Streffa Dżeffa

Jeff Taylor fot. Sławomir Ostrowski

I first used this name for my late-night radio show at Radio Wa-Ma (Radio Planeta) in 1997-1998. Every night, Monday to Friday, 11pm to midnight, I played my favourite bands, told stupid jokes, conducted crazy contests with listeners (Love Letters to Jola Kwaśniewska!), sang songs while playing guitar and generally building a bit of a cult following.

I claimed the show’s relative success, besides my witty humour and sexy radio voice, to a crappy time in my life. A recent break-up and no follow-up girlfriend, very few teaching hours at a private school and a meager salary at this radio station resulted in plenty of time to come up with ideas and prepare for Streffa Dżeffa. It also helped that the show came on so late at night and the station’s leaders/managers/authorities had no idea about the contents of the show. I had free rein to tell jokes about the Pope, write love letters to the Polish president’s wife and talk with a female listener on the air about the idea of a wet-underwear contest. To quote the Howard Stern movie “Private Parts”, people listened to the show to hear what I would say next.

However, Streffa Dżeffa’s lasted only one sweet short year. First, due to the show’s popularity, the station director’s began to interfere wanting an earlier show at 8pm only in English; very minor changes but completely altering the feel of the show. Secondly, ironically my life was improving as I started to teaching more and miraculously met a new girlfriend, now my wife. So, I had less time to put together Olsztyn’s best radio show ever, and the new show “Evening Café” barely lasted a year.

So my time at Radio Wa-Ma ended, and since then I have concentrated on being a respected English language teacher and occasionally attempted a radio come-back. Now I am writing a blog entitled “Streffa Dżeffa” which is nowhere as cool as being on the air, but I can introduce some good music and write about whatever interests me.

I will write much more about music in my next installment, but for now I must mention my band BINGE. We are a country grunge/hard-core country/BLOODgrass band composed of mostly foreigners. Our next show will be Friday 9th August in Vinyl Pub on Piastowska Street, Olsztyn Old Town. It’s free and always a good time.

That is enough for the debut installment of the the Streffa Dżewa blog. If I continue writing, I won’t have any more ideas for the future. See you soon.