Peter Alsop‘s SONGS TO CHEW

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Let’s Face It! Sep 22, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is LET'S FACE IT! from my “In The Hospital" album. It addresses facial disfigurement, and all the unsettling emotions that we go through when we feel that we're different than others around us. It's difficult emotionally, whether we're an adult or a child, to figure out how we're going to behave when others stare at us and feel uncomfortable. We have to cope with our own feelings of being left out and rejected. Maintaining a healthy, positive self-image is a lifelong process for all of us. Children born with physical "differences", or who become physically "different" are particularly vulnerable to the reactions of others. These reactions strongly influence how we feel about ourselves. We need all the support we can get, so that we don't accept a negative self-image of ourself. And this happens with our skin color too. Nowadays black kids, and tan, yellow and white kids with freckles all get treated together in hospitals, and it wasn't always that way! People's attitudes and behaviors change slowly, but they do change!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Inspection Sep 15, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is INSPECTION. I wrote it with Penny Pefley, one of the pediatric nurses who helped us make our “In The Hospital"album. My buddy Bill Harley and I 'rap' this one. Our personal privacy is challenged regularly in a hospital by doctors, nurses and assistants who want to make sure we're okay. They even wake us up at night to make sure we're sleeping soundly! Today's kids are taught that it's their body and they can say "No!", but this all changes in the hospital. We can feel trapped, helpless, and angry as stranger after stranger invades our privacy. We want to honor a child's sense of self-worth by answering their questions and making safe space for their feelings to surface. They have a right to know what's happening to them. Some hospitals have child-life staff who support children when parents can't be there, to be sure the child receives age-appropriate explanations for things that are done. We never, ever tease, but enjoying a good laugh decreases stress and helps us get beyond some tough situations. Being in a hospital becomes easier if we remember we're all going through this together in the hope of returning to good health. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Juice Sep 08, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is JUICE, from my “Stayin Over" album. It's an uncomplicated song, about the complicated concepts of 'love' and 'energy'. When we feel we’re not loved, we feel empty, and we search for any kind of 'juice' to fill us up, like booze, sex, drugs, money, food or approval from others. But when we’re actually filled up with 'love', we don't have to go on that search. We can pass on that love and energy we have to others. We learn to love others from being loved. Children act morally when they understand feelings, it's not just about 'following rules'. The best way to teach kids about feelings, is to be open about our own feelings with them. As they gain the ability to "feel" for others, they will make decisions about how to behave, based on their own feelings and understanding of what's going on. Our caring behaviors come from treating others, as we would like them to treat us. (Sound familiar?). When we have "juice", we pass that "juice " along! I’m Peter Alsop. Sure would appreciate you telling others about this podcast, and I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Stayin’ Over Sep 01, 2023

Today we'll 'Chew' on the title song from my STAYIN' OVER album. Do you remember the first night you went to 'stay over' at a friend's house? Maybe it was a camping trip with other families. These adventures are loaded with memories and lessons we learned from our social interactions with others. It's a big step in independence for most kids. When we do it, we face separation from our own bed, blanket, our teddy bear, and from our parents. Some kids are nervous about wetting our bed, or getting teased because we're afraid of the dark. It's important to let kids know they can make their own decisions about sleeping overnight at a friend's house. Slumber parties allow kids to take part in the creation of the "group stories" that become a part of our childhood. We learn about friendship by spending time and sharing feelings and adventures with our friends. And having fun is great health care! I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Wiggle Aug 25, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is WIGGLE. It's a song about freedom! We all “wiggle” when someone won’t let us do what we want to do. 'Being alive!" means that in one form or another, we just need to "wiggle"! Some of us wiggle emotionally because we don't want to be 'pinned down'. Some wiggle physically because we'll jump out of our skin if we can't get down and run around and chase the kitty cat! And some of us do "ethical wiggling". Politicians do it; business people, religious people too! Legislatures make laws to eliminate as much 'wiggle-room' as they can, because when there's a lot of 'wiggle-room', there's room for mis-understandings and prevarications. It allows 'wigglers' to "speak or act in an evasive way." It's instructional for us grown-ups to remember what it's like being in 'kid shoes' once in a while. This song is to remind us that, rather than get upset with a wiggly kid, we can practice having patience. When we allow them some 'wiggle-room', we remember how important it is for us, and for those little 'inner kids' inside the big grown-ups around us. I’m Peter Alsop. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen & subscribe to my Songs To Chew = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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The Prize Aug 18, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is THE PRIZE from my “Did You Walk?" album. It's song lyrics without any music, so actually, it's a poem. We're constantly being taught that it's important to 'come in first', to 'win the game', to 'win the race!' Some of us do it to get approval from others. Some think we have to do it so we can become financially independent and better able to care for ourselves and our loved ones. To have a kinder, more sustainable way of surviving on earth, we need to learn how to be inter-dependent with one another. That means we share resources and build awareness about our wastefulness. It means that we help each other and share space and time together. There are better ways to have fun, than playing a game where there's only one 'winner' and everyone else is a loser. If we want to learn how to live a balanced life, we need to pay attention to how we feel as we go through our interactions with each other. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Sandwiches Aug 11, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew', SANDWICHES, was written by Bob King. One of the subjects that kids love to sing about is food!! We'll 'chew on' ideas about kids and food and the interconnectedness of all the human things we do in our lives. There's 'enjoyment' and 'sharing'. There's 'mooching', which is trying to get something that someone else has, but not wanting to 'share' what we have. 'Mooching' is like a 'one way street' where everything on the road is coming in our direction, and real 'sharing' is like a two-way street where traffic goes in both directions. We find 'anger', 'resentment', and 'bartering' in this song too, and we explore 'expectations' and 'boundary setting'. Little songs like this can be powerful 'teaching tools' that can create great "A-ha!" moments of clarity for us. We have to we pay attention and be willing to 'tease it out' and 'chew on it' in order to benefit from these little bits of wisdom. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen & subscribe to my Songs To Chew = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Needle-ee, Noodle-ee Aug 04, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is NEEDLE-EE NOODLE-EE. I wrote it with Penny Pefley, one of the two pediatric nurses who initiated our "In The Hospital" album! "Pokes" or "shots" are probably the number one fear children have about being in the hospital. Few children escape this experience, whether as an injection, an IV start, or a blood test. It may be impossible for a child to understand why they're being hurt when we're supposed to be making them better, but it's important for them to know that they're not being punished, and that it will help them get better. Be honest; stay relaxed, and say things like, "It may hurt for a minute, and then it will be over. I'll help you hold still. It's OK to cry". Younger kids may be afraid that all their blood will leak out, and need to be reassured that only a small amount will be taken, and the hole will close. Band-aids are very important to some children, so be sure to offer them. Some parents make comments about those "mean doctors and nurses" as a way of showing sympathy for their child, but it helps tremendously when they have a positive attitude towards the hospital and staff. Hugh thanks to nurses Penny Pefley and Diane Gates for their help writing notes for the booklet that goes with our "In The Hospital" album. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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My Dad’s A Jungle Gym Jul 28, 2023

Our Song To Chew today is MY DAD'S A JUNGLE GYM from my “Uh-Oh!" album. I used to carry my daughters around on my shoulders, or under my arms when they were little. Sometimes they'd get tired on a walk, and I'd carry them on my back. Eventually they'd wiggle free, hop down and run around again. Dads are generally less 'risk-adverse' than Moms, which means that we let our kids take more risks than Moms do. I'd let them stand on the roof of my van and hold out my arms and say, "Okay! Jump!", ... and they'd jump! I always caught them, and we'd laugh. Don't think I ever dropped them. Most Dads are not so worried about kids falling down and scraping a knee or getting a sun-burn. Doesn't mean we don't care, we're just less likely to think it's a big deal. We chew on some of these thoughts in this podcast, see what you think! I’m Peter Alsop. I hope all you Dads out there have a chance to be a Jungle Gym too! Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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My Body Runs Jul 21, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is MY BODY RUNS, from my “Did You Walk?" album. I wrote this song at the request of two women who were marketing their Digi-Walker Pedometer, a small device for one's belt or pocket that counts the steps we take to be sure we get enough exercise every day. Kids have lots of questions about their own bodies and how they seem to work sort of automatically. "My body runs, my body goes! I don’t know how, but my body knows!" We really don't have much control over making our heart beat or digesting our food. So this song examines all that mystery in a gentle way. Us adults are just amazed as kids when we consider how incredible our bodies really are! I’m Peter Alsop. See you next time with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Wha’d’ya Wanna Do? Jul 14, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew', WHA'D'YA WANNA DO?, is about 'wanting to have fun with a buddy'. As I listen to the lyrics more than 40 years after I wrote them, they're about being joyous. That's mostly what kids wanna do, 'find support as we go through our lives joyously'. Support makes it less scary to take risks, so when we take a risk, even if it doesn't work out, we learn that we can overcome obstacles and eventually become stronger and more confident. This song isn't as philosophically 'deep' as some of my other songs, but with this heavy old world bouncing around dangerously these days, the simple message this song carries is 'profound'. We all want to 'hang out' with people who know that sharing fun and laughter in dark time is comforting and healing and that 'joy' is an uplifting birthright of every human being on the planet.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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That’s My Thang Jul 07, 2023

This week's 'Song To Chew' is THAT'S MY THANG! We get a "fire in our belly" about something that involves all our attention, often to the exclusion of everything else around us. Our 'thang' is something we want to achieve, or simply a task we want to complete. Our 'thang' isn't really 'work' because we enjoy doing it. Many of us love the work we do. Artists often work for little or no money because it's an expression of ourselves. It feels good to do our "thang" and if we can get paid for it, that's great! Living in a capitalistic system teaches us that everything has a specific monetary value. We learn to put a price on everything, so we know 'exactly' how much it's worth. A story like that leads us astray, and the gorgeous range of passion in human endeavors gets quantized into flat numbers, and actually cheapens the way we think about our life. I sure hope your life has some passionate 'Thang' you love to do! I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Covers On Our Hearts Jun 30, 2023

Today we'll "chew on" the song, COVERS ON OUR HEARTS from our musical play "Pie In The Sky". It takes place in a small town with a big nuclear reactor. The kids in town want to get rid of it because there are so many health problems, but the grown-ups are slow to respond. It's based on the Pied Piper fable, about a magical piper who's hired to rid the town of rats. He leads them all out of town by playing his magical flute, (in my case, a drum!). But when the townspeople refuse to pay him, he leads all their children away, never to be heard from again. The story is a painful lesson that 'trinkets and baubles' from our capitalistic system, can never replace our much-needed love relationships. We each have childhood injuries and bruises, but the emotional 'covers' we develop to protect ourselves, make it more difficult to care for each other and lift each other up. Yet that is is exactly what we need to do to sustain life on our planet and survive here together. So our work is to 'shake off our covers'! I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll see you again soon with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

While I’m Sleeping Jun 23, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' today is WHILE I'M SLEEPING, written with Diane Gates. She and Penny Pefley are pediatric nurses from Seattle Children's Hospital who encouraged me to write and record our 'In The Hospital' album. I got my buddy Bill Harley to join us, and we won Parent's Choice 'Best Album'! This song addresses difficulties we face with going to sleep, particularly when we're in a hospital. We have fears about not being conscious or in control when we're asleep, and our strange surroundings and fears about our health compound these problems. What if we don't wake up? If a child has an operation that requires anesthesia the word "sleep" is the best way to explain this to them. Unfortunately, it's also used when we talk about death. It's confusing and scary to be told we'll get some "special medicine" that will put us to sleep, so it's important to be very clear about this 'kind of sleep'. We can help kids who have trouble sleeping in the hospital by continuing their home bedtime routines, giving them a small flashlight in bed and making sure they meet the primary doctors and nurses. Your child's physician may also have some suggestions. Best of all is to be there, and ask them what they think would help them feel safe.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Under The Rainbow Jun 16, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' today is UNDER THE RAINBOW. Some might call it a 'woke' song, because it's full of hope. There are some very mystifying things in this world. I haven't got a clue about how they happen, so I don't rule out prayer, magic, supernatural religions, being "woke" or anything else that might help us all survive together! I know that 'when someone holds a belief, we can't get them to change that belief by offering facts.' Science and logic don't have much influence in the 'Land of Beliefs'. Unfortunately, in the 'Land of Science and Logic', there's not much support for the idea that a belief or story can have a huge influence on a person's ability to accomplish things in their life. There's a mystical, innocent, non-scientific power in a child's beliefs and stories, and whether they're true or not, by holding them so close to their hearts, they can accomplish amazing feats that seem impossible to the rest of us. If we're to have a future that's safe and sustainable, we need to it start now! As I age, I feel a 'nibbling remorse' that I need to do more to leave our children a safer world. My own dear children, singing the words to my song, ring more true to me now than they did when I wrote them.

"You cannot give the world to us. It is not yours to give.

It is a home for every child, who needs to grow and live

And for a while, we may borrow the air and trees and sun,

But we must never, never break the trust, of the children yet to come."

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Never Speak With Your Mouth Full Jun 09, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew' is NEVER SPEAK WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL! It seems like a 'fun little song', but it opens doors to deeper topics like, 'Where do our rules come from?' and 'How do they become laws?' Kids deal with 'grown-up rules' all the time. We teach children rules, so they'll learn to be socially responsible adults; people who care about other people. Adults who sing this song with their kids send the message, “We can play and be silly, and still be caring and polite to each other at the same time!" I think that’s a wiser, healthier, message than, “follow the rules no matter what!” When I need to speak up about something that's "not okay" with me, I need to do it in a way that will 'get through' to another person. It's not going to resolve anything if that other person feels like they're being attacked! So we really need to be careful about how we do that. And practicing that, ... starts with me!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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I’m A Little Cookie Jun 02, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' today is I'M A LITTLE COOKIE, written by Larry Penn. It reframes the concept of 'having a disability' for kids and grown-ups. When a traumatic event happens, and something in us changes or 'breaks', we can feel like we're 'un-whole'! It's true that as we change and grow and learn, difficult things do happen to us, but we're still fully human no matter what! We may be 'different', but when changes happen, we adjust, and work to rebalance ourselves. No matter what color or flavor we are, we each experience the human feelings of happy, sad, scared or angry. That's part of the deal! Every one of us is part of our human tribe; the big family! If we believe that we're limited in what we can do, that just makes it more difficult for us to go beyond those limits. We're all little gum drops or chocolate bars, or cookies, and regardless of any dents or lost pieces, we can still taste sweet and delicious and loveable. I'm Peter Alsop. See you next time, for another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Peaceful Feet May 26, 2023

Our SONG TO CHEW this week is PEACEFUL FEET, from my 'Grow It At Home' album. I wrote it as part of a challenge sent out from Rounder Kids Records asking some of the best artists in children's and family music to create a one-minute song for an album called "HEAR AND GONE IN 60 SECONDS" It included my friends Bill Harley, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Justin Roberts, Kim and Reggie Harris, Tom Paxton, Beethoven's Wig, Dan Crow, Dave Kinnoin, Parachute Express and Joanie Bartels, just to name a few! I wrote a song that was silly, but also had larger themes of world peace, and we'll talk about that process. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back next week, with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Gnarly Dude May 19, 2023

This week's 'Song To Chew' is GNARLY DUDE. 'Gnarly' means 'twisted and knobby', but it's also slang for 'something unpleasant or unattractive', or for the opposite, 'something excellent or very good'. To be a 'gnarly dude', we have to figure out how to be tough and cool at the same time! Sounds challenging! One of the unwritten lessons we learn in school is that we need to study the subject and the teacher in order to get good grades. By the time we go to school, most of us have mastered how to get what we want from our parents! School provides another opportunity, outside our family, to analyze a system and explore how to survive and thrive! We pick up techniques watching the teacher and other students, then when we're older, we observe people at our workplace and get to practice how to share, lie, promise, fight, tattle, use honesty, kindness, loyalty and friendship. Life's a big school where we can learn how to be 'gnarly' so we can help ourselves and the people around us feel lifted and successful.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Home Where The Heart Is May 12, 2023

This week's Song To Chew, 'HOME WHERE THE HEART IS', opens the musical stage play I wrote with Ellen Geer, “Pie In The Sky", which ran as part of our 1987 theater season at the Theatricum Botanicum. It takes place in a small American town that has its own nuclear reactor. The kids of the town want to get rid of it because it's creating health problems, but the grown-ups are slow to respond. It's based on the fable of the Pied Piper who rid Hamlin Town of it's plague of rats by playing his magical flute. When the townspeople refuse to pay him, he charms their children and leads them away dancing and singing out of town never to be seen again. The lesson that 'it doesn't pay to be greedy and dishonest', and that 'owning lots of things cannot bring happiness or love', seems to be one we need to learn over and over again. In today's American culture, our capitalism requires constant, unsustainable growth, and sustainable-indigenous models of 'having enough' is something that most of us do not foster. We need homes that are safe places for us to explore options, make mistakes and re-group, and where we give and receive support because we value each other more than we value our belongings.

~ Listen & subscribe to Songs To Chew anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Samit And The Dragon May 05, 2023

My SAMIT AND THE DRAGON song comes from our “In The Hospital" album, recorded with my buddy Bill Harley and the two pediatric nurses from Seattle Children's Hospital who instigated the whole project, Diane Gates and Penny Pefley. We won the Best Children's Album of the Year Award from the National Assn of Independent Record Distributors in 1983! Doctors and nurses in pediatric hospitals still use it to help kids and families. It was new back then, but today, many traditional medical professionals use visualization techniques to help patients support their own internal healing processes. It helps them relax and become part of the team of people who work to make them healthier. Children are very receptive to mental imaging or visualizing stories as it's something we do naturally while we listen to stories, or daydream. And it's not just for kids. Adults who run businesses, parents, other-abled people and elderly folks use imagery to help change some of the negative stories we carry within us, so more positive outcomes can surface. Check it out, and I'll see you next week for another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Strangers Apr 28, 2023

Our SONG TO CHEW this week, is STRANGERS, from my 1992 child abuse prevention concert with KidPower and actor John Ritter. Before people turn 18, one out of four of us will have been sexually abused. Our feelings are like an early warning system. If we feel uncomfortable about a situation, we need to listen to that little voice and get to safety! Adult social interactions can be very confusing for kids. 85% per cent of the time, the abuse comes from someone who we know and trust. Less often, it's a 'stranger', who is 'anyone we don’t know'; a man, woman, boy or girl. If a child is 8 years old or under, and on their own, they should never talk to strangers, except in emergencies. Kids over 8 years old, can talk to strangers, but they must keep a safe distance, and not give any personal information. That's because kids under 8 can easily get distracted from the safety rules when they talk to someone.

~ My 'Songs To Chew' podcast ~ link in bio, or wherever you get podcasts

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

No, No, No! Apr 21, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' this week is 'NO, NO, NO!' Little kids like to say 'No!'. We learn that from the adults around us! "Can I have a puppy?" No! "Can my friend come here to play?" No! It's impossible to be a perfect parent. I was spanked as a kid, but I never hit my kids, and they turned our pretty great. With the world situation being what it is these days, I don't want to teach children that it's okay to use violence to 'solve' a problem!

~ My 'Songs To Chew' podcast ~ link in bio, wherever you get podcasts or: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

If You Love A Hippopotamus Apr 14, 2023

Today's 'Song To Chew', "IF YOU LOVE A HIPPOPOTAMUS" was written by Connie Kaldor, a wonderful Canadian singer-songwriter. It brings up the delicate subject of our size and our behavior and our appearance. If we don't look or behave the way other people think we should, we can get excluded, and become overly-critical of ourselves. We beat ourselves up for eating too much or exercising too little or being clumsy, then feel sad or angry about the whole thing, and binge to sooth ourselves. Next, we feel guilty, and go on another strict diet, and the cycle continues. In the animal kingdom hippos know who they are and they pay attention to what they do! They know that the size of a package isn't as important as what's inside that package!

~ My 'Songs To Chew' podcast ~ link in bio, or wherever you get podcasts or: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Where Will I Go When I’m Dead And Gone? Apr 07, 2023

WHERE WILL I GO WHEN I'M DEAD AND GONE? is one of my more controversial songs. Why write a song for kids about death and dying? Because it's a subject no one wants to talk about! Curiosity about death is completely human and understandable. Kids need safe people to talk with about it; to ask questions and process some of the huge feelings that come up when we lose someone or something important to us. Death comes to all living things, and can be scary and sad to think about, but rather than get uptight, I play with some the fearful thoughts and make them less scary, without making fun of anyone who feels afraid. There's a video of this song on YouTube with about 240 thousand views. It "gets this subject out onto the table", so families can air it out and let it breathe.

~ My 'Songs To Chew' podcast ~ where ever you get podcasts

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Ask Away Mar 31, 2023

This week's SONG TO CHEW is ASK AWAY from my “Grow It At Home" album! The concept is simple! 'Ask others for help', but that can be difficult for some of us. We don't want to impose or look weak or confused. Some think it's gender-linked to men, as many men would rather drive around lost for hours instead of asking for directions, but we know this affects everyone. When we ask for clear information, we often get big words or acronyms that we've never heard before! And when we're stressed or nervous, it's easy to get facts mixed-up, right? Clear information helps us make healthy decisions about how to proceed with our lives. What are our choices? Teachers usually encourage students to ask questions, because that's a great way to learn! It's how we figure out what's expected of us in the world when we're babies! This song has lots to 'Chew On', so check out this episode, and email me at peter@peteralsop.com, or message me at 'We Like Peter Alsop' on Facebook if you have any questions. Bye for now!

~ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156 = subscribe to Songs To Chew

~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1 = my newest album

~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop = follow on FaceBook

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Us Kids Brush Our Teeth Mar 24, 2023

Our SONG TO CHEW this week is US KIDS BRUSH OUR TEETH from my 'Stayin' Over' album. A four-year-old doesn't brush their teeth just to get them clean! That's what adults do! Kids have a completely different agenda! If we get upset with our kids for "not acting like adults", we miss the delight and playfulness of how our children brush their teeth. It's called "appreciating diversity!" They'll be adults soon enough. Through them, we have an opportunity to see the world with new eyes. Most parents forget the 'kid toothbrushing ritual', as soon as we pass into our teenage years! When little kids brush their teeth, they find ways to make it playful! The philosophical take-away is that each of us has our own pathway; our own rituals and our life-time minutes to use the way we want! Parents have that choice too! We can get upset, or ask ourselves, "is it really important for me to stop this little person from doing what they're doing right now, and make them do it MY way?" As the singer says, "I'm still just a kid! Bein' slow's not that bad, so please listen a minute before you get mad!" Hopefully adults listen, and back off enough to enjoy their child's playfulness. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back again next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or try

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Irish Seatbelt Jig - Apple Juice - MeMeMe - Spin Around Mar 17, 2023

Our SONG TO CHEW this week, is a 'batch of songs'. We'll listen to the IRISH SEATBELT JIG, APPLE JUICE, ME-ME-ME, and SPIN AROUND. We'll 'chew on' how impactful these repetitive little children's songs can be! This kind of song gets into our heads, like some of the commercial jingles and 'ear worms' we find ourselves humming or singing to ourselves, word-for-word, years later! Unnoticed by us, these simple jingles and musical memes pass on our cultural messages too! Some messages are healthy for us, like my seatbelt song. It's a safety message. But other messages are 'not-so-wonderful', like some of the sexist, patriarchal and racist messages that pack our brains with images that separate us and de-humanize us. We won't be singing any of those today. When music's combined with simple rhymed lyrics, they can affect us very powerfully, and we unknowingly absorb their ideas. Today's four songs each have simple messages: "Seatbelts save lives!" "Anyone can make up a song about anything!" "Thinking about ourselves is our job when we're a kid!" and, "General rules don't always work for all people." Thanks for listening. Please subscribe and invite your friends, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or:

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Cried Mar 10, 2023

This week's 'Song To Chew' is I CRIED by Ruth Pelham from my 'Stayin' Over' album. I first heard Holly Near sing this wonderful song, then I met the wonderful Ruth Pelham in person. She's an educator, songwriter and performer and she's dedicated her life to helping children learn by using music. Her school programs and songs blend her years of experience with her innovative approach to education. I recorded I CRIED because it was the only song I'd ever heard for children and families about divorce. It's masterful and addresses the courageous and healing discussions that need to take place to help families move on to living in a different configuration than what they'd expected. It lays out how difficult it is to carry on our regular lives while we grieve the loss of a life that has changed. Divorces are traumatic for kids, and very difficult for parents as well. Often kids feel responsible when their parents get divorced! But we know for sure that "a child is never responsible when parent's get divorced." Some kids try to "act perfectly", hoping their parents will get back together. Others are uncooperative and "act out'. These are the cries of a hurting heart. Around the world, many of our social norms teach us that it's not okay to cry, especially for men and boys. Sadness is part of being human. Everyone has hurts, and crying helps heal our body and our souls by rebalancing us. Contact Ruth at: Ruth Pelham.com, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or,

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Pat Your Daddy Mar 03, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' this week, PAT YOUR DADDY ON THE KNEE comes from my “Uh-Oh!" album. When we scratch the surface of these 'family music' songs, we find important life-lessons for adults too. Adults who don't have any kids tell me, they learn from 'chewin' on' these songs! Life-lessons for little kids can help big grown-ups too! Everybody in the world has rough times when things happen that are painful and disturbing. And we don't want those rough time to come back again. The memory of them affects all our decisions; the kind of work we choose, who we fall in love with and how we respond when we're afraid. This song gives us a model of how we can use that experience to support other folks who are upset! We can give them some support! Maybe pat them on the back or the knee, or listen to them, or ask them if they want a hug. We can lift folks up who are down, and if we love 'em, we can tell 'em that! Seems pretty simple, and it goes a long way. Because then, those people pass on that caring behavior to others who need support! See that!? If you look, you can find some mighty useful stuff in kid songs! I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

The Newborn Feb 24, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' this week, from my “Family Roles" album is THE NEWBORN, written by Rosita Perez. Technically, it's a 'Poem To Chew' from her book, "THE MUSIC IS YOU: A Guide to Thinking Less and Feeling More". I love this poem because it points out how the words 'belief' and 'faith' are different. When someone chooses to hold a 'belief' in something, no matter what evidence or verifiable facts are supplied, especially if they question the 'belief', a 'believer' will not change, and they may even refuse to listen to others who don't hold the same belief. It's a 'static' system. Whereas 'faith' also requires making a choice, but it's different than holding a 'belief.' When someone has 'faith' that some idea is real and true, they're not afraid to have a reasonable discussion with others, who think differently than they do. Exactly because they have 'faith', they know they can listen and alter their understanding of whatever idea they're discussing, and continue to refine how their 'faith' works in their life as they gather new information. In doing so, their lives become more balanced and manageable. It's a dynamic and spiritual way of perceiving our world. I’m Peter Alsop. If you've been enjoying my 'Songs To Chew' podcasts, please share them with your friends and family. And I’ll see you again next week! Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Uh Oh! Feb 17, 2023

This week's SONG TO CHEW is the title cut from my "Uh-Oh!" album, so of course it’s called 'UH-OH!' Making messes is something all humans do from time to time. Actually, when we make a mistake, it’s a great opportunity for us to practice forgiving ourselves! When we can do that, it makes it easier for us to accept and forgive others around us who make mistakes. When we practice loving and supporting others who mess up, that helps us find the courage to go on next time we mess up! Usually we're not so excited about fixing up our own messes, but that's what we do! We work on it until we get it right, and try again! And we all know we're not alone when we make a mess or a mistake. We're part of a really big Club!! Right? "One person's 'mess', is another person's 'sense of organization'. I have papers all over my desk, and it might look messy to you, but I know where everything is, mostly! Forgiving someone for something doesn't mean that what they did is okay, it means that we don't want to hold a grudge against them, or blame them by making comments! Why do that!? They already know they did it! And it feels great to help folks out when mistakes are made, especially for people we love. Isn't it amazing how little kid songs can have deep meanings for grown-ups too! I’m Peter Alsop. See you next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

No One’s Normal Feb 10, 2023

This week our 'Song To Chew' comes from my “Pluggin' Away" album. It’s called NO ONE'S NORMAL. I wrote it because if you tell someone they're 'normal', they can get insulted by that! But if you say they're 'abnormal', they don't like that either. Maybe we should get rid of these 'label' words and stick to action words! Tell me what someone does, not what category they fall into! Everyone is themself! And no one person is ever completely normal! So this song is about understanding that the word "normal" refers to being included in a group that has the most people in it. We may have 'average' height or weight or wear the same kind of clothing as most other people, but that doesn't mean that we're a 'normal' person. Using labels like 'normal' and 'abnormal' to describe someone, can limit how we see that person. When we're lumped into a big category, it's easier to be ignored or dismissed because we're summed up under one label! Others miss the complexity and beauty of who we are. I once presented at a conference for teachers of 'gifted' children. I've always had a problem with labels like that, because when we designate a child as 'gifted', it just shows our own inability to see the gifts in the child sitting next to that gifted kid. No one's normal, you know that, including every one of us! I'm Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’! Bye for now!

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Take Me With You Feb 04, 2023

Our 'Song To Chew' this week is the title cut from my TAKE ME WITH YOU album. This song exemplifies the 'naughty child' themes that I find so appealing, and use so often in my family songs. Kids are really smart. They figure out what works best for them to get what they want from their parents. When we're little, we have to depend on big folks around us to supply us with what we need! Food, clothing, shelter, and parents are very busy human beings, because doing everything that needs to be done in a family, can be a tall order! Some parents go to work in the morning and don't come home until after dark. Some kids come home from school to an empty house and often make their own dinner. Being alone can be very tough for a child, and we sure need more affordable day care facilities or cooperative arrangements for families who find themselves stuck in this situation. A kid's fears of being left on our own are very powerful. When parents are upset with us, our imaginations can go wild! Thousands of years ago being left out of our 'tribal community' was essentially a death sentence, so it's actually a 'healthy survival technique' when kids learn how to manage their parents, by finding and pushing the 'parental buttons'! We'll 'chew on' some of these techniques today, and look at ways we 'negotiate' and 'manipulate' and push the buttons of people in the systems where we live and work and play. I’m Peter Alsop, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

My Gums Grow Teeth Jan 27, 2023

This week our 'Song To Chew' is MY GUMS GROW TEETH from my ““Uh-Oh!" album. One of the 'rites of passage' for all kids, is 'losing a tooth'! I thought I'd write a song about that for my 'pre-schoolers' album, but then I realized, pre-schoolers aren't losing their teeth, they're growing them! That's probably pretty scary, like, "How do my gums know what to do? How come they don't get all mixed up?!" In order to write this song, I had to put myself into the shoes of a pre-schooler, and that was very instructive! I highly recommend it to those of us who are no longer pre-schoolers, because when we put ourselves into another person's shoes, we benefit from seeing what it's like to be in that person's 'vulnerable space'. Imagining ourselves in 'someone else's shoes' provides us with an opportunity to build understanding and empathy for others. We can sense what feelings might be going on for another person, especially if they're baffled, scared, angry, or sad about something in their own life. That momentary insight into someone else's world, can help us understand that, they're being upset may not have anything at all to do with us. I’m Peter Alsop. See you next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Listen To The Beet Jan 20, 2023

Today, for your audio pleasure, we'll LISTEN TO THE BEET, as our 'Song To Chew' from my 'Grow It At Home' album. I entered this song in a contest put on by the L.A. Unified School District where the winning songs would be included in a CD compilation, to be distributed to all the elementary school kids in Los Angeles, to get them to eat and enjoy more vegetables! My motivation to write usually comes from some life lesson I learned. I figure, if it's helped me get some clarity about things going on around me, why not pass this information along to kids and families who might find it useful too! But this song, was a challenge, until I decided to have it sung by 'The Beet' himself! We'll look at the steps I took in writing this song, because the better we understand our creative process, the better we become at "doing what we do!" And we can avoid some of the pitfalls where we used to get stuck! Unfortunately this song was NOT one of the finalists in the food song contest. I have no idea why not! Personally, I think it's a masterpiece! Check it out and see what you think! I’m Peter Alsop, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

If It Doesn’t Have Me Jan 13, 2023

Our Song To Chew this week, 'IF IT DOESN'T HAVE ME' was written by my buddy Bill Harley. It's from our “In The Hospital" album that helps kids understand more about hospitals and doctors and nurses, and builds compassion for other kids and people who have medical difficulties. The original inspiration for this project came from two wonderful pediatric nurses, Diane Grimm Gates and Penny Pefley. They suggested a number of topics that would make great songs. We got together with Bill and together won the 1989 Parent's Choice Award for Best Children’s Recording of the Year! When a child has to be away from familiar places and people in their lives it's hard on them. The younger a child is, the more painful the separation from parents, family, and home. The feelings generated by this experience can develop into a sense of loneliness, isolation, depression and sometimes, "problem behaviors" such as refusal to eat, difficulty sleeping, or being uncooperative. Kids need to know they're important to others and that they're missed, but not forgotten when they're not there. This album has helped tens of thousands of children and families over the last 34 years. If you have any ideas about more funding to help get this album into more hospitals and into the hands of kids and families who need it, please get in touch with me at peter@peteralsop.com. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Sometimes Si, Sometime No! Jan 06, 2023

Today our Song To Chew' is SOMETIMES SI, SOMETIMES NO! from my 'Grow It At Home' album. It's originally from a DVD I made for the Loma Linda University Medical Center in San Bernardino, California. We made a video with my songs and stories to entertain andeducate the families of their patients. Most of their patients are families from local neighborhoods in San Bernardino, that were loaded with violence and drug dealers, gang shootings and bar fights. The kids live with domestic violence and prostitution right there where they live and go to school. We wanted to help families learn some skills to help them cope with what they have to contend with every day. It's difficult to make clear and simple sense out of the complex patterns and experiences we have growing up. This is where our "Sometimes Si, Sometimes No!" philosophy comes in. When we understand that life continually has its ups and downs, it becomes clear that there's no point in 'giving up!' As the song says, "that's the way of life!" The way to a better life is to keep on looking for new solutions! When we keep trying, things change! Doors open and expose us to ideas we would not have seen if we had given up! This is how we build the skills we need to survive difficult times.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Poop Goes The Weasel Dec 30, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week is POOP GOES THE WEASEL. I wrote it to help parents engage their little kids in the process of getting toilet trained. When I perform this song live, I use a weasel or otter hand puppet to demonstrate as we sing together. Laughing at poop and fart jokes and anything to do with the toilet seems to appeal much more to guys than to girls. We probably think they're funny because we're not supposed to talk about this stuff, but it's mostly grown-ups who made up that rule! Adults are embarrassed and uncomfortable around this subject, but kids seem to love it! Even if little girls think farting is funny, they almost always grow out of it, but boys still think it's a riot even when we get to be old men!! I know this song has had an impact in the world. Lots of parents report that this is their kid's favorite song! I got a cel phone call from an upset Mom in Florida, who called to complain that she had her son and his friend in the car on the way to pre-school, when "Poop Goes The Weasel" came on the radio. The boys laughed so hard that her son wet his pants in the backseat! She had to take them home to get dry clothing, before taking them back to school. She suggested I put a warning on the album to let parents know that this kind of thing may happen in their family too!! Subscribe to my podcast and I’ll see you next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen/subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts or =

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

The Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa and God Dec 23, 2022

From my “Chris Moose Holidays” album, our SONG TO CHEW this week is THE TOOTH FAIRY, EASTER BUNNY, SANTA & GOD. They're all stories that most of us have heard since we were little. Each of them a bit mysterious and none of them willing to simply show themselves, to prove to us that they're real. They require some level of belief. We've seen hints of their existence; a dollar under our pillow, an Easter basket at the end of our bed, or Christmas presents under our tree on Christmas morning, (maybe some cookie crumbs from the cookies and milk we left for Santa on Christmas Eve.) Each of them a source of great expectations and at times, ... the cause of great disappointments. Today, we'll chew on the idea that when a story has some spirit that touches you, ... you can hold it in your heart and make it true. I'm Peter Alsop. Follow this podcast, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen/subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts or =

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

No Excuse T’Use Booze Dec 16, 2022

Our 'Song To Chew' this week, is NO EXCUSE T'USE BOOZE from my “Stayin' Over” album. There are an estimated 5.3 million kids under the age of 17 in this country who have a serious drinking problem. When I wrote this song, 'Honky Boy Pete' popped into my mind, told he was a 'recovering alcoholic' and he wanted to talk to the kids, if I didn't mind. He explains some of the down-side things that happen when kids and other people drink booze to medicate their painful feelings. One out of four kids in the U.S. currently live in alcoholic homes, and less than one out of ten gets any information about how to cope with pressures that exist in these homes. There aren't simple answers to fix things for these kids, but I know that when kids feel 'loved', they find it easier to like themselves. Unhappy kids who use alcohol to medicate painful feelings, are following examples set by unhappy adults. Most grown-ups admit that drinking "booze" is not a healthy habit, and yet millions of us still choose to drink alcoholic beverages rather than pick up a glass of water. As Honky Boy says, "Sometimes life’s a drag, an’ it’s tough t’be a kid, but you’ll make it fine without drugs an’ booze, lots of other people did!" I’m Peter Alsop. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen/subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast anywhere you get podcasts or =

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

High Standards Dec 09, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week, HIGH STANDARDS, was written by my dear friend Bob Blue. This song was part of my conference presentations and part of my personal story. Our parents who love us, want us to do the best we can, but sometimes they forget that kids need time to play and relax and explore our relationships. Getting straight 'A's' in school, doesn't mean we know how to have a happy and meaningful life. This song models how forgiveness and humor can help us heal and find a healthier story than a repeating self-narrative of "I'm never enough." We each deserve to be loved for just being alive, regardless of the 'things' we do. What we do, is NOT who we are. And when we chase 'perfection', we learn to become "human doings" instead of "human beings". When we forgive ourselves, we can begin to move ahead in our lives. I'll see you again next week, with another ‘Song to Chew

~ Listen/subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast =

~ My most recent album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Let ’Em Laugh Dec 02, 2022

This week's 'Song To Chew' is LET 'EM LAUGH from my "Take Me With You!“ album. One of the toughest things we face as humans is being laughed at and 'shunned' or ridiculed by others. Usually, the 'butt of the joke' is someone who appears or acts differently than most people. There's never a good excuse to single someone out for ridicule, especially for differences over which they have no control; like their race or size or their disability or sexual orientation. And sometimes, we're the 'different person'. So when other people do this to us, it says much more about their own fears of being rejected, than it does about us! I wrote this song to model for kids and adults how other people's laughter and teasing can be 'reframed', when we understanding that most of those folks have to look outside of themselves for their sense of self-worth. That's why other people's opinions of them are so important to them. It takes a much stronger 'sense-of-self' to look inside, and NOT follow the crowd, and know that 'who we are, and what we're doing is okay!' I'm so glad you stopped by. I'll be back again next week with another ‘Song to Chew'!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

It’s No Fun When Ya Gotta Eat An Onion Nov 27, 2022

Our 'Song To Chew' this week is IT'S NO FUN WHEN YA GOTTA EAT AN ONION. Our individual taste differences are tailored by what we learned to eat with our families when we were little. If we associate certain foods with comfort and good times, we look forward to having those experiences of chewing and savoring the taste of foods that reminds us of those pleasant times. It's the stories about our food that set us up for how we behave around our eating habits. We might not like a story about eating "unformed chicken embryos", or "common fungus", or "sour milk solids", so we tell ourselves a much more pleasant story when we sit down to eat our mushroom and cheese omelet, right?! How we felt and how we were treated during our eating times can create the tone of our relationship with our food for the rest of our lives! There are lots of kids who say they don't like vegetables, but when those same kids learn to grow, harvest and taste fresh vegetables right out of their garden, they love eating them! The more we learn to value our different attitudes and stories about our food, the more we can appreciate that our wide range diversities is what makes our lives so full and rich and interesting. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll see you again next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Please subscribe or follow this podcast. Let your friends and family know about these little musical life-lessons, and hopefully, they'll thank you for it! Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Family Of Friends Nov 18, 2022

Our Song To Chew this week is FAMILY OF FRIENDS, from my “Uh-Oh!" album. I wrote this song because we each hold a story about our family of origin. Some of us grew up in a family that was warm and safe. Some of us had a family that did not 'feel so safe'. Many of us had a family that was a mix of those two styles. And some of our families were scattered and hard to define, or we had a number of foster families. It's important to have courageous conversations with our family members if we’re upset about something. It's possible to caringly resolve conflicts so they won't continue to be an impediment to our loving each other. But we have to make 'the effort'. We can also form our own 'family of choice' as we get older. We know that when we have safe places and people around us, we develop and grow new skills in this 'full-of-struggle' world where we live. Some people believe that life is a school and we're here because we all have lessons to learn. I like that idea because to have a 'family of friends', we have to work on it, and learn how to do it better, and because we're still learning, if we make a mistake, we can learn how to forgive ourselves and keep on! Please subscribe to this podcast, so you can listen to SONGS TO CHEW any time! Bring your family and friends! I'm Peter Alsop. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Let The Woman In You Come Through Nov 11, 2022

Our Song To Chew this week is LET THE WOMAN IN YOU COME THROUGH from my “Asleep At The Helm” album. We're trained to perform as others of our birth gender have in the past. Boys and girls are told stories about how we should behave, and those stories guide us as we mature and grow. In fact, there are many other stories that might be 'our story', that are much different than the ones we've been taught. We need freedom to explore our feelings and express our love and attractions if we are to discover our own story. How else can we figure out how to survive in healthy and balanced ways as we live in our changing world?! As boys, we've been taught to not cry or express our feelings, or we will appear weak, "womanish" and less powerful, resulting in us 'losing respect' within our community and family. Our male brains like to define the world in 'black and white' binary terms, so our main defining story has been that we are NOT women! In fact, when boys cry or act in gentle caring ways, we are called "sissies", as though comparing us to someone's sister is the worst insult we could be given! Fortunately, things have been changing. Now I wouldn't say, "Let the woman in you come through", because men can be just as caring and gentle as women, when we make the effort to do so. It can be scary to explore and learn about ourselves as our sexuality and gender unfolds, but if we want to discover who we truly are, we must have the courage to risk facing our fears.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Was St. Pat Scared? Nov 04, 2022

WAS ST. PAT SCARED? Let's listen to our "Song To Chew" for today and find out! This song's from my “Grow It At Home” album, to help us understand how we humans have taken over most of the world by eliminating any other creatures that threaten us or our expansion. The Irish myth about St. Patrick, 'ridding Ireland of all the snakes' is a wonderful place to start this discussion. It's 'fear' that drives us to completely wipe out some other living species, rather than finding some way to share space with them. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a real person who lived in the 5th century. He came to Ireland to proselytize for Christianity. One of the biggest myths in his 'story', is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland and into the sea. The fact is that there never were any snakes in Ireland for St. Patrick to banish! The event that banished any snakes that might have been in Ireland, was the Ice Age that ended 10,000 years ago. When children hear this myth, they ask, "Did he have to get rid of ALL the snakes?" The storyline is a familiar one, so let's listen to the song, and we'll 'chew on it', and see if we can figure out some less violent ways to behave when we're afraid, because as the song says, "we can crush all the spiders with books, y'know, but killing them's kind of a crime. Cause all life is sacred!" If we don't recognize that we need to take of this 'Garden of Eden', we don't get to stay! I’m Peter Alsop. Subscribe, listen to the podcast, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

What If? Oct 28, 2022

This week our SONG TO CHEW is "WHAT IF?" When we don't understand what's going on around us, we create stories to explain what might be going on! And that's when our over-active imaginations take off and amplify our worst fears. This process can stop us in our tracks and make things worse! So, this song takes a look at how we can change our stories, and our reactions, and learn how to 'respond' instead of 'react'. Most of us don't like to admit that we're scared, (especially us men and boys), but the stories we tell ourselves about what's going on, are often much more frightening than the reality of the situation! So how do we stop feeling frightened? Instead of dwelling on our fears, we can lighten things up with some humor to help us get through what's going on. It's true! The stories that scare us, or disempower us, or push our 'buttons', can be changed! We can actually learn to pause, look at what's going on around us, and then respond in a more balanced way. When my brain is full of fear, I'm not thinking straight, but if I can think of silly or ridiculous things to inject into my story, I make myself laugh, and that simple change helps me see options that I never would have seen, if I'd stayed locked in my fears! And it's something we can practice doing! Just because something's serious, doesn't mean it's not funny! I’m Peter Alsop. Please let your friends know about this podcast, and I’ll see you again next week with another ‘Song to Chew’.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

New Games Oct 21, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW today is called NEW GAMES, from my “Pluggin' Away” album. Almost all games we play in this world of ours are competitive, and it would be great to change that, so we have more choices about ways we can collectively play together. Most games are designed with very clear rules, structured so players can build skills in outsmarting or outmaneuvering each other in order to win. A big part of growing up is testing ourselves to see what we can do. We compare ourselves to others and we feel great when we see that we measure up. Losing can be a big disappointment though. Most of us pick ourselves up afterwards, and try again. Some of us, though, have been disappointed so often that we stop trying. That's when competition can be most harmful. Sometimes winning isn't so much fun either! Especially when the game has one winner and all the rest of the players can feel like 'losers', ... right?! Some of us learned that working hard at play is the only way to play, and winning is the only thing that matters, when actually, that isn't play at all, it's work! Remember, if it feels like work, it probably IS work! Cooperative games teach us skills for getting along with each other. We learn to set healthy boundaries and take care of ourselves by having fun! We learn communications skills and experience the joy of caring friendships and creative problem solving for the fun of it, not out of fear that we'll lose. We need support and encouragement and safe places to learn new skills. I’m Peter Alsop. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back again next week with another ‘Song to Chew’.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Letter To Mr. Brown Oct 14, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week, LETTER TO MR. BROWN, is from my “Take Me With You” album. When I wrote this in 1986, there was a backlash going on because so many child sexual abuse cases were coming out in the news. Everyone who worked with children; teachers, boy scout leaders, choir directors, even parents became very careful about not touching children at all, unless it was absolutely necessary, because they were afraid, they might get in trouble. This song helps us talk openly about the effect these kinds of fears have on us. It models healthy, and safe ways that adults might touch children as we physically help them go through their day. Our kids need to know that they're important, loved and cared for, and touching them lets them know that in a very powerful way that no words can quite convey. Kids need safe touching, because when they're not touched appropriately, they're even more susceptible to inappropriate touching! Lots of other questions come up as we discuss these ideas with our children, so I hope you will take the time to do that. And it's always okay for a parent to say "I don't know the answer to that question. Let's think of some ways we could handle it, so it will be safe for you." I’m Peter Alsop. Please subscribe to this podcast and invite your friends. I’ll see you again next week, with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = anywhere you get podcasts, or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

A Friend Like Me Oct 07, 2022

Today our SONG TO CHEW is called A FRIEND LIKE ME, from my 'In The Hospital' album. The idea came from two nurses at Seattle Children's Hospital, Diane Grimm Gates and Penny Pefley. I asked my buddy Bill Harley to join us, and we won a Parent's Choice BEST CHILDREN'S ALBUM award that year. We included a booklet full of helpful notes about how the songs and stories help school-age kids and families who spend time in a hospital. I visit Bill, and we exaggerate some of our scary concerns by 'enlarging them' to be much bigger than possible. Our silliness minimizes the 'hospital fears', and the laughter creates a balance for the loss of control a child feels being away from home and school. The importance of a patient's affective state has only recently been recognized by traditional allopathic medicine as being a critical factor in people's ability to recover. This album has helped tens of thousands of children and families over the last 33 years. A BIG 'Thanks!' to Bill, Penny and Diane for their wonderful work , and thanks to you for listening! If you have any ideas about how we can get this album into more hospitals and to kids and families who need it, please get in touch with me. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://peteralsop.podbean.com or at

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Hyperactive Sep 30, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW is called HYPERACTIVE, from my “Pluggin’ Away” album. This song is a satire. The chorus says "Sugar's good for me and you!", but the verses point out that refined sugar is not healthy for our bodies. Kids understand satire, and know that sugar is not healthy for them. They have heard their parents say it a million times, "No! You've had enough sugar!" This song is actually a way for children to relieve some of their stress and frustration about the parental limitations they've had to deal with! You can sing-along too if want! We are all indoctrinated by advertising messages that subliminally encourage us to use sugar, by equating sugar with love and approval. We call our loved ones Honey Bun, Sugar Pie or Gum Drop. We give See's Candy and Whitman Samplers as Valentine gifts. We reward ghosts and goblins on Halloween by giving them candy 'treats', to 'ward off their threatened 'tricks'. The Easter Bunny brings chocolate eggs and marshmallow bunnies to little Christians because Jesus loves them? And on Christmas, when Santa delivers toys, we reward that Jolly Old Elf by leaving him Cookies with sweetened Vanilla Oatmilk to wash them down. I'll let you examine the connections between sugar and love in your own religious and family ceremonies. There's more to chew on when you listen to the entire podcast. I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

If I Was In Charge Sep 23, 2022

Our 'Song To Chew' today is IF I WAS IN CHARGE. Have you ever seen someone do something, and you thought to yourself, "I think I could do a little better than that!" Even when we were kids, we could see grown-ups around us messing things up. We could have handled it! Except that when we grew-up and we finally had a chance to be in charge, we found out things are a lot more complicated and difficult than we thought they were! My daughter Willow sings with me on this song. When we find ourselves in charge, with power and authority over other people, it can 'go to our head'! As Willow says, "That’s awful! What’s happening to me!!? If I was in charge, I might start to change, and start acting like I’m a big deal!" The idea of 'being in charge' brings up a ton of other questions for us to 'chew on'. "Do you like to be in charge?" - "Why?" - "Do you think kids should be in charge of things?" - "Why do you think most groups have leaders?" - "Do you think becoming a leader can change someone's behaviors?" - "What kind of things do you want a 'leader' to do?" The list goes on and on! Thanks for stopping by! Please subscribe or follow my 'Songs To Chew’ podcast. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song To Chew'. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

You Are My Spoon Sep 16, 2022

Today's SONG TO CHEW is written and sung by Amy Fix. 'YOU ARE MY SPOON' is part of my "Ebenezer's Make Over" album; a feminist version of Charles Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol". His story is actually a 'make over' about how crochety Ebenezer Scrooge changed his stingy ways after being visited by three spirits during the night. I use that story along with songs from the feminist men's and women's movements to awaken Ebenezer to the errors of his sexist and patriarchal ways! With songs from my friends Holly Near, Amy Fix, Geof Morgan, Charlie Murphy, Fred Small, Romanovsky and Phillips, and others, along with actors and sound effects, we created EBENEZER'S MAKE OVER. Amy's love song is part of Scrooge's visit to his childhood, where he's reminded that as a young man, he fell in love, but didn't know how to fit with his sweetheart very well, so they broke up. "She wanted me to be a 'spoon', but all I knew how to do was be a fork!" ('Spooning' is when we cuddle in bed with someone else, both facing the same direction.) This song generates the question, "how do we learn to be comfortable with people who are different than we are?" Scrooge learns that if we can share some of our essential 'humanness' with others, we open the door to get to 'know' them better. And that's just one of the ideas we'll chew on today. Please click the link, and follow this podcast. We'll do it together again next week, with another SONG TO CHEW! Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Need A Hug Sep 09, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week is "I NEED A HUG” from my “UH-OH!” album. When we get older, we're not supposed to need as much 'emotional support' as we did when we were kids, but there are lots of us walking around who 'just need a hug' to help us keep going! It's a physical message that we're loveable, and that we're doin' okay! It's called reassurance. All over the world different cultures and religions have their own different rules and regulations that load up the simple hug with all sorts sexual implications and complications! It's true that human sexual attraction and insensitive male aggression are powerful forces in our social interactions, and we want to make sure that everyone feels safe when we get a hug, so these rules are made to help people feel safer about hugging and touching each other; about who can and who can't and for how long and how tight and where and when. I think that's great, but the best rule of all is to ask someone if they'd like a hug, before we give them a hug! And remember that if we need a hug, it's up to us to go to someone who feels safe, and ask them for a hug! I’ll be back next week with a 'virtual hug' for you all, along with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Roots And Wings Sep 02, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week is 'ROOTS AND WINGS' from my “Grow It At Home” album. I took the imagery from watching trees and birds in nature. In order to 'stay in balance' as we move through our lives, we need to be 'realistic and grounded' at times, (roots), and still be creative enough to sail out on the wings of our imagination. Of course, it's only possible to pass these skills on to our children, if we adults have these skills in 'balancing' things in our own lives. Some of our 'tools for living' get passed on through our teaching, but I think it mostly happens when we model them with our behaviors! Many grown-ups have thought, "Oh my! I've turned into my mother! (or my father!)" We learn our parent's lessons from living with them! And sometimes that's wonderful, and sometimes, not so wonderful. So, as we realize that our parent's lessons may not always work so well for us, it's important to watch and listen and see how our kids manage what we pass on to them. We want to be available to help them shape what they've learned from us about 'balancing life', but we may not be able to help them make adjustments. The best we can do is to 'be available', because like us, they will work it out for themselves in their own lives. That’s plenty to ‘chew on’ for today. I’m Peter Alsop. Thanks for stopping by! I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Can If I Wanna Aug 26, 2022

This week our SONG TO CHEW is from my “Pluggin’ Away" album. It’s called I CAN IF I WANNA. The chorus is 'call and response' with a little character we call the 'Neggy'. It's that little 'voice' inside us that undermines our self-confidence and says "you'll never accomplish what you're trying to do!" It's different than hearing 'an opinion' from someone who thinks we ought to change something so it will work better. When we hear Neggy comments that are not helpful, like "that will never work!", or "there's no point trying that!", or "you're going to fail for sure!", those kinds of opinions 'squash our hope'. That's our Neggy talking! Most of us have heard negative messages before and we've survived. It's important to realize that when we hear people around us, tell us again and again and again that we're not capable, we begin to internalize those messages and say them to ourselves! And it takes lots of positive messages to counter-balance the negative ones we've learned to accept, so I hope you sing-along with us really loud, so you know that 'you can if you wanna!!" I'll be back next week, with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Shoulder To The Wheel Aug 19, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW today, SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL, was written and performed by Geof Morgan, from my “Ebenezer's Make Over” album. It came out on his Flying Fish recording, "Finally Letting It Go" in 1981. I named this podcast 'SONGS TO CHEW', because if we listen to a song and just 'swallow it' without 'chewing it' a bit, we don't really get to 'taste it' or savor its nuances. I heard Geof sing this one at the 5th Annual Conference on Men and Masculinity in Los Angeles back in the early 80's. The song addresses the fact that the most dangerous occupations in the United States are dominated by men, and the fatality rate at work is 10 times greater for men than women. Men struggle with how to balance our jobs and our health, along with our understanding of gender, sexual identities and orientations. A song like this gives us the opportunity to recognize our triumphs AND see our mis-steps as we continue to work on better ways to build a deeper understanding of our male behaviors in the workplace, at home, and globally, hopefully making this world better for all of us! I’m Peter Alsop. I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Love My Family Aug 12, 2022

Today's 'Song To Chew' is "I LOVE MY FAMILY" from my 'Grow It At Home' album. Many kids say they're "embarrassed by their parents", or "my brothers and sisters are soooo annoying!", and yet after all the complaints, they still love their family! When a family has a healthy sense of humor, we laugh WITH each other about some of the ridiculous things we do as human beings. This helps us see a 'bigger picture' of life going on around us. And it's a healthy 'laughter of recognition' that happens, because we recognize the 'out-of-balance' behaviors we each have! Laughing is a valuable coping technique once we learn how to use 'victimless' humor. We can be playful, and release some of the stress that happens to us daily, in our families AND in our society! As we learn to make 'safe places' within our family, we can begin feel to have those 'courageous conversations' we need to have with each other, that allow us to move on without triggering emotional blow-ups. Victimless humor and building safe spaces and trust between family members, is like having a pressure valve to let off some of the traumatic pressure that can build up. Then we don't have to live with the fear that arises when we try to talk about sensitive issues. I’ll be back next week, … with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

It’s My Penis Aug 05, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW was written by Geof Morgan. It's known as THE PENIS SONG or IT'S MY PENIS. I met Geof many years ago at one of the National Association of Men Against Sexism Conferences. He's one of the main voices of the feminist men's movement. We toured together a while through California with Kate Wolfe and Nina Gerber. His songs are wonderful and insightful. I do my 'sing-along' version of this song on two of my albums, "Songs On Sex & Sexuality" and "Ebenezer’s Make Over”. The song really points out how 'loaded' with moral judgements our human sexuality is! Our penis is as much a part of our body as our finger, but it’s so overloaded with symbolism that it doesn’t have much of a chance to just 'be'. My version is a bit silly, but this song's concepts are profound. Many men feel tons of pressure and alienation about our culture's 'laser-like focus' on sex and naked bodies. We may find someone's body attractive, and we want to stare at it, but then we have to be careful that person doesn't see us staring at them! It's worth it to bring this stuff up for conversation, because in order for men to help make the world a better place, first we have to heal ourselves! Check out the podcast below, and I'll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Pluggin’ Away Jul 29, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW is the title cut from my “Pluggin’ Away” album. It's a song about, 'having persistence'; about finding the will to 'keep on trying' when we want to accomplish our goals. The hard part of persistence is figuring out 'how long should we keep on trying', before we decide that we're beating our head against a wall?! As the song says, "People who keep pluggin' away, they're the ones who get things done, 'cause they keep pluggin' away!" There are always tasks to be done that no one wants to do, but our attitude makes the difference between 'awful drudgery', or 'a job that has to be finished, so might as well make it fun!' If we change our story, we change our attitude, and we break our old negative patterns! I’m Peter Alsop. Glad you stopped by! Please invite your friends, and I’ll see you again with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

What Kind Of Brother? Jul 22, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week is written and performed by Joe Jencks. It's on my “Ebenezer’s Make Over” album, and it's the 'title cut' from his album, "WHAT KIND OF BROTHER ARE YOU?". Joe's song models how men and boys do not have to make jokes at the expense of women and girls, just to 'fit in with the guys'. That stuff's been going on for thousands of years, and it is way past time for a change. Every man knows that if we speak up to a group of men or boys, and go against the accepted practice of joking and making sexual remarks about women and girls, a very powerful 'blow-back response' and abuse happens to us. It happens to anyone who 'goes against the grain'. It takes 'courage' to intervene and object to these unkind behaviors. The abusive joking that focuses on women and girls, is the same kind of abuse that's focused on LGBTQ+ folks and BIPOC people and 'non-Christians', as well as on anyone else who doesn't have the privileges afforded us white heterosexual male Christians in this country. And we've learned to do it, so we can be accepted by our peers. These are the very behaviors that actually shut us down further in the places that we need to grow. They stunt our 'feelings vocabulary' and our appreciation of people who are culturally different; of different genders, sexual orientations, places of origin, religions, ages, abilities and accents, the exposure to which, would only enrich our own experience of going through our own lives, and help us become more aware of the beauty and value of all the other colors and flavors of human beings with whom we share this planet. Check out the podcast, and I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Courage Jul 15, 2022

Today's SONG TO CHEW is called COURAGE. We'll listen to the version I recorded for my live “Wake Up!” video with John Ritter, and my friends Irene van der Zande and Timothy Dunphy from Kidpower. They have an organization that teaches kids and families how to keep safe, and out of dangerous situations. We need 'courage' to face something or someone who scares us. 'Courage' comes from the french word 'couer' which means 'heart'. If we pay attention, our heart tells when we're scared, sad, happy or angry! Out heart reacts when we feel danger, and sends a message to our brain to decide if we're gonna fight or run away! Sometimes when we feel scared, we're not sure if we're really in danger, like when someone is being abusive to us. Usually it's best to leave when that happens, but if we have courage and decide to stay and listen, even though it's uncomfortable, sometimes we can talk things through, and our heart calms down and things don't feel so scary! Click the link below to listen, and if you want to see this live concert, go to YouTube.com, type in 'Peter Alsop Courage'! I'll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Slap Hands Jul 08, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW is SLAP HANDS, from my “Wha’D’Ya Wanna Do?” album. Giving someone "five"; slapping hands with them is an extension of the more formal 'handshake' between two people. It comes from the age-old practice of offering another person our hand, empty and extended in friendship, to show that we're not holding a weapon and have no intent to harm or injure them. We 'shake hands' to confirm or seal an agreement with another person. It's been used for centuries as a way to show our personal bond to them, and to give our word that we will keep our promise. It's normal to feel a bit afraid to interact with new people or new situations. Fear of new things is a self-protection response, and it goes away as we spend time and become more familiar with things. We feel safer as the 'newness' wears off. This song also gives us a chance to talk about shyness. I don't feel shy very often, but I notice people who look uncomfortable in a group. I love getting my audience to sing-along, because I think reaching out to meet new people is a wonderful way to learn that 'differences between us' provide us with a rich opportunity to grow. Every new experience we have, colors our interactions with other people for the rest of our life! You can follow this podcast and listen to all my other episodes! See you next week, with another ‘Song to Chew’.

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Believe You Jul 01, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW, from my “Chris Moose Holidays” album is 'I BELIEVE YOU'. It models how to be a safe place for loved ones and anyone else who might need 'a good listening to'! Did someone ever say to you, "Don't be scared!" Did that really help? It never worked for me! I just knew that person wasn't a 'safe person' to talk to about my fears. I certainly want to be a safe place for my family and friends when they're upset. I learned that if I just listen and BE WITH THEM; give them SUPPORT, they usually figure it out themselves! With a little support, we explore different options, and eventually we find what we need to do to feel better! Sometimes we can ask for suggestions, but when we come up with our own answers, we build up confidence in ourselves for the next time we're upset. It's difficult to know what to do in our lives sometimes, and it really helps to have someone listen and believe us when they hear our story. In order to hear this song and 'chew on it' a bit, just click the link to listen and subscribe! I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Listen and subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Use It Again Jun 24, 2022

Our SONG TO CHEW this week, USE IT AGAIN, is from my “Grow It At Home" album. Scott Walker, a social activist from Santa Barbara, called me to see if I had any songs about 'stopping the use of plastic bags in stores'. The City of Santa Barbara wanted to pass a law to eliminate the use of plastic bags, and encourage shoppers to bring our own cloth shopping bags to the store. Waste from plastic bags creates serious environmental danger for humans, animals and even plants! They block stormwater drains and cause flooding during rainstorms. In landfills they take 400 years to degrade! Animals get tangled up, and can drown from plastic bags. Nearly 100 million marine animals die each year directly from eating plastic waste. Plastic is made from oil and making them uses even more fossil fuel, which adds to our climate problems. And when plastics break down in our soil, they release harmful chemicals like BPA, that harm the natural microorganisms that many of our plants depend on for survival. For years we used disposable plastic shopping bags because they were convenient. We didn't understand how dangerous they were for all of us. Fortunately, many cities and states have stopped offering plastic bags to shoppers. Click this link to listen, and please subscribe! See you next week with another ‘Song to Chew’!

~ Listen and subscribe to "Songs To Chew" = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsop-s-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

You’re Okay Jun 17, 2022

Today’s SONG TO CHEW is “YOU’RE OKAY!” from my “Stayin’ Over” album. Each of us have been teased and told that we have something ‘wrong’ with us. Usually when people say "wrong" they mean "different". Most of us want others to like us, but we're afraid that if we're different, other people will avoid us. We'll be ridiculed and isolated, so we try to hide our differences. It's wonderful to be accepted the way we are! The things that embarrass us are the same things that others feel self-conscious about themselves! Each of us have little distinguishing marks and uneven ears or eyes or teeth. We’re human, and the longer we live, the more our bodies change and grow at different rates in different parts. When we hear frequently that there’s 'something wrong’ with us, we internalize this label of being ’wrong’. But when we realize that we’ve been taught to believe these negative ideas about ourselves, we seek out safe healing people and places where we won’t be criticized; where we feel accepted, and can share our struggles. We find support to go on! We're each on our own path through life, and when some critical person needs to point out what they think is "wrong" with us, it only demonstrates their inability to appreciate our differences, don't you think!?

~ LISTEN & subscribe to 'Songs To Chew' = www.peteralsop.podbean.com

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Bigger, Bigger, Bigger Jun 10, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW from my “Stayin’ Over” album is BIGGER, BIGGER, BIGGER. In our families, the ‘big’ people are the adults, and the ‘little’ people are the kids. ‘Big’ people have more power and we often use it to make the ‘little’ people do what we want. But before long, all ‘little’ people get to be ‘big’ people, and we start pushing the new ‘little’ people around. More and more these days, we see ‘big’ people pushing their version of the world onto the ‘littler’ people around them. The same dynamics that happen in families, also happen in organizations, and societies and globally. So the more us ‘big’ people can learn about how to manage being ‘fair’ in our families; about how to listen to ‘little’ people better, the more skills we gain that help us better manage ourselves as members of one of the groups in our human community here on this planet of ours.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = www.peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Wanna Try It Jun 03, 2022

This week we'll ‘chew’ on a song from my “Stayin’ Over” album, I WANNA TRY IT. This song was prompted by one of my ‘parental learning moments’. It was a holiday, and I’d purchased a toy for my daughters, who tore off the wrapping paper, but they couldn’t get the box open. It was stapled shut. I heroically took out my Swiss Army knife and told them to “Stand back!” I removed the staples, opened the box, cut the bags, and poured the pieces onto the rug. I searched for corresponding numbers on the large diagram of directions. As I pushed one of the plastic parts into place, it split into two pieces! Both girls inhaled loudly and I remember thinking, “Oh No! I BROKE THEIR TOY! It’s the same thing my Dad did to me!” I remember seeing my therapist about that! I finally got it out of my system by writing this song! Teachers, parents and older siblings often show younger children how to do things, and we forget to let the little ones have, a "hands on" experience. When we do things for others that they can do for themselves, we deprive them of the chance to empower themselves, to learn to be self-sufficient. People grow much more by doing, than by letting others do things for them. Thanks for stopping by! Please subscribe and invite your friends. See ya next week for another SONG TO CHEW!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = www.peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ www.Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Logical May 27, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW comes from my “Family Roles” album, recorded live with my daughter Willow at our presentation for about 600 human service professionals at a national “Laughter & Play” conference. The song is called LOGICAL. Us parents do our best to use this with our children, but sometimes, us ‘logical thinkers’ get carried away trying to convince others that our ideas are the best ones. When we do this, we can miss that other people’s input needs to be considered and validated, even if they disagree with our logical conclusions. Even if they’re children! We will be much more successful in resolving disagreements, when we pay attention to ‘how’ we use logic when we explain things. Attacking someone else’s position doesn’t work well for finding ways to proceed together successfully. Logic works best as a tool to help us navigate through the context of our larger, often confusing lives. The easiest path to a successful conclusion becomes clear, when all parties are included in the process in a caring way.

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Chromasoma Phobia May 20, 2022

For our SONG TO CHEW today, Alan Arnaboldi sings CHROMASOMA PHOBIA, written by my old friend Bob Blue. It’s from my “Ebenezer’s Make Over” album and it gives us a glimpse into Bob’s creative ability as a songwriter. He weaves specific scientific information into a poetic description of how our chromosomes determine our biological gender. Us humans are ‘very interested’ when we see someone who’s gender isn’t instantly recognizable. We’ve been trained to pick up any signals about gender so we ‘know in advance’ how best to interact with them. This song is interesting to ‘chew on’ because, along with the chromosomes that this embryo inherits, there are scads of other complex human interpretations and cultural morays about gender and sexuality offered by others who have more dominant voices, that this new human will have to sort through! We wish them the best of luck!!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Bored, Bored, Bored May 13, 2022

Hello there! This week’s Song To Chew is BORED, BORED, BORED from my “Wha’D’YaWanna Do?” family album. Feeling bored can be very painful. When our daily ‘distractions’ recede, any painful feelings we might have stuffed away because we didn’t want to deal with them, seize the opportunity to step up front and demand our attention! Sad, scared and angry feelings get our attention! And ‘boredom’ is kind of a mix of all three! It hurts and it comes out of not believing in ourselves. Being bored can happen to those of us who use work to ‘medicate’ our painful feelings. We ‘busy’ ourselves so our painful feelings never have a chance to surface. It’s call “being driven”! When we feel bored, it always helps to shift our perception into a ‘wait’n see’ attitude! Life always presents us with a new focus. We just have trouble seeing what’s out there, when we're bored and feeling sorry for ourselves! Give this a try! Put your hand on your heart. Feel it beating, then think about our limited number of heartbeats! Why in the world would we use them up being bored!? It's okay to take care of ourselves by removing ourselves from unpleasant boring situations. Try listening to this song! Singing always seems to help! I’ll be back next week with another ‘Song to Chew’. Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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My Body: Singing For Our Lives May 07, 2022

Today we’ll listen to MY BODY’S NOBODY’S BODY BUT MINE. It seems our Supreme Court doesn’t realize that when there’s an embryo developing inside a woman’s body, that it’s her choice and nobody else’s, to decide if she wants to give birth to that embryo or not. The supporters of eliminating Roe v. Wade are the same people who sit in their “love thy neighbor” churches, mouthing platitudes like “do unto others, as you would have them do unto you”, while they vote against increasing the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour, funding school-lunch programs and any ‘single-payer health-care-for-all’ bills, - all of which would make it possible for impoverished parents to take better care of their children. These legal constrictions on a woman’s right to choose is certainly not about caring for the welfare of children. We marched through the streets of Milwaukee back in 1979 singing this song, and since then it's been sung at thousands of rallies, and in classrooms and auditoriums. Everyone has the right to be in charge of their own physical body. A woman’s decision to have an abortion is not taken lightly. It’s something that should never be legislated by anyone but the pregnant woman herself. It’s complex and personal, and up to one person only. It’s her choice! Then we’ll sing along with Holly Near’s anthem SINGING FOR OUR LIVES. As Joe Hill said, “Don’t mourn, … organize!” I say, “Don’t forget to vote, and keep singin’!”

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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I Am A Pizza Apr 29, 2022

This week we’ve ‘chewing on’ my most popular song, “I AM A PIZZA”! Other than the normal toppings, this song does not offer lots of complicated philosophical flavors, but there are a few. There’s the importance of using imagination in our lives; the concepts of ‘playfulness’, ‘childlike fun’, joy and the awareness that the health of our bodies depends on our ‘state of mind’. When we let our minds wander freely, new doors open and we find unexpected solutions to puzzles in our lives. When we stop trying to "make sense of everything" and we laugh or sing along, our other senses fire up and get us back in balance! When ‘Life’ hands us a situation that we don’t expect, it can knock us for a loop! How well we recover depends on how we see what just happened. The ‘glasses’ we have on make all the difference about our ability to respond in healthy ways. Listen to our podcast for free, then you can ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’, and go back for all the other episodes! Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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The Matador Apr 22, 2022

This week’s SONG TO CHEW was written by my old friend Geof Morgan, one of the main musical voices of the feminist men’s movement in the 70’s and 80’s. His song, THE MATADOR, is sung by our mutual friend and well-known singer-songwriter, Charlie Murphy. This song emphasizes how some men feel the need to prove our bravery by taking life-threatening risks and performing violent acts. Many of us understand that we will probably never have a ‘peaceful world’. It’s likely that humans will always struggle with each other here on this planet, but it's past time for us to look honestly at our history. If we want to be able to build social systems that support and lift people; if we want prosperity and lives with some grace and beauty, rather than lives under fear and poverty and wars, we need to abolish the violent ways we’ve learned to treat one-another, and find ways to value joy and love in our own male lives.

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Erica Levine Apr 15, 2022

Today’s SONG TO CHEW from my ‘Fan Club Favorites’ album, is called ERICA LEVINE. It was written by my dear old friend Bob Blue. Throughout history in many different cultures, women have been treated like property. Fathers would have to pay a certain amount of money or make a gift of property as a "dowry" to a young man, who would be willing to marry his daughter and take her as a wife. Societies passed on the idea that there was something wrong with a woman who didn't have a husband. She was "incomplete" or "not worth anything" if she wasn't married. So Bob wrote this song about a young woman who had a strong sense of her own self-worth. Erica didn't need to marry someone in order to feel good about herself, and she wasn't about to marry anyone until she was good and ready! We can't set a boundary for ourselves and take care of someone else’s feelings at the same time. Click on the link below to listen, and if you like this podcast, please subscribe and tell your friends. Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Itsy Spider Apr 08, 2022

Our ‘Song To Chew’ today is a classic children’s song from my “Uh-Oh!” album, ITSY SPIDER. Many children’s songs have deep and lasting effects on us though out our entire lives. My version of this song is kind of an ‘up-grade’. I learned the original Itsy Spider song in pre-school 70 years ago. Back then we did hand motions; our fingers became Itsy spiders walking up the drain pipe, our wiggling fingers were the rain drops falling; and we’d throw our arms out to the sides as we “washed the spider OUT!” The sun came out, and our fingers became Itsy spiders again, climbing back up the spout! Again and again and again! For 70 years! And I started thinking, “what lessons have we been teaching our children!?” The definition of insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results!’ Maybe the Itsy spider ought to try something new! Ya think?! The original song models patience, and perseverance, and my version adds the importance of setting boundaries and walking through our fear of changing! C’mon! Have some fun and sing along with us!!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Don’t Trick Your Dad Apr 01, 2022

Today is April Fool’s day, and our song comes from my “Wha’d’ya Wanna Do?” album. It’s called DON’T TRICK YOUR DAD. Most kids love to trick or fool the adults around them, because when they know something that the adult doesn’t know, they feel powerful! Adults usually have more power and information than kids, so when kids can reverse the roles on them, they’re delighted! Some homes and parents feel safer than others, because they allow the open expression of our full range of feelings. Like every other social skill we acquire, we need to figure out what works and what doesn’t work, and then practice! When we play a joke on someone, every situation is different, and needs to be looked at from each person’s point of view, right? We all know grown-ups who still haven’t learned that skill! Jokes and tricks can be playful and fun, as long as there are no victims, which means that everyone feels included and no one feels excluded. I used to love April Fool’s Day jokes, but now I don’t think they’re funny. First, I get someone to trust me, … and then I play a trick on them. Jokes are like that are scary and mean, even if we all laugh. It’s just not funny when somebody ends up feeling victimized and left out. It's always helpful to make sure others don’t feel unsafe with us.

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Womb Envy Mar 25, 2022

Our “Song To Chew” for today, is WOMB ENVY performed and written by Ron Romanovsky and Paul Phillips, of ‘Romanovsky & Phillips’ fame! It’s on my “Ebenezer’s Make Over” album; a collection of songs from the feminist Men’s and Women’s movements. When I first met Ron and Paul and saw them perform, I felt an immediate bond with them because of their smart lyrics, their joy and the obvious fun they had performing their comic songs on contemporary gay life to audiences all over the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Their songs carry such honest, vulnerable, and strong messages and consciousness-raising content, that their work helps lift the lives of many ‘in-the-closet’ men and boys who suffer in isolation under the cultural thumb of shame that was so prevalent back then. Unfortunately those embers still smolder and burn right now, under the fabric of our world society. I’m so glad you stopped by. Feel free to explore these ideas with your friends, and join us again next week for another Song to Chew!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://peteralsop.podbean.com

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Be Gentle Robin Mar 18, 2022

Today our ‘Song To Chew’ is BE GENTLE ROBIN from my “Wha’D’Ya Wanna Do?”album, written by Dr. Tedd Judd, a concerned Dad who gives advice to his young son Robin. I love this song because it shows that if we want our children to be gentle, the best way to do that, is for us to model ‘gentleness’ for them. I got spanked as a child, but I’ve never hit my kids. I believe that hitting a child teaches them that violence is an acceptable way to solve a problem, and with armed conflict currently happening in numerous places around the globe, and the threat of nuclear warfare still a possibility, it makes sense to teach our children other options for resolving conflicts. If we refuse to see violence as a solution to our problems, they will learn from us, and search for other ways to resolve difficulties. We need to honor the fact that each of us have our own path, even our own children. It’s all about our own ability to be ‘gentle’. Thanks for stopping bye!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Pass It On! Mar 11, 2022

I’m Peter Alsop and a big fan of ‘silly’, so our ‘Song To Chew’ this week is PASS IT ON! from my “Chris Moose Holidays” album. It’s a wonderful song for creating discussions, which is what this podcast is all about. It may be the first and only “sneeze-along song” you’ve ever heard! Thirty years ago, there wasn’t a big political controversy about wearing face masks, but today our world is a much different place than it was when I wrote this song. We’d never heard of Co-Vid and few of us died from the ‘flu’. Seems like much of our consternation about wearing a mask has to do with our “risk assessment”. There’s been lots of mis-information disseminated, partly due to the fact that it takes time to scientifically figure out what works, and partly because it’s so human to want to know what to do when there’s danger lurking ‘out there’ somewhere, so stories get made up and passed around. Check it out, and if you find yourself singing this song out loud at work or in a restaurant, my apologies! I’ll see you again next week with another Song to Chew.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Kill The Children Mar 04, 2022

Our ‘Song To Chew’ today has a very disturbing title, KILL THE CHILDREN. It’s part of a feminist radio-play I wrote, “Ebenezer’s Make Over”, about Ebenezer Scrooge getting a feminist make-over from three spirits who show him how joyless and emotionally impoverished he has become, living in our patriarchal world. The third Spirit shows Scrooge what his future will be, if he continues going in the direction he’s headed. The song’s a warning to all of us, about where we will end up if we don’t change our ways. Read Patrisse Cullors' book, ABOLITIONIST’S HANDBOOK. She offers healthy guidelines to help us change ourselves and each other as we share our lives on this planet. It’s a practical guide to achieving many of the suggestions in my songs over the years. We can do better!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Rachel And The Moon Feb 25, 2022

Today’s Song To Chew from my ‘Stayin’ Over’ album is RACHEL & THE MOON. Many years ago, my friend and teacher, Luke Barber told me about a story his young daughter Rachel had written in school. Luke is a philosopher and a very deep-thinker, and the story touched him deeply because the story finished with something he had done with the best of intentions that hurt his little girl’s feelings. “No matter how hard we try as parents to do the right thing with our kids, or our friends, it’s inevitable that once in a while we do something we wish we hadn’t done,” he said. I agreed, and Rachel’s story inspired me to write this song, because it’s about forgiveness.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Junkfood Junkie Feb 18, 2022

This week’s ‘Song To Chew’ is about food! How appropriate! JUNKFOOD JUNKIE was written by my old friend Larry Groce. He let me record it on my first ‘Peter Alsop’ album back in 1975. Larry’s best known for being the artistic director and host of “Mountain Stage”, a two-hour live music radio program produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting on National Public Radio. His song got lots of radio airplay when it came out. It’s about a health food advocate with a hidden sugar addiction, who medicates himself uncontrollably with junk food, and eventually overdoses alone in his room. Still relevant today, eh?! Enjoy!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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I Aint’ Afraid Feb 11, 2022

Today’s song, I AIN’T AFRAID, is written and performed by Holly Near on my “Ebenezer’s Make Over” album. It’s a courageous song about religion because this topic is so loaded with extremist ideas and sensitive, defensive feelings about people’s most devout spiritual beliefs and stories about their God or gods, that it can be physically dangerous to tread on these pathways. Holly does it with such powerful skill, grace and truth, showing clearly that it’s the people who act violently and self-righteously in the name of their ‘god’ who are in fact, dangerous. ‘Ebenezer’s Make Over’ is a collection of songs from the feminist men’s and women’s movement in the form of Charles Dicken’s ‘Christmas Carol’. You can get it from my site, or by emailing me directly at peter@peteralsop.com. Please subscribe, and I look forward to seeing you next week, for another ‘Song to Chew’.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ www.Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Kids Peace Song Feb 04, 2022

Today’s “Song To Chew” is the KIDS PEACE SONG from my “Take Me With You!” album. In order to have peace in the world, it helps to know how to have peace within ourselves. We plant the seeds for finding non-violent resolutions to struggles in the world when we speak up for ourselves without feeling fearful or needy. If someone attacks us, we can protect ourselves without having to crush them back as punishment. When we do that, it throws our systems out of balance again. They feel more threatened and try to get “even with us”! And round and round it goes. As parents, everything we do is watched carefully and copied by our children. Depending on what they learn from us, they can learn to respect others, and to resolve their disputes peacefully. The more we practice non-violent ways to solve our problems, the more they learn how to look for similarities with others, and appreciate our differences. Humans will always struggle. And of course, it’s difficult to feel peaceful when we don’t feel safe, so it makes great sense for all of us to learn how to 'make safe places' for ourselves and for our neighbors. And when in doubt about how to proceed, it always helps to consider what we’re teaching the children.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Men Are Good Jan 28, 2022

Today’s “Song To Chew” is MEN ARE GOOD, written and performed by Joe Jencks. When I first heard Joe sing this song, it blew me away! I’d never heard a song that gave credit to the many, many wonderful things that ‘men’, (and boys), do on a daily basis all around the world. This version is on my “Ebenezer’s Make Over” album, (which is an adaptation of Dickens “Christmas Carol”). It’s full of powerful songs, written and performed by Holly Near, Geof Morgan, Romanovsky & Phillips, Joe Jencks, me, Charlie Murphy, Fred Small and other activist song-writers from the feminist men’s and women’s movements that create discussions about gender, homophobia, men’s relationship to war, work, our fathers, the women in our lives and each other. Check it out today podcast by clicking on this link:

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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~ peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Hey Ev’rybody! Jan 21, 2022

Today’s song is called HEY EV’RYBODY from my “Take Me With You” album. It’s about how we learn to do something we want to do! Things like walking, or whispering or snapping our fingers. We just have to keep trying over and over again until we can do it! And after we work so hard to learn it, we want to show everybody what we can do! Of course, we’re a little clumsy at first, but we practice every day, and we get better until we master our skill. Then we feel confident enough to learn more things, like how to whistle, or play a clarinet or a flute or the guitar! That little bit of confidence keeps us going, and we tackle more difficult tasks and then we share and teach others what we’ve learned!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Little Kid Jan 14, 2022

I wrote this week’s “Song To Chew” to help parents who are at their wit’s end with how to manage their young children. It's called LITTLE KID from my "Uh-Oh!" album. Sometimes parents look into their toolbox and the only tool they see, left for them to use, is physical punishment. Parents don’t want to use that tool. They only hit their children when they truly don’t know what else to do. When I sing this song in concert, I talk about being ‘spanked’ in my family of origin. My own choice as a parent, was to never hit my own children. I love them, and hitting them is not a way for me to express that. I also did not want to teach them that it’s okay to use violence to solve a problem. It’s our job as parents to come up with other tools. We can talk things over. We can seek professional help. We can call for a cooling off time. We can make deals with them. We have a tremendous opportunity to grow and learn from the difficulties we face as parents. Our choices will appear in our own children’s parenting tool boxes, when they have their own kids. Let’s make sure that right on top, the first tools they see are ‘loving, listening and learning’.

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Take A Step Jan 07, 2022

This week, our song is from my ‘Family Roles’ album, … TAKE A STEP. One of the most difficult things for some of us to do when we want to get something accomplished, is to begin the journey. When we see other people who have lots of accomplishments out there in the world, we often ‘measure ourselves’ by them. We want to accomplish things too, but as soon as we start a project, we’re confronted with obstacles we didn’t expect! “All these other people seem to get things done so easily! Why is this so difficult for me!?” When we were little kids, we wanted to do great things, but the discovery that “it’s not all that easy!” is an important lesson, that we learn over and over again until we ‘get it’. So I’ve learned to be careful about falling into a “perfection trap”, that leads me to believe that “there’s only one right way to get things done!” There are lots of different ways to get things done, and all of them begin with taking that first step!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

My Little Clock Dec 31, 2021

It’s New Year’s Eve today. Tomorrow is 2022. So today we’ll 'chew on a song' I wrote about about ‘Time’. As we change the calendar year, our vacations from work and school give each of us a chance to reflect on how we spent our time this last year. Many of us will resolve to spend it differently in the next year! So this song’s called MY LITTLE CLOCK, part of my ‘In The Hospital’ album project for kids and families. It’s designed to help us “pay better attention to how we spend our precious minutes with others around us; our little patients, our children, as we try to understand a bit more about how they’re treated in a hospital setting. Check it out. Please hit “follow”, and ‘a Happier, Kinder New Year’ wish to everyone!

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Little Tree Dec 24, 2021

Hi there! I'm Peter Alsop. Glad you stopped by! Today is Christmas Eve, so we’ve got a “Story to Chew” instead of a “Song to Chew”. I wrote and recorded this holiday story about LITTLE TREE and put it on my “Chris Moose Holidays” album. It’s about ‘being special’. We know that each of us creatures living on the Earth have our very own story, and that’s what makes each of us special. Some parts of our story will be like stories of others, and other parts of our story will be uniquely ours! Because we’re the only one living our life, right?! We get to learn lessons from all the trials and adventures we go through, and we get to make the choices that create our own unique story. So love to the fullest, and happy holidays to all of us!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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New Ground Dec 17, 2021

For our “Songs To Chew” episode this week, we’ll listen to NEW GROUND, from my ‘In The Hospital’ album. Our lives shift when a big loss happens. Things go along smoothly, then BANG!, something occurs and our lives change drastically. Our perceptions shift and we see things with ‘new eyes’. A little girl in a wheel chair once told me that I was ‘T.A.B.’ I said, “What does ‘T.A.B.’ stand for?” She smiled and said 'Temporarily Able-Bodied'! She was right. A disabling accident can happen so quickly, that suddenly, I might not be able to walk or throw a ball or speak. If we’re currently ‘able-bodied’, and we want to try to understand the plight of folks who are ‘other-abled’, without going through what they’ve gone through, we can open our hearts and listen to their stories. When we do that, some of our own fears and sadness and other painful feelings surface. But when we’re overwhelmed with hurt and sadness, our tender state of grief often creates a heightened awareness in us. We notice the loving acts around us that we didn’t notice before. Painful feelings come up for us humans from time to time, and eventually they pass. The more familiarity we have with feeling these feelings ourselves, enables us to better help our friends, family and our children through tough times.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Chris Moose Dec 10, 2021

It’s that time of the year again! So today we’ll listen to the title cut from my "Chris Moose Holidays" album! It’s for anyone who feels clumsy, and for people who like puns! “Chris” is an irrepressible moose, excited just like a little kid about everything that goes on around him! We all know folks like that! Maybe you’re one of us! I used to spill the milk at least once each meal! I’m glad my parents didn’t label me “clumsy” because I’m not. It’s amazing how someone can call you a ‘name’, and then other people start calling you that name too, especially if it’s a negative name! Some of us actually start using that name-label on ourselves, which isn’t so great because then we just accept those negative things that were said about us. I hope we can all take some time to “chew on” ideas like this from my “songs to chew”. I think that’s why we’re here on Earth.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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The Gift Dec 03, 2021

Our ‘Song To Chew’ this week is called THE GIFT from my "Chris Moose Holidays" album. It’s sung by my daughter Willow, from the point of view of a child who tells her Mom, “I don’t want any gifts from Santa this year, all I wants is for you to please quit smoking.” I’ve had parents tell me that it helped them quit. After one of my shows, a friend told me he sat behind a couple of Moms and their kids. The families were laughing and singing along, until I played this song. He said “the kids got really quiet, and after the song there was lots of applause. One Mom leaned over to the other Mom and said quietly, “Well I didn’t like THAT song very much.” Her friend just took her hand, looked her in the eye, and said “But it was a really good song, wasn’t it!” The first Mom looked away and teared up, and the second Mom leaned over and gave her a big hug. We need to learn new skills when we’re trying to quit an addictive behavior, including how to ask for help.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Daddy‘s Roll Nov 26, 2021

Today's ‘Song To Chew’ is DADDY’S ROLL, from my “Chris Moose Holidays” album. It’s written from the point of view of a child concerned about the health and well-being of their parents, specifically about compulsive eating! Of course, there’s nothing wrong with ‘eating’, but sometimes we over-eat or drink because we feel sad or scared or angry, and eating comforts us and fills us up, so we don’t notice our painful feelings as much. Many of us have been taught that food equals ‘love’, and who doesn’t need more love?! So even though we know that how we eat might not be so healthy for us, we still have a hard time stopping. Let’s listen to our kids!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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When One Is Too Many Nov 19, 2021

Our Song To Chew this week, WHEN ONE IS TOO MANY, was inspired by the Alcoholics Anonymous saying, “one is too many, and a thousand ain’t enough!” When we try to soothe our painful feelings, by using medicators like alcohol or other drugs, food or even compulsive behaviors we can become addicted and unable to stop. We start on the path to recovery, when we understand that we NEED to feel pain in order to change our lives. No, we can’t change our history, but we CAN resolve many of the current behaviors that continue to make our lives difficult. When we avoid painful feelings in the short term, we lose our incentive to work on caring for ourselves in healthier ways in the long term. Recovery is a step-by-step process. We learn lessons, work the program and slowly recover, so we can get ourselves back into balance, living a better life; one that’s healthier and more clear.

~ Please subscribe to this podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

The Hug Nov 12, 2021

Today, we’ll listen to a song that’s a true story about Dan Murrow, a therapist who was fired for hugging his patients. He was convinced that hugging between consenting adults was therapeutically helpful, contrary to the hospital’s policy. It’s called THE HUG, and it was written by Fred Small, a wonderful singer-songwriter, old friend, activist and pastor dedicated to healing the earth, seeking justice, and tending our wounded spirits. As Dan Murrow would say, "If I must choose between working here and being healthy, I choose health." When we draw a line, and stop enabling, accepting and ignoring other people’s unhealthy behaviors in our businesses and service organizations, then they too have to face their own behaviors and patterns. Many people have been sexually or physically abused by someone in a more powerful position. Therapists need to take care of our own hugging needs outside of our practice. I’ve heard that Dan Murrow would always ask others if they would like a hug, before he hugged someone. And I notice lots of young Dads nowadays who spend time holding and hugging their kids. It’s slow, but it sure looks like we’re moving in the right direction!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Don‘t Put Your Hand In My Pants Nov 05, 2021

When our ‘Song To Chew’ for this week was written 30 years ago, it would have been thought of as a song that only women would sing. But more recently, with awareness growing about the limitations of our ‘either-or' binary thinking, especially in the arena of gender, sexual orientation and identification, it’s now a song that anyone can sing! DON’T PUT YOUR HAND IN MY PANTS, JUST ‘CAUSE WE’RE IN LOVE models how to set healthy boundaries with someone who is misreading our sexual messages! Just because two adults love each other, does not mean their relationship is ready to be sexual. Many of us humans struggle with how to have a caring, intimate relationship with our partner. It’s a good struggle, and hopefully we learn how to make less and less mistakes, and collect more and more tools for how to love someone else. It just makes good sense to take some extra time before leaping into bed with someone we don't know very well. If you’re looking for more songs about Sex and Sexuality, you can search my past podcasts, they’re all free! Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Costume Party Oct 29, 2021

It’s October and in honor of Halloween, our ‘Song To Chew’ today will be COSTUME PARTY. I’ve noticed scatterings of children, test-driving their Halloween costumes in super-market aisles, making sure they work! Hidden inside their new identity, they are no longer just a ‘child in a supermarket’! Every one of us wears a costume. Each day, the clothing we put on when we get up, is our costume for the day! And when we wear different costumes, we get to see the world through different glasses, which is great! Because we can learn so much, by exploring other diverse ways to go through our lives. We build new skills and are exposed to new and different ideas from simply rubbing shoulders with others who are not like us.

When we learn how to be a ‘safe place’ for others, we don’t judge people who look differently than we do. When we are comfortable with ourselves, we can let others reveal themselves to us, ... instead of trying to strip away their masks! I'm Peter Alsop. Please subscribe and join us on this podcast every week, for new “Songs To Chew”!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Heal The Bay Oct 22, 2021

This weeks’ Song To Chew’ is HEAL THE BAY from my ‘Pluggin’ Away’ album. It’s an anthem, and a plea to all humans to help save this planet of ours. If we want a clean, unpolluted non-toxic environment, we must first be able to imagine one. When we throw something “away”, it doesn't really go “away”, it just goes somewhere else! So it’s up to each of us to take care of our biosphere. Even if we have to clean up after other people! We need more cooperative, less competitive ways to live together, so we can function as ‘stewards’ of the precious life-forms we already have here, rather than thinking of them as ‘infinite resources’, to be used by us for our own human survival. They are not. And we can start our stewardship by cleaning up the bay!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Grow It At Home Oct 15, 2021

Today’s ‘Song To Chew’ is the title cut from my GROW IT AT HOME album. It’s about where we get our food. I used to read food labels to see what chemical additives were in food before I bought it, and a friend suggested that I also check out where the food comes from. I was amazed at how far some of my food had traveled to get to me! And at how much extra money we were wasting by importing food from all over the world. And it's not just local food that makes sense and needs our support, but actually, local EVERYTHING! The fabric of our local communities needs the support and strength of every thread that makes up that material of the community, so the entire fabric of our smaller groups will be strong and healthy.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Gotta Lotta Livin‘ To Do Oct 08, 2021

Our ‘Song To Chew’ today is GOTTA LOTTA LIVIN' TO DO. I wrote it in the late 80's when there were huge fears about contracting HIV from gay men. Kids and families needed to understand that this deadly virus was not transmitted through the air, but mostly through physical contact, and kids could get it too. I took my daughters Megan and Willow to sing with me at a California Men's Gathering, and got lots of hugs from men there, thanking me for coming and bringing my kids. Willow and I recorded this song on my ‘Pluggin’ Away’ album, along with Ry Cooder playing slide guitar! When faced with a pandemic, we have a chance to stretch and grow spiritually by walking through our fears and holding onto a loving attitude, even when we're afraid. All of us have a lot more learnin' and livin' to do here! I'm Peter Alsop. Thanks for stopping by. Please subscribe to my podcast, and I'll be back next week with another ‘Song To Chew!

~ Subscribe = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS album = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Go To Sleep You Little Creep Oct 01, 2021

This week’s ‘Song To Chew’ is “GO TO SLEEP YOU LITTLE CREEP!” from my 'Stayin' Over' album. It chronicles one of our most universal human activities; bedtime for children. Every evening, just after dinner, thousands of little kids all over the world turn magically into "little creeps", and most parents experience some perfectly normal parental irritation towards them! We all act like creeps when we’re tired, and our friends and families still love us, even if they don't like how we're acting! For years, parents have used this song to coax their little ones to bed. Hope you’ll take a listen, and stop by next week for another ‘Song To Chew’. Bring a friend!

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~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Garbage Sep 24, 2021

This week’s ‘Song To Chew’ is a ‘scream-along’ written by Bill Steele about GARBAGE, from my very first live album 46 years ago! Since then, we continue to produce excess packaging waste from our food and other commerce. And currently, some of our recycling efforts are being abandoned because it’s become too expense to recycle our waste! We scream about the air and the water, and the most powerful verse is the one about 'filling our minds with garbage!’ We need healthy new little brains to address some of the critical issues facing us today; switching our fossil fuel jobs to making solar and wind power more available, so everyone can benefit from renewable energies. We need to support our indigenous water-defenders, our youth climate activists, and figure out ways to slow down the huge increase in our human population that puts such demands on our finite resources. Come on in! Listen, think, stir the pot and chew on some new ideas with us! We need you!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

I Wish Sep 17, 2021

Our SONG TO CHEW today is called 'WISH', about taking action when something needs to change. It’s from my 'Grow It At Home' album. Most of us feel concerned about the future of our world, with climate change, pandemics, storms, fires, wars, people arguing with each other, our lives seem to get more and more complicated every day! It's very human of us, when we're upset, to wish things would change! We desperately hope someone else will come along and make everything the way we want, because making that decision to 'give it a try ourselves', is a very big decision. But once we've done it a couple times, (even if it wasn't perfect), we build our confidence. If we can ‘imagine’ a way to make the future better, that’s the first step to figuring out other actions we can take together to begin fixing whatever puzzles we face.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Earthsong Sep 10, 2021

I don't usually write 'anthems', but today’s song from my ‘Chris Moose Holidays’ album is an anthem. It’s called EARTHSONG. There are billions of life forms and gorgeous features on our planet, and each one has a voice; the rivers and mountains, the animals and plants, all of which have a part in the delicate balance of nature that sustains us. So really, EARTHSONG had to be an anthem! And like any good anthem, the voices need to balance and harmonize with each other in order for our planet's song of life to work. There's great value in understanding our human place in the community of life. If we don't begin to see ourselves as stewards, advocates and protectors of the other lives and eco-systems on our Earth, we will be unable to survive here as a species. “So ev’ry creature, raise your voice, each holy day we all rejoice, and celebrate how we survive, the Earthsong is the song of life!” Sing-along with us!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Atta Way T‘Go Boy! Sep 03, 2021

I wrote today's 'Song To Chew' ATTA WAY T'GO BOY! back in the early 80’s for an anthology album called "Bullets And Guitars". It was produced by Gary Cristall, who ran the Vancouver Folk Festival for years and includes songs by Si Kahn, Utah Phillips, Holly Near, Leon Rosselson and other talented progressive folksingers and activists. My song’s a satirical 'pat on the back' to our President back then, to provide some balance to this left-leaning musical anthology! All profits from the album went to committed artists and cultural organizations in Central America to fight the exploitation and intervention of outsiders, particularly the US, who continue to prevent the workers and peasants of Central America from exercising their right to self-determination. Does art and music and poetry actually have any 'real world' impact on dictators? You betcha!! We work to undermine the fear-based support systems of authoritarian dictators with our courage, organizing, art, humor, song, poetry, education, solidarity and just better, healthier ideas. I hope this song helps you continue to think about these things you and your friends can do to take some action to help us move us a bit closer to a more fair,and just world for all of us.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Dear Mr. President Aug 27, 2021

Today's ‘Song to Chew’ is DEAR MR. PRESIDENT, from my 'Stayin' Over' album. It's written by Bob Blue in the form of a letter written by a 2nd grader to the President of the United States about how he got in a fight with a friend over who had the biggest 'sticker collection'. He thought the President might want to consider that fighting about 'having the most' isn't really worth it. Kids constantly have to figure out problems in their lives at home and in school. I've found that when we feel stuck with a 'problem', we can think of it as a 'puzzle' and reframe it! Then we don't feel so 'stuck'. We can feel hopeful, because we know that puzzles can be solved! It becomes possible to 'move ahead'! We just have to locate the missing piece of the puzzle, and figure out where it goes! And then, get on with our lives! I'm Peter Alsop. Yesterday I got a note from a fan thanking me for these "free little life lessons"! If you've been enjoying these podcasts, please subscribe, and let your friends know about it too. I'll be back next week with another ‘Song To Chew’. Bye for now!

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Burning Times Aug 20, 2021

BURNING TIMES is our 'Song To Chew' today, written and performed by Charlie Murphy, one of the strong clear voices of the early feminist men's movement. It's about the plight of women in Europe in the Middle Ages, who were labeled as witches by establishment men who feared the influence they had as community organizers. It's from my "Ebenezer's Make Over' album which is a story with songs by Holly Near, Geof Morgan and many other feminist writers. There's a wonderful, short book I recommend by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, called "Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History Of Women Healers" that exposes how 'women-led healing was delegitimized to make way for patriarchy, capitalism, and the emerging medical industry. It explores today's changing attitudes toward childbirth, alternative medicine, and modern-day witches'. We can know the facts about historical stories of the past like this, but we don't really understand them until we feel them in our hearts. I'm Peter Alsop. Please check out this podcast and subscribe so you can join me every week with other "Songs To Chew". Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

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Chickens For Peace Aug 13, 2021

Today's 'Song To Chew' is CHICKENS FOR PEACE, inspired and loved by thousands of children who want a peaceful world, but no one much listens to them, because they can't vote! We want to protect our loved ones from wars and violence, but when we don't explain scary things to children, it can create more anxiety for them. It's not easy, but it IS possible to talk with kids about serious subjects in safe ways without scaring them. This song is designed to do that by reframing the word, 'chicken', which is most often used as a negative word about someone who doesn't want to do something scary. Being called a 'chicken' implies that, you're acting like a 'coward', or someone who's afraid to speak up when something's wrong. But I think it takes some courage to NOT 'follow the crowd'! There's nothing wrong with being 'cautious' or trying to come up with a peaceful solution, right!? I've seen real live chickens 'follow the flock', and not have enough sense to know when something's dangerous! They're unaware that hanging out with a group that isn't concerned about the safety of all it's members, is not very smart! I'm Peter Alsop, and if you agree, please help spread the word! Peace starts with us! Bye for now!

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Five Moms And Three Dads Aug 06, 2021

On this week's "Songs To Chew" we'll listen to my friend Tom Hunter's song, FIVE MOMS AND THREE DADS. It's on my 'Ebenezer's Make Over' album. Tom presents a different vision for how we can support a more caring and fulfilling society by allowing and supporting more diverse kinds of family groups. The traditional American 'nuclear' family, with two biological parents and their offspring, is what most of us learned, and considered to be 'normal'; whereas a bunch of adults, living communally with each other and their children, feels 'foreign' to many of us who were raised in accepted "normal nuclear" families. Historically family groups included parents, grandparents, siblings, and cousins all looking out for the well-being of the children. Some scholars point out that these extended family groups actually improve children’s lives, by protecting children; wealthy, middle class or poor, from some of the negative effects associated with parental absence from the home. So let's make sure that all our kids have someone to go to, when they need help with something that they're working on, as they figure out how to be a kid in this world of ours. I'm Peter Alsop. Hope to see you back here again next week, with another song to chew!

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Animal Crackers Jul 30, 2021

Today's short, little 'Song To Chew' is called ANIMAL CRACKERS. It exemplifies how children act out their anger while they're playing. When angry, hurt or sad feelings aren't allowed to be expressed directly, they will surface again, often in less healthy ways. Healthy parents can set clear limits for children about what is okay and what isn't, and still allow kids to express all their feelings. When kids know they have 'safe parents', who won't let them 'go too far', it allows the kid to act like a kid again, and explore their own abilities, knowing that they're in a safe space. I've always wonder if I gave my kids 'mixed messages' by buying them animal crackers, and then at dinner time telling them, "don't play with your food!" The kids turned out alright, (mostly!). Kindly let your friends and family know about this podcast. It's free. I'm Peter Alsop. See you next week with another Song To Chew!

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The One About The Bird In The Cage Jul 23, 2021

The SONG we'll CHEW today, from my 'Asleep At The Helm' album, is "THE ONE ABOUT THE BIRD IN THE CAGE' written by Rutthy Taubb. It's about a man who keeps his "bird" in a cage, dependent on only him. He feeds her, owns her, says he's going to teach her how to fly, and to sing, but he will have to clip her wings. And she buys his story and loves him, but then wakes up to find that she is unhappy and her 'song' is gone. He angrily blames her. Somehow, she gathers the courage to stand up and tell him that she's leaving. This is a multi-layered song about the joy of finding the courage to speak up and set boundaries to care for yourself, and it's also about the sorrow of understanding how you've driven away someone you thought you loved, but who you simply wanted to control and own. How many men and boys have had to learn this lesson by being left by their loved ones? Depressing? No. It's uplifting for the "bird' and sad yet hopeful for the man, for now he must figure out how to find his own joy and beauty within himself, instead of searching outside of himself to feel strong and of some worth to others. I'm Peter Alsop. This podcast is free. Please let your friends know about it. I'll see you again next week, with another Song To Chew.

~ Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

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Aaargh! Jul 16, 2021

Our song today is called "AAARGH!", from my live concert album "Family Roles". It's for all the 'family heroes' out here in the world, often the 'first borns', who have learned to seek approval from our parents. We grow up feeling that we need to be perfect, but striving for perfection can become an obsession, and then everything we do becomes a test of our worth. We have to study hard and plan well, or we don't measure up, and when that happens, we feel like we've failed. Many of us even take up jobs as human services professionals because it's easier to care for others than to care for ourselves! This song actually has a 'scream-along' chorus so you can join in and release some of your built-up stress from having to be so perfect all the time! Please subscribe and let your friends know about this podcast to help get more of this kind of helpful information into more people's ears. See you next week with another song to chew!

~ Subscribe to Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Peel Back The Skin Jul 09, 2021

Our 'Song To Chew' today, PEEL BACK THE SKIN, was written by my friend Stuart Stotts. He sings for grown-ups and kids in schools about how we can help each other live happier, healthier lives. I really love this song because it makes a really important point. When we hurt ourselves, before we put on a bandage, we have to make sure the wound is clean, or it won't heal properly. And when I say "WE", I mean that when each of us faces the pain of our own old injuries, we become stronger. And then like the individual threads of a blanket, the fabric of our society grows stronger and, healthier, and our systems become more balanced and more just for everyone! So please subscribe or follow this podcast. Invite your friends and family to listen, so we can get these songs into more ears and the ideas into more heads. When we each commit to taking action, things change! Bye for now!

~ Subscribe to Songs To Chew podcast = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ CAMPING WITH DADS = https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

~ Youtube.com/peteralsop = videos

~ Patreon.com/peteralsop = support my music & other artistic endeavors

~ www.peteralsop.com/music = CDs & downloads

~ stuart@stotts.com

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You Ain't Been Doin' Nothin' If They Haven't Called You Gay! Jul 02, 2021

Have you ever noticed how much 'name-calling' goes on when cultural and social change is in the air? I thought today we might chew on a Tedd Judd and Sandy Pliskin song I recorded on my "Ebenezer's Make Over" album. It's called YOU AIN'T BEEN DOIN' NOTHIN' IF THEY HAVEN'T CALLED YOU GAY! The form is based on a song written by Eliot Kenin back in 1982 called "You Ain't Been Doing Nothing If You Ain't Been Called A Red". Activists who work to make people's lives a bit more just and balanced and equal, get labeled as 'Reds' or 'Communists' or 'Socialists'. The practice of using negative labels is often used by frightened, dominant privileged people when they feel threatened by others, whose existence or life-style is unfamiliar or different than their own. And we've seen it forever in the realm of gender and sexual orientation and identity. High time we 'called out' this practice, eh? Thanks for stopping by!

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Foolish Notion Jun 25, 2021

Today we'll listen to a song written and sung by Holly Near, from our "Ebenezer's Make Over" album. She wrote FOOLISH NOTION in 1980, and it's still completely relevant today. Here we are, 40 years later, still asking the same, age-old question; "Why do we kill people, who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?" We'll chew on that idea after the song! I've never hit any of my children, (although I DO remember being spanked by my Dad!) Things can change! When we eliminate the option of using violence, then we're forced to come up with "better" ways to resolve conflict, and we also stop modeling to younger generations, the misconception that we can solve problems by using violence! Thanks for stopping by. If you subscribe to this podcast, then I'll be sure to see you here next week too! Bye for now!

* Subscribe to Songs To Chew podcast here: ~

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* Check out my new CAMPING WITH DADS album here: ~

https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* 'Like' my FaceBook page here: ~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

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* Support my music and teaching here: ~ Patreon.com/peteralsop

* You can order my CDs & downloads here: ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Au Revoir Jun 18, 2021

I have a friend who refuses to say "good-bye". She says "it sounds like we'll never see each other again!" So today's "Song To Chew" is AU REVOIR, from my "Uh-Oh!" album, because "au revoir" in French means "until I see you again!" Much less scary! Separation from someone we love, can bring up fears that we might not see that person again; that we might find ourselves all alone and abandoned! As social human creatures, we have deeply rooted fears of being left alone. Those fears usually go away as we get older and more secure in our ability to survive without our parents. But some of us grown-ups still have trouble when it's time to separate and go our own ways. Lots of pre-school teachers play this song to help kids AND parents understand that they WILL see each other again at the end of the day! It also helps parents see how our own separation anxieties can get passed on to our children. As my friend and teacher, Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse says, “The health of a family can be seen, by the ease of their comings and goings." So, take it easy, and I'll see ya next week, with another song to chew. Au Revoir!

* Subscribe to this weekly Songs To Chew podcast here: ~

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* Check out my new CAMPING WITH DADS album here: ~

https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* 'Like' my FaceBook page here: ~ www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

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Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

L.A. Freeway Song and Hey You! Jun 11, 2021

On this week’s episode of SONGS TO CHEW, we have a couple of short songs to chew on. In my family of origin, we grew-up with a lot of 'teasing' and 'making fun' of each other. Everyone in our family was 'fair game' as a target, and sometimes we'd all laugh so hard that we'd start crying. Most often, our clumsy attempts at being clever, were just dumb and ridiculous, and a bit cruel, and we learned to develop a thick skin. As I grew older and wiser, I learned that when I tried to make myself 'look good' at someone else's expense, it really doesn't look all that good, and if we're paying attention, it doesn't feel all that good either. First, we'll listen to THE LA FREEWAY SONG, live from the Icehouse in Pasadena, and then a song I wrote almost 50 years ago to play for people who weren't listening to what I was singing up on stage. It's called, HEY YOU! Both of these songs use 'body sounds' to get people's attention. I hope you enjoy these free weekly podcasts, and your friends will thank you if you suggest to them, that they too might enjoy listening to each week's menu. Thanks for stopping by!

* Subscribe to Songs To Chew podcast ~ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CAMPING WITH DADS - my newest album! ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1.

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

* CDs & downloads ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

Dyin' To Be Thin Jun 04, 2021

Our 'Song To Chew' this week is called "Dyin' To Be Thin". I wrote it as the title song for a 1986 NOVA documentary on anorexia and bulimia that won an Iris Award for excellence. In the US, an estimated 8 million people suffer from anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorders and that includes at least three out of every 100 adolescent girls. "Dyin' To Be Thin" was used in a musical version of Aristophane's play "Lysistrata", presented at the Theatricum Botanicum in the summer of 2003. It fit so well with the play's theme, where the Greek woman agreed to withhold sex from any soldiers who wouldn't stop fighting in the wars. It's staged at a modern-day gymnasium with the women working out to look their most attractive! (check the YouTube link below!) My sister-in-law, actress Melora Marshall sings this one, along with the other actors in the cast. Like Lysistrata, we're all concerned about wars and countries taking over other countries, and racial injustice, patriarchy and the systems and conditions that we live in. Our economic and social systems create stories for our youth, who in order to feel good about themselves, have to constantly diet and exercise to lose weight and look more attractive, rather than simply eat a healthy diet and exercise to stay fit. I'd love to change those stories! Help spread the word! See you next week with another Song To Chew.

* Subscribe to Songs To Chew podcast ~

* CAMPING WITH DADS - my newest album! ~

https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHmsgbZ8UOQ&t=19s ~ "Dyin' To Be Thin" video

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

* CDs & downloads ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

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Let's Trade Butts! May 28, 2021

Today's Song To Chew from my Fan Club Favorites album, has been a big hit in junior high schools all across this country! It's called LET'S TRADE BUTTS, so of course, it's humorous. When teens are asked about their bodies, they often express self-criticism, and strong feelings of inadequacy, jealousy and shame. Our adolescent years are difficult because our bodies AND our role in society are changing. As teens we often want to look like someone else. We want some body part to be bigger or smaller. We know our life would be better we were taller or thinner or our hair was a different color or length or texture. Our appearance seems to be the ticket to acceptance from our peers. So I figured, "Why not just trade body parts with our friends? They might want something we have, and then everybody wins, right?! Yet beneath the humor of this song, lurks the painful feeling for some of us, that if we're just ourselves, we're "never enough", and then the grass always look greener when we look in other people's yards, or at their bodies, or their lives. And that's a recipe for painful depression, and as the song says "If you don't like your own, you're nuts!" We don't have a music video for this one yet, so if you're inspired by the topic, please feel free to make one! You have my official permission to put it up on YouTube! And let your friends know about this podcast. It's free! I'm Peter Alsop. See you next week with another Song To Chew!

* Subscribe to Songs To Chew podcast ~ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CAMPING WITH DADS - my newest album! ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

* CDs & downloads ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

G-Gee Its Warm Out Here May 21, 2021

Today our 'Song To Chew' is sung by an ecological activist, Snowy the Frostman! The kids and I are hanging out at the mall during the holiday season, listening to Snowy 'stutter-sing' his way through "G-GEE IT'S WARM OUT HERE" from my "Chris Moose Holidays" album. It's about climate change and global warming! "So why does Snowy the Frostman stutter?", you may ask. I think 'stuttering' sounds like 'shivering while you're talking', and because I work with many special-needs kids, I like my songs to include some of the special 'differences' that these kids live with. Kids with special needs are still 'kids', not just someone identified by what's different about them! So teachers use this song to help their students discuss why people stutter and how it feels. They also use it to address climate change! One young ecological warrior of today with special 'differences', is the wonderful Gretta Thunberg. She's helped our whole world focus on why we have to take action soon to save our planet! If each of us does something small to reach out to others, it will get us all moving in a more sustainable direction, and we'll have a better chance of NOT ending up where we're headed! I'm Peter Alsop. See you next week with another SONG TO CHEW. Bye for now!

* Subscribe to my weekly - Songs To Chew podcast ~ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CAMPING WITH DADS - my newest album! ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

* CDs & downloads ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

Get full access to Peter Alsop’s Substack at peteralsop.substack.com/subscribe

My Secret May 14, 2021

Let's chew on the 'Wonderful Diversity of Human Sexuality' with MY SECRET, a song from my very first album. I often use humor in my songs to share tidbits of information that I've found valuable. This song is loaded with bad puns and exaggerations. We humans have a huge range of diverse sexual behaviors, many of which are common, but there are some secrets that people hide, out of fear that others may regard them as "not okay" or "weird, exotic, disgusting, sacrilegious, shameful, dirty, illegal, sinful or just plain silly." I believe that an adult person's sexual behavior is their own business, unless they're cruel, destructively violent, abusive or coercive. Treating another person like that is just never okay with me. So if you find yourself hiding your behaviors, you might want to see if your own flags are going up to signal you, saying "Hey! Maybe we need to get some help here!" I wrote this song to get folks who pass judgement on other people, to acknowledge that very probably, they have their very own hidden private quirks and idiosyncrasies! As the song says, "I’ll tell you, if you’ll tell me. Do you get hot with your bathroom locked? Well, I cool my nerves with Mom’s preserves, it’s just a difference of degree!" I'm Peter Alsop. I'll be back next week with another SONG TO CHEW. Bye for now! (Illustration by Terri Asher)

* Subscribe to my weekly - Songs To Chew podcast ~

* CAMPING WITH DADS - my newest album! ~

https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

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No One Knows For Sure May 07, 2021

Today's 'Song To Chew' is NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE, about having hope when things look 'the darkest'. Hope is a very powerful force in our human world. Our attitude can limit us when we're negative about ourselves, but it can also expand and open doors for us, when we're optimistic and hopeful about our future. Our expectations actually have an effect on what does happen! One of the many wonderful stories I've heard about "No One Knows For Sure", is that it played a role in helping to save the life of a little seven-year old girl. She required chronic special care and the doctors were running out of options for treating her illness. Two wonderful pediatric nurses, Diane and Penny, introduced this song to the little girl and the staff on her ward to keep their spirits up. This song became part of the daily fabric in that ward. They kept searching for ways to help this child survive, and in spite of over-whelming odds, last I heard, that little girl made it out of that hospital very much alive! 'No One Knows For Sure', right?! It's stories like this that keep me writing songs. Keep singin'!

* Subscribe to my weekly - Songs To Chew podcast ~ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CAMPING WITH DADS - my newest album! ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

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You Get A Little Extra When You Watch TV Apr 30, 2021

Today's Song To Chew is YOU GET A LITTLE EXTRA WHEY YOU WATCH TV, from my 1983 "Wha D'Ya Wanna Do?" album. It's about all the hidden messages delivered to us constantly through our televisions and internet. Commercials and news and sit-coms model for us how the rest of the world around us operates, right? But we see what the producers and marketers want us to see! Have you noticed how extremely 'happy' TV people are when they have a nice clean floor in their kitchen? Have you ever felt 'that happy' after cleaning your kitchen floor? Hmmm? The behaviors we see on the media, begin to seem 'normal' to us. Lots has changed in the last 40 year since I wrote this song. We've become more aware that it isn't just men who can fix cars or only women who can take great care of kids, ... but those hidden messages just keep on coming. So I wrote this little humorous tongue-in-cheek song 'way-back when', to help kids and families take a look at the 'not-so-subtle' messages about our culture that are being marketed to us every minute of every day. You can find my CD's or downloads at peteralsop.com, or from any of the on-line sources. I'm Peter Alsop. Thanks for stopping by!

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So Long Apr 23, 2021

Today on 'Songs To Chew' we'll listen to a song called SO LONG, and talk about sadness and loss and grieving. We know that things in our lives have beginnings and middles and ends, and so it is with people. Leaving people, places and things behind can be scary and sad and exciting all at the same time. Sometimes leaving things or people that created problems for us becomes even more complicated, because they also provided us with some great stories and unforgettably joyous rides. Some losses in our lives we have absolutely no control over, but sometimes we do have some control and we can choose. With practice, we learn to make better choices, and then we begin to intentionally steer our lives in directions we want to go, and set our course toward a life that we want to live. I'm Peter Alsop. I'll see you next week with another SONG TO CHEW. Bye for now!

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Stick My Neck Out Apr 16, 2021

Today's Song To Chew is called "STICK MY NECK OUT" from my "Grow It At Home" album. It's easy to spot things in our world that need to work better. When we see them, we say, "Hey! That's not okay!" But as kids we learned "Don't rock the boat! Mind your own business!" But I think, it IS our business to think up better ways to do things and speak up about how to fix 'em! If we don't do it, who will? And then we find others who feel like we do, and we've got a movement happening! A 'giraffe' is a name for a real people who 'stick their necks out' to help others', often putting themselves in danger to do so. Check out 'giraffe.org'. I sing this song with "Amy the Giraffe". She's decided to stick her neck out and speak up for the 'little ones' who can't speak up for themselves! And with all the social justice movements going on these days, Amy says, "if we all stick together, we can get something done! We can stop the violence and save the world!" C'mon by and sing along with us. We do this every week on this SONGS TO CHEW podcast. Bye for now!

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I Hope You Understand, Dear Apr 10, 2021

This week's Song To Chew is a pun-filled satirical song, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND, DEAR, from my 'Fan Club Favorites' album. It holds up some of our 'male behaviors' in the hope that we might see ourselves a bit more clearly. It's sung by remorseful man who tries to explain to his lover, why he's leaving her and going back home to his wife and family. But alas! Behaviors have consequences, and at home, (spoiler alert!), he finds that his wife has gone on without him! Glad you stopped by to chew on this song with us. Subscribe and spread the word so we can keep doing this podcast, and I'll see you again next week!

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Stuck On You Apr 02, 2021

Today's 'Song To Chew' was recorded live in concert at the Ice House in Pasadena, California. The full title is "Stuck On You (From Sniffin' Glue)", so you know it's not your every day, run-of-the-mill love song! It's full of puns. One reviewer said it's about "adolescent heartbreak, from having to play second fiddle to a tube of glue." It's not unusual for someone to fall in love with an addict. I figured if I could get the young couples in my audience laughing, I could then enlighten them about the dangers of huffing, (sniffing toxic substances to get dizzy and high.) Hoped it might save someone's life. Give it a listen. Share it! Maybe you can save someone's life too! Thanks for stopping by. Hope t'see you again next week with another SONG TO CHEW.

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* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

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Get On Home Mar 26, 2021

I released GET ON HOME on my "Camping With Dads" album to help kids understand why folks in Malibu decided to tear down an old dam up in their hills. It tells about the steelhead trout struggling to 'get on home' from the ocean, back up the stream where it started life, and the rain drop wondering how it can 'get on home' to the ocean, after traveling in a cloud, then falling onto the Malibu mountains, both stuck behind that same dam. We each run into dams in our lives; not just dams that stop water, but all kinds of dams. Eventually something or someone blocks our path and stops us from going where we want to go. As we ponder how fish and raindrops cope with the dams in their way, we inform ourselves about our own process, and we get better at figuring out techniques we can use to 'Get On Home' to where we feel we belong, no matter what direction that's in! Please subscribe and let your friends know about this free podcast. I'm Peter Alsop, and I'll be back next week with another song to chew. Bye for now!

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* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

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Lifeline Mar 20, 2021

Today's song, LIFELINE, is from my "Fan Club Favorites" album. When my Grandmother came to live with us in California, it presented us with challenges, and an opportunity to have some blessed intergenerational time with each other. As our own children grow up and begin to go out into the world on their own, our parents or older relatives begin to need our help. We then face tough decisions about bringing them back into our own busy lives and home, perhaps acting as their principal caregiver. Many Americans grow up in our family of origin, without our grandparents in the same house, and without that experience, we don't really have a clear understanding of how we will age ourselves later in our lives. So, it was wonderful for my kids to have an older person in our immediate family home. When we care for our aging parents, it's difficult to honor the natural changes that go on in our relationships. In order to create a healthy balance, we need to work to be neither a crutch, nor a burden for each other; and we get to practice the art of loving. Please let friends and family know about SONGS TO CHEW, and if you haven't subscribed already, please do. It's free, and the more followers we have, the better chance we have of getting monetized! Bye for now!

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Sonical Digital Musical Box Mar 12, 2021

Today's Song To Chew is SONICAL DIGITAL MUSICAL BOX, a functional song from my "Camping With Dads" album. For anyone who wonders where the piano, horn section and electric guitars on the song actually come from, since we're on a camping trip up in the mountains! My songs usually have content that helps listeners find more balance in their lives, but some songs like this, are just silly or fun. Songs don't have to be philosophical to be life-changing. I think it's great when a song can do both! This album helps Dads who listen with their boys, become more aware of how hearing messages in a patriarchy about how boys and men are more capable and strong than women and girls can get deeply entrenched in our brains without us really thinking deeply about them. It's way past time to stop seeing the world through those old, patriarchal glasses, and change the old, tired stories! We're looking for a sponsor for this free podcast. If you have any connections with a human services company who might want to do so, please email me at peter@peteralsop.com. Stay safe! See you next week!

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Good Time Mar 05, 2021

This week's Song To Chew is GOOD TIME, sung by a lonely man who picks up a lonely woman in a bar. It's an old story, played out thousands of nights in thousands of cities. He feels empty during sex, and sad and lonely afterwards, and he only came out to have a "Good Time". Seduction and the search for sex can become a way of life. If we can get someone else to "go all the way" with us, then we must be okay, as we seek external approval to feel better about ourselves. Unfortunately, as with all addictive behaviors, eventually we need larger doses to medicate our pain. Especially in this time of CoVid, when we yearn to be experiencing life with others, our loneliness can be excruciating. Medicating ourselves with sex does not put us on the road to clarity. When we find a safe place; safe friends who support us, we can begin to honestly sort through what's eating at us deep inside. Hope lies there.

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My Father's Top Drawer Feb 26, 2021

For today's Song To Chew, I borrowed a tune from a song written in 1876 by Henry Clay Work, "My Grandfather's Clock". You'll probably recognize the tune, but it's not about my Grandfather, it's about my Dad and my childhood. I love using humor to address loaded subjects, so let's take a look at how porn affects us and our attitudes about sex. From "Fan Club Favorites" and my "Songs On Sex And Sexuality" albums, we'll listen to MY FATHER'S TOP DRAWER. If you're interested in supporting my work or becoming a sponsor for this podcast, (maybe you have some funds left in your advertising budget?), write me at peter@peteralsop.com, or check out my Patreon page below. See you next week!

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Look At The Ceiling - Love Is The Only Medicine Feb 19, 2021

Today we'll listen to 2 songs; LOOK AT THE CEILING, written from the point of view of a young girl who dissociates in order to survive her sexual abuse. It's used in treatment programs, classes, training workshops, and private practice for adults and teens. Therapists have used this song for years to gently get this subject out onto the table, and 'break the ice' for clients and women's groups, because it works to enable young girls (and boys), to more easily share their experiences; let go of the shame, and begin their healing. It's immediately followed by LOVE IS THE ONLY MEDICINE, a song I wrote specifically to bring people back up, after hearing "Look At The Ceiling". For a video of me performing these two songs back-to-back at our Conference on The Healing Power of Laughter And Play, check out https://vimeo.com/ondemand/openingdoors. The entire :75 minute presentation is available for streaming or download for a small fee. Thanks for stopping by. If today's episode was helpful, please share it with your friends, and subscribe to this podcast, and my YouTube channel if you would. The more followers, the better chance of finding some financial support to continue. See you again next week. Bye for now!

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Give Yourself A Hand Feb 12, 2021

Today we'll listen to a song that prescribes a cure for sexual harassment! It's been wildly acclaimed by thousands of feminists as we continue the fight to stop violence against women! From my "Fan Club Favorites" album we'll listen to GIVE YOURSELF A HAND! It's was inspired by a friend of mine, Dr. Betsy Stanko, a professor of Sociology who's been described as a radical feminist criminologist, and the story of her involvement in a multi-million dollar defamation of character lawsuit; a ne'er-do-well Department Head Dr. Sidney Peck; the National Labor Relations Board; top authorities at Clark University, and sexual harassment allegations that all took place in Worchester, Massachusetts in 1981. Tune in, t'find out how it all turns out! If you'd like to support this podcast, check out my Patreon page below. Hope to see you again next week, bye for now!

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Snake Dance Feb 05, 2021

There are lots of entanglements in our closest relationships. We make commitments, and bring our own baggage with us, packed with our fears, hopes and stories. In some cases, when the honeymoon's over and the work begins, we feel constrained and unable to unwind from each other with nowhere to go for help. We strike out physically or verbally, and one or both of us may look for someone else to soothe us; to provide us an escape from this painful and toxic 'snake dance', where neither dancer knows how to retreat. I've seen a few relationships where the partners figured out how to separate as caringly and painlessly as possible; for their kids and their friends and themselves, but that's the exception. We're in a 'snake dance' right now in this country. The inequities between wealth and poverty; urban and rural; men and women, left and right, black and brown and white - are extreme. So today, from my 'Draw The Line' album, we'll listen to SNAKE DANCE, to see more clearly some of the entanglements and the missteps we've made in the past, so we can avoid them in the future. If you find today's episode useful or entertaining, please let others know about this podcast. It's free and you can subscribe or go to Patreon below to support this work. See you next week, bye for now!

* My new CAMPING WITH DADS album! ~

https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Peter%20Alsop%20Camping%20With%20Dads&qid=1602558931&s=dmusic&sr=1-

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Anthropologist Jan 29, 2021

Do you wonder what to do when the world goes crazy all around you? For today's SONG TO CHEW, we'll listen to ANTHROPOLOGIST from my "Camping With Dads" album and share a technique I use when this happens to me. It's my 'tip for the week!' Just because we're bored or stuck somewhere that we don't really want to be, why get all uptight and angry, when instead, we can just put on our Anthropologist's hat, and observe all the curious and fascinating behaviors of the people in the tribe around us! It's amazing! Human beings are so peculiar and wonderfuI! And it helps me calm down right away! Please let others know about this podcast if you've found it useful or entertaining. It's free! Give the gift of joy and music! I'm Peter Alsop, see you next week with another Song To Chew!

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Dragon Who Flies By My Window Jan 22, 2021

Did you ever wish that you'd done something, that you didn't do? Then later on, it was too late? Today's 'Song To Chew' is THE DRAGON WHO FLIES BY MY WINDOW. It's about 'remorse'. A sign on my wall says "Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way down!" Good advice, but if we don't get our wings built fast enough, we quickly learn to be more cautious. Feeling remorseful is a sad, angry and painful feeling that I try very hard to avoid. Knowing that about myself has been very useful in helping me decide how and when to choose to take action in my life. I've learned when to be cautious, and when to speak up! This song is on my "Grow It At Home" album; winner of a Mom's-Choice-Gold award; Parents'-Choice-Approved; Kids-Music-Best-album, and a NAPPA-Creative-Child-Magazine Gold-Seal-of-Excellence. I don't have any remorse about any of that! If you like this podcast, please subscribe or drop me a note anytime. I'll be back next week with another SONG TO CHEW.

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* For my new CAMPING WITH DADS album! ~

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Clean Out The Attic Jan 15, 2021

Today's 'Song To Chew' is 'CLEAN OUT THE ATTIC' from my 'Chris Moose Holidays' album. My family had an old wooden chest in our attic, full of my great grandmother's lace doilies that my Mom didn't want us kids to ruin by spilling juice on them, so she kept them locked in the attic, starched and ironed all throughout our childhood. When she died, we opened the chest, and discovered the beauty of our great grandmother's handicraft skills. The lace was gorgeous and delicate. I packed up my share in a cardboard box that I stashed up in my attic, just like my Mom. I knew my kids would ruin them, or our dog would chew them up. I wanted to pass them on so my kids could squirrel them away in their own attics for their kids! You get my point. Instead of saving more "stuff", we can 'Clean Out The Attic' every now and then, and maybe use what we find up there! ~ And speaking of "stuff", I bet I have some songs that you've NEVER EVER heard! Well, you can download any of them from 'peteralsop.com', and they won't take up any space in your attic at all! My "CAMPING WITH DADS" album just won a Mom's Choice GOLD award; a NAPPA Creative Child Magazine 'Top Choice Of The Year' award; a Tilliwig 'Best Family Fun' award, and a 'Hot Diggity Seal of Approval'! It's way fun and helps Dads raise our sons' awareness of the need to respect our daughters, (and ourselves!). Subscribe, and I'll see you next week with another 'SONG TO CHEW'!

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We Can Bounce Jan 08, 2021

We've had a momentous week here in America, so this week's "Song To Chew" is "WE CAN BOUNCE" from my CAMPING WITH DADS album. I often write kid songs that help parents understand important things about their kids. Today's song is about some of the things I learned from my Dad, that can help and inform kids about their parents. Even though my Dad gave me "good advice', I still had to learn that sometimes advice we get from people we trust, won't work for us. We have to pay close attention to how we feel, and choose if we should follow blindly what someone else tells us is "the right thing to do". It's great to learn how to 'bounce' after we've been let down too quickly from the upside of a see-saw, but it's also important to know that, as the song says, "you don't have to ride on that see-saw." I'm Peter Alsop. My SONGS TO CHEW podcast is free! Please subscribe and I'll be back next week. Bye for now!

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Some Gifts Come With Strings Attached Jan 01, 2021

Our SONG TO CHEW today is "Some Gifts" from my CAMPING WITH DADS album. I make a distinction between giving a 'gift' and giving a 'present'. A child comes home from school and 'presents' Mom with a "birthday crown" made of yellow construction paper, taped together with glitter and dried pieces of gold elbow macaroni glued on it. Mom wears it around the house; maybe even to the store, because it's a 'present' from someone she loves, even though it's mostly about the child who 'presented' it to her! A 'gift' is different. It's specially for the person getting the gift. Your friend loves Clydesdale horses, and you see a lamp with a horse on it, but it's not a Clydesdale, so you go on looking. When we receive a 'present' from someone, and we were expecting a 'gift', it can hurt. And it's probably time to re-examine our expectations. Some folks feel so hurt, they can't even enjoy their 'present'! So when these things happens to us, it helps to remember that we're all human and we all have room for growth, whether we're giving or receiving. It's been a difficult year for many of us, especially folks who live alone, so maybe call someone you love who's alone, and tell them you love them? As this song says, "It's not the gift, it's the way the gift is given!" Hope we all have a kind-hearted New Year! I'm Peter Alsop. See you next week with another SONG TO CHEW!

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When Jesus Was A Kid Dec 25, 2020

It's a very different Christmas this year, due to the isolated distancing we observe in response to the threat of CoVid. I thought we might listen to "When Jesus Was A Kid" from my CHRIS MOOSE HOLIDAYS album to helps us focus on caring about others, sung magnificently by my daughter Willow. While listening to a conservative Christian talk radio show, where the host made mean-spirited comments about a number of people who he described as sinners, one of my kid songs that teaches kids to set healthy boundaries by "just saying no!" popped into my mind, and I thought, "if Jesus was a kid and He was here right now, He would 'just say NO!' to you!" If we pay close attention to the kids in our lives, and listen to them, we might sense the holiness, the sacred specialness of being alive together here on this planet, and consider ways we could work to love each other a bit more. Happy holidays to you all. (To see this music video, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hXL1cPBzYI&t=2s

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Christmas Cheer Dec 18, 2020

Today our song is "Christmas Cheer", from my CHRIS MOOSE HOLIDAYS album, sung by my nephew, Marshall McDaniel when he was a wee-little tyke! "Christmas Cheer" is the code name for 'alcohol during the holidays'. It's a tradition in many cultures, and for generations kids have watched adults celebrate with alcohol, and then do stupid and dangerous things. Most kids just accept it. They feel powerless to change anything, but it’s scary, and lots of kids just want us to stop it. Or they copy us and want some for themselves. We can't help "modeling" behavior for our kids. They love us and look up to us and copy us. One of the most sobering things I can think of though, is that every year, between Christmas and New Year's in this country, an average of 300 people die in drunk driving accidents. It behooves us to remember that we can have goodwill and holiday cheer without having to "drink" it. If you haven't finished your holiday shopping, you might consider one of my albums that you haven't heard yet! Download any of them in an instant from online sources, including my brand new "CAMPING WITH DADS". This weekly SONGS TO CHEW podcast is free! So share some of our joy, fun and music this year! Have a warm & safe holiday! Bye for now!

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Buy Me Something! Dec 11, 2020

Today's song is 'unusual'. Actually, many of my songs fit into that category! "Buy Me Something" is on my CHRIS MOOSE HOLIDAYS album. It's great for discussing the trappings of capitalism, and how we and our children can become trapped and addicted to shopping for things obsessively and compulsively. After hearing this song, parents would often say, "My children already know this song! They wrote it! Are you sure you didn't follow us around in a mall somewhere, because it sounds exactly like them!!" Lines like, "Buy me things of great value, stuff to save, I want giant collections of everything, ever made!" may sound familiar to you too! We discuss how having and owning things in our culture, is an external way we've learned to measure our own worth, not just our financial worth, but our sense of valuing who we are, our importance to our family and community, and how the capitalistic system reduces our lives into quantifiable dollar amounts, and that is what truly impoverishes us; emotionally, socially and spiritually. Check out my SONGS TO CHEW podcast. It's free. I'm Peter Alsop. I'll be back with a new song each week.

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The Night Before Hanukkah Dec 04, 2020

This week begins our 'Happy Holidays', so from my 'Chris Moose Holidays' album, we'll listen to "The Night Before Hannukah", about Santa showing up in a Jewish home. I received an invitation to a 'Weinukkah' celebration from a couple of wonderful actor friends. I asked what a 'Weinukkah' celebration was, and they said an old German refugee woman told them she didn’t know she was Jewish when she was a child. Her family didn't practice Judaism in Germany because of the Nazis. Once they were safely out of Germany, they celebrated 'Weinukkah' as Hanukkah and Christmas together. They were grateful for both faiths in their lives, and they wanted to keep both secular traditions alive. My friends were doing the same! This world of ours is so full of wonderful, diverse human traditions and beliefs and stories, that can enrich all of us. Especially the stories about how we struggle to make sure that more dominant cultures do not gobble up and absorb our own sacred stories and traditions. That's called 'cultural appropriation'! All of our many cultures are equally remarkable and valuable. If we share and pass things on with an alive curiosity and educate each other about the sources of our stories and songs, we can protect each other's heritage stories, which show us the many paths we've taken to arrive at where we are now.

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Safari (Into My Sister's Nose) Nov 27, 2020

On SONGS TO CHEW today we'll check out "Let's Go On Safari, Into My Sister's Nose". As a performer, if I want to get kids' attention, I just have to mention "boogers" or "underwear", and they'll start laughin'! It never fails! This is a great song to let our imaginations run wild, and it also gives us a chance to think about 'teasing'. Teasing is "playing with someone else's pain without their permission." When we make fun of someone, about something embarrassing they've done or some characteristic they have, it can really hurt. I think it's okay if friends tease each other, because there's a caring relationship that exists. If we go too far, they can say, "C'mon, that's not funny for me right now. It still hurts." Our response hopefully would be, "Okay, yeah, that was too much. I'm sorry. I won't do that again." Often our excuse is, "I wouldn't tease you if I didn't 'like' you." And the response to that is: "If you like me so much, why don't you just tell me, instead of teasing me." It's easier for us 'guys' to tease someone than it is to reveal our real feelings. Hopefully we can change some of that and be more careful about 'playing with other people's pain'. I'll be back next week with another song. Bye for now!

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Eulogy Nov 20, 2020

Today we'll listen to a song called "Eulogy". It touches on how we feel when there's been a significant loss in our lives. Fans tell me they've played this song at funerals for their loved ones. With all the CoVid deaths soaring around us, our mortality is very present in ways that it wasn't before this pandemic hit. Death is very scary for most of us. I've lived with Death standing just off my left shoulder since I was seven years old. All Death had to do was reach out and touch me from an arm's length away, and I'm gone. Having Death as a companion, without being morbid or obsessed about it can be very helpful for us. Having Death that close to me, has helped me choose how to live my life. I'm in the middle of a heated argument with my wife about something, and I look over and see Death reaching out slowly toward my shoulder, with a little grin. Suddenly my "need to be right and win this argument" seems amazingly petty and unimportant. So, I choose to stop, and give my wife a hug. And Death, with a little shrug, slowly withdraws its boney finger. And I'm still here, "fiddle-dee-dee!" My SONGS TO CHEW podcast is free and weekly. Hope you stop by.

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Hopelessly Heterosexual Nov 13, 2020

Today we'll listen to a song I recorded back in 1981 on my UNIFORMS album, "Hopelessly Heterosexual". I first played it in public at the 5th National Conference of the National Organization of Men Against Sexism. I'd written lots of songs about gender and human sexuality, and I wanted to make sure that my humor wasn't inadvertently stepping on anyone's toes, or being politically insensitive. The discussion after the concert was wonderful and eye-opening. I've had many wise women and gay men in my life who've helped me understand that even though I have privileges as a heterosexual male, I don't have to accept or indulge myself with them. Amen!!

* Get my new CAMPING WITH DADS album for your family! ~ help Dads teach our sons! https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1?602558931&s=dmusic&sr=1-

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Dads 'N Boys Nov 06, 2020

On today's SONGS TO CHEW podcast we'll listen to "Dads 'N Boys" from my CAMPING WITH DADS album. We grow-up in patriarchal cultures from all around the world, and we learn that 'real men' NEVER do anything that a girl does, like 'caring for others'. We learn that's 'not cool!' This song lists many traits that Dads and boys have, and it reminds us that to build a more caring world, Dads and Boys need to learn to 'widen our own circle of caring', instead of staying stuck in a childlike focus on ourselves, where our "circle of caring stays the size of our belt". Check it out for a laugh; share with your friends, and stop by again next week for another Song To Chew! Bye for now!

* Get my new CAMPING WITH DADS album for your family! ~

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Different Choice Oct 30, 2020

Today we'll listen to a song I didn't write. It's by my friend Stuart Stotts who plays one of the dads on my CAMPING WITH DADS album. It's called "Different Choice". The hidden messages we learn about male privilege and entitlements are so subtle and deeply woven into the cultures we grew up with, that it's difficult to "tease" them out of the fabric of our childhood. CAMPING WITH DADS is designed to bring them out into the light of day on our musical camping expedition. Stuart models the courage, the love, the perseverance and understanding that a caring Dad might use to help his kids learn that they don't have to do the first thing that pops into their heads when something comes up. They can pause, and survey other ideas they might have about how best to proceed in any given situation. We want our boys to consider the range of consequences their behaviors might create, especially those involving girls or young women. Those consequences need to include what the other person feels, and what the results of his behavior might bring upon her. So like Stuart Stotts, let's listen to our kids, and as world citizens, consider the consequences of actions we take that aren't working, and come up with a 'Different Choice'.

* New! my CAMPING WITH DADS album ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1?

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ https://www.peteralsop.com

https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Peter%20Alsop%20Camping%20With%20Dads&qid=1602558931&s=dmusic&sr=1-

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It's Only A Wee-Wee Oct 23, 2020

Today we'll listen to "It's Only A Wee-Wee, So What's The Big Deal?" It's a song about gender, written in 1981, and it's still sweeping the Montessori schools of the country! My old buddy Utah Phillips used to sing this one. He called it, "a full bore, overhead cam, spoke wire-wheels, no holds barred damn kids song!" I love playing it because it generates discussions about the ways that boys around the world have entitlements and privileges that girls don't, and how our patriarchal culture, besides favoring males, teaches our girls ways to manipulate boys in order to 'level the playing field' a bit. Fortunately, lots of these lessons are being rejected by all genders now! Hooray! Check out a great video of this song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EgDV23Tj0A (You can sing-along too!)

* New! my CAMPING WITH DADS album ~

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Gotta Be Somewhere Oct 16, 2020

My SONG TO CHEW today is"Gotta Be Somewhere", the last song on my CAMPING WITH DADS album. I thought it would be wonderful to finish the album with a song that is both a recap of our camping adventure, and a charming existential mystery about whether or not we ever went on the trip at all! Ever been somewhere that you wish you weren't? It can be miserable!! But why choose stress? If we tell ourselves "well, ... I gotta be somewhere", ... all of a sudden, things look much better, right? So think of this, as a tool you can keep handy, right on the top of your toolbox. Pull it our whenever you need it! Thanks for stopping by. I'll bid you a fond "adieu" until next week when we will have another "SONG TO CHEW".

* NEW! my CAMPING WITH DADS album ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Peter+Alsop+Camping+With+Dads&qid=1602558931&s=dmusic&sr=1-1

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I Brought A Gorilla Home Oct 09, 2020

Today we check out "I Brought A Gorilla Home" from my CAMPING WITH DADS album. Kids love to feel they've got control of things around them, because in real family life, they often don't have much control. When I'd take my kids to a zoo, I'd watch the great apes behind the shatter-proof glass or surrounded by an outdoor moat. I'd watch their eyes follow us. Kinda like being in "the slammer", but they haven't done anything wrong. They just got caught. We control everything about them, their food, their sleep, their mating, their comings and goings. And the idea of bringing one home with me is enchanting! Most Dads have been raised with our male privileges and entitlements. We have access to freedoms that we've taken for granted so long, that we don't even notice them. As we grow older, and maybe have children of our own, hopefully our "circle of caring" grows too, so when we see the plights of others, humans and animals, who don't have our access, we can feel empathy for them, because we've grown more aware of our own privileges. Everyone wants to be free. Doesn't that sound like some good stuff to talk about with our kids? Check out my CAMPING WITH DADS album online at peteralsop.com. For now, wash yer paws, wear a mask, vote early, and bring your friends! See ya next week!

* https://peteralsop.hearnow.com ~ my NEW! CAMPING WITH DADS album

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https://play.google.com/store/music/collection/cluster?clp=sgMjCiEKG0FwYm1uNHBnMmV3NDVtY2tsa3dvZzR0aHN0cRADGAI%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLvD7o&gsr=CiayAyMKIQobQXBibW40cGcyZXc0NW1ja2xrd29nNHRoc3RxEAMYAg%3D%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLfKDA&fbclid=IwAR0rgDfA5z6CrrxsADzPOfMEde8EyqPp6LZjWH1gqAJJ92OXlQ96jRpLNpk

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I Wear Pink! Oct 02, 2020

This weeks song is "I Wear Pink" by Steve Denyes, from my CAMPING WITH DADS album. The Dads on the album talk with the kids about all the "Spose-tahs" we grew up with. We were taught that boys were never 'spose-tah' wear pink and that girls were 'spose-tah' only do girl-things", mostly with other girls! Lots of the 'spose-tahs' have changed, but they're still there! They come from our families and schools and churches and other people around us who get nervous when 'the rules' are questioned. Social systems need rules to function, but they work best when the people in the system understand why the rules were made. I think we need to find out why some rules don't work so well, and then we can change them if they need changing. This is a great song to use with our kids to bring up some of the social pressures they face, so together, we can figure out better ways to deal with them. Please tell your friends and family about this SONGS TO CHEW podcast. I'll be back next week with another song, ... for now, be safe!

* Peteralsop.hearnow.com ~ my NEW! CAMPING WITH DADS album

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* Songs To Chew ~ subscribe - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CDs & downloads ~

https://play.google.com/store/music/collection/cluster?clp=sgMjCiEKG0FwYm1uNHBnMmV3NDVtY2tsa3dvZzR0aHN0cRADGAI%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLvD7o&gsr=CiayAyMKIQobQXBibW40cGcyZXc0NW1ja2xrd29nNHRoc3RxEAMYAg%3D%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLfKDA&fbclid=IwAR0rgDfA5z6CrrxsADzPOfMEde8EyqPp6LZjWH1gqAJJ92OXlQ96jRpLNpk

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Asleep At The Helm Sep 25, 2020

Today's SONG TO CHEW is "Asleep At The Helm". It's clear that many of the men 'at the helms' of our "ships of state" around the world have been running us onto the rocks! It's past time for us men to put aside any of our 'dinosaur-type' thinking, and ask our feminist sisters to take over and chart some different courses to safer harbors; - where women's healthcare is defined by what women need, not by what men allow; - where a person's value is weighed by what's in our heart, and not by how much money is in our pocket; - where elected officials don't lie to our constituencies, and support rich backers, but rather stand up for the needs of our people, and reflect and value the different cultures that we represent; - where people no longer live under the threat of nuclear annihilation; - where we receive quality health care as a right, supported and run by our government; - where children and youth are valued and well fed, ... and where kids learn how to value themselves, because the adults around them know how to do that as well; - where all the diverse people value our many cultures, races, religions, sexual orientations and identities, blended and shared with each other. And it's not just a place, it's a state of mind that reflects on what we do and how we do it, so we can alter and change systems around us, and fix them to work more fairly and better for all of us. With the willingness to listen and pay attention, and the courage to take action, we can make changes that will lift us all. Please register and vote, and get your friends to the polls, especially if they've been "Asleep At The Helm"!

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ www.peteralsop.com

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* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

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* New! CAMPING WITH DADS and Peter's other albums https://play.google.com/store/music/collection/cluster?clp=sgMjCiEKG0FwYm1uNHBnMmV3NDVtY2tsa3dvZzR0aHN0cRADGAI%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLvD7o&gsr=CiayAyMKIQobQXBibW40cGcyZXc0NW1ja2xrd29nNHRoc3RxEAMYAg%3D%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLfKDA&fbclid=IwAR0rgDfA5z6CrrxsADzPOfMEde8EyqPp6LZjWH1gqAJJ92OXlQ96jRpLNpk

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Spit Ball Sep 18, 2020

Today's SONG TO CHEW is "Spit Ball" from my "Camping With Dads" album. My eleven-year-old grandaughter, Quinnlyn, sings it with me. It's about escalation and revenge. At school, we used to chew up paper, make it gooey, then flick it on our finger at another kid, who then flicked their own spit balls back at us. It was gross and mostly boys who did it. Kids may not know the word "escalation", but all we need to do, ... is describe how someone starts with a shove, and the person who gets shoved feels attacked and shoves back harder. Then the first person wants to "get even", ... so they shove or hit back even harder, that's called "escalation". Kids understand that concept. This is a song about how we can stop that process. As Quinn sings, ... "I know revenge is wrong, but if I do something back, I know we'll never get along! So it 'stops with me', 'cause when no one takes the blame, we all do the same things over, and over, and things always end the same!"

Thanks for stopping by SONGS TO CHEW. If you'd like to help me sponsor it, you can support my music by going to Patreon.com and becoming one of my patrons. Let your friends know about this podcast and my newest CAMPING WITH DADS album, ... or recommend any of my other albums that you might have enjoyed. They're all still available as download or CDs. I'll be back again next week with another SONG TO CHEW. Be safe. Don't forget to vote early. Bye for now.

* https://peteralsop.hearnow.com ~ my NEW! CAMPING WITH DADS album

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ www.peteralsop.com

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* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

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* CDs & downloads ~

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Buddies Sep 12, 2020

Today's SONG TO CHEW is "Buddies" from my UNIFORMS album. This song is for buddies who love each other, regardless of their gender. It works well to generate discussions about homophobia and sexual orientationism. When I wrote this song back in 1978, there was homophobia all around us. There have been lots of feminist men's songwriters and performers writing wonderful songs that shed light on ways men can live our lives expressing love and support for one another. Please let your friends know about this SONGS TO CHEW podcast. It's free. I'll be back next week with another song from my new CAMPING WITH DADS album! So, be safe, and please register to vote and bring your friends! I'm Peter Alsop. See you next week. (Illustration by #TerriAsher)

* https://peteralsop.hearnow.com ~ my NEW! CAMPING WITH DADS album

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ www.peteralsop.com

https://play.google.com/store/music/collection/cluster?clp=sgMjCiEKG0FwYm1uNHBnMmV3NDVtY2tsa3dvZzR0aHN0cRADGAI%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLvD7o&gsr=CiayAyMKIQobQXBibW40cGcyZXc0NW1ja2xrd29nNHRoc3RxEAMYAg%3D%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLfKDA&fbclid=IwAR0rgDfA5z6CrrxsADzPOfMEde8EyqPp6LZjWH1gqAJJ92OXlQ96jRpLNpk

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

* Songs To Chew ~ subscribe - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CD albums & downloads ~

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Stronga Sep 04, 2020

This week's Song To Chew from my CAMPING WITH DADS album is "Stronga". I made up the word to remind us that our old stories about "male strength" don't include the concept that 'true strength' has an element of empathy for those who don't have the same strength and access that we do. It takes real "stronga" strength to pay attention and hold back our advantage, so someone else can be lifted and helped. When someone goes out of their way to give us a break or help us when they didn't have to, it's treasured, and love is part of that. "Stronga strength" is not selfish. I'm hoping parents and their kids will listen to this album together, and talk about the ideas in the songs and discussions.

* https://peteralsop.hearnow.com ~ my NEW! CAMPING WITH DADS album

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ peteralsop.com

https://play.google.com/store/music/collection/cluster?clp=sgMjCiEKG0FwYm1uNHBnMmV3NDVtY2tsa3dvZzR0aHN0cRADGAI%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLvD7o&gsr=CiayAyMKIQobQXBibW40cGcyZXc0NW1ja2xrd29nNHRoc3RxEAMYAg%3D%3D%3AS%3AANO1ljLfKDA&fbclid=IwAR0rgDfA5z6CrrxsADzPOfMEde8EyqPp6LZjWH1gqAJJ92OXlQ96jRpLNpk

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* Patreon.com/peteralsop ~ support my music, podcast & other artistic endeavors

* Songs To Chew ~ subscribe - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/peter-alsops-songs-to-chew/id1446179156

* CDs & downloads ~

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Buckdancer's Daddy Aug 28, 2020

Today's SONG TO CHEW is "Buckdancer's Daddy". Thought we might take a break from politics, but I know that politics isn't something "out there somewhere", away from us. It's part of the everyday fabric of our lives. We learn political skills watching our how our parents deal with life. This song's based on a true story from my friend Beverly Cotten-Dillard. Byron Berline and John Hickman play fiddle and banjo with us. The story helps us remember how each of us diverse humans are tasked with doing our own little dances here on this bumbly beautiful world of ours. Please let your friends know about this SONGS TO CHEW podcast. It's free. I'll be back next week with another song from my new CAMPING WITH DADS album! Bye for now, be safe! (Illustration by #TerriAsher )

* Peteralsop.hearnow.com ~ my NEW! CAMPING WITH DADS album

* E-mail/ Website ~ peter@peteralsop.com ~ peteralsop.com