Transcript
music
“Huddle Formation” from the album Thunder, Lightning, Strike by The Go! Team. A fast, upbeat, peppy song. Music plays as Jesse speaks, then fades out.
jesse thorn
It’s Bullseye. I’m Jesse Thorn. G Perico is from Los Angeles and he’s a gangster rapper. That puts him firmly in a tradition that stretches from Ice T and the DOC in the ‘80s through Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg in the ‘90s, and on to hit makers like The Game and YG in the 21st century. Listen to one of G Perico’s tracks and it’s hard not to hear the echoes of 30 some years of records about cruising, barbequing, and throwing gang signs on the streets of LA.
music
“Keep Killin” from the album Keep Killin by G Perico. You can't help me if you can't help yourself I'm at the penthouse plotting up my next ten steps One hundred million, straight out the ghetto We finally on track, now it's time to hit the pedal Can't look back, gotta keep killing Time going by but I keep Cripping [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
Perico is a master stylist. His nasal voice cuts up heavy beats. His lyrics are by turns playful and brutal. Sometimes they’re both in one song. “I’m all alone, talking to G-O-D,” he raps on one lonely track. “And if he wanna do business, then it’s COD.” He’s a trickster with a gun in his waistband and the weight of the world on his shoulders. G Perico was born Jeremy Nash. He grew up in South Central LA. His life was hard. He grew up in the kind of neighborhood where, broadly speaking, you either had friends who were in gangs, or you didn’t have friends. He’s been arrested. He’s been to the Youth Authority, to jail, and to prison. He’s been shot at, and he’s been shot. He raps about the LA that he grew up in. There are cook outs and car shows and there is always danger around the corner.
music
“Dog Year” from the album Ten-Eight by G Perico. I'm running outta time here If you don't get life then you get murdered and die here But somehow I survive here Three sixty-five 'round here is like a dog year Feel like I'm running outta time here [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
G Perico broke through in 2016 with his album S**t Don’t Stop. That record established him at the vanguard of LA street rap. In the five years since, he has recorded nine albums—yes, nine. Including four this year. [Music fades in.] The latest is called Play to Win. Here’s a single from it called “Spaz”.
music
“Spaz” from the album Play to Win by G Perico. Spazzed out, the homie pulled his gat, then he blacked out Clapped out, jumped in this Benz, then he smashed out Crash out, them CA exempt car tags out She always talking 'bout these millions, oh, what's that 'bout? Cash flow, if you ain't got it, you'll go flat broke You blew all the money, what the— you do that for? Mastro's, want the butter cake and the Wagyu I ain't gotta do it, shit, my lil'— pack you Initiated, got my hood tatted, it's abbreviated [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
G Perico, welcome to Bullseye. It’s great to have you on the show.
g perico
Hey. Thanks for having me, man.
jesse
I think you’re—
g
This is great.
jesse
You’re the first one rapping about butter cakes on wax—putting down the butter cakes versus—[laughs].
g
I believe—yeah, I think so. I’ve never heard that. The butter cake is amazing. You like butter cake?
jesse
You know what? Like an okay butter cake is fine. But a good butter cake? You’re like, “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.” [G agrees.] That’s so true. That is so—I made a butter cake out of a Cook’s Illustrated recipe book—or Cook’s Country recipe book. Like a Southern Favorites?
g
How’d it come out?
jesse
It was hella good. [G affirms.] It was hella good, G!
g
That’s what’s up. Yeah.
jesse
It was a good cake! [Laughs.]
g
Yeah, I love butter cake, man. And I’m not big on sweets. So, anybody that know me knows like, if I’m talking about sweets, I love it.
jesse
Okay, so tell me about—you’re from Los Angeles, where we’re sitting right now. [G affirms.] Tell me where in Los Angeles you’re from.
g
Like South Central, the east side of South Central. So, basically on the other side of the 110. East of the 110.
jesse
That’s a very Los Angeles thing, to specify where you live relative to the different freeways. [They chuckle.]
g
The freeways pretty much—I think the 110 freeway pretty much divides South Central, ‘cause it runs—that’s like the South Central freeway, basically. And it divides not from a technical standpoint, but just from—you know, just how everybody look at things, it divides the east side and the west side. Now, if you wanna get technical, one more block separates the actual city. But, you know, we use the 110 as reference.
jesse
What were the distinguishing things about the neighborhood that you grew up in? What was different about your neighborhood than two over or two up or whatever?
g
Um, honestly—I mean… the only thing different would be the individuals. Because, you know, Los Angeles—the culture is the culture. It covers the whole—what an inner city of Los Angeles, you know, South Central, Compton, Watts, all of that. The culture is similar for blocks and blocks and blocks. The only difference is the individuals. You know what I mean?
jesse
Who did you grow up with in your family?
g
I actually grew up—I’m a Granny’s kid. You know? ‘80s baby. I was born in ’88. So, a lot of us grew up under Grandma. I think to this day like a lot of like Black kids grow up with their grandmother. And you know, my moms was around a little bit. You know what I’m saying? I’m not even gonna say a little bit. My moms was around. She was just being her. You know what I mean? And then my pops was in and out of jail. So, I had a stepdad. You know what I mean? I’m a stepchild. I’m like—I honestly feel like the Cinderella story. You know what I mean? ‘Cause I was like—when you look back at it—when I was going through it, it wasn’t bad. But when I look at it, I’m like, “Damn, they used to really treat me like [censored].” [Chuckles.]
jesse
What do you mean when you say that?
g
Like my step pops used to talk to me crazy, man. Like he was just—I try to give everybody the benefit of the doubt in every situation. You know what I’m saying? So—‘cause I used to be like so zoomed in and if I’d have stayed that way, I’d just be angry at everybody. I wouldn’t be getting nothing done with my life. So—but zoom out and a little bit and just look at the situation from a whole. Alright, he’s a _[censored]head. What made him a [censored]_head? You know what I’m saying? Even though he’s grown, and he should know better. But it’s like I prefer to just give people the benefit of the doubt. So, I won’t be running around angry trying to kill everybody. You know what I’m saying?
jesse
What was your grandmother’s name?
g
Bonnie. Bonnie Gwendolyn Stanley.
jesse
What was she like?
g
3/28/48.The sweetest, greatest person to walk the earth. She was awesome. You know what I mean? She loved me to death. That was like the only person that I know that for sure loved me to death, no matter what and had my back for sure, without a doubt. You know what I’m saying? Never gave me any reason to question her. You know what I mean? And a lot of stuff she instilled in me, like it went away for a while—while, you know, the street life [censored]. You know, you turn into a different person. But I’m happy she did, because now it’s coming back. You know how they say [censored] coming full circle. You know what I mean? Just a lot of love she gave me is starting to pour back out of my heart. You know what I’m saying? And I think if I wouldn’t have had her, I’d be [censored] terrible. Like how I just said. I zoom out and I just look for the good in the—or even if it’s bad, we see why. Or even in situations I’m involved in that don’t go right, I don’t go straight to pointing fingers. You know what I’m saying? I just—“Well, maybe—let me see what I did wrong.” Even if it was the other person like, “You [censored] up all the way. Alright? Let me just assume responsibility for that, ‘cause I accepted you in this situation anyway.” You know what I’m saying? So, you know, she gave me a lot of that.
jesse
I know that you went to school at least partly outside the neighborhood. Right?
g
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. For, uh—like, I would say more than partly. About 70% of my schooling was outside of my hood.
jesse
Was that different than other kids you knew?
g
Yeah. That was a—it was honestly a blessing. I hated it at first. I cried and everything like, “Nooo! Pleeease!” But it was like the best thing that they could have did for me.
jesse
How old were you when you started?
g
I think it was like third grade or something like that. Third or fourth grade. I came home and my granny and them like, “Yeah, you not going to school around here no more. You going—” I’m like, “No, pleeease, my friends! Oooh!” And um, like ultimately like that was the—that was the best thing, because like it just taught me how to deal with what other races, other cultures—how to communicate with people. You know? And how to just step outside of the box. A lot of my friends that didn’t get that opportunity, they still haven’t left—they don’t leave that [censored] 10-20 block radius that’s my hood. They don’t leave that at all unless they going to jail or going out to do something. Then if you run into them at one of my shows or, you know, [censored] like that or anywhere, they gonna look out of place. Like, “Man, what you doing outside of the block?” So, I think that was like the—man, I thank my granny and my mom for that. You know what I mean?
jesse
Where were you going when you were in third grade?
g
I was going to West Side Leadership? I think it’s called West Side Alternative, now. It’s like a block—it was sand on a playground at the school. So, it’s literally like one block away from the beach. You know what I mean? All the way up Washington and Pacific. So, it’s like—I think that’d be considered like Playa del Ray, Marina del Ray. That beach. And then maybe about a half a mile or not even a half a mile was Venice Beach. So, I went there and then we dropped off—so, the school bus’d pick me off. We would drop off kids at Venice High School, Mark Twain, and another school. I forgot the name of it. But it was like four schools on my school bus. That was coming from that area.
jesse
I mean, that’s a completely different world. I mean, that’s like a very different world from where I live. You know what I mean? Like, I’m out on the [chuckling]—I’m out on the west side by the beach four times a year. [They chuckle.] You know what I mean? Like going out there every day, it’s a—it’s a big difference. Was it kids from all over LA? Or—?
g
Yeah. Yeah, it was kids from all over. And the crazy part—like I bump into a lot of people that went to school there, and they doing like Spank from Trap Kitchen. You ever heard of Trap Kitchen? They got like a gang of food trucks. They real important out here to the food culture. You know what I mean? And he went to school with me, and we was both bad as hell, but he’s doing great stuff in life. I’m doing great stuff in life. And I’m not gonna stay it was solely based on going to that school, but I know that experience taught us both how to—you know—think outside the box and say, “You know, eff it. We gonna go for what we know.” You know what I mean?
jesse
I grew up in the city and went to school in the suburbs for middle school and had a great experience, generally, with my peers—even though they were in pretty different social circumstances than me. But one of the things I remember most vividly is when my friends from school would come to visit me. And, you know, like I had a perfectly nice apartment and everything, you know. I wasn’t going hungry. But one of my most vivid memories is a friend who came to visit me, and we were walking to the ice cream place and—we were like 12—and he turned to me, and he said, “Jesse, is this a bad neighborhood?” [They laugh.] I was like—I was like—what’s crazy is the thought that I had in my head was like, “No, no, that’s like three blocks that way. Can you not tell the difference?” [Chuckling.] [G agrees.] Now this is a good—this is a safe one and then that one is a little dicey. You gotta really hold your head up on that one. [Laughing.] You know what I mean? [G confirms.] Did anybody ever come home with you, like after school?
g
Yeah, I did have a lot of friends from school that used to come. Man, it was the White dude—actually, he got the same name as me. His name was Jeremy. And I used to go to his house. And another—I had another friend named Mark that stayed on Lincoln. So, we used to go to his house. They used to come to my house. But it was like—they never stayed. Like, they mama come hang out a little bit, talk to my granny. You know what I mean? And we would just play video games and stuff like that. But we never—we never spoke on that. I guess ‘cause they already knew what it was. Like, man, it look crazy around here. You know what I mean? Even though to me it wasn’t bad. You know? But you know, the difference was obvious from when I’d go to they house, they live by the beach. You know what I mean? And we would do different events. Like we used to go—I was into sports. So, we used to play basketball. We used to run 5k races. You know what I mean? I used to cheat all the time.
jesse
[Laughing.] Cheating on a 5k!
g
Yeah, I used to cheat. Cut across.
jesse
You were like, “Yeah, I won the turkey trot again, baby.” [They laugh.]
g
Yeah. So, yeah—and then I had friends that was in the same situation as me. Like one of my friends, uh—Sammy. We called him K Swiss. He’s Ethiopian. And he lived in the jungles. And the jungles is like a notorious area for gangs and crimes and all of that. And man, he used to just walk through there like he owned the jungles. You know what I mean? And he end up joining a gang, like me. He actually in jail right now. He on the way home, but he’s super smart, man! That’s the thing. Like a lot of people that get into these gangs, like—like not everybody is just like can’t read and is not smart. Like it’s a lot of highly intelligent individuals. But just the path and they direction is pointed the wrong way. You know what I mean? It’s like a lot of people that could be running Fortune 500 companies and just doing great stuff in the world, but you know, the influence is not there. You know what I mean? But yeah, I think a lot of people from that area—not to get off subject, but a lot of people from that school were just like—just highly gifted. You know what I mean? A lot of people were doing great stuff. A lot of people—you know how it go. You know what I mean.
jesse
How old were you when you got involved in the system?
g
So, I went to jail the first time—my mom came and picked me up. I was 13, resisting arrest. And that was like the hook which hooked me in. And I was basically hooked all the way in, until a couple year—like two, three years ago. So, from 13 to 30, just on the hook.
jesse
What happened when you got arrested when you were 13?
g
So, I was leaving school. I’d just got into a—did I get into a fight? I think I got into a fight or something. It was something super dramatic, why we left. We leave. One of my homies’s got a gun on him. And I know he got a gun on him. So, we get—the school police try to stop us. So, I do a—you know, just from hearing my older homies and watching movies and [censored], I do a—basically, a smoke screen. I throw a fit, try to take off running, thinking that he gon’ get loose and get away. He just stood there! So, I mean, I got a whole case for nothing. Like if he was just gonna stand there. So, I was basically trying to help him get away. And I guess he didn’t catch on and he went to jail, also. My mom came and picked me up, but I ended up being on probation for that. And that was just the beginning of, you know.
jesse
Did you go to—you know, juvie, the Youth Authority, or did you go to jail-jail?
g
Yeah, I did everything. I’ve been everywhere. Yeah. So, from the juvenile all the way to penitentiary. All of the—it’s crazy. And then, people would never know.
jesse
What’d you tell your grandma when you were 13? And what’d she tell you?
g
So, initially, you know, I could do no wrong in my granny’s eyes. So, initially I was planning on that. You know what I mean? Like, “I’m not doing nothing, Granny. Mm.” Lying. I don’t know if she believed it, but she wanted—like, I’m her baby. You know what I’m saying? And when I end up in camp—I end up in camp like a year later and just came clean. “I got the gang tatted on me, Granny. I’ve been out here doing this and that.” At a visit. Like, I don’t know. Like, everything was just weighing on me. And—while I’m in camp. And I’m like, “When they come, I’ma just tell her.” She’s like, “Oh my god! Have you killed anybody?! Ooh!” I’m like, “No! I ain’t killed no—I ain’t hurt nobody!” But yeah, I came clean. And you know, that was probably like the best thing that I did, ‘cause she was stressed about it, but it took like a lot of pressure. Like, okay, he kind of like asking for his and he know how to handle himself. You know what I mean? I didn’t want her worried about me. So, I just—I just came clean. And then, plus like when you’re doing stuff like that, you do wanna be in tune with the people that love you. And you know that they’re gonna come get you and do anything for you. Like, the best thing to do is to be honest. You know what I mean? So, they’ll understand what’s going on or how to approach the situation, how to deal with it. You know what I mean?
jesse
You were talking about zooming in and zooming out. Was there a point when you were a teenager—you know, you’d already been and out a little bit—when you kind of lost the thread of caring about the consequences?
g
Oh, definitely! That whole entire time I didn’t—I didn’t care about anything. Like my influences around that time, when I was growing up—my influences from 13, like my direct influences—before that, I had been seeing the older homies and watching them from afar. And they had kids my age and I’d be playing with them. But like around 13, like bro, all my influences were like serious, hardcore criminals. Killers. People that back then, like, you would go—you would kill somebody and get seven years for it. So, around this time—’01, ’02, around—off up in there? Like a lot of my homies from the ‘90s was just getting out for murders. They was just getting out of Youth Authority from doing seven years for murders. So, these is my influences. You know what I mean? People basically telling me like, you know, if you not active, then—you know, you out. And who wanna be out? You know what I mean? So, if you’re not doing all of this criminal [censored]—so, I just became fully engulfed in the criminal lifestyle and the criminal aspect of not caring about anything. Like that version of me, I’m—I would be scared of him. Like—and I look like a innocent, little, small, cute kid! But just pure trouble. You know what I mean? And I was smart and understood everything. But, you know, the influence just led me and just wanting to be a part of something just led me to not caring about anything. Like, to—kind of like going to jail and being a rider, is what we call it, was like the goal. You know what I mean?
jesse
Yeah, I mean, it’s funny that you mention that you’re like—you’re not a huge dude. I’m sure you were skinnier when you were a teenager. There’s this DJ Quik lyric that [chuckling] that goes, “I ain’t no big, buff dude. I’m a rap singer.” [G echoes the lyric.]
g
Exercise one muscle. Look, you hear my strap finger? You hear that click? Boy, I got arthritis in that thing. [Laughs.]
jesse
But I mean, that is like sometimes when you’re a littler dude, like you have the choice to either try and hide or just be a little more wild.
g
Right. And that was my option. My option was to be the most wildest—‘cause I was never big, but I mean, you know, going in and out of jail, I was kind of like muscular. But still skinny. Strong and muscular, but still skinny and small, short. And you know, for people to take me serious—and then I was like a handsome prettyboy dude. You know what I mean? So, I had to wild out and just do a lot of irrational things.
jesse
I wanna play a song from LA Summers, which is one the EPs that you put out this year. [G affirms.] It’s called “Today”.
g
“Today”!
music
“Today” from the album LA Summers by G Perico. Yeah, I’ve been grinding Was a little kid, I was outside sliding Jumping outta Honda Civics with pistols Had a ’22, but I treat it like a missile Pray for the truth that’s missed The— rap game, I ain’t— I’m fixing to be dead, soon I’m paranoid, so I got the click, boom, pow Say I’m cute, but I don’t ever smile I’m always in my rearview when I’m in the street Can’t let a— get the drop on me I got property, I speak properly [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
You have a—you have a verse—I think it’s on that song, where you say that you still have hate in your heart for the dudes from the other side.
g
People from the other side. Yeah.
jesse
And then you say that you’re—I think it’s your childhood’s still got you traumatized. [G confirms several times as Jesse continues.] And I found that verse very moving. Because it’s a song—you know, like it—the verses take the form of like a—you know, a gangster rap record. You know? It’s about how ready you are, but it’s also kind of a memory song. Maybe it’s the beat. And it’s about not being able to let go of looking over your shoulder. Which is like the simplest description of PTSD. Right? Like, it’s like when you’re traumatized, your body lives the trauma whether or not you’re in the trauma or not, at that moment. You know, you’re in your 30s now. Is that something that you still feel?
g
Definitely, man. It’s—just because this situation and what’s been going on is nothing new. So, when I was a little kid, it was homies my age already that already been through the wringer. And some of them was doing like great in life and still got killed. You know what I mean? So, me knowing that and understanding that like—it’s never safe. You know? And past experiences like when you see people get killed or you’re being shot or next to somebody that’s been shot up. Like, it’s—all of it is like for really no reason. Like when you think about, it’s like we could’ve just had a conversation or if we couldn’t have came to a conclusion, we could’ve just stayed away from each other. You know what I mean? But it got out of hand. So—and that’s the wartime. You know what I mean? And just the—just seeing that and being a part of that is definitely in the back of my head. Like, man, this—at any given time, it’s—even when I’m in traffic. Like I can’t—when I’m driving. I’m so paranoid when I drive. I’ve been shot in the car before. You know what I’m saying? So, yeah, PTSD at its best. You know what I mean?
jesse
We’ve got even more with G Perico still to come. After the break, he’ll tell us about the time he spent 15 months in jail and what he learned on the inside. It’s Bullseye, from MaximumFun.org and NPR.
promo
Music: Low, unsettling music. Ross Blocher: [Using a spooky, deep voice.] Somewhere between science and superstition, there is a podcast. [Several crashes and a blood curdling scream.] Ross: [Ominously.] Look, your daughter doesn’t say she’s a demon. She says she’s the devil himself! Carrie Poppy: [Dramatically, with a cartoonish southern drawl.] That thing is not my daughter! And I want you to tell me there’s a show where the hosts don’t just report on fringe science and spirituality but take part themselves! [Cheerful music fades in.] Ross: [Speaking normally.] Well, there is! And It’s Oh No, Ross and Carrie! on Maximum Fun. Carrie: [Speaking normally.] This year we actually became certified exorcists. Ross: So, yes, Carrie and I can help your daughter! [Chainsaw revving sounds.] Carrie: Or we can just talk about it on the show. [Ominous music returns.] Ross: [Spookily.] Oh No, Ross and Carrie! on MaximumFun.org.
jesse
Welcome back to Bullseye. I’m Jesse Thorn. If you’re just joining us, I’m talking with G Perico. He’s a rapper born and raised in south LA. He’s profoundly prolific. This year, he released four records. This track, “On a Sunday”, is from one of those. LA Summers.
music
“On a Sunday” from the album LA Summers by G Perico. I'm in a blue Chevrolet Snap Top, super-hot, new CA That's all I need in this world of sin Sunday night riding out with the clique Beat hitting hard on ten Dupri got a girl coming through, tell her bring friends We pulling up in 'Vettes like twins All these potholes in traffic almost cracked my rims Slid up Broadway, everybody out [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
There was a point when you were in your late teens that you went to jail for I think it was 15 months. And it was—it was a, I think, a gun charge, right? [G confirms.] And it was just possession because you had been in the system before, you were like in an apartment that had a gun in it or something like that. [G confirms.] How was that time that you went to jail? Ended up being 15 months.
g
I was only supposed to do four months. [Chuckles.] But I was—I was just cutting up. Like, you gotta make a name—it’s like when it’s juvenile, nothing makes any sense. It’s all out of—the only thing that makes sense is chaos. The only thing that gets respect is chaos. The only thing that people be like, “Hey, yeah, you know, uh, Whoopty Woop? Yeah, man, he hard. He a rod. Whoop, whoop,” is being dumb. So, that was just me being just dumb, ignorant. Like just acting out, fighting, not listening, just trying to act tough and show out and, you know, trying to get people to pay attention to me. Crying out for attention and trying to make a reputation, basically. And yet, that was one of my experiences, man. I was terrible, man. But you know, that’s what makes the story.
jesse
At what point then did things feel like they could be something different? At what point did you manage to pull some perspective?
g
I think I always had common sense, but it was just nothing to look towards. You know what I mean? And then my homies had a studio. And you know, I’ve always been great in English. Like reading, excellent. I’d be the one kid that raised his hand to read every time and I’m just having fun reading. You know what I mean? That was me. And writing stories and poems and everything. So, you know, I always excelled in just painting pictures and art, also. And my uncle had a studio when I was little, so I grew up around it. So—and the crazy thing, I didn’t follow his lead. Like, I followed the ignorant, crazy—the homie’s lead. And you know, my homies had a studio, and it was a few people that I admired from the area that was rapping. And they was gangsters, too. You know what I mean? And I was like, “Damn, I wanna—I wanna do that.” But I never took it serious. And then the opportunity came where like everybody either gave up, quit, went to jail, or started doing other stuff like—you know how they—when you’re chasing a dream or a goal and then you get to that point where reality set in. It’s like, “Alright. Do you really wanna go through the hardship and the struggle of this? Or do you wanna just take the easy route?” And you know, for a lot of street dudes, it’s like, “Bro, I’m not sacrificing nothing!” Like—and not realizing that you really are sacrificing something when you don’t go after the dream, because you’re doing street stuff, you’re gonna go to jail. You’re gonna waste years. And, you know, my homies that didn’t sacrifice. It’s ten years later now, and they looking like they trying to start over now. But—
jesse
And it’s harder—it gets harder and harder to catch up, I think.
g
Right. So, at one point everybody had went away from the studio and it was just—initially, I was just a kid. That was, “Nah, you can’t come in here. You be tripping. You doing this and that.” To now, there’s nobody there. I’m in there rapping and rehearsing. And like I knew it was something that I wanted to do, and that was kind of like the light on the tunnel for me. But I was still, you know, cutting up. But like, yeah, when all my homies that was rapping went away, either quit, got jobs, decided that they don’t wanna deal with the struggle of it and gave up, didn’t have the vision, that’s when I stepped in, and I start seeing things different. And then, also it was—it was just like multiple things. Because, you know, people was getting killed. Like my friend’s getting killed, my friend’s getting life. Also, like drugs. People losing they mind from drugs or people getting strung out. You know, basically we was just—everything start happening early. Like, early 20s. Like people was turning into they parents, ‘cause you know we come from the crack era. Like, I was watching my homies turn into dope fiends. Like—or getting stuck forever. Or like, “Man, I’m not doing this no more. I’m cool.” We used to call them suckers. But they was actually smart! Like, “Bro, I’m cool on a life.” You know what I mean? That was like—now, when I look back in hindsight, man. It was a strongest people because they decided in they mind like, “I don’t care what y’all thing. I’m about to live my life.” So, just a lot of that was going on. You know what I mean? And yeah, the studio. The studio was calling me, but I just couldn’t shake the criminal element.
jesse
Were you already writing verses? Were you writing verses when you were a teenager?
g
Yes. Yes. Like, I always—man, I got notebooks from the ‘90s, man, where I’m just writing poetry and whatever was on my mind. Like, it sounds crazy now, but like I always been into that. Like, that was like kind of like my escape from everything. Like I’ll be writing stories about stuff that didn’t have nothing to do with nothing, just—you know. But I never—I never had the confidence or the courage to tell any of my peers about this. Like, it’s just like the tough bravado, what we doing, you know what I mean? And when I finally did record something, man, everybody went crazy. And the same place that I was trying to prove something to and get accept to, they embraced it. You know what I mean? And just gave me the confidence. So, like, I think my hood kind of like did like a few things for me. Like, it sent me on a spiral, crazy path and then also gave me the confidence to do what I’m doing now. You know what I mean? To say, “Eff it. Let me go and do what I do.”
jesse
Have you written anything today?
g
Not yet. Not yet. Not yet.
jesse
Are you gonna write about like looking out of our office window at the lake and fish truck?
g
Definitely! It’s crazy you say that. So, what I learned how to do over the years is—because I’m a real visual artist. So, what I learned how to do is my experiences from the day, I’ll write a few of them down. And it’ll either turn into a story or it’ll turn into a rap song. You know what I mean? So, yeah, the fish truck, hearing about that, looking out at the lake, MacArthur Park, just all the dope toys that y’all got, the bathroom, the pictures in the bathroom, the Wu-Tang lotion. Like all of that. You know what I’m saying? It’s like helped me create. You know what I mean? And I just mix it with, you know, the lifestyle that I’ve once lived and that I live now. You know what I mean? It’s a big gumbo pot.
jesse
We do have some Wu-Tang themed hand moisturizer in the bathroom.
g
And I was taking—that’s what took me so long. I’m popping that—I just had to unscrew it and get some up out of there.
jesse
[Laughs.] Cream rules everything around me, I think is the theme of that. When did you lose your grandmother?
g
August 2010.
jesse
So, you were about 20 or so?
g
I was 22—21. 21 or 22. Something like that, yeah.
jesse
So, that’s right around that same time that you were trying to figure out… whether you could be an artist.
g
Right. Right. So, that was—you know, I’d been doing stuff previously, but my confidence wasn’t all the way there. Around that time, I would never rap in front of anybody or even say that I rapped. But I got all these notebooks full of raps.
jesse
Did your grandma know about that stuff?
g
Yeah, so my grandmother—so, the crazy part is she had a friend named Vic. And I don’t know the dynamic sort of what their relationship was exactly. I don’t know if they was dating, friends, or I don’t know. But he had a studio in Compton, and she wanted to keep me out of trouble. And she knew that I’d be writing. Like she’d know. She’d know me. I didn’t even have to tell her. And she wanted to keep me out of trouble. So, I basically made a promise to her to, instead of being in the hood all day after school or whatever I was doing, to go mess with him like two days out the week. So, I was in a group called The Wild Bunch back in the day. Nothing never came out, but they basically—he basically taught me how to record and how to project my voice and how to get—how to ride the beat and everything. You know what I mean? He was like, “Man, your vocals need to sound like this and this and that.” So, you know, I got a lot of my basic structure from something that my granny set up. But, again, I still wasn’t confident in that for some reason. Because it’s like all my homeboys was like, “Man, eff rap. We doing this! Like we in the streets. We getting money. We hustling. We—” You know what I mean? Just doing all the ignorant stuff. So, yeah. After she died, I’m like—I was so mad that I wasn’t on it then, just to—so she could have something. Like she knew I was smart and had like—but just at least have something to be proud of me about. You know what I’m saying? So, I think between that and my daughter being born and then just like my whole life just—when she died, like—or while she was sick, my whole life was just shifting into a place that I didn’t know where it was going. You know what I mean? I just accepted everything and said whoever don’t like it, oh well. Whoever like it, that’s who I’ma focus on. You know what I mean? So, that’s been my motto.
jesse
Do you remember what the first verse was that you put down with the intention of like, “This is gonna be a record. I’m gonna try and sell this to somebody.”
g
No, I wish I—I wish I remembered. I be seeing a lot of people that remember their first rap and everything. I don’t, bro. Like, I remember the song, though. I played it. I remember I said something—something to the effect of me saying the story when I joined a gang and around that time and what the summertime was like. So, it was like a real vivid thing. “Let me take you back when everything changed.” It was something to that effect. And like my homeboys went crazy. And to me, it wasn’t even that dope. Like my homeboy, Snook, like one of my best friends—him and his brother was—him, his brother, and then my boy Deron. His brother is no longer with us, Pool. But it was like my main guys, man. When I played the CD for them, he took and just ran out the spot and just went all through the hood making everybody listen to it. So, that was basically like the birth of like me stepping outside of my shell. It was so uncomfortable. And then now, that’s what made me learn how to embrace the uncomfortable moments, ‘cause that’s when like something changed and something great is fixing to happen. So, like when things get uncomfortable, I learned to love that part of the process. Like when everything is going fine and perfect, I’m like, “Ugh.” But then when it gets uncomfortable and tough and I’m not sure about it—not that I’m not sure about it, but I just don’t—I don’t know what’s gonna happen next. I know something good is about to happen. I love that part of every process. So, that’s why I try to—you know—keep doing something new. You know what I mean? Just to stay uncomfortable. ‘Cause that’s when I know I’m growing. You know?
jesse
I wanna ask you a silly question, if I can. So, you’re sitting in front of me, and you’ve got a baseball cap on and underneath it looks like you have some braids there. [G confirms.] But you have demonstrated some pretty serious hair styles over the years.
g
Yes. Yes. I love hair, man.
jesse
[Chuckles.] Not least of which is particularly glistening loose curl that you wore for quite a while. Like a shoulder length-ish loose curl.
g
Yeah, that was—that’s my—that’s my MO, man. Like, so I had a homeboy named Lil’ Roach. Killer Roach. Like, he was old enough to be my dad. Like, his son is my age. I think his son is a year older than me. But he was like always youthful, young. People think I’m related to him, too. Like we look alike. But like man, I admired this dude so much, man. He had like all the cars, girls. He was small like me, but he was like stocky when he’d take his shirt off. He had jokes. I’d never see anybody disrespect him. Like he was just like a awesome person. And he had a curl. He used to wear the curl sometimes. And I used to pattern myself after him—my whole entire everything from the hood like after him. So, like I always wanted to, you know, have a curl like that. And he died and then I said, “Eff it, I’m about to just grow—” A lot of people say Eazy-E, DJ Quik. But like they were like pop icons and rap icons, but that’s not who I saw personally and inspired me on a day-to-day. Like it was people like my homie Lil’ Roach. My homie Lil’ Boney Rock had a curl. My homeboy Sandbag used to have the hair rollers. That’s why I do that. Like, these was my influences. These was like my father figures, like people that I wanted to be like. So, I just felt like I was just carrying on with something and representing them. And they loved it. You know what I mean? At some point, no matter what—you know how like you get older but you still wanna impress your parents? You know what I’m saying? That’s what a lot of stuff that I do is, ‘cause you know, my older homies was like really like my parents growing up. You know what I mean?
jesse
For good and ill, I guess.
g
Yeah. [Chuckles.] Yeah. Yeah, for real.
jesse
One time I asked Quik about his hair and he was talking about one time he toured with Dru Down, the rapper from the Bay Area, and—
g
Dru Down, dope artist.
jesse
Great. Great. I just found out that [chuckling] his dad is Bootsy Collins.
g
Bootsy Collins, yeah.
jesse
I just found that out this week! Anyway, he told me he’d toured with Dru Down one time, and he said there was just women jumping onstage to touch his hair. [Laughs.]
g
Yeah, I get that too. Especially when I got my curl. Oh my goood! Bro! Like [inaudible], that never fails, like I don’t even gotta be—I could have the dustiest outfit. If I got my face shaved and my curl down, man they passing out. Like, “Can I please—can I touch it?” So many different artists and R&B people and just I remember I was in—was I at a holiday party? But I caught Beyonce pointing at me and laughing, like giggling. [Jesse laughs.] You know what I mean? I’m like, “Okay.” But everybody like loves it. You know what I mean? Like especially the females.
jesse
There’s a line on one of the songs from your record from 2016, which I guess we’ll have to bleep the name of on the radio, but S**t Don’t Stop, where you say, “Young king doing me, with my [censored] up teeth.” [They laugh.]
g
It’s straight up!
jesse
Every time I hear that, I’m like pumping my fist in the car.
g
Yeeeeah, bro! It’s like I embrace what would naturally make you insecure, because it’s like it’s me! Like, hate it or love it. Like, there’s people that’s gonna, you know, not like it. But we not focused on them. Like the people that love it, we gonna embrace them back. We gonna show love to them and it’s gonna spread like that. You know what I mean? So, like just all my imperfections and flaws like, it’s not nothing that I hide from. You know what I mean? ‘Cause you’ll be hiding from yourself and then life just sucks like that. Like—and that’s not something that I picked up from myself. It’s something that I picked up from watching other people. Like they just limit theyself from the world and so many different things, just based on, “Uh—um. Yeah, my tooth is chipped. I don’t wanna—I can’t do this, and I can’t sit in front of this because of this. And I can’t do that, and I can’t do that.” And you know, I just vowed to just never be a person like that. Especially being the fact that I spent so many years of my life holding back—holding myself back from trying to belong to something else. So smart, I had this feeling like I was already standing on the ceiling of the lifestyle that I was in. I’m already standing on top of it and I’m reaching back down. So, you know, flaws and all, man. I’m gassing.
jesse
Let’s hear a song from my guest, G Perico, and his 2016 record, S*** Don’t Stop. And this is the title track. [G reacts with excitement.]
music
“S Don’t Stop” from the album _S Don’t Stop_ by G Perico. Free my— Seany Pooh from the south They sent my— in round the time I got out Why these— don't like me 'cause I'm young and I'm coming up Pretend you don't see a homeboy, you really— up And I be cutting up I'm a— in the street, get this cash and keep it way G Young king doing me with my— up teeth Late night shoot-outs in my red grand prix Remind me of Jane Brady, stop hating Y'all grown men actin' like ladies, they banging like the '80s Mother— getting chipped [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
So, G, I wanna ask you about the sounds of your records. Right? So, we’re here in Los Angeles. You know, a few years ago there were—there were some big, national hits with a sort of particular aesthetic that DJ Mustard brought to the table. And there—you know, there’s a—there’s a sort of g-funk sound that is carried through LA since it was new, in 1991 or whatever. You know, 25, 30 years. Just as there’s, you know, rappers in New York who are—you know.
g
Boom bap.
jesse
Basically, rapping over Pete Rock beats, in 2020. And you’ve gone a few different directions with your sound. You know, one of the things that struck me about LA Summers is I’m like, “This dude is rapping about gangster stuff.”
g
Over jazz.
jesse
Yeah! I’m like, “That sounds like a Brian Jackson loop.” And then I’m like listening to it and you finish rapping, the beat flips, and there’s Gil Scott-Heron. And I’m like, “Oh! It actually was Brian Jackson!” [Laughs.] [G confirms.] So, tell me about like what you’re trying to do with your sound. ‘Cause it’s not just the straight, old school LA thing. It’s not the new LA hit maker thing.
g
Man, I’m happy. Bro. I appreciate you so much for that, because—this is why I stopped doing interviews, too, because the average person is just like not even check out anything and just look at the looks. So, they’ll look at the curl and then the—you know, the style of dress and then classic west coast, DJ Quik, Easy-E, g-funk. You know? Without even diving in. But yeah, my whole thing is like I love timeless music. And I just love music in general. So, like Gil Scott-Heron. Man, I love him. Roy Ayers, love him. Frankie Beverly, Sade, Meshell—uh, I don’t know how—
jesse
Ndegeocello. Past guest on this show. She’s a cool lady!
g
Karen Wheeler. Soul II Soul. Prince. Like this is—this is the music that I listen to on the daily. I just turn my YouTube on and click one song and let it play all of these—‘cause it’s programmed that way. And then, on the other hand, I listen to the Cash Moneys. Lil’ Wayne, Juvenile, Game, YG, just all of this. So, I got a few different things that I excel at, as far as creating music. You know what I mean? And this year, I wanted to just make that clear. Like, I can excel in a few different areas. You know what I mean? I could do the turn up, but it’s a little bit different from the typical what’s going on. And then I could do the smooth, which is a little bit different from the typical—and that is what creates the progressive street music that I’m going for. But my whole thing, from the intro, has always been—you know, if people are zigging, then I’ma zag. You know what I mean? And it’s—I think there’s room for everything in the game and I also feel like not enough people distinguish themselves. Like, you know, I could—I could easily make a—like a typical song and hit and be all over the radio, but that’s not my goal. My goal with the whole music and the whole reason that I’m doing this—initially, it was to, “Alright, I don’t have anything else. I’m trying to get out the streets.” You know what I mean? And then now it’s like it’s more of a purpose. And my—I feel like my purpose for music. And then the reason why I choose certain things and just go so aggressively with it is because I’m for sure confident that, if not now, like later I will influence a whole entire generation and then it’ll be people like in like a college course breaking down my lyrics. That’s why I make sure that it’s visual. I make sure that it’s about a story and that we’re going somewhere. Even the dressing—not to get off subject, but like when I came out, you know, my favorite color is red. You know what I mean? I love wearing red. And I used to have a issue with that growing up, where I’m from, ‘cause it’s Crips.
jesse
And the color for Crips is blue.
g
Yeah. So, that had a lot to do with me acting out and trying to assume my own identity in that world.
jesse
You have a tattoo on your forearm. I was just looking at that’s red— [G confirms.] It’s red in color and says “blue”.
g
Yeah, exactly. So, when I start coming out, you know, I wear red. I like to wear all the latest fashion. But at the time, there was a lot of Blood rappers out and then everybody was fashionable. So, you know, what did I do? They zig and I zag. I went back to wearing all blue and then just dressing like a hood rat to establish myself and distinguish myself in this game.
jesse
We’ll wrap up with G Perico after a quick break. Stay with us. It’s Bullseye, from MaximumFun.org and NPR.
promo
Music: Dramatic, suspenseful string music. Narrator: From the internationally acclaimed creators of Who Shot Ya? comes the movie podcast Maximum Film. Starring producer and film festival programmer, Drea Clark as a woman bound by passion. Drea Clark: [Decadently.] I saw this eight months ago on the festival circuit and I loved it. Narrator: Film critic, Alonso Duralde, as a man corrupted by greed. Alonso Duralde: [Incensed.] Why watch one Hallmark Christmas movie when I could watch seven!? Narrator: And comedian, Ify Nwadiwe, as a man protecting a love that society simply won’t accept. Ify Nwadiwe: [In tears.] I think Pacific Rim is a perfect movie. And if you can’t accept that, then I want you out of my life! Narrator: From the makers of the movie podcast Who Shot Ya? comes Maximum Film. [Upbeat music fades in.] Ify: That’s right, we changed the name of our show to Maximum Film. Alonso: But don’t worry! We’re still a movie review show that isn’t just a bunch of straight, White dudes. Drea: So, tune into Maximum Film! At MaximumFun.org or wherever you get your podcasts. [Music fades out.]
jesse
Welcome back to Bullseye. I’m Jesse Thorn. I’m talking with G Perico. He’s a rapper from South Central who’s worked with Freddie Gibbs, Kamasi Washington, and E-40, among many others. He’s released four records this year, the most recent of which is called Play to Win. Let’s get back into our conversation. I think one of the most distinctive things about your rapping is that you are about as good as anyone in the world at talking mess. You know, like one of my favorite rappers of all time is Suga Free who’s a rapper from Pomona.
g
OOOH! Suga Free is my ultimate!
jesse
And like Suga Free like, I will say, Suga Free raps a lot about pimping, which I find to be morally reprehensible as a thing in the real world. [G agrees.] But it’s tough to top the different things he thinks of to say. And I’ll say that like when I’m at home chopping vegetables for a soup or whatever, inside my head is going—you know, you have a verse on that record we were just talking about with the swear word in the name that goes like, “I’m a hustler, a player, gangster, baller. Why do your mama want me to call her?” [Laughs.] [G confirms.] I think about that while I’m like making soup! [They laugh.]
g
Ah, that’s amazing man. That is amazing.
jesse
I just imagine that in your notebook there’s just like one page that just has at the top of it, great [censored] that I thought of to say. [Laughing.] You’re just like, “Write that down!”
g
Yeah. I actually—you know what’s crazy, too? So, outside of writing, I got a separate phone now. And my girl, she hate it. Like, she think it’s like something different going on. But it’s where I keep a lot of the ideas. So, when I’m in—when I don’t have time to sit there and write, I just record. And I’ll say it or whatever it is—whatever the conversation, I’ll say it in my phone, and I keep it like that. So, yeah, that’s—you know, just all day, just collecting lines, collecting—I just call it collecting data. You know what I mean? All day.
jesse
I wanna play one more of my guest, G Perico’s, singles from this year. And there’s been a bunch of them, ‘cause he’s got I think four records out this year.
g
Six! [Music fades in.] Seven.
jesse
Six? Okay thank you.
g
Something like that. Seven.
jesse
This song is called “Talk About It”.
music
“Talk About It” from the album Free by G Perico. From the pen to the streets Straight to the hood, same day I got released Dug up my money, one hundred forty G's On the side of the house on 111th East I'm that— where I come from Call me Scrilla where I come from It's a whole gang of killing where I come from Ain't no telling who snitching where I come from No parole, I'm free [Volume decreases and continues under the dialogue then fades out.]
jesse
So, this is what I was thinking as I—as I listened to this record while I was driving into the office, today. I’m like, “G Perico—” And I don’t—who made the beat on this record? ‘Cause I wasn’t looking at the liner notes.
g
Kacey Khalil. Kacey Khalil. Yeah.
jesse
Okay, so, G Perico and Kacey Khalil are in the studio or whatever and it’s like, “We’re gonna make a G Perico record right now.” Line up. Boom. Boom. Ch-ch. And then let’s throw the loop from “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde on top of that. [Laughs.] [G hums in agreement.] It’s like the heaviest drum track in the world and then one of the great all-time—I don’t know what you would call it. It was a hit record, so it’s hard to call it an underground record. But—
g
Bro, that’s amazing. That’s a timeless, classic, never ages, never gets—sounds new every time you listen to it. That’s like—I think that’s more than a hit, that record. That is like a awesome—that’s in my playlist that play like daily. When I listen—when I do my jam sessions, that’s an amazing song. Pharcyde, “Runnin’”. “Runnin’” and “Passin’ Me By”, those are two amazing—like it’s beyond. Because I think, with music, you got hit records, right? Songs that’re deemed hits. And then two years later, three years later, it’s like you don’t wanna hear it. It don’t feel new anymore. It was then. And then you got records like that that’s just like—you could just play it any time. Ten years from now, that song is still gonna be amazing.
jesse
The Pharcyde record that I love the most is a Fatlip solo single that I don’t know—I think it was for an album that never ended up coming out, but maybe it did come out, called What’s Up Fatlip? [G echoes the title thoughtfully.] It’s probably five or seven years after they were really making hits. And it’s just Fatlip talking about being sad and nobody giving a [censored] about him.
g
[Laughs.] You feel like that in there sometimes, definitely.
jesse
The video is like a Spike Jones video where Fatlip is dressed up in a clown suit and he’s just wandering around like just regular—like, on the street. Like the actual street, dressed and looking sad. And just at one point, this little kid comes up and kicks him in the [censored]. [G chuckles lowly.] It’s a amazing video. Amazing video.
g
I gotta check that out. Yeah, I gotta check that out.
jesse
[Chuckling.] That’s off-topic, though.
g
Nah, that’s dope. That’s actually—
jesse
I mean, the feeling that I had when I heard that Pharcyde loop in that song was like—there was a time very early on in Kanye West becoming a famous rapper. He was already a famous producer, but early on in him becoming a famous rapper, where—I think it was him and Consequence—rapped over the beat from Souls of Mischief’s 93 ‘til Infinity.
g
That’s another amazing song, bro. I love that song!
jesse
I’m from the Bay Area, right? So, that was like—you know, there’s like five songs that are perfect forever. You know? The “5 on It” remix and the—you know what I mean?
g
Psh, come on.
jesse
And hearing them rap on that beat, I was like, “Oh, like if you’re from LA like ‘Runnin’’ is the 93 ‘til Infinity of LA.” Right? Like that is like the perfect, beautiful rap song. Like there’s plenty of other great classic LA rap songs of other kinds, but when it comes to a record that’s beautiful, that’s it. That’s like a homewrecker. You know what I mean?
g
Definitely. I love the Souls of Mischief. I did Hiero Day a few years ago, too. They called. I was surprised when they called me for that. I’m like, “Damn, y’all know who I am?”
jesse
Hieroglyphics have like a festival in Oakland.
g
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that was dope.
jesse
Let me ask you this. We talked a little bit about that feeling of always looking over your shoulder. [G confirms.] How do you sleep? I mean, like how is your sleep? Like…
g
Honestly? Like I don’t really sleep like that. And I don’t even think about it. I get lost more in the work and the art. You know what I mean? But it’s like sometimes it’s hard to just sit there and just—like, I gotta really make myself exhausted to go to sleep. You know what I mean? Otherwise, I’d just be tossing and turning and won’t sleep well and just be thinking about a lot of stuff. So, you know, I… I try to keep a lot of—try to just do as much work as I can. You know what I mean? To replace that. Like me like, “Oh my god, I can’t sleep!” So, I’m gonna be stressing about that and worried about that. You know what I mean?
jesse
I remember my dad was in war and was—had serious post traumatic stress disorder. And when he was in his 50s, he went to Laos where the aircraft carrier he was on had bombed. And worked with people who had been displaced within Laos, by the bombing, and still weren’t able to return home because of the bombs that were still there. And the thing that I remember him telling me was not like, “I’m cured.” You know what I mean? He had been working on his PTSD at that point for 35 years and there was no cure, per say. But I remember him telling me, “You know what? I slept through the night.” Like that was victory to him, was, “I slept through the night.
g
Yeah, that’s—it definitely gets heavy. Especially when you—man. I was just thinking about it the other night. And you know, it’s crazy. Like, when everything was going on and I was living that life? Bro, I never cried one time. Like, about nothing. Like—and then like recently like I’ll just catch myself just [sucks in a breath]. You know what I mean? Just crying. It’s crazy! Like—you know what I mean? But I don’t—I don’t know if that’s a sign of healing or—since that’s like a popular word these days. Like, mental health and healing is like super popular words. So, I don’t know whats that a sign of, but I just accept it, man. You know. Just been thinking about life and just everything that’s going on and, um… I guess it’s like just—you know, just finally—I don’t know. My mind finally just getting past the like too hard, tough, we just bury it deep up in there, and finally just letting it out. And I think it’s gonna start showing in my music, too. Because now I’m fine with—‘cause I have so much to talk about, bro, and so many different stories. And so much relatable stuff, like that the world could relate to. You know, as a just—looking at everything from an overall perspective. And like I’m starting to feel comfortable with talking about this on music. You know what I mean? Just being vulnerable. So. That’s a good thing. You know?
jesse
Well, G Perico, I’m so grateful to you for taking this time to talk to me and for being so frank. It was really great to get to meet you and I love your records.
g
Man, thank you, man! I appreciate that. Now I ain’t gonna quit! You know what I’m saying? No, I’m just playing. [Chuckles.]
jesse
G Perico, everyone. His newest record is called Play to Win. It’s available to stream or purchase online now. He’s also released several other records this year. I have to say that I think that LA Summers, which is entirely produced by a producer named Dupri, is one of the best rap records I’ve heard in the last few years. I just have been listening to it over and over. But like I said, all these G records that have come out this year are real strong.
music
Cheerful music with light vocalizations.
jesse
That’s the end of another episode of Bullseye. Bullseye is created in the homes of me and the staff of Maximum Fun, in and around greater Los Angeles, California—where, here at my house, I have to time all of my recordings around the, uh, [chuckling] the regular passing of the ice cream truck. Um. And unfortunately, it’s not because I’m running outside to get ice cream. It’s that the song it plays is super loud! Our show is produced by speaking into microphones. Our senior producer is Kevin Ferguson. Our producer is Jesus Ambrosio. I used to be a Bomb Pop guy, but they have IT’S-ITs at this ice cream truck. So, when I do run out, I usually end up dropping the dough on an IT’S-IT. Anyway. Production fellows at Maximum Fun are Richard Robey and Valerie Moffat. We get help from Casey O’Brien. Our interstitial music is by Dan Wally, also known as DJW. The other day I went to a movie about Bert Reynolds with Dan Wally. He told me about a record come-up in San Diego. Good guy, Dan Wally. Our theme song is by The Go! Team. Thanks to them and to their label, Memphis Industries, for sharing it with us. You can keep up with our show on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. We post all our interviews there. And I think that’s about it. Just remember: all great radio hosts have a signature signoff.
promo
Speaker: Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR. [Music fades out.]
About the show
Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.
Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.
If you would like to pitch a guest for Bullseye, please CLICK HERE. You can also follow Bullseye on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. For more about Bullseye and to see a list of stations that carry it, please click here.
Get in touch with the show
@bullseye.bsky.social
@bullseyewithjessethornPeople
How to listen
Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!
