Zac Johnson rose from the retail record store ranks to work for All Music Guide purely as the result of an accounting error. Although he was originally hired in as a pop editor, the lure of ones and zeroes and hardcore data-linking called to him and now he spends his work hours trying to sift through the 49 different John Williamses in the AMG database, and trying to keep all of the Now That's What I Call Music releases organized. When he's not at work, he splits his time between the bands Porchsleeper and Orange Risdon, smokes cigars, drinks beer, and plays the banjo -- often all at the same time.

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Musical FAQ

First Record Bought: Kiss' Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? First Concert: David Lee Roth and Tesla at Chrysler Arena Favorite Music Movie: A Hard Day's Night Favorite Music Book: The Dirt by Mötley Crüe Favorite Songwriter: Lennon/Paul McCartney Favorite Producer: Jon Brion Favorite Record Label: Smithsonian/Folkways Favorite Music Writer: Johnny Loftus/Mark Deming (tie) Favorite Magazine: Tape Op Least Favorite Magazine: BlueBoy Favorite Bassist: John Stirratt Least Favorite Bassist: Zac Johnson Favorite Album Cover: "The World of Dolly Parton, Vol. 2" Least Favorite Album Cover: Rage by Attila Favorite Session Player: Eric Heywood Favorite Teen Idol: Bobby Sherman Artist Who Broke Your Heart: Ryan Adams Artist You Will Always Believe In: Neil Young Singer Who Makes Your Skin Crawl: R. Kelly Singer Who Makes You Swoon: Britta Phillips Favorite Sound: Two beer bottles opening Album You Will Always Defend: The Best of The Animals by Pink Floyd Album You Own That No One Else Does: The Tipping Point by Harry Nilsson Classic Album You Own But Don't Like: Nefertiti by Miles Davis Artist You're Supposed to Like But Don't: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Song You Can't Stand by an Artist You Like: "Less Than You Think" by Wilco Band That Should Re-form: The Police Guilty Pleasure: "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton (the single greatest love song ever written) Favorite Music DVD: Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii Concert You Wish You'd Seen: Neil Young at Canterbury House in 1968Dream Collaboration: ME and Britta Phillips

15 Desert Island DiscsIn chronological order:

"The Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 1-3"The soundtrack to the Old, Weird America.

Hank Williams - The Original Singles Collection Plus (1 of 3)The King of Rock and Roll.

Billie Holiday - Solitude StandingAchingly sad and beautiful. The last bright album before her final decline.

Pete Seeger - Birds, Beasts, Bugs & Fishes and Little & Big Animal Folk SongsPete Seeger is the truth.

John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman Like dark satin in a highball glass.

The Beatles - Rubber Soul [US]Ingrained in all of us like original language.

The Byrds - "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"The greatest country album a rock band ever recorded.

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV"Stairway" be damned, this album is the single greatest heavy metal album that will ever be recorded.

Neil Young - HarvestMy mother listened to this album when I was in the womb. Every note stuck.

Pink Floyd - The Best of The AnimalsUndervalued by everyone except dorm room stoners and Floyd fanatics.

Johnny Cash - American RecordingsThe Man in Black at his darkest.

Portishead - DummyThe first time I heard this, I pushed past all of my friends at the party to see what was on the stereo.

Richard Buckner - Devotion + Doubt"She said I'll hold you down, I said yeah, I know you will/But I've been through worse detours and ambulance traps."

Radiohead - OK ComputerThe precise summation of the alienation of the Computer Age.

Wilco - SummerteethHeroically terrifying and charmingly beautiful.The perfect pop album for dysfunctional grown-ups.

~ Zac Johnson, Rovi