Michelle Hotchkiss is a real estate agent and a dealer of kitschy collectibles at Copper Country Antiques. A native Tucsonan, Hotchkiss booked bands at the defunct, much-beloved Airport Lounge. At 30, she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked as a set dresser and prop buyer. She then moved to New York City, where she worked as photo-shoot producer/editor/art director until, homesick, she returned to the Old Pueblo. She would like to be reincarnated as a snare drum in a marching band or a timpani in Tito Puente's orchestra.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
I don't remember. ... But I know I've seen Philip Glass and Ken Nordine perform!
What are you listening to these days?
My Moog records. The best one is Moog! Claude Denjean and the Moog Synthesizer.
What was the first album you owned?
Terry Jacks, Seasons in the Sun. Just the other day, my stepbrother told me he remembers me playing it over and over.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
It's not acceptable for bands to boycott playing here, like we are 1 million Jan Brewers walking around.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Jerry Lee Lewis, circa early-'60s.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I really love live recordings of marching bands playing recognizable songs from pop culture—instrumentals of Michael Jackson, or music from Star Wars, not fight songs.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
No music, please! But if I ever gave birth, I want the theme song from 2001: A Space Odyssey playing over and over.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Dave the Spazz (Thursday nights, wfmu.org) turned me into a crazy dancer. He plays all those great 2-to-3-minute punk, hillbilly, R&R, R&B, garage, soul, surf and live songs.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
The Beach Boys, Friends / 20/20. I love how quotidian "Busy Doin' Nothin'" is; it's the predecessor to Flight of the Conchords.
