Jake & Lisa Hite, hosts of Guilty Pleasures on Saturday from 9-11pm
What can you not stop listening to these days?
During the Halloween season we listen to a lot of horror movie soundtracks and novelty records. John Carpenter, Goblin, Screaming Lord Sutch, and Thurl Ravencroft just to name a few…
What is going on in the Treasure Valley that you’re excited about?
In recent years, Radio Boise and Treefort have been huge for us. Lisa and I are live music enthusiasts. We got to several shows every month. It does not matter whether it’s happening in a stadium or a basement. If we like the bands, we will try to be there.
Do you have a ritual surrounding your show? You know, a ritual meal or a certain artist you have to play?
We usually have tacos on Saturday afternoons. I’m not sure how important Mexican food is to our process, but it helps! We try to avoid playing the same artists week after week. We dig through our vinyl and digital audio to see what we’re feeling. Sometimes we have a theme, sometimes it’s just random weirdness. We spend a lot of time creating and organizing our playlists. The secret ingredient is love!
How long have you been doing Guilty Pleasures? What drew you to take on this show?
We have been on the air for five and a half years. We really just wanted to play strange records on the air, and find out if anyone out there shared our love of the obscure. The response so far has been amazing! We had no idea how many weirdos there are out there!
For those who may not be familiar with your show, how would you describe Guilty Pleasures’ sound?
Our show has been described as Dr. Demento for grown-ups, which is sort of close to the mark. We play novelty records, song poems, exotica, early electronic pop, and much more.
We don’t stick to a particular genre; we want to be open to everything. If it works for the show, we’ll play it! However, we are old, so newer popular music doesn’t generally interest us.
How did you discover Radio Boise
Our friends, Joel Wallace and Dave Foster, introduced us to the Boise Community Radio Project back when they was broadcasting over the internet and trying raise enough money to become a terrestrial radio station. Lisa completed our show proposal and we got the green light. We were part of the first training class to go on air. Lisa and Doug Marstch got in trouble for laughing during orientation. They we got scolded, not much though!
What other shows do you listen to?
All of them really. High Wild and Free, It’s Now Right Now, Two Ducks and a Pollywog, and Sleepwalker are some of our favorites.
What other kinds of things do you do in your life?
We collect records, watch movies, bake all manner of sweets, and make music.
Why do you believe in volunteering for community radio is important?
Radio Boise really is an invaluable resource for our community! It’s not just a platform for folks like us to play records that you’ve never heard of. The diversity of programming on the Radio Boise is amazing. In addition to the music shows, which collectively cover just about every genre known to mankind, you have locally produced informational programming, unbiased news coverage, live on-air performances from local and nationally known artists, and support for local cultural events.
What sounds do you find yourself inexplicably drawn to?
The theremin, analog synthesizers, fuzzed-out psyche guitar … Anything is good as long as it perks our ears and our spirits!
