I’m a huge foodie – not so much as an eater, but as a consumer of food shows and food blogs. I haven’t eaten at any of Chef David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants in New York, but I’ve always been intrigued by his personality. I enjoy creative spirits who find their success from having a strong point of view and I was tickled by his comment in his Guest DJ Project set that a restaurant’s attitude is defined by its music. (He also reveals that he …

From KCRW DJ Eric J Lawrence:
Despite my tender youth, I’ve been privileged to witness just about every kind of live music performance under the sun, from pyrotechnic-filled arena rock to opulent Chinese opera to improvised hippie drum-circles.  Consequently I’ve become something like a sonic Anthony Bourdain, always in search of the unexpected and the unlikely in the world of popular music.  Last month, an opportunity arose to check out one such event.
Comedian Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” fame joined a couple dozen musicians in performing music from his forthcoming big …

I must admit, I was a little late to the Mad Men party. I kept hearing raves about the show from people I trust, but I just don’t watch that much TV. Then I happened upon a Mad Men marathon on a rainy Sunday and watched 5 straight episodes – I was totally hooked. It’s like a moving photo. It’s beautiful and every line is perfectly composed. And the music is great too.
Turns out, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner is a true music fan — we hung out in the …

From KCRW volunteer Sierra Drucker —
On March 18th Kevin Rose resigned from his own pioneering internet news site, Digg, to pursue a new, thus far unnamed, venture.  This notorious internet entrepreneur, and one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People on the Web” according to Time and BusinessWeek, is keeping us guessing.  If you’ve seen The Social Network, then you know when it comes to web innovators, it’s always about being ahead of the game.
A few years ago Rose stopped by the KCRW studio for a Guest DJ set.  According …

In a Guest DJ Project first, we hosted a duo — Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the sisters behind the fashion line Rodarte.
People have asked me to book pairs in the past but I always decline, citing that the point of the show is to really get to know someone personally through their music tastes. And music tastes are truly PERSONAL – I don’t care if you’re married or business partners, chances are different songs affected and inspired you throughout your life.
However, I had heard the Mulleavy sisters are really tight …

I’m going to be honest, I was a little scared to meet Marc Maron, a stand up comedian and host of the popular WTF Podcast. He is famously known as someone who does not hold back with his anger and I wanted to be sure his time here in the basement of KCRW was spent enjoyably talking about music.
And it was, except for when he gave us crap for not playing enough AC/DC.
Marc started off by saying he uses his iPod “like an I.V. unit” to elevate whatever mood he …

Rashida Jones is one of my favorite comedic actresses – from “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” to “I Love You, Man” (a movie I appreciate more and more as my boyfriend attempts to turn me into a Rush fan).  But, digging into her music tastes, it’s hard to ignore that Rashida is also the daughter of one of the most influential men in music — Quincy Jones.
She had a particularly hard job of narrowing down her song list and accused us of “systematic torture” for making her choose only …

Kerry Simon was dubbed the “rock n roll chef” by Rolling Stone magazine years ago and it’s easy to see why. Not only do rockers seem to be drawn to his restaurants, he counts many of them as personal friends. He even “catered” the engagement of David Bowie and Iman, which happened in his kitchen when he was the chef at the Plaza. He tells that story and more as part of his Guest DJ Project set.
As far as his choices go, Simon is a fan of bands that push …

From KCRW DJ Anne Litt:
It’s “Oscar week” here in Hollywood.  The town is buzzing, all the streets are blocked off (I live near the Kodak Theater), and the KCRW Oscar pool is in full effect.  I confess that every year, I go to Oscar parties not so much for the actual awards, but to see friends and have dinner!
This year, I am looking forward to one category in particular though. Nominated for Best Actor is Colin Firth and, last fall I had the privilege of hosting him on KCRW’s Guest …

I loved Colleen Atwood’s work long before I knew her name. The Academy-award winning costume designer has an incredible array of movies under her belt, from Little Women – a favorite of DJ Marion Hodges – to Big Fish, a favorite of mine.
But she is best known for being a frequent Tim Burton collaborator, having worked on Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd and, most recently, Alice in Wonderland, for which she is nominated for an Oscar this year.
For her Guest DJ set, Colleen takes us …