What artist or band changed your music taste forever? Pick your favorite song of theirs.

I heard this song on the radio and it grabbed me right away. It's still my favorite song for driving on the highway with the windows down. And of course not long after this The Rockafeller Skank blew up and was everywhere. But it lead to me getting into Fatboy Slim and from there The Chemical Brothers, then BT, later Ladytron, etc.

It's definitely not my primary genre but there are songs on my regular everyday playlist and it's still my favorite music to have on while I'm reading.

What was your favorite song in high school? Why did it resonate?

There were a lot of songs I liked. Some I liked a lot. But this was the closest to my consistent favorite. I first discovered the band (and song) on Tiny Toons and it was the first non-Weird-Al music that really made me take notice. Other things were catchy, or were songs I knew I was supposed to like because they were popular, but this made me say "I need to get to a Waxie Maxie and buy this cassette to hear more of this band." It was the first time I cared about non-parody songs other than the singles that I heard on tv.

I only listened to TMBG and Weird Al until probably 10th grade when I discovered PUSA then alternative music in general, but that's another post (from just a couple days ago).

Yes, I'm aware this is a cover.

Pick a song from an artist or band that’s had the biggest impact on your life.

I've seen Mary live probably 50 or 60 times, mostly in the early 00s and made a bunch of friends at those shows as I got into the local music scene.

What is a song that instantly energizes you?

This is the first song I ever heard by The Soviettes from one of the Rock Against Bush compilations. Just a fun song that pops off immediately.

Did you sing along to anything today? Describe the moment.

This is just thanks to the shuffle feature in my phone's music player while driving. That and the shuffle feature on my laptop while cooking are my main ways of listening to music lately.

What song do you wish you had written?

I went with first thought-best thought for this topic. This is one of those songs that frequently gets in my head and I don't mind. I'm often mindlessly whistling the opening notes. It's not even my favorite Beastie Boys song yet it's the one I think of most.

Share a song that changed your perspective on music.

Music was never important in my house. My parents didn't even always turn on the radio in the car and never listed to music at home (but the TVs were always on) so I didn't "get" music. Some huge hits (U Can't Touch This) got to me but I had no idea what my peers were listening to or why. The only things I listened to on purpose were Weird Al and TMBG (who I discovered via Tiny Toons) but they weren't on the radio so why bother with the radio? The only stations I even knew of were the adult contemporary and oldies ones my parents listened to.

Then in high school a friend had me listen to Lump when it came on. He ended up giving me a tape with PUSA on one side and Foo Fighters on the other and introduced me to the alternative/modern rock radio station and I realized there was something to this music thing after all.

Think back to your childhood: What is your earliest music memory? Share that song and your story!

I remember being in my grandma's kitchen for some holiday or birthday etc when the cousins and such were all there and this song playing on the radio. I was young enough that I knew both this song and Eat It existed but couldn't hear the words enough tell them apart so I had to ask which it was.

Even at that young age I knew that comedy was superior to all other genres.

What song makes you feel like anything is possible?

I have no idea if the lyrics fit at all but I remember this song blasting in high school with my friends in the car as we headed to whatever nonsense we were up to.

This whole album is very solid and most of it has never left my regular everyday playlist.

What's your favorite song about moving forward?

Given the state of everything a good old fashioned "fuck the government" song feels a lot like moving forward.