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, Liz Powell, Land of Talk‘s lady-in-chief, chats books, Fugazi, and pinball machines.

What are you listening to right now?

Wang Chung’s greatest hits.

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

That I am Irish and that I am a man.

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

Fugazi.

Worst live show experience?

Being sick on stage.

Favorite city to play in?
No favorites.

What’s the meaning behind the title Some are Lakes?

It’s a secret

What is your favorite thing you own?

My books.

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

Scowling, messiness, obnoxiousness, laziness.

What other artist would you most like to work with?

Spoon.

What’s the last thing you read?

David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.

Complete this sentence: In the future…

I will have a pinball machine.

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

Slammed the tour van into reverse on the highway.

What’s next?

Spending Christmas break in Montreal. Sledding on the mountain and hanging with friends.

MP3: “Corner Phone”

Last Week: Rainbow Arabia