Matt Scholz has lived in Tucson for about 14 years. He left Champaign, Ill., where he was a writer (including for The Onion) and Internet entrepreneur, to pursue a career in the environmental sciences. He earned a doctorate in biosystems engineering from the UA, where he also served on the Green Fund committee that oversees campus sustainability projects. He was the chair of the county Green Party and has played guitar for several bands, most recently Magical Johnson.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
The Who, post-Keith Moon.
What are you listening to these days?
I only listen to my own guitar solos, and only on vinyl.
What was the first album you owned?
It was either the first Cars album or Billy Joel's Glass Houses.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem tolove, but you just don't get?
I loathe Auto-Tuned vocals.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Either John Coltrane on the South Side of Chicago, or Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in a basement in Champaign.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I really love Journey. I'm not kidding, either. They make me want to do jumping jacks.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
Mozart's Requiem Mass in D minor, sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
I loved a girl, and she loved the Pixies. My identity did a 180. Chicks run this game.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
The Clash, London Calling, even after a million listens.
