Wayne White is Our Guest DJ

by Wayne White

Wayne White is a “weirdo misfit” who turned his unique sensibilities into a very successful art career by following a few simple credos. He believes fine art desperately needs to get a sense of humor. And that humor helps you understand life just as well – if not better – than seriousness. That creating art is a desire to create beauty. That defiance is a trusted guide through the tangles of art as commerce. And his favorite two words seem to be “f*ck you!”

As far as inspirational figures go, he is as fun as it gets. He grew up as a “blue collar kid” in Chattanooga, TN, which is not necessarily a hotbed of artistic creativity, but he made it to NYC where he helped create the surrealistic world of PeeWee’s Playhouse.

I fell in love with his work in an unlikely location. A late-night diner in Los Feliz called Fred 62. His “word paintings” caught my attention – funny and often profane phrases set against various nature landscapes.

Now his life has been chronicled in a new documentary opening in LA on September 7 called “Beauty is Embarrassing” and he’s touring around inspiring artists to empower themselves and take control of their own destiny. He stopped by KCRWGuest DJ Project‘s to talk about the music that has influenced him on his journey – from classic country to The Strokes and The Replacements.

Check out a snippet below and hear the full set here.

GDJ – Wayne White – Portland by KCRW

RR

Wayne White Guest DJ Project Set List

1 – Portland – The Replacements

2 – Color Of The Blues – George Jones

3 – Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way – Waylon Jennings

4 – Hard To Explain – The Strokes

5 – Country Boy – Mike Quinn

p.s. he also was the visual artist behind Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time” and Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight“!