Play List - Monsters From The Id

The August 30 (31), 2005 Monsters from the Id was an hour and a half of music preceding an interview with two golden age comic book artists: Jerry Robinson and Lew Schwartz. Susan Brown asked me to substitute for her overnight show Punk and Hardcore (hence the second date in parenthesis - I thought of it as the night of the 30th, but it was technically the morning of the 31st).

The music I play is on vinyl records and cd's that I bring from home, so I can only take requests when they're made in advance. To do so by e-mail, contact me at kengale@comicbookradioshow.com. To see when the next MftI will be, check my guest list page, especially on a Tuesday. I often don't know I'm guest-hosting these shows until the last minute.

I opened the show with the same song Ed Menje usually opened with when he hosted Monsters from the Id and I was his co-host, back in 1991 when I was just starting on radio. I always play some "classic punk" bands to sort of establish the show and they've always been the Sex Pistols and The Clash. This time I started with some American bands, including one song announcing that I was back. I had assumed the MftI four weeks earlier would be my last for a while, but I was wrong. That ol' cliché about assume making an ass of u & me. I like listeners to be able to figure out which song is which and with too long a set some people lose track of what is in the middle so I keep most sets to four songs.

1. 3D Invisibles - Monster DJ
2. Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
3. Talking Heads - Don't Worry About the Government
4. The Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker

Who's worried about the government…? When "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" first came out, I asked Sheena's creator, Jerry Iger, if he'd heard that his character was in a song. His face let up. He knew, thought the song was wonderful and was happy to say he'd met the Ramones (or at least some of them, I don't remember).

5. Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
6. The Ramones - Rockaway Beach
7. Steppenwolf - Move Over
8. Wendy O. Williams - Ain't None of Your Business

While those first two records were on the turntable (yep, I was playing the original vinyl), I thought I'd play another song from them. I usually refrain from playing singles, but I really like "Psycho Killer." I look upon Steppenwolf as early heavy metal and sometimes as early punk. And does any other d.j. play Wendy O. Williams? I started the next set with more early heavy metal, though it's possible Deep Purple would not be considered metal if they were coming out for the first time now.

9. Deep Purple - Burn
10. Soundgarden - Rusty Cage
11. Thin Lizzy - Rocky
12. Iron Maiden - The Evil That Men Do

A somewhat different stylistic theme compared to my last show. The next set began and ended with songs with comics characters mentioned in them.

13. Screaming Blue Messiahs - I Can Speak American
14. Bow Wow Wow - Chihuahua
15. The Psychedelic Furs - President Gas
16. Shawn Rhodes - Gorilla Grodd

That last song is the only song known to be about that character and is by a fellow WBAI producer. Turns out I'm the first producer (other than himself) to play his music. Also, note the relationship between songs 3, 5, 12, 15 &  17. Ahem.

17. Bow Wow Wow - Sinner, Sinner, Sinner
18. Human Sexual Response - Pound
19. Hagatha - Punks from the Nth Dimension
20. Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes

"Pound" is a great work-out song. Try it! Hagatha is a local band, but I don't think anyone in it is still doing music. And I really identify with that Adam Ant song.

And then the 'Nuff Said! segment, starting with what most episodes of 'Nuff Said! started with:

21. The Tearjerkers - Comic Book Heroes

Then an interview with two golden age artists, Jerry Robinson and Lew Schwartz. We talked as much about Bill Finger as we did about their own careers.

And to go smoothly into Wake Up Call, a new wave instrumental with an Asian flavor

22. Bow Wow Wow - Ourang-Outang

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 or use snail mail: P.O. Bopx 1028, Gracie Station, New York, NY 10028.

And keep checking this web site for when the next time will be.

Ken Gale
New York City
September, 2005