Friday Fives

1. What was the first band you saw in concert?
In 1983, Folsum Field in Boulder, The Who, with Jethro Tull and a newcomer no one heard of , John Cougar, singing “a little ditty ’bout . . . ” He was booed off the stage, leaving an extra long set of Tull that was nearly intolerable. (A hippy standing on one leg playing a flute in 12 minute jam solos is a bit much to take.) We want the Who! I mostly remember it as loud. Very loud. The Who’s amplifiers probably go all the way up to “11” (Thank you, Christopher Guest.)

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now?
Been listening to a lot of Wilco and Old 97s with a dash of Willie Nelson, but I always come back to Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band.

3. What’s your favorite song? Badlands, by Springsteen.
Lights out tonight,
Trouble in the heartland,
Got a head on collision,
Smashin'in my guts, man,
I'm caught in a cross fire,
That I don't understand,
I don't give a damn,
for the same old played out scenes,
I don't give a damn,
for just the in betweens,
Honey, I want the heart, I want the soul,
I want control right now
Talk about a dream,
try to make it real
You wake up in the night,
with a fear so real,
Spend your life waiting,
for a moment that just don't come,
Well, don't waste your time waiting,

(Chorus)

Badlands, you gotta live it everyday,
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay,
We'll keep pushin' till it's understood,
and these badlands start treating us good.

Workin'in the fields
till you get your back burned,
Workin' 'neath the wheel
till you get your facts learned,
Baby, I got my facts
learned real good right now,

Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king,
And a king ain't satisfied,
till he rules everything,
I wanna go out tonight,
I wanna find out what I got

I believe in the love that you gave me,
I believe in the hope that can save me,
I believe in the faith
and I pray, that someday it may raise me,
Above these badlands

(Chorus)

For the ones who had a notion,
A notion deep inside,
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
I wanna find one face that ain't looking through me
I wanna find one place.
I wanna spit in the face of these badlands

(Chorus)

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?I have decided, this year to learn the guitar. I bought a CD Rom software package to teach me the basics. It is kind of fun, although my sister has reignited her guitar passion as well, so the guitar is getting quite a workout.

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why?
Miles Davis. Listening to his music you just know that his mind is running in thousands of directions at once. And although he spent most of his life as a heroin addled jazz star, babbling incoherently much like the Anthony Michael Hall character in Sixteen Candles, I still would love to hear his stories of the Bop Age.