What is your name and DJ name?
My name is Pipa Piñon and my DJ name is Pipa.
What is the name of your show, and when is it on?
My show is Musical Canoe, 3 to 4 on Wednesdays.
Please describe your show. What is its format?
I get to pick themes, and each week can be a little bit of a different theme. For example, last week I picked artists that I knew, but songs that I had never heard them play. And so it was a discovery for me. So I think that the format changes that way. Another show, I picked one artist – I picked Townes Van Zandt – and then I played four artists doing his song and would end with that song, and then would do another one of his songs. Kind of an exploration of songwriting and songwriters, and other people doing that work.
KMRD has given me permission to explore each show – so it’s not like “this is exactly what I do each time.” And of course a lot of times I have a lot of women that I play. And sometimes I play live, and sometimes I have people come play. I like to interview people. And I like to do a little theater, like Ms. Pudding comes, every now again, and comes into the show, she’ll be a DJ every once in a while. She’s a character that knows that everythings ok. “Don’t worry, everything’s alright.” She’s very sweet, and she’s not angry or jealous or mean or mad. She’s always happy and she’s always eating pudding.
What drew you to participate in KMRD?
I was driving through – ‘17 or ‘16 – and I brought in one of my CDs that I made three or four years ago, and when I walked in someone was sitting there – and I to this day, do not know who this person was – and he goes, “you know, you could be a DJ here.” It made a little ding ding in my head. And when I moved back – I’m a native New Mexican and I moved away for forty years – and when I moved back home, down on 14, Dennis Overman had me on his show, I played live, and then Will called me back and said there’s DJ training. What drew me here was that I loved this town, and I love the people here. I feel very kindred here, very connected, and in my way it feels right for me. Whenever I go out I don’t quite feel at home, and I do here. I feel very drawn to this community and KMRD.
What is the appeal of doing a radio show? How does it fit into the rest of your life?
It’s the thing I look forward to every week, it’s the high point. I always feel renewed after doing a show, walking out of the room afterward, it’s like a dark cloud has lifted. So it’s always positive for me, doing a show.
I’ve been a songwriter since I was about fourteen – I’ve written hundreds of songs, made a lot of albums. I’ve written plays – I’d love to one of my plays at the theater here. My life is around that – is around music, music is definitely my life, and theater. That’s why I love KMRD so much. I feel like the whole community here is of like mind, and allows for creativity in all the different shows that are on. I love that you allow me to play what I’m inspired to play – that I don’t have to have a strict thing.
What difference has being a DJ made in your life?
It gives me that creative connection. It’s fun to be able to reach out across the airwaves, and put out really good energy, instead of just always being isolated.
It gives me an anchor, it gives me connection here. Also getting to know this New Mexico community in a new way, from when I moved away and then came back. It makes me feel a little more connected, and a little more real, a little more present, and that I have something to give to the world, hopefully. Hopefully I’m doing something that makes a difference. The station does do that, so I hope I’m serving that.
What are your hopes for your show?
My hope for my show is that I would have more guests: more musicians come on, or more theater people, or interviews. I would like to interview more local people. Another hope for the show would be to loosen it up a little bit, I could see getting a little out, a little wackier, doing a little more Pudding and being brave enough to do more original stuff and bringing other people to do their original stuff.
What are your hopes for the station?
For it to be long-lasting, for it to be financially viable. It’s doing so much already. Keep on going, and grow in this community.