What was the first concert you ever saw?
My parents took me to every conceivable concert they could drive their VW bus to. The first I saw: probably something like Jefferson Airplane or the Moody Blues. The first I choose to remember seeing: Devo. I was 11 or 12. My mom took me ... thanks, mom.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Daniel Johnston, Yip/Jump Music; The Crowd, Secret Serpents!!; Willie Nelson, Teatro; Golden Boots, Bland Canyon; Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back; The Beta Sweat; Bad Brains, Rock for Light; Thelonious Monk, Brilliant Corners; Chopin's Nocturnes; oh, and the F.A.N.S.S.'s still-unreleased gloriousness.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Around 1,500 12" records, 200 7" singles, 1 bazillion or so CDs, 42 tapes and zero 8-tracks.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
I mostly download stuff that I already have on vinyl, or stuff that I can't seem to find in the shops. I am totally illegal.
What was the first album you owned?
The first 12" I remember buying was Prince, Controversy, but I was buying 45s at J.C. Penney's when I was pretty little, stuff like "Wildfire" and "Ring My Bell."
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
Rainer's versions of "Miss the Mississippi" and "Funny How Time Slips Away," and then a big dance party ... lots of James Brown and Sugar Pie DeSanto.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Teen movie soundtracks; it's sad but true. And Van Morrison.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
The Who: My mom took me to see The Kids Are Alright, and I fell in love with Keith Moon. The Clash: so badass, rebellious, soulful and conscientious all wrapped up in one fantastic bundle of my teenage fantasy. Sly and the Family Stone: ditto, without the fantasy part.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
That's a pretty evil question, but I'd have to say Thelonious Monk, Underground.
