JD Samson - Biography

JD Samson (born August 4, 1978, Cleveland, Ohio) is the stage name of Jocelyn Samson, a member of the feminist electropunk band Le Tigre. Samson grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Pepper Pike, Ohio and attended Orange High School. She came out as a lesbian at age 15. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 2000 with a degree in film.

Samson joined Le Tigre in 2000 as a replacement for Sadie Benning after working as the band's projectionist. She is also a member of the band The New England Roses and a member of electro-punk artist Peaches' live band, The Herms with Radio Sloan and Samantha Maloney. In 2006, Samson collaborated with Junior Senior on the song "Can I Get Get Get".

Samson's contributions to Le Tigre include the song "Viz", which deals with her experiences as a member of a sexuality minority. In 2004, New York Times music writer Kelefa Sanneh called her "an icon of nerdy cool".

Samson is a co-founder of the performance art group "Dykes Can Dance". In 2003, she released 'JD's Lesbian Calendar', a collaboration with photographer Cass Bird, which was followed up in 2006 with 'JD's Lesbian Utopia', a calendar documenting Samson's travels around the U.S. in an RV.

As of 2007, Samson is working with Le Tigre bandmate Johanna Fateman on a remix project titled MEN. JD co-produced with Bitch the Ferron song, "In the Meantime" from the CD Boulder released in 2008.

Samson also appeared in John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus as "Jid", a patron of the Shortbus club.

Samson and her Le Tigre bandmates Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman produced the Christina Aguilera song My Girls ft. Peaches, for Aguilera's album Bionic.

External links

• for Le Tigre World.
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• PUNKCAST#1132 includes short video clip of DJ JD Samson @ Studio B, Brooklyn, Apr 5 2007. (RealPlayer, mp4)
• JD Samson and Emily Roysden interview each other ANP Quarterly Vol.1 #5
• JD Samson wrote a piece about career issues for musicians for the Huffington Post October 5, 2011
• JD Samson and Michael O'Neill interviewed about MEN on Buzzine October 28, 2011