Theme Time Radio Hour F.A.Q.

Last updated May 2009

The F.A.Q. no longer contains the outdated audio version. That version is still available in our podcast feed as Episode 49 of the Dreamtime podcast.

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In Memory of Pierre Ponette ("Picasso From Belgium")

If you're reading or listening to Dreamtime, I assume you already have some knowledge of Theme Time Radio Hour. If you don't, the best place to get an overview/summary of the show is the TTRH Wikipedia link . This F.A.Q. covers the common TTRH questions I've received over the past three years of doing Dreamtime.

Some information is unverified, such as the identity of "Pierre Mancini." When I use qualifiers such as "possibly," "probably" and so on it means I'm taking my best guess based on available information. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm right. Feel free to disagree.

Q: Who does the opening "Night in the Big City" introduction?

A: Ellen Barkin. The identity of the narrator was argued among TTRH fans during Season 1 until the Christmas episode was broadcast, when Barkin identified herself.

Except for announcer "Pierre Mancini" and Dylan himself, Barkin is the only continuing voice on TTRH. Barkin introduced every episode in Seasons 1 and 2 except the Season 1 "Halloween" show, which was introduced by comedian Stephen Wright.

While still regularly featured, Barkin's intro was used intermittently in the 25 original episodes aired during Season 3. In some shows during the season the intro was dropped altogether. In other episodes, the intro was edited to Barkin's voice simply saying, "This is Theme Time Radio Hour with your host, Bob Dylan." During the final "Goodbye" show of Season 3, which did not use an intro, Barkin was heard midway through the episode announcing to listeners, "This is Ellen Barkin. It's time to go..."

Q: What is the background music played in the credits?

A: "Top Cat (Underscore)," which can be found on the CD compilations, Tunes from the Toons: The Best of Hanna-Barbera and Hanna-Barbera's Pic-a-Nic Basket of Cartoon Classics . Both compilations are currently out-of-print, but can be purchased from third-party sellers on both Amazon and eBay.

The music is an acoustic version of the theme song from the cartoon Top Cat, composed by Hoyt Curtin.

Q: Where can I find playlists of the music played on TTRH?

A: The Wikipedia article on TTRH , "notdarkyet.org ," or the Theme Time Radio Hour Discussion Forum at Expecting Rain.

Q: Who is announcer "Pierre Mancini?"

A: Probably TTRH producer, Eddie Gorodetsky.

Q: Who is Eddie Gorodetsky?

A: Gorodetsky has had a storied career as disc jockey, writer, comedian, and television writer/producer, and in some circles he's probably as well-known as Bob Dylan. Among music collectors and music historians, Gorodetsky and his collection are legendary. It's likely that their common interest in music is how he and Dylan first met. For over two decades Gorodetsky distributed annual holiday cassette tapes and then CDs of forgotten, arcane and just plain weird Christmas music to friends and acquaintances. Copies of those compilations - which sometimes resemble a TTRH playlist - are exceedingly rare and often sell for hundreds of dollars. They can be occasionally found on eBay, especially around the holiday season.

Although out-of-print and difficult to locate, one commercial Gorodetsky Christmas compilation, Christmas Party with Eddie G was released. The CD was the only release from the Strikin' It Rich label, owned by Bob Dylan.

Before TTRH, Gorodetsky's connection to Dylan was best-known through the television series, Dharma & Greg, where Gorodetsky was a writer/producer and arranged for a Dylan cameo appearance on the show.

Gorodetsky has also appeared in the movie Masked and Anonymous and in the Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee music video.

Q: What are Big Red Tree and Gray Water Park Productions?

A: Gray Water Park is Bob Dylan's production company, used to produce and finance various Dylan-related media projects, including TTRH. Big Red Tree is probably Eddie Gorodetsky's production company, filling a similar role for him as GWPP does for Dylan.

Q: Who are the various people named in the credits?

Many of the research/production team named are long-time employees of Bob Dylan, or more accurately, of Gray Water Park Productions. Many of the engineering team named are - or were - employees of XM Radio.

The "associate producer" of Season 3 was one "Nina Fitzgerald," replacing Season 2's "Ben Rollins," who himself had replaced Season 1's "Sonny Webster." This pseudonymous producer giving a nod to jazz giants is rumored to be Bob Dylan's manager, Jeff Rosen.

Jim McBean, who is credited with "production assistance," was the XM Radio vice president of production and an "audio animator" whose staff developed the TTRH promotional announcements as well as supplying many of the vintage radio spots used on the show. McBean has since formed "Music Fog," a site covering Americana music, with several other partners.

Randy Ezratty is a mobile recording engineer who had his own company - Effanel Music - which was purchased by XM Radio in 2006. Engineer Rob Macomber was another member of the Effanel team who also joined XM Radio.

Coco Shinomiya is a respected graphic designer and art director, a two-time Grammy nominee, and incidentally, Eddie Gorodetsky's wife. Shinomiya has worked on various Bob Dylan-related projects, and probably designed the TTRH logo.

Lee Abrams was the Chief Creative Officer of XM Radio, and the prime mover in bringing Dylan to satellite radio. He left the company in 2008.

The identity of "studio engineer, 'Tex' Carbone" who would later become TTRH's "Director of Studio Operations" is unknown, as is the spelling of his last name.

Q: Is the Abernathy Building real?

A: The Abernathy Building and surrounding environs (Studio B, Samson's Diner, Elmo's, Carl's Barber Shop) exist only in the theater of the mind.

Q: How did TTRH start? Where is it recorded? How is it produced?

Creation

Then-Chief Creative Officer Lee Abrams wrote that in 2005 he had pitched Dylan's manager, Jeff Rosen, on the idea of Dylan doing something for XM Radio. A "Bob Dylan Channel" was discussed, but the idea was discarded. In ongoing talks the concept of a weekly radio show evolved, and a deal was signed in late December 2005. Abrams goes on to write that the premiere show was originally scheduled for a February 2006 release. The first press release about the show names March as the start date, but the premiere was eventually pushed out to May to accommodate Dylan's schedule.

Production

The mechanics of TTRH production are a closely-held secret, probably due to a desire to maintain the listener's "willing suspension of disbelief" that TTRH is a vintage radio show, with Your Host Bob Dylan broadcasting live from Studio B of the Abernathy Building.

XM Radio representatives noted in interviews that they received the shows in final format. The evidence suggests that Dylan's narrative was recorded separately from the other show elements. Other non-musical show elements, such as the celebrity segments and the caller side of the staged phone calls were probably produced in Los Angeles, home base of Eddie Gorodetsky. Although the TTRH team included the music used in the episodes, XM engineers often replaced those tracks with versions better suited for satellite transmission from the XM music library during final production sessions in New York City and Washington, D.C.

With the involvement of Randy Ezratty and Rob Macomber, it can be assumed that Dylan used a mobile recording set-up to lay down his narrative tracks while on tour or at other locations. In one of his blog posts about the creation of TTRH, Lee Abrams noted that the first Season 1 show was produced somewhere in New York City, with engineers Ezratty and Macomber commuting between XM offices and an unnamed NYC recording studio.

Recording vs. Air Dates

One hotly-debated topic among TTRH fans is how far in advance the shows were recorded prior to airing. XM personnel have noted in unpublished interviews that most of the Season 1 shows were delivered two weeks or less prior to airing. Evidence from Season 2 - Dylan's remarking during the "Number One" episode on Ike Turner's death shortly after that event - also indicates that some shows were recorded as little as two weeks prior to airing.

During the first episode, "Weather," Dylan made several references to New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Those comments back up Abrams' blog post that the first shows were recorded in early 2006, a few months after the August 2005 Katrina disaster.

In an interview conducted in early April 2009, Bob Dylan stated that he "had stopped doing those shows a while ago." Based on that remark, Dylan's involvement with TTRH obviously had ended much earlier than the air date of Season 3's final episode on April 15, 2009. There is strong circumstantial evidence that Seasons 2 and 3 were originally planned as one Season 2 50-episode block of shows intended to run from 2007 through 2008, similar to Season 1. Dylan probably completed his narrative segments for these shows sometime in 2008. For reasons unknown, but likely due to the then-pending merger of Sirius and XM, the 50 episodes were split into two 25-episode segments and aired from 2007 through 2009 as Seasons 2 and 3, with a six month hiatus between those seasons.

Dylan's Involvement

Another argument among TTRH fans is how much input Dylan actually had with the show's production past reading his scripted commentary.

The evidence points to producer Eddie Gorodetsky having a strong influence on TTRH content, including involving Ellen Barkin, scripting Dylan's commentary, creating the email and phone call segments and booking the "guest appearances" of the various celebrities, musicians, and comedians who appeared on the show. But it's likely that Dylan also interjected his own choices for the music, as well as speaking his own personal thoughts and opinions.

Various interviews over the years and Chronicles: Volume One confirm Dylan's appreciation for the musicians, genres, and music played on TTRH. Derek Barker's The Songs He Didn't Write catalogs over 50 songs played during the various seasons of TTRH that Dylan has also covered in concert and on record.

It's improbable that anyone but Bob Dylan himself would suggest that he perform an a capella rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game, or that he play Blowin' in the Wind on a recorder, both of which he's done on episodes of TTRH. Anyone who follows Dylan's rare remarks in concert also knows that he has a weakness for telling corny old jokes, a regular feature of TTRH. His occasional on-air outbursts on subjects ranging from modern medical care, "commercial affiliations," and country music have all sounded deeply heart-felt and personal.

Perhaps the strongest evidence of Dylan's commitment to Theme Time Radio Hour is the fact that he recorded the narrative for 100 episodes of the show from 2006 through 2008 during a period when he was touring, recording, and involved in numerous other projects.

Q: Which artist(s) had had the most airplay on TTRH?

A: At the close of Season 3 (April 15, 2009) Tom Waits and Dinah Washington had tied as "most-played," each with 10 appearances on the turntable over the 100 episodes of TTRH.

Q: What are "deaf poets"?

A: Dylan wasn't fixated on poets with hearing problems in the early days of the show, but instead was using the hip-hop slang term "def," as in "great" or "definitive" during his poetry readings over the three seasons.

According to Wikipedia, "def" originated in New York City in the 1980s and was accepted into the Oxford English Dictionary in 1993. Dylan or Gorodetsky may have taken the "def poet" phrase from the HBO series, Def Poetry Jam, which ran from 2002 through 2007.

Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour poetry readings were featured throughout the show's run, although the number was reduced in each consecutive season. Likewise, the use of the "def poet" phrase was gradually phased out with Dylan doing variations on the theme, such as referring to Robert Frost as a "frosty poet."

The Flowers episode from Season 1 had the most poetry readings with Dylan quoting four separate poems from authors ranging from Christopher Marlowe to Anon. William Shakespeare wins hands down as "most quoted" poet on TTRH. "The kid is good," as Dylan says.


Q: What is and where can I find the TTRH poster?

A: Commissioned by producer Eddie Gorodetsky in 2007 from artist/illustrator Jaime Hernandez, each of the poster's scenes illustrate Ellen Barkin's "It's Night/Night Time in the Big City," introductions from Season 1 of TTRH.

The poster was originally available as a free high-resolution download at bobdylan.com from October 2007 through July 2008, but that link was discontinued upon the launch of the redesigned site. Bootleg print versions have occasionally appeared on eBay.

An "authorized" low-quality print version of the poster was offered to the first 5,000 people to order any one of the three Bootleg Series Volume 8 packages being sold through bobdylan.com. It can be assumed that some of those posters will also eventually find their way to eBay. A search through Google Images may uncover copies of the original digital file at various sites on the Web.

Q: How can I contact Bob Dylan and TTRH and will I get a response?

A: XM publicized the email address bobdylan@xmradio.com as the means to contact Dylan and the TTRH team with suggestions and questions. There were some fan reports that their email to that address either went unanswered or generated an auto-reply noting that due to the high volume of mail received, personal responses were impossible.

Before and during Season 1, XM publicized that "Dylan will read and answer select emails on his show." Most fans assumed that all the listener mail read on the show was was scripted, as several used names of Dylan friends and acquaintances, or were otherwise obviously faked.  However, at least one email read on the "Friends and Neighbors" episode came from a real listener, suggesting that there were probably others over the show's 100-episode run.

Q: How can I listen to TTRH?

A: Here's the schedule for TTRH as of April 2009. Note that the show is currently in re-runs and air dates may change. Check the links below for current information.

SIRIUS

On the SIRIUS side of the spectrum, TTRH airs on the SIRIUS version of "Deep Tracks," (SIRIUS Channel 16) Wednesdays at 11 am ET.

"Encore" presentations air Mondays 8 pm ET, Thursdays 12 am ET, and Sundays 8 am ET, all on SIRIUS Channel 16.

XM

On the XM Radio side , TTRH also airs on Wednesdays at 11 am ET (an hour later than its first two seasons) on the XM version of "Deep Tracks," XM Channel 40.

XM "encore" presentations on Deep Tracks Channel 40 are on Mondays at 8 PM ET, Thursdays 12 am ET, and Sundays 8 am ET, paralleling the SIRIUS Deep Tracks schedule. There are also two additional weekly "encore" shows on XM Channel 15 "The Village" on Wednesdays, 12 pm (Noon) ET, and on Mondays at 12 am (Midnight) ET.

In February 2009, SIRIUS XM announced an expanded block of TTRH programming. Four hours of Theme Time Radio Hour is currently broadcast on "The Spectrum" SIRIUS Channel 18 and XM channel 45 every Sunday from 4:00 - 8:00 pm ET. The weekly four-hour programming includes two "encore" presentations of the current week's show and shows from the Theme Time Radio Hour vault.

To listen to TTRH over the air requires an XM- or SIRIUS-capable radio and a subscription to the service. DirecTV subscribers can hear the show on channel 840 at Wednesdays at 10 a.m. ET. U.S. residents with a broadband internet connection can subscribe to a streaming internet version of XM Radio that includes the Deep Tracks, The Village, and The Spectrum channel, all of which broadcast TTRH.

From 2006 through 2008, AOL Radio offered a streaming internet version of the show free of charge to AOL subscribers, but that service is no longer available.

In the United Kingdom, TTRH is available on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music both on air and on line (accessible to U.K. listeners only) and on-air in Ireland on Phantom 105.2. Check local listings for times.

"Dylan Radio," a fan site, (http://www.dylanradio.com ) streams Dylan music and Dylan-related content including Theme Time Radio Hour episodes. Check the site for times.

Q: Are there any commercial releases of Theme Time Radio Hour shows?

A: No. To date no complete TTRH show has been offered as a standalone commercial offering. There are however two promotional CDs available on the market and currently five CDs compiling music featured on TTRH. See below for details.

Promotional CDs of Complete Shows

A CD of the complete Baseball show was released in 2006 as part of an in-store promotion for Modern Times. The link above will take you to Amazon where various re-sellers offer the disc for prices ranging from the reasonable to the ridiculous.

The disc can also be found on eBay, but note the following caveat for either Amazon or eBay: if packaging and "original condition" are important to you, you should make sure the disc is not a CD-R copy and is in its original cardboard sleeve (with the TTRH logo on the front and playlist on the back) before purchasing. If you've heard and liked the "Friends and Neighbors" episode, the chances are you'll love "Baseball," which features among other things Your Host Bob Dylan performing Take Me Out to the Ball Game a capella.

Another promotional CD, featuring the "Friends and Neighbors" episode, is part of the "deluxe" Together Through Life package released in April 2009. The show has everything that makes TTRH special; great quirky music, interesting facts and trivia; two emails, wife-swapping and swinging, and Our Host launching into a blistering attack on modern country music. Who could ask for more?

Theme Time Radio Hour Music Compilations

As of May 2009 there were five different commercial CD compilations featuring music only from TTRH. Note that these compilations do not include Dylan's commentary or other features that made the show unique, and that the tracks used on the compilations are not necessarily the ones used on the show. If you're interested in the folk, jazz, swing, rockabilly and country music played on TTRH, you might like these sets. If you're looking for TTRH shows, they're not for you.

There are three "unauthorized" (unauthorized in the sense that they were not produced with the involvement of the TTRH team) sets from the Chrome Dreams/ISIS label: The Best of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour Volume 1 and Volume 2 which cover the show's first season and The Best Of The Second Series which compiles music from the show's second season. All three compilations are 2-CD sets. Note that all three links will take you to the Amazon U.K. store, which is where I recommend you purchase the sets. Dreamtime has received emails complaining that the buyer was sent Alan Freed's A Stompin' Good Time instead of the Chrome Dream TTRH compilations when purchasing through the U.S. store.

Radio Radio , a 4-CD box set released in 2008 from Mischief Music - again "unauthorized" - also covers music from TTRH's first season.

The authorized Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host Bob Dylan set was compiled by Ace Records U.K. under the supervision of TTRH producer Eddie Gordodetsky and Dylan business manager, Jeff Rosen. Of the five compilations, Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host Bob Dylan probably best reflects the breadth of music played on TTRH as it contains both relatively modern music, such as The White Stripes Seven Nation Army and The Clash's Tommy Gun, as well as the type of vintage cuts you'll find on the other sets.

While not marketed as TTRH material, the 2008 Starbucks compilation, Artist's Choice - Bob Dylan: Music That Matters To Him is also highly recommended. The CD set reflects Dylan's musical interests, "right now," as he relates in the liner notes, and the music in the compilation could easily have appeared on a TTRH playlist. The CD also has another connection to TTRH. Its liner notes state that it was produced by "Tim Ziegler," the name used by a fictitious caller during one of the Season 2 episodes who complained that Dylan had misidentified a record label. As with the "Baseball" show, if "original condition" is important to you, you'll want to ensure that you're getting the original disc including its original packaging before purchasing.

"The Theme Time Radio Hour Compendium ," a tie-in book originally announced for October 2008, had not been released as of May 2009. The publication date on several on-line sites is now listed as October 2010. However, the book is no longer cataloged on its publisher's - Simon & Schuster - site, and may have been delisted.

Q: Can I find Theme Time Radio Hour shows for download on the internet?

A: Several fans have undertaken the effort to record the shows and post them on the Web as either torrents or as mp3 files. A little judicious searching through Google or at Dylan/TTRH-related sites should lead you to those files.

It should be noted that the shows are provided by these fans without charge - some sites ask for donations to offset their costs - and is done with the intention to offer TTRH to the largest audience possible, especially to those who can not hear the show any other way.

It's unlikely that a complete set of TTRH - 100 shows at the close of Season 3 - will ever be released commercially. The non-commercial efforts to distribute TTRH may be the only complete record that will ever be easily accessible to researchers, scholars, and fans .

Q: Where can I find additional information on TTRH?

A: The Annotated Theme Time Radio Hour is an excellent reference site on TTRH. Lee Abrams's original XM Radio blog is still on-line and includes a lengthy three-part post on the background and creation of TTRH. While there is an "official" TTRH site at XM Radio, it contains little past scheduling information. Vanity Fair published an article on TTRH trivia both in a print version and on line in April 2008. It should be noted much of that article's content appears to have been taken from The Annotated Theme Time Radio Hour site without credit.

Although TTRH appears to have ended, any news about the show will be found at Expecting Rain, the Dreamtime blog, and DylanTweets a news feed on Twitter jointly run by Expecting Rain and Dreamtime. Bob Dylan's official web site has also occasionally carried news about TTRH.

Expecting Rain offers a TTRH forum, which was renamed to "Picasso's Theme Time Radio Hour " in memory of one of the show's most ardent fans. The archives of RightWing Bob and the Theme Time Radio Hour page on MySpace are also of interest.

Q: Will there be a Season 4 of Theme Time Radio Hour?

A: Theme Time Radio Hour appears to have ended, at least in its current form with Sirius XM.

In an April 2009 interview with ROLLING STONE magazine, Dylan implied that his contract to do the show was completed and stated that while Sirius XM wanted to renew the program, he wasn't sure he wanted to continue. Sirius XM declined to comment when contacted by ROLLING STONE about Dylan's remark. Although other celebrities and their shows were cited during a Sirius XM conference call in May 2009, Bob Dylan and Theme Time Radio Hour were noteworthy by their absence.

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Dreamtime friend and correspondent Heddy Richter was kind enough to review and edit the TTRH F.A.Q. for spelling, grammar, and consistency. All errors or omissions remain our own.