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FAVORITE ALL-TIME PET: We
had a bird once named Mr. Bill.
My wife and I raised him from an egg.
Actually he had been
kicked out of the nest or something and some friends
gave us
a shot at taking care of him. It was a little lovebird. You'd wake
up and whistle at him...he'd whistle back. Eventually we started
letting him out of the cage. I'd be in the back playing the piano,
and
he'd hop down the hallway and stick his little head around
the corner and chirp.
He thought we were mom and dad.
FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL JOB: I
was a stock boy at Kroger.
On Wednesday nights we used to race carts
around the store.
I eventually lost that job, as one night I lost control
of my cart
and hit a pickle display. [Pauses] You know what? Maybe
that
wasn't my favorite gig. I had a summer job in Aspen, Colorado
working for plumbers building ski resorts.
WORST HIGH SCHOOL JOB: Pressing
pants (3rd shift)
at a clothing manufacturer. Actually, I had so many jobs
in
high school--I just couldn't keep them because I couldn't
keep my mouth shut.
Let's say I wasn't a model citizen.
BEST
NON-MUSICAL TALENT: The Punkin' Duncan. That
would be the
ability to hold a lit match inside my mouth
with my teeth -- without burning the
roof of my mouth.
It lights up the whole inside of my mouth like a
Jack-O-Lantern.
I do it pretty well. (Note: Readers, Bryan
says DO NOT try this at home!)
INDULGENCES: Krispy
Kreme Doughnuts. Krispy Kreme just
opened two stores in California, and
one location is about 30
minutes from my house. So last night I drove 30
minutes to
the grand opening and then stood in line for 40 minutes. Then
it took 30 minutes to drive back home. That's bordering on
addiction right
there. Needless to say I have a sugar hangover today.
THING ABOUT
YOU THAT DRIVES PEOPLE CRAZY: I have
this little noise that I make
and nobody seems to like it. My wife
is like, "Stop it!" (Note:
The person that conducted this interview
got a demonstration from Brian.
He described it as, "Remember
those cheesy handshake gags where there
would be a sort of
'wind up' noise when you held it in your palm and pressed it into
the hand you were shaking? That's exactly what it sounds like."
WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, WHAT WAS
YOUR DREAM
VOCATION: I always thought about being a
General on a horse--the
guy on the front lines. Anybody leading an army.
ANIMATED CHARACTER YOU MOST
RESEMBLE: Foghorn Leghorn.
He's kind of this
big-mouthed talker. I get into the same kind of
trouble--that sort of
thing just doesn't go over well in Christian circles.
SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO
CLIMB THE WALL:
I hate standing in line. The
airlines are the worst.
MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: The
most embarrassing
moment I can remember is when I went up to this guy in the
early punk rock days, and he had a ponytail on the side of his
head coming out
just over his right ear. I said, "Hey...punk rock
...alright!" He replied, "No...Chemo." That's about as low as
I've
ever
felt. I apologized to him about five times and dedicated a song to him.
MOST
MEMORABLE VACATION: The first one that comes to
mind is when we
went to Hawaii when my kids were young
enough to still have a conversation with.
We went snorkeling
off the coast of Maui one day and a herd of sea turtles came
up right out of the bottom of the ocean. In a matter of time
we were swimming
right in the middle of all these sea turtles--
they were the size of Volkswagens.
My kids were so thrilled you
could hear them screaming through their masks. It
was a rush--one
of those moments when you’re removed from anything remotely
human.
WHAT'S A
FAVORITE BOOK YOU'VE READ?: The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan
Manning.
FOOD THAT MAKES YOUR STOMACH TURN:
Spinach
FAVORITE TV
SHOW: Frasier
PERSON IN THE BIBLE YOU MOST
IDENTIFY WITH: Probably Peter
FAST FOOD CHAIN THAT KNOWS YOU BY
NAME: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
FAVORITE
MOVIE: The Shawshank Redemption
BEST PRACTICAL JOKE EVER PLAYED ON
YOU: We were expecting
a piece of exercise equipment
that was being shipped to our house.
My next door neighbor put a bunch of pipes
and stuff together in a
big cardboard box, smashed it, and put tire treads all
over it. He
had a guy come by the house with it in the back of his pick up
truck, with a phony invoice, and tell us that it was our exercise
machine. He
said he had accidentally dropped it on the freeway and
asked if he could go
ahead and deliver it. I believed him…bought
the whole thing. I was having a
fit. There were pipes sticking
through the box, and he said, “I think you can
put it back together.” I said, "Not in a million years! You’re taking
this back!"
WHO, BESIDES A BLOOD RELATIVE
PROFOUNDLY
INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE?: Probably Tommy Coomes of Lovesong. He was the first one to sit down with me and help me
shape
my songs. It was songwriting 101. I’ve applied those
things my entire life.
FAVORITE HOLIDAY: Christmas.
We wear the Christmas
holidays out. Our house looks like Babes in Toyland. We
probably
have 15 or 20 of those full-sized plastic bins full of Christmas
decorations. And that’s just for the inside of the house. My wife
does the
inside, and I do the outside.
WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT
ME IS: I have
a temper. It’s mostly on the golf
course though [laughing.]
CHARACTER QUALITY THOSE AROUND
ME
ARE THANKFUL FOR: Honesty
YOU ARE HAVING A DINNER PARTY
WHERE YOU CAN INVITE
ANY FOUR PEOPLE (BESIDES JESUS) WHO HAVE EVER LIVED;
WHOM
WOULD YOU INVITE?:
Santa Claus, Bonnie Raitt,
Napoleon, and Harrison Ford.
THING YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO
BUT HAVE
NEVER GOTTEN AROUND TO: Snowboarding in
Utah
FOR THE LIFE OF ME, I CAN'T:
Remember what I did with my keys
or my cell phone. I
call my cell phone five times a month just so I can find it.
IF I WASN'T MAKING MUSIC, I'D BE:
Unemployed. I can’t seem
to hold any other jobs
down. I’ve done everything--swimming pools,
carpet installation, construction,
roofing.
WHEN I HAVE A FEW DAYS OFF FROM
THE
ROAD, YOU'LL FIND ME: Golfing.
FAVORITE
PASTIME ON THE BUS: Watching comedies. Spinal Tap
is the
ongoing bus movie experience. Spaceballs, anything by Mel
Brooks--mindless, fruitless drivel, really.
WHAT WAS ON YOUR LUNCHBOX WHEN YOU
WERE A KID?: I think it was Felix the Cat.
WHAT MUSIC
ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?: Mark
Baldwin, who is a writer and
producer in Nashville. He has a
record called Soul Picnic.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG FROM
YOUR
REPERTOIRE?: “Love You With My Life”
WHO IS YOUR HERO?: Probably
my Dad.
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