What was the first concert you ever saw?
Bon Jovi and Skid Row, 1987, El Paso (Texas). My best friend, her cool rock mom and I spray-painted a bed sheet proclaiming our eternal devotion to Mr. Bon Jovi. He pointed to it, and we just about died.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Hmmm ... there's the Smithsonian's eight-LP set of big-band jazz classics on my turntable, then disc one of Elvis Presley's Top Ten Hits; Of Montreal, Skeletal Lamping; and Sly and the Family Stone, Stand!
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
Seven hundred to 800 CDs and about 100 LPs.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
I download both legally and not so legally, based on a complex algorithm involving record labels, availability, price, how much of a douche I think the drummer is, etc.
What was the first album you owned?
The first 45 was Suzi Quatro, "Heart of Stone." She was the J. Lo. of 1982.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
I'm not into bumming anyone out. Josh Rouse, "Winter in the Hamptons," makes me happy. To me, it's all about making the best of a bad situation.
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Every song from that AM Gold compilation.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Joy Division showed me the beauty of darkness and imperfection.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Pavement, Slanted and Enchanted. I have so many associations with that album, all of them wonderful.
