The hottest deejay in radio delivered another sizzling show last week. Playlist and selectively selected quotes below.

Bessie Smith — There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight ( “the Empress of the blues” )
( Bob tells us that the all-time highest temperature ever recorded on earth (136 deg. F) occurred in 1922 at a place in Libya; the highest U.S. temp. was 134 deg. F in 1913 in Death Valley, CA, and we find out how that place got its name. ) [Wonder why these records were so long ago, when we all know the world is hotter than ever now? Hmm. -ed]
Harry Nilsson — Jump into the Fire
( “Our next heated record goes to show ya that you can buy songs individually on iTunes all you want, but you’re gonna miss out on some great ones. This record here was a b-side; it wasn’t the side they were pushing on the radio, and it’s not the one you would seek out if you were looking for the hit, but if you happened to flip the record over, there is was. You don’t have great discoveries like that anymore — I wish you did. Here’s one I made a few years ago.” )
Bobby Moore and the Rhythm Aces featuring Chico — Go Ahead and Burn
( Bob talks about a deejay called “the Magnificent Montague” and his catchphrase, “Burn, baby burn!” )
The Gaylads — There’s a Fire
( “At least once during the show, I like to play a musical version of a chanson osée[?] and here’s this week’s opportunity. It’s by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and it’s from their ‘Out of Our Heads’ album.” )
The Rolling Stones — Play With Fire
( “Hope all you listeners won’t accuse me of cronyism because I occasionally play records by people I know.” )
( Penn Jillette talks amusingly about the skill of fire-eating. )
LaVern Baker — Soul On Fire
( Bob tells us of Marvin Rainwater’s journey all the way from classical music to rockabilly. )
Marvin Rainwater — Hot And Cold
( Phone call from “Freddy Bartholomew from Florida,” who reads a haiku about heat. )
Pigmeat Markham — Let’s Have Some Heat
Billy Lee Riley — Red Hot
( Bob talks about chili peppers and Scoville Units. It’s not the seeds — it’s the white ribs that are actually the hottest parts. )
(Actor Luke Wilson talks about talc. )
The Olympics — Baby It’s Hot
( “Our next performer is a kind of cross between a modern day Prometheus and a ‘possum, and he’s the closest thing country music has to a Bushido. Here he is, the flat-top wonder, George Jones …” )
George Jones — Burn the Honky Tonk Down
( Email from “George DeGotto” asking Bob how much it would cost to hire him for a dinner party. Bob gives a mysterious answer referencing the Jacob Javits Convention Center.)
( “Our next performer is the Chancellor of Soul, Mr. James Brown … We were backstage somewhere … and he said, ‘Bob, hot pants give you confi-dance.’ Who could argue with a statement like that?” )
James Brown — Hot Pants
( “Just to give you an idea of how important this next record was: When it came out, there were three different chart positions; you had the Black Charts, the Pop Charts and the Country Charts. This record hit number 3 black, number 2 pop, and number one country. People think we do nothing but play obscure music here on ‘Theme Time Radio Hour.’ Well, here’s a record that was number one, two and three all at the same time. Here’s that piano-pounding madman, Jerry Lee Lewis …” )
Jerry Lee Lewis — Great Balls Of Fire
( Clip from “White Heat” and Jimmy Cagney; Bob talks about it and advises anyone who hasn’t seen it to rush out and get it. “But now that I think about it, you probably don’t have to rush anywhere — you can probably illegally download it from somewhere. Whatever you do, I’m not here to judge ya. I’m just here to play music. So in the spirit of Ma Barker, here’s another song about a hot little mama …” )
Johnny Guitar Watson — Hot Little Mama
Johnny Cash — Fuego del Amor ( Spanish lingo version of “Ring of Fire” )
( Bob reads Danté on the Ninth Circle of Hell. )
( “I’m gonna leave you with one last thought. This one isn’t quite so deep as Danté. It’s from our plain-talkin’ president, Harry S. Truman. He said, ‘Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.’ See ya next week.” )

Next week’s theme: COLD

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