1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?

Anyone who can claim to have one favourite singer/musician is too narrow-minded for me. I will say I have a love of singers whose clear, forceful voices cause the hair on my arms to stand up and bring a tear to my eye. Alison Krauss, Kasey Chambers, Sinead O'Connor, Oleta Adams etc. Musicians who affect me this way are the ones who obviously know their tecnique, but allow the music to flow through them. Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Lenny Breau etc.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?

Neil Young. Say it with me now: Cat in a blender.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?

Hell yes, I give them all tons of credit in that department. Par example, John Mayer would still be as eloquent and droll if he weren't a cog in the machine, of that I have no doubt.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?

Sadly, I have a difficult time forking over the green in quantities required to see anyone perform live. The Bare Naked Ladies supposedly put on a great show, and they are on my Life List to see in person. Better in my backyard, though, through some sort of contest win. Geez, don't I want the moon?

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music?

I'm not going to let this question get me started. I am an absolute supporter of peer-to-peer file sharing software. There are tracks I've stumbled upon that I would never have heard without the likes of Napster and WinMX. They have led me to actually go out and buy the cds of artists who are new-to-me. That's all I'm really prepared to say on the matter. While I'm sober, anyway.

Have a great weekend! Support new artists!

Posted at 1:14 p.m.