homegrown
DJ AND PARTY PRIMA DONNA JOHNNY LOVE TRASH TALKS HIS WAY
THROUGH OUR 25 QUESTIONS
Bringing the dirty disco and electro sleaze has never been easy, but
Johnny Love has garnered a reputation both as a taste-making(or
breaking) performer and as one of the best party throwers this city
has to offer. In addition to one-off loft fetes, Love hosts the
second thursday soiree each month at Liars Club "Scared to Dance"
Name: Don Juan Del Amore, or more commonly referred to as Johnny Love
Where are you from? Southside
Where do you live? Look at me, where else would I live? Wicker Park
If you could live anywhere else, where would it be? Milan
First record: ABBA – Voulez-Vous
What kind of music did you listen to when you were growing up?
Disco, Cumbia, Italo Disco (or Hi-NRG as my cousins called it),
Freestyle, hip house, early techno pop (a la technotronic)
What kind of music do you listen to now, when you’re not on the job?
I play what I listen to, with probably the exception of the Conan
the Destroyer Soundtrack and Swedish Death Metal
What instrument(s) do you play? The Grafenberg Spot
How long have you been playing? From what I’ve heard, it seems like
I’ve been playing it for years
Favorite album: kenny g- ballads in the key of g
Favorite musicians/musical groups/DJs: Giorgio Moroder, James
Chance, Bobby Orlando, Liquid Liquid, Lime, Patrick Cowley, everyone
else in Chicago whos playing new and refreshing (read: not lounge)
music i.e. Matt Nee, Atomly, Mahjongg, Hidden Variable, Jeffrey
Sfire, Billy Dalessandro, the Meiotic guys, the Ghostly label, Hugo
Moya
Worst job you’ve ever had: Being a DJ, stop trying to give me free
drinks already!
Guilty musical pleasure: What are you talking about? All of my
musical tastes are superb and approved by pitchfork media.
Best/Worst/Most Embarrassing club/DJ story: Worst: Playing in the
basement of the A-zone to my friend Dirtwolf riding around on a
bicycle Most Embarrassing: I’m never embarrassed, though some of the
outfits people wear to these parties are embarrassing, what were
they thinking?
5 essential records: Armando – World Unknown, Dinosaur L – Go Bang,
James Chance & The Contortions – Contort Yourself, Scotch – Penguins
Invasion, Nitzer Ebb - Murderous
Where do you get your musical inspiration from? The aforementioned
favorite musicians/groups, though most importantly, I get my
lifestyle inspiration from every band that made good and creative
use of their groupies, and Rodney Dangerfield, RIP
Favorite place to play/DJ and why: sweet 16s and prom afterparties,
for obvious reasons, Depot and Jaime Valentino know firsthand.
Favorite club/bar and why: I’m not really a fan of any, though I
find myself ending up at Rodan, Sonotheque, and Crobar when Red
Hair Matt is bartending semi often.
The moment you knew your music was much more than just a hobby: When
I realized that I enjoyed getting laid from status whores, wait,
that is my hobby, actually, when I realized that I was obsessive
about learning the history of the music I listen to.
What do you miss most about home when you’re travelling to gigs? The
booty calls/texts I get from the girls back home.
Best part of your job: Sticking it in groupies, duh.
Worst part of your job: You, When is this interview over? I have
somewhere to be.
What keeps you going? What makes you continue with music? Wheres my
agent, I don’t have to deal with this.
What were you doing 5 years ago? Pauly? Ty? where are you, get this
imbecile away from me.
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? This interview is over;
thank your girlfriend for me.
for more info on Mr. Love, visit www.theopaqueproject.com