Mario Cordova has been an obsessive music fan since the tender age of 6, influenced by his older sister's taste for British glam-rock. Cordova has been in numerous bands; he is proudest of his involvement with The Tubonz, the Resonars, How to Build a Rocketship, Ghost Lodge and his current project, the Unlikely Sons.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
Toto at the UA Main Auditorium (now called Centennial Hall) on April 3, 1979. My sister won tickets from KTKT, and I made her take me. It was then that I first learned that love isn't always on time.
What are you listening to these days?
The Beatles reissues; the Big Star box set; and Roxy Music and The Church are always my perennial standbys.
What was the first album you owned?
Sweet, Desolation Boulevard. "Fox on the Run" and "Ballroom Blitz" caught my ear and told me I needed it.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
Math. Don't get me wrong; I love mathematics, but not in my music.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
To me, the greatest live band ever is The Who. I hope to see the Arcade Fire soon, though.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
I never feel guilty about pleasure, but most of my friends don't get my attachment to Air Supply's Greatest Hits.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"How It Ends" by DeVotchKa, or "Do You Realize??" by the Flaming Lips would be OK, but the best would be Spiritualized, "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space."
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Queen, for starting my obsession with music, and later, Echo and the Bunnymen, for really making me realize that playing music was less about skill than swagger.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
You may as well shoot me, because the best I can narrow it down is: Love, Forever Changes; Van Morrison, Astral Weeks; and The Church, Priest = Aura.
