What's a song that feels larger than life to you? Blinded By The Light by Bruce Springsteen because it's written in perfect iambic pentameter by a guy who barely graduated from high school who went on to be the perfect poet for an American generation. If you ever get a chance to hear The Boss tell the story of writing this song, listen closely while he laughs at himself for sitting at his kitchen table in Asbury Park with a rhyming dictionary. And see how he feels about Manfred Mann and the Earth Band's pronunciation of "deuce".

Describe the perfect song for a road trip and why it works. - I just love the whole crew of 70s and 80s Texas singer/songwriters: Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, Guy Clarke, Townes van Zandt. "The Road Goes on Forever" tells a great story.

What song would you use to describe your current relationship?

Your favorite live version of a song. - I had a bunch of Who records when I was in high school that I listened to over and over. Those guys could channel angry teenage boy better than any other band before or since. Songs like My Generation and Baba O'Reilly are still among my regular listens, even today in my 60s.

A song from college or early adulthood. - Graceland is on my all time top 10 list and this is one of my favorite songs from the album. Imagine how shocked i was to find out just this year that Paul Simon basically just ripped this off from Los Lobos. It's a batshit crazy story. Although Paul is a certifiable genius, he was a bit of a jerk in this case. Whatever. It's a great tune!

What's a song that instantly makes you smile? Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles - One of the many benefits to being a Beatles fan, is that you get this huge catalog of instantly recognizable, iconic songs. I'm so glad I got to live on the same planet s these guys. Hearing the intro to this song is such a treat, nay, a privilege.

What is a song that instantly energizes you? It's gotta be Don't Do It by The Band. Oh man, a bass line from Rick opens the tune, these guys bring in a horn section, then Levon starts singing and I can't sit still. I'm not a Robbie Robertson fan, but I'll give him some grudging respect for the lyrics. IDGAF if this song is over 50 years old. It's got what it takes to bring the boogie!

Share a song that changed your perspective on music. I was only 10 when Springsteen released Born to Run and although I remember when he was on the cover of Time and Newsweek at the same time, I didn't become a real fan until high school and the release of The River. I've been a fan of his music ever since.My old man hated this song because of the line "I got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack, I took a wrong turn and I never went back". I knew he wasn't singing that line as something to be proud of. I got it. That whole album spoke to me. It still does.

Share a song that captures the feeling of being proud. - I'm going back to the James Brown well for the second time this week. To me, the song that immediately sprang to my mind was "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud," and one of my favorite movie scenes ever. It was in the movie Conrack about the year that author Pat Conroy spent teaching at an all black school on Yamacraw Island, South Carolina. In the movie, Conroy (played by Jon Voight before he went MAGA) leads his pupils in a run down the beach, all of them singing "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud,".

What's a song you'd want to hear while stargazing?

California Stars by Billy Bragg and Wilco

When Woody Guthrie's surviving children picked Billy Bragg and Wilco to interpret and record songs that Woody wrote but never performed, they made the perfect choice. The two Mermaid Avenue albums are among my most treasured. They embody Woody's artistry, his restless spirit and his genius..