So we tossed a few questions at our recent poll winner Ladyfingers (a.k.a. Adam Weiner). Weiner might throw like a girl, but he hit these questions out of the park. Check out a more-than-interesting interview with a not-so-average (or mediocre) guy. If you’d like to see his fingers in motion, you can catch him tonight at Millcreek Tavern or on April 9th at Patou (yes, strange but true) for a showcase being promoted by local/national music journalist A.D. Amorosi. He’ll be joined by Swampmeat and Jass, and promises that it will be a "swell time".
The Deli: Where did you get the name “Ladyfingers” from?
Adam Weiner: I was playing piano in a drag karaoke bar in Manhattan, and this tiny Chinese man dressed up as Diana Ross whispered it in my ear.
TD: What are your biggest musical influences?
AW: Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Waits, Cab Calloway, Little Richard, Dion, Hasil Adkins, Suicide, Leadbelly, Hank Williams, Ween, Fats Waller, Capt. Beefheart, Richard Simmons, "Love Me Tender", and this schizophrenic dude that sleeps in front of my laundromat.
TD: What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?
AW: Tune-yards, Swampmeat, Andre Williams, MJ…"Beat It" is playing right now on repeat. I’m trying to learn the solo.
TD: What’s the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
AW: Alvin and the Chipmunks @ the Spectrum. Simon played the guitar with his teeth, and I cried. First album was Huey Lewis & the News. Someone told me recently they heard Huey’s influence on my stuff…which upsets me less than you think.
TD: What do you love about Philly?
AW: I like that people really tell you what they are thinking all the time. I did a show once where someone yelled "MEDIOCRE ! " after I finished baring my soul. I need that kind of honesty.
TD: What do you hate about Philly?
AW: I really hate that people really tell you what they are thinking all the time. To that dude that told me I was mediocre…you’re an asshole!
TD: What are your plans for 2010?
AW: I’ve got a Ladyfingers movie coming out – a bunch of music videos with a tour documentary and me dancing in Wal-Mart parking lots in Texas and Louisiana! The score for the film is my new album OPEN YOUR ROBE…downloadable on my sites as well as the vinyl release…which is stellar!! People need to let this stuff into their lives.
TD: What was your most memorable live show?
AW: The first time I went to England, I went to Birmingham and all these kids there knew all my tunes and were singing along and dancing really sexy. They treated me like a rock star and invited me out to this club for an after-party. I got stuck in the freight elevator for 3 hours, and the fire department had to come cut the door out with the jaws-of-life. I never made it to the after-party, and I nearly peed my pants. I feel that this is a touching metaphor for the fragile beauty of life.
TD: What’s your favorite thing to get at the deli?
AW: Corned beef special with chopped liver and onions. I’m Jewish, what did you expect me to say?
– The Deli Staff