WHAT CULTURAL TREND OR FAD BEWILDERS YOU THE MOST?
Anton Barbeau: Archery clubs. There are at least four archery clubs in my hometown of Sacramento and two more set to open soon.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK OR TV SHOW WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD?
AB: Ultraman was my fave tv show, and The Phantom Tollbooth was the book for me, with the Chronicles of Narnia a close second.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JUNK FOOD? HOW OFTEN DO YOU EAT IT?
AB: Custard donuts. My girlfriend lives across the street from a donut shop, but we've both gotten pretty good at resisting. It's down to about one donut a month.
JUSTIFY YOUR EXISTENCE IN ONE SENTENCE.
AB: I wrote "The Banana Song".
WILL THE WORLD REACH A POINT AT WHICH IT IS COMPLETELY UNFEASIBLE TO OPEN A BUSINESS THAT ISN'T A FRANCHISE OF AN ESTABLISHED NAME (I.E. SUBWAY, STARBUCKS, ETC.)?
AB: No, but can you imagine what a bizarre moment it will be when Starbucks opens its first hash-bar in Amsterdam?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
AB: The only board games I've even played in the last ten years are Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, so I'd have to pick one of those. Probably TP, 'cause I know the five "when in doubt" all-purpose answers: "Ringo Starr", "molecules", "Lee Marvin", "lab rat" and "Yvonne Goolagong."
HAVE YOU EVER PURCHASED ANYTHING FROM A TELEMARKETER?
AB: No, but I did order a free video of the Kelly Family from an infomercial. I'll show it to anyone who asks.
WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU SAW A BUNCH OF KIDS DRESSED IN "CURRENT" STYLES AND CAUGHT YOURSELF WONDERING IF THEY KNEW HOW STUPID THEY LOOKED?
AB: I've not been into the "baggier-the-better" meets "bad-cop-with-key-chain" look, but I'm too old to remember when that got started. And I was the guy in high school who had the new-wave haircut that got me dubbed "poodle boy," so I'll shut up now.
CHOOSE ONE: SEX, CHOCOLATE OR SEX WITH A PARTNER WHO HAS BEEN LIBERALLY COVERED IN CHOCOLATE?
AB: Well, as much a fan of the movie "Life is Sweet" as I am, I'm still just gonna go with plain, boring old-fashioned sex. That's messy enough as it is!
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SHOE STYLE?
AB: I like shoes that look comfortable but aren't. I like Beatle boots quite a bit, and I'm into sleek and shiny round-toed one-buckle blacks.
HAVE YOU EVER AVAILED YOURSELF OF A HOTEL'S GIDEON BIBLE?
AB: By availed do you mean "consulted" or "stolen"?
WHAT'S THE WORST (NON-MUSICAL) JOB YOU'VE EVER HAD?
AB: Grave-digger at a pet cemetary in the winter.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST IRRATIONAL CHILDHOOD FEAR?
AB: I had swimming lessons at the YMCA when I was 3 or 4, and it was a terrible experience. For several years afterwards, when I'd ride with my parents past the YMCA, I'd duck down in the back seat, terrified that "the swimming people" were going to run out of the building, snatch me from the car and make me take lessons again.
IN YOUR OPINION, DO PETA (PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS) AND OTHER ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS SOMETIMES GO A BIT TOO FAR?
AB: I remember hearing about an animal rights activist group in England that "liberated" several thousand mink from their cages at a mink farm. The freed mink, carnivores without natural predators (besides man), essentially decimated the population of the defenseless watervole, knocking it to the top of the endangered species list in England. Fundamentalism of any flavor often seems to enjoy the taste of irony. I guess that's an unfortunate "yes" to your question.
