Gary James' Interview With D.J., musician, actress and model
Colleen Shannon



She's a D.J., a musician, an actress, and a model. She also happens to have been Playboy magazine's "Playmate Of The Month" in Playboy's January, 2004 edition, Playboy's 50^th Anniversary Playmate. The lady we are talking about is Colleen Shannon. Colleen spoke with us about her life in music, and more.

Q - Colleen, at one point you were interviewing people on Sirius radio. Famous people?

A - Yes. It was fun actually. We were doing famous people, recording artists, actors, a lot of famous D.J.s from around the world. Some were my friends. My first day ever doing an hour of live talk radio my co-host was stuck at LAX (Los Angeles Airport), so it was literally just myself. (laughs) So, I got my feet wet real fast. Real quick.

Q - Who were some of the people you interviewed on that show?

A - Well, I interviewed Bobby Brown. I interviewed YG, who is a rapper. He did that song "Teach Me How To Dougie". It was like a really popular dance at the time, one of the top Hip-Hop songs, the females who wrote the song "New York" for Jay-Z. Lots and lots of D.J.s

Q - Besides being on the radio, were you a disc jockey in say a club somewhere?

A - Basically I became an international D.J. flying to different countries all over the world, everywhere from Africa to Canada to the United States to the Bahamas. Almost every single country. Everywhere. So, I would go on about midnight, which was like prime party time for these super clubs, and I would play like the American influenced type of prime time music.

Q - These were hotel clubs?

A - They're called super clubs. They hold anywhere from 500 to 5,000 people. I toured probably from 2004 to 2015.

Q - Did musicians get upset with D.J.s because they feel they're taking away money from live music?

A - No. A true musician will realize that a turntable is actually instrument. When you're a D.J. like myself, you're playing two to four hours of continuous music, you're actually matching the drum beat for hours at a time. So, if you're somewhat of a drummer and a selector, your keys can't be clashing either. So you have to have a musical background to be a good professional D.J. If somebody came to me with that I would definitely say every musician has their own talent, whether it's strings or keys or their voice. A D.J. is also its own instrument.

Q - You recorded an album for SONY Records in 2010. How did that album do? Did you tour the world in support of that album?

A - Yeah, absolutely. I did a full Canadian tour. I definitely toured.

Q - You were also in a music video for Blues Traveler and Smash Mouth. How did you get those gigs? Did you have to have an agent? Did you know the guys in the groups?

A - I moved to L.A. with a 1950 Chevy car and some turntables and my dog. I didn't really know why I was moving or what I was going to do for a living. I had a friend who was an agent at a modeling agency. He said, "Hey, you should come and try to go out for some commercials. Start auditioning." Basically you just have to have a genuine smile and good energy. At the time, when all those music videos were cast, it was by the came casting company. Once you book one and you book another, then you're just in with the casting company. I probably ended up doing twenty music videos with all my favorite artist. The people that I'd always looked up to that were on TV all the time, like George Michael. I was right next to them, being paid $500 to $1,500 a day just smiling and dancing and having some fun. (laughs)

Q - You can't beat that. You said you drove to L.A. in a 1950 Chevy. That's an expensive car, isn't it?

A - (laughs) It was a beautiful car. The chances of me years later becoming the 50th Anniversary Playmate was quite interesting too.

Q - And I'm going to talk about that. In 2004 you taking psychology classes. Were you planning to be a psychologist one day?

A - I was really interested in psychology. All in one semester I was taking psychology, operatic singing, acting and music composition. It was a full semester of everything I completely loved because I actually graduated with a 4.0 and had a full scholarship to college. I ended up taking classes and my career just started faster than I could finish college.

Q - Out of 10,000 women, you were chosen to be the January 2004 Playboy centerfold. Were you told why?

A - Yeah. Basically I had walked into the office and I met with the vice-president of Playboy and she told me she had spotted Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and Jenny McCarthy. She basically asked me I wanted the studio to be my home for the next two weeks. When I finally met Hef (Hugh Hefner), he liked my photos. I was somewhat standoffish. I never stayed the night at the mansion. I never rode in a limo with him. I didn't really give him what he wanted or what most girls would do, and I think he thought that was quite challenging and he thought I was really serious about my career. A lot of Playmates I think are just more playful and don't really care about the future. I was telling him my plans for future. I think he saw the potential in the long run for me.

Q - Would you have been able to pursue a singing, acting and modeling career without having been in Playboy?

A - I don't think so.

Q - That opened doors for you, didn't it?

A - Most definitely. I made my whole entire career and living for the next fifteen years because of that. I'm greatly thankful for the opportunity.

Q - How do you answer other women who would say, "Colleen, you were exploited. You didn't have to pose for Playboy."? How do you answer that?

A - I think women should embrace their sexuality in a classy way.

Q - In the 1960s a Playboy centerfold would find herself on TV talk shows, TV shows and films. Did that happen to you?

A - Yeah. Two years ago (2018) I was in a movie with Johnny Depp. I don't plan on stopping my career even now. I definitely had a great wave. I'm not stopping. I definitely have a strong passion for work, for the art and entertainment.

Q - You won $50,000 for being in that Playboy 50^th anniversary edition. What did you spend the money on?

A - I went shopping. (laughs)

Q - You wanted to meet Jennifer Lopez. Did you ever meet her?

A - No. I was looking at her picture earlier today. She's a career woman and a family woman. She does it all. I think she's amazing.

Q - You have been quoted as saying, "If a guy doesn't like music, it kind of puts a damper on things. I'm looking for a man who is fun and spontaneous." Did you ever find that man?

A - I found many men like that. (laughs) But as of right now, I am engaged to my, I would almost say childhood sweetheart. We met when we were 19 years old and we didn't see each other for fifteen years and reunited. In L.A. I dated a lot of high profile men based on the girl they saw in the picture, but they didn't see who I really was, the core of who I really was.

Official Website: www.DJColleenShannon.com

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