Each month for the rest of the year, KOXY is highlighting one of our many amazing radio shows and the lovely humans that talk the talk and play the tunes. This month, we’re taking a peek into the antics of dynamic duo Cory Lomberg and Michael Jimenez. True KOXY ride or dies, they have hosted A School Night with Cory and Michael since their freshman year. I walked in my house one afternoon and they both yelled “mom!” from their perch on the couch, heads leaning in towards each other. This is the conversation we had:
Myka Kielbon: How did you two meet?
Michael: In our freshman dorm. You know, in your first year dorm you keep your door open so people come in, and you play music loudly. So I was playing Camera Obscura loudly and Cory comes in and asks “Oh, do you like music?”
MK: Did you ask those literal words?
Cory Lomberg: No, I think I was like “whatcha listening to?” And I think you had an Outside Lands t-shirt on, so I thought, you’re a Northern California alt-boy. And then we hung out on Fiji. With you, and your friend Britta.
MJ: And then we came back and listened to Phil Collins.
CL: Oh my god, yeah.
MK: What Phil Collins?
Michael: “In the Air Tonight”
MJ: (laughs) That’s how we met. We lived together. Today I told someone, “I lived with Cory,” then I remembered I didn’t live with her. But I lived across the hall from her.
CL: And then we lived next door, in Rangeview, the following year.
MK: Together forever.
MK: So how has A School Night evolved over the years?
MJ: I think, back then, that it was an orchestrated effort to play similar music.
Cory: Very true.
Michael: And now, we don’t proofread our music – I mean obviously you don’t proofread music –
CL: We don’t edit our playlists.
MK: You don’t curate your playlists together?
MJ: Yeah.
CL: No, totally. I feel like we started off playing pretty similar music, or basically only playing music we both knew, and now most days when we DJ, I don’t know any of the songs – that’s not always true, but often, I don’t know many of the songs Michael plays, and I feel like you don’t know a lot of the songs I play.
MJ: It’s mutual.
CL: It’s an educational experience.
MJ: For both of us.
CL: We’re experimenting.
MK: I love listening to it, because I can hear – your tastes have diverged, or you have embraced your different taste, so you can tell who’s playing what. Maybe just because I know you two very well.
CL: Definitely.
MJ: But I think the more you know us, the more you are going to know who picked which songs. Also, you’re a very avid listener.
CL: We really love to interact with our fanbase.
MJ: It’s a very group chat-heavy show.
CL: Maybe sometimes to our detriment.
MK: I feel like sometimes I become the third, silent DJ.
MJ: Correspondent from Munson [Avenue]
MK: I’ve been doing that for a long time.
MK: Do your parents listen? What’s their reaction?
MJ: I think my dad called it cool one time, and I was like (whispers) “it’s not cool.”
CL: I think my mom thought, at first, we were dating. She thought oh this is cool, Cory went to college, got a boyfriend, and has a radio show with her boyfriend.
MK: My mom thought Michael and I were dating too.
CL: I distinctly remember – how do I say this – censoring some of the sexual content, in order to, you know, keep the peace if you will.
MK: Do you want me to censor that in the article?
(No audible response)
MJ: The first time my parents tuned in was April 20th, 2016, and Cory had to pick me up from a frat house because I got too high, and –
CL: Was that after we DJed?
MJ: It was right before. And you were like “we’ll get a hot chocolate, you’ll be OK.” And then my dad tuned in.
CL: (laughs) Wow.
MJ: And that was unexpected. Thankfully he texted me before I said anything. That diverges a bit from your question… People would harass her on the chat sometimes.
CL: We definitely had some rogue Mixlr participants that were sexualizing both my mother and myself.
MK: I wonder who that was.
MJ: Maybe it was a robot.
MK: Would you get a KOXY tattoo? If so, describe style and placement.
CL: I feel like I’d want to give Michael a KOXY tattoo and have him give me one in return.
MK: It’s like on King of the Road.
CL: Sure. I’ve actually always wanted to get one of Michael’s drawings tattooed, and we’ve talked about that, because Michael does amazing doodles.
MK: I love Michael’s doodles.
CL: But maybe it would be KOXY related. I would do that.
MJ: I would as well. It would have to be the record player “O” though. I like that.
CL: Would you want me to give it to you or no? I thought we were talking in hypotheticals, but now I’m not so sure.
MK: I’m completely serious about this.
MJ: I’m serious about it.
CL: OK, OK, I’ll think about it.
MK: We should give people free things if they have KOXY tattoos.
MJ: Free tuition.
MK: ASOC will pay your tuition if you have a KOXY tattoo.
CL: You should not advertise that.
MK: Who is the dream guest for A School Night?
CL: Can they be dead?
MK: Sure.
CL: Al Jarreau?
MJ: Recently dead!
MK: Who is that?
CL: An amazing scat singer-vocalist icon
MJ: A smooth jazz icon.
CL: There’s this really good cover that Michael and I both love, of “Sketches of Spain” that he does the lyrics for.
MJ: I would say my host mom from abroad, because she would be like “what in the world is this?” But I would make her bring the food she used to make me, and it would be amazing, but we would leave no evidence because we’re not allowed to leave evidence in the booth.
CL: Another good guest would be the guys who work at Colorado Donuts.
MK: That’s doable – you could make that happen.
MJ: When we go to get your vegan donut before the next show, we must invite one of them: “Hey you wanna come back and have the coolest experience ever?”
CL: Do you think they would get in my car? Or tell them to tune in at least.
MK: Play it in Colorado Donuts.
CL: I don’t know if they have the interface for that. Do you have an aux back there?
MJ: They definitely do. Download the app.
MK: We should hack lots of businesses in the area to play KOXY.
Word associate:
Eggs
MJ: Bacon
CL: Murder
Inca Kola
MJ: Peru?
CL: Yellow
Kasunic
CL: Huh… (laughs) Dad.
MJ: Huysmans
CL: Wi Spa
New Mexico
MJ: Tessa!
CL: Adobe
Alfa Romeo
CL: Frank O’Hara, baby.
MJ: Maybe… Glendale.