1GUITAR “You probably can’t see, but the word cunt is carved into it. At the end of one leg of a tour, I told my lead guitar player I’d no longer be needing his services, because he was kind of a fuck-up. When I got home, I noticed it and deduced that it was probably this guy. I thought it made the guitar look more punk rock, so I wasn’t really mad.”
2MURAL “I’m really nostalgic for my ’70s childhood, and I remember these wall-covering photos being common back then. This company online makes them. I think it’s New Hampshire in the autumn.”
3“A-ROD AS THE DEVIL” “It’s not quite finished yet; I have a hard time finishing paintings. I don’t really think A-Rod is the Devil—I painted this from a photo in the sports pages that had this eerie, headless shadow that made him look like the Devil.”
4FEUD: HATFIELDS, MCCOYS, AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN APPALACHIA 1860–1900 “This is the story of my people. Before my dad died, he was researching the genealogy of my family. He claimed that his side is linked to the West Virginia Hatfields. They were proud people; they fought for the family name.”
5BECKET T SHRINE “Samuel Beckett is my favorite writer; he’s my soul mate. Not only is he the best writer, but he has the best face. ‘I can’t go on, I’ll go on.’ That’s the story of my career. Everything he writes, it’s like he’s writing the contents of my mind.”
6PHOTO OF MOTHER “She was a cocktail waitress at the Playboy Club in New York, so she was a bunny, but she didn’t pose nude.”
7PIGGY BANK “When my father died, my brothers and I went to his house to box up his stuff. The only things I took were this piggy bank and a meat cleaver. I don’t even eat meat, but it was a really badass knife, and everyone needs a piggy bank, don’t they?”
8NUDE “This was taken by my friend Jonathan Stark, who took the nudes before I knew him very well, which was kind of awkward. But even if it wasn’t me, I’d think it was a great photo.”
9SONY DISCMAN “I don’t have a stereo, and I only downloaded my first songs from i Tunes a week ago. I bought ‘What’s a Girl to Do?’ by Bat for Lashes and ‘Love Like This’ by Natasha Bedingfield.”
10LABRADOR RETRIEVER “Betty is the love of my life. She’s been my constant companion for 12 years. She’s been through a lot. She had throat surgery and can’t bark anymore, and last year, she had a tumor and lost her spleen. I did a weird summer festival with a reunited Flock of Seagulls, and Betty wandered out onstage. I think they were kind of annoyed.”
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