Nine Questions

James Allen is a personal trainer at Bally's Total Fitness, located at 2475 N. Swan Road. A local bodybuilding celebrity, Allen won the NPC Mr. Arizona 2004 for his weight division. Allen will train for the Mr. USA competition in July, in hopes of achieving the IFBB-pro card. A personal trainer for eight years, Allen's biggest pet peeve in the gym is people who chatter on their cell phones.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

The Fresh Festival in '85 at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, with Run DMC and LL Cool J.

What CDs are in your changer right now?

Talib Kweli, Beautiful Struggle; Judakiss, Kiss of Death; The Game, The Documentary.

How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?

I have no clue ... 300? I have 600-700 LPs; I used to be a DJ.

Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?

No. I don't have time.

What was the first album you owned?

(Long pause) I remember the first comic book I ever bought. Either Prince (pre-Purple Rain) or Sugarhill Gang, Rappers Delight.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Luther Vandross, "If This World Were Mine."

Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?

If it was a real guilty pleasure, I wouldn't tell you.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

Jay-Z, I definitely appreciate what he turned his music into; Dr. Dre, I listened to in junior high. They both stuck to what they love to do and turned it into an empire.


Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Marvin Gaye, What's Going On; Prince, Sign 'o' the Times; KRS-1, Boom Bap.