by Kitty
I asked some MPR DJs to tell me about their most memorable on-air moments with guests.
Dave Noodlez, Type 88
My favorite interview was with my dad, Barry Nudelman. It’s interesting when you think about how long you may know someone, but how many times do you actually get a chance to sit down and talk to them for even an hour?
Growing up, my dad was always in action. He was always moving fast. He worked as a music teacher at IS 75. He would come home, eat a little, and then work the night shift, playing music professionally on Broadway. He was in shows like Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and Damn Yankees. Looking back, it seemed as if we had all the time in the world, but now I’m like, “Wow, that went quick.” When everyone is busy every day, it’s hard to have a long conversation with anyone anymore.
Thanks to MakerPark, we got a chance to have a nice, long conversation with no interruptions.
I got to hear his stories about what he was like as a kid and how he took his passion for music and turned it into a lifelong profession and a way to provide for his family. He also gave a big shout-out to my mom during the interview, which was heartfelt.
The station has given me a chance to hear so many amazing stories, but this one right here is one I’ll always remember.
Demystify Neil, Demystify
It’s approaching two years that I’ve been doing my show Demystify on Maker Park Radio, where I frequently have guests and get to ask them anything I want. My first awkward question was my initial pitch to station manager Kristin Wallace, asking if I could do a show with guests. I wanted to combine my love of music with a burgeoning need for deep and meaningful conversation, a mode of operating that grew out of grief. I had just experienced losing my late wife Leah to breast cancer. Finality invites introspection and self discovery; it dispenses with bullshit.
Our conversations became very real and raw, but also became about something bigger than us. Upon losing Leah I found myself continuing to go deep with friends, especially those who had also experienced profound loss. When I told my friend Jane Park that I felt like I constantly needed to talk to people to “babysit my emotions” she responded, “I think that’s called friendship.” This all collided with COVID, a time where everyone was rethinking everything about their lives and existence anyway, so discourse tended to just get naturally gnarlier and deeper. During these conversations I’d often think, “This should be a show.” Shit got good when it got real. The best talks resulted in me feeling it should be heard by others or that it was something I’d listen to at home.
My shows have been an effort to replicate that. I don’t know how successful I’ve been at hitting those conversational heights with my guests, but I try to bring out their story and personal truths. And when it’s at its best it isn’t an interview, it’s a real…I know, I’m using the word too much…conversation.
Very early on, before I really knew any of my fellow DJs well, I spoke with Kitty the DJ about guests. She told me, “No one is bigger than the station,” and that opened up everything for me. I’ve taken advantage of the platform and done things I truly didn’t expect to accomplish. I’ve had guests from some of my favorite bands like indie rock heroes Home and State Champion. Friends have talked about their careers in film and music, including music editor Annette Kudrak, film producer Jack Turner, rapper Melissa Czarnik, choreographer Gabri Crista and Nigel Rawles and Genie Morrow of Sputnik the Band. I got to talk with J.Period, Milk Dee and James Lo about their work and lives. When longtime studio musician and country-ish performer Pemberton Roach did the show, he promoted the show on Instagram with a song about being on Demystify that totally made my heart soar. Unbelievably, I got to have a long conversation with Tommy James, whose classic bubblegum sound I’ve always been into and who has one of the absolute greatest songs of all time, enabling me to openly ask him to tell me anything and everything about Crimson & Clover.
When my friend and local karaoke host Karen Singer guested, she demonstrated a vocal method she had used to try to hypnotize people and it was one of my favorite things that’s happened on any of my shows. Looking to potential future shows, DJ Kung Pao reached out to me about having [redacted – no spoilers!] on my show, saying he’d been wanting to get this guest on Maker Park Radio and he thought I was the guy. Whether that show ever happens or not, that encouragement and recommendation meant everything. Beyond my own show I’m also floored by guests on other Maker Park Radio shows. Just last month I fangirl’d out over Brooklyn-based hip hop artists Felukah on Hala Maroc’s We Exist and Homeboy Sandman on EnPsyClopedia Sounds with PsyClonus.
Great gets like that inspire me to continue to reach out to more of the artists I love. Lookout Lovely Eggs and Dorian Electra, the Demystify hotseat awaits.
Lorenzo Mameli, The Rocker
I just marked my 5th year at Maker Park Radio. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing members of Black Rose Burning, King Like Mom, Modern Day Machines, Radioactive Material and The Flesh Junkies, as well as several of my fellow dj’s.
There were memorable performances by the extraordinary Springsteen cover band, Saints in the City; the incredible power-pop harmonies of Brother Dynamite; a clinic in rock guitar by virtuoso Pupa Santiago; and, most recently, an intimate set by Cancion Franklin, a roots/country/blues singer-songwriter originally from Arizona.
Three artists have made repeat visits and have secured a devoted following among my listeners: blues belters Brewster Moonface, who are led by the powerful voice and stunning presence of Julie Notwicz; master rock songcrafters Our Own Yokos; and country rocker Dan Corio, who’s making a name for himself in Nashville.
There aren’t words strong enough to express how fulfilling it is to help expose these artists to a larger audience.