Month: July 2025 (Page 2 of 4)

I have regained enough use of my fingers this week to produce the small, funky pastel crayon illustration of the Chicago Skyline, as seen from a cab going up Lakeshore Drive.  It’s based on some blurry phone photos.

I used a few straight edges and flexible curves, but was mainly just trying to regain some control over the digits.

This was drawn on a new (to me) type of ragweed paper that was a little more off-white than I’m used to, so the colors aren’t exactly what I’d planned for. Still, it sort of works for what it is.

To see this week’s art bigger try clicking HERE.

Over in radioland, Monday beginning at 2 PM on The AIR, we bring you a new episode of Psychedelic Shack, and then at 3 PM an also new edition of 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.

Because I am writing this last Thurday before Mel and I head out of town for The Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo, we don’t have playlists for either show. Nigel Pye tells me that Psychedelic Shack is another one of his favorite episodes ever, but he didn’t give me a hint of what to expect in it.  As I write this, Herman Linte had not yet recorded his mixtape tribute to the late Dave Cousins, of the folk/prog band, The Strawbs, but it’ll be waiting on me to schedule on The AIR once I get home.

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.

At 8 PM you can hear another collection of the music of Spike Jones on a classic episode of The Comedy Vault.

Tonight at 9 PM for the Monday Marathon we bring you ten more hours of The Comedy Vault, as we go all British on you.

Did you know that not all McDonald’s restaurants are created equal?

Some, in fact, are weird as hell.

If you watch the documentary, “Nonstandard,” as seen above, you will know of the strange and unusual McDonald’s that are hidden in offbeat nooks and crannies all over the world.

And if you still want to find out about the weirdest McDonald’s…in Florida, of course…check out this bonus feature…

This week we go back to September, 2011 for Radio Free Charleston 144, “Mission Coalition Shirt.”  This special episode of the show was a preview for a big two-day metal fest, which was held at late, lamented The Sound Factory on the weekend of September 9 and 10, 2011. This was a really big deal that we covered heavily hear in PopCult leading up to the event.

On this edition of RFC you will find music videos by the Friday and Saturday night headliners, Karma To Burn and The Suede Brothers, plus a great video from Tomorrow Burns, and live performances from HARRAH and The Scrap Iron Pickers.

Mission Coalition, Charleston’s first two-day metal fest, featured twelve bands spread over two nights. Fans heard major acts like Karma to Brun and The Suede Brothers, plus local legends The Scrap Iron Pickers, Linework, HARRAH, Saprogen, Tower of the Elephant, John Lancaster, Tomorrow Burns, The Number Six, Deadface Down and Nuns on Fire.  It was hoped that this would be the first of many Mission Coalition shows, but to date, it was the only one.

As a bonus this week, down below you’ll find our 14-minute PopCult Instant Video, showing off raw video and audio highlights from the Mission Coalition show.

Your blogger, looking out the train window

The PopCulteer
July 18, 2025

It’s time for another random PopCulteer, presented as a stream of concsiousness ramble because your humble blogger is headed out of town for a quick, fun, trip…again.

This weekend we are heading back down to Louisville for the Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo, which you can read about HERE. I will be taking plenty of photos and Mel will be shooting video and I’ll bring you all that after we get back.

Last weekend we went to the first (but definitely not last) KrugerFest Toy Show in Wheeling, and I essentially went as a civilian. So I don’t have photos or video. This was a smaller, more intimate show, and yours truly was still suffering the effects of some painful and invasive medical tests, so I decided to just keep the camera in me pocket and enjoy the show.  Next year you can expect photos and video, but this year I was not up for it.

The plan for Kentuckiana is to strike a balance between socializing with friends and documenting the event for my readers. We’re going to stay a little longer and avoid putting too much pressure on ourselves while still getting plenty of video and photos to share with you folks.

For those of you who have been asking how I’m doing…I’m almost back to normal. The pain in my arms and hands has mostly let up, save for the odd tinge in my left hand. I should be completely recovered by the end of the month.

The play we went to see, “You Will Get Sick” was amazing, and prophetic!

This summer has been a bit of a blur. From the end of May, in quick order, I saw Ann Magnuson as part of “Three Things” in Charleston, saw old friends and met the guy who built the shark in JAWS in Louisville two days later at WonderFest, hopped on a train to Chicago the next day where we saw a great play (and got to sit in on part of a tech rehearsal) and had other fun adventures, went to the Marx Toy Show in Wheeling the weekend after we got back from Chicago, visited The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, picked up a summer cold at some point, had electrified needles plunged into my arms and neck fourteen times, whined repeatedly about that here in the blog, took Lee Harrrah with us to KrugerFest, and now I’m off to Louisville again.

We’ve been to The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum in Wheeling twice in the last five weeks!

And technically, we’re not quite one-third of the way through summer yet. There was a quick overnight trip to Parkersburg/Marietta in there somewhere, too.

I think we’ve gone out of town five of the last six weekends.

We don’t have plans for August yet…However, it is a bit of a minefield of significant dates. I’ve got a birthday. Mel and I have our anniversary. And near the end of the month, this blog celebrates 20 years of whatever the hell it is that I do here.

I’ll have to do something for that. I’m also sure that another trip or two might materialize. In the meantime, I still have some photos to share, videos to edit and other adventures to tell you about.

But those will have to wait because I got places to go, people to meet and toys to buy.

That is this week’s PopCulteer. Check back every day for fresh content (somehow) and all our regular features.

Once again this week STUFF TO DO is attempting to tell you about cool things happening all over this mountainous state. I won’t be here for any of this cool stuff because I’m headed to Louisvile for different cool stuff which I will be doing at The Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo. If you want to know about a fantastic action figure-based toy show that’s in easy driving distance from Charleston, you can read about it HERE.  While I intend to pursue the serious work of being a grown man playing with toys, you have your choice of cool things you can do closer to home.

Foremost among those things would be Charleston’s ArtWalk. Even in the tropical heat of July, ArtWalk happens again in Charleston Thursday from 5 PM to 8 PM.  This free event is open to the public as art lovers can walk to all the usual suspects and take in the majesty of the art. Some galleries will have music and/or munchies as well. It’s a really cheap way to support the local scene and get out and mingle a bit…if you are so inclined. Several  Art Walk-related events are listed below if I can find graphics for them.

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, contact me via Social Media at Facebook, BlueSky , Spoutible, Instagram or possibly Elon’s beast, if it should ever choose to forgive me.  I dont charge for this, so you might as well send me something if you have an event to promote. Note that some links look like they shouldn’t work because they have lines through them, but that’s just a WordPress glitch, so click on them anyway. They should still work.

We are also 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.

City Center Live at Slack Plaza in Charleston has announced their schedule for the summer. You can find it HERE.

You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.

Most Fridays and Saturdays you can find live music at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and shows start at 7:30 PM. This weekend they have yet to announce who’s playing, but it’s sure to be well worth the ticket price!

You can find live music every night at The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe. Mondays feature open mic night. The first Tuesday of every month sees the legendary Spurgie Hankins Band perform. There’s both Happy Hour music and local or touring bands on Thursday and Friday, and live bands Saturday nights. This Saturday, The East End Ghouls hold their monthly Drag/Burlesque showcase at 10 PM. On Sundays when there’s a new Mountain Stage, musicians from the legendary WV Public Radio show migrate to The Glass for the Post-Mountain Stage jam.

Live at The Shop in Dunbar hosts local and touring bands on most weekends, and is a nice break away from the downtown bar scene.

Louie’s, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, regularly brings in local bands on weekends.

In Huntington, local institution, The Loud (formerly The V Club), brings in great touring and local acts three or four nights a week.

The Wandering Wind Meadery holds several events each week, from live piano karaoke to bands to comedy to burlesque.

The multitude of breweries and distilleries that have popped up in Charleston of late bring in live musical acts as well. I tend to miss a lot of these because, being a non-drinker, they fly under my radar.

Clendenin Brewing Co is a microbrewery with 4 themed lodging rooms in a 1920s bank building on Main St Clendenin, WV. They’ve been host a lot of musical acts lately.

Roger Rablais hosts Songwriter’s stage at different venues around the area, often at 813 Penn, next door to Fret ‘n’ Fiddle in Saint Albans and also at The Empty Glass many Tuesday evenings. You might also find cool musical events at Route 60 Music in Barboursville and 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. Pumzi’s looks to be beefing up their offerings in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to check that link in case we miss something. This week DJ Tom Sloand and The ARK Band (from Columbus) take their stage at 7 PM, Saturday. See the graphic at right for more upcoming shows.

You can also visit Coal River Coffee in Saint Albans for live music in an alcohol-free environment. This Friday at 7 PM  Coal River Coffee features Minor SwingI am looking to expand this list, so please contact me through the social media sites above if you know about more alcohol-free performance venues. The Huntington Music Collective has recently started hosting all ages shows at Event Horizon.

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 illlnesses 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, 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 that I was able to scrounge up online with a few bonus events for early next week…

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The Hotel Room Selfie

Your humble blogger is still playing catch up with all the cool stuff we got photos of back in June. The summer has been such a blur that it’s hard to believe we were in the Windy City more than a month ago.

While we were in Chicago we spent part of the trip lodging at Hotel Versey, on the Northern edge of the famed Lincoln Park neighborhood (along Diversey, hence the name). It was our first time staying in that part of town, but it’s not likely to be our last. The Hotel is in a great spot, across the street from Barnes & Noble and Trader Joe’s, and near all sorts of great places to eat. Plus it’s within walking distance of an L stop on the Brown line.

The hotel itself is a bit of a gem, with rock n roll roots. Once it was known as “The Rock n Roll Days Inn,” but now it’s a Hilton property. It’s still frequented by musicians, as we saw a few loading out while we were there. This is a hotel that boasts a guest list that includes the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Black Keys, among many others.

The rock roots of the hotel, along with plenty of Chicago pride, are reflected in the lobby, the rooms and the sticker-covered elevator. It’s fun and conveniently-located, and Mrs. PopCulteer, Diamond Mel, gets Hilton points for staying there, so it’s a win-win for us.

Today we’re going to take a brief look around Hotel Versey.

Across the street (with the hotel in the background) I found this colorful thing that was either a cool sculpture, or a strange bicycle rack.

Room-wide mural inside our room.

Gee-tar wall decor right inside the entrance.

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We have a really cool, but only partly-new Radio Free Charleston  that you can hear today on The AIR.  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.

It’s a free-format extravaganza as this week’s first hour opens with Nashville’s Saycouth, coming to use courtesy of our Chicago pipeline. “It’s The Ride” is their brand-new single, released just last Friday, and if you find yourself in Nashville on July 30, you owe it to yourself to go check them out at the Hutton Hotel.

The rest of our first hour features new music from Brian Diller, The Settlement, Golden, Buni Muni, Pulp, The Grip Weeds, Heavy Set Paw Paws, The M.F.B. and a real treat for yours truly, a new tune from M (aka Robin Scott), from his brand-new album, The FAQS of Life.  That’s his first album as M in forty years, so I’m psyched.  I had to use a VPN that sets my location to London to download the album from Beatport, but if I can do it, you can do it.

Our second and third hours are an encore of the final two hours from a 2023 episode of RFC, and are plopped in here because your humble blogger still has limited use of his hands and, as you can hear in the show, I’m gettin’ pretty good at whining about it. These two hours are, in my humble opinion, pretty freaking awesome, so you don’t want to miss them.

Your walking wounded blogger/radio host was able to put this weeks RFC together while still recovering from the rather stabby medical test I had done a week ago.  Links in the first hour will take you to pages for the artists…

RFC V5 232

hour one
Saycouth “It’s The Ride”
Brian Diller “Freedom Rings”
The Settlement “Be Yourself”
June Swoon “Play Something I Know”
Heavy Set Paw Paws “Gotta Let It Go”
Novo Combo “What’s Been Happening”
M aka Robin Scott “Break The Silence”
Heavy Set Paw Paws “Larry Sanders”
Buni Muni “Last Call”
The M.F.B. “What Is The Cheat Code (To Your Heart)”
Pulp “Grown Ups”
The Grip Weeds “Soul Bender”
The Heavy Editors “Paper Cuts

hour two
BRRO “Geek”
Matt Berry “Devil Inside Me”
The Wearing Hands “Venom”
Dave Strong “Little Girl”
The Dirteez “Strong”
Payback’s a Bitch “If You Don’t Love Me…(Johnny Dazz live at Wembley, 1977)”
The Inmates “Tell Me What’s Wrong (live)”
M “Maniac”
Bane Star “The Aperture”
Kylie Minogue “Padam Padam”
David Synn “Dali’s Kaleidoscope”
Linfinity “Miles”
M “Close The Window”
John Bunkley & His Secondhand Souls “Heavyweight Champion”

hour three
Matt Mullins and The Bringdowns “Homesick”
Golden “Ocean Size”
Novelty Island “Over & Over”
The Anchoress “Tender”
The Aquabats “Baby Baby”
Puddles Pity Party “Crazy Train/Let It Go”
Verdeant “Don’t Tell Him”
The Polkamaniacs“Ride On The Weinermobile”
Ann Magnuson “Old Enuff 2 B Yer Mom”
The Heavy Editors“You’re Breaking Up With You”
Logical Fleadh “Banish Misfortune”
Weezer “Mr. Blue Sky”
Ben Folds “Exhausting Lover”

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 the most recent 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. I know I’ve been neglecting my Swing Music showcase lately, but I play to rectify that situation with a stretch of new episodes coming every week beginning in August.

 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.

Remember last week, when I told you about a medical test I had done at the behest of my neurologist?  He was concerned that, in addtion to Myasthenia Gravis, I might have something else causing weakness in my hands.

This was the test where they plunge a needle deep into your muscles to listen to them scream or something.  Well…my previously pain-free arms and hands are now constantly re-living that test by shooting electrifying pain up and down my arms.

Yet, I tried to make some physical art.  I decided to paint what I know.

And this week, I know that my hands hurt. This small acrylic on black canvas painting is an attempt to show what my hands feel like at the moment.

I really hope this crap clears up soon. It’s been almost two weeks, and it’d be nice to be pain-free again.

It didn’t hurt any more painting that it does when I’m not painting, but my patience for doing anything at the moment is pretty low.

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 an also classic edition of 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.

At 8 PM you can hear a classic episode of The Comedy Vault devoted to the music of Spike Jones.

Tonight at 9 PM for the Monday Marathon we bring you ten hours of episodes of Psychedelic Shack, because maybe the mind-expanding music will make the pain go away.

It’s once again time to plug a great toy show that’s within easy driving distance of Charleston,  and your PopCulteer and his wife will be there.

The Twelfth Annual Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo happens next weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s Saturday (with a Friday preview night) and it happens at the Paroquet Springs Conference Centre, at 395 Paroquet Springs Drive, in Shepherdsville, KY, just like last year.  It’s not far at all from the South Louisville Antique Toy Mall, so most toy collectors ought to have an easy time finding it.

This is a great show. I’ve been to several in the past, and above and below you’ll see videos I made to document the visits. Up top it’s our clip from last year. Below you’ll see several videos from the years preceding.

There will be dozens of dealers with great vintage GI Joes, plus GI Joe from the Real American Hero era and brand-new custom uniform sets and figures for 12″ and 3 3/4″ GI Joes. Plus there will be tons of other action figures and toys for sale. You might find MEGO, Big Jim, Super Joe, Johnny West, Major Matt Mason and many other great toys from the past.

Collectors can expect new convention sets from several cutomizers and independent toymakers . This is some terriic stuff that is keeping the 1/6 scale hobby alive.

Visit the Kentuckiana GI Joe Toy Expo Facebook event page for more information. It should be a great time, and your PopCulteer will be there, so come up and say “howdy” or something.

This week we head back to August, 2011 for the one-hundred forty-third installment of Radio Free Charleston, “Naked Gumby Shirt.”  This episode departs from our usual formula by featuring three songs by the same band, Frenchy and the Punk.  We also have animation by Frank Panucci, and a short film by K.D. Lett.

At the time of this recording, Frenchy and The Punk had just recently changed their name from “The Gypsy Nomads,” which was the name they went by when they first appeared on the show. The band is still a going concern, touring all summer, and in regular rotation on Radio Free Charleston’s radio show on The AIR.

Of note: “The Punk” is Scott Helland, who is also the one-man-band, Guitarmy of One, and that instrumental spy/surf project just launched a Kickstarter campaign for their third album a couple of days ago. Go check it out!

Frenchy & The Punk have been one of my favorite acts for fifteen years now.  You can find the full production notes HERE for an explanation of the episode’s title, and a tirade about cloddish dancers getting in our way when we were recording bands.