Self-proclaimed "hippie cowboy" and all-round quirky dude Andrew Avrin has things to say.
Street: What's the soundtrack to your life?
Andrew Avrin: This is the most unfair question I have ever been asked. Remember that scene in High Fidelity where Rob categorizes his music autobiographically? That's the way I am.
Street: There are two kinds of people at Penn.
AA: Those who understand binary and those who don't. Really though.
Street: Do you recite Shakespearean sonnets in the shower?
AA: No, however I do have a very distinct memory of singing Billy Joel's "In the Middle of the Night" while I was going to the bathroom in first grade. Somehow I figured that because the bathroom was in the back of the classroom, that I should spontaneously put on a show for my classmates and my teacher to hear. Nothing has changed.
Street: What's the best invention?
AA: Records. They sound better, you can actually hold them in your hand and you can collect them so that makes them intrinsically cool.
Street: What's the last thing you bought?
AA: I just bought Toejam & Earl for NES and a replacement AC adaptor and A/V cable for Fort Cool's Sega Genesis. Fort Cool is the name of our house.
Street: You've got a very alliterative name. What's your favorite alliteration and why?
AA: AAAAA: American Association Against Acronym Abuse.
Street: You and WQHS radio cohost Mike Murphy make quite the special couple on air. Does any of that action transcend the airwaves?
AA: Mike and I met on the first day of college. We've been going steady ever since. We have adopted Genna Erlikhman as our son and WQHS as our red-headed step child.
Street: Being that you're treasurer of Quadramics [Ed. Note: Penn's student-run theatre troupe... not some obscure Engineering thing] where would you bury your hidden treasure?
AA: Third drawer down, left-hand side of my desk. Key is next to the bamboo plant. And you think I'm kidding.
Street: Have you ever thought of just changing your name to Avrin?
AA: I think about changing my name to Avrin on a daily basis. A significant number of people don't even know that's not my first name. So I figure, sure, why not. That'd be cool. Let's change it. Then I remember that I'll be directly compared to other single-named individuals like Gerardo, the guy who sang "Rico Suave" or Prince. That's when I cry a little.
Street: What's the most overrated thing about Penn? And the most underrated?
AA: Overrated: non-tie-dyed clothing. Underrated: the Vietnamese restaurant right next to my house on 43rd and Spruce.
