Favoriting Irwin Chusid: Playlist from January 24, 2018 Favoriting

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Favoriting January 24, 2018: JOE FRANK MEMORIAL BROADCAST (audio removed at the direction of the rightsholder)



JOE FRANK MEMORIAL LINKS
Remembering Joe Frank (FB page)
Current: Fans remember the storyteller's dark sonic magic
Slate: Joe Frank Signs Off
On the Media: Joe Frank, the Known-Unknown
The Film: Joe Frank, Somewhere Out There
NPR: Radio Artist, Writer Joe Frank Dies at 79
Hearing Voices: Joe Frank (1938-2018)
JoeFrank.com: Tributes List

Artist Track Album
Joe Frank  Dreamland (excerpt)   Favoriting Work in Progress (1986) 
 
Joe Frank  Bible Salesman (excerpt)   Favoriting Somewhere Out There (1996) 
Joe Frank  Prison Songs (excerpt)   Favoriting The Other Side (1999) 
 
Joe Frank  Bottle for a Headstone (excerpt)   Favoriting Joe Frank Online (2004) 
Joe Frank  Either/Or (excerpt 1)   Favoriting In the Dark (1994) 
 
Joe Frank  Prison Songs (excerpt 1)   Favoriting The Other Side (1999) 
 
Joe Frank  Three Shingles (excerpt)   Favoriting Somewhere Out There (1996) 
 
Joe Frank and Irwin Chusid  Interview, 1991 (part 1)   Favoriting Recorded at KCRW, January 1991 
Joe Frank  Iceland, Part 1 (excerpt 1)   Favoriting Work in Progress (1996) 
Joe Frank and Irwin Chusid  Interview, 1991 (part 2)   Favoriting Recorded at KCRW, January 1991 
Joe Frank  The Best (excerpt)   Favoriting Work in Progress (1992) 
Joe Frank and Irwin Chusid  Interview, 1991 (part 3)   Favoriting Recorded at KCRW, January 1991 
Joe Frank  I'm Not Crazy (excerpt)   Favoriting Work in Progress (1990) 
Joe Frank and Irwin Chusid  Interview, 1991 (part 4)   Favoriting Recorded at KCRW, January 1991 
Joe Frank  Nausea (excerpt)   Favoriting Work in Progress (1989) 
 
Joe Frank  The Loved One (excerpt)   Favoriting In the Dark (1993) 
Joe Frank  Iceland, Part 1 (excerpt 2)   Favoriting Work in Progress (1996) 
Joe Frank  Hit Man (excerpt)   Favoriting In the Dark (1994) 
Joe Frank  Old Man (excerpt)   Favoriting Unfictional (2012) 
Joe Frank  Coma (excerpt)   Favoriting In the Dark (1993) 
Joe Frank  Either/Or (excerpt 2)   Favoriting In the Dark (1994) 
Joe Frank  Smile (excerpt)   Favoriting In the Dark (1993) 


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Listener comments!

Avatar Swag For Life Member 10:35pm
Irwin:

I've had my ears glued to radio since 1959. Joe's is one of the five greatest voices I've heard come out of that box. And I'm not saying he's 5th-best. I can't rank my pantheon. But he's firmly in it.
  2:47pm
?:

Old Pal Irwin said: "I've had my ears glued to radio since 1959. Joe's is one of the five greatest voices I've heard come out of that box. And I'm not saying he's 5th-best. I can't rank my pantheon. But he's firmly in it." Perfect! Joe's shows have meant a lot to me Thank you for promoting his work making it available to a wider audience over the years. After your memorial broadcast is archived I'll post a link on my Facebook page and perhaps introduce a few more people to JF.
  2:51pm
Marc Grobman:

I hope someday you can find a JF series that WFMU never completely aired. I don't recall the title, but believe it was produced in the late 1990s. It was a straightforward drama in four or five parts about a Jewish guy and a Palestinian woman. In the series’ last episode that aired their relationship was at a dramatic point. I eagerly tuned in next week for what I expected would be the series conclusion but instead, WFMU aired an unrelated JF show.

I think we received Joe’s shows on cassette tapes in those days, and since Doug Schulkind set them up each week, I asked him what had happened to that episode. Doug said that Joe had received death threats about that series, and had either not sent the tape of the last episode, or had asked FMU not to air it. If my memory is correct, Doug also said that Joe didn’t want the previous installments of that series ever aired again. If recordings of that series still exist, perhaps whoever handles the distribution of Joe’s programs will now make it available.
  3:01pm
yippie:

wow you didnt even play your theme song, Now that is a dedication
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:01pm
Michael 98145:

thank you, Irwin
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:02pm
Webhamster Henry:

Joe Frank and WFMU were a great match!
Avatar 3:03pm
V Priceless:

Thanks for doing this, Irwin. RIP Joe Frank. The greatest.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:03pm
Webhamster Henry:

You really need 3 hours at least to get the real Frank experience.
  3:03pm
yippie:

a match made in Jaffrey NH
  3:05pm
melinda:

HI Irwin and all
Avatar 3:05pm
glenn:

palestinians, jews and death threats. trump could learn a thing or two.
  3:05pm
goldie:

greetings from bavaria
  3:06pm
goldie:

will drink a boot of beer for joe frank
Avatar 3:06pm
V Priceless:

In The Dark
  3:07pm
Pedro in Arlington VA:

This show will be available in the archives, right? Some other stations are not archiving Joe tributes. Listened every Sunday night years ago in Chicago. He was perfect for those slightly anxious hours before the start of a new week.
Avatar 3:07pm
Nick S.:

Thanks for this, Irwin.
Avatar 3:07pm
geezerette:

Thanks for this labor of love,Irwin.
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 3:08pm
chris:

hi, Irwin and all.
  3:08pm
Listener Robert:

5 greatest voices from the box, eh? OK, so Joe Frank's nailed down. Frank Sinatra for sure; Irwin's said that if you want to learn how to speak well, listen to Sinatra sing. Jean Shepherd? Figure the other 2 must've been ladies.
  3:10pm
RSTVMO:

Mark E. Smith RIP
  3:11pm
melinda:

Like Cantinflas! Haha
  3:12pm
Brendan:

@Irwin, thank you for today and for being the celebrant of our bi-weekly ritual.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:13pm
Webhamster Henry:

It ain't Joe without some excellent lists!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:15pm
Pedro G.:

In a better world, he would have made a fortune in podcasting. But his health slowed him in recent years.
Avatar 3:15pm
Lopez:

Just discovered Joe Frank earlier this year and have been somewhat obsessed since. RIP
Avatar 3:15pm
Fox:

Thank you for doing this Irwin!!! I'm listening with utter devotion.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:16pm
Irwin:

Please post your sentiments about Joe here so his widow Michal and countless FoJ can read them now or later.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:16pm
Michael 98145:

oh, no : Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 - 24 January 2018)
Avatar 3:16pm
Wild Neil:

PEACE All. Apparently Thomas Jefferson blacked out parts of the bible he didn't agree with.
Avatar 3:16pm
glenn:

geeeez. on a normal day, we'd hear a bunch of stuff from the fall.
Avatar 3:16pm
Fox:

I had so many tapes with Joe Frank shows recorded off of WFMU. Some of his shows I practically know by heart.
  3:17pm
Gregg:

Darn it. This is the first I've heard of Joe Frank. I hate finding out about genius posthumously.
Avatar 3:17pm
Wild Neil:

Joe Frank's work transports me to another world, I feel like I am inside his stories when he tells them.
Avatar 3:18pm
Fox:

Wild Neil: I'd heard it that Jefferson had made a version of the new testament with all the miracles of Jesus removed, so it was a philosophical text as opposed to one of magic.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:18pm
joe:

RIP Joe Frank and thank you Irwin for exposing me to his greatness.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:19pm
Pedro G.:

The trailer for this looks great and his widow is an associate producer so it must only be a matter of time (and financing?) before we see it. www.joefrankmovie.com
  3:20pm
Gregg:

It's raining here in Mendocino with a wood stove burning. This is perfect.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:21pm
Michael 98145:

great context, @Gregg
  3:21pm
Dez:

Joe's voice, with its subtle urgency and the slight compression, always makes his stories feel like they are clandestinely called in from a phone booth just down the block from a hotel room, empty but for a bottle of booze and a sleepy lover.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:21pm
Michael 98145:

radio noir
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:22pm
Webhamster Henry:

The other cool thing about his work were Joe's music loops, which were actual tape loops in the pre-digital days.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:24pm
Michael 98145:

no one makes radio like this anymore
  3:24pm
sass2grass:

I love you!!! This guy was amazing!
  3:25pm
Listener Robert:

Now, see, this is how a wake should always be: it's goodbye, but with the guest of honor making us laugh on his way out.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:25pm
Art:

Two things -- WFMU and Joe Frank -- have defined the bounds of brilliant radio for me over the last 30 years.
  3:27pm
Otis:

A smorgasbord in sound. Forget work for the next 3 hours. I just made coffee.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:27pm
Booz:

"Radio Artist." There were probably others in a previous generation, but JF was the only radio artist in my life. Is there anyone podcasting with guts like he had?
  3:28pm
melinda:

@Dez that's a great description
Avatar 3:29pm
Kenzo (Ken's Last Ever):

Joe Frank (and Don Joyce) helped reassure me it was OK to take making radio shows seriously. Such brilliant standards of obsession.
  3:31pm
Eliyah:

-''why?'' -''i have to go'' I laughted so hard
Avatar 3:32pm
V Priceless:

been a huge fan of Joe's since hearing his 'Work in Progress' shows on WNYC in the 80's (taped lots of 'em). Fortunate enough to have received a hand-written note from him after purchasing some programs from his web-site. He made some very remarks accusing my wife of obsessively texting him, among other lurid things! Also was very lucky to receive a used copy of his long out-of-print book "The Queen of Puerto Rico and Other Storeis" as a gift. JOE FRANK FOREVER!
Avatar 3:34pm
V Priceless:

(insert 'humorous' between 'very' and 'remarks'. Carry on...)
  3:35pm
Eliyah:

i never heard Joe Frank but im regreting is so much right now
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:37pm
dgg:

thx for this joe and irwin for introducing me to this.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:38pm
rsj:

i got picked from the audience to go up on stage with a comic mime, i almost killed him
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:39pm
Lizardner Dave:

Late to the party due to work...thank God or Ken or whoever for the archives.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:39pm
Mick:

Very sad about Joe Frank of course, and thankful for the many years of amazing radio. First heard him back when I was living in Boston on some late night program (WERS? WGBH? Not sure) My girlfriend at the time and I did a double take and were like, "What IS this, and where do we hear more?" For the next several weeks, at every gathering I'd have a "Have you heard Joe Frank?" conversation with one person or another. He went in directions unlike anyone I'd heard before or since. Found him on the radio again shortly after I moved to Hoboken/NYC area. Grateful to Irwin for - well, for many things, but for right now for all the Joe Frank in recent days.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:41pm
Webhamster Henry:

I'm glad people are hearing Joe Frank here . Some may have heard him and thought WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?? and never heard him again. He really made good use of the radio Safe Harbor hours.
Avatar 3:41pm
Wild Neil:

There is nobody like Joe Frank. He invented an entire genre. His work is compelling and impossible to put down once started. I first heard Joe Frank back in the 80's. It blew my mind.
  3:41pm
Gregg:

I'm reminded of how I felt when listening to Over The Edge on a Berkeley radio station in the mid 70's.
Avatar 3:43pm
glenn:

death is a tranny?
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 3:43pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

On multiple occasions, I pulled the car over in a spot where reception was good so I could hear the end of the story without having the signal fade.
  Swag For Life Member 3:43pm
David K:

Must have been the 80s when Irwin started playing these. I love Joe Frank. A magnificent body of work.
Avatar 3:44pm
V Priceless:

@Irwin: did you see him perform live a few years back when he was in NYC? It was a one-off, and I had a conflict and could not make it. Had to be within the past 5 or 6 years, maybe.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:44pm
Booz:

I used to stay after hours at my office, desperately trying to figure out what I was doing with my life. Eventually I'd just pass the time playing computer games, listening to Joe till midnight. And I became more comfortable with the confusion.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:45pm
Webhamster Henry:

Joe was on the WFMU schedule (as was Alan Watts and the now podcasted Dave Emory) as one of the mid day spoken word shows.
Avatar 3:46pm
Nick S.:

Laughing here in my cubicle. Jeesus, that guy was funny.
  3:47pm
Gregg:

I love his serious irreverence.
Avatar 3:47pm
Fox:

in the 90's, when I lived in Sussex County, NJ, every Thursday I would drive with a friend of mine down from the mountains for 45 minutes until we got decent reception of WFMU. We'd get stoned and recline our seats all the way, and sit in silence listening to Joe Frank. He really filled a want in my life I can't express.
Avatar 3:48pm
Nick S.:

I have been reading his obits and tributes laughing at points during every one of them.
  3:49pm
Courtney of Morris:

Fox I am so with you. It was such a part of my life
Avatar 3:49pm
Nick S.:

I have been curious, however, why he got fired from KCRW. Anyone know the story there? Total mystery. I may have to wait for the book.
  3:50pm
Mike tp:

thanks Ol Pal for this .and thanks to Joe Frank.one story I remember was when Joe impersonated a surgeon doing the most complicated surgery..
Avatar 3:50pm
V Priceless:

It's also fair to say that Joe played a big part in hipping me to exploring chill/down-tempo grooves, as his music beds are very alluring, and I longed to discover similar sonics!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:52pm
BennettCap:

Every tale is believable. That's why I'm always transfixed.
  Swag For Life Member 3:53pm
Steevee:

Irwin, thanks for bringing this brilliant man's work to the WFMU faithful for so long. I've been listening since the mid 80's and have never failed to be fascinated. Can you say something about the sound beds he uses? Info is probably out there, but his use of music, the recorded phone conversations, all mix together so well. Kudos to you and his collaborators.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:53pm
Webhamster Henry:

He's the master of hypnotic shaggy dog narrative.
Avatar 3:55pm
geezerette:

The first time I heard him, on KCRW, I found myself alternately laughing and gasping repeatedly for an hour. Instantly hooked.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:56pm
Webhamster Henry:

Some of Joe's music is cataloged here : lf.org...
  3:56pm
Sparky:

Sorry to hear of his passing. Thanks to WFMU, who alerted us (last year?)
of Joe's ill health, I was able to donate some money to help pay his medical bills. A rare talent who helped make life more bearable.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:56pm
BennettCap:

Irwin!! ❤❤❤
  3:57pm
J:

I hope this show is archived!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:59pm
KevinfromBayRidge:

Thanks for this, Irwin. My gateway was the late afternoon shows on FMU during the 90s. Nothing comes close to his radio. Somehow I missed him during his early career at WBAI in '76.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 3:59pm
Pedro G.:

Strange to have learned so much about Joe in the past few days, having really known him only through his radio work (and Facebook posts)for decades. But even real audio interviews with him sound like his creations because of that incredible voice.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:01pm
Irwin:

"Jesus is the Elvis of God-dom."
  4:02pm
Listener Robert:

@Fox, that must've been before 1996 and the WHDC (now WMFU) acquisition. Now in Sussex Co. that's what you'd tune in, and you wouldn't have to drive 45" -- though you might have to drive a few to get out of certain shadow zones here.
  4:03pm
JakeGould:

“Buddha, oh Buddha, oh have you seen Buddha, Buddha the tattooed lady!”
Avatar 4:05pm
Vincent Nifigance:

RIP Mark E Smith. www.bbc.co.uk...
  4:07pm
Listener Robert:

ISTR Ursula LeGuin, who just died, also did some radio.
  4:07pm
JakeGould:

@Vincent: No bulbs in that flat… Anymore! R.I.P.
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 4:08pm
Alison Porchnik:

I don't think I've ever heard this - but it's already one of my favorites.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:10pm
joe:

Listening to Joe takes me back to a very specific time in late 1990 early 1991 to a very specific memory of hearing him. I can see myself in the shitty apartment we where living in. The thing is there is a piece of the memory that is missing and I have strived for so long to regain that piece. Everything about it is so vivid. Except for that one missing piece. The odd thing is I know it's all a false memory. I know it never happened. At least not at all in the way I remember it.
  4:10pm
Zetti:

soooo looking forward to this interview
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:11pm
Passaic River Blues:

@Steevee & WH: some time last year, there was a sale on JoeFrank.com where for $5 you'd be given a random handful of otherwise unsaleable CDs (some mislabeled, some missing covers, etc.). I forget the exact volume I ordered, but one of the CDs only contained audio files of Joe Frank bed music. It is a treasure. ... That line about Jesus was genius.
  4:11pm
Laura L:

Tuning in late--I hadn't heard that one before either, A.P., and me too, already a favorite.
  4:11pm
show show:

I was trying to do my yoga poses but I kept laughing my ass off causing me to completely lose the damn poses
  4:13pm
Listener Robert:

That question never occurred to me either. It's why I can bore people endlessly.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:13pm
Webhamster Henry:

Did Joe ever hear Judson Fountain? I think a Joe Frank adaptation of The Old Woman of Haunted House would have been a masterpiece!
Avatar 4:13pm
robyn:

RIP Joe Frank and Mark E. Smith, what a friggin genius
  4:14pm
Johnny Volume:

RIP Joe & Mark
Avatar 4:15pm
Carmichael:

I found Joe Frank the way everyone should find him, when I was slightly high, sitting on the carpet and spinning my radio dial in futility late one night. Suddenly, some pulsating music and Joe's urgent way of story-telling. I was hooked.
  4:18pm
melinda:

I liked Jesus's comment about the weak chin.
Avatar 4:18pm
TDK60:

Wow, Mark E. Smith, the Macunian hobgoblin.
  4:18pm
frenchee:

Irwin, you've outdone yourself
RIP Joe and hot damn! Mark E. Smith
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:19pm
Lizardner Dave:

Somehow I knew there had to be a Shep connection.
  4:22pm
frenchee:

OF COURSE JEAN SHEPHERD
  4:24pm
Listener Robert:

Shep was great on radio, but nothing could match his 1-man stage shows. But they were infrequent enough that maybe they don't "count". Like if you don't have enough at-bats to show up in the batting averages even if your actual average is terrific.
Avatar 4:24pm
Carmichael:

And Shadoe Stevens
Avatar 4:24pm
Carmichael:

HA HA
  4:25pm
NOMore:

Joe Frank's is the voice that has lead me down the dark, twisted alleyways of my own worst self-realizations, through the mires of anxiety, paranoia, ever searching for a vague, poorly defined sense or understanding and acceptance in all of our individual roles as the respective punchlines of some insane and obscene cosmic joke. I've never been so taken aback and moved by any media project before or since - looking forward to each broadcast I'd get to tune into, alone, headed north on route 9. May he forever rest in the strange radio dreamland he created and fed. His work is a gem - and anybody I've ever met that "heard that weird radio story guy fading in and out on WFMU" I consider a friend.

- Irwin, I cannot thank you enough for introducing so many of us to one of the most compelling artists we'll ever hear.
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 4:25pm
officina:

I stumbled onto Joe on WNYC in the late 80s and was mesmerized.
Then followed him on FMU. Thanks Irwin for this memorial and your continued airing of his amazing material...!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:26pm
Irwin:

Marc G: You're remembering a 3-part series titled "Another Country." I haven't aired it yet, but plan to. It's extremely disturbing, a chronicle of uncomfortable circumstances and volatile personalities.
  4:29pm
Zetti:

I remember "Another Country". Will it be aired today?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:29pm
Ciggy:

I thought that I knew NYC radio. I go back to the early 60s listening to late night am & fm programs. But I guess it's like finding out about a musical artist, and getting that 1st rush through my system, I will have to go through Joe Frank's archives. With Pleasure!
  4:29pm
?:

Will this be repeated if so when?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:30pm
Ciggy:

RIP Mark E. Smith
  4:31pm
John Davison:

The loop currently being played is from Chris Stein, "Indra (for Brion Gysin)."
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 4:32pm
Alison Porchnik:

This interview is really good, Irwin. It's so fascinating to hear him without the Joe Frank persona and altered voice effects, simply thinking and talking about his work in a serious way. A special glimpse into into a remarkable mind.
  4:32pm
sass2grass:

I like this loop.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:34pm
cosmic matrix:

@Irwin: This is a great tribute; wonderful interview; thank you thank you. Joe, you will be missed! Thank goodness for audio technology...modern storytelling.
  4:34pm
Listener Robert:

I don't remember whether it was in the 1980s or '90s that I heard on some station in NYC one December evening a show that sounded a bit like Firesign and had at one point a waiter taking order in a Chinese restaurant and then inexplicably getting nasty: "...and one wonton soup in youl rap!" and pours boiling hot soup into the patron's lap. I'm guessing that was a Joe Frank.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:34pm
joe:

@? It will mostly likely be in the archive by tomorrow.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:35pm
Irwin:

Shows are archived about an hour after conclusion.
  4:39pm
melinda:

@Robert I heard that recently on FMU, I think on Rancho Thatchmo's fill-in for Explorer's Room on GTDR last week.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:40pm
joe mulligan:

my first intro to Joe Frank was his "Rent a Family" series during the late 80s while listening to WXPN in Philly. Joe kept a high standard of storytelling throughout all the years
  4:40pm
show show:

Listening to a Joe Frank's piece is like watching a Mike Tyson knock out reel .
  4:41pm
Gregg:

As much as life irritates me these beautiful artscapes of words make me want to live forever.
  4:41pm
?:

Do Joe Frank shows still air on this station?
Avatar 4:46pm
Nick S.:

"You, Alicia" Haha!
  4:47pm
Thelma Bllitz:

Alicia was the name of female robot in a Twilight Zone episode, the ideal woman her owner came to love as a human.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:50pm
Irwin:

Joe Frank shows have aired regularly, biweekly in this slot since about 2012. However, by request of Joe and his wife Michal, I removed the playlist entries after airings. They were concerned that easily-found streaming audio would discourage sales at their website, which was a significant source of income for them. However, the audio in the WFMU archives remains (courtesy Joe and Michal). All past airings are in the Upcoming Special Programs archives:
www.wfmu.org...
Avatar 4:51pm
kimzilla:

I can't get any of my own editing done because I am transfixed and can't turn this off. Thanks Irwin for putting this great tribute together.
  4:53pm
dez:

is that Ry Cooder slide guitar from Performance playing between the interview segments?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:54pm
Irwin:

dez: Don't remember. I didn't log bumper music.
  4:55pm
John B.:

The Cooder guitar is from Paris, Texas.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:56pm
Bas NL:

What a great interview..
Avatar 4:58pm
drewo:

It's always oddly comforting entering Joe Frank's world. Looking forward to discovering more of his timeless work. Thanks Irwin for introducing and championing Joe.
  4:58pm
Eva:

Thanks so much for this program, Irwin! Great use of the interview material. First memories of listening to Joe Frank are from Boston in the later 80s, if memory serves the program came on after a jazz program with a kind of "adults-only" warning that pretty much required one to keep listening...fond memory of the piece about Marlene Dietrich falling in love with a Brancusi statue. Again, great job and thanks so much.
Avatar 4:58pm
Old Dave:

Sexual harasser!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:59pm
Bas NL:

There were some snippets of the beautiful song Radio in an Hourglass by Holger Czukay.
  5:00pm
Marie:

I love Joe Frank's work. I think he was an amazing artist. I am saddened at his passing. I wonder if he maybe had a special show stored away, to be played only after his death.
  5:00pm
sass2grass:

good program man. The sunset now is perfect for such a show, thanks man!!! hollar!!blue collar empire boiz.
  5:01pm
dez:

thanks, john b
  5:04pm
A Lo:

Never heard of Joe Frank before - fantastic - thanks for putting him on posthumously.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:06pm
Irwin:

Marie: That would be VERY Joe.
Avatar 5:07pm
Nick S.:

Masterful questions, Irwin. I would've been terrified. Must've been cool to talk with him.
  5:07pm
@berbo:

"tawny stretch"
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:08pm
Irwin:

Joe was a pro. He made it easy. I knew I was meeting one of my heroes, and he didn't disappoint as a human being.
  5:08pm
John B.:

Forgot to mention what a fantastic show this is. Nice job Irwin!
  5:10pm
?:

Any news about the upcoming documentary on Joe Frank the movie?
Avatar 5:11pm
Nick S.:

You come off really cool yourself. The only evidence of your weirdness, concerning him, is your seemingly instant recall of many many details from all of his shows up to that point. I'm sure that he was used to that sort of interest from many of his fans.
  5:12pm
Mandy:

how long is this show going to be in the archive? I missed a lot of this.
  5:14pm
Laura L:

That interview you did with him was superb. But of course! Thank you.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:14pm
Michael 98145:

thanks again, Irwin. this is so great.
  5:14pm
?:

I missed the first hour and feel it should be easily archived and easily found.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:15pm
Irwin:

Few have had the power to emerge from the radio you're listening to and make it seem like they've entered the room, that they're lurking in the corner. When Joe delivers a monolog, you can almost feel his breath.
  5:15pm
Thelma Bllitz:

He must be reading these stories, but they sound so vivid and fresh, as if he were making them up. Spellbinding presentations, with hypnotic music.
Avatar 5:16pm
glenn:

fluorescent porcupines ftw!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:16pm
Michael 98145:

@? Recently Archived shows are listed on the WFMU.org homepage
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:16pm
coelacanth∅:

Mandy -4 weeks in a quality format; then indefinitely in crappy "pop-up" format.
  5:17pm
Dan:

Joe Frank... and now Mark E. Smith!? The ratio of human genius with words has sunk significantly this Jan 2018
Avatar 5:17pm
Old Dave:

Thanks for warning us that Frank's heirs will monetize his work going forward.
Is this the last time we will hear him on your show, Irwin?
  5:18pm
A Turnpike Driver:

Thank you, Irwin, for introducing me to Joe Frank's work several years ago during one of my many long drives up and down the NJ Turnpike. This is a great show today, expertly programmed and a fantastic tribute. I hope many new listeners are discovering JF right now.

Condolences to Michal Story whose online updates over the last few years have demonstrated her care of and devotion to Joe Frank during his final illness.

And of course a far-too-late thank you to Joe Frank for helping making life more endurable for his listeners.
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 5:19pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

I'm glad to hear "The Loved One" once again. I remember this one.
Avatar 5:19pm
Patty D:

This is Joe Frank huh? I've heard him on wfmu a few times while in the car but didn't realize. Very interesting to listen to.
  5:19pm
Mr Zeta:

Thanks for this Irwin, as always.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:19pm
Irwin:

Dave, I've mentioned several times that the airings will continue bi-weekly. Stop multi-tasking, get away from Instagram, Facebook, or whatever, and listen to the program!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:19pm
Michael 98145:

what ATD said
  5:20pm
Gregg:

This is reminding me of Captain Beefheart's Human Totem Pole.
  5:20pm
Dean:

"Stop multi-tasking, get away from Instagram, Facebook, or whatever, and listen to the program!"

Damn, if that ain't WFMU's next billboard campaign, right there.
  5:21pm
Dean:

Also: "And keep your eyes on the road!"
Avatar 5:21pm
glenn:

dean beat me to it.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:21pm
Irwin:

"We don't care if you're wearing pants or not. Just LISTEN."
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:22pm
ɨkɛ:

I've always loved how "The Loved One" is sort of an accidentally feminism-tinged parable, or at least a parable of empathy. As a young 'un, it gave me some vague idea of what some women go through. Or that's what I took from it anyway. Though it's hilariously hyperbolic which is, of course, what makes it entertaining.
Avatar 5:22pm
Old Dave:

Okay, sorry- I'm going outside to scar my face with a garden trowel now.
  5:22pm
?:

Any news about the Joe Frank documentary?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:23pm
Webhamster Henry:

@Thelma a lot of these are written, but large percentage of his non-monologues are improvised with his troupe of actors. He spent a lot of time editing!
  5:23pm
Mandy:

I definitely want to purchase a compilation of his work. he was one of the last great masterful orators. I often stop what I am doing to listen, spellbound. thank yo for giving me this experience Irwin and WFMU.
Avatar 5:23pm
geezerette:

What Irwin said.
What Dean said.
What Irwin said after that.
What Joe says...
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:24pm
Michael 98145:

and what Mandy said
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:27pm
Bas NL:

Bed music 'Ode to Perfume' by Holger Czukay..
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:27pm
Michael 98145:

painting with words
Avatar 5:29pm
geezerette:

What Michael said.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:30pm
cosmic matrix:

hahah "but mostly your time"
  5:31pm
Thelma Bllitz:

I can see where he parted ways with WBAI if he felt artists need not be activist and that the rich and powerful weren't necessarily better off than the poor and downtrodden.
  5:31pm
frenchee:

so many good beds
  5:31pm
kbeach:

Rip joe frank!
  5:33pm
?:

Joe Frank will live with us forever.A radio genius and there will never be another one like him.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:34pm
Lizardner Dave:

Imagine this monologue pouring out of speakers in offices, bedrooms, restaurants, supermarkets, public squares, automobiles, subway platforms, army bases, police cruisers, riverboats, cell phones, helicopters, doctors' offices, shopping malls, ice cream trucks, and bodegas.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:35pm
Michael 98145:

and cyanide canape shops
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:35pm
Webhamster Henry:

Imagine it as the voice of the computer in Galaxy Quest!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:37pm
Webhamster Henry:

You listeners might want to look at this ancient WFMU Joe Frank FAQ page:
www.wfmu.org...
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:38pm
coelacanth∅:

is this "sympathy for the devil, pt.2"?
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 5:38pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

There was this one time when one of Joe's premises was unbelievable, when his character put a murdered body into a fish tank and turned up the heat until the corpse dissolved.
  5:39pm
?:

I'd put his voice in every car with GPS.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:40pm
Michael 98145:

guess you had to have been there, @Ken
  5:40pm
Brendan:

Now this is an interesting character
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:41pm
coelacanth∅:

some of them are unbelievable (like the chinese retaurant skit someone on fmu aired a few days ago) but many of them have some unbelievable aspects.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:41pm
Summer and Michael:

Wonderful tribute, Irwin. We'll be listening more than once. It was here on WFMU that we first heard Joe Frank back when he and Alan Watts were aired back to back. We used to tape (!) those shows every week. We still have dozens of cassettes. Were so sad to hear the news last week. Thank you, as ever.
Avatar 5:42pm
Tidepoolbay:

Joe was so Cool! I will miss Joe, but his shows will go on and on!!
  5:43pm
jeremy:

Joe will be missed. listening to his stories helped me become a better story teller to my children.

thanks Irwin
Avatar 5:43pm
Tidepoolbay:

Thank you Irwin!!
Avatar 👻 5:43pm
βrian:

The Heights of Ecstasy is an overlook up on the bluffs.
  5:45pm
Steve from SF:

Started listening on KCRW in 1987, often listening in a research laboratory with a friend and the lights off. Listened on and off throughout the years. A singular voice. Thanks for the tribute, and for carrying the torch over the years!
  5:45pm
?:

I vote we repeat this for the next 24 hours and then vote on it again.
  5:45pm
mink:

RIP.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:46pm
Michael 98145:

i often check my watch to see how old i am -
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:48pm
ɨkɛ:

To look up the bed music/background loops for these shows, check the page Webham Henry posted & click on the episode titles, or try this:
www.jfwiki.org
  5:48pm
Brendan:

Hot sauce , testicles, feral monkeys . Broke a rib laughing.
  5:49pm
Bonefish5000:

Joe Frank always cheers me up! RIP, JF
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:50pm
cosmic matrix:

intense.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:50pm
pollypinocle:

What a terrific tribute, Irwin! Some of my favorite pieces (which I'll never tire of hearing), and some I've never heard despite my longtime Joe Frank addiction/devotion. He is my religion.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:50pm
Michael 98145:

really. RIP, JF.
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 5:50pm
chris:

Joe was one of those artists who, upon first hearing him, changed my life forever. it was a strange time in my life, when i first heard his show on a radio in Fresno, Ca. i had no idea radio programs like his could exist. i never tire of his stories. i've said it before here, but his show is more than the sum of its parts: his stories, told with his wonderful voice, excellent music curation. his shows have transformed my life. made it better. rest in peace, Joe Frank. you will be missed dearly, but your stories will live forever.

thanks, Irwin, for reminding me how important Joe Frank is to me and to so many! wonderful tribute here, sir.
Avatar 5:50pm
geezerette:

So hard to listen because true.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:50pm
Uncle Michael:

Thanks for this program, Irwin.
  5:51pm
?:

Must listen to this with headphones and in the dark unless you're driving.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:51pm
cosmic matrix:

changed all our lives. such good work. so many emotions.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:52pm
cosmic matrix:

WE LOVE YOU, JOE! HO!!!!
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 5:52pm
Mark Hurst:

Seconding @Uncle Michael - I've really appreciated this show. Loved the interview from 1991, too. Thanks, Irwin.
Avatar 5:52pm
geezerette:

Irwin, thank you very much.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:52pm
coelacanth∅:

is this the fine print in a contract with verizon?
  5:53pm
Thelma Blitz:

Wonderful tribute, Irwin. You understood him so well. We will listen to this over and over. Thank you.
  5:53pm
?:

Waiting for the Joe Frank movie.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:54pm
dale:

been listening the whole show - enjoyed the interviews. you sounded so young and fresh faced irwin.
  5:54pm
Laura L:

Irwin, this is a stellar collection you put together. I think Joe would be so pleased--maybe he's listening in from The Other Side, Somewhere Out There and saying Thanks, Irwin, as we all are.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:54pm
Michael 98145:

pity the fools who have never heard of mr frank
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:54pm
cosmic matrix:

HAHAHA great choice, irwin. omg
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:55pm
dale:

i've always enjoyed the detailed lists he incorporates into his journeys.
  5:55pm
?:

We have to thank Irwin,Michal,and the various bands that played with Joe.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:55pm
Webhamster Henry:

This is motivational lecturing at its best!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:55pm
cosmic matrix:

@dale, like borges
Avatar 👻 Swag For Life Member 5:56pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

I'm thankful that sensible immigration laws allowed Joe to enter this country and contribute to our betterment.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:56pm
cosmic matrix:

imho
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:56pm
dale:

i take it you don't mean victor borges cosmic.....
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:57pm
Michael 98145:

take your inner child to the circus
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:57pm
BennettCap:

The best three hours I've spent bent-ear to the radio in a long time. A celebration!
  5:57pm
JG:

Always imagine myself listening while lying on bed, not sleeping, windows open to a late afternoon in the spring. Joe, then Alan Watts
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:58pm
coelacanth∅:

- mostly wild animals
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:58pm
cosmic matrix:

@dale, jorge luis i should have said.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:58pm
Bas NL:

Great tribute to a great artist.. Thanks Irwin.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 5:59pm
zopa:

Joe Frank. So nice, they named him twice.
  5:59pm
Listener Robert:

Coelacanth, was that Chinese restaurant skit the one where the waiter deliberately spills soup in the customer's lap?
  5:59pm
?:

I want my cars GPS and all other cars sold around the world to give directions by Joe Frank.
Avatar 6:00pm
Brendan in Carroll Gardens:

Loved it Irwin! thanks for introducing me to him. Sad he passed.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:00pm
cosmic matrix:

pure talent, and a beautiful voice to boot.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:00pm
coelacanth∅:

Thank you Irwin. Thanks Joe Frank.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:00pm
Devin B.:

Thank you Irwin!
  6:00pm
Mick:

Thank you Irwin
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:00pm
cosmic matrix:

thank you irwin
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:00pm
Passaic River Blues:

Thank you, Irwin. Death is relentless but at least there is some Joe Frank to while away the by and by.
  6:00pm
John Davison:

Please keep airing Joe Frank!
  6:00pm
FRED:

Thanks Irwin!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:01pm
Lizardner Dave:

Thank you Irwin. Godspeed Joe.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:01pm
Passaic River Blues:

Thank you, Irwin. Death is relentless but at least we have Joe Frank tapes to while away the by and by.
Avatar 6:01pm
Fredericks:

Magnificent program.
Avatar 6:02pm
Fredericks:

Magnificent program!
Avatar 6:03pm
Fredericks:

Magnificent program!
  9:15pm
Marc Grobman:

Hi Irwin, you wrote:
"You're remembering a 3-part series titled "Another Country." I haven't aired it yet, but plan to. It's extremely disturbing, a chronicle of uncomfortable circumstances and volatile personalities."

Thanks for the info. Maybe I was wrong about a part 4 or perhaps Doug was putting me on.

Excellent interview and memorial in toto. Wonderful sample choices. I agree that the Christ in a bar segment was superb scriptwriting; especially impressive in that Joe pulled it off depending almost solely on dialogue.

Congratulations!
  12:12am
where da chicks?:

why ratio 100 male : 2 female in this forum? I thought Joe was a ladies man. Don't women appreciate higher art?
Avatar 2:24pm
Thatchmo:

Thanks for this, Irwin. And thanks for the links I missed.
Avatar 2:59pm
Thatchmo:

My father Steven Keats never taught me to hunt or fish or how to use power tools, but he sent me tapes from KCRW starting w/ show #1 of Joe Frank At Midnight. One of the greatest gifts.
  3:43pm
?:

What's the point of having Joe Frank's programs archived if you can't listen to them?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 4:53pm
brendanswfmuaccount:

Irwin, I only got a chance to listen to this today. Great interview and fantastic selections from Joe's catalog. Thanks for introducing me to Joe's work, too. The first time I heard one of his pieces on your show it was one of those moments that made everything sort of make sense. He will be sorely missed.
  10:21am
Deena:

I hope the audio will be restored! I really want to hear this show.
  11:19am
Michael:

It appears that all the Joe Frank has been removed from your archived shows. Were the WFMU servers getting hit too hard? Did you have to take it down for legal reasons?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 12:12pm
Irwin:

Audio for this program has been taken down at the request of the rightsholder.
  1:11pm
Oscar:

That'll teach me to be lazy about catching up on archived shows. Any chance the interview will appear again? Thanks Irwin.
  10:24am
zoran:

Glad I caught most of this live. I had never heard that interview before Irwin, well done! JF was too far ahead of the curve... those well-funded npr type "radio shows" that now clutter the dial STILL tend to be watered down versions of Joe. I remember the first time I heard ira glass and referred to his pandering excuse of a show "joe frank lite" years before finding out he actually interned for JF and clearly stole/diluted the master's work. (still can't stomach IG's smug voice) Anyway... it's clear that Joe, who has been ripped off countless times (scorsese even!) and is the direct progenitor of an entire genre, did not receive his due. This understandably has caused the rights holders to protect his legacy with a zealousness that unfortunately filters out those attempts at tribute as well as the earnest desire to spread the "good word" of JF. Thanks for your efforts over the tears mr. Chusid and especially in putting together this show. (and huge thanks to JF! ...I stumbled across his show noodling around the left side of the dial 25 years ago and lo and behold discovered WFMU... which in no small way has enriched my little life ever since)
Avatar 4:12pm
pcnyc:

Yes, what Oscar said: repeat this show please?
  1:30am
pcnyc:

Soooooo sorry I missed this.
  1:57pm
skippy:

What's the point of having Joe's shows listed under special past programs if you can't play them?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 11:04pm
Irwin:

If anyone wants an mp3 of this program, drop me a note (mail link at bottom of page).
  4:24pm
Frank:

I'd really appreciate a copy of this Irwin. Joe was the voice in my head. Hell, he was the voice in all of our heads I think. Feel free to shoot it to this e-mail. Than
ks much.
  4:26pm
Frank:

Registered as well. Thank you much kind sir. Joe meant a lot to me growing up. Feel free to shoot me that copy.
  8:26pm
David:

It's been about a year since Joe's passing.Is there going to be another memorial show on him? I think it would be a good idea.Please let us know.Thanks.
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