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

04:06:10 :::: radioShirley presents “ALIVE!”

Greetings Shirleyphiles and welcome to 60 minutes or so of low-fi lovliness!

Well, in the words of The Divine Miss M herself, Bette Midler who kicks off this show “Oh honey, we spared no expense for you this time. We did it all. We washed. We showered. We shaved. We FPS’d ourselves into a stupor!” And we have! Mr. K and yours truly have had a blast and clapped their paws raw putting together this show. It is a thoroughly live, continuous performance of Royal Command proportions of some of our favourite live moments that could get any aged King or Queen tearing their knickers off and throwing them at the stage. From Bette Midler to Sweet to Noel Coward to Smokey Robinson to Blossom Dearie to Sergio Mendes to Quentin Crisp and many others, there is plenty in this one to send chills and thrills up your spine and back down to the toes of your collective slingbacks!

Mr. K still shivers nostalgically when the needle drops onto track one of Bette Midler’s “Live at Last” album as he recalls the thrill of being party to one of the stage entrances to end all entrances! The palpable excitement of the audience on this particular recording is so well captured that it transports the manservant back to front row centre for Miss. Midler’s first ever Brisbane show back in the 70′s. Sharing this moment with at least two known Shirleyphiles, you know who you are, Mr. K attests that it could’ve been recorded then and there as the audience reaction is just as wild!

That’s what it’s all about though isn’t it? As masterful as studio recordings can be, its the live experience, the hit and miss, the stage chatter and patter, the warts and all wonderland where the excitement and artistry are truly expressed. Mind you, it takes two to tango as they say and without an appreciative audience to feed off, a performance can easily descend into blanc mange … and we’re not talking 80′s hair bands … or are we?

So Shirleyphiles, fire up your Clap-o-Meters, put on your favourite concert merch and settle in for a cavalcade of our faves doing it for you and doing it ALIVE!

Until next time, take care and play fair.
*be smooched*
laShirl and mr. Kenneth

STREAM ::: ALIVE!

DOWNLOAD ::: ALIVE!

01:01:2009 :::: radioShirley presents a re-up : “laShirl’s All Male Revue”

A re-up from the Archives. Why? Well two reasons really.

#1. This show formed part of the soundtrack behind mr.Kenneth’s re-entry into the new year. The manservant enjoyed hearing it again so much that the luv begged and pleaded with me to re-up it for all the new visitors who may have missed it from last year.

#2. I couldn’t think of a better way to sashay the new year in than having a bevy of blokes strut their stuff in some kind of Revue while I lay Liz Taylor-like on the divan, G&T in paw … even if the parade is all in my ice cubes.

So here it is kids and let us wish all the Shirleyphiles, old and new out there a brilliant, safe and smiley 2009!

*be ever-so smooched*
mr.Kenneth & laShirl

5 May 2007
Greetings Shirleyphiles and welcome to another 40 minutes of low-fi luvliness!

Its been a long time between drinks I must say and what better way to greet some old friends than getting mr.Kenneth back to doing what he should be doing and working his fingers to the bone for yours truly! Yes … not unlike Katherine Hepburn, laShirl wears the proverbial pant suit in this family.

We’ve lined up a very talented bunch of menfolk, all possessing suspicious levels of testosterone, all circumspect about their gender and lets face it … with those personality traits, I’d have them all over for dinner in a flash. Wouldn’t you? I just wouldn’t let Vincent Price near the kitchen that’s all. If you listen to the show, you’ll understand why.

So who’s sitting round the table you ask?

Starting at the head (what a perfect place to start!) and holding court is the legendary Quentin Crisp. To his left are the boys from Sweet, a real rock and roll disgrace. Next to them, the man who really started the whole bling thing, Liberace is telling tales to the ever funky but chic, David Johansen. Fess Parker without the raccoon on his head, it’s one of the courses actually, decides that Jimmy and The Boys are really not like everybody else. The TuneTwisters bring up the tone of the evening with a touch of four part popcorn. The Spencer Davis Group explore the definition of a “man” with John Wayne. Speaking of definition, my favourite bare chested boys, Rammstein provide a little table cooking entertainment with the help of Vincent Price, a fork, a few boys and a flamethrower. Tokyo Baby keep the table cooking action going while Jim Croce tells some story about a cat called Leroy Brown. Definitely not on the menu! Neil Diamond sings of brotherly love and salvation until that upstart Arthur Comix, a right snivelling shit, decides a little reality check is in order by asking the eternal question “Is God a Man?” Pulchritude is indeed a big word, Arthur. The Television Personalities decide to lighten the mood with a ditty about Geoffrey Ingram and to end the night on a high note, the dessert in a torn pantsuit himself, P.J. Proby leads us all in a cutlery waving rendition of “Que Sera Sera”.

Whatever will be, will be … indeed … but who is looking after the washing up?

*smooches*
la Shirl and mr. Kenneth

DOWNLOAD & STREAM .mp3 (14mb)

Perhaps you’re looking for some of the past shows? .mp3 versions can be found HERE