What was the first concert you ever saw?
Either the Beatles or the Rolling Stones in Holland, summer of 1964. The Beatles played in an auction hall, and we kids were all standing on crates. Ringo was sick, so they had Jimmy Nicol substitute. The Stones concert was scary, because the audience began tearing down the place as soon as the band arrived. ... After 15 minutes, they had to leave the stage, but I still remember Keith grinning ear to ear.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue; Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes; Bob Dylan, Tell Tale Signs; and piles of my own compilations.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Several thousand CDs, uncountable vinyl albums and tons of 45s. And not to forget all those shellac 78s that I put in the jukeboxes I'm fixing up. Oh, and a couple of 8-tracks with trucker stuff.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
Legally. I like eMusic for all the obscure new stuff.
What was the first album you owned?
Elvis Presley. ... It's his first, self-titled LP with that cool pink, green and black cover that the Clash copied for London Calling. I still play it.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
Probably some Tibetan monks' chants.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
No guilt here, but for a long time, I've been smitten by rebetika, blues from the 1920s-'40s Greek underground.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Dylan was a big influence ever since I saw him backed by the Hawks in Paris in 1966. ... Dylan turned me on to Rimbaud, the Beats and traveling.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Revolver. The Beatles at their psychedelic peak.
