Sure, we’re always curious to know about an artist’s upcoming release, most recent tour, or arsenal of analog gear, but XLR8R‘s also got a curiosity for quirk. Thus, each week, we email a different artist and find out what makes them tick, in the studio and in life. This week, XLR8R caught up with Marc Bianchi, the man behind San Francisco-based project Her Space Holiday, who discussed snakes and spiders, the quieting of the planet, and projectile purple vomit, among other things.

What are you listening to right now?

Marc Bianchi: The unreleased Sugao album.

What’s the weirdest story you ever heard about yourself?

MB: That I may have superpowers from the Japanese spider bite that hospitalized me.

What band did you want to be in when you were 15?

MB: Guns N’ Roses.

Worst live show experience?

MB: We played a show in Matsumoto, Japan once. I hadn’t slept in two days [and] there were some technical difficulties that led [me] to have a shameful little meltdown on stage.

Favorite city to play in?

MB New York.

What is the greatest length you’ve gone to in order to impress someone?

MB: I pretended I could do no wrong.

What is your favorite thing you own?

MB: My banjo.

Name one item of clothing you can’t live without.

MB: I suppose that would be my green parka. But I am pretty confident if I lost it, I would somehow survive.

Which of the following is the most frightening: snakes, the dark, food additives, or sponges?

MB: Snakes. As my friend Hanni once said, “Even snakes are afraid of snakes.”

What did you always get in trouble for when you were little?

MB: Not following direction.

What other artist would you most like to work with?

MB: Lou Reed.

What’s the last thing you read?

MB:Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown

Complete this sentence: In the future…

MB: The earth will be quiet again.

Stupidest thing you’ve done in the last 12 months?

MB: I put two pomegranates in my juicer with the husks still on, which led me to projectile vomit purple streams all over the bathroom. I guess I am allergic to the skin.

What’s next?

MB: I’m finishing up the new album and getting ready for a tour.

MP3: “Just Another Day”