Jon Wurster
Encyclopedia
Jon Wurster is an American musician and humorist best known as the drummer for indie rockers Superchunk
and recently for The Mountain Goats
, as well for his comedic work with radio host Tom Scharpling
on the The Best Show on WFMU.
Wurster has recorded and/or performed live with artists such as Bob Mould
, Jay Farrar
, Ben Gibbard
, Robert Pollard
, Katy Perry
, The New Pornographers
, Rocket from the Crypt
, Ryan Adams
, R.E.M., Guided by Voices
, Marah
, Alejandro Escovedo
, A.C. Newman, Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple
, Inspiral Carpets
, The Minus 5
, and Charlie Daniels
.
Youth Association in Harleysville
, Pennsylvania
. He is name-checked in the Milkmen song "Stuart" ("...that Johnny Wurster kid that delivers papers in the neighborhood") from their 1988 album, Beelzebubba
.
In the mid-80s Wurster played in The Right Profile, a roots rock band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The band was signed to Arista Records and was co-founded by Freakonomics
co-author Stephen J. Dubner
.
is the longtime host of The Best Show on WFMU radio program, and Wurster calls in as one of a bevy of characters including the Gorch, Philly Boy Roy, Corey Harris (of Mother 13), Hippy Johnny, Timmy von Trimble (the two-inch racist), Sean (airhorn guy), Stepuncle Mort, Bernie Taupin (lyricist), a stoner named Bryce, and Maurice Kern (owner of Kern Pharmaceuticals). The duo have been releasing CDs on their Stereolaffs
label since 1999. Their most recent album is 2007's The Art of The Slap.
Wurster has written for television shows such as Monk
, Squidbillies
, Tim and Eric Awesome Show and Tom Goes to the Mayor
.
Wurster is a frequent contributor to Modern Drummer
magazine.
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
and recently for The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
, as well for his comedic work with radio host Tom Scharpling
Tom Scharpling
Tom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly freeform radio call-in comedy program The Best Show on WFMU and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk.Scharpling is also noted...
on the The Best Show on WFMU.
Wurster has recorded and/or performed live with artists such as Bob Mould
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur "Bob" Mould is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.-Early life:...
, Jay Farrar
Jay Farrar
Jay Farrar is an American songwriter and musician currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. A veteran of two critically acclaimed music groups, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, he began his solo music career in 2001...
, Ben Gibbard
Ben Gibbard
Benjamin "Ben" Gibbard is an American musician known as a member of several successful indie rock bands. He is the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, and is also known for his project ¡All-Time Quarterback! and his first band, Pinwheel.-Personal life and career:Gibbard was...
, Robert Pollard
Robert Pollard
Robert Pollard is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter who is the leader and creative force behind indie rock group Guided by Voices, who disbanded in 2004, only to reform in 2010...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
, Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1989 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005.The band gained critical praise and the attention of major record labels after the release of their 1992 album Circa: Now!, leading to a recording contract with Interscope...
, Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
, R.E.M., Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, Marah
Marah (band)
Marah is an American country band that formed in the early 1990s and is closely associated with the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, New York...
, Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:The son of Mexican immigrants to Texas, Escovedo is from a family that boasts several professional musicians, including brothers Coke Escovedo and Pete Escovedo, and Sheila E...
, A.C. Newman, Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple
The dB's
The dB's are a jangle pop/power pop group who came into prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s. The bandmembers were Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, Will Rigby and Gene Holder, all of whom were from Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
, Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...
, The Minus 5
The Minus 5
The Minus 5 is an American rock band, headed by musician Scott McCaughey and featuring R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.-Band history:Formed in 1993, McCaughey designed the Minus 5 as a pop collective, with each record the group put out featuring a new lineup...
, and Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
.
Early music career
Wurster booked the first show by legendary joke punkers The Dead Milkmen which took place at the Lower SalfordLower Salford Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Salford Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,959 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
Youth Association in Harleysville
Harleysville, Pennsylvania
Harleysville is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,286 at the 2010 census. It is located within Lower Salford Township...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He is name-checked in the Milkmen song "Stuart" ("...that Johnny Wurster kid that delivers papers in the neighborhood") from their 1988 album, Beelzebubba
Beelzebubba
Beelzebubba is the fourth full-length studio album by the punk band The Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. The album featured their best-known song "Punk Rock Girl." The song's video won rotation on MTV...
.
In the mid-80s Wurster played in The Right Profile, a roots rock band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The band was signed to Arista Records and was co-founded by Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
co-author Stephen J. Dubner
Stephen J. Dubner
Stephen J. Dubner is an American journalist who has written four books and numerous articles. Dubner is best known as co-author of the pop-economics book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything and its 2009 sequel, SuperFreakonomics.-Background:His parents were...
.
Comedy work
Wurster is one half of the radio comedy team Scharpling and Wurster. Tom ScharplingTom Scharpling
Tom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly freeform radio call-in comedy program The Best Show on WFMU and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk.Scharpling is also noted...
is the longtime host of The Best Show on WFMU radio program, and Wurster calls in as one of a bevy of characters including the Gorch, Philly Boy Roy, Corey Harris (of Mother 13), Hippy Johnny, Timmy von Trimble (the two-inch racist), Sean (airhorn guy), Stepuncle Mort, Bernie Taupin (lyricist), a stoner named Bryce, and Maurice Kern (owner of Kern Pharmaceuticals). The duo have been releasing CDs on their Stereolaffs
Stereolaffs
Stereolaffs is the comedy record label run by Jon Wurster and Tom Scharpling of the longform radio comedy duo Scharpling and Wurster.-Discography:*Rock, Rot and Rule *Chain Fights, Beer Busts and Service with a Grin...
label since 1999. Their most recent album is 2007's The Art of The Slap.
Wurster has written for television shows such as Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
, Squidbillies
Squidbillies
Squidbillies is an animated television series about the Cuylers, an impoverished family of anthropomorphic hillbilly squids living in the Appalachian region of North Carolina's mountains. The show is produced by Williams Street Studios for the Adult Swim programming block of Cartoon Network and...
, Tim and Eric Awesome Show and Tom Goes to the Mayor
Tom Goes to the Mayor
Tom Goes to the Mayor is an American animated television series created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on November 14, 2004 and ended on September 25, 2006, with a total of thirty episodes.-History:Tom Goes to the...
.
Wurster is a frequent contributor to Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer is a monthly publication targeting the interests of on drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public...
magazine.