Mike Janssen

(Prompted by a Facebook meme, cross-posted) Update: At the request of adam (below), I have added in brackets all names of people mentioned in this post, and links when possible. Frank Zappa, Apostrophe I got into this thanks to a friend of mine [Ed Norris] in eighth grade. It led to many years of pretending to like a lot more Zappa a lot more than I really did (which took a while to realize). But I still have a weakness for this album. Looking back, I think maybe what hooked me on it the most was the warm production, smooth but not slick. … Continue Reading

Gleanings from recent readings: * Susan Sontag wins a price for highest comma-to-word ratio in a sentence in “Notes on Camp”: “But all style, that is, artifice, is, ultimately, epicene.” I did have to look up “epicene.”. Arin recommended that I read “Notes on Camp” after I urged her to watch “Kittens, Inspired by Kittens!”, now perhaps my favorite YouTube clip ever, after “I’m a Kitty Cat,”, which is still pretty great. As I read the high-minded Sontag I was amused several instances per page that I was reading it because of “Kittens, Inspired by Kittens!” * In the entry on Pink … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3–5 a.m., Feb. 17, 2009

1. “Dear Dolores” — Ellis Marsalis, Loved Ones
2. “Willow Weep for Me” — Art Tatum, The Best Of
3. “Frog-I-More Rag” — David Boeddinghaus, Crumb (sdtk.)
4. “Solace: A Mexican Serenade” — Alexander Peskanov, comp. Scott Joplin, Scott Joplin: Piano Rags
5. “The Dicty Glide” — Don Byron, Bug Music
6. “Soft Winds” — Benny Goodman w/Charlie Christian, The Benny Goodman Sextet (1939-1941)
7. “Delaunay’s Dilemma” — Modern Jazz Quartet, Django
8. “Sét Alamenem” — Girma Bèyènè, Ethiopiques 8: Swinging Addis
9. “Das Meer” — September Collective, *All the Birds Were … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3–5 a.m., Feb. 10, 2009

Less music than usual to make room for babbling in hopes of inducing people to call in and pledge money. One nice fellow and regular listener to my show did call, but we couldn’t hook him up with the premium CD he was wanting, so he didn’t pledge. Another caller said he didn’t have any money in his checking account. I’ve been there, dude. I’m going to stop the live Twitter feed for the time being — it’s too much work, and probably no one … Continue Reading

Updates: I have more beer than a man needs. My grilled cheese sandwich is browning nicely in olive oil. Sometimes, I just want a grilled cheese sandwich. I have a hard time imagining the world on the other side of my Internet. Is it real? I’ve been thinking about a title for my show on WPFW. The station has labeled the slot I’m in “Overnight Jazz.” But some hosts announce their shows as “Overnight Jazz: The [fill in the blank] Edition.” A personal stamp. I noticed that on some internal document the program director had put me down as “Jazz/Reggae” host. Which … Continue Reading