National Cynical Network Archives

Webcast on April 12th, 2020. In the spirit of universal virtual commiseration, this heartfelt, poignant mix could almost be subtitled 'Songs About Isolation and Loneliness' which we know, deep into the coronavirus quarantine, with no end in sight, many people in our listenership are experiencing. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. That is to say.. a lot of you are... but with this offering, we invite you to be Alone Together with us. There are also some comical bits in here including some more recent DIY covid-19-oriented songs and pieces of note. Featuring work by: Negativland, 'Weird Al', Maestro Ziikos, Plectrum, John Prine (RIP), DJ Lobsterdust, Contemporary Casuals, I Cut People, Ellipse Elkshow, Charles Bukowski, Trent Reznor, Sondra London, Dean Gray, and MANY MORE! - 3 hours.

Webcast March 29th, 2020, this is our psychedelic comedy collage program about the current Coronavirus crisis. This one comes mainly from The People and includes practical historical, scientific information, useful psychological advice, and many of the DIY artistic and yes even humorous songs, culled from all over the web, that have come out of the current state of affairs since they began. We have pored through them and present the "best" ones as well as a medley or relevant songs from years past. While we don't wish to make light of our current serious worldwide situation, we value keeping a sense of humor during it all, communicating our experience, and keeping things in perspective. We could all do with a good laugh right about now. This week, we attempt to deliver just that in this thoughtful, humorous and timely program: special SubGenius-type programming for The End Times. - 3 hours

Webcast on March 15th, 2020: this is the tale of the Coronavirus (so far) aka Covid-19 and its outbreak in March, 2020 culled from a core-sampling of many sources from around the net and set against the backdrop of previous worldwide pandemics but especially Swine Flu (H1N1) the last major pandemic in recent memory. We take as our starting point our heretofore unreleased show 'If Pigs Could Fly' created at the height of the H1N1 outbreak in 2009. Most of this 2.0 version is Coronavirus-related with many examples from popular and underground culture (which run the gamut from serious to brilliantly humorous to informative). This is a dynamic, unique and enlightening mix, a collage made up of snapshots of the media environment at the dawn of this crisis as well as a serio-comic and educational look at the universal subject of pandemics in general, and in particular the current one which we all now face.

Webcast on February 9th, 2020: the sequel to our program 'Memories of Nixon' about Donald Trump's impeachment trial. This further developed installment tells the rest of the story (so far) from the other side of the event with an extensive core-sampling of the media fallout, both humorous and serious, the obligatory comparisons to the Nixon impeachment in the early 1970s, relevant ancillary songs and remixed material, as well as many supercut digital de-constructions of Trump's vocal style, speech patterns, and obsessively recurring subject matter, culled from countless public appearances (the result of much painstaking work by VICE News) that we wanted to help spread. This is a psychedelic retrospective through a historical event as we attempt to make some kind of artistic sense out of it. A show for future generations with remixed DIY work from NCN, Bernie Knee, the inimitable and wonderful Randy Rainbow, Swedemason, Vic Berger, George Carlin, Auralnauts, Maestro Ziikos, Escape Mechanism, many others. A new 3-hour Mix.

IT'S... a brand new show! Yes, as webcast on January 26, 2020: We were saddened yet inspired by the then-recent passing of Terry Jones, core member of the iconic British comedy troupe Monty Python's Flying Circus (which we literally grew up with) so we put this show together to pay a remixed and artistically rendered tribute to Jones' life and Python's work and influence. Neil Innes, who wrote a lot of the songs heard in the program, also died shortly before Jones. We present some of our personal favorite bits from Python's TV show, movies, records, and live performances including many, many rare fan-made remixes we hunted down of which we are presenting (in our humble opinion) the best efforts. By no means a comprehensive treatment (no dead parrots), the program nevertheless serves as a primer for those not familiar, as well as a sonic stroll down memory lane for fans, and a 'Whitman Sampler' of ancillary projects represented herein. It is our hope that this tribute peaks the interest of the listener and compels even more exploration of the vast Python oeuvre via official sources. A 3 hour mix.

Picture yourself... listening to this show! Originally webcast on January 19th, 2020. Our first major produced show since May, 2019. Taking its cue either subliminally or coincidentally from Albert Hofmann's recent birthday, this is a program all about 'the acid' (it sounds less 'hippie' if you add 'the') aka Lysergic acid diethylamide and the subject of substances in general. With many, many interesting found remixes and covers of 'that song' by The Beatles as well as other related songs and pieces with work by The Evolution Control Committee, Steinski and the Mass Media, Meat Beat Manifesto, Alien Jesus, and many, many others including a presentation of Episode 2 (titled, 'Drugs') of our critically-acclaimed radio series 'Midnight Voicejail' (a psychedelic audio documentary about a real-life voicemail box community in Silicon Valley in the 80's and 90's) but the rarely-heard expanded 'Voicejail 2.0' version with fully 30 minutes of added material. This episode takes place between 44:39 and 1:44:20 in the program in case you want to skip over, or skip to, it in the program. The graphic for this program is the drawing done by John Lennon's son, Julian Lennon, which inspired the Beatles' song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. Full playlist in the comment field of the ID3 tag of the 3 hour mp3.

Webcast on June 9th, 2019, the bulk of this program is the post-produced 'Narco-edit' of our appearance on The Puzzling Evidence Show on May 31st, 2019, along with Puzzling Evidence, and Dr. Hal, as well as Tracy Feldstein, a philanthropist, all in the KPFA on-air studio mere hours after we all saw the San Francisco premiere of the new documentary called 'J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and The Church of the SubGenius'. We all talk about the movie at length as well as many other subjects of interest! This 5hr. NCN version is augmented by clips from the 'Ask Dr. Hal' show (also with Michael Peppe) which was on Radio Valencia soon after the Puzzling Evidence Show. Also, peppered throughout are exclusive clips of Dr. Hal's brother (who sounds uncannily like Hal himself) when he appeared on 'The Show' years ago (RIP) as well as a few other surprises.

Webcast on March 10th, 2019: This is a special, heartfelt, genre-bending 3-hour tribute consisting mainly of covers, mash-ups, version medleys and remixes of songs and music (both obscure and popular) by The Monkees. Like many SubGeniuses, we grew up with The Monkees and remember their bohemian, anarchic and absurdist spirit on display in their TV show, and we had most of their albums, enjoying them throughout the years. This program was put together the week after Peter Tork's death. It utilizes and expands a great deal on some mixed material we presented years ago when Davy Jones passed away. This feels done. Making and webcasting this mix was a very emotional process and we hope the passion and interest we had in creating it carries through in the tone and scope of the 3-hour program.

From (originally) a 5-hour mix done live on KPFA 94.1FM in Berkeley, CA on Sept. 28th, 2018 for The Puzzling Evidence Show comes this post-produced 'Narco Edit' of the sprawling program (boiling it down to 4 hours of condensed and sweet audio goodness) done with Phineas Narco, Puzzling Evidence, K-ROB and Dr. Hal (near the end) in the studio. A program title (and sound) that is sure to send Harlan Ellison spinning in his crypt. The audio Doktors of the Air explore the bounds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Star Wars, Star Trek and all manner of mixes, remixes and collages in between. If you can slog through the first Blade Runner rain-soaked 17 minutes, you'll experience a quite rewarding listen drawing to an intense Twilight Zone conclusion in the last 17 minutes of the program. Enjoy best with headphones! - A 4-hour mix.

This is a totally re-worked version of a long-since pulled 2013 concept show which just didn't feel complete at the time. NOW it is! And more on-topic than ever before. After our musical appetizer which opens this show (a 10+ min. version medley of many different 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople)' song versions) we launch into various and many, many inappropriate funeral song clips. These are inter-cut throughout with large post-produced chunks of Phineas Narco's appearance on KPFA's 'The Puzzling Evidence Show' on June 7th, 2013 with special guest DJ, Justin Credible and regulars Doug Wellman (Puzzling Evidence) and Subgenius Church co-founder Philo Drummond. They talk about suicide, Subgenius, JFK, Burning Man, 'ghost milk', the day Puzzling Evidence saved Darth Vader's life, meeting William Shatner, Janor memories, and the then-upcoming 'X-Day 16' preparations. With work by Evolution Control Committee (as DJ Pantshead), Faroff, Heppycat, Marc Johnce, Halo, Voicedude, PLUS many others! Not to be missed with any regularity! ACTUAL SubGenius CONTENT!! - 3 hour mix.

This is a totally re-worked version of a long-since pulled 2013 concept show which just didn't feel complete at the time. NOW it is! And more on-topic than ever before. After our musical appetizer which opens this show (a 10+ min. version medley of many different 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople)' song versions) we launch into various and many, many inappropriate funeral song clips. These are inter-cut throughout with large post-produced chunks of Phineas Narco's appearance on KPFA's 'The Puzzling Evidence Show' on June 7th, 2013 with special guest DJ, Justin Credible and regulars Doug Wellman (Puzzling Evidence) and Subgenius Church co-founder Philo Drummond. They talk about suicide, Subgenius, JFK, Burning Man, 'ghost milk', the day Puzzling Evidence saved Darth Vader's life, meeting William Shatner, Janor memories, and the then-upcoming 'X-Day 16' preparations. With work by Evolution Control Committee (as DJ Pantshead), Faroff, Heppycat, Marc Johnce, Halo, Voicedude, PLUS many others! Not to be missed with any regularity! ACTUAL SubGenius CONTENT!! - 3 hour mix.

A Very Special Show! On terrestrial radio! 89.7 FM (in the SF Bay Area) broadcast on May 24th, 2018. KFJC alumnus Phineas Narco (of The National Cynical Network) returns for MAYhem to guide us through a late-night craftily-rendered 4-hour sonic odyssey of many, many obscure Pink Floyd remixes, mash-ups, versions, re-interpretations and covers. From bluegrass, to 8-bit, from polka and classical to experimental collage and beyond, this genre-bending psychedelic mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar will astound your eardrums in this 'All Pink Floyd / No Pink Floyd' Special. 4 Hours Live on Official Live Terrestrial FM Radio!!

A Very Special Show! On terrestrial radio! 89.7 FM (in the SF Bay Area) broadcast on May 24th, 2018. KFJC alumnus Phineas Narco (of The National Cynical Network) returns for MAYhem to guide us through a late-night craftily-rendered 4-hour sonic odyssey of many, many obscure Pink Floyd remixes, mash-ups, versions, re-interpretations and covers. From bluegrass, to 8-bit, from polka and classical to experimental collage and beyond, this genre-bending psychedelic mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar will astound your eardrums in this 'All Pink Floyd / No Pink Floyd' Special. 4 Hours Live on Official Live Terrestrial FM Radio!!

Webcast on April 29th, 2018, a week after Earth Day, a program that goes beyond the earth: a psychedelic remix collage show, a few weeks in the making, re-interpreting and digitally de-constructing the 1968 classic Science-Fiction film '2001: A Space Odyssey' by Stanley Kubrick which recently celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its release. Also included, Episode 40 of our original series 'Midnight Voicejail' detailing, de-constructing and lampooning the actual events of the year, 2001. - 3 hours in all.

Webcast on April 29th, 2018, a week after Earth Day, a program that goes beyond the earth: a psychedelic remix collage show, a few weeks in the making, re-interpreting and digitally de-constructing the 1968 classic Science-Fiction film '2001: A Space Odyssey' by Stanley Kubrick which recently celebrated the 50th Anniversary of its release. Also included, Episode 40 of our original series 'Midnight Voicejail' detailing, de-constructing and lampooning the actual events of the year, 2001. - 3 hours in all.