A Decent Friday Five

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?

I will address only the living ones: Singer: Thomas Hampson or Ute Lemper. I have always liked Hampson, but hearing him sing Mahler last year completely won me over. Ute Lemper has a great approach to the music of Weimar Germany and the French music halls. Musician: Hmmmm. Probably Jordi Savall these days. He is the best viola da gamba player out there.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?

Brbra Streisand, because she has a crappy voice, bad taste, lame phrasing, and she is ugly, stupid, arrogant and obnoxiously leftist. Without the political stuff, she would simply be in the running with Michael Bolton and Celine Dion.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?

I have no idea.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?

The best show was probably Chuck Mangione. I was totally blown away by what a great jazz player he is.

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music?

Ripping off record labels and musicians is bad. Period. I don't care how rich you think they are. First, you would be surprised if you learned something about the matter. Record labels do not make tons of money on each disc. That is a stupid myth. The RIAA is right, but misguided. I think there are better ways of going about it.