Hell's Kitchen Radio #346: Why I Do What I Do

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How old were you when you fell in love with music? Do you remember your first love? Who was it? The Beatles? Sinatra? Led Zeppelin? Patsy Cline? Who spoke to you? What did they say? Why did it resonate so deeply?

When I was eight years old in 1978, my aunt bought me four KISS LPs: Rock and Roll Over, Love Gun, Alive 2, and Double Platinum. I was hooked from the first grunt. I couldn't get enough of the imagery and the riffs. And yes, I fantasized that I was Peter Criss singing "Beth" to my imaginary girlfriend. I joined the KISS Army, dressed as either Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley for consecutive Halloween's, and overjoyed when I found a discarded copy of Destroyer laying on the street, still in playable condition (playable for a ten year old, anyway). I had posters that covered my walls, and like all of my friends, strongly anticipated the broadcast of "KISS Meets the Phantom Of The Park".

They are the first band that I wanted to know everything about. Where they were from? What they did before they were a band (Gene Simmons was a school teacher!!!)? Why they chose KISS as a band name? Why they didn't stick with Wicked Lester? Of course everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of them out of makeup. But I could not hide my disappointment when they decided to ditch the makeup altogether in 1983. What the hell was that all about? Even before the unmasking, the band had moved so far away from their riff-centric rock, full of stories about partying down and getting the girl, and I had discovered another band that would hold my attention, and continues to do so.

When I was 8 or 9, around 1978 or 1979, I was introduced to The Beatles. I was floored. I jumped ship a year or two later from KISS to the Fab Four, and honestly I felt like I was breaking up with someone. I didn't know at that tender age that I was allowed to have more than one favorite band. Shortly thereafter I added Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead to my ever-growing list of faves. After that the flood gates were open. I started buying my own records when I was 13, and my collection grew by leaps and bounds.

Though much of my record library consisted of what would be "classic rock" by today's standards, I was really proud of what I had amassed in just a few short years. It wasn't just quantity in my mind, it was quality too. I joined KFJC in late 1988 and tired very quickly of what was sitting, collecting dust, in my own library. I hungered for more. More genres, more obscure artists, more "classics" waiting to be discovered. In 2010 I purged about 5000 LPs that were taking up too much space in my home and my psyche. Most of this music could be heard on any commercial radio station anyway, so why would I hold onto it all? What I kept (about 1000 LPs) and what I continue to purchase is inspired by my time in non-commercial radio and local artists.

There are too many musical gems waiting to be encountered by the masses. I continue to be involved in radio to share my discoveries with you. Take a look at the playlist below, and all of my playlists. Much of what you see, you have never heard before. Give it a listen. If I play it that means I like it enough to want to share it with you. Hopefully you will like it enough to support that artist. Buy their music. See them live.

Enjoy...I know I do.

jh

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

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When You Get It Grunt If You Can: The JBs

Researching the Blues: Redd Kross

Chicken A La King/Bad Move: Dale Crover

Love How In Love With Love You Are: Adam Mackintosh with Storm Large

I Shot All The Birds: Blind Shake

Apache: Link Wray

Come On Over, Turn Me On: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan

Psycho Star: King Tuff

You Are What You Love: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Feel: Ty Segall

Otis Rush Tribute (1935-2018)

I Can't Quit You, Babe: Otis Rush

Double Trouble: Otis Rush

Little Red Rooster: Otis Rush

Southern Politician: Willy Deville

Am I Black Enough For Ya: Schoolly-D

Round and Round: OP8

Lord of Lightening: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Revolution Blues: Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Please Mr. Gunman: Mudhoney

Some Velvet Morning: Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra

Roscoe: Midlake

Pent Juri Hati: Koes Barat

This is my favorite scene from Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. That Paul Stanley is a real thespian.

Hell's Kitchen Radio #336: Look Ma, No Brains!

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A night of risk-taking on the ol' radio stream. Or is it Internet stream? Am I allowed to call this radio? We don't broadcast on the FM/AM. We have no antenna. There's no static coming across the line. Am I remiss if I say I have a "radio show"? Or do I have to be all literal and state that I host a two-hour Internet music program each Monday night? That's not very sexy.

Then again, neither am I.

This show however is the bees knees! Just take a gander at that playlist sitting there in front of you. Kraut Rock, Hard Bob, 60s French-Canadian Garage, West African Funk, Midwest Balkanese, and so much more.

How do I do it?!?!?!?!

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Haitian Fight Song: Charles Mingus

The Bump: George Freeman
Moonstruck: Malone Barnes and Spontaneous Simplicity

Season of the Witch: Donovan
Happy Boy: The Beat Farmers
La Moustache A Papa: Anna Bell
The Lady Loves Me: Elvis Presley and Anne Margaret

Staring at the Sun: Wooden Shjips
Bang Bang: Nancy Sinatra
Brainstorm: Hawkwind

Truth: Alexander Ebert
Leave It (A Capella): Yes
Telephone Girl: Assagai
Rhineland: Beirut

Diamond In Your Mind: Tom Waits and Kronos Quartet
Reaching Through To The Other Side: My Brightest Diamond
Feeling Good (Troublemaker Remix): Nina Simone

Rope Ladder To The Moon: Colosseum (August 22, 1970 Finland)
Little Man With A Gun In His Hand: Minutemen

Here Come The Bastards: Primus

Hell's Kitchen Radio #257: John Is Going To Hell

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From last Monday night: "This is it! My very last show. I'm having knee surgery on Wednesday and I may not make it back alive. This is your very last chance to hear my voice LIVE on the radio."

So it appears that I made it through the surgery, and I'm alive to tell the tale. Not much of a tale to tell. I have a new ACL, a cleaned up meniscus, and I'm laid up on the couch on lots of meds, healing, listening to music, reading books, watching movies, including the Zappa Roxy film. DAMN! I'm on lots of meds. Did I mention that? I can't recall. I also can't see very well because of said meds, so I don't know if there are any typos. I'm happy I know how to type when I'm not on meds. This may help the current situation. When I was in grocery I used to 10-key like a mo-fo! Seriously, I was the fastest one on the line. I was like a blur. I would talk to customers while I rang them up, and they would be all nervous that I would accidentally charge them the incorrect price for something. I assured them that everything would be spot on, and if it wasn't then I would purchase them a tin of Altoids. I was never off, ever!

The meds also make me stray off topic.

Since last Monday was going to possibly be my final radio show, I pulled out many, but not quite all the stops. Much of the playlist for the night was my typical favorite fair. There are some surprises within, that I didn't mark down. And the witty banter is worth the price of the free admission.

If you are ever in a place where you believe that you are soon going to pass away off this mortal coil, then I encourage you to pull out all (or most) of your favorite anything and enjoy it to the very end. Now that I'm healing, on my couch, on lots of meds (did I mention the meds), it's all about the music and films and books that I get to enjoy. It's about taking a breath, and realizing that we really only do live once, so we better live it up, or get busy dying. We don't often get the opportunity to sit on our asses as prescribed by our doctor. So, when you do have those rare moments, take full advantage of them. Enjoy the arts like you haven't done before, reach out to family and friends and let them know you care, meditate, stare out the window into the wild world, and look forward to eventually rejoining that space, but do it with your newly found appreciation of what it means to take that well-deserved, if not prescribed time off.

Back to healing. Did I mention the meds?

Enjoy.

jh

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

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In The Flesh: Pink Floyd
God of Thunder (DEMO): Kiss
High Roller: Cheap Trick

Chocolate Jesus: Tom Waits
Mercy Seat: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Mudride: Mudhoney
1970: The Stooges

Block of Ice: Thee Oh Sees
Jack the Maggot: FUZZ
Rollin and Tumblin': Baby Face Leroy Trio

Bring It On Home: Sonnyboy Williamson
Headbanger: King Tuff
I'm In Your Mindfuzz: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

***SET OF THE WEEK***
Bang Bang: Nancy Sinatra
Jump In Line: Harry Belefonte
Lexicon Devil: Germs
Happy Boy: The Beat Farmers
Sonic Reducer: Dead Boys

She Belongs To Me: The Nice
Interstellar Overdrive: The Melvins

Yatzar: John Zorn's Electric Masada

ACDC: Sweet
Magic: Zig Zags

Hell's Kitchen Radio #241: Guest DJ Time - Happy Fangs

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How thrilling to have to rising local rock stars in the studio to do all the heavy lifting. I should do this more often. Rebecca (DJ RBG), and Mike (MC Cobra) of the mighty might Happy Fangs guest DJd in Hell's Kitchen tonight. They brought loads of 100% choice vinyl cuts, and knew their way around a radio studio.

I've had Happy Fangs in the studio before, to talk up shows and releases, but last time they were on I invited them to come back and guest DJ with me. They were obviously up to the task. Other than the first track, all the rest were from Rebecca and Mike. And just look at that playlist!

I'll be having other bands on to guest DJ with me soon.

This weekend there are a couple great shows to check out:

Friday night, local psych rockers Golden Void will transport you to the astral plane at Bottom of the Hill, where they will be headlining. I'm loving their new LP: "Berkana".

Saturday night there are two great bands playing at Amnesia on Valencia Street. The Reliables are a fun five piece, made up of old friends who decided it was high time they got together to make songs of journey and life. They've got a good funky vibe. The other band is the donut-laden trio known as DOWN IN FRONT! These ladies have the most fun no stage I've seen in years. The between-song banter is as much fun as the the songs themselves.

Support live, local music.

Coming up November 23rd is my fifth annual ANNUAL ANNUAL! I'm doing two hours on 1975. This isn't like KFOG. I actually know what was quality in that year. Tune in, and check out my previous ANNUAL ANNUAL shows from the past few years. Rumor has it guitar slinger Eric McFadden will guest DJ that night too!

Enjoy.

jh

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

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All Tomorrow's Parties: The Fresh and Only's
Lust for Life: Iggy Pop

I Really Like You: The Lovely Feathers
Lion's Share: L7
Another Girl, Another Planet: The Only Ones

Hesperus: Windhand
Sexy Boy: Air

Two Against One: Rome
Bridge Over Troubled Water: Roberta Flack
A New Error: Moderat

***Set of the Night***
The IPD: Judy Small
Hey Little Cobra: The Rip Chords
Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll: Ian Dury and the Blockheads
Diddy Wah: Ty Segall Band

Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing: Jackson 5
Primary Colors: The Horrors
Shanghaied: Bishop Allen

Feels Blind: Bikini Kill

Summer Wine: Nancy Sinatra
Infinity Guitars: Sleigh Bells

Telephone Line: ELO

A Season in Hell #128: The Hell and Hindu Show

Tonight, I have a dear old friend, Hindu Mike, on the air with me. I've known Mike since 1987, when he and I worked at Tower Records in San Mateo. Ah, those were the days. We didn't live in the nanny state we live in now. Life was so much better before 9/11. I'd like to thank Osama bin Laden, and mostly George "Shrub" Bush for making our lives so much more miserable. Thanks.

Anyway, onto the music. It's a mix of me and Mike. He's in a metal/punk band: The Rockin' Chair. It's a lousy name for a band, but they are really good. The banter alone is worth it.

To stream this cavalcade of verisimilitude, go here.
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You should really know the drill by now.

Enjoy.

jh

Up in Smoke: Cheech and Chong
She Watch Channel Zero: Public Enemy
Cuban Pete: Desi Arnez

Things Happen: Coil
Track VII: Aluk Todolo
The Talking Horse: The Melvins

Die...For Darkside: The Rockin' Chair
Jackson Head: Boris
Kung Fu Man: Lee "Scratch" Perry
Meeting of the Spirits: Mahavishnu Orchestra

Short Break: Dirty Three
Bang Bang: Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood

Issac: Baroness
Rise and Shine: Eric McFadden
Starship: Jefferson Starship

All Night Long: Junior Kimbrough
Diamond in Your Mind: Tom Waits
No More Stalins, No More Hitlers: William S. Burroughs
Can't Complain: Stan Ridgeway
Breathe: Pere Ubu

There's Nothing in this World: The Kinks
Boycott: Shellac

My Way: Sid Viscious