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DJ Thommy Mayne and the Pritzker-Making Hits

DJ Thommy Mayne and the Pritzker-Making Hits

Widely accepted as the greatest public radio station on the planet, KCRW is famous for its groundbreaking music played by DJs who are smarter, cooler and infinitely better dressers than you. But last week was a bitter one for LA as the station’s great Nic Harcourt hung up his headphones as music director. For those of you who are already missing Harcourt’s esoteric taste (sometimes a bit difficult to take at 9:03am even after a visit to Intelligensia), never fear: Thom Mayne has stepped into the booth.

You heard that right: As part of KCRW’s Guest DJ Project, Mayne picked five songs that have inspired him throughout his life. Paired with former music director Tom Schnabel, Mayne sported his usual maniacal grin and a gleam in his eye (above) as he took to the turntable, admitting that on some occasions, he allowed music to help him design: “There’s actually times when I was drawing, closing my eyes, when I have a sketch book where I was moving my hand rhythmically and shaping it and literally trying to shape drawings that were coming directly from various types of music.”

You can hear the whole set at KCRW.com, but go ahead and rev up your iPod now, because here’s what he played:

1.) Dr. John – Right Place, Wrong Time
2.) John Lurie (as Marvin Pontiac) – Runnin’ Round
3.) Stevie Ray Vaughn – Texas Flood
4.) Laurie Anderson – Big Science
5.) Prince – Musicology

We have to admit we love Mayne’s taste in music, which left a dirty Texas BBQ flavor with a sprinkle of bad 80’s hair in our mouths. And at least now we can forgive Mayne for the shortcomings of the Caltrans Building: It’s clearly not his fault, seeing as he designed it while under the influence of what is easily the worst Prince song in existence. With the possible exception of “Diamonds and Pearls.”

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