Donald Glover with Dan Wilcox

Guest DJ Project: Donald Glover

From: KCRW
Series: KCRW's Guest DJ Project
Length: 10:33

Actor Donald Glover says the secret to both comedy and songs is in the details. The star of NBC’s “Community” shares the song made him realize he could be a rapper and talks about the life changing moment when he discovered Bjork. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Guest DJ Project: Donald Glover
From: KCRW

Donald_glover_small

Actor Donald Glover says the secret to both comedy and songs is in the details. The former “30 Rock” writer and current star of NBC’s “Community” shares the song made him realize he could be a rapper, a track he calls the “perfect memoir of a relationship,” and talks about the life changing moment when he discovered Bjork.

Tracks
1. Nedelle - Tell Me a Story
2. Skee-Lo - I Wish
3. Bjork - Isobel
4. Lil Wayne - Something You Forgot
5. Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines

Also in the KCRW's Guest DJ Project series

Guest DJ Project Nick Offerman (11:06)
From: KCRW

Actor Nick Offerman has created an iconic character with Ron Swanson, the no-nonsense public servant he plays on NBC’s “Parks And Recreation.

Guest DJ Project Rita Wilson (11:09)
From: KCRW

From Broadway to Hollywood and her work behind the scenes as a producer, Rita Wilson has made her mark all over the entertainment business.

Guest DJ Project Michael Voltaggio (10:58)
From: KCRW

Chef Michael Voltaggio is known for pushing boundaries with his cooking, which helped him win Season 6 of Top Chef.

Guest DJ Project Benjamin Millepied (10:01)
From: KCRW

Hear what music has influenced French ballet dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who starred in the movie Black Swan and founded the LA Dance Project.

Guest DJ Project Milla Jovovich (10:27)
From: KCRW

Actress Milla Jovovich is a force to be reckoned with as the star of the Resident Evil franchise and has also found success as a model and fashion designer.

Guest DJ Project Rob Delaney (10:27)
From: KCRW

Rob Delaney has been called the funniest person on Twitter and counts This American Life host Ira Glass among his fans.

Guest DJ Project Wayne White (11:05)
From: KCRW

Wayne White helped create the surrealistic world of PeeWee’s Playhouse and is one of the most exciting contemporary artists working today. From country to indie rock, his ...

Guest DJ Project Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (12:20)
From: KCRW

In a rare Guest DJ duo, husband and wife directorial team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris team up to talk music.

Guest DJ Project Bobbito Garcia (09:32)
From: KCRW

Bobbito Garcia is a legendary street ball player and New York radio DJ. He stays connected to his Puerto Rican roots through music and also puts a heavy focus on beats and ...

Guest DJ Project Jonathan Adler (10:48)
From: KCRW

Designer Jonathan Adler reflects on the songs that opened up his world and inspired both his creativity and his philosophies on the creative process.

Piece Description

Actor Donald Glover says the secret to both comedy and songs is in the details. The former “30 Rock” writer and current star of NBC’s “Community” shares the song made him realize he could be a rapper, a track he calls the “perfect memoir of a relationship,” and talks about the life changing moment when he discovered Bjork.

Tracks
1. Nedelle - Tell Me a Story
2. Skee-Lo - I Wish
3. Bjork - Isobel
4. Lil Wayne - Something You Forgot
5. Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines

Transcript

Dan Wilcox: Hi, this is Dan Wilcox from KCRW and I am sitting here with actor Donald Glover, who stars in the NBC comedy “Community”. He also has a few musical alter egos, including the rapper Childish Gambino. So, you have something beyond Childish Gambino?

Donald Glover: Yes, I re-mix and DJ and I used to produce and I still produce a little bit under MC DJ. I remixed Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois album in college and called it Illin’ Noise.

(laughter)

And, yeah, it was under MC D.

DW: Today we’re going to dig into his musical aspirations through the songs that have inspired him over the years as part of KCRW’s Guest DJ Project. So, Donald, what do you have for us today?

DG: Well, I guess the first song would be “Tell Me a Story” by Nadelle. She has a really pretty voice and the songs are very sing-songy to me. But this song stuck out to me because it’s about her dog dying, and I...
Read the full transcript