Podcast for 07/19/08 - Christmas in July

First off, apologies to everyone who's been waiting for updates. There were some changes at the studio in our recording process and in how we could access files, resulting in my inability to get things into a format that I could work with, let alone one that you guys could download and listen to. After a couple of hours and more than a little language inappropriate for the radio, I got almost everything uploaded. This post will have today's "Christmas In July" non-extravaganza, featuring the heartwarming selflessness of A Chipmunk Christmas and the canon-defying Dickensian adventuring of Back To The Future: The Animated Series, as well as a requested theme song for download.

Podcast for 07/19/08 - Christmas In July!

Theme - Zoobliee Zoo

Tonight or tomorrow I'll fill in the gaps in the past couple of months with a massive podcast update, including My Little Pony, Sheep In The Big City, and other awesome toons. Thank you so much for your understanding in all of this. Hopefully, we won't have to endure such a animationless time again. :) Enjoy! There's plenty more to come.

- DJ Muppet

P.S. Irie, could you please IM me or drop a line here with your new screenname? I upgraded and lost my contact list, something I did not expect. Thanks. :)

Podcast for 05/31/08 - Bump In The Night

Afternoon, all. :) Do many of you know today's cartoon? I used to watch this like crazy, but Beta didn't really remember it. Am I the only one who was in love with Bump In The Night? I can't be, mostly because you're here for the show and that's what we've got today and danged if'n it ain't the bee's knees. They have a karaoke segment, people! What's not to love? Yeah, I'm that much of a dork.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 05/31/08 - Bump In The Night

Keep an ear out for one of the best songs ever, "Killer Tofu" by The Beets.

Next weekend I'll be another year older, so in celebration we'll be brining you a wild and wacky grab bag of short cartoons from several decades because it's nice to change things up, variety is what WIDR is all about, and, most importantly, they amuse me. My birthday, my toons. ;) "Who," you may well ask, "will be appearing in this cavalcade of cartoon stars?" There have been whispers of visits from some heroic livestock, saucy jazz dancers, and even some beings from a galaxy far, far away. The only way to know for sure is to tune in next week, for the "DJ Muppet Birthday Extravaganza." Mua ha ha ha!

Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 05/24/08 - Dinosaucers & Bonus Material

Good morning, everyone, young and old! Those of you not in Kalamazoo may not fully appreciate my unusually high level of giddiness. Heck, many of you in Kalamazoo may not appreciate it, but I am giddy nonetheless in a way that only comes once a year. What, you may well ask, can cause such a generally happy gal such as myself to be so supercalifragalistically enthused to be alive? It's Moped Army BBQ Weekend, baby!

Not everyone in town has such fondness for these two-wheeled sometime hooligans, but I've had nothing but love from these folks (Well, except for that one guy from Creatures Of The Loin who I just don't get along with for some reason). BBQ Weekend just makes me happy, knowing that so many people are having such a good time with dear friends they may only get to see once or twice a years is just great. So today's show, even though it's Dinosaucers, is dedicated to the guys and gals of the Moped Army who bring me so much joy just by rolling into town. Special audio lovin' to the menfolk of The Bourbon Bandits, who heaped me with praise and buttons last year. My backpack is still well decked out. ;)

On with the show!

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 05/24/08 - Dinosaucers

So, Dinosaucers? Not exactly Aristotelian discourse on the nature of man masquerading as pies in the face. Today was just one fit of absurdity after another, which means there's not a ton of informational banter, but you'll be thoroughly amused nonetheless. I'll post the bonus material once I'm home and have access to the good stuff.

Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet


UPDATE: Here's your bonus material. :) A little treat from the Netherworld.

Beetlejuice - Skeletons In The Closet

Sandworms, you know I hate 'em.

Podcast for 05/17/08 - DangerMouse

I tell you what, guys, I may have a day today that goes from 8 am to 12 am, and I may have a ton to get done before 10 am tomorrow morning, but after the show we did today and the weather we're having here I am in a fantastic mood!

Today's featured toon DangerMouse is just so clever and so much fun that extraneous commentary about technical and historical significance just seems silly. :) So instead of the usual nattering I do about the show, I'm just going to give you the download link and skeedaddle. Keep an ear out in the second hour for our favorite fowl, Count Duckula.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 05/17/08 - DangerMouse

Enjoy this stunning day and these awesome episodes!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 05/09/08 - Gummi Bears

You lot get an early update today. Woohoo!

We did things a little differently today. The first half hour is all music, which means that those of you who wake up with The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show got an extra snippet of time to relax and groove before having to follow a plot. We think you enjoyed it. ;) After that, we went right back into our normal format and brought you a couple of nifty little episodes of Gummi Bears, complete with Gummi Berry juice and a whole mess of none-too-bright villains. What more do you need? 

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 05/09/09 - Gummi Bears

Well in this case, we're all quite lucky, not only because the voice work fantastic, but also because this show is one of the most well written cartoons ever to grace our screens. It's clever, funny, cohesive, and the characters are allowed to develop beyond their intended archetypes. It's gratifying on a number of levels, which is one of the main reasons it's remained so popular over the years.

I know that the first three seasons of the show were released in a set a couple of years ago, but I don't know the status of the second. I'm sure you guys will be able to find out lickety split if you've an interest though. :)

You won't want to miss next week's episode, as we'll be delving into the wonderful world of DangerMouse, the cartoon, not the producer. If all goes according to plan, we'll even have an episode featuring one of our favorite fearless fowls, Count Duckula himself. All in all, it looks to be an awesome month, so I'm sure you'll be back for it all. In the meantime, don't forget to vote in the new poll and enjoy today's show!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 05/03/08 - Strawberry Shortcake

Before we get things rockin' here, does anyone else out there share my deep and abiding love for The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak? Best. Melodrama villain. Ever!

As you may have already figured out, today's show take us on a journey to the sugar coma inducing sweetness of Strawberryland, complete with a talking sun, Welches worthy bad guys, and thematically appropriate animal counterparts. Oh yeah, it was the 80's and it was Strawberry Shortcake. 

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 05/03/08 - Strawberry Shortcake

We were lucky enough to have an episode each from the first and second run of specials from the original incarnation of Miss Shortcake. You'll be able to hear some differences in writing, voice work, and plot structure, which isn't as weird as it sounds given the era and change in production companies. ;) You can read all about it in the linked Wikipedia article.

Today is the last day to vote in the SMCS poll about upcoming cartoons, so if you want your voice to be heard you'd best get to clicking.

If everything goes according to plans, you'll be able to subscribe to The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show podcast via iTunes in the next few days. The file will only stay on the WIDR servers for a week though, so you should download it as soon as you can. As always, all podcasts will be available here on the blog as long as the links stay active. Have fun everyone!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 04/26/08 & Bonus Material

Afternoon everyone. :) I'm home now, safely snuggled up with woolie socks and watching an episode of He-Man. If someone were to make book on whether or not I'm going to watch some more, I would not bet against it.

First off, I want to apologize for the lack of promised bonus material. I had some computer issues that I'd hoped would be resolved on Thursday, but it just didn't happen. To help make amends, I've included a bunch of stuff for you to download at the end of the post, as well as a few parodies and tidbits to make The Flintstones episodes more fun. More bonus material! Whee! Now, on to the podcast. If you need help downloading from MegaUpload, please follow this tutorial made by the good DJs over at The Deuce Project.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 04/26/08 - The Flintstones

The two episodes in today's show, "The Flintstone Flyer" and "Hot Lips Hannigan," are the first two aired (though not produced). They're a really nice change of pace if you're accustomed to the later, more fast and loose episodes in the series. They also have the original beginning and end theme music, which several people I've talked to prefer to the better known "Meet The Flintstones." Here are some supplemental vids to amuse you once you've had your fill of pure Flintstones.

Winston cigarette commercial

The B-52's - Meet The Flintstones

Yeah, I cried a little bit too. Oh Mr. Goodman...but hey, does Kate Pierson ever not look fantastic?

Here is your bonus material. :) I adore very old cartoons, especially ones that were excerpted for Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Download and enjoy this classic Ub Iwerks fare. I also thought some of you might dig having the original themes to The Flintstones, so I put those up too.

Balloon Land (1935)

The Flintstones Theme (Original)

The Flintstones End Theme (Original)

Now that you've got your swag, please take a few seconds to vote in our poll. Look left. Yup, that's the one. :) Take a look at the shows and give one a click to help us choose the next show's content.

Have a great week and congratulations to all of our listeners who celebrated their graduation today. Remember, the number to Drive Safe Kalamazoo is 269-345-0DSK (269-345-0375) . It's going to be a crazy night, so don't be afraid to use it. We'd like all of you alive for next week's show. ;)

Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 04/19/08 - Batman Beyond

When I came back to the studio to upload the show the sun was shining and it was raining. I absolutely love days like that. :) It's a little bit like Batman Beyond, today's cartoon, in that it's something that seems quite odd on paper, but is rather lovely when it actually happens. Okay, so maybe lovely isn't the best word to describe anything Batmanish, but this is a great series and today's episodes are certainly indicative of the quality this show consistently brought to the airwaves.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 04/19/08 - Batman Beyond

Beta and I were very pleased to welcome John into the studio for today's show. As you'll hear, he was the generous soul who adopted The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show during WIDR Week. Not only did he help keep us on the air with his donation of $89.10, but he also got to pick a cartoon for the day and sit in with us on the air. He's a quiet guy, but he likes and knows his Batman. Let this be a lesson to all of you: WIDR Week will return, we love company, and we come cheap. ;) If you missed out on donating during WIDR Week and would still like to, you can donate at any time throughout the year on our website.

If you're here and have a few seconds to spare, please respond to the poll we have posted to your left. As much as we love what we do and (for the most part) know what we're doing, we'd really like to know more about what you guys and gals would like to hear. We'll play cartoons from every decade, but if you have one or two you like better than others we'd be happy to program based on your feedback. The polls change every week or two, so please come back from time to time and let us know what's on your mind. Of course, the comments are open for any musings or requests you may find yourself possessing.

I plan on posting some bonus material this week, so...when? Well I'm not going to tell you that! That would spoil the surprise. Just keep checking back or, even better, subscribe to our RSS feed using one of the convenient links to your left. As always, please pass links on to your cohorts and, if you're a member, give us a little click for Reddit or StumbleUpon. 

Right-O. I have to get to work. Have a great week, everyone, and enjoy the show!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 04/12/08 & Bonus Material - Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet The Groovie Goolies

Is it possible for me to be this excited every week? Yes, yes it is. Frightening isn't it? :)

Today's fare, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet The Groovie Goolies, is what I always imagined mescaline would do to my childhood memories. The voices are hysterical, the plot absurd, and the action so disconected that one's head is likely to throb. Ain't it neat? I honestly can't put much in blog format that can do justice to this fine, freaky cartoon that wasn't said during the show. It's a mindjob and a half. You may want to listen with friends.

The Saturday morning Cartoon Show - 04/12/08 - Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet The Groovie Goolies

As you go through the show, you'll hear about the live action portion that was cut from the copy I have for reasons passing understanding. Well thanks to the glut of nostaligia the internet provides, we are able to restore the missing part of the movie via YouTube. It's a hoot and well worth the few minutes you'd need to see it all.

Mad Mirror Land

An interesting note about this segment comes from YouTube commenter mightyfilm: "You can clearly hear music recycled from Fat Albert at least twice in that segment. The horse riding scene and the Cow stampede/ Sneeae segment both come from the Brown Hornet segments." He's totally right. Now your challange is to find the Fat Albert episodes these snippets come from. If you do, please let us know in the comments.

The other link we've got for you is, as promised, the Groovie Goolies version of Chick-A-Boom. It doesn't make any more sense than the version that was released for airplay and played on today's show.

Chick-A-Boom by The Groovie Goolies video

Okie dokie, I'm tapped out. Have you listened to this thing?!? It's crazy!

If'n you're of a mind, please feel free to leave your requests, comments, and questions in our comments. We'll get back to you in short order.

Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 04/05/08 - Rude Dog

63 degrees. Seriously, you guys, I'm going home to put on shorts. Or at least I would if I owned any. As it stands, I'll probably just throw on a flouncy little skirt and find a daisy filled field in which to frolic. What? You can't judge me! Oh right, the cartoon.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 04/05/08 - Rude Dog & The Dweebs

Rude Dog & The Dweebs, though 100% shill-fare for a line of clothes from Sun Sportswear, is a cute, fun cartoon. The voice acting is great and, as Beta and I learned off the air, it's hysterically funny to imagine different characters voiced by the same actors in the show. "Slimer, why are you repairing that 1959 pink Cadillac?" "Animal, put that train down! What would Nanny say?" And so on. :) The storylines are simple, but definitely fulfill the requirements of basic teleplay structure, something many shows (both live and animated) disregard with unnerving regularity. It's not incredible and it's not bad, it's just a neat little 'toon that's worth taking some time with. 

The only thing that bugs me is the quasi-appropriation of ska culture slang without actual ska. Skankin' with The Dweebs? I am so there! It's California, dog, your music should be better. I know it was 1989-1990 and Powder was not yet electrifying the LA scene, but still. You could've had some Reel Big Fish. I'm just sayin' is all.

There are a couple of cool old, old theme songs in the first hour and a totally sweet Mighty Mouse theme in the second hour that took Beta by surprise with its awesomeness. With any luck, you guys will find some pleasantly surprisingly tidbits too. As always, comments are open for everyone to make requests, share cool cartoon sites, and general wreck animated mayhem. Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 03-29-08 - Aaahh Real Monsters

Afternoon all! The sun is shining and even though there's a bite in the air, it smells like spring and that makes for a happy DJ Muppet. You know what else makes me happy? Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Since that was our cartoon this morning, you can imagine the nifty little mood I'm in.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 03/29/08 - Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

As you'll hear during today's show, this is one of the cornerstone cartoons from the world of Klasky Csupo and a classic even amongst the greats of the early Nickelodeon years. Funny, smart, and sweetly dark, each episode remains an exciting gem fit for all but the extremely young and uncomfortably squeamish. Another treat to be found in this week's show is an appearance by legend-in-his-own-mind lounge king Richard Cheese and his band Lounge Against The Machine with their version of the Spiderman theme. We've brought you many a cover of this timeless ditty, but none quite so swingin' as this.

We'd also like to welcome our new listeners from across the country and around the globe. :) There are so many of you! We're glad to have you and hope we amuse. If you like what you hear, please pass us on to others so that the cartoonery can spread like an anvil loving virus of fun. We're also giddy to take requests for future shows in the comments section of the blog.  If you prefer your blogosphere automated, feel free to help yourself to our RSS feed, conveniently linked to several popular readers in the list to your left. Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

P.S. One little reminder about next week: this Wednesday is the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's time for DJ Muppet's Playhouse. Chock full of WIDR music for kids of all ages, you'll be able to download the podcast Wednesday by 10 pm EST at The Stagedoor Blog.

Podcast for 03-22-08 - Space Ghost Coast To Coast

Good morning, true believers...I mean, gentle readers...er...well now, I wonder what I should call you. We haven't yet come up with a catch all phrase to describe our listeners, have we? We've bandied about Toonatics, but that seems not quite right. Oh well. Hey guys! :) We're knee deep in show and freezing our assorted extremities to the bone, but that has of course not stayed us from our appointed cartoon rounds. Ka-linkage!

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 03-22-08 - Space Ghost Coast To Coast

Before you listen I would like to make a small disclaimer: I have a deep and long standing love for both The Ramones and David Byrne, so I am, for a portion of the program, rendered slightly loopy. They and the music they've made mean a great deal to me and I got a tad giddy. Please forgive the babbling.

Okay, so, Space Ghost Coast To Coast rules. Since it's formatted as a 15 minute show with commercials, it means that we can bring you six complete episodes. Here's the breakdown in order of appearance, both on TV and on today's show:

1) "Bobcat" - Bobcat Goldthwait & The Ramones

2) "Fire Drill" - David Byrne & Donny Osmond

3) "Art Show" - Laurie Anderson & Stomp

4) "Gallagher" - David Cross & Bob Odenkirk

5) "Rio Ghosto" - Ben Stiller, Kevin Smith, & Jim Jarmusch

6) "Sweet For Brak" - Tenacious D

It's hilarious, subversive, and embodies everything that makes good late night television. Does it remind anyone else of Steve Allen or Ernie Kovacs? It has that kind of flair. Well done, Williams Street nee Ghost Planet Industries.

Musically the show's a bit light today, but I think the Marky Ramone improv and Tenacious D jamming more than makes up for it. Keep an ear out for another bizarre celebrity cartoon theme. We'll be making up for that a bit with a musical nugget right here. A caller asked to hear that beloved tune by The Nightmare from Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas, "Riverbottom Nightmare Band," but since we played it last week I told him I'd put it here for him. So many people love this song, so it's fun to share. 

Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

WIDR Week Recap & Bonus 'Toon

Well, everyone, thanks to the generosity of our listeners, The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show raised $219.10 for WIDR. Thank you so much! We literally can't do what we do without you guys and your nice cashy money. If you wanted to donate but didn't get to during WIDR Week you can still donate at the website anytime you like.

Since you guys didn't let us down and we have some new and international listeners joining us, I thought it'd be a good time for a little tidbit that just doesn't fit into the show.

Heckle & Jeckle - Steeple Jacks (1951)

Heckle & Jeckle is a great cartoon that often relies more heavily on visual gags than dialogue, as did most of the cartoons in the Golden Age. Because of that, this particular short doesn't work especially well on the radio, hence deciding to share it with you here. One of the things that drew me to Heckle & Jeckle initially is that though much of the broad physical humor is akin to the fare seen in Tom & Jerry, even through the cynicism (as much as there was in the cartoons of the fifties) and 'toon violence, there is a sweetness to both characters. I've always found that soothing and endearing. Even as a child I didn't understand why you couldn't drop and anvil on a bad guy and be pleasant about it.

I've played it in Windows Media Player, Real Player, and DivX, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. If you do, I'm sure downloading the latest codecs will fix you right up. :) Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 03-15-08 - Rocko's Modern Life

Another wonderful Saturday is upon us and that means it's time for another edition of The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show. Today's episode has not one, not two, but four vignettes from classic Nicktoon Rocko's Modern Life.

We are in the midst of WIDR Week, so some of the show is spent asking our listeners to donate and help keep WIDR and Radio Evolution alive. You may not know this, but the vast majority of our operating budget and emergency fund come from the direct contributions of the WIDR audience, both in Kalamazoo and around the world. In fact, our first donation this morning came from California, so you can see we get around. If you're an international listener and would like to donate, there is a donation link on the main page of the WIDR website. Every single dollar helps and goes to keep independent music and radio kicking in Kalamazoo.

Here's this week's episode. We had a blast, so hopefully you will too. :)

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 03-15-08 - Rocko's Modern Life

This file's a little larger than usual, as I've decided to try things out at a higher bitrate. If any of you have a preference about file size, sound quality, etc., please let me know. It's totally feasible to post a high and low quality version for folks with slower connections. Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 03/08/08 - Silver Surfer

Sorry about the delay on yesterday's show. Someone changed the setting on the board to something very bad and I didn't realize it until after the show, so I've been trying to get the file cleaned up. The good news is that it's much better than it was when I started, but the expected bad news is that it's still really overdriven and may drive the audiophiles in the audience nuts. That being said, the show was really good, so it's worth muddling through. :)

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show - 03/08/08 - Silver Surfer

WIDR Week is now in full swing, so please consider giving to help keep radio evolution on the air and, well, evolving. If everyone who listened to the station or the show podcasts gave a dollar we would have more than enough to run the station for the year. Just something to think about.

As we did last year, we'll be offering an additional premium to the good folks who donate during our show at the $30 level. You'll of course get the swag WIDR has for you, but as a special bonus and thank you from DJ Beta and I we'll be putting together a SMCS mix disc with all kinds of musical delights for animation fans of all ages. Donors will have the choice between an all music disc or a disc that includes a never-before-heard cartoon. If you have any questions or special requests about WIDR Week or our giveaway, please feel free to leave a comment here or give us a call whenever you hear either of us on the air. :)

- DJ Muppet

Podcast for 02-23-08

Good morning WIDRites, both near and far.

Everyone lucks out this week, since there will be a total of three full episode of The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show posted this week. We'll be caught up with what we've gotten recorded as of this post, but since tomorrow is Saturday there'll be one more show before the week is out.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show for 02/23/08 - Chuck Norris presents Chuck Norris in Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos

As always, if you like what you hear, please link to or forward us to friends and like minded cohorts. The more the merrier and, let's face it, Chuck Norris is always better with friends.

- DJ Muppet

P.S. Since I'm already here I thought some of you might enjoy this month's edition of DJ Muppet's Playhouse, which was once more expanded into a two hour slot chock full of most excellent tunes for WIDR kids of all ages. This month we heard stuff from Glissandro 70, Maria Maldour, The Thunderlords, Lou Reed, and many, many others. If you've got kids, like kids, are a kid, or want to be a kid, this is a podcast you will sorely regret missing. It's a hoot. :)

Podcast for 02-09-08

Well, everyone, it looks like technology and I are once more safely affianced and podcasting is an emphatic go. Hurrah! The following link will allow you to download the file from MegaUpload, one of the few sites that can handle a two hour show's file size. If you're having trouble getting the show, please use this lovely tutorial made for WIDR's own totally bitchin' Deuce Project. It'll get you sussed in no time.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show for 02/09/08 - The Music of Carl Stalling

If you know someone who would like the show, please pass links to this blog or entry along to them. We'd love for as many people to have fun with this as possible. Conversely, if you have comments, suggestions, requests, or anything else that will help us make the show better for our audience (which is you), please comment and let us know what you think. Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet

Cartoons for everybody!

Welcome WIDR listeners of all ages!

If you've been listening to the show you no doubt know that us WIDR DJs have been given the go-ahead to start podcasting our shows. As you can imagine, Beta and I were downright giddy about being able to once more reach so many of our loyal former listeners who relied on the now-defunct webstream to get their weekly dose of cartoon shenanigans, not to mention those who wanted portable toonage. Hence this lovely new blog.

From now on, barring any technical problems, everyone will be able to download The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show right here by noon every Saturday. You'll no longer have to go without just because you're traveling, at work earlier than usual, or asleep later than planned. Bookmark this blog or sign up for our feed and you won't miss a thing.

In addition to letting you guys have the show with you wherever you go, we hope that this blog will help us get a better idea of what you're interested in hearing on the show. From theme requests, information swapping, and episode suggestions, the Saturday Morning Cartoon Blog will be a fantabulous way to keep in touch between shows. From time to time we may even post online treats to tide you over until the weekend.

Anywho, we're completely geeked to be able to do this for you guys and we hope you have as much fun with it as we do. Enjoy!

- DJ Muppet