J.L. Massimino / Community DJ

Community host of The J.L. Massimino Show

What’s the name of your show? The J.L. Massimino Show

What’s your show about and when does it air? Exposing listeners to music that I like. My tastes are all over the place and while my show typically plays “alternative” music, I enjoy playing whatever is in my brain that week. It airs Wednesdays from 9 pm to 11 pm. ​If you’ve missed any of my shows or just want to hear them again, please visit my Mixcloud page. ​

Is there a story behind your on-air name?  J.L. – my initials. My family has always called me J.L. – there were way too many people named Jack in my family and they didn’t want me to be saddled with the name “Little Jack” for my entire life. J.L. sounds like a fake radio name so it works!

How long has your show been on the air? April 27, 2016 was my first show.

Tell us about a funny incident that happened during your show. The Improv Club meets during the first hour of my show so I learned pretty quickly to keep the studio door closed; a loud scene startled me before a talk break on my first show!

What do you like to do in your spare time? My favorite thing to do is go to a new city and explore – record stores, restaurants and just being amongst the people in a new place is such a great experience. I try to hit up concerts as much as possible, favoring small venues or house shows over the big places. My son or wife (and off-air producer), or both, are usually with me during these experiences. It’s wonderful making memories with those two! When I’m home I’m listening to music, catching up on TV shows and hanging with my cats.

Have you gotten any funny calls during your show? One time someone called in a request for a song from Glee. Yes, I watched the show but no, I don’t really want to hear any of the songs from it again.

What is one of your most memorable concert experiences? I’ve been fortunate to have gone to over 100 concerts in the last decade-plus and have had many memorable experiences. One of the craziest was October 5, 2015 in Detroit. I had seen Kraftwerk once before, in 2005, and it was an amazing show. They came through again on their 3D tour and put on a visually stunning show at the Masonic Temple. Afterward, I hit up the after party at MOCAD. It was insane – the founders of Detroit techno (Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson) all did DJ sets and then – THEN! – Kraftwerk arrived. They spent some time in the DJ booth and then just hung around the crowd. I got to stand a few feet from the most influential electronic musicians in the world! It’s a night I will never forget.

Tell us something about yourself that people might find surprising. I still prefer and purchase physical media (CDs, vinyl, cassettes) to digital media. The convenience of mp3s and streaming is nice, but the fidelity just isn’t there.