“Cody the Roadie” Q&A with CJAY92’s JD Lewis
Stories about rock stars taking centre stage are easy to find, but what about the people backstage who make the magic happen?
That’s exactly the story JD Lewis from CJAY92 wanted to tell with his new children’s book “Cody the Roadie.” The morning radio host and voice of the Calgary Roughnecks visited the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area office to do an author reading and signing.
“I was such a big reader growing up, I always loved reading,” JD said.
“To able to actually write a book was something that I always wanted to do, and I always wondered what it was like, but I was way too afraid of the process. This was an exercise for me from a mental health standpoint and trying something completely out of my comfort zone.”
“Cody the Roadie” follows Cody, a member of the tech crew for the rock band Blanket Fort who finds himself in a pickle before the show. The book is recommended for children between the ages of 4-10, with all proceeds from sales going to CJAY 92 Kids Fund.
Around 20 parents and kids came to hear JD read the book about Cody’s adventures, with opportunities to ask questions and have JD sign their copy of the book afterwards. Reading to kids is the best part of the job, JD said.
“Watching kids read, whether it’s my book or any others, unlocks this whole other part of your brain and introduces you to your imagination,” JD said. “I remember what I loved about it from the onset, and I see that love in other people too.”
The kids who came to the reading event had a lot of thoughtful questions for JD. We’ve put together a Q&A from the night!
Q: Are you a DJ?
JD: Yeah! It’s my daytime job, or I guess my morning job. I wake up at four o’clock in the morning when nobody’s up. It’s just me and the guys who deliver bread to the grocery store. And then I get to work at five and tell jokes for a few hours. And then I get home at 10. The cool thing about it is that you get the whole day to do whatever you want. If you get an idea, like writing a book, there’s time to do that.
Q: Is Cody real?
JD: He’s not a real person, but he’s based on a lot of different people. I tried to take all the different people I know that work at concerts and turn them into one person.
Q: Where did you get the idea from?
JD: I got it not only from going to a lot of concerts, but I also read a lot of books. I loved reading books when I was a kid like you, and I love reading books now as an adult. I thought, ‘somebody should write a rock n’ roll book’, and I kept waiting for someone to do it. Nobody did it, so I did it!
Q: Why did you write the book?
JD: I think a few different reasons. I wanted to share it with people like you, that was one reason. I think I was always curious about what it would be like to write a book too. I wondered how hard it was to do and what the process was like. And I thought the best way to learn it was just to do it.
Q: What is your favourite food?
JD: Pizza, it’s got to be pizza. What’s your favourite food?
Q: Root beer pop!
Q: What was your first concert?
JD: My first concert was Sharon, Lois and Bram. My first rock show was Metallica.
Q: Did this actually happen?
JD: I guarantee it’s happened! There’s definitely been people in rock bands who have taken accidental naps.
Q: Why did you want to read to Big Brothers Big Sisters?
JD: I think the biggest reason is that I love sharing the book with people. But I also just really appreciate being asked. I thought it was really cool that you guys invited me down here. And if I write another book, I’m coming back!