Welcome to Doctor Noize’s Frequently Asked Questions page, where you can construct your own virtual interview without Doctor Noize even being there. Or contact cory@doctornoize.com to request an actual interview. Away we go!

 

Q: How many instruments do you play?
A: How many do you have? In a typical Doctor Noize Live! show, I sing and play guitar, keyboard, percussion, saxophone and kazoo. Do not underestimate the noble power of the kazoo. I also use the computer as a composing and arranging instrument live onstage.  And sometimes I play the audience as an instrument. Mostly, I’m just thankful you didn’t ask:  “How many instruments do you play well?”

 

Q: What gear do you use?
A: A lot of amazing instruments and tools. It’s a great era to be a musician. Learn about my favorite performance and studio gear on the Whatchama Gadgetz page.

 

Q: What other family musicians do you recommend?
A: There are many wonderful people doing great things in family music out there, so I will not attempt to name them all. Instead, I will focus on the ones who I know personally, and therefore can vouch that they are  both wonderful musicians and wonderful human beings. These fine folks include: Roger Day, Zak Morgan, Justin Roberts, Steve Weeks, Yosi, and Andy Z. I wholeheartedly encourage you to purchase their music, go to their shows, and support what they do. Q: What else are you passionate about besides music?
A: Too many things to mention them all.  I live an, um, active and varied life.  Some are:  My action/adventure superhero daughters, my wife, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Major League Soccer and the Colorado Rapids, the US Soccer Team, youth soccer coaching, open-minded political and social discourse fostering tolerance and consensus, parenting, pizza, ice cream, the Denver Broncos, the film Amadeus, Airplane! and The Naked Gun, The Hoff, Star Wars, and kids. Q: What is some of your favorite music?
A: I listen to and love a very wide range of music.  Always have.  That’s why I don’t write in a genre that can be pinned down.  I am obsessed with experiencing diverse musical influences.  Again, there are too many to list ’em all, but here are some artists and composers I love: the Beatles, Sting, Mahler, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Wagner, Nathan Gunn, Haydn, Stravinsky, Sondheim, Lyle Lovett, Howard Jones, Nickel Creek, Shawn Colvin, Crowded House… I could go on but I’ll stop. Q: Where can I go to teach my child to love music?
A: Well, first off, I would encourage you to teach them about a WIDE RANGE of music — not just pop. That’s the main thing we can do to improve our culture’s music appreciation — realize that a quick hook and a three-minute song in a familiar structure is not the end-all be-all to music.  Don’t get me wrong, I love rock/pop music, and you should listen to it.  But you should listen to the deeper stuff too.  If you’re telling yourself you don’t do it because kids need simple music, you’re fooling yourself — the real reason you don’t do it is because you’re not stretching yourself to experience the wonders of deeper music. Kids are creative and curious and will listen to anything. You could start by attending a Doctor Noize show or exploring The Banana Project, which teaches about music fundamentals in a fun way. Then you can go to sites like the San Francisco Symphony kids site, buy a Bobby McFerrin DVD, give your kid piano lessons, attend local family orchestral concerts, etc.  Branch out! Q: How did Doctor Noize get to be the machoest, yet most-in-touch-with-his-sensitive-side, family musician in the history of the universe?
A: Okay fine, nobody has ever asked this question. And this begs the philosophical “question answer to a question”… If a question is never asked out loud, does it really have an answer?