Off The Mic
Jean-Jacques Corbier
DJ Name: JJ
DJ Shift: Jazz in the Morning, Fridays at 6AM-9AM
Favorite Color: Blue
Hobbies: Playing sports video games (Madden and NBA 2K), playing the piano, listening to music, watching films(especially awful ones)
Mason Kilpatrick: When discussing your basic information, you said that music “gets you high.” Can you go into that a little bit more? What kind of sensations do you feel? A physical high or emotional high?
Jean-Jacque Corbier: If I am listening to music, like Kanye West’s “POWER” or “Stronger,” I start getting amped. If I listen to something slow and jazzy, like Louie Armstrong, I relax and no longer get stressed.
MK: What do you get stressed about?
JJ: Jobs and finding myself. I want to be more of an extroverted person and have that extroverted personality. I am an introverted person and I don’t like raising my standards. I want to get out of my shell though because I know that will help my future. If I can say yes or no with confidence, I can do much better in the future.
MK: Why do you have this need to make an extroverted pull in your personality?
JJ: I want to be a writer and a director. That is the ultimate goal. To be a director, you have to be able to delegate responsibly and show everyone that you can do what you ask people to do.
MK: How does this relate to finding yourself? You are wanting to be more extroverted but what all is entailed with this quest of finding yourself?
JJ: I want to be more extroverted but I don’t want to lose myself. I still want to be true to who I am. I am a fun-loving person and I want to stay true to that. I care about people.
MK: How does working at KJHK help with this goal?
JJ: I am working with people 24/7. I have to be able to communicate with others how I am feeling. Before, because I was homeschooled early on, I did not have very many people to open my feelings to. It was very hard for me during my first two weeks at school to communicate what I wanted or how I felt. I want to be more outgoing because communication makes everything easier.
MK: What was that learning process like at KJHK? Did you have a rough time communicating at first? Was it a lot to deal with the extroverted mentality of the KJHK staff?
JJ: On my end, yes. Everyone was nice and kind, which made the transition so much easier.
MK: What do you do at KJHK besides DJing?
JJ: I am a Multimedia Producer. When bands come into our studio, we film them, edit them and then put them on our Youtube channel. We bring it out to the community.
MK: Is that all you do?
JJ: We film live events that happen around the campus or Lawrence, and we try to raise awareness about the music and culture here in town.
MK: What was your first KJHK experience and how did it make you feel?
JJ: My first experience was filming the Spencer Mackenzie Brown Band for Live @ KJHK. That was interesting because I wasn’t skilled with the camera. I was out-of-focus and I did not realize it until post-production. It was a great learning experience because nobody got mad at me. They knew it was a learning process.
MK: You love music and films. You don’t use these elements to help you with your quest for extroversion, I assume. So what do those forms of art do for you? Do you use them as a form of escapism to cope with stress?
JJ: Music helps me, personally. But I watch films as a form of escape. I do not really learn from films, in terms of bettering myself as an individual, as much as I do from music. I feel like I am more creative on the spot with music and I learn so much from myself that way. In the moment, watching a movie is just an escape for me.
MK: I listen to music as a motivator to deal with the realities I am currently facing, or have faced in the past. But with film, I use that to escape as well. What role do you see KJHK having on campus?
JJ: Giving a voice to people who are not in the mainstream is really great of KJHK. What you see on the average station is only the popular stuff. KJHK is able to fill in all of the blanks. It helps bring focus to those who don’t have the exposure. The station provides a platform for many specific interests.
MK: The station also gives you a platform as well. Ever since the embarrassing Spencer Mackenzie Brown mishap, how have you been developing your skills?
JJ: Well, I have been getting more experience with a camera here than anywhere else. Every Thursday night, I am filming with a camera and learning. I am editing every week too. I knew I loved writing and editing. KJHK taught me about my undiscovered love for editing and I realized that I could see myself doing that too.
MK: I did not know that. What else about is there that I, or anyone, might not know?
JJ: Going back to finding myself, I think I have two personalities. One is JJ, who is the fun-loving, caring person. I would say Jean-Jacques is my alter ego, who is suave, plays the piano and says a little French.
MK: Why have I never seen this Jean-Jacques?!
JJ: Because he is really outside of myself. I only channel him when I am alone.
MK: I am going to have to come over to your house and have a sleep over so I can find this “Jean-Jacques.”
JJ: That is a little weird but it is okay.