Great Lakes
In the summer of 2016, this was a part-time job Max had to make rent in Rochester, NY:
a) cashier at Ludwig's Center Stage Café
b) library assistant at the Sibley Music Library
c) keyboard player in a touring Grateful Dead cover band
d) all of the above
In the summer of 2016, this was a part-time job Max had to make rent in Rochester, NY:
d) all of the above (correct!)
Growing up listening to this, Max believes that this is a perfect album:
a) Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys
b) Whatever And Ever Amen, Ben Folds Five
c) Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
d) 1996, by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Growing up listening to this, Max believes that this is a perfect album:
c) Innervisions, Stevie Wonder (correct!)
What is Max's full name?
a) Max Eliezer Berlin
b) Maximilian Gershon Berlin
c) Maxwell Irving Berlin
d) Maxwell Gilbert Berlin
What is Max's full name?
d) Maxwell Gilbert Berlin (correct!)
Because of his first job in LA, Max knows that JKMS stands for...
a) John Knight Middle School
b) JoAnn Kane Music Service
c) "Just kidding, music sucks."
d) Journal of Korean Medical Science
Because of his first job in LA, Max knows that JKMS stands for...
b) JoAnn Kane Music Service (correct!)
After discovering their music in college, Max's favorite film composer is:
a) John Williams
b) Bernard Herrmann
c) Hildur Guðnadóttir
d) Ennio Morricone
After discovering their music in college, Max's favorite film composer is:
b) Bernard Herrmann (correct!)
What street did Max grow up closest to in the metro-Detroit area?
a) 8 mile
b) 10 mile
c) Woodward Avenue
d) Boston Avenue
What street did Max grow up closest to in the metro-Detroit area?
b) 10 mile (correct!)
What did Max think of the recent Wicked movie?
a) cringe
b) they did the best they possibly could
c) the only good thing about that movie was Cynthia Erivo's performance
d) didn't see it, will eventually (Stephen Schwartz + John Powell, hell yeah)
What did Max think of the recent Wicked movie?
b) they did the best they possibly could (correct!)
Why does Max hate Jacob Collier?
a) he's an eccentric British man
b) he's a commercially successful jazz musician
c) he uses dense harmony to replace authentic musical creativity or inventiveness
d) all of the above
Why does Max hate Jacob Collier?
d) all of the above (correct!)
What is Max's current favorite musical written by Stephen Sondheim?
a) Sweeney Todd
b) Merrily We Roll Along
c) Assassins
d) Sunday In The Park With George
What is Max's current favorite musical written by Stephen Sondheim?
d) Sunday In The Park With George (correct!)
This was Max's first standing jazz gig in high school:
a) brunch hour at Cliff Bell's in downtown Detroit
b) Saturday evenings at Goldfish Tea in Royal Oak
c) every other Saturday night at City Wings in Hamtramck
d) once a month in the lobby of Benihana in Troy
This was Max's first standing jazz gig in high school:
b) Saturday evenings at Goldfish Tea in Royal Oak (correct!)
According to Max, this is the best Jewish holiday and there's no real competition:
a) Hanukkah
b) Rosh Hashanah
c) Passover
d) Yom Kippur
According to Max, this is the best Jewish holiday and there's no real competition:
c) Passover (correct!)
How many times has Max tried to quit weed?
a) 3
b) 5
c) 7
d) 0, it's not that deep
How many times has Max tried to quit weed?
a) 3 (correct!)
What is Max's least favorite thing that people say in Los Angeles:
a) "the best way to keep up with me is on Instagram"
b) "honestly, things are just crazy right now but super grateful" (he's a hypocrite)
c) "I love that for you"
d) "let's go to Good Times At Davey Wayne's"
What is Max's least favorite thing that people say in Los Angeles:
c) "I love that for you"
This, by far, was the most successful party Max threw in college:
a) a space Macbeth themed costume party
b) a Halloween-themed party, but in March
c) a double-viewing of both Paul Blart: Mall Cop movies
d) a Christmas party featuring The Pretty Kitties, a singing burlesque troupe that Max often played piano for
This, by far, was the most successful party Max threw in college:
c) a double-viewing of both Paul Blart: Mall Cop movies (correct!)
This is something Max is not afraid of:
a) nonchalant people
b) jellyfish
c) death
d) taxes
This is something Max is not afraid of:
d) taxes (correct!)
What was the sole purpose of Max's finsta?
a) ugly selfies at the airport
b) a place to post his politics outside of family scrutiny
c) the world's most deplorable memes for a trusted audience
d) it's hard to describe, but it's like a character that's making fun of wellness influencers but simultaneously trying to get brand sponsorships in an ironic way
What was the sole purpose of Max's finsta?
a) ugly selfies at the airport
What is Max's favorite episode of The Simpsons?
a) s8 ep23: "Homer's Enemy"
b) s4 ep2: "A Streetcar Named Marge"
c) s7 ep19: "A Fish Called Selma"
d) s5 ep1: "Homer's Barbershop Quartet"
What is Max's favorite episode of The Simpsons?
a) s8 ep23: "Homer's Enemy" (correct!)
When climate change floods the coastal cities, this is Max's ideal retirement plan:
a) a pretentious loft across from the Detroit Institute of Arts, dinner parties, cultural think tanks, etc
b) a semi-permanent room at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, standing gig with resident harp player
c) cottage in Petoskey, beaching in the summer and teaching a modest composition studio at Interlochen
d) this is futile, our generation will not be able to retire
When climate change floods the coastal cities, this is Max's ideal retirement plan:
c) cottage in Petoskey, beaching in the summer and teaching a modest composition studio at Interlochen (correct!)
As a new 29-year-old, this is how Max feels about turning 30:
a) looking forward, being a composer in your 20's is kind of messy
b) mixed feelings, sort of want to get it over with
c) absolute dread, I'm not where I wanted to be in life
d) haven't thought much about it, it's all arbitrary at the end of the day
As a new 29-year-old, this is how Max feels about turning 30:
a) looking forward, being a composer in your 20's is kind of messy (correct!)
This is Max's most regrettable musical project:
a) a hidden SoundCloud rap EP exclusively about pizza (was blackout drunk throughout production)
b) a musical written to advertise someone's OnlyFans
c) an infamously viral TikTok pitting Gen Z against Millennials in a West Side Story spoof
d) no regrets
This is Max's most regrettable musical project:
c) an infamously viral TikTok pitting Gen Z against Millennials in a West Side Story spoof (correct!)
As a kid, what advice did Max's dad give him that fundamentally influenced his career?
a) work hard and be nice, it's that simple
b) luck is where preparation meets opportunity
c) have something to say, not just to play
d) don't waste your time making sense of idiots
As a kid, what advice did Max's dad give him that fundamentally influenced his career?
c) have something to say, not just to play (correct!)