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10 Questions with ... Jenn Marino
April 22, 2014
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1. Congratulations on your new role as co-host of Sixx Sense and The Side Show Countdown. When did you get into radio and can you give us your radio history?
Thank you so much! This is insane. I got into radio in '99. I started in promotions at KRXO in OKC, which turned into Jake Fisher asking me if I wanted to come answer his phones on Saturday nights during his request show. (To this day, I still thank him at random.) I was hooked at 11, but getting in there and doing something as simple as picking up the phone on a Saturday night turned my whole life upside down. So, after the tunnel vision set in, I did swing shifts at KKWD in OKC and nights at KXBL in Tulsa. At 20 years old, I picked up and moved to Baltimore to do nights at WIYY, then moved on to D.C. to host middays at WHFS, which flipped to Spanish in the middle of my show -- that was a day I'd like to forget. However, CBS transferred me to Baltimore for WWMX, where I ended up staying for nine years. Now, I'm in Los Angeles for Sixx Sense and The Side Show Countdown.
2) What radio stations and personalities did you listen to when you were growing up?
In the late '80s and early '90s, radio DJs were still on that "celebrity" level to me, so I thought anyone on KJYO and KATT in Oklahoma City was the equivalent of Madonna. As I got older, and especially when stations started streaming, I loved hearing Cubby on Z100. He knows I've always looked up to him, and I secretly think he likes it. Ha ha. Kid Kelly, JoJo Wright, Tim Virgin, Kidd Kraddick, Domino, Valentine -- I loved the Top 40 jocks -- the flow, the energy, the intensity. I also admired jocks like Virgin, who has the energy, but also have a talent for interviewing. I remember when we interviewed Blink 182 at an HFSmas Nutcracker. I took mental notes and kept thinking, "I want to have conversations like he does. I don't want to ask boring questions." I picked up little things from all these big names, and tried to put my own little spin on all of them.
3) Can you give us the specifics of how you got the gig as new co-host for the Sixx Sense and The Side Show Countdown radio shows?
A friend of mine at Premiere texted me and said, "Send me something." I asked what it was for, and he just simply said, "I can't, just send me something today." I laughed because I had no idea if the President of the United States was hearing this, or a seven-year-old in Sweden. So, I sent a break that Priestly and I did, and within a couple days, Bill May was calling me to give details about the co-host job for Sixx Sense. I kept pinching myself when I was on that first phone call, even though it was the beginning of a three-month journey. It just didn't seem real. Still doesn't. We did two ISDN shows, I flew out for an audition, and then got the phone call from Bill, at which point he said, "You got the job, congrats! I know you're going to scream when we hang up."
4) I understand you were a big Nikki Sixx fan before you even got the co-hosting role. What was it like meeting Nikki and interviewing for this job?
I grew up listening to Motley, who I always liked, but once I got a hold of Nikki's books The Dirt and The Heroin Diaries, it was game over. I loved how honest he was.
I was more nervous on the ISDN sessions than I was when I flew out to L.A. By the time I got here, I knew I had to lay it all on the line, or this job was going to slip through my hands.
5) For those who haven't heard both shows, give us some highlights of special features and music you feature on the shows on a nightly basis?
On both The Side Show Countdown and Sixx Sense, we talk about things that actually make the entire room crack up, or gasp. It's a toss-up from day to day. You walk away feeling educated, refreshed, and needing a shower. We have incredible guests. There's also a special feature called Sixx Picks, where Nikki chooses songs he wants to highlight that aren't on everyone's radar yet, which is always cool to hear from someone on the inside.
6) I asked this question to Nikki when he did 10 Questions last year, but how is the music chosen on Sixx Sense and The Side Show Countdown? How much input do you have with the music?
The music is really important to us, which is why we have features like Sixx Picks, which I mentioned earlier. We work closely with programmers and stations to bring the best music to our listeners, while also exposing them to new artists.
7) Having worked at Rock and Alternative stations in the past, what's your take on current Rock music? Is it as good now as it was 10 years ago or even in the '90s?
Alternative is killing it. I remember about two years ago, when Imagine Dragons started to trickle into Top 40, and it's almost like it became second nature for programmers to consider all these Alternative songs. I love it. Also, I pick the '90s.
8) How much does Sixx Sense and The Side Show use social media to interact with its listeners?
Twitter, Instagram and Facebook were set up in the first two hours of my first day, if that gives you any idea.
9) What are some of your other hobbies and interests outside of radio and music?
First and foremost, I'm a mom all day, every day. I love hanging out with my little dude. I'm also really into photography, and I love finding old abandoned houses, or some super cool graffiti. My man and I love to try all kinds of new places to eat, and lately, head to the beach. This whole "California" lifestyle is something I can get used to.
10) You're stuck on a deserted island and you only have 5 CDs with you. What are they?
- Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
- Counting Crows - August and Everything After
- Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle
- Ramones - Rocket to Russia
- Outkast - ATLiens
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