What was the first concert you ever saw?
It was Prince at the St. Paul (Minn.) Civic Center during his Purple Rain tour. I was 14.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Gun Club, Fire of Love; The Art of Amália Rodrigues; Gillian Welch, Revival; The Replacements, Tim; Steve Westfield, Stuporstar; Opal, Early Recordings; and anything by Nina Simone are always in heavy rotation.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
I'd guess about a grand, all told.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
Nope. I let my friends do it to avoid responsibility.
What was the first album you owned?
When I was 9, my aunt gave me an 8-track of Kiss, Love Gun. I played it so much, I wore it out.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
I'm sure I won't care when I'm dead, but something ridiculously optimistic like Ike Turner's "Garbage Man." That should get 'em laughing.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Yma Sumac.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Probably that 8-track of Love Gun, for obvious reasons.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Son Volt, Trace.
