Terre Thaemlitz - The Buzzin' Fly Q&A

Where were you born and when?
Mendota Heights, Minnesota, 1968.
Your father's occupation?
Catholic high school chemistry teacher.
Your mother's occupation?
Catholic high school secretary (different school).
Brothers or sisters?
Older brother, younger brother, and youngest sister.
What is your earliest memory?
Getting glasses at age 2 and realizing the way I see the world is wrong.
What was the first poster on your wall?
Cheryl Ladd
Describe your room as a teenager
Shared with younger brother, furnished with a beautiful - but enormous - 1950's wood console stereo with tube amp, turntable and AM radio that I bought at a neighbor's garage sale for five dollars,
What was your first car?
A pale blue 1960 Ford Falcon 4-door, 3-on-the-tree, that was seriously banged up and would not start in winter unless you took off the air filter and pried the air open with a screwdriver. During my high school graduation they had a slide show of al the cool cars - Trans-Am's, Firebirds, Camaro's - and then they snuck in a shot of my bomber for laughs.
What do you drive now?
1963 Honda Dream 305cc motorcycle.
Favourite footwear?
Always in cowboy boots.
Pets?
Had several, but none now. It's too sad to think of having pets in a big city, especially dogs.
What watch are you wearing?
A used Alessi I picked up cheap.
What is in your pockets?
Gum.
What would you wear to a fancy dress party?
I don't go to fancy dress parties.
The last time you cried?
I got teary eyed today, actually, talking to a friend about the New York Thompkins Square Park Riot of 1988, which took place right around the corner from my old apartment at 6th Street and Avenue B. Cops beat the shit out of everyone, including passers by. It was totally scary. I went outside after hearing the sound of helicopters overhead, and when I saw the violence I ran back inside as fast as I could and double-bolted the door. And now people just think New York got "safer" peaceably. And I always tear up when listening to the monologue at the end of Test Dept.'s "Gododdin." So horribly sad.
The Beatles were ...
...almost as good as The Monkees.
Are you a city or countryside person?
Both.
When you look in the mirror what do you not like?
Toothpaste splatter.
You get three free days of solitude. Where do you go?
A cabin my aunt used to own at Crooked Lake, Wisconsin.
What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought (apart from a house or flat)?
A PowerBook G4 ... although my PowerPC 7100 might have actually cost more with the monitor and all.
The oldest record in your DJ set this week.
No DJ work this week.
Your house is burning down. What three things do you grab as you run out?
Back-up hard drives, laptop and passport. Not necessarily what I'd like to grab, but probably the most practical.
Can you recognise any wild flowers?
Snapdragons.
The most personal thing in my wallet is ...
... a secret.
Your favourite book?
A 1936 English edition of Iwan Bloch and Magnus Hirschfield's "Encyclopedia Sexualis."
What's on your bedside table today?
Vaseline.
What does jazz mean to you?
The tragedy of deep-feeling people trying to be super-creative and express their genius by doing cover versions of really shit "standards" that are low-brow corporate bile that should have never been popular to begin with.
What would you most to like to receive in the morning mail?
No junk mail or flyers. Sadly, each month I could fill a large moving box with all the garbage people shove in my post. What a waste of paper, labor, energy, time ...
Do you like custard?
As someone born in the US and living in Japan, I suspect my image of custard has nothing to do with what you call custard in England. But I love the custard I am thinking of.
A perfect breakfast consists of ...
... waffles or buckwheat pancakes with fruit, whipped cream and maple syrup.
A world of free downloads means ...
...a corporate PR scam.
Favourite sport to watch?
END ALL COMPETITIVE SPORTS IMMEDIATELY! Fucking nationalist, patriarchal, global imperialist, false-hope for the impoverished, mob-mentality, tax-fund-raping bullshit.
Favourite sport to play?
Replace "sport" with "exercise" and the answer would be casually roller skating with friends.
What is your greatest achievement?
Moving out of the US.
Do you have a major regret?
Sure.
What colour is your DJ sound?
Pitch black.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Michael McKean.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Simon Fisher Turner improvising live on piano.
What will clubland be dancing to in 6 months time?
You're asking the wrong person. I still mix the same old records I bought in the '80s and '90s.
What record are you best known for?
I have no idea. But it seems to change from country to country, so maybe you could tell me...

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