The Lord is my happening; he's where it's all at.

December 15, 2013 6:00 PM

In the late 60s, Lutheran clergyman John Rydgren hosted the weekly radio Silhouette, broadcast across the US and in Vietnam, and squarely aimed at the flower power generation. Silhouette Segments (1968) was a double-album which compiled short excerpts from the show. I've compiled as many of the tracks as I can find (see below). But perhaps it makes sense to begin with the Hippie Version of Creation: "The Cat flipped a switch, blinked those big, eternal eyes, and he dug the switch action. 'Yeah... I'll take it.' "

1. Music to Watch Girls By (2:52) "Check this out. They say God created people in the beginning of things. Girls included. Quite a design. God made it. You might think about that the next time you're watching a girl. Not to take the fun out of it. Just makes girl-watching mean more."
2. Personality Doll of the Week
3. Mercy Mercy Mercy
4. Hippie Version of the 23rd Psalm (1:01) "The Lord is my happening; he's where it's all at. He tricks me sweetly - he never bugs me."
5. Rinky Dink (2:50) "Man said, 'Can you help me think ten feet tall?' And God said, 'Even higher.' And Man said, 'How high?' "
6. An Offering of Music (2:34) "In the middle of swirling light and driving sounds a man stood by his drums, cymbals, guitars and amplifiers, and he said - without saying words - 'Lord, I offer my music to you. The loud and soft sounds, the distortion, the emotion of my sound, I offer to you.' And God said, 'D'ya know what you're saying?' "
7. Disadvantages of Life (2:27) "Escape if you can - you know, 'la la la' your way through life."
8. Hippie Version of Creation (3:44) "The Cat flipped a switch, blinked those big, eternal eyes, and he dug the switch action. 'Yeah... I'll take it.' "
9. Search It Out (1:37) "Look inside, girl - search it out."
10. Transistor Father
11. Plea of a Lonely Girl (1:15) "Summer wind is God in his gentle form of love saying, 'Hi!' "
12. To Sir With Love
13. The Happening (3:11) "They're young. They think."
14. Groovin' on a Saturday Night
15. Dark Side of the Flower (4:12) "In the garden grows a flower, bending low to the earth, its face in the dust. I can see the dark side of the flower. Can you see the dark side of the flower?"
16. Dedicated to the One I Love (1:30) "Maybe my love isn't really love at all, because it can be a drag."
17. Christmas Montage
18. Portrait of Christ
19. Sweet Home (1:00) "Home, sweet home. Right Mom?"
20. The Lord is My Shepherd (0:55) "The Lord is my shepherd: in the city...in a crowd...in a jet, slicing through the sky...in the middle of war...at a funeral..."
21. The Oil Painting (0:57) "He's reaching out to the sun - and from the intense look on his face, it seems he wishes he could reach way outside himself."
22. The Air Terminal (0:56) "He loves everybody - not like a giant Santa Claus in the sky."
23. Butterfly (0:57) "What could be more silent than a butterfly doing push-ups in a lemon meringue pie?"
24. Here Lies the Church (0:58) "They say he opens your eyes to beauty, flowers, people, you and God - no drugs needed."
25. Move Out in Style (0:58) "You ready for all the luxury one big, swingin' world can offer?"
26. A Simple Stroll (1:02) "They say God seems kinda close to a person at a time like that - you know, when the go-go world can't crowd him out."
27. The Noise (1:02) "No money-back guarantee you'll be free of noise, confusion, pain, pressures, decisions - uh-uh. He just says, 'Trust me, man.' "
28. Great to Build Something (0:59) "They say that's the way God feels about what he's made."
29. The Disadvantages (0:59) "If you decide to stay around and be part of the struggle for sanity, you might not wanna go it all on your own."
30. A Beautiful Girl (0:53) "You can sure see what draws a guy to look at these ads. Nothing Man has made - God made girls. Of course, Man has given them the big 'sex symbol' image, but God made the initial form. Quite a design. Have to think about that the next time I'm watching a girl."

posted by paleyellowwithorange (18 comments total)

The seventh day of any week is for swinging sweetly with serenity.

This is the best thing ever.
posted by Reasonably Everything Happens at 6:19 PM on December 15, 2013

this is better than the folk masses
posted by PinkMoose at 6:44 PM on December 15, 2013

As a Lutheran that hit hippiedom in the late '60's, I'm amazed I wasn't aware of this... Thanks for the post...!

And, it reminded me of this..
posted by HuronBob at 6:48 PM on December 15, 2013

This is basically where the modern megachurch Evangelical movement was born, isn't it?
posted by Sara C. at 6:48 PM on December 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

And eleven long-haired friends of Jesus in a chartreuse microbus...
posted by Devonian at 7:13 PM on December 15, 2013 [10 favorites]

This is like a really, really, really square version of Lord Buckley.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:20 PM on December 15, 2013 [5 favorites]

In the late 60s, Lutheran clergyman John Rydgren hosted the weekly radio Silhouette, broadcast across the US and in Vietnam, and squarely aimed at the flower power generation.

I see what you did there.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:08 PM on December 15, 2013 [4 favorites]

This is basically where the modern megachurch Evangelical movement was born, isn't it?

This is sort of more more true than you might realize - try looking up the history of the Jesus People (or Jesus Freaks, the label chosen by their detractors). One book that covers that (though with a focus on much else) is When God Talks Back.

Anyhoo, great post, and i am going to listen to the heck out of this thing.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:18 PM on December 15, 2013

Yeah, I'm dimly aware of the Jesus People, which is part of what motivated the comment. I haven't actually read anything substantive about it, though. Thanks for the link!
posted by Sara C. at 8:28 PM on December 15, 2013

Short bits from this album used to be played (by me and others) on college radio in the 80s and 90s as interstitials between punk songs (our show) and early "cool and strange" / lounge shows. Fit in great!
posted by acroyear at 8:37 PM on December 15, 2013

Dope smoking hippies weren't anti-religion. Rather quite the opposite. Jesus is just alright with me.
posted by three blind mice at 9:41 PM on December 15, 2013 [1 favorite]

God, I miss the 60s. (I'm probably pretty unique in that respect, huh?)

Love,

Crowded Out by the Go-Go World
posted by Chitownfats at 9:46 PM on December 15, 2013

> This is basically where the modern megachurch Evangelical movement was born, isn't it?

Off by decades. You'll have to look back to the 1920s and Sister Aimee's Foursquare Church for that. Reminiscent of the media-savvy evangelist success stories of recent decades, she even used the word "megachurch", was a major media pioneer (in her case, radio), lived a good life off parishioner donations, and secured notoriety with a career-damaging sex scandal.

Billy Graham had also become a well-established national figure with his (scandal-free) television ministry by the mid-1960s.
posted by ardgedee at 5:37 AM on December 16, 2013

Probably you can trace the movement to 19th century revivals and the 18th century(?) "Great Awakening".
posted by thelonius at 5:56 AM on December 16, 2013

Heavy, man.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:26 AM on December 16, 2013

Seriously, this whole thing is like a time capsule created specifically for people 45 years in the future to find and mock.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:28 AM on December 16, 2013

THIS IS MY CREATION AND IT FREAKS ME OUT!
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:52 AM on December 16, 2013

It's so deeply uncool that it comes right around to being cool again. This is the best.
posted by emjaybee at 9:54 AM on December 16, 2013 [1 favorite]