the collection of holiday music to go along with it. This is merely a tiny drop in the bucket of what I had to offer.

HUGE thanks goes out to the late great Mikl-em for providing much of what you heard tonight. What a fabulous human he was, and we're still at a great loss without him. FUCK CANCER!

So twinkle your lights and go drink something that'll make you merry. I'll take care of the next two hours for you.

If I'm in next week it'll be a sort of Best of 2024. There was a lot of great music this year. See you then.

Enjoy and please have a safe and a reflective holiday season.

jh

Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto: Belle and Sebastian
The Christmas Song: James Brown
Father Christmas, Do Not Touch Me: The Goodies

Run Rudolph, Run: William Shatner
Yingle Bells: Yogi Yorgesson
You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch: Thurl Ravenscroft

Baby, It's Cold Outside: Ray Charles with Nina Simone
Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Little Drummer Boy: David Bowie and Bing Crosby
Christmas Wrapping: Kylie Minogue with Iggy Pop

Merry Christmas From The Family: Robert Earl Keen Jr.
Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy: Reverend Horton Heat
'Zat You, Santa Claus?: Louis Armstrong
Father Christmas Dressed in Green: Wild Billy Childish and the Musicians of the British Empire

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: Jerry Garcia and David Grisman (December 09, 1991)
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem: Emmylou Harris

Allen Toussaint: Silent Night, Holy Night
Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope: Martin Mull
Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis: Tom Waits

Father Christmas: The Kinks
Jingle Bell Rock: The Fall
I'll Be Home For Christmas: Doris Day
Santa Claus and His Old Lady: Cheech and Chong
Up on the Housetop: The Jambalaya Cajun Band

Fairytale of New York: The Pogues
Zan Vevede: Angelique Kidjo

Frosty the Snowman: Los Straightjackets
Carolina Christmas: Squirrel Nut Zippers
We Wish You Merry Christmas: John Denver and the Muppets
Auld Lang Syne: Chriss Issac
Hanukkah Schmanukkah: Rachel Lark
Silent Night: Brian Wilson

Monday, December 16, 2024

Hell's Kitchen Radio #552: Inner City Hell

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Hot damn, it was cold in the Radio Valencia studio on Monday night. It took a real hot set of music to turn up the heat. I often walk the line of telling it like it is and just getting the heck off the mic so you can enjoy the music. I even have a music bed, performed by the magnificent singer/songwriter Adam MacKintosh, that keeps me honest at about three minutes in length. There's a method to my madness. I need more than three minutes to tell it like it is. 

Each week I go through my record collection searching for whatever is tickling my fancy this week. I'm also listening to a lot of radio (Radio Valencia, KFJC, KALX, KEXP, WFMU, and others as I commute daily). There are so many great DJs turning me on to new music. 

If you're thinking of what to get your loved ones for a gift, I strongly encourage music. No albums in the house? Buy a turntable! Only listening via an app? Get the Bandcamp app and support the artists directly. But let's all agree that cassettes were wrong the first time around (other than mix tapes) and should never make a comeback. This coming from the guy who worked the cassette room at Tower Records, and owned thousands of bootleg tapes. There is nothing redeemable about cassettes. Though there is something to be said about buying an off-brand best of southern rock cassette while on a road trip. 

I do have a few boxes of my airchecks from my many years at KFJC. Those have to be incredibly embarrassing to listen to. There was a show I hosted in 1991 (one of my early graveyard shifts when I was the Reverend Dah Wave), when I was taking call in confessions (I didn't know it was a priest that took confessions, so there ya go). We didn't have a delay at KFJC, so I took a real risk that the callers weren't going to swear. Luckily no one did. And many of the callers were my friends, up late and very imbibed. The great Oz, the Watermonk of Dah (aka Noa Oz Appleton) was in the studio with me. We took a few very hilarious calls. 

Unbeknownst to me, my program director was listening in too. I got a stern talking to (understatement of 1991) and was lucky to keep my shift. I listened back to that aircheck a few years later. It was so cringey that I took the tape out of my car stereo and threw it in the back seat. I wonder where that thing is??? Do I dare listen back? Should I digitize it? Should I share it on Radio Valencia?!?!?!??!

As for this show, I'm as cringey as ever, but I own that now.

All vinyl. Nothing new. Many genres. All worth your time.

I'll be hosting an alternative XMas show on Monday, December 23rd. Tune in and enjoy the hot cocoa on me. Maybe that'll heat up the studio this time around.

Enjoy and please share.
 
jh

Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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I Fuck Around: Melvins
We're a Happy Family: Ramones

Gone Daddy, Gone: Violent Femmes
Midnight Special: Harry Belafonte
On The Sunny Side of the Street: Ella Fitzgerald

Inner City Blues: Grover Washington Jr.
Othelia: Yusef Lateef
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry: Bob Dylan
Go To Satan: Rube Waddell

Down, Down, Down: Tom Waits
In Heaven There Is No Beer: Polkacide

To Defy The Laws of Tradition: Primus
Eminence Front: The Who
Broken Hands: Mudhoney

Notes and Chords Mean Nothing to Me: Monkeywrench
Deuce: Redd Kross
Backdoor Medley: ZZ Top

Vacancy: Neil Young
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night: Iggy Pop
Sunday Morning: Velvet Underground with Nico

Uh Oh, Loves Comes To Town: Talking Heads
This Is Not A Love Song: Public Image Ltd.
Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis: Neko Case


Monday, December 09, 2024

Hell's Kitchen Radio #551: I Am SpartaHell

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Call me LuigiHell because I'm slaying tonight!

Seriously though, what's it going to take to wake people up...to the fabulous music that's being played on Radio Valencia? And to the Hell that awaits soulless CEOs and corporations that suck off the teet of the common people? 

I really hope that Africaaner leech oligarch is looking over his shoulder right now. That guy needs some comeuppance.

As for the music, holy moly this was a fun show to produce!

You got you some folk, blues, jazz, funk, punk, psych, garage, post-punk and more! All that you've come to know and love on Hell's Kitchen Radio.

Now, let's cook us up some oligarchs! 

Enjoy and please share.

jh

Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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Conservative, Christian, Right-Wing, Republican Straight White American Males: Todd Snider
Mojo Hand: Lightnin' Hopkins

Little Red Rooster: The Grey Ghost
Be Proud To Be A Black Man: Bee Houston

Ida Mae: Sonny Terry
The Cosmos: Sun Ra
The White Man's Gotta God Complex: The Last Poets
You Better Have A Gun: Fantastic Negrito

Whatever Turns You On: The Bell Reys
The Assembly Line: Commodores

P Funk: Parliament
Pass the Peas: The JBs

Doing In My Head: Amyl and the Sniffers
Lights Out/She Don't Want That: Midnight Snaxx
Excuse Me: The Linda Lindas
I Dream of Jesus: Dead Milkmen

Goatbrain: GOAT
Plastic Plant: Oh Sees
Reputation: CIA
Sex Bomb: Flipper
Meathouse: Negative Trend

Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks: The Rapture
Marques Cha-Cha: The Fall

Send Me A Postcard: Shocking Blue
Daylight: The Kinks

Monday, December 02, 2024

Hell's Kitchen Radio #550: Inspiration Move Me Brightly

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Inspiration comes in many forms, but for tonight it was a pile of vinyl and an old friend. We held a very rare in-person Radio Valencia meeting before my show with 18 members of our staff (35 current shows). One of our staffers, the Alchemist, Saturdays 6-10pm, has been a close friend of mine since we first met when working at Tower Records back in 1989. Yes, that's a longterm friend right there.

I recruited him over two years ago, since I knew he had excellent taste in music, and if he was interested, would host an impressive show. He has yet to disappoint.

After the meeting I invited the Alchemist to hang out in the studio with me for my show, and it pushed me to bring an even better show than I already strive for. This guy has taste and I did not wish to disappoint.

Plenty of new songs, including Robin Coomer, WAND, GOAT, the Linda Lindas, and Lorde covering Talking Heads. 

Dig This Inspired show.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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Dicks Hate The Police: The Dicks
What Do You Want From Life: The Tubes

Me and the Girls: Amyl and the Sniffers
Where Eagles Dare: Misfits

Whoopie Chateaux: Sgt. Splendor
In Dream Every Home A Heartache: Roxy Music
Attractive Target: Negativland
Isotope: McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson

Yo Me Estreso: The Linda Lindas
I Will Kill for Suzy: Catheads

Close Call: Robin Coomer
High Time: WAND
The Rain: Eddie Gale

Dollar Bill: GOAT
Tally Ho: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Chaise Lounge: Wet Leg
Bodies: Sex Pistols
Eagles Over America: ShitKid

Pushing the Extremes: Wipers
Take Me To The River: Lorde

Cream Puff War: Widespread Panic
In The Great Gettin' Up In The Morning: The New Gospel Keys