1. Bruce Springsteen - because he was my first ever, full-on flailing, fangirly obsession. :) His was the first artist's catalog where I had to have everything ever recorded (o hai, still the case!), and where I had the entire catalog memorized. I could even tell you where to drop the needle on the record to get right to the gorgeous saxophone solo in the middle of "Jungleland".

I found his music as a typical American teen: solitary, wrought with pent-up emotions and feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt and self-hatred and way low self-esteem...and listening to his songs just...made me forget about all that for a while, no matter whether they were bright and sharp and optimistic, or as dark and bitter and defeated as I was...I could always find something to identify with in his songs, and it continues to this day.


2. David Cook - I found his music not long after an event that kind of threw my world out of kilter...losing a pet that you've had for 16 years may not seem like much, but it absolutely destroyed me. I'd already picked Dave as my favorite in Season 7, and was fortunate enough to legally purchase "Analog Heart" from Amazon before they pulled it, but it was only during this time that I got to actually sit down and listen to it, and it became what I jokingly referred to as my "musical therapy" - just...*something* about his voice, y'know? just... so much intelligence and intuition in the lyrics, even back to his Axium songs - perfect from a Word Nerd - and then there's the melodies...It shifted my mind out of the depression and focused it on the art.

I ended up hitting "replay-single" on "Makeover", and I think I racked up about 85 listens in one single day...Because that song was *me*. I'd lived it. I'm not going to go into it on Formspring, but if anyone's interested, I can try to crank something out on LiveJournal. Right.

As far as how he's defined who I am today, well... that stupid pumpkin-headed boy led me to a bunch of other great artists, and a slew of new friends that I'd have never gotten to know or love or mourn if it wasn't for that fucking fat-head.


3a. Andy Skib
3b. Neal Tiemann

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I fuckin' cheated. SO WHAT. They come as a set, for fuck's sake - hardly ever have one without the other. Neal's words and melodies, and Andy's voice interpreting them as intended... Can't get any better than this.

I know there are people out there that don't get Andy's voice, or think Neal's lyrics might be too dark, or are put off by the boys's looks... Screw those people with a pointed pole. Yeah. Neal's lyrics are fucking brilliant. The images they bring to mind...Amazing. Andy's voice -- these songs were written for him to sing...and IMNSHO, I love you, Dave, for wanting the songs to get more exposure, and I know Andy and Neal had to agree, but bb -- no one but Andy will ever sound right singing an MWK song.

If any of you out there are familiar with the "Judging a Bullet" CD (hah!): With the exception of "Roses and Cyanide" (*skips*), because I hate that song, sry... Hi. Welcome to (The Story of) my adult life. This CD basically lives in my CD player in my car, for the sheer RAWR factor - if Andy was wailing, and Neal was shredding, I couldn't possibly be pissed at the jackass who wouldn't let me in to traffic. ;)