Jonathan L
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Jonathan Leigh Rosen (December 5, 1946
Flatbush Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the nort ...
,
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
NY-died on September 9, 2023 in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
), better known by his radio handle Jonathan L, was an American radio
deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music festivals), mobile DJ ...
,
programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles Software development, ''software developer'' and Software engineering, ''software engineer' ...
, and entertainment media publisher. He organized his first large
music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...
for alternative station KUKQ, Q Fest, in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
in 1989, years before the launch of festivals like
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
and the
KROQ Weenie Roast KROQ Weenie Roast is a multi-artist music concert, presented annually in May by the Los Angeles, California, modern rock radio station KROQ-FM. Since its beginning in 1993, it has been traditionally held on a Saturday in May or June, but due to t ...
s. For this reason, he is often called the "father of all radio festivals."


History

He left his parents'
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
home at age 14 and lived as a
street urchin Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids, or urchins; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policymakers ...
with a gang of juveniles. After quitting school and being convicted of
assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
charges, he spent three years incarcerated in various juvenile institutions. He was out and on
parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
shortly before his 18th birthday and took a job as a parts man for
Mack Trucks Mack Trucks, Inc. is an American truck manufacturing company (law), company and a former manufacturer of buses and Trolleybus, trolley buses. Founded in 1900 as the Mack Brothers Company, it manufactured its first truck in 1905 and adopted its pr ...
. He also began writing for an
underground newspaper The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rece ...
in Long Island called ''The Express''. In 1973, he left New York and headed for
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
. He fell ill when he and his wife stopped to visit friends in
Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
, and they ended up staying there for the next thirteen years. He began self-publishing a monthly
pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...
magazine called ''Newsreal''. The publication was known for its eclectic mix of music artists, putting such stars as
Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin; September 22, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music#J, Godmother of Punk", she is regarded as a Pop icon, rock icon and ...
and
B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...
on the same cover. Begun in 1974, ''Newsreal''’s circulation reached 20,000 before the publication folded in 1985. While on a summer hiatus in 1978 in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, he was the editor for two issues of ''Drugs & Paraphernalia Digest'', with the former publisher of ''
High Times ''High Times'' was an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by Tom Forcade. The magazine had its own book publishing d ...
'' magazine.


Career in Radio

Jonathan L's radio career began in March 1982 in Tucson, Arizona at 96 Rock
KLPX KLPX (96.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Tucson, Arizona. It is owned by Lotus Communications and airs a classic rock radio format. Local DJs are heard during the day and the syndicated " Nights with Alice Cooper" show is heard eve ...
with his creation, "Virgin Vinyl". The show ran for more than four years on Sunday evenings for five hours from 7 p.m. to midnight. Among the many live guests were
Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1 ...
as a co-host,
Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His ...
,
The Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...
,
Huey Lewis Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American actor and former singer-songwriter. Lewis sang lead and played harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, until being forced into retirement due ...
, and
the Meat Puppets ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
. The music encompassed everything from
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
to
Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...
. In the summer of 1986, Jonathan moved up to
Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...
to start up alternative station KEYX 100.3 with his friend John "Johnny D" Dixon, referred to as "the key to your musical future." The station ended in late 1987. Jonathan was the assistant program director and
music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...
and held down the 7 p.m. to midnight shift Monday though Friday. In 1988, Jonathan L was hired by Phoenix rock station 98 KUPD, where he hosted "Virgin Vinyl" on Sunday nights until 1992. The show, which included everything from
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
to a then-unheard band named
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
, was a huge hit in Phoenix, and garnered several "Best Radio Show" awards from the ''
Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Phoenix'' ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A ...
'', which called Jonathan L "a thoroughly modern mouthpiece" who played "forward-looking wax attacks." In 1986, they wrote of "Virgin Vinyl": "When this colorful Sunday night waxfest was imported from Tucson this year, it slapped the lethargic Phoenix radio market right in the face." Simultaneously in 1989, Jonathan L founded and became program director for KUKQ AM, Phoenix's first all-alternative music station. He left KUKQ in 1992 to work for station
KFMA KFMA (102.1 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio, commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station city of license, licensed to Oro Valley, Arizona, and broadcasting to the Tucson metropolitan area. KFMA airs an active rock radio format, format and i ...
in
Wickenburg, Arizona Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa and Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 7,920 in 2022. H ...
. After a short stint there, he returned to KUKQ to retake over the helm as program director and again did his show "Virgin Vinyl" until he left in 1993 to join Phoenix station
KDKB KDKB (93.3 FM "Alt AZ 93-3") is a commercial radio station broadcasting to the Phoenix metropolitan area with its city of license in Mesa, Arizona. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. with the license held by Phoenix FCC License Sub, LLC ...
, where he did his award-winning "Virgin Vinyl" until 1995. In a 1996 interview with New York Now, he predicted "more British and rhythm-driven music shaking up the mid-90s cabal of American-born alterna-rock bands." He once again returned to KUKQ from mid-1994 to mid-1995 to run the station in its wildest
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
form. Among his most popular programs was "The Monday Morning Music Meeting Live," which gave listeners a chance to phone in and provide their own input on the music, which was added to the rotation that day.5.The Arizona Republic, August 29, 1994, by Julie Newberg In August 2005, Jonathan L returned once again to 98 KUPD, where he hosted and programmed "The Lopsided World of L" on Saturday mornings and Sunday nights in prime time live. Jonathan L remained there until his
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
from stateside radio in 2010.


Album Network Years

In the fall of 1995, Rosen left Phoenix (and radio) to accept an opportunity to become senior editor of the long time, now defunct, music industry trade publication the Album Network. He took control of "Virtually Alternative" magazine, one of many music format magazines the Album Network published. The monthly was not only informative, but tongue-in-cheek, which Jonathan felt was a must for radio programmers. At the same time, Rosen wrote a weekly column in Album Network, "Pleasantly Annoying", a phrase that he has become well known for in both publishing and radio. Radio wasn't gone totally during his tenure. Through the Album Network's radio syndication he was asked to host radio specials for
The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...
,
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...
,
Kula Shaker Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a numb ...
, and
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentRonnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (, formerly Spector; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group the Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". ...
(
The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...
),
Glenn Danzig Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, film director and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He ...
(Danzig), and
Dee Snider Daniel "Dee" SniderTayler, LettaTwisted Sister's Dee Snider remembers his challenging Long Island upbringing "Newsday", March 15, 2016Archived here/ref> (born March 15, 1955) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter o ...
(Twisted Sister). Jonathan was friends with Spector and Danzig, and thought they had more appeal and more to offer than many of the available alternative artists of that time period.
Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His ...
, also a friend, was the confirmed 4th panelist, but fell ill and couldn't make it. In 1999, Jonathan was given Vice President stripes as SFX (and later Clear Channel) bought the Album Network and all its properties. After more than six and a half years, Rosen left the Network Magazine Group in 2002 to launch his own independent record promotion company which he operated until 2005. In the summer of that year, Rosen decided to leave
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and go back to radio, this time to do "Lopsided World Of L" at KUPD-FM in Phoenix.


Music Festivals

In 1989, Jonathan L organized one of the first large-scale radio festivals in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, for KUKQ. The bill included the
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
and
Camper Van Beethoven Camper Van Beethoven is an American rock band formed in Redlands, California, in 1983, later based in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Their style mixes elements of pop, ska, punk, folk, alternative, country, and world music, among other ge ...
. Subsequent KUKQ festivals (there were two each year) included artists like
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...
and The Meat Puppets (1990),
Mojo Nixon Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. (August 2, 1957 – February 7, 2024), known professionally as Mojo Nixon, was an American musician and actor best known for his novelty song "Elvis Is Everywhere", which was an alternative staple on MTV. His style coul ...
and
Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Dav ...
(1990), and
Rollins Band Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "L ...
and
The Sugarcubes The Sugarcubes () were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Benediktsson (vocals, trumpe ...
(1992). His festivals received national recognition in 1991, when MTV filmed its popular alternative music show ''120 Minutes'' at that year's KUKQ Q-Fest, which included
Front 242 Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they influenced the electronic and industrial music genres. History Formation Front 242 were for ...
and
The Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...
.


Internet and Television

In addition to his work on
terrestrial radio Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
, Jonathan L has also hosted several
Internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...
shows, including a two-hour special for WOXY in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
in 2003, which included an on-air phone call from Jonathan L's close friend, music legend
Ronnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (, formerly Spector; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group the Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". ...
. In 2000, Jonathan L hosted and programmed the weekly Sunday afternoon show "Pleasantly Annoying" for
Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
-based SpikeRadio.com. Jonathan L appeared on ''
A Current Affair ''A Current Affair'' may refer to: * ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network * ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...
'' with
Maury Povich Maurice Richard Povich (born January 17, 1939) is an American former television personality, best known for hosting the tabloid talk show '' Maury'' which aired from 1991 to 2022. Povich began his career as a radio reporter, initially at WWDC an ...
in 1991, where he interviewed One Foot In The Grave, "the world’s oldest punk rock band," a group from
Sun City, Arizona Sun City is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, that is located within the Phoenix metropolitan area. The population wa ...
with members all over the age of 60. In 2001, Jonathan L appeared on
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...
in a 23-minute video feature about German rock group
Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
.


The Berlin Years

In April 2010 Rosen moved to
Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...
to meet Gaby who he met via Myspace in 2005. After a visit to Berlin in September 2009 to meet her in person, he decided to permantantly move to Berlin. In September 2010 the couple flew to
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
and were married at the famous Little White Chapel. For the first few months he tried to secure opportunities for a live radio gig, but was unsuccessful mainly due to not being able to speak German. He decided to try and master recording his Lopsided World Of L from their flat in
Neukölln Neukölln (), officially abbreviated Neuk, is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located south-east of Berlin's center and stretches from the inner city southward to the border with Brandenburg, encompassing the eponymous quarter of Neu ...
, the largest sector in the western part of Berlin. Back in 2007 when he was doing the show live on 98 KUPD FM in Phoenix the radio station starting streaming anywhere in the world. Jonathan had already made many friends and contacts from
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and other countries and was promoting the show on Myspace. He used those contacts and new ones he made on Facebook in hope that if he was to use the internet, maybe that would give the show an edge and garner new listeners. From 2011 to 2014 he spent the better part of three years going to school three nights a week to learn the
German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
. In October 2010
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
station Indie1031 asked him on. In December 2010 German internet station KING FM also wanted Lopsided World Of L which was followed by Phoenix, Arizona's KWSS FM 93.9 and others from
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
and
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
(the latter three are no longer on-air). The show lasted five years on KING FM until the station went dark. Since then Mersey Radio
Liverpool, England Liverpool is a port city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population of (in ), Liverpool is the administrative, c ...
, andHow.FM 107.5
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, KFMA Rock1021 FM
Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
, and Radio Lantau
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
joined in bringing the show to listeners all around the world on various continents. Although on a few FM stations, the show is the most known radio show on the internet for years. Jonathan L died on September 9, 2023, at his home in Berlin, Germany.


International Awards and Nominations


At Worldwide Radio Summit in Los Angeles

* 2014 Nominated "International Radio Personality" * 2015 Nominated "International Radio Personality" * 2015 Won "International Radio Personality" * 2017 Nominated "International Radio Personality" * 2017 Won "International Radio Personality" Jonathan L. Award.jpg, International Radio Personality Of The Year Award 2015 International Radio Personality Of The Year Award 2017.jpg, International Radio Personality Of The Year Award 2017


Music

2012 Spontaneous self spoken voice tracks in-between all songs on
Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Prior to the early 1800s, the only Grand duchy in Europe was located in what is now Italy: Tuscany ( ...
album ''Let The People Speak'' by Black Francis of the Pixies and wife Violet Clark. Sonic Unyon Records (Ontario, Canada) Track #1 "The Lopsided World Of L" intro to album by Jonathan L and Black Francis on Keyboard Wrote and voiced lyrics Music written by Lee Boyd (Go Satta) Plymouth, England. Released January 2016, on Emerald and Doreen Records (Germany)
(Don't Be Afraid) MOVE
Wrote and voice/sang lyrics Music written by Barry Snaith (The Inconsistent Jukebox Wakefield/Leeds, England) Released July 2016, on Emerald and Doreen Records (Germany)
RADIO BOOM
Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...
singer songwriter Leanne Kingwell, got together with International award-winning radio programmer and presenter Jonathan L from
Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...
, and came up with a reboot of
Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of spouses Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as rhythm and blues, R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. ...
1965 hit "
I Got You Babe "I Got You Babe" is a song performed by American pop and entertainment duo Sonny & Cher and written by Sonny Bono. It was the first single taken from their debut studio album, '' Look at Us'' (1965). In August 1965, the single spent three weeks ...
". After a spoken word intro written by Mr. L, the track ignites with Leanne singing the vocal and trading lines with Jonathan throughout. Re-invented, co-produced and arranged by Leanne and her long-time songwriting partner, John K, the final recording was produced and mixed at Cactus Studio,
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, by David J Holman, who has recorded multi-platinum acts including No Doubt, Bush and Olivia Newton-John. Released January 27, 2020 The IRSC code for track is: AUPMB1300029
I GOT YOU BABE


External links


Jonathan L's Official Website

Jonathan L on Facebook

Jonathan L's Blog and Playlists


References

{{Reflist 1946 births Living people Radio personalities from Arizona American radio DJs People from Flatbush, Brooklyn Mass media people from Brooklyn