I'm the music critic for the Houston Chronicle. And I contribute to this here fancy site, 29-95.com. It's often incredibly stressful, but it's also incredibly rewarding, every single day. I love what I do. I love music. I love turning people on to new sounds. And I love giving everything a chance, from cheesy pop to country to retro-rock to hip-hop. There really is a place for all of it in my iPod. Er, iPhone-pod. (Even Debbie, er, Deborah Gibson.)

I guess it's mostly thanks to my dad, whose massive record collection included everything from disco and country to classic rock, pop, Tejano and do-wop. Nothing is immediately crappy. You have to earn it.