I am not very good at unplugging from work, and taking breaks. I have to take a forced staycation today and tomorrow.

How do you… not?

“I wanted to be a space man…”

For real, Harry. For real.

These stupid avatars still don’t have a bow tie option. Total garbage.

Sometimes, it’s a dream to want a good job. Other times, you dream of not being at a job.

“Dream a little dream of me,” means something different, if it’s about a job. “Sweet Dreams” aren’t necessarily made of these…

What political affiliations should art have?

Is art inherently bent toward one perspective or another?

What is the responsibility of art during difficult times?

Is there such a thing as neutral works of art?

If a piece of art is destroyed in the forest, and there’s no one there to notice, will the artist make their rent that month?

My hands are still very dry and chapped. Sigh.

Occasionally, I get to work on cool projects that I can’t really talk about (yet). But, people who support me over at my digital Lemonade Stand get to hear all about the behind-the-scenes goings-on. And, when you support me that way, you ensure that I can continue to participate in cool projects like… well… there’s one way to find out…
https://www.patreon.com/posts/exclusive-update-51213170

I’m fully ready to admit that I’m wrong about everything I’ve believed. But believing in science has always paid off.

I feel like I missed something. Everyone is posting about the B-52’s.

I love the B-52’s, and I’m not finding anything obvious to spurn so many posts. Did something happen? I’m worried.

A friend is working on their first novel, which is always a worthy cause, but they have also had some personal setbacks, and could use a little help. I support anyone trying to get their first novel published, and maybe you do, too?
https://gofundme.com/f/janysirens-first-novel-support-fund

Not too long ago I participated in a mail-art show that was hosted by The Art Department. As part of the show, we all mailed in pieces we made, and then after the show was over, we got to trade with the other artists. We also received, as participants in the show, these excellent “Snailed It” buttons! How very cool.

I selected this piece by an artist named Audrey (last name withheld). I really liked this piece, a combination of paint and collage, which is totally my jam.

There’s some excellent stuff happening at The Art Department lately, and if you are in the Salem area, you should be shopping here.

Thanks again Jessica! Let me know when you want a weird art show… I have a few ideas.

You would too if you could.

For “work,” I found myself watching some clips of sitcoms. And, this led to me watch a couple clips of News Radio, which I hadn’t seen any of since it was in syndication at some point, many years ago. 

I haven’t thought about it in any way since then, so even who was in it sort of felt vague to me. (Phil Hartman, right?)

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was seeing Joe Rogan doing jokes on something I was listening to. I got really nervous, and had to shut it off immediately.

Like, even as a joke, even for a podcast, I don’t want to get caught accidentally listening to that dude saying ANYTHING.

That was a close call. I’m so glad Marla was out of the house at the time. I felt gross.

This week, on an off-week episode of 20 Minutes Into The Future: A Max Headroom Podcast, we are joined by comedian Luc Thiers, to talk about what they enjoy about sitcoms, and a little about how they got into comedy.

Before we got leads on our recent interviews, Heather and I recorded a few interviews (and other kinds of shows), thinking that we might want to have some filler material, so we can get the most out of our show as possible. So our original plan is still to have the “main feed” shows come out ever other week. But with this backlog of other material, these off week shows give us a chance to talk to you in a “real time” way, announce stuff like the Patreon (patreon.com/austinrich), and play some of these interviews and other material.

Luc really breaks down the sitcom format, and will be making some other appearances on the show in the future. But for this one, you can get to know this Rochester comedian who happens to love Max Headroom, too.

And then get ready for next week, because it’s our show where we review “Rakers,” and it’s gonna be a big one.

https://20minutesintothefuture.org/2021/05/09/the-return-of-sipcoms-w-luc-thiers/

Here’s my mom (far left), with her band from the early ’70’s. “Borrowed Time.” (pnwbands.com/borrowedtime.html) I was trying to find a link to the video she made of the song she wrote about getting butt dialed by her girlfriend, but my Kung Fu is not as good as it once was, and “Butt Dialed Song” is turning up bupkis.

Oh well. Happy Mother’s Day!

Convince me this isn’t the greatest song about Volcanoes on the greatest album about the problems with middle-America, then and now?

I bet you can’t name a single other one.

Some Mothers are Daddies.

Regardless: today is their day.

Treat her right.

There should have been a Big Time Television spin-off show.

I spent so much time as a youth playing this. I think about the music from this version of this game probably once a week. In the days I played, we didn’t have walk-throughs, or cheat guides. I brute-forced my way through everything, including the second play-through, where everything is hidden in different places.

I think about a lot of other video games every so often. But this was the first one that absolutely blew my mind.

Everyone once in a while I want to play this game again. But I think it was the combination of having nearly endless free time and a pristine Nintendo was what made it possible for me to play this game to death. When I idly think about playing it again, I think: when would I actually play it? Like, how would I make the time to do so?

Middle age is dumb, that’s for sure.

I want so badly to run a DIY, consignment shop that has records, ‘zines, circuit bent toys, and other art.
Who wants to fund it?

Here’s the long and the short of it: we have some Max Headroom pins and other goodies available for our Patreon supporters, and there are now specific “MaxHead” Tiers that get you early access, max-related ‘zines, and unique pin-sets that aren’t available elsewhere. We will have “Big Time Television” sets, “Network 23 Boardroom” sets, and others coming down the pike eventually, and we’re currently designing some fun things that we want to share with you. If you like Max Headroom, our show, and want to get some cool pins, we could use your support.

patreon.com/posts/new-support-for-50936503

What’s with all the helicopter action in Salem tonight? Did they reboot Airwolf?

How in the fuck is it already Wednesday?

Soon I can tell you how you can get these… #MaxHeadroomPodcast #Buttons #Merch #KeepThisDreamAlive

Marking my 23rd year in radio, on Mid-Valley Mutations I’ve been re-running some of my earliest radio recordings from when I got started on KWVA in Eugene, Oregon. For the last three weeks I’ve been airing “re-creations” of those early shows, with the voice overs and the other bits, and with songs assembled from the playlists, and from other recollections of the original broadcasts. Those first three sort of reveal that my show really did begin as a normal DJ show, that leaned heavily on punk and late 90’s oddities.

This week, I’m featuring two hours of broadcasts that I made with my co-host in those early days, Holden Craft (Justin Anderson). Holden was not a professional broadcaster or comedian, and was not even a comedy writer or wannabe radio personality. He was just a bartender, who happened to be funnier than most people I knew. It made perfect sense to do shows with him when I could.



Here’s two hours or late-90’s radio weirdness, with very strange and inappropriate jokes, and all the music that was common on my show in those early days.

Ladies and Gentlemen: let me introduce you to the Legendary Holden Craft.

https://midvalleymutations.com/2021/05/05/the-legendary-holden-craft-kwva-years/

Today we mourn a coffee mug. Losing a Spock mug is a huge tragedy. Hopefully I can find a way to make it through the rest of the year in one piece. My mug won’t.

Happy birthday, Daniel L. Remington!

Time to go to dreamland… where I imagine every aspect of the economy shutting down permanently so we can kill all viruses, capitalist greed and Republican assholery, included.

Money and businesses ruin all aspects of true, valuable love, community and culture… (I say to myself endlessly in a sleepy time mantra…)

First jam with another person in a very long time. Just two vaccinated musicians in search of a performance.

As I’ve said before: I love Star Wars, but I might love Bill Murray more.

Guitar Wolf…

or living a life without Guitar Wolf?

THREE! TWO! ONE! ZERO! WILD ZERO!

And with that, I have turned off the heated mattress pad for the season.

See you again in the fall.

The dumbest summary rhyme that has ever just occurred to me suddenly, after reading a long passage of text:

“When passante is passe, the flâneuse gives way.”

I’m making an effort to post fewer passing thoughts of horror and doom, and instead try and find and cultivate the things that I love.

While I do think They Might Be Giants are a singularly incredible band, their tendency towards gloomy songs in an upbeat manner can sometimes pile on sadness upon misery. This might be the single exception in their catalog, and it’s a cover, of course.

This song is amazing. Cub, who wrote the song, are amazing. But they are very clearly from Canada, as no one from NY would write a song like this, unless they were traveling from out of town to play a show where they are well loved.

Here’s to trying to focus on things I like. Please: join me on this journey.

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the first NPR broadcast. Consider that I am only four years younger than NPR, and you realize how new it actually is. I’m sort of astonished it has only been that long; part of me imagined they had been going since the dawn of time. Turns out is was more like around the time my parents first met.
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/30/992336360/bonus-celebrating-50-years-of-npr

So, I really can’t contain my excitement anymore. As a kid, this was my favorite show, and when I was able to revisit it growing up, I discovered that this show was saying a lot more than the funny jokes I stole as a youth. So, I thought it would be fun to talk about Max Headroom – TV Series with my friend, Wendella Mermelstein, as she had never seen it. I figured that was a good dynamic: one of us enthusiastic, the other, skeptical. Seemed like a good match. We launched 20 Minutes Into The Future: A Max Headroom Podcast, and we had a lot of fun.

So, how do I tell the 12 year old me that we now get to talk with three of the creators, that made that show happen? It’s really hard to say. I’ve sure he would never believe me, anyway, because we are silly when we are young. But regardless, it happened, and now you can enjoy it, too.

Join us as we talk with the creators of “Max Headroom”: Brian Frankish (Producer on “Field of Dreams,” “The Last Starfighter,” & “The Fugitive”), Steve Roberts (writer for “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys,” “Redwall” and, of course, “Max Headroom”) and Michael Cassutt (writer for “Z-Nation,” “Eerie Indiana” and “Strange Luck”), as they reminisce about working on the program, and what bars were key to various stages of the show’s progress.

There are two versions of the show, and both are worth your time: an audio podcast version, with editing, footnotes, and other audio production elements that are typical of our other shows. And then there’s the video, which is a more raw conversation, and offers you a chance to see all the cool stuff that’s going on during the chat. Both are different, and contain things the other doesn’t. So hopefully that encourages you to check out both. But really, either one is VERY entertaining. (I talk very little, and let our guests take over.)

I had a lot of fun working on this episode, and I hope you check it out. This show is a passion of mine, and I am having a great time working on it. Hopefully you can enjoy it, too.
https://20minutesintothefuture.org/2021/05/02/04-writing-producing-the-future/

Today the fourth episode of 20 Minutes Into The Future: A Max Headroom Podcast comes out (at 4 PM, PST), and this one is near and dear to our hearts: a conversation with the creative team behind the American version of “Max Headroom.” This includes Producer Brian Frankish, and Writer’s Steve Roberts and Michael Cassutt.

This is a very fun conversation, where they talk about getting to work on the show, what it was like for each of them day to day, and even discuss how the whole thing came to an end. This is the first time the three of them have gotten together to talk about the show like this, and it is something you won’t get to hear anywhere else.



For this episode, we will have two versions of it available for you to enjoy. First, the podcast version, which is presented much like our normal shows: plenty of SFX and interjections from producer Mitch. However, we think you will want to see this one, too, so there’s a much more “raw” version of the interview on YouTube, where you can see the entire thing, without the fancy audio production and announcer interjections. Both offer something the other doesn’t have, and both tell the story of the passion these creators had for getting this vision on the small screen.

The YouTube version will have live chat going, and Austin will be in there for anyone who wants to hang out. You can enjoy it all at:

bit.ly/MaxHeadroomCreatorsPanel

Be Seeing You!

Looks like the April release for one of my exchange groups landed! Hell yeah.

Important Calendar Note:

Well? Which is it?

Rabbit rabbit. I love rabbits.

I was having a really bummer day early on yesterday, just not at all ready for anything, dragging my feet the whole day, just bringing a storm cloud with me all day. Then, a small group of vaccinated friends came over to get me very drunk. Wow, this hangover is for real. No foolin’.

Ya’ll are the best. Thanks for cheering up a grumpy, difficult person who has become feral in this pandemic. I don’t know why ya’ll put up with me, but you do, and it makes all the difference.