A letter from Jason Schwartzman to future ‘Coconut Radio’ listeners on SiriusXMU

Coconut Radio, hosted by Jason Schwartzman, premieres on SiriusXMU March 24 at 6 pm ET with replays of the inaugural episode airing 3/24 at 9 pm ET; 3/25 at 9 am ET; 3/26 at 3 pm ET; 3/27 at 6 pm ET; and 3/28 at 11 pm ET.

Hello,

I think I might have just had a revelation, but I’m not sure.

Though vague, it occurred to me how much MORE comfortable I feel in any given situation when there is a bonus layer of, for a lack of a better word, NOISE.

For instance, a friend picks me up, I get into his/her car, he/she asks me how I am, and I answer. But really what I’m thinking is: “Is the radio broken??? Oh no.  A car ride with JUST talking?”

That’s like carrying around an empty backpack, it just doesn’t feel right.

Music is a huge part of my life. It’s essential to me having a good day. If my day is feeling heavy, and I’m dragging my feet, nothing seems to bring me back to life like the right song. Conversely, nothing takes the edge off like a nice chord progression and well recorded drums. It sounds like a commercial, but it’s true.

And it’s the best way to get to know someone. I love hearing what kind of music people are into. I love recommendations. I love people saying, “What!? You haven’t heard that!?”

I love seeing the passion on people’s faces when they talk about their favorite song or band – how happy they get or how sad they get.

And I love mixes. In high school, if I had a crush on a girl, it would be nearly impossible to talk to her, let alone say something memorable. But if I made her a mixtape, suddenly a whole new vocabulary was at my fingertips!

What I couldn’t say through words, someone else’s words could speak for me. Their throat could make the sounds I wanted to make. In high school, creating a mix for someone was basically a love letter.

I still make mixes and playlists daily – but with a sense of “Here is what I like and what I’m excited about.”

One thing for me, though, is that I never assume people will like the mixes. It’s not like, “Check this shit out! I’m going to blow your mind!” It’s more like, “I hope you like it. But if not, maybe next time.”

It is the greatest gift, the ultimate present. Time goes into it. Someone thought about it. Which song goes after which song? Is it too fast? Too slow?

That now I get to have a show on the radio and essentially make mixes for a mass audience, as opposed to one person, is insane to me. It’s scary. Not everyone likes the same things, of course, and I don’t want people to feel bored. However, I am thrilled to share with listeners stuff that I think is neat and stuff that maybe they will want to go check out again in their own time.

All I really want is for someone to listen to a song I play and say, “Hmm. I like that song! I will go look up that band.”

It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I do it all the time. I drive and listen to SiriusXM, and when I hear a song I like, I will take a picture of the name as it appears on my display. Later, I will look up the band.

That’s what it’s all about – hearing new songs (or new old songs), getting amped up about a band you never knew about, having a favorite singer.

It’s an honor to be on the radio, to have a show, and to be able to play songs that I love by bands that I love for people that I don’t know but could maybe love.

For a free 30-day trial, check out http://www.siriusxm.com/freeTrial.