Santa Monica-based public radio station KCRW has a program where "guests sit down with KCRW DJs and share the music that has inspired them." This includes sets and reminiscences from Neil LaBute, John Cusack, Jason Schwartzman, Padma Lakshmi, and Danny DeVito, among others. Biggest shocker: DeVito lost his virginity at a Lightning Bolt show. Just kidding. What's not a shocker is that one of the other DJs, Conan O'Brien, loves music. We've seen him get excited about different bands on various occasions -- though maybe none more than Yeasayer -- and show up in White Stripes videos, etc. He talks about Jack and Meg during his set with KCRW's Jason Bentley.
JASON BENTLEY: There is something really thrilling and primal about Jack and Meg White, just guitar and drums.
CONAN: Yes!
JB: And you chose this song, "Ball and Biscuit," what is the significance here?
CONAN: This song contains a lot of what I really like about The White Stripes which is they are not interested in polish. It's the honesty of what they are doing and they are really in touch with, you know, the force behind the music, rather than technically, getting the cleanest sound. And Jack and Meg have been on the show many, many times.
I actually met them before they were the White Stripes. Years ago, I was in Detroit shooting a remote for my show and I went to a bowling alley with two of my writers and we were just bowling and drinking beer. And these two young people came over and were chatting us up because they recognized me from television and, ya know, the future White Stripes. And we just hung out and they weren't the White Stripes yet and then years later they reminded me "do you remember we hung out in a bowling alley?" And I have a huge amount of respect and affection for them. I really think they're artists. They are the real thing.
Then he talks Dylan, specifically "Buckets of Rain":
CONAN: Dylan is an obvious choice but this is a song that I don't think gets a ton of play on the radio. I love this song. This song haunts me, but also I love crazy lyrics. And Bob Dylan has written a lot of hard to decipher lyrics over the years, but I actually believe this is the song that contains the craziest lyrics of all. I challenge other Dylan fans to top the line that's in this song -- "little red wagon, little red bike, I ain't no monkey but I know what I like." I mean, I think about that line all of the time...What's he talking about??It sounds good.
And there have been many times where I've been at a loss for words and people are saying 'come on Conan, this is important! The show starts in an hour, what should we do?' And I'll say "little red wagon, little red bike, I ain't no monkey but I know what I like" and I'll walk out of the room and they'll say 'Wow, he's a genius. No one's as deep as Conan...'
This is what the complete song selection looks like on paper/computer:
The Clash - "Wrong Em Boyo"
White Stripes - "Ball and Biscuit"
Bob Dylan - "Buckets of Rain"
Radiohead - "Fake Plastic Trees"
Beatles - "My Bonnie"
Listen to Conan's set here. You can hear and read transcripts of all the 10-minute sets at the KCRW site. Future guests include Janeane Garafalo, Tony Hawk, DIGG Founder Kevin Rose, and Zach Braff.
