Welcome to 21 Questions, a regular feature where PHXmusic.com goes to the favorite hangout of a notable Phoenician and asks the "big" questions. This week we met up with Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World at the trail along the canal that runs by the Arizona Biltmore.
Lately Adkins has been holed up in the studio, affectionately referred to as the Bat Cave, working on the upcoming Jimmy Eat World album. It was a tough pick, but the avid runner, who's completed a few half-marathons, chose a stretch of trail he takes a few times a week.
Name: Jim Adkins
Age: 34
Occupation: Self-employed musician
New Times: In one sentence, what do you do all day in your job?
Jim Adkins: Um, write songs. I write and record and perform songs.
NT: What's wrong with the world today?
JA: Politics.
NT: Who's your favorite local band?
JA: Oh, gosh. Maybe... Man, I don't know. Of all-time contemporary people: Reubens Accomplice. I have a lot of respect for their songwriting. They've just been doing it forever.
NT: What was the last show you attended?
JA: I saw Yeasayer last night. It was really good. I was a little tired, so I couldn't let it soak in as much as I would've liked. But they're talented. They brought it.
NT: If you could time travel, where would you go?
JA: Super far off into the future by a couple thousand years.
NT: What's the worst job you've ever had?
JA: Well, I've always found an academic way to look at working when I couldn't do the things that I wanted to do. So there's always some fun way to look at it. One of the many character-building jobs that my dad gave me was scrubbing down the kennels at his veterinary practice. And retail. Retail sucks.
NT: How good are you at cooking?
JA: I'd say better than average, but a long way to go from not getting eliminated on the first round of Chopped.
NT: Where do you go to be alone?
JA: Sometimes our studio is a good place.
NT: Who is your all-time favorite fictional character?
JA: That's a tough one. The first one that comes to mind is The Tick. I used to collect comic books.
NT: What's the first album you ever bought?
JA: Quiet Riot's Metal Health on cassette.
NT: Where is the best view in Phoenix?
JA: Wrigley Mansion is pretty nice.
NT: What's one thing you hate about Arizona?
JA: The heat kinda gets to you, but it makes your summer road trip a lot more meaningful.
NT: What's your homepage?
NT: Do you give money to panhandlers?
JA: Sometimes.
NT: What's your drink?
JA: I've been liking the Pimm's cup lately.
NT: Who is your mortal enemy?
JA: Pickles. Can't stand pickles.
NT: What's the deal with Sheriff Joe?
JA: I have no idea man. A whole lot of people who vote think differently than me, I guess.
NT: What would you do if you won the lottery?
JA: Just hang out.
NT: What's hanging above your sofa?
JA: A ceiling fan, at the moment, because it's in the middle of the room.
NT: What's the best love advice you have?
JA: Whatever it is, you already know the answer.
NT: If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
JA: Hey, come on in. High five, bro.
