Name  David Pirner from Soul Asylum.

Best known for  Best known for being in Soul Asylum.

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Current city  I’m currently in Raleigh, North Carolina. We got rained out last night, so we’re gonna try again today. So that’s what we’re best known for – persevering. And patience. And persistence.

Really want to be in  I really want to be in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’d probably be mowing the lawn.

Excited about  I’m excited about our new record, Slowly But Shirley, which will be out September 27. Excited about that, and our stage backdrop on this tour that has Shirley Muldowney on it.

My current music collection has a lot of  My current music collection has a lot of instrumental music like The Meters and Miles Davis and stuff like that. Because I have music on all the time and when people are talking I like instrumental music. And I put some hip-hop in there every now and then.

And a little bit of  As little as possible of mastering things I have to check and approve for Soul Asylum.

Preferred format  I listen to everything on vinyl at home. I just built up a collection my whole life – I started collecting records in third grade. Started with 45s, then moved on to LPs. I tried not to fall for the CD thing and now I have a whole bunch of f**king CDs. And they still play in my car.

5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:

1

Rock and Roll Diary: 1967 – 1980, Lou Reed

It covers his entire career through the Velvet Underground, which is a very influential band for me, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Lou Reed’s songwriting.

2

Exile on Main St., The Rolling Stones

The next one I picked is Exile on Main St., which is a very obvious choice. It’s the Rolling Stones playing at their most elusive and their most creative. And there’s something about it that just makes it great.

3

Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder

Still one of my favorite records ever. It blew my mind in fourth or fifth grade, and it’s truly a masterpiece. I can’t say enough good things about how that record is a meaningful social statement. The arrangements, the horns, everything about it is just glorious.

4

London Calling, The Clash

London Calling is a tour de force of the possibilities of music coming from a punk rock perspective. They explored every single thing that they could on this record.

5

The Kids Are Alright, The Who

Again, basically a greatest-hits record. I saw the movie and then I found the record at a used record store. I love The Who. I mean, you can’t forget about The Who.

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