I grew up being driven around by my parents to all my different after-school activities – or going on long U.S. road trips during summer vacations, accompanied by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, and so, so, so much more. Not exactly your typical kids’ playlist. When someone once asked my parents what kind of children’s songs they played for my brother Julius and me, they replied, “Children’s songs? We play Bob Marley!”
Of course, back then I had no idea what kind of influence that Rock ’n’ Roll soundtrack of my childhood would have on the person I’d later become. I basically never stood a chance of escaping all those great songs – I was always totally thrilled to be in the car, and awesome music was simply part of my everyday life.
Over the years, I’ve been to countless concerts, but one of my most formative memories is when my mom took me to see Black Sabbath – I was ten. Ten! That probably explains a lot about how I turned out.