Sass Jordan and I did a segment together and she's a remarkable ball of goofy fun. Hanging out with Rick Green on the show was a big highlight for me, he is by far the sanest mad hatter I have ever met. Watching Bruce Cambell try to explain to our other, very conservative, guests on the show "who he was" was a gas. "I do exploitation horror films". "Exploitation?!" I love geeking out with Richard Crouse about movies and film, he's a Hanzo sword of fun. I've met bigger names on the show, but being at the grumpy hour of 6am, those encounters are not worth mentioning.
Feist - Hip, enchanting, playful, I found her by accident when her album was first released in France and was very happy to see it take off later here at home. Saw her perform live with Ron Sexsmith at the Sirius Satellite launch and mouth-dropped at the character that came out of her. There's what you get on her CD and what you get from her live and the two can be very different, and wonderul things.
Alice Cooper - Ever present in all of my playlists, all of my listening sessions, and since I was very young, I love exploring the entire catalog of Alice's music as what lies beneath the surface is surprisingly deep and observant considering the playful gallows mask it sits behind.
Shirley Bassey - Beyond Goldfinger there's a hidden world of songs she's recorded that her main fans tend to ignore and so are hard to find - "Spinning Wheel", "The Liquidator", "Natalie" - finding these is one of my favourite exercises.
The Horrorpops - I love Psychobilly Rock and have been blown away by both of the Horrorpop albums. Their mix of 50's rock, 70's horror camp, and punk energy is how I like to seize my days.
Emma Shapplin - Outside of Mozart this is the closest I get to Opera. Emma tends to stand behind, whispering passionately those high notes into your ear rather than screaming them into your face from in front.