Producer / multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilkis reminds me a bit of his namesake's "supernatural extra brilliant intelligent" line from Footnote to Howl.  Wilkis is a magnanimous mothaf***a, a friend of a friends, someone that probably knows people you know in Brooklyn.  His music ends up in strange places -- bike commercials, Miami hair salons.   We're pleased to link you with the tunes and thankful that Wilkis took a few moments to answer the following questions for this Mugshot Monday exclusive.

Where does funk exist most profoundly in the natural world?
Remember "Electric Avenue"?

What's the strangest place you've ever heard your music played?
Strangest place would definitely have to be a hair salon in Miami. I was visiting my mom down there recently, and she dragged me along to her favorite hair-place and insisted I get a cut with that mighty power that only moms can wield... Now, to set the scene a bit, this salon is full of older Cuban ladies, speaking mile-a-minute rapidfire Spanish all day, gossiping and sipping cafe con leche. And when my mom introduces me as her son, there's an overture of awwwwwws and cheek-pinchings etc... I'm a grown-man, mind you... physically, at least... And my mom proceeds to tell them about my new CD, which she then hands to them, which they proceed to play on repeat 3 times in a row! All while I'm sitting in the chair being forced into a haircut that I didn't want in the first place! Gotta love moms...

This Woodstock revisited thing just came out recently.  If you could have shared a dressing room with anyone at Woodstock, who would it be and why?
Hendrix... he single-handedly opened my eyes to the possibilities of the electric guitar. Until I discovered him, I was all about power-chords... Jimi opened me up to so much, and I'd argue that the majority of my "feel" on the guitar comes directly from him... Granted, quite a few other folks weighed in on my musical development, but Jimi was a major milestone... I would have loved to sit there while he tuned up or re-strung before his legendary set, and just asked him stuff like "ummm... Why are you so awesome?"

What was the first song you ever wrote?
Hard to say. I started playing piano at an extremely young age, and was definitely making up songs using only the black keys, with titles along the lines of "Cherokee War Dance," etc... There are some cassette tapes buried somewhere of me, age 4, performing these songs for my grandma, and my voice sounds like Ralph Wiggum on helium. The first song I ever wrote and recorded, however, would definitely have to be "Greenwich Village Girl." I wrote it with my friend Chris over the course of an epic sleepover. It was about a girl from summer camp that we were both crushing on... The lyrics were: "My greenwich village girl, you are a perfect 10. You really know how to rock my world. When can I see you again?" Yeesh...

What has disco done for you?
It has gotten me out on the dancefloor at many Bar Mitzvahs. It's also taught me that it's ok for grown men to sing in ridiculous falsetto a lot, and I've picked up many a production-technique from the disco era. And lastly, Giorgio Moroder is the man. 

Who is the architect of your soul?
Could go so many ways with this one... But I'd have to say my parents, because at the end of the day they trump everyone else... I'm lucky to have awesome ones, and I wouldn't be who I am without them. They've encouraged me to pursue my dreams, keep an open mind, and develop a voracious appetite for knowledge and new things, especially music.

This or that?
Definitely this.

What do you and Prince have in common that we may not realize?
We both enjoy a good piggyback ride. Please see minute 2:12 of this video >>

Green owls don't exist in nature.  Are you ok with that?
No, it's a travesty. Evolution needs to hurry up already!

What's the relationship between music and politics?
Both influence each other quite a bit. For starters, songwriters are constantly inspired by their surroundings, as much by their favorite tree in the park as by healthcare or war. And the most successful songwriters are the ones that people relate to the most, so in a time or place where politics are more relevant... You get the idea... On the flipside, musicians, at least big famous ones, have MASSIVE sway over politics, at times more so than politicians themselves... Because of the celebrity-culture in which we live, someone like Bono or Bruce Springsteen is a lot more likely to move people to action than your local senator. A friend was just telling me about an artist they work with from Sierra Leone who is so popular at home that were he to run, he would likely win the presidential election over there. And an endorsement from him could sway an election by a landslide. For better or worse, people truly love and trust their favorite artists...

If you could work with anyone right now?
Prince, for sure... Amanda Blank would be a lot of fun to work with, too. And I'd love to form a super-group with Jamie Lidell, Calvin Harris, and James Pants, make some sort of funky-white-boy 4-part-harmony boyband, and I'd want P-Thugg from Chromeo to produce it.

Twitter it: twitter.com/wilcassettes
"Pink and Purple" in the stream

Download it here.

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com