Peter Alsop‘s SONGS TO CHEW

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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!

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

* Get 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

Eulogy Nov 20, 2020

Show notes

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.

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

* 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?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

Hopelessly Heterosexual Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

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-

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

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

* 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 ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

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

Dads 'N Boys Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

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! ~

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

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

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

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

Different Choice Oct 30, 2020

Show notes

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

* www.FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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 ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

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

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

Show notes

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 ~

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

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

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

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

Gotta Be Somewhere Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

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

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

* FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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 ~ http://www.peteralsop.com/music

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

I Brought A Gorilla Home Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

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

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

* FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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 ~

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

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

I Wear Pink! Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

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

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

* Facebook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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 ~

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

Asleep At The Helm Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

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

* FaceBook.com/WeLikePeterAlsop

* 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

* 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

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