Nine Questions

Josh Cicci

Josh Cicci was born in Derby, Conn., but he's called Southern Arizona home for 20 years. He has worked with kids in an educational or behavioral health capacity his entire adult life. He's also a cartoonist and illustrator, writing and drawing Prickly Pair, a monthly comic appearing in the Tubac Villager. See more artwork at www.joshcicci.com.

What was the first concert you attended?

Huey Lewis and the News at Lake Compounce amusement park, in Bristol, Conn., in 1985 or 1986. Huey was huge at the time and there were rides. It was awesome.

What are you listening to these days?

Frightened Rabbit, Blitzen Trapper, the Gourds, Loudon Wainwright III, Mariachi El Bronx, Otis Redding, Johnny Ace and Locals Only on KXCI.

What was the first album you owned?

It was Dare to Be Stupid by "Weird Al" Yankovic, on vinyl. The son of my pastor, who was in a Black Sabbath cover band, gave it to me and I thought it was so funny and subversive, but you listen to "Yoda" and suddenly you are listening to "Lola" and then Ray Davies and the Kinks. "Weird Al" was a gateway drug.

What artist, genre, or musical trend does everyone seem to love but you just don't get?

I don't understand teen crossover artists. I get why kids would like Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift or boy bands, but I don't understand how adults with real-life perspective dig it.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

James Brown or the Clash.

Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?

1990s R&B. Another Bad Creation, Bell Biv Devoe, the East Coast Family, Color Me Badd, En Vogue, etc.

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

"My Life" by Iris Dement followed by "The Galaxy Song" by Monty Python.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

The Violent Femmes. The songs are a little funny now, but the debut album, for my high school brain, was an epiphany. The angst was so sincere and earnest and sarcastic. It wasn't aggressive, but it was venomous. It was nectar to my tortured teenage soul.

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

Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks.