Low Stakes

Low Stakes show artwork

Low Stakes w/ John F. is a weekly freeform radio show hosted by John Flansburgh on Jeffersonville, New York-based public radio station WJFF every Friday at 9 PM ET on the station and its website.

Description

John F. spins music from all recorded genres, with everything from today's latest releases to field recordings from the 1930s. Thoughtfully curated with your mind in mind!^[1]

Prior to getting his own WJFF show, Flansburgh guest-hosted two episodes of The Secret Show (normally hosted by Bryan Sheehan) on WJFF on May 7 and 14, 2020. Three weeks later, Low Stakes began airing on June 5, 2020.

Episodes are produced remotely at home by Flansburgh before being sent to WJFF for broadcast, and are archived on the station's Mixcloud page shortly after airing. Between groups of tracks, Flansburgh often shares anecdotes about the selections, and refers to himself as "your radio pal, John F."

Flansburgh has also been using the Low Stakes name since 2017 for a series of playlists on the They Might Be Giants Spotify page, similarly highlighting selections of songs by some of his favorite artists.

Episode playlists

This section is currently under construction:
Feel free to lend a hand with previous episodes!

October 30, 2020

Listen: Mixcloud

October 23, 2020

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• Nina Simone - "Feeling Good" (1965)
• Neil Young - "I Wonder If I Care As Much" (2014)
• Jeff Beck - "You Shook Me" (1968)
• John Cooper Clarke - "Night People" (1982)
• Nancy Sinatra - "Not the Lovin' Kind" (1966)
• Liz Green - "Bei Mir Bist Du Shein" (2012)
• Fiona Apple & Jon Brion - "Everyday" (2011)
• Yo La Tengo - "Wasn't Born to Follow" (2020)
• T. Rex - "Mambo Sun" (1971)
• James Chance and the Contortions - "Contort Yourself" (1978)
• Lijadu Sisters - "Come On Home" (1979)
• Girlpool - "Before the World Was Big" (2015)
• The Nashville Teens - "Tobacco Road" (1964)
• The Louvin Brothers - "Satan Is Real" (1959)
• Blossom Dearie - "Some Other Time" (1959)
• Falsettos - "Four Jews in a Room Bitching" (2016)
• Jimmy Giuffre - "Jimmy & Bobby"

October 16, 2020

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October 9, 2020

Under construction...

October 2, 2020

Theme: "A full hour tribute to the compositions, productions, arrangements and performances of Allen Toussaint. Everything this shows plays is going to be funky."
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• Robert Palmer - "Night People" (1978)
• Labelle - "Lady Marmalade" (1974)
• Irma Thomas - "Time Is on My Side" (1964)
• Lee Dorsey - "Working in the Coal Mine" (1966)
• Aaron Neville - "Hercules" (1973)
• Dr. John - "Right Place, Wrong Time" (1973)
• Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - "Fortune Teller" (2007)
• Allen Toussaint - "Get Out of My Life, Woman" (Live)
• Bonnie Raitt - "What Is Success" (1974)
• The Band - "Life Is a Carnival" (1971)
• The Meters - "Cissy Strut" (1969)
• Irma Thomas - "It's Raining" (1962)
• Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers - "It Will Stand" (1975)
• Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights" (1975)
• The Yardbirds - "A Certain Girl" (1964)
• Little Feat - "On Your Way Down" (1973)

September 25, 2020

Theme: "An hour of hard lefts and rights because it is being put together very spontaneously"
Listen: Mixcloud

• Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers - "Hospital" (1972)
• The Tokens - "Hear the Bells" (1963)
• The Fugs - "Nothing" (1965)
• The Band - "Commercial for the album 'Stage Fright'" (1970)
• Fountains of Wayne - "Hackensack" (2003)
• The Pointer Sisters - "Yes We Can Can" (1973)
• The Firesign Theatre - Sketch
• The Cookies - "Only to Other People" (1963)
• NRBQ - "I Want You Bad" (1978)
• The Undertones - "Teenage Kicks" (1978)
• Charles Strouse & Martin Charnin - "Tomorrow" from the Musical Annie (1977)
• Pere Ubu - "Life Stinks" (19)
• Raymond Scott & Jim Henson - "Bufferin:Memories Commercial" (1967)
• The Exciters - "Blowing Up My Mind" (1972)
• The Monks - "Monk Time" (1966)
• Au Pairs - "We're So Cool" (1981)
• Bob Dylan - "Copper Kettle" (1970)

September 18, 2020

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September 11, 2020

Under construction...

September 4, 2020

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August 28, 2020

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August 21, 2020

Theme: Soul music
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August 14, 2020

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August 7, 2020

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• The Velvet Underground - "After Hours" (1969)
• Annie Ross - "Twisted" (1951)
• Prince - "Kiss" (1986)
• The Barbarians - "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl" (1965)
• Peggy Lee - "Fever" (1958)
• Belle and Sebastian - "If She Wants Me" (2003)
• Shuggie Otis - "Aht Uh Mi Hed" (1974)
• Mary J. Blige ft. 50 Cent - "MJB da MVP" (2005)
• Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels - "Sock It to Me Baby!" (1967)
• Vampire Weekend - "Oxford Comma" (2008)
• Madeline Kenney - "White Window Light" (2020)
• Moondog - "All is Loneliness" (?)
• Stephen Sondheim & Mary Rodgers - "The Boy From..." from The Mad Show (1966)
• The Folk Implosion - "Pole Position" (1997)
• The Kinks - "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" (1965)
• King Pleasure & Annie Ross - "Red Top" (1957)

July 31, 2020

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• Sylvan Esso - "Ferris Wheel" (2020)
• Joan Armatrading - "Love and Affection" (1976)
• Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice - "Heaven On Their Minds" from Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)
• The Specials - "Ghost Town" (1981)
• Yo La Tengo - "Meet the Mets" (2006)
• Johnny Kidd & the Pirates - "Shakin' All Over" (1960)
• Victor Uwaifo - "Arabade" (1980)
• Joni Mitchell - "A Case of You" (1971)
• Paul Williams - "Someday Man" (1970)
• Lou Reed - "Vicious" (1973)
• Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions - "Sad, Sad Girl and Boy" (1963)
• Run the Jewels ft. Greg Nice & DJ Premier - "Ooh La La" (2020)
• Tweedy - "Low Key" (2014)
• War - "Slippin' into Darkness" (1971)
• The Mountain Goats - "This Year" (2005)

July 24, 2020

Theme: Dance party!
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• Dua Lipa - "Don't Start Now" (2019)
• Q-Tip - "Vivrant Thing" (1999)
• Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend" (2011)
• Daft Punk - "One More Time" (2000)
• Sia - "Chandelier" (2014)
• Childish Gambino - "Redbone" (2016)
• Rihanna ft. Jay-Z - "Umbrella" (2007)
• Bell Biv DeVoe - "Poison" (1990)
• The Weeknd - "Can't Feel My Face" (2015)
• N.E.R.D. - "She Wants to Move" (2004)
• Teena Marie - "Square Biz" (1981)
• Karol G & Nicki Minaj - "Tusa" (2019)
• Pete Shelley - "Homosapien" (1981)
• Lauryn Hill - "Everything is Everything" (1999)
• Eric B. & Rakim - "Paid in Full" (1987)

July 17, 2020

Mini Theme: Songs with "one note things" (saxophone in "Flying Home", guitar in "Cinnamon Girl", and saxophone in "Corn Bread")
Listen: Mixcloud

• The Beths - "I'm Not Getting Excited" (2020)
• Pearly Queen - "Quit Jive'in" (1974)
• Christopher Logue - "Sometimes It's Like You're Dead" (1963)
• Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis - "Wild! Wild! Wild!" (2018)
• Sharhabil Ahmed - "Argos Farfish" (2020)
• Sasha Dobson - "Simple Things" (2020)
• Robert Preston - "Ya Got Trouble" from The Music Man (1957)
• Lionel Hampton with Illinois Jacquet - "Flying Home" (1939)
• Neil Young - "Cinnamon Girl" (1970)
• Hal Singer Sextet - "Corn Bread" (1948)
• Van Morrison - "Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby?" (2002)
• Jakob Dylan & Jade Castrinos - "Go Where You Wanna Go" (2019)
• Pete Shelley - "Homosapien" (1981)
• Al Green - "For the Good Times" (1972)
• The Monkees - "She" (1967)
• The Magnetic Fields - "How I Failed Ethics" (2017)

July 10, 2020

Theme: Songs you may know more popular versions of.
Listen: Mixcloud

• Ann Peebles - "I Can't Stand the Rain" (1973)
• Avenue Beat - "F2020" (2020)
• Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim - "Jet Song" from West Side Story (1957)
• Billy Bragg - "Sexuality" (1991)
• Eartha Kitt - "I Want to Be Evil" (1954)
• Das Racist - "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell" (2008)
• Ramones - "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (1977)
• Norma Tanega - "You're Dead" (1966)
• France Gall - "Laisse tomber les filles" (1964)
• The Elgins - "Put Yourself In My Place" (1965)
• Fountains of Wayne - "All Kinds of Time" (2003)
• The Delfonics - "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" (1968)
• Barbara Dane - "I Hate the Capitalist System" (1973)
• Television - "Little Johnny Jewel Parts 1 and 2" (1975)
• Aaron Neville - "She Took You for a Ride" (1967)
• LCD Soundsystem - "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down" (2007)
• Arthur Alexander - "Burning Love" (1972)

July 3, 2020

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June 26, 2020

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June 19, 2020

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June 12, 2020

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June 5, 2020

Listen: Mixcloud

External links

• Low Stakes homepage on WJFF 90.5FM Radio Catskill
• WJFF on Mixcloud, featuring full archived episodes of Low Stakes
• Low Stakes w/ John F., a frequently-updated Spotify playlist