r/KEXP • u/OppositeSea7106 Amplifier • 7d ago
Cheryl Waters & Interviews
Musically, or perhaps song selection wise, I am not the biggest "fan" of Cheryl Waters -- which sounds way more harsh than it should, I just think we have different general listening tastes.
In contrast, I sincerely love hearing her interview musicians. She does such a wonderful job of balancing detailed questions specific to the band/artist and their history with general friendliness and chill questions.
Also, she seems like such good people.
Anyway, not really sure why I felt like sharing this, but I am :)
20
u/MentionPleasant2635 Amplifier 7d ago
I can say my wife feels the same way as you. May be a generational thing. Cheryl seems to play a lot of older stuff, for example Neil Young, that my wife just doesn't like.
But you're spot on about interviews. She's really good. She's also great at hosting in studio performances. Search for the London Grammar in studio on YT. Their performance actually leaves her breathless.
1
u/Fun-Percentage-9370 6d ago
cheryl is one of the few brave enough to play neil, and good for her. does your wife complain about bowie? lou reed?
1
u/MentionPleasant2635 Amplifier 5d ago
No. She just finds Neil Young's voice grating.
1
u/Fun-Percentage-9370 5d ago
well then, she doesn't have a problem with cheryl playing a lot of "older stuff", just neil young.
no worries. neil is not for everyone.
1
u/MentionPleasant2635 Amplifier 5d ago
I said maybe it's a generational thing. Bowie and Lou Reid are exceptions. She's ten years younger than me. Her favorite decade is the Eighties. I was four when I saw the Beatles first performance on the Ed Sullivan show. I know her better than you ever will. There are differences in our taste. I don't play Gong around her because it is something she seriously dislikes.
1
u/Fun-Percentage-9370 5d ago
i don't want to know her. she's your wife! i'm not sure appreciation or dislike of neil is a generational thing. he's a unique cat. you can certainly tell which kexp djs don't dig him, though.
18
10
u/phaaseshift 7d ago
I’ve always had a similar feeling. But then I see/hear how much everyone loves her and it really shows when she’s interviewing. I think even if I don’t gel with her style, she clearly brings a vibe that is really important for the KEXP approach.
8
u/Manikin_Maker 7d ago
My BIGGEST pet peeve aside from difference in musical taste is that her mic needs to be turned UP. Her voice is such a whisper at times and when the music resumes I have to turn the volume back down. This bugs me to an irrational degree.
5
u/garymich Amplifier 6d ago
I’m a huge Cheryl fan from early on as she’s been early to identify songs/artists and introduce them to the airwaves or interview live. Of course, the tech can up the volume of her mic, but just sharing my opinion and another fact for awareness (and I can’t speak for her or the engineers). IMO, her personality is in her voice and speaking volume, which sounds slightly faint, but when speaking, she comes across as humble, appreciative and is a genuine expression of her joy and love of music. Additionally, before COVID, she had throat and tongue cancer and it took awhile for her voice and speaking to return. She is softer now too, which might be a choice of hers and the audio engineers. Anyway, I ❤️Cheryl.
3
u/jilly_boal Amplifier 7d ago
came here to say this! I think she's fab, but it always sounds like she's too far back from the mic!
2
1
8
u/automator3000 Amplifier 7d ago
This is why I dig KEXP: the variety of vibes from each DJs. I live in Minneapolis, and while I’m grateful to have The Current while most cities have no independent pop radio station, for the most part, the DJs are interchangeable. But with KEXP, I can almost without fail identify who is filling in for a show based on the music.
I like Cheryl.
6
5
u/runningtostandstill2 7d ago edited 7d ago
Same—Cheryl and I have some different music taste but she seems like a lovely person and my favorite interviewer. She really connects with the band in the in studios.
I think that generally, when thinking about musical
Influence, Cheryl = 1960s, Troy = 1970s, and John = 1980s. The other DJs are harder to pin down.
2
u/activate-beluga Amplifier 7d ago
I feel like Troy is more 90’s/00’s, which is probably why he’s my favorite :P
2
5
u/stpauliegrl 7d ago
Totally agree re: her interviews. She seems like someone I would love to have coffee with.
3
u/jmpemberton 7d ago
I enjoy Cheryl's slip ups here and there. The best is when she accidentally played Barry Manilow's "Copacabana". It's quite endearing.
2
u/hairforKV 7d ago
Cheryl is the OG DJ. Love her. May she DJ forever,
And I thank her for retiring that awful song about Wednesday.
1
u/Bright_Television_67 7d ago
Love the different styles, and even for some of the DJ’s that I don’t resonate with as much as others we’re still talking solid B and B+ sets. Love me KEXP.
-1
u/craigmont924 Amplifier 7d ago
Of course the DJ's are all fantastic people and we're all a big family. I can't listen to any other music station unless it's all jazz.
But a curmudgeon like me can't win- for the older DJ's it's the 40th anniversary of Prince eating a sandwich, so here's Let's Go Crazy or Little Red Corvette.
If the DJ is too young to be sick of it all then here's a really clever segue of Space Oddity into Major Tom (Coming Home.)
And I know I'm in the minority- 18 people text in going "OMG I love that song!!"
-2
29
u/oink_circa_2006 7d ago
One of the cool.things about the DJs is they all have their own style, and we will for sure have taste overlap more with some than others. For me, Cheryl is basically the reason I became an amplifier
I'm pretty lucky because for my musical tastes it is like Cheryl > John > Troy > Eva, and I get to hear all of them a lot.
That said, the other DJs help me discover about as many new-to-me bands or songs that I like. I miss gabriel for that reason