Play List - Monsters From The Id

Here is the play list from the May 24, 2005 episode of Monsters from the Id, which is what I call the music portion of the show I do when I substitute for Susan Brown's Punk and Hardcore. I put the second date in parenthesis because although it was technically the 25th, I thought of it as the night of the 24th. And indeed, most radio stations consider the day to "begin" with their morning shows.

To see when the next MftI will be, check my guest list page. To be notified by e-mail when that will be, e-mail me at kengale@comicbookradioshow.com.

MftI is the show Ed Menje was doing when he brought me on assist him. Knowing I had a huge record collection, he welcomed music new to the show and was glad to have company in the middle of the night. MftI is the first show I did at WBAI-FM, back in 1991 (though not the first time I was on the air there - that was on Michio Kaku's show in 1987).

I usually open the show with the same song Ed usually opened with then some "standard punk" bands to sort of "establish space," though not with the standard songs. I usually play four-song sets and always say what I play. I like listeners to be able to figure out which song was which and too long a set can make it hard for some people to keep track.

1. 3D Invisibles - Monster D J
2. Sex Pistols - Silly Thing
3. The Clash - Protex Blue
4. Sham 69 - Family Life

Sham 69 is one of the very first punk bands to come out of England. I think they're considered obscure nowadays. I enjoy hearing punk, hardcore and metal bands do covers to songs that are not punk songs and decided on a covers set.

5. Dead Kennedys - Rawhide
6. Ism - I Think I Love You
7. Anti-Nowhere League - Streets of London
8. Girlschool - Tush

Speaking of obscure, a Joe Strummer solo effort from the Sid and Nancy movie then a cut from the band Billy Idol was in before he went solo. Last time I did Susan's show, a listener requested Generation X. I didn't have it with me at the time, so I brought it this time (WBAI does not have a music library). The Black Sabbath is from when Ronnie Dio was their vocalist.

9. Joe Strummer - Love Kills
10. Generation X - Dancing with Myself
11. Soundgarden - Drawing Flies
12. Black Sabbath - Mob Rules

The Heads are Talking Heads without David Byrne. With the classic punk venue CBGB's about to be demolished, playing a testimony to the place was very appropriate. Debbie Harry of Blondie, another CBGB's alumnus, was the vocalist. New York City has a very powerful Landmarks Preservation organization, but places like CBGB's are not on their radar, despite it being a place that draws tourists from all over the world. I blame it on the age and class of the members of Landmarks Preservation.

13. The Heads - Punk Lolita
14. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Pump It Up
15. KMFDM - Craze
16. Rage Against the Machine - Sleep Now in the Fire

I felt almost compelled to play a Star Wars set. Revenge of the Sith had been out less than a week, I had seen it and wanted to talk about it in a historical context. "Universal Zoo" is not good science fiction, but before Star Wars, it was about the usual quality science fiction fans got outside of books and magazines. Thankfully, that's changed and science fiction with social or literary content, for example, is available (such as PBS adapting an Ursula K. LeGuin story not long after Star Wars).

17. John Williams - Theme to Star Wars
18. Weird Al Yankovic - The Saga Begins
19. Intergalactic Touring Band - Universal Zoo
20. Weird Al Yankovic - Yoda

As we approached the interview with Rich Buckler, I played a song with a reference to Dr. Strange. Un-Led-Ed is a Led Zeppelin cover band. They called their album Dread Zeppelin, but it sounds more like Elvis Presley than reggae.

21. T. Rex - Mambo Sun
22. Un-Led-Ed - Immigrant Song
23. Go Van Go - How Come Everybody's Got a Gun?
24. The Dickies - She Loves Me Not

Next time, I'll play that Dickies song to lead off a set, so listeners will have a better chance to catch the lyrics.

I next played the song that usually opened up 'Nuff Said!, the comic book/strip interview show I did, first with Ed Menje then with Mercy Van Vlack, from 1993 - 2002. Now I go it alone now and again, the Brigadoon of comic book radio shows (thanks to Chris Companik for the analogy).

25. The Tearjerkers - Comic Book Hero

This time I played an interview with Rich Buckler from a recent Big Apple Con. Then the music got a change of pace to lead into "Wake Up Call" (a powerful, but extremely sad folky tune then reggae, two styles of music I enjoy a great deal).

26. Harry Chapin - Flowers are Red
27. Black Uhuru - What is Life?

My thanks to Susan Brown for giving me the opportunity to share music and comics with her listeners.

Any requests? E-mail me. If you have some music you think fits the show and would like to send it to me, e-mail me: kengale@comicbookradioshow.com And keep checking this web site for when the next time will be.

Ken Gale
New York City
May, 2005