What was the first concert you ever saw?
When I was 7 or 8, my mom took me to see Harry Belafonte at the Greek Theatre (in Los Angeles). It was a balmy night up in the hills. I'll never forget it.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Gillian Welch, Soul Journey; Calexico, Garden Ruin; Nick Drake, Pink Moon; Paul Simon, The Rhythm of the Saints; and Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971, which is so well recorded, it's like being right between Neil's mouth and the mic.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
I've never counted, so I'm trying to picture all the stacks. Maybe 600 or 700.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
No, I don't. That's not a very cool answer, but my relationship with the computer is begrudging at best.
What was the first album you owned?
The first one I remember buying was Willy and the Poor Boys by Creedence. I bought it at a Sav-On drugstore for $2. I just love the bassline on "Down on the Corner."
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
I'm going to take the DJ answer. Bruce Cockburn's "Joy Will Find a Way (A Song About Dying)," followed by the second half of the second side of Abbey Road and ending with Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game."
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Here goes my credibility down the shitter ... John Denver--especially the song "Rhymes and Reasons." Frank Sinatra, too.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Neil Young. When he was still with Buffalo Springfield, a friend played me "Expecting to Fly." It was the first time I remember being transported and completely immersed.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Abbey Road. It's their last album.
