Nine Questions

Jeff Rush is a self-taught computer geek who has been developing Web applications for the past 7 years. He is a longtime supporter of the local music scene and remembers the days when Earl's Family Bombers played in his living room and Green Day played in his backyard. He also does a lot of name-dropping.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

The Descendents and the Vandals with the Harvest (Junior Achievement) and Joke Flower at Party Gardens in Phoenix--it was 1984 (I think).

What CDs are in our changer right now?

In the car: Tones on Tail (Pop), Devo (Freedom of Choice), The Hives (Barely Legal) , Sex Pistols (Never Mind the Bollocks ...), Social Distortion (Live at the Roxy) and the Damned (Damned, Damned, Damned). At home, Louis Prima is on the turntable.

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

Approximately 300 vinyl records, maybe 50 CDs and hundreds of cassettes somewhere.

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

Actually, I'm downloading Pink Floyd's free concert from Live 8 right now; it's video, so does that count? I used to download a lot of MP3s when Napster started. Ninety percent of what I downloaded, I already owned on vinyl. The rest were eventually deleted, because if I liked what I heard, I purchased it on CD--to make sure the band got paid.

What was the first album you owned?

Kiss, Double Platinum on 8-track.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

"National Vacation" by Fourkiller Flats or "86'd" by the Circle Jerks--depending on the guest list.

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

My close friends know I'm starting a respectable Blue Note collection. Mostly Art Blakey and Jazz Messengers. And I feel guilty about liking the Bee Gees.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

Politically and musically, the Dead Kennedys really opened my eyes. Also, I think Mark Mothersbaugh is a genius.

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

Circle Jerks' Wild in the Streets, or the second album I ever bought, Ghost in the Machine by the Police.