DJ Jester the Filipino Fist Interview: SXSW 2010

Meet San Antonio native Michael Pendon, better known by club-hoppers as DJ Jester the Filipino Fist. A homegrown Texan, he has been known to blend unlikely tunes from all over the musical spectrum, performing with bands such as Third Eye Blind, MGMT, and Of Montreal. DJ Jester took time to speak with Spinner after setting up at the Las Vegas stop on the Huge Bicycle Tour leadipng up to his annual appearance at this year's SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

My sound is a mix of the different styles, my experiences and where I come from as a DJ. It's not what you would normally hear in a club environment. It has a Texas twist to it: unpredictable.

How did you start DJing?

My parents sent me to boarding school in Arkansas for a couple years. We had nothing to do there but listen to music. I just buried myself in music and that led to my obsession with DJing. I had a mixer that my uncle gave me back then that I tried to mix songs with, not even really knowing what I was doing. That eventually led to me getting a turntable and I would scratch over songs and stuff. At that time, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz were real big. It was kind of the height of scratch DJing, so I really got into it.

What are your musical influences?

Grand Buffet, a hip hop band from Pittsburgh that I DJed and toured with. Of Montreal, another group that I toured with. The Dead Milkmen. Just a lot of music that is sort of self-deprecating. Weird Al. You know, people that don't take themselves seriously but are still skilled. Kid Koala. I toured with him extensively. He was a big, big influence on me.

You have a pretty interesting DJ name. How did you come up with it?

When I first got into DJing I wanted to rap too because I embraced hip hop culture. I was just freestyling with some friends at a party one time and I was talking about my Filipino fist being in the air and then my friend was like, "Dude, you're the Filipino Fist!" It was a joke for a while. Then I came up with DJ Jester. It took some screwing around -- Jester, like playful -- but my name needs to be more ridiculous. I need to have the whole title "DJ Jester the Filipino Fist" just because it sounds so ridiculous.

I read somewhere that you have an annual closing show for SXSW.

I have played SXSW almost every year since 1999. This is probably the sixth year that I'm doing a closing party. It's an actual showcase night. It's kind of a party for the die-hards that don't want to leave Austin after SXSW because a lot of people leave Sunday morning to go to work on Monday or whatever. That party is fun because a lot of the locals show up. David Byrne from Talking Heads, he was there one year. You never know who's going to be in the house for that one. I sort of help program the night. The whole idea is to make it weird. There are bands that normally are self-deprecating. I try to get as many fun and silly bands on that bill as possible.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Water is key. It's a lot of raging. You never know where you're going to end up. I've been up for 24 hours during SXSW. It's a sort of sensory overload. Drink lots of water.

How is the Huge Bicycle Tour going?

It's been great. I'm actually touring with one of my heroes. This guy is Joe Jack Talcum from the Dead Milkmen, one of my favorite bands that I used to listen to as a kid. I became pen pals with him when I was a kid. This is a funny story. I started writing letters to the Dead Milkmen when I was maybe 13 or 14 years-old. We just became friends. It was before the Internet with actual handwritten letters back and forth. So funny! I never thought 15 years later we'd be touring together. Lord Grunge from Grand Buffet and the Bassturd are playing too. It's been a fun tour.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

I did a tour with Third Eye Blind. It was Grand Buffet and I and Third Eye Blind, which was kind of ridiculous, but fun. There was a show that didn't go too well in Las Vegas a couple months ago. We were playing at Caesars Palace. After the show, I realized how full-on rock stars Third Eye Blind are. We had this VIP area and I was just looking at the other guy in Grand Buffet and I was like, "This is so nuts. What's going on? We're playing Caesars Palace."

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

We've been rocking Ke$ha in the van lately. Dude, that song ['Tik Tok']! I love that song. That's a guilty pleasure for sure.

What's one of the most unique places you've played?

I would say one of my favorite tours was when I was on the road with this girl, [Lucil] Lederhosen who's from Canada. We toured New Zealand together. New Zealand is probably one of my favorite places to tour. It's a whole completely different planet almost. I did play Tokyo. That was pretty interesting. That was pretty nuts. When you play in the U.S. they're shouting while you're playing, but in Tokyo they're really polite and when you're done with your set they start clapping.


Victor Ituarte is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.