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

This show is an ENCORE! presentation of a fabulous little thing my manservant and I put together way back in the dark ages of 2006. Stumbling across it a few days ago, my arm was twisted to air it again like my favourite pair of well worn cha-cha heels …

Its 47 minutes and 25 seconds of not so low-fi lovliness featuring far out, mind blowing beats and tripped out exaltations that’ll sure have you diggin‘ and divin’ for that black light switch above your collective bedheads just so you can once again tune in and turn on to the luxurious precious vibes of that soft and furry felt “what’s so funny bout peace love and understanding” poster you’ve had hiding in the closet all this time.

“That was a long sentence, Shirl. Breathe dear, breathe.”

“Well, I’d breathe easier mr.Kenneth if you could just lower the patchouli factor in the air just a smidge, darling.”

Hipsters, its an outta sight selection I had the manservant combing the archives for this time. Each song and sound byte contains something of the vernacular that is so last century that its become fashionable again. Well, it has around Chez Shirley of late as I’ve recently dug out the Alice B.Toklas Cookbook! Enough said!

Its time to let it all hang out and get super cool with Lana Cantrell, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Mitch Ryder, The Fifth Dimension, Simon and Garfunkel, Friends of Distinction, Mel Torme, Henry Gibson and many other selected groovy groupies who really know how to sock it to you!

Now, don’t forget to throw those car keys into the fruit bowl m’dears. There are no uptight observers in our brick veneer den of love and lava lamps … only participants!

Until next time kids, take care and play fair!

*be smooched*

radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

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

That four-letter word ‘baby’ is much maligned as a throw away, trite and glib addition to a lyric. mr.K and I have heard too many times someone say, “If I hear ‘baby’ in a song one more time, well I’ll … ” But here at radioShirl HQ, we intend to elevate the status of ‘baby’ with a show where it features, not necessarily as a substitute for “I can’t think of anything else to call you, darling, sweety pie, hot lips, gorgeous, honeybun etc. etc” but as the integral textual ingredient to any worthwhile pop lyric this side of, well, the Brill Building!

So Shirleyphiles, drop an extra lump of that extra sweet ‘baby’ goodness into your organic double-strength chai soy latte frappacino and tempt your aural earworm alarms as Brigitte Bardot, Mama Cass, Marc Almond, Timi Yuro, The Vibrators, Erma Franklin, Dave Graney and other popular song stylists deliver up a damp nappy full of ‘baby’ tuneage!

Until next time kids, take care and play fair!

*be smooched*

radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

Brigitte Bardot, Carol Channing, Dave Graney, Erma Franklin, Helena Hollins, Mama Cass Elliot, Marc Almond, Question Mark & The Mysterians, Rachel Sweet, Sherbet, Shirley Bassey, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Kinks, The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, The Vibrators, Timi Yuro, Voice of The Beehive

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

When in doubt, I usually turn to UrbanDictionary.com much to mr.K’s horror for definitions around life, the universe and all the rest. So it goes that when I posed the question to my manservant “mr.K, what is art?” his speech degenerated into a miasma of metaphor and analogy that made no sense to my post-cocktail hour addled brain whatsoever. Notice I said “post-cocktail” … not “post-colonial”. Mind you, the pretentious wankery that fell from his lips after I posed the big question to him certainly had a whiff of the post-colon about it. Frustrated that the hired help couldn’t answer a simple question in terms that I could comprehend I fled to the laptop and fired up UrbanDictionary.com in need something more meaty and erm, real. As usual, what came up didn’t fail. Straight to the point. No nonsense.

11. Art : “A guy with a really large nose. He usually knocks people over with it, and generally gets in the way. If he has a runny nose, it causes landslides. Oh my god, its art! Dive to the left before he steamrolls you with his nose!“

So there you have it, Shirleyphiles. When someone at an opening gets a bit sniffy and chin-strokingly self important with you, stick a finger up your nose and ask him or her if their name is “Art”. Guaranteed to elicit more chin stroking, an expression of mock horror and result in them moving away rather quickly giving you more space to breathe. And yes, sometimes you need that space more than you know.

mr.K wasn’t entirely convinced though and decided to compile this selection of tuneage and assorted yummy sound bites from Dory Previn, Rufus Wainwright, Orange Juice, The Residents, Kaye Starr, John Cale, Joyce Grenfell, The Breeders, Salavador Dali, 10CC, David Essex, Bryon Gysin and many others to support his porridge-like argument.

I like it. But I like “the guy with a really large nose” explanation much better. You decide m’dears.

Until next time kids, take care and play fair!

*be smooched*

radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

10CC, Andy Warhol, Brett Whiteley, Bryon Gysin, Chet Atkins, David Bowie, Dory Previn, John Berger, John Cale, Joni Mitchell, Joyce Grenfell, Kaye Starr, Orange Juice, Ringo Starr, Rufus Wainwright, Salvador Dali, The Breeders, The Residents

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

Here goes another twirl around a greasy pole for this show. Jam packed with samples and some slippery tuneage, Shirl’s Pole Dancing Favourites will have you taking it off the e-string and playing it on the g-string!

*be smooched*

radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

Betty Wright, Chris Clark, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Go Home Productions, Johnny Burnette, Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion, L-7, Nancy Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Phyllis Diller

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

Here’s a personal favourite from the radioShirl archives from 2007 especially re-uploaded to mark Fee Plumley’s reallybigroadtrip

Join radioShirl & mr.K as they follow the techno evangelist’s adventures in documenting creative digital culture.

Until next time, play fair and … don’t forget your mittens!

*be smooched*

radioShirl & mr.Kenneth

Chris Spedding, Edd Byrnes, Fats Domino, Laurie Anderson, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, Marvin Pontiac, Masters Apprentices, Paul Kelly, Spizzenergi, Stan Ridgway, Susan Raye, T-Rex, Taylor Mead, The Pixies, Ultravox, Wreckless Eric

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

Gloria Swanson as her character, Norma Desmond purred in ‘Sunset Boulevard’, “the stars are ageless”. Some old system Hollywood stars, not that many are left, more’s the pity, also evoke a delicious sense of nostalgia and embody the glamour and style of a bygone era. None though of the current crop of fizzbombs, come close in matching the timelessness, grace and style of the focus of this radioShirley outing :- Ladies and Gentlemen, the fabulous Gay Carrington!

mr.Kenneth has become somewhat obsessed with all things Gay after he stumbled upon her comeback trail on the internet some time ago. I still, have not dared to ask what he was searching for via google in the first place. Thrilled to find that one his favourite Hollywood starlets was once again making movies and re-presenting herself to an adoring Gay hungry audience via blogdom, he watches very closely and pounces on anything Gay related which crops up via facebook or twitter.

His level of Gay devotion seriously knows no bounds. Some weeks back, while I was stirring from a golden slumber, I hear a squeal from the kitchen. “Shirl! Shirl! We’re having Gay toast this morning!” Well, nothing would surprise me. mr.K can really dish up the oddest things for breakfast. I then look up to find mr.K thrusting a slice of rye dripping with butter and honey into my face and shrieking,

“Look! Look! Its Gay! Its Gay! Gay Carrington has appeared to me in a piece of toast! Isn’t this marvellous, Shirl?! I must share this with Gay immediately!”

Not quite knowing what to say and wondering whether mr.K had taken up his Bloody Mary breakfast regime once again, I let him run away without question to photograph our breakfast and post it to Gay’s facebook page.

Its been quite some time since we’ve had a special birthday tribute show on radioShirley but mr.K insisted that he put a brand new show together to honour Gay Carrington’s birthday. And I must say, though I had no hand nor glove in this one, he’s done a fabulous job in bringing together a gorgeous selection of tunes that, like Gay, evoke Gay days gone by. Classics like Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Phyllis Diller, Rita Hayworth, Dean Martin, Ella Mae Morse, Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews and many other top shelf, cream of of the crop stars feature in the following 40 or so minutes.

So Gay, mr.K and myself wish you the happiest of days and we’re both so glad to have you back in our collective orbit darling, you star of stars!! XX

Shirleyphiles, click stream or download below and please do join us in raising a Martini in salute to the stunning, edgy, creative and timeless beauty that is ::: Gay Carrington!!

Until next time kids, take care and play fair!

*be smooched*

radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

ann margret, Bing Crosby, carol burnett, Carol Channing, clark gable, Dean Martin, Eartha Kitt, Ella Mae Morse, Eydie Gormé, gay carrington, Jim Backus, julie andrews, Lisa Stansfield, Nancy Sinatra, Phyllis Diller, Roberta Lee, sarah vaughan, Thurl Ravenscroft

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

moody … that is all

Until next time, take care and play fair!

*be smooched*

radioShirl and mr. Kenneth

Barry Adamson, Bill Amesbury, Brian Eno, David Byrne, HTRK, Human League, Julee Cruise, Julian Cope, Marsha Hunt, Rickie Lee Jones, Snatch, XL Capris

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

Oh the world seems to be going to Hell in a handbasket doesn’t it? Honestly, there’s just so much “fiscal stimulus” one can bear, don’t you agree? So how are yours truly and her manservant coping with the current global climate of chaos and turmoil?

Well, I’ve been behaving like a classic 50’s hausfrau: tearing through my own little Valley of the Dolls wearing a taffeta gown, shot silk throw, sporting frilly aprons whenever the fancy takes me and washing down fistfuls of candy that’d make Susan Hayward proud and Patty Duke Astin choke! mr.Kenneth on the other hand has been his usual flatline self ,sensible shoes, three meals a day and positively Yin to my Yang. How we’ve co-existed so long, is a complete mystery!

So this episode is a little inside take on what I’ve been indulging in : a confessional of sorts, without the broom cupboard drama, detailing just a few of the favourite things which have been helping me wake up to the day, put one foot after the other and then lay the head back down on the pillow or plonk it forehead first into the oven. But no, this never happens on a Sunday! Only a few of my wicked wicked ways are name checked here. If I named everything which puts the tiger in my tank, the zazz in my piz or the wind up my kaftan, then we’d end up with show called “Shirley’s Ring Cycle” wouldn’t we? I mean, in these tough times, there are just far too many indulgences to mention!

mr.Kenneth has been a patient love as usual, risen to the occasion and helped me select this soundtrack to the current shape I’m in. Yes Shirleyphiles, its messy. Yes, its all over the shop but we love it that way. Opening up this aural cabinet of curiousities chock a block with tasty soundbites are the Rolling Stones followed by The Champs, Regurgitator, Brenda Lee, Flying Lizards, Vincent Price, Sailor, Fischer-Z, Dean Martin, Kevin Ayers, The Pineapples From The Dawn of Time, Queens of the Stone Age, Terri “Cupcake” O’Mason and if that last track doesn’t get you doing the “Vitamin Mambo” then the fabulous B-52’s are bound to!

So Shirleyphiles, like the 52’s, gather together whatever deviant ingredients you have on hand, head on down that Martini mile and elevate yourselves to a very fine state of mind with mr.K and moi!

Until next time, take Absolut care and remember … play fair

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

This show is all about celebrating the wedding of a couple of crazy love cats in mr.Kenneth’s charmed circle, the lovely Lauren & Sky! Congratulations you squiggly kids!

mr.Kenneth is one very excited manservant and has had a ball putting this one together. Its chock-a-block full of upbeat Shirley-philed beats extolling the virtues of smoochiness!

Naturally, mr.K’s kind of smoochiness has a few quirks to it and quirky is the selection he’s pulled together for this uber cute kooky couple. Wrap your love chops ’round this lot : Syreeta, Bette Midler, Jonathon Richman & The Modern Lovers, Eddie Bo & Inez Cheetham, Rose Royce, Brigitte Bardot,The Cure, The Partridge Family, Cilla Black, Diana Dors, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Dianne & Annita, Mrs Miller, Ethel Merman & Howard Keel, The Passions & the piece de resistance, The O’Jays.

So Shirleyphiles, everybody join hands and hop on board the love train with Shirl & mr.K and join us in wishing Lauren & Sky big hearts and even bigger flowers for a beautiful life together!

Until next time, take care and remember … play fair

*be smooched*

laShirl and mr.Kenneth

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

Tragic isn’t it?

My manservant mr.Kenneth, tasked with prepping the graphic for this show, catches me in a private moment in the back room at Chez Shirley clutching my Francoise Hardy whilst in contact with my muse, Cocteau, then throws it up on the net! If he wasn’t so good around the house, I’d be hunting the personals for a replacement for sure!

As long time listeners know, its a tradition (though somewhat lapsed) for us to celebrate Bastille Day. Why? I really have no idea. Neither of us have any French in us, well at least not with the lights on, and neither of us can utter a single word without tripping over a syllable or ten. Mind you, after a couple of glasses of champers, I’m channeling Simone de Beauvoir with the best of them. After a bottle or two, well, I’m shaking my bananas like Josephine Baker!

So for now Shirleyphiles, its time to Coco yourself silly, splish splash a little Chanel No.5 here there and *everywhere* and go ye-ye with mr.K and yours truly as we storm our private Bastille listening to some French people singing in French, some English speakers singing in French and some French people singing in English. Kooky huh? But that’s how we roll here in Chez Shirl … like a Provencal sausage wedged between a split baguette! C’est magnifique!

Until next time, take care and remember … play fair

*be trés smooched*

laShirl and mr.Kenneth