Washingtonian Favorites: David Malitz

Name: David Malitz

Age: 28

Occupation: Washingtonpost.com music producer and Post Rock blogger.

Hometown: North Potomac.

Must-have items at all times:
I literally do a pat-down every morning before I leave my apartment—wallet, keys, sunglasses, BlackBerry. My equilibrium is seriously thrown off if I’m missing any of those.

Signature drink:
Iced grande mocha from Starbucks. I can’t front.

Finish this sentence: “When not working, you can find me . . .
. . . at a show or on my couch checking box scores and watching sports.

Washingtonians you admire?
The word “brilliant” gets thrown around way too much these days, but Steve Coll is a brilliant writer—plus we went to the same high school. Also my dad because he took me to see R.E.M. when I was eight and Pavement when I was 14—and for plenty of non-concert-going reasons.

Favorite neighborhood in Washington?
I’ve lived in this area my entire life—I can’t escape it—but I’ve never actually lived in the city proper. I just have some natural built-in pull to the ’burbs. So I’ll say my current home in Arlington’s Court House neighborhood. It’s a perfect little yuppie heaven, but it’s also got Galaxy Hut, Iota, and a better-than-you’d-think record store. And it’s only a 15-minute drive to pretty much anywhere in DC.

Washington insider tips?
DC and Maryland drivers are the worst—the absolute worst. Never, ever, under any circumstance, assume competence from anyone behind the wheel.

Finish this sentence: “Thinking about the Metro makes me . . .
. . . wish it was Wizards season.

Favorite record store in the area:
Red Onion’s good, but the best place to lose track of time while sitting on the floor looking through stacks of vinyls is Joe’s Record Paradise in Rockville. If you want to buy new music, it’s worth the trip up to Baltimore to double up on Soundgarden and True Vine.

What would you change about Washington?
Nothing that I wouldn’t change with the rest of this country. After living in Virginia for a while, I’ve gotten used to being able to buy beer at CVS or Giant, so that would be one small thing.

As you answer these questions, what Web sites are open in your browser?
Rotoworld, Sports Bog [Ed. note: Read our interview with Sport Bog writer Dan Steinberg here], Fivethirtyeight.com, the Fix, Yahoo! Fantasy Football.

What concert has brought you the closest to having a religious experience?
Obviously and appropriately it would be the Silver Jews. I’d come to terms with the fact that I’d never be able to see them play, so the shows I saw on their first tour in 2006 were very special. But being able to see them at the Black Cat recently was even better. Morrissey would be a close second, I guess. The most recent time I saw him, I had a dream later that night that he reached down from the stage and touched my hand, so there was some definite hand-of-God/Adam/Sistine Chapel action going on.

Please explain Katy Perry and her popularity to us—we just don’t get it.
There’s really not much to get. That song has a catchy vocal hook, it has memorable lyrics, and everyone can be down with some light lesbianism during the summer. People will mostly like what they’re told to like, you know?

What are the five most-played songs on your iPod? What about the most-played album?
I had to reset my iPod and iTunes somewhat recently, but the current numbers say the most played are: “Put Some Sugar on It” by Half Japanese, “Hammer I Miss You” by Jay Reatard, “Taking the Farm” by the War on Drugs, “Young Upwardly Mobile and Stupid” by Len Bright Combo, and “False Sentiments” by the Homosexuals. As for most-played album, if I didn’t have to reset everything, I’m sure it’d still be LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, which I listened to every day for about four to five months at the beginning of last year.

What music skeletons does J. Freedom du Lac hide in his closet?
In his closet? Dude wrote a rave of a Cold War Kids show just last year, so I’m not sure we even need to go into his closet. But I guess a big one would be that in 1994—a pretty fantastic year for music—he was all about Dave Matthews Band.

What are your must-read music Web sites?
I actually don’t frequent too many music sites—partly so I don’t fall into groupthink; partly because it’s my job, so looking at that stuff feels like work; and partly because there are so many good ones that it just makes me feel like I’m doing a shitty job with my own work. I mostly stick with sites that focus on the obscure and give me music. WMFU’s Beware of the Blog is a must-read, always. There used to be a blog called Kiwi Tapes, where this dude posted downloads of all this obscure, old, often out-of-print New Zealand indie-pop stuff, that was amazing. Little Hits is a good one. Take the Pills  helps me fill in a lot of indie-pop holes. And I always enjoy DC Rock Club for some local flavor.

Other Washingtonian Favorites:

Katherine Kennedy
Jon Gann
Barton Seaver
Lindsay Czarniak
Svetlana Legetic

Want more Washingtonian Favorites? Check out last week's interview with American Wife author Curtis Sittenfeld. Also, don't forget to check back in next Thursday for our interview with local filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson, whose documentary As We Forgive was awarded the Student Academy Award. Hinson's film will be screened at the National Geographic All Roads Film Festival which kicks off October 2. For more information on the festival, click here.

Want to recommend someone you know for a Washingtonian Favorites? Send your suggestions to asalinas@washingtonian.com 

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Alejandro Salinas