This week's edition of the Hi-Fives finds us talking with Cusack Music's mastermind Mr. Jon Cusack. Have a read for Jon's take on on our series of random top five interview questions and get a quick glimpse into what makes the man tick.
Top 5 things about running your own company
- Creating jobs, especially in a down economy.
- It’s all fun and games until someone loses a house. (Thankfully I haven’t yet.)
- The illusion that you get to decide what to do. In reality, you do what your customers need, even if that means working all weekend.
- When a musician you look up to calls your cell phone.
- Looking back and realizing all the things I learned along the way.
Top 5 things people don’t know about Cusack
- Many know I’m an on-call firefighter, but they may not know I’m also a Pro Board Certified Fire Investigator, and a State Certified Fire Instructor.
- I was a Fulltime Firefighter for 3 days. After years of trying to get the fulltime job I finally got in. After 3 days I realized that my job as an On-Call firefighter was much more satisfying, and I could make a bigger impact on our community by staying on-call. (And I didn’t have to scale down my involvement in the music industry.)
- I received a “lifesaver award” for performing CPR (chest compressions) on a man who eventually walked out of the hospital. As far as I am aware, he’s still around.
- I don’t like being part of the crowd. If I’m at a concert or local club I prefer to be working the soundboard, or helping on-stage or backstage.
- I’ve most likely worked with a builder whose pedal is on your board.
Top 5 things about living in Michigan
- We have 2 of the top 10 Discgolf courses in the country. (I’ve played both, although one was a midnight glow round, so I have no idea what that course actually looks like.)
- I once wore a Polo shirt to work (it was in the 80s), and parked in the back parking lot (at a big company I worked for at the time). By the end of the day it was snowing. I was legitimately concerned that I might freeze to death before making it to my car.
- Lots of Micro Breweries.
- Every once in a while you’ll come across a road that doesn’t need to be repaved.
- I can show you where I live on my hand.
Top 5 fire themed movies
- Burn
- The Towering Inferno
- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
- World Trade Center
- Backdraft (Not really, but everyone was expecting to see that one. One of the most un-realistic movies about fires ever created.)
Top 5 non-guitar related things to do
- Disc Golf.
- Firefighting.
- Building renovations.
- Playing Halo with my son.
- Teaching (Electronics, Firefighting, etc).
Top 5 amplifier circuits
- Long Tailed Pair.
- Cathode Follower.
- Common Cathode Gain Stage.
- Current to Voltage Converter.
- Precision Current Source.
Top 5 pedals you wished you’d come up with
- TS9 – Without it, none of us would be in the business.
- Roland Jet Phaser.
- Cry Baby.
- Shin-Ei Exciter.
- Original Camco chain drive Bass pedal. (Which was stolen by an ex-employee, and I’ve never replaced it. I did replace him.)
Top 5 websites to visit
Top 5 most embarrassing riffs you can play
- Top Gun Theme.
- The Old Man Down the Road intro.
- Smells like Teen Spirit.
- Gimme Three Steps.
- Crazy Train.
Top 5 impulse buys when traveling
- Guitars.
- Pedals.
- Beer.
- Guns.
- Amplifiers.
