What was the first concert you ever saw?
Chicago in Central Park, in either 1976 or '77.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Actually, it should be "What's on the iPod?" The usual old stuff: Wire, XTC, Eno, The Feelies, plus '80s and '90s indie like Squirrel Bait, Minutemen, Shiner, Juno, the Wrens. It's amazing what fits on a 20-gigabyte disk. Also, I listen to whomever is at the club next week. Homework.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Probably 1,200 CDs, 600 LPs and 150 7-inch singles. Ask me about the T-shirts.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
I download songs by the bands playing the club, so I know what to expect. Other than that, no.
What was the first album you owned?
I bought Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door and IV when the former was released, at a Konette's on Route 4 in Paramus, N.J. Of course, I still have them.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
"Slow Down" by The Feelies.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
My friends allow me my prog rock moments--Rush, Yes, King Crimson. Oh yeah: Steely Dan, but they're everyone's guilty pleasure.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
R.E.M. in 1982. My friend Larry found this record called Murmur. All of a sudden, guitar solos were no longer important.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Murmur. See above. Still sounds as fresh and new as it did 23 years ago.
