Dan Shapiro, 28, is an out-of-work freelance writer—or, as he likes to say, he's "between drinks." Shapiro is also a resident DJ for Powhaus Productions at the Rialto Theatre, and he spins records at Red Room at Grill every Monday. He would like you to know that he is available for rock 'n' roll weddings, pet funerals and bar/bat mitzvahs.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
It was Santana at the Pima County Fairgrounds with my parents when I was 4. When I was a teenager, I started going to various punk shows at the (Downtown Performance Center), the Youth Store Front and so forth.
What are you listening to these days?
Aziz Ansari's comedy album Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening.
What was the first album you owned?
Vanilla Ice, To the Extreme, which earned me my personal idiom "Havin' a Shapironi."
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
I'd have to say contemporary country and anything by an American Idol contestant are high up there, but pretty much everything trendy is mediocre. Conversely, one of my favorite trends is keeping (music) shitty.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
The Exploding Hearts.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I have a lot to be guilty about, but what people don't know is that I have good reasons for all of it.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
A live acoustic version of "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, followed by an infinite loop of "Monster Mash."
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Robert Johnson and the Rolling Stones, because they sang about the devil, and that made for convincing arguments with my dad when I wanted to listen to Black Sabbath at the dinner table.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
American Analog Set, Know By Heart.
