Describe your best Halloween costume.
Again, when I was a kid, I had some pretty awesome costumes, thanks to my wonderful parents. My Mom would get pretty elaborate with things like building me a fly costume with paper maché and huge metal mesh eyes and stuff. One year I went as a giant Diet Coke can with mirrored shades (I think it was maybe a character from an ad campaign or something). I though I was pretty damn cool, believe me.
Have you ever seen a ghost, or had any other paranormal experience?
I recently stayed at a bed and breakfast thing somewhere in Virginia, and while I didn't actually see a ghost or anything, it sure as hell felt haunted. It was a giant mansion, dark and creepy, and four of us had the whole place to ourselves. It was in the middle of nowhere, on top of a big hill with nothing else around it, and we arrived there pretty late at night, so that didn't help. There were tons of oil paintings of little kids on the walls, and their eyes would follow you around the room when you walked by. We sat out on the patio and had some beers, and anytime one of us had to go in to use the restroom it would give us a minor panic attack. One of my friends went up to his room, and out of nowhere the taps in his sink were running at full blast! Whoaaaa!
If you could ask Bob Moog one question, what would it be?
I'd probably ask him for gardening tips! He seemed to be a remarkably humble man, but I would also be curious to know if he truly felt the importance and scope of his influence on the music world. Bob Moog and his innovations really did change the course of music, and the range of possibilities for music creation, in a massive way. It's quite feasible to say that our band wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Dr. Moog.
What was your craziest/most memorable Halloween night?
All of my most memorable Halloween nights were probably when I was a kid and excited about life every time free candy was an option. As a band, our most memorable Halloween was probably the first one after we got started with this project. We played a show at a roller rink in our hometown, with most of us dressed in really embarrassingly bad roller-derby outfits, and one of our drummers (Clint) wearing a big dinosaur mascot outfit which had him sweating profusely due to its parka-like nature. I tried to actually play while wearing roller skates, and I kept wiping out all over the place. This show was also the first of what would become many many experiences we've had where all of the power went out in the venue during our set. It has been a Halloween curse that has plagued us ever since. Ooooo, spooooky!
What would you rather be: a zombie or a robot?
I don't think either one would lend itself to a very gratifying existence. I suppose if I was a robot, it would be slightly less likely that everyone would want to shoot me in the face, so yeah, I'll go robot, thanks for asking!
What's your favorite candy (and why)?
Black licorice or really dark chocolate. I don't really have much of a sweet tooth anymore, so something with a bit of added bitterness (or even a bit of saltiness in the case of licorice) is more appealing to me than a full on sugar blast.
Who would win in a fight: Freddy Kruger, Mike Myers, a gremlin, the Blair Witch, Freddie
Mercury, or you?
Realistically, probably Freddy Kruger. Dude can get you in your dreams! I'm a pretty big wimp, so probably even a back-from-the-dead Freddie Mercury could kick my ass.
What's your favorite Halloween-related song?
Anything by the Misfits.
Who's your favorite monster (and why)?
Sweetums. I'm a big Muppet fan, and he's a big Muppet.
What is your favorite piece of Moog gear?
I love my Voyager(s). I have a Select series in Mahogany/Indigo, as well as a Rack Mount Edition. I own many instruments, but none of them keep me as captivated as the Voyagers. So much fun and endless tweaking possibilities, and they just sound, and feel, so good. Truly inspiring instruments.
What is your favorite album (ever) that features a Moog instrument?
Wow, that's a tough call. I really like a lot of the Kosmische music, Brain Records, that kind of thing, so I'd probably say Tangerine Dream's Phaedra, or Klaus Schulze's Moondawn. I dunno, there are so many records I love that are Moog-based, so this is a tough question for sure.
Who would win in a fight: analog or digital?
If it was a fight for my love, Analog would win hands down. Digital seems to have been winning consumer's dollars ever since the DX7, and further bolstered by the convenience of computer recording and software based instruments, but those of us who love the sound of glorious Analog circuits and voltage will always keep it alive. It's nice to see that Analog seems to be enjoying a resurgence in popularity right now, and more manufacturers are making new Analog instruments (even if this resurgence in popularity is also rapidly inflating the prices for older pieces of gear, grumble grumble). We live in exciting times
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