15 Questions with Boston Musician Adam Ritchie

What makes the Boston music community great?

In a lot of other cities, bands on the same bill don’t always respect each other. Sometimes you’re up there playing your heart out and someone from the last band decapitates the vibe by wheeling a bass cabinet between the stage and the audience. Boston bands don’t do this, and we stick around until the bitter end.

What’s an interview question you wish someone would ask you? Answer it for us.

Q: “Adam, I have two lobster rolls in the next room. Could you taste them and tell me the difference between the Maine lobster and the Nova Scotia lobster?”
A: “I will do my best.”

Who inspires you?

My dad inspires me to be the best man I can be. My mom inspires me not to take crap from anyone, but be caring at the same time. My old bosses inspired me to run a tight ship. My clients inspire me to do good work for them. My band mates inspire me to write and play as well as they can. The people I’m close with inspire me to make them proud to know me.

What invention are you waiting for?

I’ve kept a running list of inventions for the past eleven years. Some of them include:

• The “Smashocaster”: a brand of cheap guitars designed to be played once and destroyed
• The Lights Out Stout: the blackest, darkest, most potent stout on the planet
• A laptop bag with a built-in freezer compartment for your lunch
• Bumper stickers that read, “Eagle Scouts do it with honor”
• A spellchecker that checks for AP Style
• The “Snoozeless Alarm Clock” that administers increasing amounts of electric shock each time you hit the snooze button
• A deer-shaped mailbox (life-size) that people in rural areas can use to prevent people from speeding by their homes

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Could we bring up the guitars in this section?”

What is your favorite cocktail or ice cream and where do you go for it in Boston

Deep Ellum is my favorite spot for drinks. But when I’m not surrounded with their endless and ever-changing options, I’ll have an Allston Cocktail. It’s a High Life with a lime and Tabasco, and greater than the sum of its parts.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

RoboCop

How did you end up in Boston?

I came here to play with dolls. And that’s the truth. A PR agency I’d heard great things about was hiring, and the only opening was on its German baby doll business. I was a guy from Jersey: not an obvious fit for a Boston account team pitching dolls. But I really wanted to work at this agency.

So the night before I drove up for my interview, I went to the toy store and bought a “Photo Student Ken.” I redesigned the packaging to make it an Adam Ritchie PR action figure. I changed all the attributes to things like, “Friendly voice for pitching media! Equipped with miniature press kits! Comes ready to work, right out of the box!” and included quotes like, “A seamless combination of guys and dolls – The Boston Globe.” I designed my résumé into the back, and waited for the right moment in the job interview to spring it on them. When they asked, “As a guy, how do you feel about the possibility of working on a baby doll account?” I told them, “I feel very comfortable playing with dolls,” reached into my bag and put the doll on the table. There was a stunned silence. My interviewers said, “We’ll be right back,” took the doll and left the room. Later I found out they’d taken it to the head of the agency. She looked at it and said, “Hire that kid.”

Who is one of your favorite musicians?

Alex Lifeson from Rush. He always plays something unexpected, and it always works.

If you could go on tour with any band, who would it be?

I’d be Jeff Beck’s guitar tech’s assistant’s assistant. I’m just a mortal and could never share a stage with him or work on his guitars, but I could watch from the wings and learn a ton every night. And I bet he doesn’t skimp on road accommodations.

What’s the song for your life’s soundtrack this year?

“Ready To Start” by Arcade Fire

What was the song for your life’s soundtrack 10 years ago?

“Vegas Two Times” by Stereophonics

How do you define the word “success”?

If you’ve had a level of it, it’s okay to acknowledge it, but people who consider themselves “successful” are usually jerks. Success is fleeting, and you can always do better. If you’re content with your level of success, you’re not working hard enough.

You’re stuck on a desert island with someone from the Boston music community. Who would it be and why?

I was in the Nevada desert this summer with my drummer, Jesse James. From experience, here’s how our time on a desert island would shake out:

Day 1: Adam finds a prime location for survival, builds a sturdy shelter and protects it from the elements

Day 2: Adam and Jesse exhaust their supply of alcohol, but still have plenty of food and water

Day 3: Jesse designs and builds a neon pirate ship out of driftwood, copper wire and seagull feathers, and they sail off the island blasting “Heart of the Sunrise”

Day 4: They pass an island filled with hula dancers, who see their shining lights and row out to meet them

Day 5: They depart Hula Island for Cowgirl Island, because the food there was too fattening and salty

What is your super power?

I can spot a White Castle from ten miles away.

tags: 15 Questions, Adam Ritchie, Boston Music, guitarist interview, New Music, new year's eve in boston, primetime, the lights out