Kevin Byrd, aka Handsome Dick Teratoma, is the creator of Rickey Rat
Comics and guitarist/vocalist for the currently inactive Tucson band
Absolute Fucking Saints. Byrd has been making gig fliers, posters,
T-shirts, stickers and CD packaging for more than 20 years. Keep up
with him at kevinbyrd.co.cc.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
Men at Work with Mental as Anything at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in
Phoenix. I was 12.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
My MP3 player has about 16 hours of music, with everything from
Motörhead to Henry Mancini, Cocteau Twins, Detroit Cobras, Gogol
Bordello, the Moog Cookbook and Dethklok.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes,
8-tracks)?
I travel light. I have about 50 albums and 100 CDs. My digital music
collection is about 30GB.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
Yes. I have no qualms about downloading if I ever owned the record,
in any format, or if it’s out of print. I still buy CDs, but more and
more of them are coming from the merch booth at a show instead of some
retailer.
What was the first album you owned?
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
“The Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone, from The Good, The Bad
and the Ugly soundtrack.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don’t know
about? What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
I’m pretty unapologetic about anything I listen to, but my friends
would probably give me a hard time for listening to techno, or ’80s
hair metal.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Fishbone. I saw them at Nino’s when I was 16, and they really opened
my eyes as to what could be done with music. They were manic and
frantic and musically all over the place, but in their final package,
it all fit together.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all
time?
I’m sure I’ll wish I had said something else by tomorrow, but for
now: Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique.
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2009.
