Chris Ruotolo

Where did you grow up?
Caldwell, New Jersey. Think "Sopranos".

What is spinning in your cd player right now?
That Beastie Boys anthology, "The Sounds of Science".

What was the best live show you have ever seen?
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at Irving Plaza and Pavement at the Great American Music Hall spring to mind. I've seen Yo La Tengo several times and I love the warm fuzzy vibe at their shows; makes me want to bake them cookies or something.

What's your favorite colour?
I am going through a pink phase, although in my younger and artier days I was a basic black kind of girl.

What's your favorite food?
Used to be anything meatless and spicy. But now that white food has gone out of fashion it's all I want to eat. Potatoes, bread, pasta, refined sugar -- if it's got carbs, bring it.

Do you have a motto?
Why, do I need one?

What group contributed the most to the "rock" of the last millennium?
I looked this one up and the correct answer is the Velvet Underground. Seriously though, how should I know? I grew up in the 80s.

Where is your favorite vacation spot?
I like Cape Cod, Big Sur, Paris -- not necessarily in that order.

How do you spend a day off?
My favorite days are the ones I spend alone, doing absolutely nothing.

Do you have any non musical hobbies?
Reading. Running. Knitting. Horror movies. NYT crossword puzzles. Diablo II (/whisper *clarequilty). Perl hacking. Shoe shopping. Playing tennis (very poorly). Sticking it to the Man. Creative loafing.

If you could play with any other musician or group of all time, who would it be?
Steve Malkmus. Isn't he just the cutest thing?

Got any tattoos? Describe.
I'm ink-free and I intend to stay that way. Because I plan to live to a ripe old age, and when I get there, I know I'm not going to want to see a faded, wrinkly butterfly still stamped on my ass.

What's the worst lie you've ever told?
I honestly can't think of one. I'm not a very good liar.

Worst job you ever had?
Wow, so many to choose from. In college, I worked for the office that collected on delinquent student loans -- that sucked pretty hard. But the all-time worst was my first job ever, as a telephone solicitor, when I was 14 or 15. You wouldn't believe some of the things people said to me.

What's your sign, baby?
I'm a delicately-balanced Libra.

Name your poison.
I mostly stick to wine and V&Ts, and I'm an absolute slave to coffee.

What's it like, being in a band with the other members of Clare Quilty? The other members of Clare Quilty are smart, complex, funny, quirky, creative, generous, intense, hypersensitive, exasperating, unpredictable, stubborn, multi-faceted, monstrously talented and totally cool. Needless to say, it's a blast.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a musician?
I've always been a musician. My mom is a music teacher and a fine singer to boot so music was always in the air, as they say, and I played around on lots of instruments growing up. I joined my first rock band in sophomore year of high school because I thought it would make me seem cooler. And it worked...sort of.

Given the economical and social changes in eastern culture over the last 300 years, describe the influences western civilization has had on the industrialization of Eastern civilization. Site no less than six examples that directly support your argument.
Next question, please.

When did you first get excited about music?
At my first public gig, a high school Battle of the Bands. We were god-awful and I was so nervous that I hid behind the bass rig for the first song and a half. But then I looked out and saw my friends and what seemed like a huge crowd cheering me on. I was addicted. And we won, by the way -- $35 apiece. I used my cut to buy shoes, of course.

What excites you now?
Smartass hipster boys making beautiful, blissed-out guitar noise.

How do you feel about the French?
Does this question imply that we should bear some sort of ill will towards the French, because they refused to support us in an opportunistic war against Iraq that was sold to the American public with "evidence" of weapons of mass destruction that later turned out to be fabricated? Because in that case, I have no comment.

Is there a song that you wish you had written, or a part you wish you had played?
"Cannonball". It's the most fun you can have with three chords.

What's your favorite movie?
"The Usual Suspects". Ask on a different day, I'll give you a different answer.

Beatles or Stones?
The Beatles are for the young and innocent, when life is all about matching outfits and LSD and sweet, sweet harmony. The Stones are for grownups who realize that life is all about hangovers and failed relationships and the bluesy wail of a Telecaster. Because the Beatles may know what it's like to be dead, but the Stones know it's just that demon Life has got you in its sway.