Nine Questions

Once upon a time, Dave "Dog" Burke played saxophone for Tucson bands the Blink Dogs and Cortex Bomb. Throughout the '90s, he also offered his services to local musical aggregations such as Slo Deluxe, Iscariot, Stone Hombre, the Lonely Trojans and Bluescrusher. He's currently a social worker and lives in Tucson.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

The Descendents with the Vandals, plus a couple of local bands--Junior Achievement and Joke Flower--at the old Party Gardens in Phoenix, in the (mid-'80s). I was a young pup. Punk-rock mayhem, truly glorious. Life-changing stuff.

What CDs are in your changer right now?

The Mission Creeps, In Sickness and in Health; The Pogues, Red Roses for Me; Jay Reatard, Blood Visions; Il Giardino Armonico's recording of Bach, The Brandenburg Concertos; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Good Son.

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

A couple hundred CDs, close to 300 records, too many cassettes ... sadly, no 8 tracks.

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

Legally. I'm a good boy.

What was the first album you owned?

A 45 by Black Oak Arkansas, "Jim Dandy to the Rescue." Go, Jim Dandy!

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

X, "The World's a Mess; It's in My Kiss." Kinda grim but weirdly sweet. There's something final about it. Yeah, I'll leave everyone with that.

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

I'm pretty sure my buddy Abel F-Bomb doesn't know I've got the Ting Tings' "Shut Up and Let Me Go" on my iPod.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

The Minutemen. I was in high school when Double Nickels on the Dime came out. Their writing, honesty and passion were everything I loved about punk rock, but it was their imagination and fearlessness that gave me permission to dream bigger dreams, musically and personally.

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

X, Los Angeles. I keep coming back to that record, and probably always will.