Here I Am, Despite the Hair Metal

by
8 January 2006

Hello there.

Hi.

So, this is your intro column.

Yes. Yes it is. Welcome.

Then I will ask you questions that will assist our readers in getting to know you better.

Good idea. I like where you’re going with this.

But before we begin: is it “A-rye” like a loaf of the bread? Or “Ah-ree?” How do I pronounce that?

Ha. I get that all the time. It’s actually “R-Yay!”

Is the exclamation point required?

No, but I would prefer that you were enthusiastic when you called me. You know, enthusiasm is contagious.

Yes, I know. Now, tell me the first album you ever bought.

Well, the first record my parents bought me was BILLY JOEL’s The Stranger. But the first record I bought for myself with my own money was VAN HALEN’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. Both of those are still very special to me. Whether I hear the twinkling piano of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” or “Right Now,” I get kinda teary.

Sounds like a rough childhood.

It wasn’t all that bad. Like any boy raised in New Jersey, I grew up with a healthy share of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, RUSH, YES, U2, and a lot of hair metal.

Like… ?

How much time do you have…? Ha. Well, RATT, EXTREME, TRIXTER, IRON MAIDEN, T-RIDE, WHITE LION. You know, the standards.

I’m not familiar with The Standards.

No, ‘standards.’ The word. Not the band.

And now you’re listening to… ?

THE NATIONAL, M.I.A., BLOC PARTY, BEN FOLDS, THE CARDIGANS, NEIL FINN, STARS, THE ARK, SUFJAN STEVENS, SLOAN, VITALIC. A ton of stuff. I’m always trying to expand my tastes.

How on earth did you get from Trixter to Sufjan Stevens?

This may sound strange—but remember, personal musical histories take many factors into consideration like time, place, exposure, etc—so for me, the album that changed the way I listen to music was U2’s Achtung Baby. Let me explain: Here was a band at the very top of their game, playing passionate-but-commercial rock music in arenas, posing on the cover of Time, and what do they do? They record an industrial-influenced record in Berlin and dress up in drag for some of their videos. It blew my mind. But actually, the double punch of hearing Achtung and R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People proved to me that alternative, or ‘college rock,’ as they called it back then, was where it was at. So, I left Sammy Hagar then and never looked back.

Nice little story. Now, let’s talk about the future: What can readers expect from your blog?

Good question.

Thank you.

I’m not really sure. It will fluctuate on a weekly basis but I rarely run out of opinions about the world of music so I’m pretty confident in saying that there will be words—lots of them. And those words will most likely be in English, although, I may throw in some Yiddish slang on the rare occasion to keep you on your toes. While writing about music and culture, I can only hope that my words will be thought-provoking and sweet like Ben & Jerry’s Oatmeal Cookie Dough.

Is that your favorite flavor?

Yes. Totally.

I always preferred Apple Pie Crumb.

Oooh, that’s also a good one.

Yeah… well… anyway, I look forward to reading your work.

As do I.

And this self-interview shtick… do you think it worked out well?

I think so. Why? You don’t?

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