Tony Maimone (right), with Studio G (and Book of Knots) partner Joel Hamilton Read Splendid's review of Book of Knots' Book of Knots, visit the Studio G website.

You can choose to have one -- and only one -- super power. Other than gaining that power, you remain exactly the same as you are now. What super power would you pick, and why?

Tony Maimone: Presidential erasure. Why do you think?

What was your favorite day job, and why? If you hated them all, what was the best (meaning most interesting) way you ever quit a job?

Tony Maimone: Working at Beef Corral. We fed all our friends for free, and gave them a lot of change back.

We've all heard variations on the phrase "there are two kinds of people in the world... Those who (do or think something) and those who (do or think something else)". What are the two kinds of people in the world for you?

Tony Maimone: Those who do it and those that say it.

If money/ambition/significant others/et cetera were all non-issues, where would you choose to live and why?

Tony Maimone: In Mexico by the sea. Because it is nicer than Kellog's diner gas station.

You've been given the money and resources to produce a movie biography of the most significant, influential person in your life. Who's it about, what's the story, and who plays the central character?

Tony Maimone: It is about George Jones. He goes possum hunting and meets a beautiful song. Sophia Loren.

Summarize your driving ability in 25 words or less.

Tony Maimone: Dashing.

What is the function of your music in a capitalist society?

Tony Maimone: It is the dribbling force of Zeus.

You've just entered a contest in which the prize is an MP3 player loaded with the complete, exhaustive recorded output of any artist you choose. You win. Who do you choose?

Tony Maimone: Beano.

What are you carrying on your person -- in your pockets, purse, et cetera -- right now?

Tony Maimone: A rocket.

You're on tour, you're in an unfamiliar city, you haven't eaten in 24 hours, and due to some poor financial decisions, you have only a single unit of the local currency -- one dollar, one pound, or thereabouts. What do you eat?

Tony Maimone: Ho-Hos.

What was the last song you danced to? Who, if anyone, did you dance with?

Tony Maimone: "Let's Get it On". I'm not telling.

Apart from cheeseburgers, what is the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast?

Tony Maimone: Sex.

You receive a series of e-mails stating that Grace Jones, Junior Brown, Missy Elliott, Ian MacKaye and Philip Glass are interested in a collaboration. How do you respond to each request?

Tony Maimone: Sing a simple song.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Or a dead body? Tell us about it.

Tony Maimone: The ghost was in Max's Kansas City. The body was on the steps of the church at 30th and Prospect. One was giving it up... the other was just dead with an extra eye in his forehead.

Everyone can do at least a couple of decent imitations -- of celebrities, maybe, or associates, friends and family. Who can you "do"?

Tony Maimone: Sammy Dino Pasquale.

What was the last book you read and hated? Why did you hate it?

Tony Maimone: A Tree Grows in Williamsburg. Because it's all over now.

Let's assume that God is a DJ. What's on his playlist right now?

Tony Maimone: Kinky reggae, Bitches Beer, Chicken and Feat, Black Maxwell's Painted Voodoo, Meteors Gumbo Brain Salad. Oh, and Alice Lee and Player Playa.

Who was your favourite teacher in high school? Why?

Tony Maimone: Mr Alba Tross watch necklace. He was always on time... no, it was Sister Dolores because she was short and...uh, I better not say.

What is your favorite Meg Ryan movie?

Tony Maimone: Behind the Octopus's Door.

What is your favorite "comfort food" when you're on tour?

Tony Maimone: Whale sandwich, blubbery.

Tell us about the least likely place you ever sent a CD/demo. Why did you send it? What happened?

Tony Maimone: Velvet Rail Go Go Lounge, to get a gig. We got it, all of it.

What essential item are you most likely to leave at home when you're heading out on tour? What do you do about it?

Tony Maimone: Tweezers. Don't ask.

Aliens have just landed, and you get to select the earth's goodwill ambassador. Who do you pick, and why?

Tony Maimone: Matthias Bossi. He enjoys fine wine, and looks very well in a bonnet.

You wake up one morning and discover that you have dolphin telepathy. What do you do with it?

Tony Maimone: Save the last dance for me.

You've just been hit in the face with a large chocolate cream pie. How do you react?

Tony Maimone: Ask for a pair of pliers to remove them.

Assuming that you must choose one, which would you rather listen to for an hour: Christian rock, mainstream country or Jessica Simpson?

Tony Maimone: I love her shoe collection.

What's the deal with those damn raccoons?

Tony Maimone: Careful, they have film in those cameras.

What is the most awkward moment in which you have caught a person adjusting, scratching, or otherwise handling his or her own genitals?

Tony Maimone: When I was cutting the grass... 34 years ago.

Where do you think Osama Bin Laden is hiding and what would it take to get him to come out?

Tony Maimone: Up his own ass. Whistle Dixie.

You're sitting in a pub when an errant dart from the games area strikes you in the leg. With the dart pointing out of your body, do you pull it out, shout for help or attack the jackass who hit you?

Tony Maimone: Whip it at the jackass who thought of this question.

What would you consider to be the worst fate imaginable for your music, and which contemporary artist would you most wish this terrible end upon?

Tony Maimone: To be ignored, rejected, and dismissed. (I'd wish it for) George W. Bushwinkle.

What is sexy?

Tony Maimone: Not you...in fishnet stockings.

Which reality TV game show could you see yourself as a winning contestant on? Explain.

Tony Maimone: You're a 'tard. Because I am.

What is the strangest thing you've ever had for breakfast?

Tony Maimone: Bottle of Ouzo.

Which non-music related product (i.E. -- no instruments, microphones, etc.) would you most like to be a celebrity spokesperson for?

Tony Maimone: Beef Jerky.

Describe the skankiest, sketchiest place -- whether it's someone's home or a hotel/motel room -- that you've stayed in while on tour.

Tony Maimone: At the club. They had a lioness for a pet. She was in heat. It smelled real bad... pungent ground chuck, raw and scary.

If you had an army of super-intelligent lab mice to do your bidding, what evil deeds would you have them do?

Tony Maimone: Go to Washington. Scare them boogey mens away.

Tony Maimone played bass in Pere Ubu on and off from the mid-seventies through 1993. He has also played with They Might Be Giants, Frank Black, Drumhead and other worthies, and is one of the driving forces behind Book of Knots, whose self-titled record was one of our favorites in 2004. He also operates Studio G in Brooklyn, where new and established artists can make great albums without going broke.