Fan of the Month!

As I've written before, October is a great month. It is a megamonth, a heady brew of frivolity and euphoric, pumpkin-infused delights. Hence, October's Fan of the Month couldn't just be anyone. There is no room for cynicism in my October. The jaded and snobbish need not apply (but find me in March, for sure).

October's Fan of the Month had to be a great fan of music, but also of all things autumnal and sweaterish. Someone who does not scoff at cardigans. Someone who does not scoff at The Cardigans. Someone who unironically enjoys a hayride or three. Someone exactly like...

Sarah in Nashville! Congratulations!

What does she win?
--A single can of Chunky soup!
--The oversized sweater Rob Thomas used to wear for every television appearance (don't ask me how I got it)!
--A miniature schnauzer!
--A slap bracelet!
--An Amtrak ticket to Boise, Idaho (coach class)
--A lifetime supply of baby oil (i.e. one thing of baby oil)
--A run at the now-infamous Fan of the Month Questionnaire!

(As always, if you'd like to be considered for a future Fan of the Month, just drop me a line.)

And now, here she is: Sarah, October's Fan of the Month!

Name?
Sarah

Age?
25

Where y'at?
Nashville, TN. I love this city.

Something the average interweb browser wouldn't know about me is…?
I’ve been told I have an old soul by more than five people. I still don’t know if that’s a compliment or not, but I’ll take it.

(Editor’s Note: Take that compliment and run with it. I’ve been called a “young” soul, which I think means I like comfortable shoes.)

The music scene in Nashville is…?
Everywhere. Mostly singer-songwriter/folk/country artists, but there is other stuff. You just have to find it.

Whatcha do for a living?
I am a Grants Administrator for a non-profit here in town. I get to give people money! I do a lot of paper work and email people from all over the world. I like to think my job helps make a difference.

When was the last time you ate at Burger King?
I don’t remember my last trip to the BK Lounge. Maybe in college? Those fries are so good.

You have one meal left in life but it has to be fast food. You can pick and choose different items from different joints. Name that meal!
The McDonalds Two Cheeseburgers Value Meal with a large fry and Diet Coke. Wow. I may pretend like tonight is my last meal.

(Editor’s Note: If McDonalds fries had been at the last supper, Judas would’ve reconsidered. Fact. Also, that combo is the #2.)

What music publications/blogs/sites do you read? Any of them good?
I read yours and I follow Taylor Swift on Twitter. That’s enough, right?

What does Taylor Swift tweet? "Going to get my hardship license!" "OMG, DMV!" What's she typing?
She’s just a normal teen, Chris.
“Tweet: Somehow there is a leak in the closet of my tour bus, and all my clothes are damp. How fun is that?!”
“Tweet: Bought Spiced Pecan Pumpkin bread mix at Williams Sonoma. I baked it and made cream cheese icing. So good. Fall baking!! Eeeee!!”

(Editor’s Note: I skipped prom to stay home and bake pumpkin bread.)

Pick your dream concert. Any three (living) artists, anywhere, any venue, any month, any time of day. What is it? What's it called?
Ray LaMontagne, Rosie Thomas, Michael Bublé, in that order. It will be at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park on a cool summer night in early July. It would be called… An Unhurried Evening. I’m cheesy, but I’m okay with it.

You can pick one album as your morning alarm for a year. The songs and their “wake-up” segments will shuffle randomly, but you are stuck with this album for a full year. What is it?
Very Best of Otis Redding.

(Editor’s Note: In the words of Barry from High Fidelity, "That’s so good. It should’ve been mine!)

If you could fight any public figure, who would it be and why?
I once was in a car with 3 friends on our way to a Killers concert. We found an awesome parking spot and were waiting for the car occupying it to back completely out. Another car sped on the opposite side of my friend’s car trying to steal our space. Well we almost wrecked trying to fight for the spot. She won. So, I got out of my car and yelled at her. Then she started chasing me. I ran. She was a little heavier set, so she didn’t get very far. But, all that to say, I’m not really a good fighter.

That story rocks, but you're not getting off that easily. I'm not talking about whether you actually would fight someone, or whether you'd be good at it. Everyone has at least one celebrity that they consider imminently punchable. A gun's to your head, you have to punch a public figure, knowing it will probably escalate into a full-scale donnybrook...who do you punch and why?
If I absolutely had to hit someone, it would be Sarah Silverman. I’d prefer to just roll my eyes and walk away. She makes me mad and is terribly crass. I CAN’T handle it.

(Editor’s Note: I follow Sarah Silverman on Twitter and it’s a lot like following Taylor Swift. Also, Donnybrook = good band name.)

Fill in the blanks!

Five favorite artists from the 60's are…?
Beach Boys, Beatles, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye

Five favorite artists from the 90's are…?
Hootie & The Blowfish, Dave Matthews Band, Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Boyz II Men

Five favorite artists from the 2000's are…?
Michael Bublé, Ray LaMontagne, Rosie Thomas, Chris Milam, James Morrison

Some more singer/songwriters I love are… ?
John Mayer, Patty Griffin, Marc Broussard, George Strait, HEM

....is my favorite Beatle.
George Harrison. I had a huge crush on pre-moustache George.

What is it about George? He's the popular pick these days.
He was so quiet…I guess he intrigued me the most. You’ve got to look out for the quiet ones. :)

Favorite wrongly-heard song lyric is...? (e.g. "Excuse me while I kiss this guy...")
Pat Green’s "Wave on Wave." The line is “It came upon me wave on wave.” I would belt out, “it came upon New Avon Way.” Yeah, I’m not good with lyrics.

Better band name: Donnybrook, or New Avon Way?
New Avon Way, brilliant!

Where do you listen to music the most? At home, in the car, walking, at work, elsewhere?
I guess in the car? If I had a super power, it would be to have and hear the soundtrack to my life.

Rank these items in order of awesomeness: Fall, caffeine, democracy, Central BBQ, mountains of any variety, the complete works of John Milton, Jesus:
This could be my favorite question.
1. Jesus
2. Fall
3. Central BBQ - I dream about the BBQ nachos.
4. Mountains of any variety
5. Complete works of John Milton
6. Democracy - I appreciate it…don’t get mad.

(Editor’s Note: This list is ridiculous and redundant. Jesus is IN THOSE NACHOS.)

You can move anywhere in America for six months. Money, time, and job situation are no object. Name the place.
Portland, Oregon.

Why Portland? Is it the Jack White/Loretta Lynn ode to the Pacific Northwest and all things slow, gin, and fizzy?
This is why: trolley cars, cool music scene, hiking, skiing, bicycles, coffee, art, culture and the Velveteria: The Velvet Painting Museum. Why not Portland?!

You can move anywhere on earth for six months. Same deal. Same place, or do you become an expat?
Prague, may I take a friend?

You may not take a friend. (Editor’s Note: Snaps on companionship!)
I’ll say Rome. It seems like it would be easier to meet people…plus there is enough history there to keep me busy. I’ve imagined myself living there.

You are going out tonight. You are going out to do whatever it is you would like to do for a fun night of festivity and frivolity. This can include anything from vandalizing mailboxes to playing lacrosse to finishing a jigsaw puzzle. Anyway, you get to assemble your posse for the night. You can pick ANY FOUR MEN OR ANY FOUR WOMEN on the planet, friends, celebrities, athletes, etc. Who is in your entourage and why?
1) My friend Linnae
2) Kristin Chenoweth
3) Hugh Jackman
4) Justin Timberlake.
I’m laughing right now. I talked this over with Linnae. It would be a game night of charades, Balderdash and/or Cranium. These people would be the most creative, and hilarious. There would be junk food, beer, and of course wine. Also, they are each multi-talented (which I respect) and seem like fun. Plus, JT is from Memphis, sort of, so we would talk about home.

You realize that JT disappears with Chenoweth within 15 minutes and neither return, right? You want a mulligan?
Shoot, you are probably right. Okay, this changes things. Sorry, I’m changing things up. I will change JT to Michael Cera. Awwww!

(Editor’s Note: Cera is actually Michael’s middle name. His full name is officially “Michael Cera Awww!”)

Chris, you can come if you want, but that would make five, so I don’t know if that’s allowed. And I’m pretty competitive with board games.

I know normal, well-adjusted people who become amoral monsters during board games. So what I'm asking is this: have you ever cheated in a board game?
I love cheating in Catch Phrase. That’s it though. Okay, so maybe I’ve cheated during Scattergories once or twice.

Where will music be in 5 years? What will be the next "big thing"? Where would you like to see it go?
Oh gosh, this is tough. I would like to see more bands like Oasis, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins bigger and back on the scene again. I don’t really know enough about music to even know what genre that is. Rock? I don’t know, but that’s my prediction and vote.

On one hand you want more rock bands like Weezer and Smashing Pumpkins. On another, your favorite artists seem to be decidedly un-rocking soloists (Buble, LaMontagne, etc.). What to do with the discrepancy? Is it that you liked bands in the 90's and like singer/songwriters now? Do you listen to the White Stripes now? Did you like Edwin McCain then? Not to imply that one person can't like any of it. Just trying to discern how much denim you actually own.
Yep, I thought you might catch that. It made me tilt my head a little bit too. There’s a lot of great music out there, but I guess for me, I liked how easy those bands were to listen to then. It seemed like that was the only kind of music there was. I miss that feeling...and VH1. Music is like fashion though, what goes around comes back around. I said it.

As for the White Stripes, I’m working on it. The song “Little Ghost” makes me smile. That’s a start, right?

I think rock’s time is just around the corner and that may just mean in my own life. More Daughtry (haha)! I like “I”ll Be” and have never worn denim on denim. Fact.

(Editor’s Note: But have you met Steve Martin?)

Finally, how can I ever thank you for the support?
Take a picture of yourself ice skating in Central Park and MAIL it to me.

Done, and...wait, what’s a mail?

Expect a specter,
CM