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Music Questions & Answers

January 20, 2003

What was the first band you ever liked, and why?
The first album I ever owned (even though it was a tape) was Michael Jackson's Thriller. I don't believe that, as humans, we ever really "like" music, I believe that we become familiar with it and find comfort in our associations with it (i.e. the nostalgic feeling that hearing an old personal favorite inspires). The bands that I will brag about "liking" are Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, and Slayer. Here's why, and I say this all the time: My first Iron Maiden album taught me that I was a metal head, my first Motley Crue album taught me why, and my first Slayer album taught me how bad the situation really was. When I speak of these bands I'm not necessarily referring to their music as a sound, I'm boasting about it as an attitude.

What was the first concert you went to?
Twisted Sister. My Dad kept it a surprise that he was planning to take me (maybe because he wasn't sure that buying scalper tickets would go so well). It was a school night too, I was eleven. My Dad is the fucking shit.

Generally, how would you describe your tastes in music?
Taste is a good word to drive that question, because music is like food. I don't always want to eat Twinkies, that's for sure. Sometimes you want to mellow out, sometimes you don't...shit, there's all sorts of times for all sorts of music. Here's my ten favorite songs, in no particular order:

• "American Psycho" by B-Real-- hands down, the best song ever to remain "underground"
• "Distorted" from the Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba soundtrack-- when it's time to get ready to put my life on the line, this track is my "morale-booster"
• "Sacrificial Suicide" by Deicide-- I don't hate Jesus, but, I really hate the crimes against humanity that have been committed in his name. Fuck the Catholic Church! Worship Satan!
• "Hit 'Em Up" by 2Pac-- this is, possibly, the most suicidal song ever to be written, let alone to succeed in killing a man.
• "Knock 'Em Dead, Kid" by Motley Crue-- when I was a kid, I took this song very literally, my career has been nothing but a quest to find the shortest distance between me and partying like Motley Crue.
• "Piggy Bank" by 50 Cent-- 50 is a friend of mine whose beef I decided to take on, in it's entirety, as a "stunt". This song started enough beef to make The Game turn into a faggot and run from (become dis-loyal to) the G-Unit. Fuck the Game, he'll be dead soon, or, if he does his job, I will be.
• "Freestyler" by Bombfunk MC's-- people always want to know how our jackass/wildboyz magic happens and I'll tell them all-- it comes straight from the top of the dome....
• "Terrapin Station Part 1" by the Grateful Dead-- off my back, I love this song for my own reasons.
• "Aenima" by Tool-- we have one instict as humans: to survive. we know we're going to die, which makes our existance a cruel joke on us. Fuck yeah, I'm with Tool, praying for the end of the World.
• "I Can't Keep It In" by Cat Stevens-- just listen to it, it's like as if I wrote the fucking song.

Do you listen to music on tour?
Are you kidding me? If I have any regrets over the last many years, none of them bother me more than having listened to far too little music. I do my best to jam out all the time, on tour or not.

What's your behaviour like when you go to live shows? Are you a headbanger in the moshpit or do you stand quietly at the back?
I try not to hurt anyone but myself, and I certainly don't need any mosh pits to delegate other assholes to hurt me. I like to rock out with plenty of space. Truly rocking is like falling in love, you can't decide when to do it and you can't stop it from happening when it does.

Have you ever met any well-known musicians? Was it a memorable experience?
I'm going to decline this opportunity to drop names.