As you know,
musician Jay
Reatard passed
away last week at
the age of 29. All
of us at Viva Radio
were shocked and
saddened by the
news. We were
fortunate enough to
have Jay in the Viva
studio on October
24th, 2008 for our
Me + You program.
Jay didn’t perform
any songs that day
due to a tight CMJ
schedule but we did
have a chance to
chat.

I’d never met Jay
before. He was a
pretty intense guy.
We could’ve sat down
that day for a
normal interview but
instead stood in a
high energy,
slightly volatile
Q&A volley. I
thought the tension
was gonna drive Jay
out of the studio a
couple times but
instead I was able
to uncover a softer
side of Jay.

As Jay put it that
day, “I like to
sip chamomile tea
with my dog and
watch VH1. That’s
about as soft as I
get”. It was a
break through. I
think I did get a
nice little slice of
life out of Jay that
day.

A few questions that
made the interview:

Why should people
care about Jay
Reatard?
Are you living
the American
Dream?
What would you
say is the best
album to listen to
while smoking
DMT?

And a few that
didn’t:

Are you the
marrying
type?
What is Jay
Reatard’s
GOD?
Are you a fan of
the Who’s “Eminence
Front?”

Peace and love,
Jay. We will miss
you. This special
Viva Vaults edition
of Me + You is
dedicated to the
memory. Tune in
today at 12 PM for
the Jay Reatard
interview at Me +
You. Only on Viva
Radio.