ALICE NOT JOHN Episode 17: A Fictional Radio Transmission Guest: Truus De Groot
ALICE NOT JOHN
Episode 15: A Fictional Radio Transmission
Guest: Truus De Groot
Host: Joeri Bruyninckx
A conversation I overheard in a record store:
Customer: “Do you have Coltrane?”
Record shop owner: “In the jazz section.”
Customer: “I mean Alice, not John.”
Record shop owner: “In the jazz section.”
ALICE NOT JOHN is the name of a fictional radio show. The idea is this: for every episode, I ask a musician the same questions. The answers I receive are the “playlist” of my fictional radio show. The questions are these:
What song do you associate with your childhood?
Truus De Groot: ‘In the Summertime’ – Mungo Jerry
What’s your favorite shower sing-along song?
‘I Will Survive’ – Gloria Gaynor
What was your favorite song as a teenager?
There were so many! I went through a lot of phases and genres. For a while, I was really into disco. Some favorites were ‘Baby Do You Wanna Bump’ by Boney M., ‘Ring My Bell’ by Anita Ward, and ‘Run Through the Jungle’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I was also obsessed with ‘Prisencolinensinainciusol’ by Adriano Celentano (a crazy song, but a huge hit).
What’s the most recent song you heard (on the radio or elsewhere) and hummed along to?
‘My Man’ – Billie Holiday
What’s your favorite song right now?
I keep going back and forth between songs, but at the moment it’s ‘From Here to Eternity’ – Giorgio Moroder.
Which song do you know the lyrics to by heart?
So many songs float around in my head—I couldn’t point to just one. Probably hundreds. Definitely the entire songbooks of Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Al Green, ABBA, Billie Holiday, and Howlin’ Wolf, to name a few.
Which song makes you feel better when you’re feeling down?
‘Lay All Your Love on Me’ – ABBA
‘Cheree’ – Suicide
Name a song people wouldn’t think you’d like.
‘You Don’t Own Me’ – Lesley Gore
Name a song you think people should hear if they don’t know it.
‘It Was a Very Good Year’ – Frank Sinatra
Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” is a breakup song. It’s about a couple who have decided to split up but don’t want to ruin the party they’re attending, so they keep it quiet. Oddly enough, this song is often chosen as a wedding first dance. Tell me about a song you misunderstood the first time you heard it.
‘Green Green Grass of Home’ – Tom Jones
For the longest time, I thought it was about a sweet homecoming. Turns out, it’s about a man on death row. Harsh!
Which song brings out silly dance moves in you?
‘Hot Pants’ / ‘Sex Machine’ – James Brown
Which song do you quote most often? Which line?
Strangely, it’s one of my own songs—but it applies to so many situations!
‘It’s Complicated’ – Plus Instruments
“It’s complicated.”
Joeri Bruyninckx
Headline photo: Truus De Groot (Credit: M Mees)
