Joe #1

Getting up at 6:15 a.m. to be on Joe Escalante's morning show on Indie 103.1 at 8:00 was tough but worth it. I always had the impression that the station was some tiny hovel like KPFK (maybe due to Jonesy's gas attacks) but it's in a huge corporate compound. Joe's studio is actually quite cozy, though, and he, newsperson Liz, and traffic guy Jose are actually all in the same room.

I'm not going to detail everything that was said in that one segment because (1) I don't recall what I was spieling and (2) maybe it will be on a podcast or something. But some of the topics we touched on include GR50, gr/eats, multitasking, Murakami, Beard Papa, uncool Asian popular culture, lame PR people, donuts and Chinese food, Garbage Grove, and Dustin Nguyen getting his eye gouged. I will add that Joe doesn't need time to prep or baby guests before they go on the air. He scribbles down some rough ideas, arranges them in a way that works, and freestyles it from there. He pulls it off because he's a smart guy and witty guy. And he knows GR pretty well, too.

Sadly, Joe won't make it to Saturday's GR Biennale at JANM since he'll be in Mexico playing with Sweet & Tender Hooligans. But there are plans for lunch in Culver City in the works.

Thanks, Joe!