"I think one of the things I like about this record, and most of the records I've chosen, is that it has a real self-contained universe about it. When you listen you don't imagine they've done that, or what have they done there, it just seems completely in its own world and self-existing. It's a really psychedelic and strange record, but it's also a lot of fun… a theme that won't run through most of the albums I've chosen. Hahaha."

"I can give you them as they come to mind; right now, when you say “five favorite films,” the first one that came to my mind — and I’m trying to think of different genres as well — the first one that came to my mind is The Shining. I do not know why, but that’s been one of my all-time favorite films. I’ve seen it about four times. I think that’s a lot for someone who’s completely petrified by darkness and lonely places."

"Because I think it’s one of my dad’s masterpieces, and Joe Strummer was someone who was a big part of my upbringing and was one of my dad’s best friends. I have such great memories of hanging out with the two of them. It’s something that means a lot to me. I really think my dad put his heart and soul into that film and that’s the kind of film-making I wanna do. No, I don’t wanna direct. I wanna act."

"I saw Le samouraï for the first time at Cinema 21 in Portland, Oregon, when I was a teenager. The main reason I went was because of an ad in the alternative weekly that said it was John Woo’s favorite movie (which meant a lot to me when I was sixteen). Over the last twenty or so years I have enjoyed it for many reasons: Alain Delon’s embodiment of cool, its evocation of 1960s Paris, its melancholy reflection on self-sufficiency and isolation."

"My parents had a great record collection, going all the way up to the year I was born, 1984. My dad had a lot of 2-Tone, and I’d listen to “One Step Beyond” by Madness. Being a kid in New Jersey, that was a transmission from another world: the weird accent, the sax line, and the cover. They’re all leaning on each other, this huge group of dudes. I didn’t have a concept for that – it was this bizarre thing."

"Lately, I’ve gotten really into her. I know a lot of people who like her, but it tends to be girls and…I’m not one to reinforce gender stereotypes, and I think it’s important to listen to female singer-songwriters next to your Slayer and Descendents. Begin To Hope has had some big pop hits, like “Fidelity”. I know people who can’t get down with the lyrics, and she does quirky things with her voice. But it’s a great album."

"What do you do when your life falls apart, when you’ve lost your creative mojo, your once-loving son ignores you, and your husband’s a barely-contributing pothead? For Judy Vogel, the answer is simple: she starts wearing her dog in a baby sling. Sounds crazy, but this funny and deeply moving book makes it plausible, and has a lot to say about modern life, as it satirizes things that already feel over the top, from pricey creativity gurus to progressive private schools."