Matt Marcus is a sound engineer, musician, stagehand, visual artist and fabricator who has lived in Tucson since 1993. He has designed museum exhibits, toured North America with bands and musical-theater productions, and was the property master for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He is currently the technical director at Solar Culture Gallery, staff engineer at Arizona Pro Sound and faculty sound designer at the UA School of Theatre Arts. He'll be ringing in the New Year in his preferred fashion—mixing a show at time-and-a-half.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
The Jackson 5 in '73 or '74.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
No changer, but here's what's handy: Various artists, Studio One Dub Vol. 2; Blue Öyster Cult, Tyranny and Mutation; Wire, Chairs Missing; Sun Ra, Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy; Fu Manchu, California Crossing.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
A couple hundred.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
If I told you, I'd have to kill you.
What was the first album you owned?
Yes, The Yes Album.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
The Leaving Trains, "Fuck You, God."
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
I have no secrets from my friends, but as far as guilty pleasures, at the moment, it's a tie between Pussycat Dolls and Steel Dragon.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Geez, a whole bunch of 'em ... but here's a standout: Back when I used to sling hash at T.G.I. Friday's, one of my kitchen buds gave me a copy of Angel's Egg (Radio Gnome Invisible, Part 2) by Gong. That opened a few doors.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Easy: Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime.
