Peter Alsop‘s SONGS TO CHEW

Latest Episodes:

Snake Dance Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

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!

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

* 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-

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

Anthropologist Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

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!

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

* 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-

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* Youtube.com/peteralsop ~ videos

* www.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

Dragon Who Flies By My Window Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

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.

* To subscribe to my weekly Songs To Chew podcast ~

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

* For 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-

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

Clean Out The Attic Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

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'!

* Subscribe to my weekly - Songs To Chew podcast ~

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

* 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

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

We Can Bounce Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

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!

* Subscribe to my Songs To Chew podcast ~

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

* 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-

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

Some Gifts Come With Strings Attached Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

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!

* Subscribe to my weekly - Songs To Chew podcast ~

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

* 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

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

When Jesus Was A Kid Dec 25, 2020

Show notes

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

* Subscribe to my weekly - Songs To Chew podcast ~

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

* 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

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

Christmas Cheer Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

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!

* Subscribe to this Songs To Chew podcast ~

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

* My new 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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

Buy Me Something! Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

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.

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

* My new CAMPING WITH DADS album! ~

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

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

* http://www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

The Night Before Hanukkah Dec 04, 2020

Show notes

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.

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

* My new CAMPING WITH DADS album! ~ https://www.amazon.com/Camping-Dads-Peter-Alsop/dp/B08CS871QW

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

* http://www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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