Nine Questions

Gene Ruley

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As a member of such highly regarded bands as the River Roses and the Phantom Limbs, guitarist Gene Ruley has been a fixture of the Tucson music scene for 20-something years. Despite the fact that he currently resides in his hometown of New Orleans, where he is working on a doctorate in audiology, he remains a member of local bands The Zsa Zsas and The New Drakes, the latter of which celebrates the release of their new CD StaircaseWit at Club Congress on Saturday, Nov. 11. Steve Poltz and the Rugburns opens, along with Loveland. $5; 622-8848.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

KISS in Baton Rouge, La., in 1978. My dad took me. He said it was like "going to the circus." And I thought I was rebelling.

What CDs are in your changer right now?

For the last few years, I've been on a steady diet of The Fall, Joni Mitchell, Deerhoof and the Stooges, with a large number of various snacks in between.

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

Let's see. ... I have 18.7 days of music in my iTunes and about 50 jazz and classical CDs I haven't uploaded yet.

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

Yes, legally through iTunes.

What was the first album you owned?

The Archies Greatest Hits--an album that still influences me to this day.

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

A moment of silence. Then maybe "Time" by Tom Waits.

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

Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic" is one of the best songs/arrangements ever--"where the stallion meets the sun" indeed.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

Lots, and usually because they present a unique point of view or mode of expression, honestly realized, that makes me feel like there are other people out there like me.

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

Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville. That album has everything--wisdom, sarcasm, anger, sex, sadness, beauty. Even with a real gun.