Джо отвечает на вопросы анкеты с hitRECord.org

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1. Who are you and what do you do?

I'm Joe. I try to put myself in other peoples' shoes.

2. What's the origin of your artist name?

I find power in regular repetition. And a lot of inspiration from rules and regulations, both followed and broken. Rob Brown first named me Regular Joe around four years ago because I eat a lot of vegetables.

3. What has been your biggest challenge with your art so far?

Being sufficiently selfish.

4. Who or what is your biggest influence?

Mama, papa, brotha

5. What is your wildest story?

Definitely this one.

6. What is the last book you read?

Franny & Zooey

7. If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

Cupid

8. What couldn’t you live without?

That that that that that don't kill me can only make me stronger.

9. What is your secret talent?

Wouldn't be much of a secret if I told you.

10. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?

There was a mic input in a really high cupboard and only a very short mic cable. But I did manage to monkey up there and address the unruly crowd.

11. What are you craving right now?

sex, I mean, love, I mean, death, I mean, you

12. What was the last song you fell in love with?

"Powerful Love" by Chuck & Mac

13. Can you hula hoop?

Yes.

14. What do you like?

Alone time.

15. What do you dislike?

Long thought-out diatribes about something the diatriber dislikes.

16. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Stay in character until after they cut.

17. How and why did you start RECording?

Well, well, well. Depending on how I interpret the question, my answer could be simple and predictable or impossibly broad and far-reaching.

You've probably heard the one about how I started saying "hit RECord" to myself as a little motivational mantra and then named a website after it, which evolved into what hitRECord.org has now become.

I suppose my earliest RECords, like most kids, would be little drawings and stuff, but I don't connect with those much these days. I do remember writing little stories when I was quite young, and loving that. My first round red REC button was the family Hi-8 video camera when I was, I don't know, eight or so? The 4-track cassette recorder (sorta like Garage band, but way shittier) was a turning point when I was fifteen.

Then there's another way I think of the word you mention, "RECording." Sometimes I say, again by heart. The syllable "CORD" is supposedly a variation on an ancient proto-indo-european root word -- the same as core, corps, cœur -- meaning heart. "RE" is an old prefix indicating repetition. So, in that sense, I've been RECording as long as my heart's been beating over and over and over again. And so have you.