10 Questions with...The GoStation [Doug Levy - lead vocals] 1. What bands did you listen to as a kid? You wouldn't guess from listening to our music, but I was obsessed with Guns N' Roses. I actually can't believe Chinese Democracy finally exists! And despite what the haters have to say, it was (mostly) worth the wait. Later on came the more obvious influences: Oasis, The Verve, The Stone Roses, The Smiths... the whole Manchester crew mostly. 2. What's the first concert you ever attended? Awesomely enough it was the Rolling Stones at Shea Stadium on the Steel Wheels tour. That was a pretty epic (and historic) introduction to the world of live music. Living Colour opened up. I ended being a big fan of theirs too. It's hard to believe the Stones are still at it even now... and still making great music! A Bigger Bang took a while to grow on me, but I really dig it now. And Mick Jagger remains as rock n' roll as they come. 3. How do you prepare for a show? Any specific things you do to get in the right headspace? Drinking always helps... ha ha. It usually depends on the show/venue, though. Sometimes you just want to find a quiet place to get yourself together before you go on, and others you want to be surrounded by friends and fans, laughing it up until you have to jump on stage. Then again, I'm a typical moody frontman, so I guess those extremes are par for the course. 4. Where is your favorite place to perform? We love playing just about anywhere, but as cliche as it sounds, there's no place like home. Especially after you've been out of town, there's nothing like hitting one of your favorite local venues and seeing a lot of familiar faces out in the crowd. So, yeah, it would have to be right here in NYC. Our recent Bowery Ballroom show was definitely a highlight in our local career. 5. What's the worst thing that's ever happened at a show? I would say it was the time we played to an empty room, just performing for the sound guy (who was still very complimentary), but our guitarist and our original drummer getting into a fistfight in the middle of a venue definitely takes the cake. Trouble had been brewing for a while, and we made it through our set, but while the next band was playing, the two of them just starting brawling right in the middle of the club. It was a full-on melee. Needless to say, it was going to be someone's last show. 6. What's your favorite art besides music? I would have to say film, even though that's probably the easy answer. But I feel very much the same way about film as I do about music: I appreciate both the commercial and the artistic ends of the spectrum. Just like I can totally fall in love with a great pop song, I'm a sucker for a well-done Hollywood blockbuster. At the same time, the Radiohead/Bjork fan in me loves to analyze the intricacies of good independent cinema. 7. Do you have any guilty pleasures? I think my appreciation of Girls Aloud falls firmly into this category. 8. What's your favorite Chinese-food dish? Bean curd and mixed vegetables with black bean sauce. Chinese food is definitely a staple for a lot of vegetarians (like me), and it pays to get creative when ordering. Just because you don't see a particular combination on the menu doesn't mean they can't whip it up in about five minutes. It's cheap, it's fast, and it's tasty - and it usually comes with a cookie. What more can you ask for? 9. If you were compared to an animal, what would you be, and why? I actually have been compared to various animals over the years, but I would have to say that monkey is the most consistent. I don't know if this is because I have a tendency to behave like one, or simply because I'm slightly obsessed with them. I've also gotten turtle, cat, and wallaby (ok, not wallaby). 10. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever done at a show? Someone once tried to pay us for a CD while we were onstage performing. The guy was standing there holding a $20 in his hand and waving it at me, and I think looking for change. Of course, we're never going to complain about people being that enthusiastic about getting their hands on our music, but we did ask him to wait until after the set. 10.5. Your MySpace and website links: www.thegostation.com www.myspace.com/thegostation www.facebook.com/pages/The-GoStation/9575595689 www.stereofame.com/#/thegostation www.ourstage.com/fanclub/thegostation