Born in Arizona and raised in Louisiana, Carrie Kay moved back to Tucson after "freezing her culo off" in Colorado and itching to get "back to her Mexican mutt roots." She played guitar in the bubblegum punk trio B.L.T.'s, rapped in hip-hop duo 520, and was a dancer for the industrial Irish goth band The Sisters of Murphy. She has three daughters, who are, she says, "the greatest things since sliced bread."
What was the first concert you ever saw?
Oak Ridge Boys, 1978 or '79. All I remember is a joint-smoking lady in a tube top screaming, "I want your body." ... Of my own free will: a Rock Against Reagan show with MDC and Big Boys. Bad Brains was supposed to play, but they had drama and cancelled. I was crushed.
What are you listening to these days?
Fen Ikner's Passion album, like, three times a day ("I like shrimp dinners, I tips the waiter"). Brilliant! O.D.B., Waylon, The Fall, Red Fang, T. Rex, The Bugs, Melvins, Toy Dolls and 1400 AM (KTUC).
What was the first album you owned?
A 45 of "Harper Valley P.T.A.," by Jeannie C. Reilly. I still love that song.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
Pop-country crap, Lady Gag Gag, the concept of "jam bands."
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I would have loved to have been in the audience for the T.A.M.I. show (in the mid '60s): Ike and Tina, James Brown, the Stones, Jan and Dean, The Supremes, Chuck Berry—everybody was there.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Eddie Murphy's "Boogie in Your Butt."
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"N.I.B." by Black Sabbath.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
My dad bought Television in the late '70s, and that blew my little mind. Bad Brains, Crass. That's a super-hard question.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
I'll go with T. Rex, Electric Warrior, or Television, Marquee Moon.
