Taste Maker: Q&A with Nic Harcourt

Host of Santa Monica, Calif.�based KCRW FM�s Sunday radio show Sounds Eclectic, streamed and archived at kcrw.com, Nic Harcourt is also music supervisor for film and TV and the author of Music Lust. One of music�s most influential DJs, he recently stepped down after 10 years as host of KCRW�s weekday show Morning Becomes Eclectic.

Q:Why do you think Morning Becomes Eclectic is so loved?

A: It�s one of the few free-form music shows that exist on radio anymore. Also, the range of music played is huge, and people are drawn to that element of surprise, as well as to the possibility of discovering the next Coldplay or Norah Jones.

Q: There have been a lot of changes in the music industry in the past 10 years�is that a good thing or a bad thing?

A: The changes are good� they�re good for art and for the consumer. Musicians have a better chance of making a living by distributing their own music and using Web sites like MySpace to get their music heard, and people have more options of what to listen to.

Q: When did you become veg?

A: I was contemplating it when I left [England] for Australia [15 years ago], but the Aussie�s love of the barbie made it challenging, to say the least. Once I moved to Woodstock, N.Y., five years later, I found the supportive environment I needed to make the leap.

�Gabrielle Harradine, Assistant Editor