PopCult

This week’s art is inspired by a series of photos I took with my phone while I was a passenger riding up Route 35 on our way to wonderful adventures last weekend.

Mel asked what I was taking pictures of, and I replied, “Nothing.” Then I thought for a moment, and said, “But it sure looks beautiful.”

I grabbed elements from several of those photos and used them as inspiration for this acrylic on illustration board painting.

It isn’t really anything, but it sure looks nice. It’s also a return to working in color with paint for the first time in a month or so.

If you want to see this image larger, click HERE.

Meanwhile, over in radioland, Monday beginning at 2 PM on The AIR,  we bring you a classic episode of Psychedelic Shack, and then at 3 PM we do the same with Herman Linte’s weekly showcase of the Progressive Rock of the past half-century, Prognosis.  You can listen to The AIR at the website, or on the embedded radio player elsewhere on this page. Psychedelic Shack can be heard every Monday at 2 PM, with replays Tuesday at 9 AM, Wednesday at 10 PM, Friday at 1 PM,  and Saturday at 9 AM. You can hear Prognosis on The AIR Monday at 3 PM, with replays Tuesday at 7 AM, Wednesday at 8 PM, Thursday at Noon, and Saturday at 10 AM.

Tonight at 8 PM, tune in for a classic edition of The Comedy Vault. That’s followed by two-hour blocks of Curtain Call and Beatles Blast at 9 PM and 11 PM, and then an overnight assortment of our Haversham Recording Institute programs at 1 AM.

Above you see an episode of The Midnight Special from November, 1973.  This departure episode was hosted by David Bowie from London England with his 1980 Floor Show and special guest appearance by Carmen, Dooshenka, Marianne Faithfull and The Troggs.

I think this was the first time I ever saw Bowie on television. This is widely considered one of the most important post-Beatles TV appearances in Rock N Roll history.

This week we go back to July, 2013, for the seventh anniversary show of Radio Free Charleston. We didn’t do a huge celebration of this landmark, but we came up with a very special episode nonetheless. Usually we feature local artists on our show, but for this episode we took a bit of a departure. We went to visit Dave Roberts’ house on Montrose Avenue in South Charleston, where we witnessed a house concert by two internationally renowned musicians.

Our cameras were invited in that night for an amazing house concert featuring two virtuoso musicians:  From Nashville, bassist Sean O’Bryan Smith and from Cleveland, guitar wizard, Neil Zaza. They were joined by drummer Garrett Janos to form an amazing progressive power trio, The Monsters Under The Bed. “Formed” is the key word. Prior to the performance seen in this episode of RFC, Sean and Neil had not only never played together…they’d never met in person until the afternoon of this house concert, when they showed up at Dave’s house.

Dave has been on our show numerous times as a member of The Nanker Phelge, Trielement and other bands. For this show, Dave and his lovely wife, Lisa, opened the doors to their house and turned their living room into a concert venue.

Sean is an acclaimed solo artist, but is also an in-demand session musician, having played or toured with Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Billy Ray Cyrus and Malcom Jamal-Warner, to name just a few. Neil is also an acclaimed solo artist who pioneered the “melodic instrumental rock” genre with his breakthrough hit, “I’m Alright.”. His “One Silent Night” concerts have become an annual holiday tradition in Cleveland, and he has recorded with Dweezil Zappa, Eric Carmen, Michael Stanley and Stewart Copeland.

It was a real treat meeting the guys and it’s an honor to have them on Radio Free Charleston for our seventh video anniversary. To be honest, we didn’t really have anything planned for the anniversary show that year before this epic house concert fell into our laps. Check out the full production notes HERE.

The PopCulteer
May 15, 2026

How do I explain Jungle Jim’s?

Basically…it’s a grocery store…a very large grocery store.

But it’s much more than that.

Imagine if you wanted to design a grocery store, so you brought in a room full of hyperactive children, plied them loads of sugary treats, and tasked them with the job of designing the store and selecting its inventory.

Jungle Jim’s is more than a grocery store. It’s also a toy store, a world market, an amusement park, a gift shop and the number one place in the world that cruel people would take their friends to if they’d just dropped acid.

It is a psychotronic wonderland, filled with food, household goods, animatronic singing animals, curated music in certain aisles, and inexplicable non-sequitors throughout.

There are only two locations, and they’re both in the Cinncinnati area. They are also quite different, so to get the full experience, you need to visit them both. They’re a little more than a half-hour drive apart, with one in Fairfield and the other in Eastgate, both part of the Greater Cinncinnati area.

They are also gigantic. When navigating to them on our trip last weekend, I noticed while looking at the satellite view that one of them was more than double the size of a nearby Walmart Supercenter.

Yes, they sell groceries. Each store also has two distinctly different toy departments (that’s a total of four between them), plus the Eastgate location has over three hundred Bandai Gashapon machines. The international market section of the Fairfield location is TEN TIMES the size of a World Market store, and it’s all food items, organized by country or continent.

The remainder of this post is a large photo essay. Except for the feature image at the head of this post, and the images of the Gashapon machines, all of the pictures were taken at the Fairfield location. These images are a TINY part of the store. This is just a taste.

You really need to check out this place. I can’t understand why anybody would waste their time at King’s Island when Jungle Jim’s is nearby.

Seriously, just check out the photos…

The Approach

Just walking to the place from the parking lot fills you with a foreboding sense of unrepentant joy.

Sadly, the elephant fountains weren’t turned on while we were there. Not a phrase you say a lot about Kroger.

Yes They Have Toys

It was not until I was editing the photo of this Joe Bidenesque Lafufu that I noticed the disclaimer at the bottom. This makes it even more wonderful. This was seen at the first of the two toy departments at the Fairfield location.

After yesterday’s photo essay from The Toy Department, I’m not going to load up today’s PopCulteer with pictures of toys, but…here’s a teensy selection.

Going In The Main Store

Entering the belly of the beast. parking is at a premium.

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The PopCult Toybox

Last weekend your humble blogger and his lovely wife took a low-pressure trip to the Cinncinnati/Dayton area just to get away for a bit after a few weeks of intense work and various medical tests.

And part of our journey took us to an extremely cool toy store that I’ve been hearing about almost since they opened, back in 2018.

They’ve actually expanded and moved twice since then, so you can now find The Toy Department at 5960 Dixie Hwy in Fairfield, Ohio…maybe half an hour North of Downtown Cinncinnati. It’s very easy to find, and it’s a very special store.

For one thing, it’s a destination store. They do no online selling, not even on eBay. You either have to go to the store in person, or if you’re lucky, check out a selection of their vast inventory at one of the many toy shows they attend throughout the year. And they do a pretty healthy number of toy shows. One recent weekend saw them set up at Xenia, ToyLanta and The Lexington Comic Con, all at the same time, while keeping their store open!

However, if you don’t go to the store, you’re missing the big attraction. The store is pretty sizable, and it’s filled from floor to ceiling with an amazing assortment of toys. There’s plenty of vintage stuff, going back to the 1980s (and I saw a few pieces that dated back to the 1960s, which warmed the aging heart of this longtime toy collector), but they also have an outstanding selection of current action figures from major toy companies as well as the more interesting smaller upstarts. If you collect 1/12 scale figures, which are currently dominating the hobby, then this place is your Mecca.

The store is loaded with GI Joe: Classified figures, but they also have Marvel Legends, Star Wars, and several incredible and compatible new lines like Warriors of the Animal Kingdom, Crimson Moon, Operation Monster Force, Soldiers of Fortune and tons of others.

You’ll see those below, along with just a sliver of their other offerings. Seriously, this photo essay doesn’t really do them justice. You might want to follow them on Instagram until you have time to plan your own trip.

Let’s just let the photos do the talking, shall we?

It’s a wide storefront, right off the highway.

This is just part of their GI Joe: Classified stock

They have other scales of Joes, and related lines, too.

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Here we are, with yet another month cleaved in twain by Father Time, and as chronology proceeds apace there is still some cool STUFF TO DO all over and just beyond the borders of the state, to tell you about, noted as briefly as possible.  This week we are going to try to stick a ton of STUFF in here, leaving you with a suggestion list cram-packed with possibilities.

Again, I’m just scratching the surface here. Please don’t think this is all we have to offer.

As always, you should remember that THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS.  It’s just a starting point, so don’t expect anything comprehensive, and if you feel strongly about me leaving anything out, feel free to mention it in the comments.  Also, if you have a show that you’d like to plug in the future, even if your promotional graphic uses cruddy AI slop art, contact me via Social Media at Facebook, BlueSky , Spoutible, Instagram or Twitter.  I dont charge for this, so you might as well send me something if you have an event to promote.

We are very happy to remind you that Cristen Michael has created an interactive calendar that is way more comprehensive than this list of STUFF TO DO, and you can find it HERE. Just click on the day and the event and you’ll be whisked away to a page with more details about loads of area events.

Most weekends you can find live music at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and Friday and Saturday shows start at 7:30 PM.  Many Sunday afternoons at 2 PM they also have live music. This weekend they have music from Bugswrrrld on Friday and The Carpenter Ants on Saturday.

You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.  Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Among the notable music venues in town are The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe, Live at The Shop in Dunbar, Louie’s, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, In Huntington, there’s local institution, The Loud (formerly The V Club),  The Wandering Wind Meadery is on Charleston’s West Side, Plus there’s music in Charleston at The Blue Parrot, Sam’s Uptown Cafe and Fife Street Brewing.

You might also find cool musical events at Folklore Music Exchange in Charleston.

To hear music in an alcohol-free enviroment, see what’s happening at Pumzi’s, on Charleston’s West Side. Friday at 6:30 PM you can attend and even perform at their popular Open Mic Night.

For cutting-edge independent art films, downstairs from Taylor Books you’ll find the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema by WVIFF. Each week they program several amazing movies in their intimate viewing room that you aren’t likely to see anywhere else.

Please remember that viral illnesses are still a going concern and many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out. And if you’re at an outdoor event, please remember that it’s awfully inconsiderate to smoke or vape around people who become ill when exposed to that stuff. If somebody asks you to refrain, please respect their weishes and don’t be a jerk about it.

Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Here we go, roughly in order, it’s graphics for local events happening over the next several days that I was able to scrounge up online…

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

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Just like last week, we bring you an encore today on The AIR.  As such, we have a very spiffy repeat episode of  Radio Free Charleston for you. To listen to The AIR, you simply have to point your cursor over and tune in at the website, or you could just stay here, and  listen to the cool embedded player found elsewhere on this page.  

You can hear Radio Free Charleston Tuesdays at 10 AM and 10 PM, with boatloads of replays throughout the week.

This week RFC brings you three hours of cool stuff, starting with a cool M. Walker remix of the song “Dance” by Hello June.  We follow that with loads of great tunes by the likes of The Heavy Editors, Scott Collins & The Sovereignty, AJ Rosales, Shining Glass, Tucker Riggleman & The Cheap Dates, Ringo Starr, Franz Ferdinand and more.

Our first two hours bring you our usual mix of local, independent, obscure and anything else kind of music that we feel like playing. Our third hour, though, is a special mixtape.

In our third hour revisit a theme that we first assayed in a show that I posted here last week. We devote the final hour of this week’s show to Surf Music, both new and classic. When I did this the first time, the reaction surprised me, with several people asking if I could devote an entire show to Surf. The reason for this repeat this week is that, when we return from vacation next week with a new show, the third hour will feature our third Surf Music Mixtape.

This week’s show includes several acts who are on Tabu Recordings,from House of Tabu.

The links in the playlist will take you to the pages for the artists in this week’s show except for the Surf bands that broke up fifty or sixty years ago…

RFC V5 212

hour one
Hello June “Dance (M.Walker Remix)”
The Heavy Editors “Same Ole Way”
The Subjunctives “We’re Not Friends Anymore”
Camouflage “Laughing”
Annie Lennox “Train In Vain”
Brian Diller “Sooner or Later”
Scott Collins & The Sovereignty “Lament for the Loss”
AJ Rosales “Thunderclouds”
Verdeant “Reckless”
Shining Glass “Bald King of the Old World”
William Matheny “Blood Moon Singer”
Tucker Riggleman & The Cheap Dates “The Queen of Diamonds (live)”
Ringo Starr “Never Let Me Go”
Franz Ferdinand “Night Or Day”
Mediogres“Outta Town”
Novo Combo “Everything It Takes To Be Happy”

hour two
Sierra Ferrell “Fox Hunt”
Deni Bonet “Always Come Home”
Massing “Waffles & Pancakes (rejuiced)”
Hybrid Zero “20 Steps”
The Settlement “Cycles (Live)” Live at the Pour House
Japan “Life In Tokyo”
Emmalea Deal & The Hot Mess “Ignorant”
Dinosaur Burps “Driftwood”
Kim Wilde “Midnight Train”
Magne Furoholmen “One 4 All and All 4 One”
Astrodot “Impossible Mission”

hour three Surf Mixtape
Los Grainders “Escondida”
The Surfrajettes “Spice Up Your Life”
Guitarmy of One “Must Be The Season of Treason”
Lords of Atlantis “Long Live The King”
Test Subject 17 “Patient Zero”
The Tentakills “A Horse Named Artax”
Messer Chups “Pink Pantheratu”
The Madeira “Sandstorm”
Kitten & The Tonics “Memphis Red”
The Routes “Neon Lights”
The Surf Stompers “Surfer Stomp”
Los Teenagers “Ametrallando (Wipe Out)”
Surf Curse “Freaks”
The Centurians “Intoxica”
The Shadows “Kon Tiki”
Mystery Group “The Fifth Dimension”
Danny Steel “Chinese Twist”
The Centuries “Outer Limits”
The Varitones “Repeto”
The Majestics “Big Noise From Makaha”

You can hear this episode of Radio Free Charleston Tuesday at 10 AM and 10 PM on The AIR, with replays Wednesday at 9 AM,  Thursday at 2 PM, Friday at 9 AM, Saturday at Noon and Midnight, Sunday at 8 PM and  Monday at 11 AM, exclusively on The AIR. Now you can also hear a different classic episode of RFC every weekday at 5 PM, and we bring you a marathon all night long Saturday night/Sunday morning.

I’m also going to  embed a low-fi, mono version of this show right in this post, right here so you can listen on demand.

After RFC, stick around for encores of last week’s episodes of  MIRRORBALL at 1 PM and Curtain Call at 2 PM.

At 3 PM we give you an encore of two classic episodes of The Swing Shift.

 You can hear The Swing Shift Tuesday at 3 PM, with replays Wednesday at 8 AM, Friday at 10 AM and 8 PM and Saturday afternoon, only on The AIR . You can also hear all-night marathons, seven hours each, starting at Midnight Thursday and Sunday evenings.

This week’s art is a photograph. Photography, after all, is an art form, and this thoughtfully-composed still life of three fearsome and bedraggled plush creatures wreaking havoc at a Denny’s eating establishment is a searing socio-political commentary about the oppression of the common man and the existential struggle to get enough ketchup.

Which is, of course, a metaphor.

For a tomatoed sauce.

Either that, or this is one of the photos we took to amuse our friend in the UK, Pixie, who actually gifted us the lovely Skull Panda in the photo, whom Mel has named, “Ivory.”  You met Pixie in Monday Morning Art HERE.

For a while now, we have been taking photos of Mel’s travelling Squidward, who was later joined by Plankton, and sending them to Pixie as a way of sharing our travels with her. We sorta stole the idea from Bessie The Traveling Cow.  This particular photo was taken while we were waiting for lunch a few months ago.

Since we’ll be on the road during the time of the week that I’d normally be drawing or painting, I decided to go with this photo, rather than pull something out of the slush pile.

If you want to see this image larger, click HERE.

Meanwhile, over in radioland, Monday beginning at 2 PM on The AIR,  we bring you a classic episode of Psychedelic Shack, and then at 3 PM we do the same with Herman Linte’s weekly showcase of the Progressive Rock of the past half-century, Prognosis.  You can listen to The AIR at the website, or on the embedded radio player elsewhere on this page. Psychedelic Shack can be heard every Monday at 2 PM, with replays Tuesday at 9 AM, Wednesday at 10 PM, Friday at 1 PM,  and Saturday at 9 AM. You can hear Prognosis on The AIR Monday at 3 PM, with replays Tuesday at 7 AM, Wednesday at 8 PM, Thursday at Noon, and Saturday at 10 AM.

Tonight at 8 PM, tune in for a classic edition of The Comedy Vault. That’s followed by two-hour blocks of Curtain Call and Beatles Blast at 9 PM and 11 PM, and then an overnight assortment of our Haversham Recording Institute programs at 1 AM.

Today is Mothers Day, and to celebrate the artificial holiday, born right here in West “By God” Virginia, we bring you a concert by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Recorded in 1973 for the Swedish program Opopoppa, above is rare video of Frank Zappa with a later incarnation of The Mothers of Invention that included  Jean-Luc Ponty, George Duke, Tom Fowler, Ralph Humphrey, Ruth Underwood, Ian Underwood and Bruce Fowler.

In this nearly hour-long performance, the band presents three tunes, “Montana,” “Dupree’s Paradise” and “Farther O’blivion,” showing off the more experimental, instrumental side of The Mothers of Invention.

Now isn’t that a better way to observe the day than a cheesy Hallmark card and some flowers?

This makes a third time I’ve posted this concert and made this joke and I do it because I love you, and I’m rushing to get the blog written before I go out of town…and because the world needs more Frank Zappa, and I’m sure that mothers everywhere appreciate the joke, I’m running it here again.

This week we go back to June, 2013 for a show that was loaded with then-new music from two RFC veterans, QIET and Mother Nang, plus we took an animated look at the newly-erected East End Main Street Streetworks project street signs. The show kicks off with a look at the locally-written play,  “The Princess of Rome, Ohio,” which ran in June and July, 2013 at The Alban Arts Center in St. Albans.

This show featured two songs by Qiet and one by Mother Nang (including the late and much-missed Brian Young on drums), and included two guests running camera three on our music shoots, Steven Allen Adams and Flare Baroshi.  Music mixes were by James Vernon Brown and Andrea Anderson, so we actually had three people who were musical guests on previous shows helping out behind the scenes.  You can find the original production notes HERE.