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

Hell's Kitchen Radio #506: Let Them Eat Tweets

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I left Twitter a few years ago. It always upset me to scroll through it. I held onto the account so I could share my radio blog on there, tagging the artists I play. I never missed it, and I never thought I would. When Musk took it over I deleted my account. I don't need to share my data with that guy. It appears Twitter drives people to this page. I've gone from ~150 per post to ~10. ugh. I do not want to back to Twitter. 

Well I guess you lucky few get to enjoy all this music just for yourselves. Who am I to keep you from sharing it on your own social media platforms? 

Just look at what you get: a tribute to Tom Verlaine, some 70s Punk, 60s Blues and Jazz, new John Cale, Molly Tuttle, Ty Segall, Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. I also have some demos and outtakes from The Who and Funkadelic. I'm all over the damn place. 

Let Twitter keep the creep. You have me and I have you, and that's all that counts.

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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Roadrunner: The Modern Lovers
Anarchy in the UK: Sex Pistols

Friction: Television
Down At The Rock and Roll Club: Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Love Comes In Spurts: Thee Headcoats

Sorcery: Big Band Katowice
Back Home: Yusef Lateef
Nisaba in the Grass: Luna

Night Crawling: John Cale
Earthquake: Kim Gordon

Fearless: Mary Lou Lord
The Waitress Song: First Aid Kit
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out: Janis Joplin and Jorma Kaukonen
Sloppy Drunk Blues: Big Joe Williams

San Francisco Bay Blues: Molly Tuttle
Bumble Bee: Big Mama Thornton

Goin' Mobile (Pete's Demos): The Who
Red Hot Mama (alternative take): Funkadelic
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide (2022 remake): ZZ Top
Midnight Special: Harry Belefonte

Saturday Pt. 2: Ty Segall
Moth Tongue: Crystal Fairy

Pick A Bale of Cotton: Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder
What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong

Hell's Kitchen Radio #500: No, You're the Special One

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and HERE - Part Two 

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Well, that was one Hell of a great night. And way too fast. Monday night I celebrated my 500th show on Radio Valencia. I've been doing weekly radio shows, with little interruption, since the fall of 1990. In the early days I taped a lot of my shows on cassette. And most of those were only the air breaks so I could go back and critique myself, hoping to learn how to improve my delivery.

Some of these early shows are so embarrassing that I can't be in the same room with the cassette!

Many of those old shows also have some excellent music mixes in there. Maybe I need to cringe a little bit and give them a listen?

I produced my 500th show in radio many many years ago, but hosting my 500th on the station I started gives a really warm feel to everything. We flipped the switch on Radio Valencia in August of 2010. I started hosting Mondays 8-10PM right away; a slot I held at three previous stations: San Francisco Liberation Radio (2000 - 2003), Pirate Cat (2005 - 2007) and FCCFree Radio (2007 - 2009). I've hosted a few specials while at RV that I never numbered, so I'm guessing I'm closer to 520, but who's counting?

On this special night I put the word out to staff and friends to come hang out. Big thanks to Radio Valencia staffers Darcy, Johnny and Edwin from Skeevy Sideshow, Wednedsays 6-10pm; Doug and Emily from Beyond All Limits, who were kind enough to yield their Monday 10-midnight slot so I could host four hours on this night. Darren from Bo's Veranda (Mondays 4-6pm) also came and hung out. Friends of RV also brought the love, including my dear friends Yas, John Law (SF Cacaphony Society, Billboard Liberation Front, ex-Suicide Club), musician Robin Coomer and her dear mate Matt "The Cleaner"!

The music was a mix of favorites from 2022 and others that are currently rolling through my brain. See the playlist below. 

What do I have planned for the next 500 shows? I have zero clue what I have planned for #501 let alone #1000. Tune in Mondays 8-10PM Pacific and hear for yourself.

Check out these milestone episodes:

Show 400

Show 300

Show 200

Show 100

Enjoy and please share this treat.

And if you're wondering, the picture at the top is my face covering the faces of my parents, Harvey and Pat circa 1975. My dad had his hair permed, which was the style at the time. So did my mom. Such swingers. HA!

jh

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

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I Heard it on the X: Olivelawn
Loren's Dance: Idris Muhammad

Channel Zero: Public Enemy
They Threw Me Out Of Church: Wesley Willis

Concrete Jungle: The Specials

The Biggest Blow: Sex Pistols with Ronnie Biggs

Looking For A Kiss: New York Dolls

White Riot: The Clash

Money (That's What I Want): The Flying Lizards

The Payback Mix: James Brown

Fairies Wear Boots: Brown Sabbath

Paranoid: Jazz Sabbath

Undertaker: Mark Growden

Redless: Othered

Hall of the Oyster King: Glitter Wizard

Attractive Target: Negativland

O Tannenbaum/Hava Nagilla: Phat Man Dee

Merry Christmas From The Family: Robert Earl Keen Jr.

A Christmas Song: Jethro Tull

Golden Frames: Shannon Shaw

Greta Van Fake: The Bobby Lees
You Better Have A Gun: Fantastic Negrito

Phantoms: Czarface and MF Doom

Portland, Oregon: Loretta Lynn

The Dripping Tap: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Tommy in Seven Minutes: Vital on 45

Night Goat: Melvins

Plastic Plant: Thee Oh Sees

Cardboard Pile: Kikagaku Moyo

I'm Waiting For The Man: Lou Reed

Quicksand (2021 Early Mix): David Bowie

Telephone Call From Istanbul: Tom Waits

Free: Ty Segall

Bee Karma: WAND

Vera (2022): Roger Waters

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: Neil Young and the Promise Real

I Bid You Goodnight: Joseph Spence & The Pinder Family

John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza - Monday 6-8PM Pacific - Mudhoney (1992) & Sex Pistols (1978)

 

John Hell's Live Bootleg Bonanza

Monday's 6-8PM Pacific

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Let's face it, Punk ended in 1978 with the dissolution of the Sex Pistols. It's not that there weren't amazing bands that stuck it out after that, and bands who didn't come around after that, who were seriously influenced by the Sex Pistols. It's just that the original Punk nihilism died in 1978 when the band called it quits.

As much as I love The Clash (and I really do love them grandly), no one could hold a candle to who the Sex Pistols were and what they stood for. The irony of nihilism, and pissing people off just for the sake of doing so just wasn't the same once Johnny quit the band. And there was no way Steve Jones and Paul Cook were going to continue on with Sid Vicious, even with Ronnie Briggs singing. 

I've just completed reading "England's Dreaming", by Jon Savage. What a brilliant look at such an important moment in social, political and musical history. I strongly suggest you read both this book and "Please Kill Me", by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. You might want to throw in Dee Dee Ramone's autobiography. 

This all inspired my show tonight. First up are one of my desert island bands: Mudhoney. I love them, deeply. This show must have been a blast to attend. Recorded April 19, 1992 in Dusseldorf, Germany at the Noise Now Festival. The band was drunk. They make fun of Peter Murphy (who hasn't?). Everyone had fun. This was during their tour for their first major label release "Piece of Cake" on Reprise Records; a record I really enjoyed, although it was a bit overproduced compared to their Sub Pop days. I'm pleased they released the demos from this record a few years back on "Pezado de Pastel".

Superfuzz Bigmuff made a huge impact on me when I first heard it in 1989. Really major. This is a band that kicked my ass, and I still pull them out often. When all my friends were getting into the Grunge bands of the 90s, I asked them point blank who would be remembered in 20 years (now 30+). And I told them Mudhoney will be remembered and respected more than most. They scoffed. We don't talk much these days.

Linage: Recorded by bobfather
Source 1 (Tracks 1, 15, 16): Master Video > FLAC
Source 2 (Tracks 2-14): FM Broadcast > Source: FM > TDK SA (analog tape) (can`t rememember which tape deck I had by that time) > nakamichi cr 7e (azimuth adjusted) > marantz dr 6000 > mac rip to disk > soundforge > flac
Mix: Audacity (trim and align both sources) > CDWAVE (splits) > Audacity (speed correcct tracks source 2) > FLAC > mp3

Our headliners tonight are the one and only Sex Pistols. This is from the legendary "let's get out of the country and see if we can tackle America" opening show of the American tour, January 5, 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia. It's hilarious that Malcom McLaren purposely kept the band away from the major cities (except San Francisco for their final show of the tour and their final show as a band), and instead sent them to towns in the deep south purposely to confront an aggressive audience who were skeptical of Punk and British Punk rockers in particular. 

There''s three songs tacked on at the end from December 11, 1977 in Maasbree, Scotland as filler. 

Again, read "England's Dreaming".

Lineage: Soundboard - Label: Big Music - BIG 046

You can find my mostly-complete list of live shows right here. Have a request? Leave a comment.

Support these bands. Buy their officially released music and merch, and never ever sell live bootlegs. These are for trade only.

Stick around Monday 8-midnight Pacific for my weekly music mix, Hell's Kitchen Radio. It's my 500th show on Radio Valencia tonight, and I have some fun lined up. Call  your friends, and tell my enemies John Hell is on the air.

Enjoy and pay it forward.

jh

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Hell's Kitchen Radio #478: My Mouth, Your Ears

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Following that live Black Sabbath from 1970 I played during my Live Bootleg Bonanza, I just had to keep the feeling moving. This show is mostly loud and in your gut, with a couple of tunes in there to let you catch your breath.

Check out new music from The Bobby Lees ( I love this band), Ty Segall (you already know how I feel about him), Iggy Pop (the greatest love of all), Kikagaku Moyo (they're coming back to the Bay!!!), and Le Butcherettes (when will Teri Genderbender return???). 

I feel you feelin' me, so we've got that goin' on, which is good. 

In the meantime, sit back relax, open your mind, and get ready to be punched in the earholes the way you like it. 

Tune in each Monday, 8-10PM PDST. I always have tickets to give away to a local show. You really need to get out more often.

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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Black Sabbath: Flower Travelin' Band
Love You To Death: The Darts

Dig Your Hips: The Bobby Lees
Broken Hands: Mudhoney

Shakey Jake: Joe McPhee
Bodies: Sex Pistols

Hello, Hi: Ty Segall
Trouble In Mind: Mavis Staples and Levon Helm
Gettin' Hard: Death Valley Girls

Dirty Sanchez: Iggy Pop
Reach For The Sunn: Meatbodies
Yayoi Iyayoi: Kikagaku Moyo

No Time For The Blues: OBN IIIs
Never Look Back: Night Beats
Full Reverse: Acid King

Fuck Bobby: Buzzed Lightbeer
Garbageman: The Cramps
The Universe: Le Butcherettes

Memories are for Losers: Dark Carnival
Coma Girl: Joe Strummer

Hell's Kitchen #201: HellKatt Comes To Play

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My daughter, HellKatt is in the studio with me tonight.

Oh joy of JOYS, my 10 year old daughter, HellKatt joined me in the studio tonight. This is her third visit to the Radio Valencia studios, and quite possibly her best yet! She chose much of the playlist for the show, and yes, it's a bit more mainstream than usual, but so what? I was thinking about this on the ride over with her, and I'll put it to you the way I put it to her: music tastes are like food tastes: when you're young you have very limited desires when it comes to the food you are willing to consume. The same can be said of music. No wonder so many kids LOVE The Beatles! They're easy to consume, like milk chocolate.

But when you grow older your tastes change too. And change they should! Who the heck only wants milk chocolate? I want dark chocolate with salted caramel, dammit!

HellKatt's tastes have always been more complex then many people her own age. Her first solid food was avocado. And at the age of three she was eating entire green onion stalks, from tip to root! No lie. She also prefers milk chocolate.

So it comes as no surprise that she enjoys Alice Cooper almost as much as she loves Paul McCartney...and The Simpsons. I placed a "HK" next to all the songs that she chose. You may be surprised.

What a great night! I hope you enjoy the music, and the banter as much as we did.

If you want to check out the other two shows that the Daughter of John Hell co-hosted with me, follow these two links, here and here.

Lauson is also an amazing (I'm not biased or anything) filmmaker. Check out this stop-motion film she made, here.

Enjoy.

jh

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

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Superfly: Curtis Mayfield
Scorpio: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Locked Out Of Heaven: Bruno Mars - HK
Happy Birthday Mr Burns: The Ramones
I Wanna Be Sedated: The Ramones
Sonic Reducer: Dead Boys

Dear Future Husband: Meghan Trainor - HK
Rebel Girl: Bikini Kill
Happiness is a Warm Gun: Beatles - HK

Simpson's Family Showcase: The Simpsons
Home Sweet Mobile Home: The New Duncan Imperials
Beauty School Dropout: Frankie Avalon - HK

The Tide is High: Blondie - HK
It's a Hard Knock Life: Annie -HK
Big Sky/Baddest of the Bad: Reverend Horton Heat
Caliente: Supersuckers

Come Get It Bae: Pharrell Williams - HK
There She Goes, My Beautiful World: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Jet Boy: New York Dolls
New York: Sex Pistols

Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen - HK
Garbage Man: The Simpsons
Mickey: Toni Basil - HK
Welcome To My Nightmare: Alice Cooper - HK

Paranoid: Ty Segall Band
1985: Paul McCartney - HK
Metal Circus: Rube Waddell

A Season in Hell #168: Daughter from HELL

What an excellent show today. It being spring break, I brought my daughter, Lauson Hell down to the studio to guest DJ with me. She's a natural. Two years ago Lauson guested on my show, which you can find here. It's fun to see how she's found her voice over the last couple of years. She's not shy, I can tell you that. I wonder where she gets that from?

We were filling in for DJ Cam Dam, who was kind enough to let me take over the day.

Lauson did her part, planning a set, which you can see below, announcing what we played, and answering my questions...kind of.

To stream this father/daughter reunion, go here.
To download this love-fest, go here.
To tune into all of my shows, go here, or just scroll down.

Enjoy.

jh

A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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Kick out the Jams: MC5
White Light/White Heat: Velvet Underground
Down in the Street: The Stooges
Frankenstein: New York Dolls

Jocko Homo: Devo
Jenny Jones: The Clash
Sonic Reducer: Dead Boys

California Girls: The Dictators
Welcome to the Dustward: Fear
Teenage Lobotomy: Ramones
Who Stole the Kishka: Polkacide

Lauson's Set:
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite: Eric McFadden
Sun King - Mean Mr. Mustard - Polythene Pam - She Came in Through the Bathroom Window: The Beatles
Live with Me: Rolling Stones

Boris the Spider: The Who
Locked Out Of Heaven: Bruno Mars
Down at the Rock and Roll Club: The Voidoids

Daddy's set:
I Swallowed a Dragonfly: Heartless Bastards
Something I Learned Today: Husker Du
Eat Steak: Reverend Horton Heat
Good Golly Miss Molly: Meat Puppets
Rock and Roll High School: PJ Soles

Anarchy in the UK: Sex Pistols
Youth of America: Melvins

One: Fuzz (Live in San Francisco)

March of the Lor: The Sword

A Season in Hell #166: DOWN IN FRONT!!!

I love hosting local live bands in the studio. They're just so darn eager and flattering. On tonight's show, Julie and Japa of Down in Front are on to talk up their Tahoe Corridor Tour, and their new LP/CD The Donut Shop. I love these two so much, for so many reasons, not the least of which is their musical acumen. But really, their witty repartee is worth the price of admission.

Their raising funds to record their first full-length: Down in Front does the Donut Shop. Check out their Kickstarter page, and please consider throwing them some dough. HA, I said it!

Stream this cheese-whiz into your gullet, here.
Download this tasty custard-filled cruller, here.
Check out all of my shows here, or just scroll down.

Enjoy.

jh

A Season in Hell with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia, 87.9FM in SF
http://radiovalencia.fm

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Up In Smoke: Cheech and Chong
Since You've Been Gone: James Brown
Two Fools: Francine King

She Shook Me Cold: David Bowie
Theme de Yoyo: Art Ensemble of Chicago

Down in Front perform live!

In Heaven There is no Beer: Polkacide
They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore: Kinky Friedman
Clothes of the Dead: Bongos, Bass and Bob

New York: Sex Pistols
One of the Boys: Mott the Hoople
Other Stars: Wooden Shjips

Fearless: Pink Floyd
John Barleycorn: Traffic
Battle of Evermore: Led Zeppelin
Sploosh!: Ozric Tentacles

The Letter: The Box Tops

A Season in Hell #81: Radio Valencia: Daughter of Hell

It's Spring Break, so I thought it would be a perfect night to bring my 7 year old daughter Lauson, into the studio for my show. She chose a set of music. Here's a hint, what songs would I NEVER play on the air? She's a bit nervous, but who can blame her? Radio is a viscous lover. Wish her luck. She's going to need it.

To stream this show, go here.
To download it and listen to an emerging star forever, go here.
To listen to all of my previous Radio Valencia radio shows, scroll down.

Common People (Pulp): FIDLAR

Lauson's Set:
Truth: Alexander Ebert
Start Wearing Purple: Gogol Bordello
Anarchy In The UK: Sex Pistols

Rocket Man: Elton John
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin': Michael Jackson

Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles
Gas Mask Blues: Sleeping In The Aviary

American Sun: American Sun
So Tei Gai: Ha-Za-Ma

Hold On: Alabama Shakes
Pushin' On (feat. Alice Russell): The Quantic Soul Orchestra & Alice Russell

Virginia Gal: Deer Tick
3 Doueh: The Strange Boys
Warsaw: Sharon Van Etten

Books Of Moses: Tom Waits
I Don't Like You: Bo Diddley

Bad Moon Rising: Turf War
Portland Oregon: Loretta Lynn
Cool Shit: Spank Rock
Lookin' Out My Window: Tom Jones

I Left My Heart in San Francisco: Tony Bennett