Jed The Fish With Gary Numan At KROQ

by | Oct 25, 2019

Gary Numan on air with me at the KROQ studio. This picture is copyright (C) 2019 Joel Gelfland Photography, and is presented here with kind permission. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s Tags: #1980s #Gary Numan #new...

Had any trouble with 80s hairstyles?

by | Jun 30, 2019

In a world seemingly obsessed with diversity and individuality, it's somehow harder to stand out. One area making this easier is the legal trend toward protecting hairstyle. Do you have a story about new wave hair discrimination from the 80s?https://t.co/FSv4bw9C4bIn...

Dennis Hopper’s autograph to Jed The Fish

by | Apr 20, 2019

In April 2011, the book "Dennis Hopper: Photographs 1961-1967," arrived at Book Soup in West Hollywood and I waited in line like all his other fans. Blue Velvet has always been a favorite of mine. Perhaps David Lynch's most compelling work, the characterizations and...

Baaaaybe Alice

by | Apr 20, 2019

At 8 weeks. I could take her anywhere at this age. She just went into a little bag, poking her head out, impressing people (girls especially). Categories: All Tags: #Alice #Jed the...

Stuart, Big Country at KROQ, Pasadena

by | Mar 30, 2019

One of the bands I had forgotten I interviewed, Big Country, except for this Debbie Leavitt photo. The Scottish must find it oppressive in the US these days, particularly if they smoke. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #Big Country #KROQ #Jed the Fish...

Dave Alvin at a gig

by | Mar 30, 2019

photo by Debbie Leavitt Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #1980s #rockabilly #KROQ #rock of the 80s #Dave...

The Clash backstage

by | Mar 30, 2019

photo bt Debbie Leavitt. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #clash #1980s #Joe...

Eddie Money and Bryan Adams

by | Mar 30, 2019

Eddie Money and Bryan AdamsBackstageDay on the GreenSF CA Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #Eddie money #Brian Adams #Day on the green...

Original artwork from Jed The Fish tee shirt

by | Mar 15, 2019

Original artwork from Jed The Fish tee shirt, created on the floor during a KROQ music meeting in the 90s. Features the "Dooley" prototype (spermy guy). Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #tee shirt...

KROQ beach towel

by | Mar 15, 2019

We did KROQ beach remotes weekly for several years, where Joqs would broadcast their radio shows. I probably did the most, and even coming to the same beach several times over the years to give out these towels, they were all unique. Many conversations with listeners...

Mid-80s KROQ poster

by | Mar 15, 2019

Likely the most embraced version of the KROQ logo, it was co-designed by KROQ Promotions Director Quay Hays. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #KROQ #logo...

Jed Gould for President poster

by | Mar 15, 2019

I was Student Body President, 1972 at Casa Grande Union High School, Arizona. The year before, my step-brother Bill Koenig was. Many K-ROQers came from the Copper State, and that's when I became a broadcaster. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #jed gould #Casa Grande...

30-year KROQ reunion poster

by | Mar 15, 2019

Darrell Wayne organized this Pasadena Hilton event in 2006, where all the gory stories were told. Darrell hired me in 1978. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #2000s #poster #reunion...

KROQ Fall Calendar, 1983

by | Mar 15, 2019

Quay Hays was the 1983 KROQ Promotions Director, and organized this wacky photo shoot. He oversaw the logo transition from line drawing (a sticker just above the "Nov") to full color, which was the most beloved logo of all time. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #1980s...

DEVO performance poster

by | Mar 15, 2019

When Devo was doing clubs, these posters -- with venue particulars -- were for promoters in each city. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #1970s #Devo #Nightclub...

Jed The Fish U2 platinum award from Interscope Records

by | Mar 15, 2019

I have discarded these awards if they had no meaning for me. This one did, because I feel I have a relationship with the band. U2 I will always remember because of their Jed The Fish interview for their Pop Mart tour. This award was for the following album....

Jed The Fish UB40 award for Labor of Love II

by | Mar 15, 2019

I have discarded these awards if they had no meaning for me. This one did, because I feel I have a relationship with the band. UB40 was an example of success by acclaim, not as much by promotion. That's why Jed The Fish support means something. Categories: All...

Jed The Fish platinum award for Garbage

by | Mar 15, 2019

I have discarded these awards if they had no meaning for me. This one did, because I feel I have a relationship with the band. Firstly, I loved Butch Vig, and Shirley Manson was an easy person to know. Although she was quite offended ten years later during an Inland...

Jed The Fish’s Tone Loc platinum disk

by | Mar 15, 2019

This is the most concrete example of Jed The Fish having an impact on an artist's success. My Catch of the Day feature allowed me to choose one song per day. One Tuesday in 1988 Anthony Smith and Matt Dyke talked their way past reception and brought me Wild Thing. I...

Jerry Casale of DEVO visiting Jed The Fish at KROQ

by | Mar 15, 2019

My first week at KROQ -- before I was even called Jed The Fish -- my favorite band arrived in support of their first album. To meet them was an amazing experience, but to speak with them on the air was a dream come true. I blew the interview, but started a long...

Jed The Fish’s signed Duran Duran Patrick Nagel poster

by | Mar 15, 2019

One of the few distinguished examples of Duran Duran ephemera signed by the entire band, Capitol Records gave me this for my support of the first two albums. Funny thing, the label actually had unpaid interns promoting the band. I think his name was Danny, and he...

Jed’s Oingo Boingo ‘Farewell’ plaque, signed by the band

by | Mar 15, 2019

There was nothing left to say when your band leader, after 10 years of scoring movies, is calling it quits. No more gold records to be had, hearing going bad, and bandmates so sad, they all autographed this poster from the site of the departure, the once-heralded...

Jed 18

by | Mar 15, 2019

I have discarded these awards if they had no meaning for me. This one did, because I feel I have a relationship with the band. Categories: All...

Jed The Fish tee shirt, cir95

by | Mar 15, 2019

My very first tee shirt. If we wanted our own tee-shirts, the Joqs needed to pay for them. So if you got one, I must like you. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #Jed the Fish #tee...

Massive Attack plaque to Jed The Fish

by | Mar 15, 2019

Massive Attack is a band I have long supported out of passion. I'm sure, had they achieved gold record status, they would have acknowledged me, so they did what they could. Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #massive attack #plaque #Jed the Fish...

Jed The Fish’s Van’s special edition KROQ shoes

by | Mar 15, 2019

Right about the time the world was getting busted for counterfeit shoes, Van's did a promotion with KROQ, and all the Joqs got free shoes. Deese are dem. Cir.1989 Categories: All Ephemera Tags: #Van's #Jed the Fish #KROQ #shoes #tennis shoes #1980s #rock of the 80s...

Jed the Fish’s Rolling Stones Badge, 1978

by | Mar 15, 2019

This was the night I was hired at KROQ. It was the first time I had seen the band, and I was sitting in my Ball Road apartment GLOWING because I had finally seen the greatest Rock and Roll band in the world. The phone rings at 1:15 a.m., it's Darrell Wayne asking if I...

Jed The Fish asks David Bowie if he’s ever been fat

by | Mar 15, 2019

This was when David Bowie came by the station in advance of the 'co-headlining' NIN show, and I GOT TO INTERVIEW HIM. Thing is, as anyone will tell you, he is as kind and disarming as could be. It was near Halloween, and I had decorated the Burbank studio with oodles...

Jed The Fish Ephemera: Danny Elfman’s Yamaha keyboard

by | Mar 15, 2019

The Weird Science/Dead Man's Party synthesizer. Danny actually asked for this back, and I tried several times to return it. I think it was Leon of Oingo Boingo who sewed the cover for it. If this isn't cool memorabilia, I don't know what is. Album: Everything Album...

David Byrne with Jed The Fish in November 1989

by | Mar 10, 2019

Don't be fooled by the smile. This was torture for David Byrne, and he's only smiling because the interview was over. He is one of the truly fascinating artists I have ever spoken with, and I am a huge fan. Not necessarily of the Red Momo album, which he was there to...

Jed The Fish and Bud Thomas in KPIN, Casa Grande, Arizona

by | Mar 10, 2019

My first radio boss ponders the decision of putting a sixteen-year-old on the air. I had a Saturday show where I played what I want, at that time a lot of Chicago, Jethro Tull, and Frank Zappa. He was a most kind and thoughtful individual. KPIN was sold my senior...

David Byrne and Jed the Fish good riddance note

by | Mar 10, 2019

Warner Bros. obviously remembers the November 1989 interview as a harrowing experience for David Byrne. It was. I asked questions about creativity, which are the most difficult for an artist to answer. At One point, he replied with a distressed whine. "I - I - I don't...

KROQ Winners in a limo

by | Feb 18, 2019

I don't remember who these people are, or which band they are going to see. But remember riding in a limo to a concert is pretty much reserved for the rich. Maybe I shall revise this text when someone comments on their memory, which I hope was good. Album: Everything...

Jed’s flyer offering to work for free at KROQ

by | Feb 14, 2019

Me in tights and tard sitting in a wheelchair in my USC dorm room. My theater major roommate was Gary Wissman, who became an accomplished theatrical stage set builder. Because of affirmative action, I was turned down at every other station I applied to, who all said I...

Kevin Ryder’s Surprise 70s Birthday Party 1996

by | Feb 14, 2019

L-R, Tad, Kevin, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Corolla, bottom, Lightening. I took this photo before I met Lisa May, and initially told her it was meant to be a KROQ Morning Show photo. She nodded, and I was embarrassed, because I knew what she was going to tell me before she...

Chuck Randall with Simon LeBon at Acoustic Christmas

by | Feb 14, 2019

Chuck Randall arrived at KROQ shortly after I did in 1978. A short-term Joq but a long time friend, he went to Acoustic Christmas with me in 1992. Chuck helped me stay sober as well. I got smart that year and asked for a photo pass. Album: Everything Album Categories:...

Mila Jovovich and Jed The Fish in KROQ Burbank hallway

by | Feb 14, 2019

Rodney Bingenheimer’s first question would be why does Jed The Fish get to hang out with Mila Jovovich. Kind of trying to not be attracted here, but the Reid Fleming shirt probably sabotaged me from the word go. At the time, it was fashionable to be clean and sober,...

The Ramones with Jed The Fish and the KROQ staff in 1994

by | Feb 14, 2019

L-R, Asst. PD Gene Sandbloom (creator of the names for KROQ events) and I can't even tell which Ramones showed up that day -- Markie? Ritchie? -- random promo guy, Program Director Kevin Weatherly in the light shirt. Back on the left, Image Master John Frost,...

The Proclaimers, Kevin Weatherly and Jed The Fish in Burbank

by | Feb 14, 2019

You never know if someone's a (relative) one-hit wonder, so you must take care of everyone. The Proclaimers, Scottish bothers Craig and Charlie Reid stopped by for an interview when we were playing I'm Gonna Be. Kevin Weatherly actually had more than one shirt, before...

Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Jed The Fish Gould, and Alice

by | Feb 10, 2019

Here is an example of hunting down your heroes, and they turn out to be wonderful. Armed with a Strawberry pie, I got the security guard to call them up and come down to the lobby. The creator of Beaking Bad, Vince said he would have me up but for all the notes on the...

Jed The Fish and Sarah Silverman

by | Jan 21, 2019

Sarah and I having an intense conversation backstage at the old KROQ Acoustic Christmas. She has more teeth than I do. Funny girl. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #2000s #acoustic Christmas #Sarah...

25th KROQ Acoustic Christmas air staff

by | Jan 21, 2019

Moments before Bean fell off the stage, all of the joqs gathered. Just after Bean fell, I thought I heard someone sarcastically say "Bean fell off the stage." Absurd, right?. I laughed my ass off. But he really fell, as they introduced No Doubt. Sorry Bean. Album:...

Foster The People Interviewed By Jed The Fish

by | Jan 16, 2019

Locked in a cheesy trailer at the KROQ Weenie Roast with then-newcomers Foster the People, I do my best to scramble their name. They were in a good mood. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #weenie roast #foster the...

Fake vomiting is a favorite pastime

by | Jan 15, 2019

Off-the-cuff fizzlebutt sound effects for Out of Order, my Westwood One syndicated radio show. Ron Harris thought to give you a behind-the-scenes video. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #KROQ Studio #rock of the 80s...

91X DJ Mike Halloran, Prodigy concert

by | Jan 15, 2019

91X personality and smoker Mike Halloran at a 1997 Prodigy concert at the Spruce Goose in Long Beach, Ca. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #Mike Halloran #Spruce Goose #Long Beach #concert #The...

CURE ATLANTIC CROSSING JED THE FISH CIRCA92

by | Jan 15, 2019

I got to meet the captain of the QE2. People said, "Oh, Jed, you're going on a cruise!" An Atlantic crossing is no cruise. Waves the size of hills made it feel as though we were sleeping on Viper. Robert Smith of The Cure at that time refused to fly to America. Album:...

Dusty and Jed, cir. 1980 (Photo by Debbie Leavitt)

by | Jan 15, 2019

Jed The Fish and Dusty Street at a party in Santa Monica. Photo Debbie Leavitt. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Around the Station Tags: #KROQ #Jed the Fish #rock of the 80s #Dusty Street #Santa Monica #Debbie Leavitt #Nightclub #b&w #backstage...

Jed the Fish’s FCC radio broadcaster license (circa 1972)

by | Jan 15, 2019

As you see, Fish is my real middle name. I was 17 when I took and passed the exam for the First Class Radiotelephone Certificate. Issued in Long Beach. This enables one to do technical work on TV and radio transmitters. I just got it to exceed the requirement for a...

The initiation of KROQ studios in Burbank, 1996

by | Jan 15, 2019

This photo was taken as we were initiating the new studios in 1996. I believe that is Cynthia Takahashi with me in the control room, moving the equipment from the Pasadena studio. As you can see we had already begun to decorate. The filled cabinet was CDs, the empty...

Jed The Fish as Music Director, cir. 1979

by | Jan 15, 2019

For a short time in 1978-79, I was actually the KROQ Music Director. I had only heard about the station less than a year before. It was my responsibility to gain the trust of the record company promotion people, wary of giving us product because so much of it had been...

Jed as music director and on-air voice

by | Jan 15, 2019

Working at KROQ was fun, and I’m sure it sounded like it on the air. In back of me, albums, below my right elbow 7” 45rpm singles, the rest hundreds of carts, to my right and in front of me, shelved and stacked. The Grace Jones poster, seen in many photos, was...

Jed in Burbank studio cir87

by | Jan 15, 2019

The ancient Sony CD players on the right, the ponytail — up — and the visor. It was amazing that we had an extra oscilloscope at all, and that it was in the control room a miracle. It told us if the signal was in phase, important to avoid cancellation (bad sound). As...

Vandalized KROQ billboard, Jed in foreground

by | Jan 15, 2019

My very funny girlfriend in 1989 had Calvary Baptist parents, who once had a sermon villainizing KROQ. Coincidentally, we had the first and only billboard campaign. (KROQ has never advertised since) But my billboard, located near her parents’ house was vandalized. By...

Jed in medical scrubs, cir82

by | Jan 15, 2019

Debbie Leavitt contact sheet from 1982, KROQ control room in Pasadena. Never a fashion trendsetter, somehow the DJs picked up on the medical scrubs look. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio...

Jed in Pasadena control room, cir83

by | Jan 15, 2019

Jed The Fish in the KROQ Control Room, Pasadena, 1983. The ubiquitous Sennheiser 421 microphones. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio #Pasadena #Control Room #1980s...

Jed in the Pasadena control room, 1982

by | Jan 15, 2019

Baseball shirts were a thing. Jed The Fish, Pasadena KROQ control room. There were carts everywhere. Similar to the old 8-track cartridges, these had a continuous loop with a stop tone (to stop the machine the last time someone played it) just before the beginning of...

Jed in the KROQ Pasadena control room, cir83

by | Jan 15, 2019

Silly grin. Jed The Fish, Pasadena KROQ control room. Turntables! Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio #Pasadena #Control Room #Turntables #1980s...

John Frost and Jed, cir89

by | Jan 15, 2019

John Frost was a legendary promotional announcement producer and sound designer. There’s another photo of him floating around here somewhere. Here we are mugging in front of a giant cart rack. He called me Jed The Pudding Fish. Album: Everything Album Categories: All...

KROQ cart machines and CD player

by | Jan 15, 2019

Here was the evolution of the Fishface Outline font adorning this site. The taped on numbers on the KROQ control room cart machines. ITC was our choice of cart machines. Certain songs came from private collectors such as Freddy Snakeskin. If it weren’t for these...

KROQ clock drawing, cir94

by | Jan 15, 2019

KROQ clock. An hourly guide for when to play commercials (green areas), play jingles, and most importantly, talk. They don’t remain the same for long. Circa 1994. Kevin Weatherly, program director. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed...

Lewis Largent, at a KROQ event cir91

by | Jan 15, 2019

KROQ Music director Lewis Largent. He was a very funny guy and a treasure to work next door to. I need people like him around me to perform. This is Lewis goofing off at an radio station event. My photo. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed the...

Pasadena KROQ control room, 1982

by | Jan 15, 2019

Jed The Fish Pasadena KROQ control room. Various radio station stickers were everywhere. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio #Control Room #Stickers #1980s...

1985 Solana Beach appearance KROQ

by | Jan 15, 2019

DJ appearance at Sandpiper Square, Solana Beach. The chic facing me is so very 80s. Me? I look like I just went to see a dealer. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #1980s #new wave hair...

KROQ event in 1992

by | Jan 15, 2019

Outdoor event in Pasadena. Our crowd was so loyal back then. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #event #Pasadena #outdoor #wide angle #black and white...

KROQ Calendar appearance in Orange

by | Jan 15, 2019

What the hell happened? KROQ used to be a fun station. We not only put out calendars, but gave events for them. This one was in Orange, 1999. Wonderful crowd. Hey, let me know if you have a better guess at the year. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags:...

Jed The Fish and Gleaming Spires in the KROQ Pasadena studio

by | Jan 15, 2019

Where’s Josie? This is the day I asked her what her real name was, and she said, “Well, basically Josie Cotton is my name.” A dedicated bimbo. Pasadena control room. A fake protest was staged outside the Pasadena studios. None of the protesters were angry. Gleaming...

Depeche Mode “riot” in West Hollywood

by | Jan 15, 2019

The great Depeche Mode “riot,” 1990, when so many fans showed up at Wherehouse Records the band could not accommodate them all. God forbid they cut off the line and stay an extra hour. It did get dicey with enraged Dmode fans who pounded on the window in view of the...

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark and Jed The Fish at The Circus

by | Jan 15, 2019

Elvira and I did a string of appearances together. This one was in Hollywood at a gay club called The Circus. She was on-air for KROQ in 82-83. Always a riot to work with. And of course look at. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ...

The First Annual KROQ Weenie Roast and Singalong 1994

by | Jan 15, 2019

Amazed that we could sell out what was then Irvine Meadows, I had no idea it would become an exalted event. We were so happy to have hotel rooms, because the staff didn’t want the worry we would show up late. Wearing the shirt. Sometimes we did not get good seats, so...

Freddy Snakeskin and Jed, Earth Day event in Pasadena

by | Jan 15, 2019

Those silly backward shirts. Way to go! You’re promoting a radio station nobody’s heard of, and they can’t read the shirt. I remember also having fun with Doc on the Roq that day. Yes, we played King Crimson. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed...

Jed at a beach remote, cir93

by | Jan 15, 2019

We did a ton of beach remote broadcasts, which were difficult from a technical perspective: we had to hear ourselves, we had to communicate with the person running controls at the studio, and we needed to make sure the audio was good, which was not easy. Since I...

Jed sitting in his bathrobe with KROQ Bikini Girls

by | Jan 15, 2019

This was in the Pasadena lobby, on a day when I showed up for work in a bathrobe. My house was two minutes away. Susan Sailor, Dr. Drew’s wife, was the “head” KROQ Bikini Girl, who would book their events. What’s not to love. Album: Everything Album Categories: All...

KROQ Doo-Dah Parade Float, cir79

by | Jan 15, 2019

This is one of my oldest memories of KROQ. This is the parking lot where I climbed the stairs the night I was hired. Original logo. From left, Brett Kahlen, Chuck Randall, driver, chick dj I don’t remember, Mike Raphone, me being prophetic about the station’s...

Michael Penn KROQ Malibu beach remote, cir89

by | Jan 15, 2019

The only reason I would dare wear a muscle shirt is if I had some, however briefly. Rodney gazes at the photographer, me with a mic, and Raymondo bending over to speak with someone. Likely April Whitney with her back to the camera, and Rockin Fig with the tanned back....

Items from the New Orleans home of Trent Reznor

by | Jan 15, 2019

He was rumored to have a chandelier goldfish bowl, and sure enough, during a party, I found it. It was actually a terrible interview that day — I was sent all the way to New Orleans for a Nine Inch Nails interview with faulty equipment. I shall restrain myself from...

Plasmatics in-store appearance at Licorice Pizza cir81

by | Jan 15, 2019

Wendy O. Williams, of the electrical taped-nipples and porn past, was the perfect front woman for a punk outfit. They would destroy things. Cars, TVs. Wielding a chainsaw with a chainsaw voice, she always had political sentiment whether it made sense or not. I can...

Jed The Fish Us Festival onstage announcement 1983

by | Jan 15, 2019

Steve Wozniak, Apple computer innovator, had millions to throw a party, so he did it twice. Their stage manager was concert legend Bill Graham, who was a dick. My ex-girlfriend worked for him for years. He was pained to see me onstage at all, let alone speaking before...

Us Festival Jed The Fish stage announcement 1983

by | Jan 15, 2019

Me in my pannies in 1983 introducing Boingo at the Us Festival. This was the day I was used by Terri Nunn to make Richard’s first wife jealous. She picked at my nipple with her long nail. I could only watch. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags: #Jed...

Adrien Belew, Louis Largent and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

Backstage at the Bowie Glass Spider tour, the most amazing guitar player Adrien Belew, entertains KROQ DJs Lewis Largent and Jed The Fish, Dodger Stadium, 1987. This was the tour Peter Frampton played guitar as well. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags:...

Party with Bono, Gwen Stefani and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

We were lucky enough to be invited to a party at record mogul Jimmy Iovine’s house, and a certain KROQ DJ behaved poorly when speaking to Fred Durst. Our boss reprimanded her, saying “Save it for on the air,” not to his face at an exclusive party. Billy Corgan also...

Oingo Boingo’s Danny Elfman in Hawaii

by | Jan 15, 2019

When we were on a listener vacation to Hawaii, Danny and buddy Jed The Fish had truly a blast. Partying in one of the suites at the Reef, a few days later 300 KROQ listeners went to see Oingo Boingo at Aloha Stadium. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags:...

Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

By 1986, Depeche Mode were about to be huge. Here we display a listener license plate in the KROQ control room in Pasadena. Despite claims to the contrary, I played Just Can’t Get Enough the week after it was released in London. I played it because I had heard of the...

David Byrne with Jed The Fish in 1986

by | Jan 15, 2019

I think this was for the True Stories album, as David moved closer to a solo career. Always an impeccable dresser. Pasadena control room. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #David Byrne #1980s #b&w #Control...

Depeche Mode with KROQ staff and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

From left: Poorman (what a name) Van Johnson, Dave Gahan, April who couldn’t keep her clothes on, below her Martin Gore, whose guitar skills are vastly overlooked, Alan Wilder, Freddy Snakeskin (never one to push forward for photos), Andy Fletcher, Jed The Fish below...

Devo at KROQ in Pasadena

by | Jan 15, 2019

In probably the best shot of the Pasadena control room, a 28 mm lens reveals Devo judging the Rhino Devotees album, for which KROQ listeners submitted their own versions of Devo songs. With phenomenal luck, two of my own made the album. Rhino at the time was known for...

KROQ Inland Invasion, Brody Dalle of the Distillers

by | Jan 15, 2019

Here I am wishing I had a piece of Brody Dalle of the Distillers. Soaking wet with sweat and just off the stage, nothing could be a whole lot better. She knew she was what girls call gross but rubbed up on me anyway. #hot Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events...

Drew Barrymore and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

Oh, I did my best guys, but when I was set to pick her up for a B-52s concert at the Forum, her mother introduced me to her boyfriend and the date was over. Intercepted! Album: Everything Album Categories: All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #Drew Barrymore...

Elvis Costello in the Pasadena studio with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

The one that almost got away was Elvis Costello. A fan since 1977, I thought of him as this elusive, difficult artist that would have nothing to do with me. Along came Trust and that changed a bit. True, the LP needed help, but I have rarely met such a gentleman. He...

Elvis Costello autographing for fans

by | Jan 15, 2019

Just after the interview, the station was swarmed with fans. Here is the boldly-named Elvis, before he got in his limo. Pasadena. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #Elvis Costello...

Erasure with Jed The Fish 1986

by | Jan 15, 2019

Just after the album, the band came to the Pasadena studio. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio #Control Room #Erasure #1980s...

Erasure in the Pasadena control room, 1986

by | Jan 15, 2019

At least I stood up for this one. Erasure with Jed The Fish. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio #Erasure #1980s #b&w #Control...

More shots from the Gleaming Spires interview.

by | Jan 15, 2019

Very seldom do I get a pro to photograph me at work, but Debbie Leavitt was there on Josie Cotton Day, without Josie Cotton. These are her proof sheets, not actual prints. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ Studio...

Harry Shearer, Peter Bergren, Mal Sharpe with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

My second semester at USC, my video project was a discussion on the riveting subject of Los Angeles TV advertising. Not what about the advertising, does it suck or what, merely the ads. Harry Shearer, left, took me aside and gave me some much-needed advice. He said...

INXS Member Tim Ferriss and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

Muscle shirt, no muscles. INXS drummer Tim Ferriss is the clowner-arounder of the band, and I love that they didn't always send Michael Hutchence for interviews. Fun guy. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the...

Jed The Fish and Frank Zappa

by | Jan 15, 2019

One of my true heroes, Zappa wasn't especially kind when I interviewed him. I honestly was not great at it. He insisted I got into radio to get laid, and actually it was because even as often the best qualified journalism graduate, the news stations were obligated to...

Jennifer Beals from Flashdance and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

Jennifer Beals, eventually a Yale graduate, could carry herself well in an interview. Aside from Return of the Jedi and Terms of endearment, Flashdance was the highest grossing film of 1983. She impressed me so much, I asked her to take her bra off under her shirt...

Meg Lee Chin with Jed The Fish on Drums, 1999

by | Jan 15, 2019

Darkwave industrial rock artist Meg Lee Chin allowed me to both produce one of her tracks and play drums for her on occasion. I never got to know her in part because we were each handled by managers. Album: Everything Album Categories: 90s All Tags: #Jed the Fish...

Elvira and Jed The Fish at the Circus

by | Jan 15, 2019

Undoubtedly the only straight people with our hands on each other that night, I did not think of her as a comedienne. I thought she was just funny as hell. Ahh, the gays always loved her. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the...

U2 at KROQ, Burbank 1997

by | Jan 15, 2019

The thing I remember most about this interview is I got Bono to imitate Naked Lunch author William Boroughs. Evidently, the greatest lead singers are adept at imitation. I also remember they smoked like chimneys and brought a case of Guinness, promptly consumed by...

Wang Chung and Jed The Fish, cir84

by | Jan 15, 2019

Before they got huge, Wang Chung stopped by the KROQ studios to promote Points on a Curve. I always thought Jack Hues was an odd sort of good-looking, like he was genetically modified. They actually made themselves into a verb, as in "everybody Wang Chung tonight."...

Dee Dee and Johnny Ramone with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

The Ramones were seven albums into their career when Dee Dee and Johnny Ramone visited the Pasadena studio in 1983. Never afraid of the hard work it takes even an established band to live on, I did tons of appearances with them, sometimes nights for in a row. Maybe...

Psychedelic Furs singer Richard Butler and Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

I must have met with Richard Butler a half-dozen times, and we always had laughs. One night before a show at the Forum he asked if I had decent seats, and I said, yeah, not bad. When he came onstage and saw me dead center in the front row, his eyes jumped out of his...

Oingo Boingo and KROQ Joqs in Hawaii

by | Jan 15, 2019

Now this was audacity that could never happen today. KROQ took 200 listeners to Hawaii. Twice. The first time the GoGos played and Richard got hired. The next time Oingo Boingo played at Aloha Stadium. April Whitney, R, next to Freddy Snakeskin. Then Danny Elfman,...

Peter Gabriel at KROQ Pasadena in 1982

by | Jan 15, 2019

He was always such a genteel person. Shortly after this interview in 1982, he led a crowd of people from the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach across PCH into the Pacific Ocean. His last encore song that night was I Go Swimming, to be release the next year. Here, he's...

Peter Bergman and Harry Shearer at USC in 1974

by | Jan 15, 2019

Harry Shearer and Firesign Theater comedian Peter Bergman generously agreed to appear in a student project I did my freshman year, long before I became Jed The Fish. Paisley curtains in the tradition-steeped Hancock Hall. Many years later filling in for Jason Bentley...

Michael Hutchence and Tim Farriss of INXS, with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

I know, how many photos of me in the Pasadena control room can you stand. But there I was with INXS shortly before the first US Festival in 1982. Great smile on Michael Hutchence. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ...

Lou Reed, Rick Carrol, Scott Mason and Jed The Fish at KROQ

by | Jan 15, 2019

A rare photo of early 1980s KROQ Program Director Rick Carroll to the right of Lou Reed. Jeff Naumann, in the blue shirt, was a promo guy for Virgin in the 80s. Oh, my god. He got so yelled at by Lou that day when he asked him to sign his copy of Metal Machine Music....

KROQ Winners at a Depeche Mode show with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

Girl harvesters Depeche Mode with three winners at varying stages of innocence. I'm sure at least one wound up at the Sunset Marquis that evening. A truly legendary KROQ group -- and a favorite of Richard Blade's -- they did perhaps the most concerts for us. If guys...

Oingo Boingo in Hawaii with Jed The Fish and KROQ Joqs

by | Jan 15, 2019

Getting away with murder, Part Two. The second and last of two annual trips with KROQ listeners to Honolulu. I love it when Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo grabs me by the hair. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Events Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s...

Morrissey and Jed The Fish at KROQ

by | Jan 15, 2019

This guy is as genteel as Peter Gabriel. Steven Patrick Morrissey, in his solo years. When Johnny Marr was playing with the Smiths, he grabbed a drumstick and bashed his guitar with it during The Queen is Dead. He then threw it right to me. A security guy was --I...

Jimmy Fallon and Jed The Fish backstage at Acoustic Christmas

by | Jan 15, 2019

Years away from his gig as a late night talk show host, Jimmy Fallon has always been good natured. Here I am trying to have a conversation with people talking to me in my headphones. Hey Jimmy, do you remember me? Album: Everything Album Categories: All Events Tags:...

Joan Jett and Jed The Fish in Beverly Hills for lunch

by | Jan 15, 2019

This reminds me of when I got in trouble with a girl I'd just broken up with. She got so mad at me she emptied a vacuum cleaner bag into my car, two weeks in a row. You see, the girl I'm with is her sister. I always liked hanging out with Joan Jett. I was in the...

Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode sips tea with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

I can only describe my ridiculous hair as a follicle fountain. Depeche Mode has been in the station more times than I can count. Andy Fletcher is probably the member least like a tempermental artist. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #KROQ #Jed the...

Andy Fletcher and Jed The Fish in the Burbank control room

by | Jan 15, 2019

We had whiteboards in the Burbank control room. Notes for the jocks and Kevin and Bean. Evidently on this day, I was overdressed. Andy Fletcher in the Burbank control room. Album: Everything Album Categories: All Around the Station Tags: #KROQ #Jed the Fish #rock of...

Martin Chambers of The Pretenders at KROQ Pasadena

by | Jan 15, 2019

Martin looks fairly normal with a leather vest and checkered shirt. It seems I was intent on being anything but normal.He was always very kind. Chrissie, on the other hand, was harsh. Somewhere along the line, she developed a habit of refusing to shake hands, which...

Warren Zevon with Jed The Fish, cir.1980

by | Jan 15, 2019

Warren Zevon I miss. Alcoholism. Just adore his music. To Warren's right is KROQ Music Director Larry Groves. Larry was Program Director Rick Caroll's Music Director. He was known for the saying, "Ricky don like it." That's what he would say to promotional people to...

Was (Not Was) with Jed The Fish

by | Jan 15, 2019

These guys were as weird as their music. Accomplished jazz musicians, they almost created the group as an insult to the music industry. Very fun to talk to, they relished their mystery. Mystery is something missing from today's art in general. Movies especially. So...

B52s Bouncing of the Satellites interview at KROQ

by | Jan 15, 2019

Kate and Fred stopped by for an interview after I had carved a jack-o-lantern in the KROQ control room. It was a sad time for the band with Ricky having passed just months before. They did not tour for the album. Warner Bros. Promotion person Paul V. was outraged at...

Robert Smith with Jed The Fish, cir.1997 Weenie Roast

by | Jan 15, 2019

This was the Weenie Roast which was also called a luau. Tami Heide look on as we discuss various form of torture. This was the year Michael F. Glass and I did the event artwork. Album: Everything Album Categories: 90s All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s...

Sigue Sigue Sputnik with Jed The Fish in Pasadena

by | Jan 15, 2019

The KROQ mural in Pasadena. Tony James, left flat-footed by Billy Idol’s departure from Generation X, had to start a new band. No doubt inspired by the outrageousness of Malcom McClaren and his bands, they went big. Love Missile F1-11 was their only real hit. I bet...

Alice photograph by Jed The Fish, 2018

by | Jan 15, 2019

My beast friend led by her nose through the Pasadena Arroyo. We pretty much go everywhere together. Not always here, but we walk from 1/2-mile to 1 1/2 miles a day. Lots of phots of Alice coming. In 2019, she was diagnosed with grade 1 fibrosarcoma. Album: Everything...

Sting in the Pasadena control room with Jed The Fish, cir.1984

by | Jan 15, 2019

The day I asked him about the lyrics for Hungry For You. The part in question says “Mais non pouvons faire ce que nous voulons.” I asked him why the line said must I pooo poo fester on the poo poo lawn. The way he corrected me indicated it was a serious question. Very...

Sparks with Jed The Fish in Pasadena stairwell

by | Jan 15, 2019

This is the band I was most chummy with. We would get together at Farmers Market, their old hang, and I remember they would talk to their stalkers. Girls would go to FM to see them. They told me it’s important to approach them to humanize the relationship. You want...

Suzanne Vega with Jed The Fish, cir.1992

by | Jan 15, 2019

It looks like I am failing to engage Suzanne Vega in conversation. At least I tried, backstage at the 1992 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas. Album: Everything Album Categories: 90s All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #Suzanne Vega #acoustic Christmas...

The Cure on the Atlantic Crossing on the QE2, cir.1992

by | Jan 15, 2019

Did I mention that people said I was going on a cruise with the Cure. It was definitely not a cruise. When you can’t sleep because due to bad weather you feel like you’re on Viper, it’s a CROSSING, not a cruise. At the time, Robert Smith refused to fly. Lewis Largent,...

U2 Pop Mart Interview with Jed The Fish, 1997

by | Jan 15, 2019

Edge and Bono did their first-ever streamed podcast from the KROQ control room in Burbank. They brought along Guinness, which was promptly consumed by non-air station personnel. I got Bono to imitate William Boroughs. Smoking like mad. September 19, 1997. Album:...

Jed The Fish with John Hiatt, cir.1979

by | Jan 15, 2019

This guy wound up doing 22 studio albums and he is a famous songwriter. John Hiatt is still one of the most popular singers and writers for other artists. Album: Everything Album Categories: 70s All Around the Station Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #KROQ...

Backstage with The B-52’s at The Greek Theater, cir. 1983

by | Jan 15, 2019

During the Whammy tour, if you took a photo backstage with the B-52s, you had to wear a hat, a wig, or otherwise be goofy. Their last time out with Ricky Wilson, left. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the 80s #B52's #1980s...

Animation with Jed The Fish in the Control Room, cir. 1984

by | Jan 15, 2019

This was a group actually grateful for their success. This was when they were touring extensively with groups like Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, and INXS. Animotion was from Los Angeles. Album: Everything Album Categories: 80s All Tags: #Jed the Fish #KROQ #rock of the...

Bonnie Raitt with Jed The Fish in the studio, cir. 1982

by | Jan 15, 2019

Whadday know. Amazing who you run into in the KROQ control room. I can't figure out why Bonnie Raitt was there, other than to sniff something with our program director. I'm sure he did her the courtesy of actually playing her album for a week. She was sweet. Album:...

Billy Thorpe with Jed The Fish, cir. 1979

by | Jan 15, 2019

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Ask anyone over 40 from down under and they know exactly who he is. A promo person, friend to all at KROQ Jon Scott, brought him around and got us playing his solo record, Children of the Sun. We actually spent a fair amount of time...