Podcast 29!

After a few weeks of no podcasts (but of posts of other natures!), I bring you the latest and greatest podcast. This one features a lot of stuff from the likes of Wolfman Jack, Depeche Mode, Those Darn Accordions, White Stripes, Roger Miller, Martin & Lewis, Elvis Presley, Karen Carpenter and so much more. This one is a lot of fun! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #29

Bob Crane's Concentration Drum Camp

Whatever your opinion of Bob Crane, I always had a big respect for the man. He started out as a musician before becoming a DJ and then eventually a gigantic television star. His musical venture into percussion put him into some of the same symphonies that I have had the pleasure of working in as well. It's not surprising that his love for music continued well after his fame from "Hogan's Heroes".In 1966, Bob Crane released an album as a result of his affiliation with the television series:"The Funny Side of TV". The record is a crazy mixture of instrumental big-band renditions of television themes with Crane's drum kit high in the mix. Add to that some brief skits, one-liners, and Crane's comedy monologues. Some of the jokes are pretty funny, from Crane's improbable reading of cast members on "Theme from 'Thursday Night at the Movies'" to his ridiculous sendup of Candid Camera. As you might expect, Crane performs the theme from Hogan's Heroes along with themes from F Troop, My Three Sons, Get Smart, and other shows of the day. Crane received assistance from big-name arrangers such as Sid Feller, Ernie Freeman, and Stu Phillips (who also produced), and some of his Hogan's Heroes co-stars posed for the cover photo even though they do not appear on the album. Here is that album for you now! Enjoy!

Bob Crane Plays The Funny Side of TV

Podcast 26 arrives!

I'm really enjoying doing these podcasts. It's becoming easier and easier to do them and the beauty of it is that I can work on them a little bit at a time and eventually, before I even realize it, I have a full one! This one features some great tracks from Barbi Benton, Black Sabbath, Dolly Parton, Fishbone, Barry Williams, the new Braodway cast of Evita, a live one from the Bangles, Monty Python, Cheap Trick, the Billy Nayer Show, Ween, Groucho Marx and many more. This one gets a little out there at times but hopefully manages to entertain. Also, as with the last one, this baby is ripped at 320 so the sound is huge! Here is podcast 26! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #26

P.S. - If anyone remembers the David Bowie clip that I used to use in my podcasts of him announcing "Thursday's Child" and knows where I can get a hold of it I would love to know. I seem to have lost it somewhere and can't find it. I would love to have it and start using it again. Thanks.

Podcast 25

Hot on the heels of podcast 24 is podcast 25! Fun for all with tracks from She and Him, the Breeders, Robert Gordon, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Elvis (re-imagined as a modern day pop star), Bill Cosby, Leonard Nimoy, Tom Jones (in a repeat performance from Podcast 23), Ruth Buzzi, Neko Case, Victor Borge, the Ramones, a special clip of Micky Dolenz performing live at Epcot Center from this past May (with yours truly on the drums) and much, much more! And for all of you audiophiles, this podcast is ripped at 320 to make it the best sounding one yet! Enjoy!!!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #25

Podcast 24!

Here is yet another brand new Podcast from the World of Wonder! Right in the heat of the summer comes this jam packed podcast full of clips from the likes of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Muffs, Elvis, Art Carney, Herman's Hermits, Steve Martin, Fishbone, Sonny and Cher and more! This one is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #24

Podcast 23 Is Here!

Here's the latest podcast featuring all kinds of fun stuff! As I stated a while back, my schedule has become sooooo intensely busy that I have very little time to devote to the World of Wonder yet the podcasts are something that I can work on little by little so I will continue to do these. Thus these newer podcasts have a bit of a different feel to them. And also as I stated, they are pretty much straight forward audio clips, comedy and music without any dialogue from me. I just don't have the time. That being said, this podcast is really cool! Featuring songs from Cheap Trick, Carol King, Jame Minoudis (a friend and fellow Creamed Corn member), 'Til Tuesday (recently remastered and sounding amazing), Bill Cosby, T. Rex, Nirvana, Frank Zappa, John Travolta, Tom Jones and Jack White. With some comedy from Lawanda Page, Don Adams, Avery and Schrieber, and some cool mash-ups featuring Johnny Cash, ABBA, Van Halen and a really special performance from Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork from the Davy Jones Memorial Concert in NYC. And so much more! There's a lot packed into this one. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #23

Bruce Willis Scores A Jackpot

In the 80s, there was a period of time where Bruce Willis ruled the planet. Moonlighting was a gigantic hit and Seagrams Golden Wine Coolers had their theme song on every one's tongues. This was all pre-Die Hard and adventure star Willis. This was when Bruce Willis was considered a comedic actor. In the midst of all of this, HBO aired a Spinal Tap-esque mock-u-mentary called "The Return of Bruno". It featured Willis as Bruno (the actor's actual nickname), a rock and roll icon who had gone through good times and bad. I loved it and my friends and I were quick to go out and buy the accompanying album. The one thing we really missed on the album was the "psychedelic track", "No One's Home" that they spent a lot of time on in the show. With or without that track, the album is still fun and fits nicely in the celebrity record category. And it also fits nicely here at the World of Wonder. Here is Bruce Willis and The Return of Bruno. Enjoy! Bruce Willis - The Return of Bruno

PODCAST 21!!!!

Here's the newest Podcast coming your way. Lots of fun stuff plus I actually talk in this one! A whole lot of fun. Featuring the likes of Ringo Starr, Del Shannon, Dr. Westchesterson, Juliette Lewis, Prince, Groucho Marx, Tom Jones, Henny Youngman, Juday Garland and more! Enjoy!
Dartman's Wacky Podcast #21

Lt. Uhura, Song Report

Way back in 2009, I posted Nichelle Nichols' album, "Out of This World". In the post, I stated that this was her second album and that I did not own the first one, "Down To Earth". Since that time, I have come to own "Down To Earth" and thought I would share it with you all. I stated in the 09 post that I thought it might be pretty good. In my opinion, though it is way better than "Out of This World", it still sounds like someone who is trying way too hard. But all in all, not terrible. You decide when you listen to Nichelle Nichols' "Down To Earth". Enjoy!

Nichelle Nichols - Down To Earth

For some added enjoyment, here is the post from 2009 featuring "Out of This World".


Many Star Trek cast members have released albums over the years. There is the infamous "The Transformed Man" by William Shatner (along with the great follow up, "Has Been"), Leonard Nimoy's classic records and even Brent Spiner got in on the act in 1991 with an album called "Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back". But for my money, it doesn't get any more "far out" then Nichelle Nichols' musical contribution to the world of celebrity recordings. In all fairness, we must remember that Nichelle started out as a professional singer. Her first gigs were with some big time heavy weights named Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. This was all before she donned the infamous short red dress and went down in the history books as Lt. Uhura. And in 1967 she banked on this fame and released her first solo album entitled, "Down To Earth". 23 years later she would release her second album. That's the one we are going to talk about today! It's called "Out Of This Word" and believe me, it is! I have never had the privilege to hear "Down To Earth" but I have owned "Out of This World" for years. I picked up a copy back in the mid 90s and hold it in my collection but never put it on. I am going to assume that "Down To Earth" is not all that bad and that Nichelle really shines (if anyone has a copy, please feel free to share it with me as I will pay the favor forward forward and share it with everyone here). With "Out Of This World", Nichelle has completely gone in the opposite direction. Her singing is not the problem. It's also not the cure! However, what really tends to stick out more than anything is the poor songwriting and even worse production. The whole album sounds like it was put together with Casio Keyboards and a Tascam Porto-Studio. There's a whole batch of "space-inspired" songs and Nichelle evens takes a stab at singing the immortal Theme from Star Trek. Then there's "Gene". Nichelle's tribute to her former lover (yes, you read right!). There are two versions of "Gene" here. The first is sung and the second is spoken and both are bad. At the end of the album is an interview track that lasts just about the same amount of time as the songs do. All in all, a complete package. But don't let my opinion sway you. Take and a listen and judge for yourself as I present to you "Nichelle Nichols: Out of This World". Enjoy!

Nichelle Nichols - Out Of This World

BONUS:
While listening to the caucaphonus sounds of Miss Nichols, why not color Uhura?! (click picture to open a new window with the full size)

Sing Long and Prosper

Continuing on our Trek through Star Trek, we find a great listen with the incredible vocal stylings of Leonard Nimoy. Probably the most famous Nimoy song is The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. But there are others that are just as good if not better. My favorite happens to be the Spock infused, "Highly Illogical". That and many more appear on the classic album, "Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space". Instead of heading to outer space to hear this, you can do it right here at The World of Wonder. Enjoy!

Leonard Nimoy - Mr. Spock's Music From Outer Space

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2011: Day 18

After viewing those home movies from the 70s yesterday, I think it's time for some bubble gum. You can find some behind today's flap. Enjoy!

Advent Calendar 2011 Day 18

Podcasts Boxed Set #3

By popular request, I decided to continue with the "boxed sets" of podcasts from the last few years of The World of Wonder. This time around we get a boxed set of Podcasts 11, 12, 13 & 14. This is where things got interesting for the podcast. I tried to do themes and the first all-music podcast came from this era. Also, the Soundtrack Edition of the Podcast was released which featured nothing but songs from film soundtracks.

These podcasts were much more spread out over time as I started getting busier and busier with other things so it made each one completely different from the one that came before it. Hopefully, it was all for the best. You can decide as you delve into the archives and listen again (or for some of you, the first time) to these podcasts from the past. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #11-14

Podcasts Boxed Set #2

Here is the second boxed set of podcasts from the past. This time around it features Podcasts #6 - 10. This is where I really got into doing the podcasts and really found my groove. There are some great moments in these podcasts! I hope you enjoy them.
And as I said yesterday, I am about 95% finished with my next podcast which I think is one of the best ones I have done in a while. Entertain yourselves with these past ones and I'll work on getting the new one finished and posted. Enjoy!





Dartman's Wacky Podcast #6-10

The Podcast Boxed Sets

Since Rapidshare has gone and deleted all but my most recent podcasts, I decided to make all the past podcasts available through mediafire. Rather than post each one separately, I thought I would post them in "boxed sets". That way, it's easier to get the full collection. If there are some you are missing, but don't need all of them, simply download the box sets and then delete the ones you have. It's as easy as that. Here is the first box set. It features Podcasts 1 - 5. You can actually hear them getting better as I was getting a good handle on how to make them. And, as I post this, I am just putting the finishing touches on the next podcast that should be up soon. Until then, here are the first five. Enjoy!


Dartman's Wacky Podcasts #1-5

Happy Fathers Day From The Love Daddy!

I was in a record store a while back and happened upon a children's record by Red Buttons. The first thing to hit me when I saw the cover was that it was titled, "Love Daddy". What made it even creepier was the fact that it had a picture of Red looking into a little girl's eyes. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was meant to say "Love, Daddy" as it was a collection of poems Red had written for his little girl. Why they left out the comma is beyond me. I know in 1974, when this was released, the term "Love Daddy" had no other connotations but over the years that has changed. Even the back cover reads "Red Buttons: Love Daddy". The next thing I noticed about the cover was the sub-text, which reads "Poems for my daughter and other little people." Again, in 1974, "little people" referred to children. However, 37 years later . . . you know what I'm getting at. Anyway, the album is actually a nice collection of silly rhymes set to corny music that tends to be quite entertaining. I'm waiting to play it for my "little person" but I strongly encourage you to play it for yours. Because of the way the album is set up, there really are no tracks so I ripped it as side one and side two. Here, for your listening pleasure, is "Red Buttons: Love Daddy".

Red Buttons - Love Daddy

Bobby Wheeler RIP

In case you haven't heard, Jeff Conaway passed away last week. The last half of his life was pretty sad with his descent into drug addiction and depression. I always loved him in TAXI and I loved the fact that he played the part of a struggling actor trying to get on Broadway. Of course, in real life he had success on the great white way before he even graduated from college. He landed a gig as the understudy for several roles in the 50s rock musical, Grease (including Danny Zuko, the lead). He eventually replaced Barry Bostwick as the lead and starred in the show as Danny for 2 1/2 years while his friend John Travolta played Doody. By the time the film version came about, there was no denying Travolta the lead since he was one of the biggest stars in the world at the time but (as we all know) Conaway was given the role of Kenickie. Of course, then came TAXI and the rest is history.
In 1979, at the height of his popularity, Jeff Conaway released a self titled album. What amazes me about this album is the fact that the person singing is a well respected singer from the Broadway stage but you would never know it by listening to this. In every song, he uses a brash, throaty sound that makes him sound like he can't sing at all. It's quite sad really. But in any event, I present it for you as my special tribute to his memory. Here is "Jeff Conaway". Enjoy!

Jeff Conaway

Podcast #17 Is Here!!!!

Finally, a new podcast! This one features a lot of interesting stuff including selections from Tiny Tim, Visqueen, Kim Shattuck, Mad Magazine, Creamed Corn, Perry Como, The Shiny Lapel Trio, DADA, Jerry Colonna and more!!! Be on the listen for some interesting Voice Mail messages. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #17

The Lost Member of The A-Team

I just recently started re-watching season one of the A-Team (one of my all time favs) and realized that I had a celebrity album on deck for quite some time. The reason I thought of it was the connection to the famed television series. You see, at the end of the fourth season of the A-Team, the powers that be thought that adding a new member to the team would boost ratings (yep, the cousin Oliver scenario!). The final episode featured the lovely Tia Carrere being added to the team. However, when the show returned for it's fifth and final (and worst) season, there was no Tia and no explanation as to her whereabouts. The first episode of the fifth season is pretty cool but from there it goes downhill. One can only wonder what might have been if Tia had been kept on.(truth be told, Tia was a cast member on General Hospital and they wouldn't relieve her of her contract to work on The A-Team) Anyway, Tia has shown up in a lot of places since then, from acting in films like True Lies, Wayne's World, High School High, Harley Davidson and The Marlboro Man and Lilo & Stitch to working in numerous television shows, most recently in the great HBO series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. In addition, she has a very prosperous singing career. In 1993, her first solo album, Dream, was released, and went platinum in the Philippines. That same year, she was featured on the soundtrack of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, performing the ending theme, "I Never Even Told You". She won a Grammy Award in 2009 for her third album 'Ikena, and took home yet another one in 2011 for her album "Huana Ke Aloha." Not bad for a girl who was kicked off of "Star Search" on her first appearance! Here is her debut album from 1993. Here is Tia Carrere and Dream. Enjoy!

Tia Carrere-Dream

Country and Rock & Roll: A Winning Combination

I happened to pop a Donny and Marie album onto my turntable today and was surprised to find it wasn't all that bad. Cheesy yes, bad - no. It was a later album that the brother and sister duo put out in the late seventies (1978 to be exact) when their TV show was in full swing. It was called, simply, "A Winning Combination". Both alluding to the fact that the combination of their talents paid off and the fact that they were winning the ratings wars for a variety show in prime time. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the combination of jeans and thigh high boots being worn by Donny on the cover. Decide for yourself if this is a "Winning Combination". Enjoy!

Donny & Marie - A Winning Combination

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2010: Day 25

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM DARTMAN'S WORLD OF WONDER! For the last day. Christmas Day, we pull back the flap to reveal celebrity goodness from Jim Backus, Jack Webb, Liberache and Barbara "99" Feldon. Enjoy! We'll see you next year!

Jim Backus - Why Don't You Go Home For Christmas

Barbara Feldon - Christmas Seals Capaign

Jack Webb - United States Postal Service Ad

Christmas Wishes From Liberache