Ben Weasel: I don't really have favorite records. I like songs. Crimpshrine was always my favorite of the East Bay bands in the late 1980s, though I'm a huge MTX fan as well. Dr. Frank is a true genius; a man who has mastered the art of songwriting. I always liked Hendrix a lot. I like the Stones and the Kinks a lot more now than when I was younger. It took me a while to separate their best stuff from the other lame 70s crap that was on the radio when I was growing up. I liked the punk bands that were sort of pioneers, both musically and in what they did to lay the groundwork for bands like mine. Like D.O.A., Black Flag, Zero Boys, Ramones of course, the Dickies. I tend to prefer American punk over the British stuff, though some of it was good, the Pistols, Buzzcocks, Rezillos, especially Wire. I love listening to Pink Flag, then moving on to the Urinals and 100 Flowers, then the Minutemen, then Jawbreaker. It all makes sense as you listen to those influences and how those bands interpreted them and it's mostly very good, occasionally a bit pretentious, but mostly really good stuff. I like John Coltrane a lot and I hear his influence in some more aggressive rock like the Stooges, especially on "Funhouse," which also seems to have a heavy soul influence. I am a big fan of the Cranberries, though they need a new lyricist. I love Bjork; if I wasn't married I'd be sending her love letters because her music is utterly brilliant and she's pretty foxy in a weird alien way. I think her lyrics are brilliant as well. Right now in punk, I like the Obsoletes quite a lot, they're insanely talented and they don't even seem to know it. The Modern Machines would be good except their drummer is unbearably bad. There's no excuse for hanging on to a drummer who's that untalented. I don't care if he's your friend, find a new friend who doesn't blow elephant balls on the drums. A punk band can get away with a lousy singer and guitarist like me, and a lousy bass player, but a lousy drummer will drag you down every time. I liked Shotwell, they took up where Crimpshrine left off very well, but I don't know if they're still together. I kind of like the Onion Flavored Rings too. And the Dillinger Four. I could do without the alcohol-fueled "zany" schtick, but they're for real and they know what a good tune is and how to write one and perform one. But I don't understand sticking things up your butt on stage. GG Allin already mined that field. I hate the American Pie bands, the California Elite, but so what, who doesn't?