Major Matt asks Jeffrey Lewis 5 questions (#10)

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1. How did we meet?
I don't remember officially meeting you, Matt... I remember that I was playing the open mic at Sidewalk every single Monday night for a couple years when I started out, like 1998 and 99, and one time you showed up to play and Lach whispered to me "do you know Major Matt's stuff? He's one of the all-time greatest." So you were like a serious elder statesman whom I was scared to approach. I guess by 2001 we were definitely hanging out a bit and I was doing some recordings with you but I don't remember how that started.

2. 3 things that make you happy?
1) When people like me
2) Creativity, in myself and others
3) When I find a great obscure psychedelic record for cheap - like, I just got two original beat up vinyls by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band for 7.99 each, unbelievable!

3. 3 things that make you sad?
1) Right wing politics
2) Low self-esteem, in myself and others
3) The unfairness of life - big surprise.

4. What is your favorite color?
Can't really say I have one. I do a lot of stuff with crayons and I blaze through the Scarlet and Dandelion colors way more than any others, if that means anything. I have to special-order boxes of crayons from the factory that have only Scarlet and Dandelion because I use them up faster than any other crayon (though I do eventually use up most of the other colors too).

5. 3 people who inspire you?
1) Lou Reed, cuz he continues to follow his creative muse over many decades of releasing albums that don't necessarily sound the way that fans of his greatest hits would want them to sound, and he's able to be aggressive and sensitive in his songs sort of simultaneously (or substitute Jonathan Richman or Mark E Smith for Lou)
2) My uncle Victor, also known as Professor Louie - he's a political rapper, a great inspiration as a writer, a performer, a political radical, a humanitarian, a family man, that sort of wise and active and creative and healthy older fella that is always inspiring to see.
3) Seth Quankmeyer Faergoalzia of Dufus - really creative, prolific, and often generous in his creativity in a cool way, involving other people to add their own personalities to a project in a way that enhances the experience and involvement of both the performers and the audience. I was a fan of his since seeing him at open mics in college before I really started making my own songs, he's always given that special kind of inspiration that doesn't make you want to do stuff more like him, but more like you.
Is it weird that all three of these inspirational people are songwriters, and not comic book artists, or famous revolutionaries, etc?
http://www.olivejuicemusic.com/artists/jeffrey-lewis