Ted Nugent — I have to wait until the wife is at work to make the windows shake. But I happily began losing my hearing at concerts (Summer Jam!) throughout my teenage years and his riffy power chord tunes still make me reach for my trusty air guitar.

Michael Hedges — I’m sorry the guy couldn’t keep it on the road; we lost a good one there. But after actually watching him play (between bouts of deadline editing in a newspaper office we shared with a great Art Deco theater) and giving his music a fair hearing, I really like the melodies and technical virtuosity. That and I have a great download of him playing All Along the Watchtower. Brilliant.

Luther Wright and the Wrongs — Any Canadian country band who can do a complete cover of Pink Floyd’s The Wall in country music format kicks ass. Period. Buy the CD, you’ll fall in love with it.

George Winston — The king of elevator music (at least I hear him on the “hold” music here at work a lot) has some music that I like listening to when the time is right. Maybe it’s because I was turned on to him when I was breaking up with a long-time girlfriend, but his music stuck and she’s long gone.

Triumph — As guitar solos go, Rock-n-Roll Machine is as blisteringly fast and furious as it gets. Although I can live without the sappy balads, the other stuff I still like.

The Gun Club — “She’s Like Heroin to Me” remains an 80s fave. I play that and I’m instantly back to my early college days, stoned and briefly ignoring the papers that are due Monday.

Burt Bacharach — I mean, what can you say about a guy who’s written hits (and Academy Award nominated songs) for everyone from Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass to Tom Jones. And now more than ever, What the World Needs Now is Love.

Tom Lehrer — The only time I ever used the “78″ speed setting on my Lloyds groove grinder was to play my parents’ Tom Lehrer albums. Personal faves included “Be Prepared” and “New Math.” And they’re still funny as shit today.

DURAN DURAN

but i feel no shame in saying that i love them. never have and never will. their albums have always been on proud display in my apartment. i wear their concert tees to the gym. people laugh when i say i love them. they guffaw when i say i saw them live and they fucking rocked the mother fucking house. “are they still around?” they ask. yeah, mother fuckers, they are and they rock and they STILL look good and create good music.

i will always be a new romantic looking for the tv sound…