We’re working on resurrecting the Get To Know Your Blogger feature from the ashes here at MoB, and what better time than now to introduce you to our friend Greg who runs Captain’s Dead. I was introduced to over at Via Chicago and since that time I have relied on Greg’s site for some great live show downloads and an appreciation of music that I find falls right into line with my own.

Let’s get some general background on you. Where do you live, how long, etc.

I am originally from the Chicagoland area, the south suburbs to be more specific. When I was 19/20 I moved to the city and lived in Roscoe Village and Ukrainian Village for the better part of those 10 years. Then one day the wife and I got the bright idea to move south, mostly due to the fact that we were sick of the weather and the ever rising housing market. We ended up in Atlanta and have been here for almost 4 years. Strangely enough, I actually prefer Atlanta to Chicago at this point. I think we were just over the scene and needed to break away.

I want get an idea of your musical taste evolution if you will. What were some of the first albums/tapes/CD’s you bought?

The fist tape I ever bought, I believe, was either Huey Lewis and the news’ sports or Styx’s Kilroy Was Here. I actually might have bought them on the same day, I cant remember though. I grew up hearing a lot of different styles around my house. My mother listened to a bit of everything, ranging from The Eagles to The Temptations to the Doobie Brothers to Michael Jackson to the Oakridge boys to Barry Manilow to Christopher Cross. I definitely owe it to her on my wide range of musical tastes. Everything came to a head though in 1989 when I first heard Public Enemy’s it takes a nation of millions. That record truly changed my life, even though, at the time, I didnt quite comprehend the subject matter but it was really the complexity, both musically and lyrically, of the record that pulled me in.

How about some of the more recent CD’s you’ve purchased/downloaded?

Most recent purchase was Jason Isbell’s Sirens of the Ditch and Justin Earle’s Yuma. I got a promo of Jason’s record but I really felt the need to purchase it because I love it so. Downloaded? Surely, you jest?

When I started listening to music, there were certain musicians that led me in the path of a lot of other bands. Did you have any similar experiences with bands growing up?

See question #2. Public Enemy was the gateway that led to everything I listen to now.

What are some of your favorite records of all time?

Top 5 on the way

1. guided by voices.bee thousand

2. pavement.crooked rain

3. public enemy.it takes a nation of millions

4. drive by truckers.decoration day

5. afghan whigs.gentlemen

The top 3 really never change, but everything else is subject to my ever changing moods.

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If you could spend time with 3 musicians, who would you choose?

My number one has to be Greg Dulli. Secondly, I would love to shoot the shat with Will Johnson of Centro-Matic and then thirdly drink some beers or whiskey with Ben Nichols of Lucero.

What are some bands that you haven’t gotten the chance to see live, but would really like to?

I have never seen Explosions in the Sky and really that is the only band that I would love to see that I haven’t already.

Can you tell me what got you into blogging, and are you surprised by the popularity your blog has attained?

It really stems from boredom to be quite honest, that and a disconnection from the music scene since I moved to Atlanta. This doesn’t have anything to do with Atlanta as a city but due to the fact that since we moved down here I have become a father. So, that has really cut into my ability to go to shows. Where in Chicago I was going to shows at least twice a week, here I am lucky if I get to see a show a month. I always felt a sense of community with my fellow concert goers, some of whom I am friends with to this day, and I suppose I was trying to recreate that same sense with my site. I, of course, am surprised by its popularity but on the flip side I am not at all. I just assumed like minded people would tend to gravitate towards it.

What are some of your favorite blogs? Music or otherwise.

I am a die hard techie dork therefore I spend a lot of time on engadget, gizmodo, boy genius report, phonescoop and since I am with Sprint, sprintusers.com. Although I have had to curb my visits the past few months to due the onslaught of iphone news – which to be frank has gotten to be quite ridiculous.

I, also, for some reason visit egotistic and the superficial every day. I couldn’t care less about 99 percent of the celebs featured, but still find myself gravitating there on daily basis. I think I just might be hoping that one day topless Scarlett Johansson pics might find their way there.

I enjoy reading a lot of the regional sites like muzzle, redblondehead and bradley’s almanac cause I really like getting a sense of what is going on around the country. On a national scale, aquarium drunkard is definitely my favorite. Across the pond the men at the Line of Best Fit are doing a great job and I can see them becoming really big if they keep at it. Also, I love the Athens based southern shelter – Sloan does an amazing job of capturing what is going on in the Athens/Atlanta music scene.

How important do you think music blogs are in general? Do you think they will continue to be as popular as they are today?

In all honesty, I don’t ever think about it. I would like to think that we/I are making some kind of positive impact but of course everyone has a differing opinion regarding the kind of impact that is being made. For me, personally, if I help out a band or two that may otherwise wallow in obscurity gain some kind of recognition outside of their respective area codes then that’s cool.

I don’t see any reason for their popularity to decline any time soon. Unless of course there is some kind of sweeping law passed that puts an end to them or the unless the internet implodes into itself.

Let’s get away from music for a bit. What are some of your favorite books, movies, and television shows?

You will see that my tastes outside of music are not quite as refined.

I used to read quite a bit, maybe 2 -3 books a week, but that was when I was taking public transportation on a daily basis. Admittedly, I was only reading like crime and horror novels, but hey at least I was reading. With that said, my favorite book is definitely Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks. I think it’s the only book I have read more than once.

A few of movies I can watch over and over and over again are Fletch, Fletch Lives, Blues Brothers, Rocky 1, 2 & 3 and BottleRocket and Zoolander.

I wish I could say that I don’t that much tv, but I do. The only channels I watch are FOX, Discovery, Court TV, Comedy Central and Spike TV. Pretty much anything on those channels I watch. My top 5 favorite shows are as follows:

1. Seinfeld
2. COPS
3. 24
4. Simpsons
5. (tie) the office – british version / kids in the hall

Recent favorites are Man VS Wild, Deadliest Catch, How its Made, Family Guy and Cheaters. I also love all judge shows, Maury and Greg Behrendt.

Outside of music do you have any other interests or projects?

My outside interests/projects have dwindled in the past few years, sadly. Since the birth of my son and my entrance back into school I really don’t have time for much. I still get to watch a lot of baseball and football, those are two things that I will always make time for.

Lets travel to the time before said child then. One of my favorite pastimes, if you want to call it that, ever since I was a young lad is playing video games. I can still sit around all day and play. I find it to be a great outlet for detachment from everyday life.

Me and my lady used to love playing pool during our, what seemed to be, nightly outings to our favorite neighborhood haunts. Since my wife was in the restaurant business, she was a sous-chef, we knew a lot of the local cooks so we were always going out to eat and spending time in either a bar or a restaurant.

So, to sum it up my outside interests include(ed) playing video games, playing pool drinking and eating. Pretty basic stuff.

In your opinion, what’s the best place to eat on your city?

I’m a big burger fan and I have found that Atlanta has on average the best burgers around. My two favorites are Manuels in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood and Twain’s in Decatur. Both places have the best burgers I have ever tasted.

Animals dressed as humans. Funny or not?

Depends – monkey dressed as human, really overdone thus not so funny – dog dressed as human = comedic gold, thus very funny.