Tales From SYL Ranch – 2017-03-19

It’s all-comedy all-the-time on this Sunday’s Tales From SYL Ranch.

Tales From SYL Ranch can be heard Sundays from 20:00 – 22:00 UTC at // aNONrado.net //

(If you’re not in UTC, either do the math or ask Siri/Google.)

About three-fourths of the show is my informal “best of” “Weird Al” Yankovic. His career stretches back to the early 1980s. The task became narrowing it down to about an hour-and-a-half.

They’re all gems. In fact, I had to cut some I liked for time, so it’s really the best of Al’s best.

Update:  “Weird Al” dropped a new collection, Medium Rarities, this week.  The timing was entirely unintentional.  However, I’ve changed the playlist accordingly.

“It’s Still Billy Joel” has been downgraded from “rare” to “medium rare.”   “Chicken Pot Pie” is still “very rare” and is from my personal collection.

The Holy Grail of “Weird Al” fans, “Belvedere Cruising,” has downgraded all the way to “medium rare.”   It’s the song that got Al his break on the Doctor Demento show; which in turn propelled him to stardom.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy Radio Show
H2G2

Then I have a new, permanent addition to the podcast. Henceforth, I will be running The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy radio program.

Younger listeners may not be aware of the Hitchhiker’s Guide strange history. It began as a BBC Radio series, then a couple of books, then more radio, then TV, then more books, then a movie, and then more radio.

I’ll be playing all five radio series, starting with series one, episode one on Sunday. I’ll be running them for about four years.

Tales From SYL Ranch can be heard Sundays from 20:00 – 22:00 UTC at // aNONrado.net //

And the following two weeks , you’ll hear my voice for the first time — and you will ultimately be grateful for the respite of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy.

I’m going to do a two-part “Old Fan’s Commentary” of Star Trek – The Motion Picture.

I’m doing this not because I have any great backstage knowledge.  I’ll talk about what I know, but that’s not the point.  This is a fan commentary.  I’m going to talk about Star Trek fandom in the 1970s, and how it was for a teen-aged Trekkkie to see the film for the first time.

I’ll be commenting on the Director’s Edition, so if you want to follow along, get out your DVDs, stream from your favorite service, or … well, you know.

Tales From SYL Ranch can be heard Sundays from 20:00 – 22:00 UTC at // aNONrado.net //

For reference, here’s the full playlist. With the exception of the Hitchhiker’s Guide, they’re all “Weird Al” Yankovic songs.

  1. Don’t Download This Song
  2. Belvedere Cruising
  3. Another One Rides The Bus
  4. I Love Rocky Road
  5. Ricky
  6. Eat It
  7. Nature Trail To Hell
  8. Chicken Pot Pie
  9. Like A Surgeon
  10. The Brady Bunch
  11. It’s Still Billy Joel To Me
  12. Theme From Rocky XIII: The Rye Or the Kaiser
  13. Amish Paradise
  14. I Lost On Jeopardy
  15. Gump
  16. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 1: Primary Phase – Fit the First
  17. One More Minute
  18. Girls Just Want To Have Lunch
  19. Ebay
  20. Perform This Way
  21. Albuquerque
  22. Party In The CIA
  23. Ode To A Superhero
  24. Bohemian Polka

Tales From SYL Ranch – 2017-03-05

An early document about filk songs.
An early document about filk songs.

On Sunday’s Tales From SYL Ranch, we bring you a generous collection of filk songs.

Wikipedia defines filk music as a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction/fantasy fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has been active since the early 1950s, and played primarily since the mid-1970s.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy says that filk music is the greatest achievement in the history of lifekind.  It is creative, often amusing, and a balm for the soul.

I’ve filled the entire two hours, such that there isn’t any room for even introductions.

The tracklist is:

  • “Banned From Argo” by Leslie Fish and the Dehorn Crew.  This is from my private collection, from a 1977 LP.  The sound quality leaves everything to be desired.
  • “The Saga Begins Live” by “Weird Al” Yankovic
  • “PanGalactic Gargle Blaster Blues” by Diana Gallagher
  • “The Hero Of Canton” by Bandit Jack Potty
  • “The Chef They Call Jayne” by Tom Smith
  • “I’m On Firefly” by Tom Smith
  • “The Engineer’s Hymn” by Bill Boyd
  • “Where, Oh Where, Has C’Thulhu Gone” by Leslie Fish
  • “Bones’ Song” by Bill Mills
  • “Luke, Don’t Kiss Your Sister” by Captain Bran
  • “He’s Dead, Jim” by Julia Ecklar
  • “Waking Up Jedi” by Tom Smith
  • X-Minus One:  “The Green Hills Of Earth”
  • “Highly Illogical” by Leonard Nimoy
  • “The Tribble Is a Fuzzy Beast” by Leslie Fish
  • “The U.S.S. Make Shit Up” by Voltaire
  • “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” by William Shatner
  • “Dragoncon” by Leslie Fish
  • “Mister Anderson” – Tony Fabris
  • “The Ballad of Apollo 13” by Julia Ecklar
  • “What’s Up Spock?” by Luke Ski
  • “The Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins” by Leonard Nimoy
  • “Theme From Star Trek” by Nichelle Nichols
  • “Black Powder & Alcohol” by Leslie Fish
  • “Yoda Live” by “Weird Al” Yankovic

Be aware that due to the massive volume of filk songs, I’m only presenting a tiny fraction. I’ve come so close to filling two hours that I don’t even have time for introductions.

Tales From SYL Ranch – 2017-01-29

I have what I think is a decent line-up for a premiere show.  I have to admit that it took more time than I thought to come up with two hours’ worth of material that hopefully flows.

Unless something changes, here’s what you’ll be hearing:

  • The ten minutes before the show is filler of the Star Wars Holiday Special.  You probably won’t hear it unless my stream gets cut-to early.
  • Original aNONradio Station ID
  • “The Following Is Transcribed” announcment
  • Original program ID
  • “When Twilight Falls On NGC 891” from the film Dark Star.
  • Weekly show-opener.
  • Star Wars Main Title – Complete”
  • “Princess Leia’s Theme” intruction
  • “Princess Leia’s Theme” from the film Star Wars
  • “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” from The Empire Strikes Back
  • Figrin D’an And The Modal Nodes perform at the Mos Eisley Cantina from Star Wars
  • Original aNONradio station ID
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy entry on the 2016 Presidential Election
  • “Journey Of the Sorcerer” by the Eagles
  • Original aNONradio station ID
  • “The New Empire – Howell Theme”, a Doctor Who theme by Hardwire
  • Animal Stories:  “Truckin Rhino – The Full Story”, a rare version from the 1980s LP.  The current CD version edits the end of the story.
  • “Incoming Fighters” from Star Wars
  • “Han Solo And The Princess” from The Empire Strikes Back
  • “Sail Barge Assault (Alternate)” from Return Of the Jedi
  • “Destroying the Death Star” from Star Wars
  • “Throne Room and End Credits (Revenge Of The Sith Version)”
  • A brief statement on the universe as a computer simulation
  • “Main Titles” from the TV series Lost In Space as performed by the Cincinnati Pops
  • “Prelude And End Title March” from Superman (1978)
  • “Kent Family Theme” from Superman and Superman Returns
  • “The Flying Sequence” from Superman.
  • “The Big Rescue – Climax and Denouement” from Superman
  • Suite From Close Encounters Of the Third Kind
  • “The Raider’s March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark, performed by the Boston Pops and conducted by John Williams.
  • “John Williams Is the Man” performed by the Valhalla High School Concert Choir
  • Original aNONradio station ID
  • A word from Rob Hansen on feeding hatred
  • “Jerry Springer” by “Weird Al” Yankovic
  • “Main Titles” from Doctor Who as performed at the 2010 Proms
  • A word from Bill Stone on feeding hatred.
  • “Benson, Arizona” from Dark Star, performed by Dominik Hauser
  • A statement of the Zero Aggression Principle
  • Original aNONradio station ID
  • The first few minutes of The Star Wars Holiday Special.

As regards the Holiday Special, I decided that five minutes of Wookie noises would be marginally better than “Doolittle’s Solo” from Dark Star.  If there’s any interest, I’ll play the entire 90 minutes of the Holiday Special.

I’m not proud.

Tales From SYL Ranch is live on Sundays from 20:00 – 22:00 GMT at aNONradio (http://anonradio.net).