Spazz Dad Visits With the Current's Jim McGuinn

The Current's program director plays it low key despite possessing an immense knowledge of modern music.

Jim McGuinn, who joined the Current in January 2009, says his first album was "Meet the Beatles."

Image credit: Photo courtesy Jim McGuinn.

By: Todd Smith

Jim McGuinn, the program director at 89.3 the Current, is a dude of the highest ilk.

When I visited him at his office in the MPR building in downtown St. Paul, his workaday attire consisted of a My Morning Jacket t-shirt and some old-school kicks. The walls of his office were adorned with rock posters, kitschy memorabilia and a mounted Radiohead record.

McGuinn possesses an immense knowledge of modern music and during my visit to The Current studios he could’ve easily gone rock-snob on me and lectured my dumbass for hours. He could’ve given me endless anecdotes from his stellar career in rock radio about how he met (insert any music celebrity) and seen (insert any awesome rock concert). He could’ve filled my ears with all sorts of rare tracks from the hippest bands in all of hipsterdom.

But he didn’t do any of that. Instead of playing the role of the king purveyor of all things cool, he kept it realer than real. He casually turned around his iMac laptop and said, “Listen to this. It’s me and my five-year-old son jamming in our basement.”

McGuinn’s office, the nerve center of The Current, the indie rock station for Minnesota Public Radio that is surging up the ratings rankings and has quickly earned both a national and international audience, filled with a raucous song not by the Black Keys or Built to Spill, but rather, five-year-old Jameson McGuinn singing about how he hates homework.

“Isn’t it awesome!” McGuinn said proudly.

It is this sense of humility, accessibility and sheer unbridled love for rock-and-roll that McGuinn brings to The Current on a daily basis. He loves music, no matter the form, and wants you to love it, too. Even though The Current is currently in the middle of their busy Fall Member Drive (shameless plug: if you haven’t pledged or donated, you should. Just saying), McGuinn took a moment to answer my really stupid questions:

Spazz Dad: You are the program director for arguably one of the coolest radio stations in the country. So, what was the worst job you have ever had? 

McGuinn: Tie between washing dishes at a seafood restaurant in Rhode Island with my college degree, next to a 14-year old kid, and/or doing overnights at a classic rock station all night then driving the van during the day and having to set up our station Moon Bounce thing at sales remotes, oversee the kids, wipe down the puke, roll it back up, repeat. Actually, those jobs kind of overlapped – I was really happening there right out of college.

SPZ: There is a Philadelphia Phillies flag hanging in your office. Philly fans are some of the worst in all of sports. They have been known to throw batteries and boo Santa. What is the funniest thing you've heard a Philly fan yell in the stands? 

McGuinn: Can’t be printed here. The thing about Philly fans is that if they think you are a hard working kind of schlubby blue collar type player, they will be incredibly loyal and supportive, and you will retire to Philadelphia, open a cheesesteak shop or bar, and be popular forever. If they think you are a pretty-boy who doesn’t suffer like they do, they will eat you alive. 

SPZ: As a dad, you've exposed a whole world of music to your young son and encourage musical exploration. You seem to be open to all forms of music. But what if your son wanted to be a Juggalo, one of the diehard followers of the Insane Clown Posse, the horror core hip-hop group, who paint their face and wear trench coats? What would you say? 

McGuinn: Oh man – just reading that question made my heart hurt. A long time ago though I realized that I love music, and I just want people to love music, and whatever music moves them, I’m cool with. But I had that revelation while justifying my Grandma’s love of Barry Manilow. ICP would be tough – not because of the music being crap, but because they seem to embody a line of misogyny and hate that I don’t think is healthy. 

SPZ: You are such a huge fan of music that you even flip pancakes with a guitar shaped spatula. What is your most cherished piece of musical memorabilia?

McGuinn: I normally don’t go for signed stuff, but I got to see Big Star at their first Memphis show in 20 years back in 1994, and when Alex Chilton signed my poster, he stared up at me and said, “Jim McGuinn?  That’s a funny name, Jim McGuinn.”  My buddy that went to the show with me always says that to me, and whenever I see that poster on my wall, I remember that show. A few of the times I’ve met famous people I wish I’d had the geek courage to take a photo – Neil Young, Bono, etc, or the time I was at a Black Crowes show in the VIP section and I intentionally put myself in position that Mick Jagger had to literally rub shoulders with me on his way out – did the same thing with Traci Lords one time at the Grammys – my friends were playing a game we called “who is the most famous person you can touch at this party?” and I won – she was wearing a backless dress.  I have another crazy story that comes to mind – also at a post-Grammy party – I was with another radio guy who was from Detroit, and we came upon Kid Rock’s banquet table just as Ahmet Ertegun was leaving, and Bob / Kid saw us and beckoned us to join his hang. It was crowded and I was rubbing thighs with Pamela Anderson, who was playing the bored girlfriend while Kid Rock and I peppered legendary producer Tom Dowd with questions about records he’d cut in the ‘60s. At one point I asked Tom something about an alternate version of Buffalo Springfield’s “Mr. Soul” he’d produced and Kid Rock turned to me and said “I don’t care if you hate my music and never play me on the radio,” and high-fived me. That was surreal.

SPZ: What’s your favorite piece of vinyl? 

McGuinn: Fave piece of vinyl… how do you choose among 1,000 children?  I’d say it’s the first album I ever bought – The Beatles, Meet the Beatles.  I know I purchased it between around 1973, because it’s got the green Apple logo and those went away after that.  I had saved up my allowance for a long time and I remember flipping thru the records trying to pick which Beatles album to buy – I think I was at a K-Mart, and I guess the cool shadowy photo won me over.

SPZ: This summer you turned down an opportunity to see U2 and opted instead to take your son to see Smashmouth. That’s pretty cool. What was your first concert? 

McGuinn: I won tix to the something called the World Series of Rock at Comisky Park in Chicago, must have been 1979.  Terrible lineup – Sha Na Na, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Pure Prairie League, Blondie, and the Beach Boys – and it was really undersold.  I loved it when Debbie Harry sang “Once I was in love, it was a pain in the ass” cause I had never heard that version of the song on the radio.  And someone offered us Acid – which terrified me.  But the first concert I really bought a ticket to go see was the Clash in 1982.  Then the second was U2 in 1983.  It’s been pretty downhill ever since, even though I’ve probably seen about 2,000 shows since then.

SPZ: What Star Wars character do you most identify with? 

McGuinn: Luke.  He’s confused but he just keeps blundering ahead and eventually he figures it all out.

SPZ: What musician have you been the most nervous to meet? 

McGuinn: Neil Young, even though he was real gentlemanly.  I love when you get a chance to really get to know people and have a 2-way conversation – like I went to dinner and sat next to Tom Morello a few months ago – great experience – but I am not that into the 4-second handshake and photo meet and greet anymore – it’s irrelevant.  But I did it to meet Jeff Bridges – he’s the dude!

SPZ: Do you think the Minnesota Twins need more cowbell? 

McGuinn: Absolutely. Less terrible country sing alongs in the ‘8^th Inning.  More Hold Steady anthems and Replacements songs.  The whole DJ change this year was TERRIBLE – and even when many people complained and someone clearly sent a memo saying “play more rock music” the stuff they played was like Good Charlotte or something.  I hope they figure that out – besides the lack of power, defense, and pitching this year, the crappy music at the park tested my love of the Twins more than just about anything.

SPZ: What do you listen to in your car? 

McGuinn: Part of my job should be to monitor the competition, so I often flip maniacally around the dial, but I have a hard time staying away from the Current for too long – other stations just make my ears hurt.

SPZ: What is the most listened to song on your iPod? 

McGuinn: I love dub reggae and run to it, so it’s probably some Lee Scratch Perry or King Tubby dub.  Or Caetano Veloso – a friend ripped me a bunch of his CDs and I love to chill to Brazilian stuff like Caetano or Joao Gilberto.

Current staff are hoping to end their fall membership drive on Thursday, To become a member, visit their website.