Nine Questions

Bianca Mendoza

California native Bianca Mendoza moved to Tucson in October 2005 and began working as a stitcher for the Arizona Theatre Company. She is currently a 44-year-old freshman at the University of Arizona's School of Theatre, Film and Television, where she is studying costume design and technology.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

Cheap Trick at Disneyland. They played on Tom Sawyer's Island; I loved it. My first real concert was Prince's Purple Rain tour at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles. That was the best concert I have seen to date.

What are you listening to these days?

Boulevard of Broken Dreams, It's the Talk of the Town; David Bowie, Hunky Dory; Roxy Music; Hector Lavoe; Bessie Smith.

What was the first album you owned?

When I was 8 or 9, my brother Adrian gave me (English prog/folk rock band) Renaissance's first record, but I immediately scratched it. He gave my sister Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark, which I listened to endlessly. It's engrained in my being.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?

Sonic Youth.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

Led Zeppelin, at their peak.

Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Early "bitches and hos" rap.

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

If it is a suicide: Maria Callas, "Ave Maria." If I die from old age: Diamanda Galas, "The Litanies of Satan."

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

Edith Piaf. I'd never heard anything so painfully beautiful and pure.

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

Shoot.