Have you ever noticed that when Fred Armisen plays an instrument on Saturday Night Live, he’s ACTUALLY playing the instrument? Playing all right notes on guitar and actually keeping the beat on drums?
That’s because, as some folks may know, he started his career as a musician. He played in punk bands and he celebrates the genre as “a very positive, happy celebratory type of music” –unlike the angry movement some make it out to be — in his Guest DJ Project set. He also calls Prince the “Steve Jobs of …

Mary Ellen Mark is one of the most respected photographers in the world and captured famous shots of Dennis Hopper and Federico Fellini. She often chooses to turn her camera on some of those less fortunate as well, addressing social issues like homelessness.
When it comes to music, however, she’s a true romantic.
In her Guest DJ Project set, Mary Ellen takes us on a musical tour of her entire life – from her time as head cheerleader in high school, to the Fulbright scholarship that launched her love of travel, and …

Emma Forrest got her start as a music journalist and segued into a career as a novelist/screenwriter. Her memoir “Your Voice in My Head”, released last year, was an impactful portrait of mental illness.
In her Guest DJ Project set, Emma’s wittiness and charm are on full display as she discusses the songs that have meaning to her, mostly because of their heartfelt lyrics.
The UK author, now based in LA shows us the sexy side of Bob Dylan, the importance of cover songs in exposing “alternate narratives”, as well as the …

Chef Jonathan Waxman has been one of my favorite food personalities since I saw him compete on Season 2 of Top Chef Masters. His fellow chefs – and competitors — lovingly called him “Obi Wan” for his Zen-like approach. He is considered one of the founders of California cuisine and I like to think that “chill” demeanor came from the West Coast (he’s now based in NYC and is behind the restaurant Barbuto).
I learned a lot in his Guest DJ Project set — that he plays trombone, that aspiring chefs …

From KCRW DJ and Comic Collector Eric J Lawrence:
In the pantheon of comic book writers (and since they write about god-like superheroes, why shouldn’t they be treated as god-like themselves!), Scotsman Grant Morrison is up there with the greats.
Having crafted mind-blowing concepts and stories since the late ‘70s, he has helped revitalize a sense of wonder in the moribund world of caped crusaders.  Between his tackling of legendary characters like Batman, Superman and the X-Men, the rehabilitation of also-ran heroes as Animal Man and the Doom Patrol, and his own …

Though he has the letters CEO next to his name, Elon Musk is most definitely a creative individual – as he says in his Guest DJ Project set, he thinks of himself as an engineer first and only took on running companies so he could pursue his innovative exploits without interference from others.
Elon is also the CEO of Tesla Motors and one of the creators of Pay Pal so it’s safe to say he has, and will continue to, change the world through technology.
In a Guest DJ Project first, we …

From KCRW DJ Eric J Lawrence:
Back in 2008, when we were first putting together a wish-list of people to invite for our Guest DJ Project, my personal batch of long-shot possibilities included folks like beloved public TV host Huell Howser, legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, ghost hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, indie-“It Girl” Zooey Deschanel, and absurdist comedians Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim.
Over three years later I’ve managed to score only one of my dream guests (Huell!), but this week another domino falls, as Tim Heidecker graciously stopped by …

It seems that any actor/actress who appeared on Arrested Development has a cult following, Mae Whitman among them, though she is best known these days for her role on Parenthood**.  She plays a rebellious teenager on the NBC series, but she’s  thoughtful, sentimental and surprisingly nostalgic – considering she’s only 23 years old — in her Guest DJ Project set. Especially when talking about The Replacements…
Mae Whitman on KCRW Guest DJ Project by KCRW
She also outs herself as an “Eastside hipster for life,” which is a brave thing …

This week Bret McKenzie, one half of the comedic musical duo Flight of the Conchords, hinted that a movie based on their beloved HBO series might be in the works.
I’ve never been a huge fan of musical comedy in general, but Bret and partner Jemaine strike the perfect balance because they write really great pop songs, and the hilarious lyrics are icing on the cake.
In his Guest DJ Project set we find out how Bret got so funky (the “godfather of soul” helped a lot), why music was better in …

It’s been a big year at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art – with the incredible Tim Burton exhibit, all the excitement around the arrival of the giant granite boulder that will be know as Levitated Mass, and their participation in Pacific Standard Time, a collaboration of cultural institutions to celebrate the LA art scene between 1945 and 1980.
We were thrilled LACMA director Michael Govan found some time to drop by our studios to tape the Guest DJ Project
Michael Govan on KCRW’s Guest DJ Project by KCRW
We …