Nine Questions

Although Clay Lewis has already been working for the last 10 years as a graphic designer, he is currently attending the UA to get a degree in graphic design. He daydreams about sending his cat into outer space on Buck Rogers-style adventures and spends way too much time remodeling his bathroom.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

Probably Living Colour with opening band Urban Dance Squad, in Omaha, Neb.

What CDs are in your changer right now?

Girl in a Coma; Klee from Germany; The Decemberists from their dirigible; Joanna Newsom. Neko Case, Bloc Party, We Are Scientists and Neutral Milk Hotel round out the usual suspects.

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

Mostly CDs--200 or so?--and a few leftover cassettes, like (from) R.E.M., that I can't bring myself to throw away. I have a few must-haves on vinyl, like Men at Work, the Thunderball and Goldfinger soundtracks, and a very informative "how to talk like a trucker on a CB" record.

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

I sometimes preview songs, but I mostly acquire things from trading with friends; they all have better taste in music than I do.

What was the first album you owned?

Yikes, don't repeat this to anyone, but probably The Georgia Satellites. That, or Weird Al.

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

I think about this a lot, actually: "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. I went to a Catholic grade school, so some of it resonates with me, and I totally expect everyone I know to kill themselves when I die.

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

The Mary Poppins soundtrack. Totally badass!

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

DragonForce. "Through the Fire and Flames" showed me that no matter how good I think I might be at Guitar Hero, I actually suck.

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

For sure, something from The Decemberists or the aforementioned Mary Poppins.