After fronting the beloved local bands The Gamera Crowns, The Apocalyptics and (The) Red Switch, singer/guitarist/songwriter Josh Levine took a five-year hiatus from writing and performing music. This week, he returns with a new band, HAIRSPRAYFIREANDGIRLS, which also features former members of Chango Malo, Bombs for the Bored and Red Switch. They'll headline a show at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., at 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 26. The bill also includes the Provocative Whites and Overcast Off. $5; 798-1298.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
Paul Simon at Madison Square Garden. When he played "You Can Call Me Al," all the hippies formed this conga line that extended across the floor of the arena. Then he played it again. I liked Metallica better at the time.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Bowie's Young Americans, the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Very few cassettes, probably 200 or so CDs, and one 7-inch. The 7-inch is a record that my first band made.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
I download legally, because I can't find anything that's free.
What was the first album you owned?
My first album—and I believe I speak for a lot of people—was, of course, Thriller.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Perfect Day" by Lou Reed.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
All right, all right, I like some emo. There, I admitted it.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
The Sex Pistols. They looked into the abyss, at the most basic evil in people, and they did not look away. See "Bodies."
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Exile on Main St. by the Rolling Stones—the best rock 'n' roll album of all time.
