For 16 years, Kevin Strnatka has run Rhino Linings of Southern Arizona, which specializes in a variety of industrial and commercial coatings. His voracious appetite for music was whetted while being raised in England from 1976 to 1982. Strnatka, 43, is the proud father of two daughters, one just two weeks old.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
It was a 2 Tone Records show in Oxford, England—The Specials, The Selecter, Bad Manners and The (English) Beat. It was 1979 or '80. A friend and I snuck out of the house and took a bus into Oxford, and we got in trouble because after the show was over the buses had stopped running for the night and we had to call my friend's dad to pick us up.
What are you listening to these days?
Delta Spirit, MGMT, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones.
What was the first album you owned?
My first 45 was "My Sharona" by The Knack. The first album that I had was by Black Uhuru, a gift from a friend's older sister.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
I'm really not into the country pop, or the new, poppy R&B.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
The Who and The Jam.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Every once in a while, I like to put on some Kid Rock. That's pretty awful, I know, and I'm going to get a lot of shit from my friends for that.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
Probably Television's "Marquee Moon."
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
When I was really young I'd have to say Buzzcocks. Later, in high school, it was the Violent Femmes.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
It would have to be that first Violent Femmes album (Violent Femmes). There might be other specific songs by other artists I like better, but, as a collective piece of work, I probably enjoy that album more than any other.
