LET THE INTERVIEW BEGIN!!!

Who are you?
Who am I? I am Scott. I currently drive a semi to make money. I am 29, almost 30 and have lived in Arizona for almost 13 years. I have lived previously in North Carolina where I grew up and I was born in Florida. I love to write, take photographs and enjoy things like music.

What is your honest opinion of Disneyland?
Disneyland. My honest opinion is I like it, even though I’ve only been there one time so far (last year). It was really fun. I have been to Disney World many more times since I was born in Florida and only lived an hour and a half away. But, I love Disneyland (and World) because they are such magical places.

What’s a place (city, park, business, restaurant, attraction, etc) you will never get sick of visiting?
If I could say one place, it is obviously Liberty Market in Gilbert. There are a lot of reasons why. One is the people. Another is the fact is that it is one of those places where I can let my mind unwind itself. Sitting at the E61 coffee bar is one of those places where I can think even if it is loud and busy, I am at peace there and they have great coffee too. And of course, the food is brilliant.

What’s your opinion of America as a whole?
Hmm, now that’s a tough one. I like America and I love the fact I am an American. Is this country perfect? No. The best? Maybe. It is a good country and a truly unique one. It’s a vast one with lots of variety, not only in landscape, but in its people and its culture. That’s what I like. And yes, as much as I travel, a lot of it does seem the same, there is a ton of variety to explore here. America is great for that. We may make horrible mistakes in policies towards others and we do, but it is run by humans, we can only do so much.

How does your current job (trucker) compare to delivering pizzas in Chandler?
It really only compares in one way: customer service. Trucking is sort of like delivering pizza in it is driving although on a MUCH larger scale with crazier hours and I’m gone for much longer periods of time and I haul a larger variety of items.

What’s your favorite past or present LEGO theme?
The original Space Police, the one with the translucent orange windows.

How big of an effect has music had on who you are?
Music has had a big effect on who I am. This is because it affects me a lot too. Music is a large part of my life, it is my identity, a true reflection of who I am. I can honestly put myself in any kind of a mood just by listening to music. I can also remember distinct feelings/places from listening to music too. I can honestly put myself in those places whenever a particular song is playing. It has also grown with me too, that’s what I like about it, it can grow and change with me.

How do you feel about listening to music live vs listening to a studio recording? Are there any concerts you’ve been to that have had a big impact on you?
Another excellent question. I do prefer live music as much as I can, although I don’t go to as many concerts as before. The reason why is that you actually get to see it all in action. The performance, the emotion. It really is so much more than what listening to what was recorded in different pieces at different times in a studio then pasted together to make a recording. The concert I felt the most emotion at was honestly seeing Coldplay. I am not sure why and I can’t quite put my finger on the reason but it just felt different. And the other concert that was like that was seeing Radiohead. That was in San Diego in 2006. Quite an amazing show. It was incredible because of the setting. It was at Embacadero Park and the sun was setting and they also had a launch from nearby Vanderburg Air Force Base of a rocket. It was really neat. One of the best times I’ve ever spent being around music.

Who are a few under-appreciated bands or artists that you think more people should check out?
Hm, that’s kind of a hard one. I will always say Starflyer 59 because it really is just one guy, Jason Martin, and whomever he picks to play on his most recent record. And the guy has a day job too. (He drives a semi. Really.) Plus, he’s been around a long time, making really great music in a lot of underrepresented genres like shoegazer in his earlier years to now where he emulating the music he loved growing up like Morrissey. His music is just amazing.

Have you had any experience with creating music? If not, do you have the desire to?
No, I have not. I have learned both the piano and guitar, but I no real desire to create music. I’d rather enjoy it. That being said, I wish I could, but more from the side of say an engineer or producer because I do like how a song is built and constructed together. I also did consider going to school for that, but nowadays people just make home recordings on their computer and mix it themselves and sometimes it sounds almost professional enough. May not be as good, but who cares anymore right? Or so it seems.

You’ve been a great sport! Here is your last, and most important, question: What is your favorite Pixar movie?
My favorite is A Bug’s Life.

After the interview, I asked Scott for a favorite video of his. He responded, “Beck‘s video for Deadweight, which was produced by one of my favorite people in film, Michel Gondry.”

You can also check out his blog, RANTS AND RAVES, or view 365 pictures from around the country that he took as part of his Picture A Day Flickr series.

Ah yes… Yelp. I’ve gotten into writing reviews on Yelp. I’m loving it! You can check out my profile and reviews here. I just went to the amazing Yelp in Bloom event at the Desert Botanical Gardens with Heather. Oh god it was awesome. Click here for my (and over 100 others) review of it.

Every now and then I get this intense desire to work with my hands. I love doing this internet stuff, but sometimes I just want to put in some hard work. I kind of did this when I worked overnights as a stocker at Walmart. I loved it! I mean… I loved the job… not the people. Yikes! What a bunch of sad, pathetic human beings. Anyway… yeah. I know it’s probably a cliché, but I just felt more emotionally rewarded after a hard days work than when I have worked all day in a cubicle, staring at a computer screen. Yes, I probably am a lazy, fat-ass American at heart and would get sick of it eventually, but you never know…