Spotlight Series: DJ Jagged Little Thrill

What show are you currently hosting? I actually have two shows. One is called What the Funk and the other is Word on the Street. On Word on the Street, we pick a word each week.. Last week our word was butter. What the Funk has a theme each week, but bare minimum the songs have to have the “funk.”  We do play a bunch of pure funk songs but we also feature different genres. We put on a lot of George Clinton, definitely some James Brown.

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How do you define “funk”? We talk a lot about it on the show. Naming that unnamable in a song, the feeling you get in your gut when it’s good. It doesn’t have to be upbeat or groovy, it can just be a bass-line or vocal that makes you feel settled in yourself.

What are the origins of your shows?So for What the Funk, Amy was in a class. They were talking about the concept of the funk and she sent me a powerpoint that this class did. We knew we wanted to co host because we have similar tastes and perspectives. It all just came together at the right time.

Have you had other shows before? This is my second year. But I was abroad last semester. I actually did radio when I was in Dublin. I went to Trinity college. It’s only on the internet, so it’s not actually broadcasted. But I continued What the Funk there alone, at like 3pm, which is a very different vibe. Last year both my shows were 2am-3am, and now what the funk is from midnight – 1am, Word on the Street is 1am – 2am. 

What made you join WESU? Did you come to college with the intention of doing radio?I kinda thought about it. My dad and actually my grandpa were both college DJs. At Wesfest, WESU had an open house and Beth Townsend (the President of WESU in 2018-19) showed me around and I thought the station was so cool. I was like: This feels like Wesleyan. I do improv comedy so i feel like I’m okay with spontaneously talking in a performative way. And I love music, music is my first love so radio felt like a good intersection. 

Besides the influence of your family, do you have any other inspirations? Any podcasts or radio shows at WESU? I listen to the station most often when I have a show that night and I’m in my room staying awake. Ben Spencer (Current Program Director) has a show before What the Funk on Wednesdays and it’s all vinyl. I’m loving listening to that because people at the station don’t use vinyl enough. He’s got a cool taste. Yeah I’m a big podcast person. I don’t really listen to music podcasts really except for Dolly Parton’s America.  

How would you describe your taste in music? I’m interested in a lot of genres. My roots are indie rock and rock n roll, like 60s, 70s. My music awakening when I was in like seventh grade was Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey, like everyone else. I started studying music recently. I took a class called History of Rock n roll and r&b class last year. Getting to contextualize all different eras of music has been really cool. I’d say my top artist of all time is Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Alanis Moirsette. 

I’m glad you jumped to that because I was just about to ask who your favorite artists of all time were. But who are you excited about right now? Right now… Phoebe Bridgers. Although this came out in 2017-2018, the album Stranger in the Alps. That whole album top to bottom. And her collaboration with Connor Oberset on Better Oblivion Community Center. Highly recommend that album. 

What is your dream line up at a show? Great question. I always ask people that. I’d want to see Joni Mithcell in her heyday, before her voice got shot by cigarettes. And… I mean, I’m a huge Beatles fan.

Ooooh my God, favorite Beatles album: Go.  Oh lord… Rubber Soul.

Respect. Sorry for the interruption. Any other albums that mean something to you? The album that always makes me angry and sad and everything is Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Moirsette. 

When you’re not aggressively preparing for your shows, what do you do in your free time? I’m in an improv group on campus called Desperate Measures. We have a show on Friday, February 28th. And we’re doing a 24 hour show after spring break. It’s 24 hours of improv in the Wesco Cafe. I also run a magazine with my friend Stef called Midriff. It’s a women centric magazine. I also journal, big journaller. Makes sense because I’m an English Major. 

Any hot food takes? When beets were becoming a thing, I pretended to be into them because my mom was and I thought they were healthy. But now I’m coming out and saying that I don’t like beets. 

Favorite noise? I’m into the AMSR stuff. Like Pickle crunching. I like that.

How would you commit what in your mind is “the perfect crime?” If you were going to murder someone, the best way would be to drown them. No fingerprints. Easy to do. Best case scenario: you push them into the water from a high distance. Like off a bridge. 

If you had to rename yourself?  I kinda have already because my name is Julia Rose and I go by JR. But if I had to pick a different name, it’d be Mac.

And that’s all folks. Thanks so much DJ Jagged Little Thrill!