John Richards

Conversation in the booth: "How did we miss this? We need to play this forever."

In honor of our friend Chris in Napa... Earlier this month we got an email from Michael Calegari My best friend, Christopher Kennedy, died yesterday. He was loved by so many people it has hit our community (Napa) very hard. He was only 52. Music was his thing and he turned a lot of us on to a lot of great music. After years of many new bands, many intimate shows, and me always asking him how he was able to find such good new music all the time, he told me the secret. KEXP. He called the show with so many requests. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone there knew who he was. He did visit the studio once. He was also a donor. It would mean the world to me and so many of our friends if you could mention something about his passing. If there is something on the other side, this act would make his beam shine so bright. Much love and gratitude to all of you. You affected his life so much which, in turn, affected all of us. P.S. He had a lot of little sayings that everyone adopted. One of them was “Preesh” which he would say instead of “appreciated.” Everyone that knew him knows and uses it and it would be fantastic if that could be worked into the farewell. Preesh for listening or something along those lines. -- We also got this note this morning from former KCMU PD Faith Henschel-Ventrello The Memorial is next Sunday. Thomas Keller, the owner of the French Laundry is preparing food for 300 and I am thinking about 500 people will show up. He was that important to us. He LOVED music and he especially loved you. I was hoping all I could forward all of the posts he did about you and the station but here at least is his 2019 Top 19 with his mention of John. Thank you if you can do this for him. Much love! Faith Henschel-Ventrello (MD at KCMU now and 30 years ago) xo THE 10 BEST RECORDS OF 2019 (in my humble opinion, anyway....) 3: Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten My greatest live show epiphany came from this artist. On a rainy January night in a big red barn in Sonoma (thank you, Chrissy Pearce Jeffries!) Sharon sat down at a piano and turned in a brilliant — and timely — cover of Sinead O’Conner’s “Black Boys on Mopeds” before tearing into the urgency of her own song “Seventeen.” Mind blown. I saw a lot of shows this past year, but THAT was the moment. Still reeling the next day, I sent an email to KEXP morning DJ John Richards in Seattle requesting the Sinead song and sharing my story. He read my story on the air telling all the listeners they were gonna be jealous (Sharon Van Etten? Barn in Sonoma? What??) and agreed to play the Sinead song, by prefacing it with: “I think you know what’s coming after this one.” Seventeen! -- His last text to KEXP Good morning, Evie!! No request today, or anything. Just wanted to say I love your show, and I appreciate you!!! Go enjoy a picnic or something after this. Much gratitude, Chris in Napa

Checkout the ideo of this version of this amazing Cheap Trick song via our pals at the AV Club. www.youtube.com