What was the first concert you ever saw?
The Monkees at the TCC Arena with Weird Al.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Warcloud, Nightmares That Surface From Shallow Sleep; Gene Gillespie, BoomBaby; Mississippi Sheiks, Stop and Listen; Killarmy, Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars; The Band, Music From Big Pink.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
200 CDs, 200 tapes. My wife collects records, so we have some of those ... 300?
Do you download music, and if do, legally or illegally?
Legally and otherwise, to preview music. I'll buy it if it moves me.
What was the first album you owned?
Purple Rain soundtrack. The nasty words in "Darling Nikki" were such a source of mystery and wonder for me as a child.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Hell Hound on My Trail" by Robert Johnson.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
There's a Michael Franks song, "Lady Wants to Know." And Sade, but I don't hide that.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Maybe Nas. I grew up listening to Bob Dylan, so I can't say that he changed anything--he was like a formative influence. Nas, when he feels like it, is the rightful heir to Dylan's legacy. I would put a song like "Blaze a 50" in the same category as "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts."
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Blood on the Tracks. Love and Theft is another favorite, but I come back to this one for its mixture of blues with preternaturally vivid lyrics.
