Ship to Venus

10 artists thing.

Pick ten artists that you love before reading the questions.
1. The Beatles
2. Bjork
3. Tori Amos
4. Of Montreal
5. The Carpenters
6. The Doors
7. Radiohead
8. Gustavo Cerati
9. Mecano
10. Alberto Iglesias

What was the first song you heard by 6?
“Light my Fire” of course, being son of hippie parents. But it wasn’t until i heard “LA Woman” that my mind was blown away!!! I got into them instantly! It was magical.

What’s your favorite song by 8?
“Torre de Marfil”. I’m so very sad that he’s still in a coma. He’s one of the greatest Hispanic artists. I miss his work very, very much. I hope one day he is able to recover.

What impact has 1 had on your life?
EVERY possible type of impact, i just love the Beatles; not in a cliche way either, as many of these kids now claim they love them. i grew up with the Beatles. the first song i ever sang, once i was able to speak, was “Michelle”. they’re my fountain of youth. i never finish rediscovering them. it doesn’t matter how old i am, i still find myself finding something new in their lyrics. they definitely changed the world. they came to this planet to introduce a new era, and i respect them for that.

What are your favorite lyrics by 5?
when i was a kid, still living in mexico city, and my mom would drive me to school… every single day she’d play the Carpenters. i never would have thought, never in a million years, i was going to end up living in the same city they did.

“i love you in a place where there’s no space or time”

How many times have you seen 4 live?
THREE!!! THREE AMAZING TIMES!!! i was introduced to them by a friend, then, that same year i happened to be in coachella and saw them live. i instantly fell in love with them, specially with kevin barnes. ever since i became an of montreal addict. their lyrics are, truly, about my life. everyone that knows me and knows them say kevin barnes is pretty much writing about me without knowing. i think he does know me, in another dimension of the astral plane, and that i’m his muse. i’ve actually met him twice already and told him this. he just blew me a kiss.

What is your favorite song by 7?
thought now a cliche, i have a sweet tooth for “Karma Police”. i even have a story unfolding in my head as this plays. i’d reveal this story if i weren’t so afraid of someone stealing, because i’m sort of writing a novel based on this song alone.

Is there any song by 4 that you find sad?
most of their “Skeletal Lamping” album is pretty, pretty sad. but one in particular that really gets to me is titled “St. Exquisite’s Confessions”.

What’s your favorite song by 3?
“Scarlet’s Walk” which is also the title of that album. it’s such an eerie song, so primitive-sounding, like a native-american ceremony. i just love it. and tori amos’ voice… haunting as always.
When did you first get into 3?
in the year 2005. this is one of those artists i discovered on my own, purely on my own. i was at my city’s public library, checking out their classical music collection when, in the pop area, i saw her album “Boys for Pele” and the cover of the album, of course, caught my attention right away. she’s sitting in the porch of some victorian house, holding a rifle. it’s pretty sexy.

this is actually my favorite tori amos’ album. it’s so amazing!

How did you get into 9?
OH MY GOSH, i have Mecano up there along with the Beatles, it’s like that. Mecano and the Beatles, in my list, are polar opposites. Mecano is an amazing spanish band from the 80s and 90s. their music is magical, honestly! extremely magical! it was just a trio, but their music sounded as if it was already accompanied by orchestras. it wasn’t! they were just magical like that. you have to listen to them! they have eight amazing albums!

What’s your favorite song by 2?
“Oceania”. i think of my mother when i play this song. she gets angry when i tell her, cause she hates bjork.

How many times have you seen 8 live?
One time!!! Gustavo Cerati is argentinean, he would rarely come to LA and i was to young when he was still in Soda Stereo, to go see him. but about three years ago he came to the HOB in Anaheim and i saw him perform there. i took my mother. she loved the show. i think she liked him. i was gonna go to another show of his, when he returned to LA, but i was too broke. and now i regret it, because it was months later than he fell into the coma.

What’s a good memory concerning 9?
i was about six years old, playing in my living room, inside an inflatable house from disney, listening to a tape my mom had made, and “El Siete del Septiembre” was one of those songs in the tape. I wanna cry just thinking about it. those were such happy days.

Is there a song by 10 that makes you sad?
OH MY GOSH, SO MANY! Alberto Iglesias is Pedro Almodovar’s exclusive composer, so… he pretty much writes the score for every Almodovar film, after 1994, and his music is exquisite! one that makes me absolutely sad, i mean, it rips my heart every time is titled “Soy Marco”, from the “Talk to Her” soundtrack.

What’s your favorite song by 1?
“I’ll be Back”. i can’t even talk about why i like this song.