Behind the Mystery Jukebox:

Reflections from a Guest Host

“Give it a go. It’s not as scary as you might think.”

I only discovered the Mystery Jukebox in 2024. The first time I joined in, I was nervous about the rules. After all, no one wants to incur the wrath of Kitty, who reigns over the Jukebox proceedings with a paw of iron. Over time I carried on spending tokens and got to know folks. Despite thinking I had an eclectic taste in music, it turns out I didn’t.

Thanks to the list set up by Snowfloe, I could see people sharing music by artists that I was completely unaware of. I loved being transported into memories by being reminded of songs that I’ve not heard for donkey’s years (that’s a lot of donkeys, in my case…) I would also find myself hearing a song during the week and thinking “that’d be a good one for the jukebox…”

And then Michael asked for help. I took a deep breath after watching the inimitable MJ guest host with style, and decided to ask Michael if I could volunteer to follow in his footsteps. His first reply was, “Are you sure? It’s a big commitment.” I’d read his guide, and confirmed that yep, I was up for the challenge.

“With the pings comes the knowledge that the Mystery Jukebox community is supporting you at the same time.”

My first guest hosting experience was one of trepidation. And overthinking. I had a spreadsheet to keep track of the songs people shared, in case anyone duplicated and needed to be gently told that their choice had already been plumped for. This, in hindsight, was a daft method but I really wanted to do a good job, and spreadsheets have always been my comfort blanket.

The first post went up at 11am and for a moment I worried that no-one would reply. Two hours in and I was wearing a slightly manic expression and wondering if I’d ever get through all the notifications. It was fun anticipating what songs might come up, and I started to get to know other folk’s music taste and styles we have in common.

Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I tried guest hosting again a few months later and started to get into the [literal] swing of things. Shoogling around the kitchen. The notifications kept coming in waves – a flurry in the morning and over lunchtime, then a bit of a lull, and then an uptick later in the day as people from different time zones drop in.

The lovely bit that I hadn’t expected was hearing different versions and people’s history – where they’re from and their experiences that come with music. While I made every effort to reply to everyone, you see people chatting to each other and that really helps to keep it going. It also gives you a bit of breathing space from the mania – but with the pings comes the knowledge that the Mystery Jukebox community is supporting you at the same time.

“Without the Jukebox I wouldn’t be on Bluesky very much, because I probably wouldn’t have found as much reason to be on there.”

It also gives you a different perspective when someone else guest hosts, and you end up cheering them on, wanting them to do well and support them. I’ve guest hosted maybe four times now, the most recent being the Christmas. Despite feigning a rebellion and threatening to break away from the festive theme (too many years of working in offices listening to the same 20 tired songs on repeat) I went with it. I had presents to wrap and needed all the help I could get for some festive cheer. The Jukebox community went berserk. There were no lulls – it was an all-day conversation between groups of Bluesky people and no signs of it slowing down at 11pm. My phone ran out of battery twice – but the number of songs I listened to kept me going.

All this is to say, that without the Jukebox I wouldn’t be on Bluesky very much, because I probably wouldn’t have found as much reason to be on there. Guest hosting isn’t just another ‘top 20 music challenge’. Yes, there’s a keyword or a topic, but it’s different.

Before I joined in, Michael told me that Mystery Jukebox people are the best people. He’s not wrong. It’s about getting to know a community. If you’ve enjoyed jumping in with tokens on a Saturday, give it some thought. Guest hosting is a big commitment but a few of us have tried it now and they’ve all done brilliantly. How Michael has managed it all these years I’ve no idea – but I think we can keep it going if we try.

Give it a go. It’s not as scary as you might think. You don’t have to be constantly online for 12 hours. Take breaks, go do stuff, time flies. And you’ve got a whole bunch of people waiting to join in. If for nothing else, do it for the love of music.

After all, music is a time machine. Music is lives that have been lived. Music is life…