Q & A ..... Have a question for John? Why not email it & check back to see if there's an answer... Please forgive if the questions are edited a little. (Hint: Thoughtful, provocative and/or humorous questions will certainly have the best chance.) .............................................................................................. Jump to Question: >> What's a Packard Clipper? >> What's with the shot on the back cover of Twisted Vignettes? Did you use a fish eyes lens? >> Is it politically correct to use the word "chink" in Buckaroo Girl? >> True or False: "Soul of the Montana Girl" is about your wife. >> Your bio says you are an opera singer, but I heard the album. What gives? .............................................................................................. Paul Z. asks: What's a Packard Clipper? (refering to the photograph on the CD face) The photo is a close-up of my Weissenborn-style resonator guitar made by Larry Pogreba of Three Forks Montana. Larry makes these amazing one-of-a-kind instruments out of recycled aircraft aluminum and found objects -- he topped this one off with an actual hubcap from a '50s Packard Clipper. I've also heard that Larry has a cannon that he uses to fire bowling balls over two miles, so I'd call first before you visit. << my Pogreba guitar Another hubcap question from Dave of Helena: What's with the shot on the back cover of Twisted Vignettes? Did you use a fish eyes lens? Nope, Dave, it's a self-timer self-portrait of me and my '57 Chevy pickup, reflected in the hubcap of my horse trailer. The hubcap is a little rusty due to its other role as landmark to all the well-hydrated dogs on the ranch (of which there are many). << Here's the photo full-frame

Stacy from Ohio questions:
Is it politically correct to use the word "chink" in Buckaroo Girl?
Well, Kathy, that is a valid question in these days of tolerance and understanding of different cultures. Although many buckaroos prefer chinks, some like armitas or shotgun chaps or batwings, but this often depends on the geographical area in which the person in question is cowboying, buckarooing or punching. The Buckaroo Girl is a fictional character that, in my mind's eye, likes chinks. I hope this helps.

True or False: "Soul of the Montana Girl" is about your wife.
None of the above.

Your bio says you are an opera singer, but I heard the album. What gives?
If you listen closely to Twisted Vignettes my classical/operatic training will be quite evident. For instance, in my aria, Buckaroo Girl, I make reference to the last high note in my cadenza (notefinalamenteconfuocoefurioso) as being "tuff" (mezzopazzo). This is a musically correct statement: the note is a fortissimo E sung a few cents flat as a nod to musical scales other than the very well-tempered western. You'll find the placement of that note is in my chest voice as opposed to my falsetto (which sounds too much like a Buckaroo Girl, or maybe a Buckaroo Castrato). This note in its purer form can be found in music from Mozart to Beethoven, Britney and beyond. For an overview of my opera career, one needs to look no further than Verdi's Aida, for which I sang the role of "Fourth Nobleman on the Left" in Denver, 1995.