14:11:10 ::: radioShirley presents “Raising Hell and a Birthday Fruitcup for Miss Wendy”!

Greetings Shirleyphiles and welcome to another 40 minutes or so of low-fi lovliness!

Well, what do you give a popular lady, one who is a real hoot with the crowd, one who has thrilled you with her voice, her performances, her music and her just being her fabulous self for years and years? More fabulous music, of course!!!

And that’s just what we’ve dished up for you this time around Shirleyphiles to celebrate the 50th birthday of the divine miss Wendy Seary! mr.Kenneth is still, after more than 25 years, a hopeless fan boy when it comes to our gal du jour! When the brilliant Brisbane band, Lovs é Blur, with Wendy out in front and at her celestial best took to the stage for their first proper gig at The Hacienda Hotel way back then, mr.K knew that this was a band of musicians with a singer to watch. And watch he did … gig after gig after gig after gig, he watched and danced and watched and danced away at his celestial best to some of the best Brisbane rock ‘n’ roll nights out on the town he’s ever had.

So Happy Birthday dahlink! We’re wishing you more happy returns  around your very own psychedelic sun you silly sausage! This one’s especially for you! Its an audio fruitcup of sorts served up with a great big smooch from one of your many number one fans. And are mr.K and myself are looking forward to raising hell and a fruitcup or two with you and your gang tonight? Indeed we are!

Shirleyphiles, please join me in charging your glasses, go gather up the scatter cushions and whatever else that may make your lives that little bit more special, sit back as Eartha Kitt, Bryan Ferry, The Ad Libs, Carol Channing, Mina, Ronnie Spector, Dusty Springfield, Dame Shirley Bassey, Cher, Bow Wow Wow, Nina Hagen, Genevieve Waite, Miss Marie Lloyd and our gal du jour out in front of Lovs é Blur make you forget your blues!

*be smooched*
radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

STREAM ::: Raising a Fruitcup for Miss Wendy!

DOWNLOAD ::: Raising a Fruitcup for Miss Wendy!

Do yourself a Molly and visit the divine miss Wendy’s myspace

03:10:10 :::: radioShirley presents HOOKED! Vol 2

Greetings Shirleyphiles and welcome to another 40 minutes or so of low-fi lovliness!

Here we go again dipping into some tunes which have been getting a recent beating from mr.K. These are some of the high rotation sounds my faithful manservant has been torturing me with mornin’ noon and night over the past month! You know, I cut a deal with mr.K that if I let him take over the playlist this time, that he’d spare me from the aural pain that is Elton John for at least six months! Done! Reg Dwight is one of our major points of musical difference and the source of many minor irritations. I blame the sounds of little Reg which float through the halls of Casa Shirley at the most inappropriate times – read cocktail hour – entirely for the nasty rash that has erupted on my legs. mr.K adores the 70′s Elton. Any period of Elton sends yours truly running for the calamine lotion and fumbling for the ON switch of the leaf blower!

Almost two years ago to the day, we launched HOOKED VOL 1 and this is, apart from an appearance from la Elton, a rockin’ extravaganza to equal if not better VOL 1! mr.K has pieced together a truly marvvy selection from Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, Nina Hagen, Connie Francis, Sweet, Yello, Gene McDaniels, X-Ray Spex, Elton – ahem – John, CCS, and just for Chaiscout because we couldn’t lay our paws on Johnny Cash’s ‘Cocaine Blues’ as requested – Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, The Creatures, Brenton Woods, Bunker Hill (I LOVE that one), Angelic Upstarts (the ultimate aural itcher, twitcher and bitcher in my opinion) and wrapping it all up, Hawkwind with a long time favourite, ‘Quark, Strangeness and Charm’.

So Shirleyphiles, tear open that box of Cadbury’s Roses, fumble for your favourites (I bagsy the Turkish Delights and chew slowly as we present HOOKED VOL 2!

Until, next time, take care, play fair and please dispose of the wrappers thoughtfully!!

*be smooched*
radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

STREAM ::: HOOKED! Vol 2

DOWNLOAD ::: HOOKED! Vol 2

16:01:09 :::: radioShirley presents “Vale mr.Id”

Greetings Shirleyphiles and welcome to another 40 minutes or so of low-fi lovliness!

Yours truly and the manservant, mr.Kenneth have been saddened this last week to learn of the sudden passing of Iain “mr.Id” Clacher. Writer, photographer, musician, activist and all round extraordinary human being, Iain will be sadly missed by those who came to love, respect and marvel at his energy, enthusiasm, humour, drive and down to earth determination when it came to issues he cared about … and there were many.

mr.Kenneth first met Id when Id played keyboards in local bands Krank and then Spank sometime last century. Time passed and it wasn’t until early this century that paths crossed once more via blogdom, online chat, out and about at a few gigs and through radioShirley. Id would often send the manservant very kind and enthusiastic comments about the shows as they appeared online. When we moved radioShirley to this blog format a couple of months ago with the “radioShirley presents “DRAG!” show, I emailed Id a notification and he responded with “drag? Perfect! *smoochback* my place. me in a frock. with beard” with the photo of him above as “Busty Springsqueal” attached. What an eye for style!

Tributes from friends and colleagues have been flowing onto Iain’s Facebook page from far and wide. I’m linking to a couple here and here which illustrate the depth of talent, commitment and support he fostered particularly amongst the Australian LGBTQ community in his position of 8 years as editor of Queensland Pride. Read and you’ll have an idea of why he is so highly regarded.

With Id’s sudden death uppermost in my mind and reflections this week, we decided to put together a mix of low-fi lovliness to celebrate his life. mr.Kenneth and I have chosen a number of artists and musical styles that Iain had indicated a fondness for. Some instances are tracks that we just thought may be appropriate. Among these are Lovs é Blur (whose fabulous singer, Wendy Seary fronted Spank with Iain), a little rockabilly from Carl Perkins, the New York Dolls, Lydia Lunch, the Cramps, Mrs Miller (I know when Mrs. Miller first aired in a radioShirley show some time back, Iain was gobsmacked and emailed me with “Who WAS that doing Green Tambourine?”), Taylor Mead, Nina Hagen, Ike and Tina Turner, Mistress Formika with “Fight For Your Right – To be Queer”, Wanda Jackson, a beautiful song from John Water’s Hairspray by Toussaint McCall and the mainman himself, Iggy Pop.

So Shirleyphiles, join the manservant and myself in toasting the life the times of Iain “mr.Id” Clacher. As mr.Kenneth wrote on Iain’s Facebook page, “here’s to you, mr. Id. cheers my dear. x”

*be smooched*
laShirl and mr.Kenneth

View Iain’s fabulous photography on FLICKR here

DOWNLOAD .mp3 (14mb)