This week's guest on The Jay Jay French Connection, is Wayne Bjerke, joined by Twisted's social media manager, Tor Caracappa! Wayne has been a true old school TS fan all the way back to their club days. He is currently a graphic artist & tattoo artist, who has been friends with Tor for 20+ years. Learn why Jay Jay believes that bands are only as good as their fanbase, & hear Jay Jay & Wayne discuss the power & impact that Twisted had in their early club days. Wayne asks questions he’s always had about the band, and shares what the experience was like to watch and be a part of the incredible arch of Twisted’s career.

Legendary Hollywood writer, producer & director, Paul Williams, is this week's guest on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! You won't want to miss Paul's stories from his remarkable journey into filmmaking, & talk about his recently published book titled 'Harvard, Hitmen and Holy Men. The book gets into how he is a real-life Forrest Gump - & how his experiences form a unique and often wild constellation of encounters with star power, political power, and spiritual power―a life cycle that led to fame and fortune and to integrity and anonymity. Paul shares stories of his intersecting careers with peers & friends in film, from Francis Ford Coppola to Terry Malick & Martin Scorsese. Hear stories from how Jay Jay came on the set to give Paul advice on portraying the culture surrounding drug dealing when he was working on the film 'Dealing' in the 70s, to Paul playing a pick up basketball game with Fidel Castro. Jay Jay & Paul bond over their overlapping in New York during their upbringings and the beginnings of their careers in film and music. Be sure to check out Paul's book, & don't miss this conversation - only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!  Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

This week's guest is 3-in-1 - Guitarist and producer Donny Goldberg, & his 2 sons, join Jay Jay in conversation! Together the 3 of them make up the instagram sensation Raized Wrong. Landon is 13 & his brother Lyric is 12 - together with their father they create online covers of hits from the 80's 90's & more.  Hear the story about how Jay Jay found their music online, & why he immediately fell in love with what they were doing. The family discusses their creative process, generational influences, & what it's like playing and recording together as a family. Donny discusses why he finds it so important to encourage kids to get into art & music at a young age, & how he has encouraged both of his kids to do so since day one.  Be sure to check out Raized Wrong's project online, & don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!  Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week's special guest is true guitar virtuoso & grammy award winner, Tommy Emmanuel! The real-time exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul.   This conversation is not to miss for guitarists, musicians & music fans alike - as Jay Jay & Tommy get into everything from their roots, developing your own style, navigating the music business, favorite career experiences & the importance of pure live performance.  Don't miss this insightful conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!  Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

Crimson & Clover, Crystal Blue Persuasion, Mony Mony, I Think We're Alone Now, Hanky Panky & Sweet Cherry Wine - these are just a few of the hits written by legendary artist Tommy James, who is this week's guest on the podcast!! Tommy is a renowned musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, widely known as frontman of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells - who is now entering his 51st year in the music industry, actively touring, hosting his radio program GETTIN' TOGETHER WITH TOMMY JAMES, & licensing his music which is featured in over 65 films, 53 tv shows and numerous commercials. Jay Jay gets into why he loves Tommy's critically acclaimed autobiography 'ME, THE MOB AND THE MUSIC,' which is listed on Rolling Stone's Top 25 Memoirs, and is now in pre-production to be turned into a film. Tommy shares some amazing stories of his relationship with Roulette Records & Morris Levy (who he found to be the most interesting person he's ever met), & how he learned the business of radio and music in New York during the 60's. "It's a small world, so treat people well because you meet the same people on the way up as you will on the way down." This is the advice that Jay Jay will never forget Tommy giving him, as they were sharing a bill at a club in Baldwin, Long Island back in the 80s - tune in to hear the full story, and don't miss their conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week's guest is the founder of one of the seminal punk bands, The Dictators! CBGB’s was built on the back of the first of the great legendary NY Punk band The Dictators. Join Jay Jay in welcoming punk legend Andy Shernoff on the podcast! Andy is a musician, songwriter & producer, who is a founding member of The Dictators. Jay Jay & Andy discuss the parallels between the New York bar scene that Twisted was a part of, & the New York punk scene that The Dictators were a part of. They get into the importance of the early years of punk in New York & how those years impacted the landscape of music to this day. They go on to talk about the evolution of radio, sobriety & creative longevity, and share countless memories from the foundations of punk & rock in New York. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

Shel Talmy is the legendary producer of The Who’s first earthshaking debut album “My Generation,” the first 5 (and most famous) Kinks albums, the Easybeats biggest hit 'Friday in my Mind,' as well as Manfred Mann's debut single 'Do Wha Diddy Diddy,'  mong many many more. It has been a great 2023 here on The Jay Jay French Connection - beginning the year with Twisted's induction into The Heavy Metal Hall of Fame, followed by a diverse & heavy hitting lineup of special guests on the podcast. Don't miss the year's final episode, as Jay Jay welcomes a very special guest onto the show, Shel Talmy! Shel is a legendary producer, songwriter & arranger who is best known for his work in the UK in the 60's. He has an amazing legacy in music, & there's a reason why Jay Jay finds his history in production to be one of the most important in music. Jay Jay talks about how much the records Shel produced have influenced him over the years, & how they served as the foundation for Rock n Roll to this day.  Shel shares some amazing stories - why he found Keith Moon to be the best drummer, recording all of the Wrecking Crew's sessions, his successes in working against the grain & current norms (including developing a 12 mic recording technique), working with Jimmy Page when he was only a 17 years old, & some of his favorite recording sessions. He gets into his early A&R days, & shares the stories of signing The Kinks & The Who (then known as 'The High Numbers').  Tune in, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!  Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

This week, Jay Jay welcomes guest Ethan Penner onto the podcast! Ethan is an old friend of Jay Jay's & is widely recognized as a pioneer in the worlds of real estate & finance, with over 30 years of experience in both fields. Jay Jay & Ethan tell the story of how they met, Ethan's growing up as a true metal fan, & how music has deeply influenced his life both personally & professionally.  Be sure to check out Ethan's inspiring new book Greatness is a Choice, linked below through his website. www.greatintersection.com  Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week, Jay Jay welcomes legendary singer & music icon Pat Boone onto the podcast! Pat is a singer, actor, TV host, producer, author, radio personality, record company head, TV station owner - just to name a few of his accolades. He encountered fame early on in life as a teen idol who shot to stardom via an early national talent show. Now, after 70 years in show business, he's returning to his roots in Nashville & releasing a 25-track country album - tune in to hear all about it, & to hear Jay Jay & Pat discuss the similarities & differences in their careers. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week, Jay Jay goes beyond the music & welcomes cancer doctor & researcher Dr. William Li. William W. Li, MD, is an internationally renowned Harvard-trained medical doctor, researcher, and president and a founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation. His groundbreaking work has impacted more than seventy diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease, and obesity. Discussing cancer is always a topic that's close to home for Jay Jay, being a cancer survivor himself. Don't miss this important conversation to hear Dr. Li's advice, & to hear these 2 discuss preventative actions to take in order to potentially decrease the risk of cancers. Be sure to stay up to date on Dr. Li's newsletter & check out his recently published books, linked through his website below! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger https://drwilliamli.com/

60th ANNIVERSARY JFK ASSASSINATION SPECIAL ON THE JAY JAY FRENCH CONNECTION PODCAST. JFK’s REAL KILLER IS FINALLY REVEALED Don't miss part 2 of the discussion surrounding the 60th anniversary of the assasination of JFK, with guest Monica Mercedes! This week, Jay Jay's special guests will reveal shocking stories and information on the JFK assassination. Monica is the daughter of the infamous American spy Marita Lorenz, who was deeply tied to Castro, JFK & Watergate. Hear all about her remarkable background growing up around these historical events, & what she knows about the JFK Assasination. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!

60th ANNIVERSARY JFK ASSASSINATION SPECIAL ON THE JAY JAY FRENCH CONNECTION PODCAST. JFK’s REAL KILLER IS FINALLY REVEALED This week, Jay Jay's special guests will reveal shocking stories and information on the JFK assassination. These 2 guests will have you in disbelief and counter everything you thought you knew about the JFK assassination! You don’t want to miss Robert Morningstar starting Tuesday and Monica Mercedes Perez Jimenez starting on thanksgiving day. Robert Morningstar is a researcher, & editor of the e-zine UFO Digest. He has a degree in psychology from Fordham University, and describes himself as a civilian intelligence analyst and "a specialist in photo interpretation, geometric analysis and computer imaging." Don't miss their conversation, only on the Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Produced & Edited by Matthew Mallinger

This week, Jay Jay welcomes back his dear friend & collaborator of over 47 years, Dee Snider!  Dee Snider, the iconic American singer, songwriter, radio personality, writer, and actor, has recently announced the release of his first novel, Frats. Frats is an honest, daring story thatexamines the pressures of toxic masculinity in high school hallways. Dee Snider is no stranger to exploring controversial topics through his music and writing. As the frontman for Twisted Sister, he wrote some of the most iconic and provocative songs in rock history. He has been an outspoken advocate for free speech and individualism throughout his career. In Frats, Snider uses his unique voice and perspective to examine the ways in which toxic masculinity can harm young men and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. The novel is a call to action for all young people toreject harmful societal norms and embrace individuality and self-expression. Tune in to hear Dee & Jay Jay catch up and discuss the ins & outs of Dee's new novel, his approaches to writing the book, & why he was inspired to share this story.  Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

Join Jay Jay this week for the final week of Record Label Presidents Month! Very special guest Laura Kunkel joins Jay Jay to discuss the nuances surrounding getting into the record business, & Laura's inspiring story behind starting her new record label. Hear all about the importance of having individuals who truly care about music & art behind labels - & why Laura's motivation has been to be an advocate for artists, & to build a label that can support a healthy & expressive creative culture. Laura gets into how her background in the marketing & advertising worlds intersect with music, & how this can be of value when applied to art. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week, David Rath joins Jay Jay for week 3 of Record Label Presidents Month on the show! David Rath comes from Roadrunner Records where he spent twenty-one years in the A&R and Creative Departments, having been A&R on albums by Slipknot, Korn, Gojira, Coheed and Cambira, Slash, The Amity Affliction, Trivium, Stone Sour, Dream Theater and Megadeth and where he oversaw music videos from Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman, Killswitch Engage, Jerry Cantrell and Slipknot. Rath helped guide the label through multiple changes in ownership and management, after which he oversaw the signings of Platinum selling acts Young The Giant and Vance Joy for Atlantic and Elektra Records. As the head of the A&R department at Roadrunner, Rath most recently signed and A&R’d Grammy nominated acts Turnstile and Code Orange, along with White Reaper and Motionless In White who both recently scored #1 Alternative and Active Rock radio hits. In 2022, Dave Rath formed a partnership and new venture with Cees Wessels, the original founder of Roadrunner Records, to launch the rock label Blue Grape Music. The Blue Grape name comes from the influential hardcore/metal merch company formerly owned by Wessels. The new label recently signed pioneering metal outfit Code Orange, along with the Bay area post-punk band Spiritual Cramp, and New Jersey’s buzzing hardcore band GEL with releases scheduled for 2023. Blue Grape Music has offices in both New York City and Amsterdam and is presently distributed by The Orchard. Prior to being at Roadrunner Records, Rath, a graduate of Villanova University, was the Director of The Philadelphia Music Conference and drummer for the Columbia Records band Heavens Edge. Jay Jay & David discuss their journeys into the record business, the ins & outs of A&R and the current state of the record label industry. David gets into how working in A&R keeps his ear to what's happening in the music world, & why he finds this to be very important. Don't miss this insightful conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

Tune in for the second week of Record Label President's Month! This week, Jay Jay welcomes special guest Cliff Chenfeld. Cliff is a renowned music executive, who is both the co-founder and co-CEO of Razor & Tie Records, as well as Kidz Bop. Hear all about the history of how Razor & Tie began as a reissue / compilation centered label, & progressed into becoming one of the leading rock labels in the country. Jay Jay & Cliff dig into the ins & outs of the major label industry, & the evolution of listener's relationship to albums in the streaming age. Don't miss this insightful conversation from 2 major label industry veterans, & check out episodes of Cliff's Modern Sounds Radio through the streaming link below: www.allarts.org/podcast/all-arts-radio-hour/  Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week, guest Jason Flom joins Jay Jay to kick off a month of renowned record label presidents joining in conversation. Jason is a dear friend of Jay Jay's who has a deep rooted history alongside Twister Sister, which they talk all about. Their stories go back 40+ years to the early days of Twisted in New York, when Jason was a kid in high school following Twisted in Long Island. Jason has become a well known record label executive, podcaster & philanthropist - he is the founder of Lava Records, and was previously the chairman of Atlantic Records & Virgin Records/ Capitol Music Group. Tune in for some amazing stories of the early days of Twisted, as well as some invaluable insights into the label industry today. Don't miss this episode, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week's guest is Jay Jay's wife Sharon, who joins the podcast for an open-ended conversation about life, love & Twisted Sister. Don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music!

This week, Jay Jay welcomes back legendary guitar virtuoso Joel Hoekstra! This episode is a must listen for all guitar heads. Joel shares his remarkable journey from being a classically trained guitarist, & a young kid with chops in the suburbs of Chicago, to working in LA during the height of its 'shred guitar player scene,' to being one of the best & most well versed guitarists in rock n roll. Joel has played an invaluable role in the likes of Whitesnake, Cher, Night Ranger, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the broadway musical Rock of Ages, & many others - in addition to his ongoing solo project 'Joel Hoekstra's 13.' Don't miss this conversation, only on the Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger

This week on The Jay Jay French Connection, Jay Jay welcomes author Jarret Keene on the show ahead of his brand new book release. Jarret is Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he teaches both American literature AND the graphic novel. Hear all about how he has been a Twisted fan for years, & why he believes that many of his students have been inspired by Twisted Sister - particularly the album Stay Hungry. His debut novel HAMMER OF THE DOGS - a post apocalyptic adventure in Las Vegas for readers of all ages - is available in paperback as of today, September 12th. Set in the wasteland of post-apocalyptic Las Vegas, Hammer of the Dogs is a literary dystopian adventure filled with high-octane fun starring twenty-one-year-old Lash. With her high-tech skill set and warrior mentality, Lash is a master of her own fate as she helps to shield the Las Vegas valley’s survivors and protect her younger classmates at a paramilitary school holed up in Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip. After graduation, she’ll be alone in fending off the deadly intentions and desires of the school’s most powerful opponents. When she’s captured by the enemy warlord, she’s surprised by two revelations: He’s not the monster her headmaster wants her to believe and the one thing she can’t safeguard is her own heart. Hammer of the Dogs celebrates the courageousness of a younger generation in the face of authority while exploring the difficult choices a conscionable young woman must make with her back against a blood-spattered wall. It’s a story of transformation and maturity, as Lash grapples with her own identity and redefines the glittering Las Vegas that Nevada is known for. Be sure to check out Jarret's book, & don't miss this conversation, only on The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music! Edited & Produced by Matthew Mallinger