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..

What song makes you want to forgive someone? - It's almost impossible to explain the compulsion to drink that active alcoholism causes. It's pathological, not logical. Presented with a mile-long list of reasons not to, an alcoholic who isn't in recovery will always choose the bottle. This song by Mary Gauthier includes the line "Birds fly, fish swim, I drink" which perfectly captures the nature of a real drunk. It's been nearly 17 years since I had my last drink, but there are plenty of stark reminders not to judge those still trapped in addiction.

What song makes you want to dance alone in your room? James Brown had a tough retirement, there is no doubt. For many years though, he was the epitome of energy and hustle. He was unapolgetically Black and Proud and man, what a creative force. It's tough for me to dance these days, arthritis and other old man shit has me all janked up, but hearing the horns of The Famous Flames and James unmistakable voice gives me the chills and wee bit of energy.

What's a song you associate with your hometown? Although my hometown was founded in the pre-colonial era and has a rich history, we are know for one thing, and that is our close ties to the American war machine, specifically the Special Forces command and the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division. Kids around here grow up to the sound of artillery and the sight of paratroopers falling from the sky. I saw a big jump last week over Sainte-Mère-Eglise drop zone. Barry Sadler was an active duty Green Beret when he recorded this song in the 1960s. He lived in the same neighborhood as my high school girlfriend, about one mile from the Ft. Bragg gate.