The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music

Latest Episodes:

William King Mar 07, 2023

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This week on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music, Jay Jay welcomes very special guest & legendary artist William King! William is a singer, musician & choreographer who is a founding member of The Commodores. These two initially met through their shared experience of having dealt with prostate cancer which they have discussed previously - now, in this conversation, Jay wants to focus on William's remarkable musical background & journey. Jay Jay refers to The Commodores as being 'one of the few bands that have been around longer than Twisted.' William dives into their origin story & how it all began - from playing dive bars in Tuskegee Alabama, to meeting Lionel Richie and Thomas McClary playing pool when they were students in college. Jay & William have a surprising amount of parallels along their journeys, despite their backgrounds being in different parts of the country. Hear them share insights on making it in the music industry, & tell stories of their amazing musical legacies that are still ongoing - only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

Ken Kessler Feb 28, 2023

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This week Jay Jay welcomes his friend Ken Kessler back on the podcast! Ken is a Hi-Fi expert journalist, who joined Hi-Fi News & Record Review in 1983, to which he still contributes. He is also the author of "Quad: The Closest Approach", "McIntosh … For The Love Of Music", and co-author of "Sound Bites" and "KEF: Innovators In Sound." In this conversation, Jay Jay & Ken do a deep dive into the current state of Hi-Fi. Both share their journeys of how they ended up getting into Hi-Fi audio, & how their relationship to Hi-Fi has changed over the years. Ken & Jay Jay both have 40+ years of personal experience in this field. If you're looking for audio advice, or are just curious about the world of high fidelity audio - these are the guys to listen to! Don't miss the first part of their conversation, and stay tuned for parts 2 & 3 to be released in upcoming weeks. Only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

Peter Blauner Feb 21, 2023

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Jay Jay's friend & special guest Peter Blauner joins the conversation this week, on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Peter is a renowned author, journalist & television producer. Peter wanted to be a New York writer since ' as early as he could read.' Hear Jay & Peter discuss how New York has shaped their lives & careers - & get deep into what the writing process looks like behind the scenes in the literary, film & music worlds. Peter's most recent novel "Picture in the Sand" was published this year - on the book, Stephen King was quoted saying "On rare occasions I read a book that reminds me of why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place. This is such a book." Peter discusses his amazing journey with this novel, how it took nearly 20 years to develop and write, & the nuances behind writing a historically based novel. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

Dr. Taneja Revisited Jan 17, 2023

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This week we're revisiting an important episode from last year - as the focus is on Jay Jay's remarkable health journey & surviving prostate cancer, with special guest Dr. Samir Taneja. Dr. Samir Taneja is a urologist & surgeon who performed Jay Jay's prostate cancer operation in 2018. Jay Jay discusses why he finds it so important to educate yourself on any health concerns that are affecting your life, & shares his experience in doing so himself. Dr. Taneja shares his insight on prostate cancer diagnosis & methodology, and discusses the decisions that individuals who are diagnosed with prostate cancer have to weigh, differences between various treatments currently available, & why he finds active surveillance to be so important. You won't want to miss this informative story, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

Ellen Foley Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

This week's special guest is the incredibly talented vocalist Ellen Foley! Ellen is a singer and actress who has appeared on both Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court for one season. She has released five solo albums, & is also known for her collaborations with the rock singer Meat Loaf. Jay Jay & Ellen discuss their backgrounds, & all things New York & Rock n Roll. Ellen has known her whole life that rock n roll singing is her lane - tune in to hear her story & how she built an amazing career in music off of this certainty. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

Mark Thompson: "Don't Bump the Record Kid" Dec 06, 2022

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Today marks the release of Mark Thompson's book & memoir “Don’t Bump the Record, Kid.” Mark is a legendary radio personality and occasional actor, best known for the nationally syndicated Mark & Brian morning show, which aired on KLOS-FM/95.5 for 25 years. Mark & Jay Jay discuss the importance of going outside of existing formats - whether in radio, music, or any creative endeavor, & why it's important to disregard people's reactions/critiques when developing your craft. Hear all about Mark's unique journey and early years in radio, and share some of his favorite stories from his lifelong career in radio. Be sure to grab a copy of Mark's fantastic new book - “Don’t Bump the Record, Kid." - 100% of the proceeds for his book will go to the rescue and the welfare of animals in Southern California. For more information and updates about the book, check out myadventureswithmarkandbrian.com Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

Joe Lynn Turner - Belly of the Beast Nov 22, 2022

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Heavy metal legend Joe Lynn Turner is this week's guest on The Jay Jay French Connection! Joe is a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer - known both for his solo work & for being in the hard rock bands Rainbow, Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Deep Purple. Tune in to hear Jay Jay & Joe share stories, talk about some of their favorite memories & influences, & catch up after many years. Be sure to check out Joe's recently released record "Belly of the Beast." Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

David Libert Nov 15, 2022

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This week, Jay Jay hosts special guest David Libert! David is a legendary music executive, musician & author. Hear David & Jay Jay discuss his tell-all book about the music industry that was recently published - "Rock And Roll Warrior: My Misadventures with Alice Cooper, Prince, George Clinton, Living Colour, The Runaways, and More..." Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

Jay Jay on Music Criticism Nov 07, 2022

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Tune in this week to hear Jay Jay discuss why he firmly believes we all have the right to be opinionated, & how this applies to music and music criticism.

Jay Jay on Voting Nov 01, 2022

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This week we're running a timely conversation in which Jay Jay rants about voting, prior to the upcoming election. Hear Jay Jay talk about why he believes voting is so important, discuss polarization, & the difference in varying political climates over the years. Stay tuned for more rants, discussions & short stories from Jay Jay in upcoming weeks.

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