What was the first concert you ever saw?
Frank Sinatra at Caesars Palace when I was 10. My grandfather is a former big-band musician who lived in Las Vegas for close to 40 years, so he knew all the band guys, plus all the sound and light guys around town. I saw that show and a lot of others from the sound booths and light booths of the various hotels.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
My CD player only holds one disc at a time, and currently, it's Deadbolt's Hobo Babylon. Arthur Lyman's Taboo and Shots in the Dark--Del-Fi Does Mancini are sitting right next to the player.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Seems to always hover around 300. (I sell a few, I buy a few.)
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
I generally go over to CD City to buy music. If I can't find it there (or if they can't order it), I'll buy it on CD from some online merchant. I listen to a lot of samples of music online, though.
What was the first album you owned?
I'd have to divide this question into two, because my brother and I found a cassette of The Mothers Live at the Fillmore East in the middle of the street when I was 11. That same week, I bought the Beatles' Revolver on cassette.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
The theme from the original Star Trek, sung a cappella by 13 Buddhist monks.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Lulu's "To Sir With Love."
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Brian Eno (along with greats like Fripp, Bowie, Devo, David Byrne, etc.) really got me excited about textural, extended musical pieces that didn't feature vocals. I blame Eno's influence for getting me hooked on instrumental and soundtrack music.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Getz/Gilberto, featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim.
