Nine Questions

Brian Mock, 34, has lived in Tucson since 1994. He is a high school social-studies teacher and was even briefly featured in a book about teachers by Dave Eggers (et al.), that nobody read. He occasionally writes CD reviews for the Tucson Weekly.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

The Cars and Wang Chung in 1984 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. My mom took my two younger brothers and me and bought us T-shirts. The second was Prince and the Revolution on the Purple Rain tour.

What CDs are in your changer right now?

I don't have a changer, but I've been playing: The Howling Hex, XI; Parliament, Mothership Connection; The Fall, Are You Are Missing Winner; The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle; Muddy Waters, The Real Folk Blues; Lou Reed, Coney Island Baby.

How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?

About 600 LPs, 70 45s, 700 CDs and a few cassettes.

Do you download music, and If so, legally or illegally?

I just learned how to download music. I hope I'm not breaking the law out of ignorance!

What was the first album you owned?

My mom took me to buy Styx's "Come Sail Away" 45 when I was 4. The first full-length album was Devo, Freedom of Choice, in 1980.

What song would you like to have played at your funeral?

"No Show Tonight" by Phoebe Snow.

Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?

Probably my love for Ornette Coleman and Phoebe Snow. But it ain't guilty.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

I suppose the key SST Records bands in the '80s (Black Flag, Descendents, Minutemen, Sonic Youth, etc.) helped me to understand that doing something that was personally meaningful was more important and rewarding than notoriety and compensation.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

The Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime is a timeless record. There's something very authentic about it as a whole, as well as the way Mike Watt, George Hurley and D. Boon express their individual voices and interact with one another both musically and lyrically.