Name: Mark Trimble, 44.
Occupation: Musician (flute) and music educator.
How might we know you: My partner Ami Sadeh and I helped create the BearDance events.
Type of car: Blue 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe.
Best car memory? Driving my Nissan 350Z the first time with my partner around town with the top down!
Funniest road trip story: I don’t know if it’s funny or sad, but I had an audition in Tennessee and a drunk driver sliced off a big chunk of metal off the side of the trunk. It was my dad’s Oldsmobile Delta 88. I had to tie that chunk of metal back on the car as it flapped all the way back to Cincinnati where I lived.
Hmmm… we vote sad. OK, buy or lease? Lately I prefer leasing. I get the itch for something new or different about every three to four years. It doesn’t hurt that you can get a bit more car for less money per month!
You play the flute, but ever in the car? I think I’ve played it in my partner’s car while he’s been driving. It’s not at all practical for the driver and it doesn’t work well in the passenger seat either. There are better places to practice. Now I will practice finger patterns for music on the steering wheel from time to time though, and that’s a great way to practice without the instrument.
What do you jam out to? NPR or BPM on satellite radio. Sometimes it’s Beethoven or Lady Gaga.
Don’t you musclebear types drive Jeeps or big trucks usually? Am I really that now? Ha! Maybe I do need to get the requisite truck! I’m not about all my image with my car, it’s more about the driving experience for me, and I like fun-to-drive cars usually as long as they are roomy enough for me.
Since it’s hot as hell out, how’s your A/C? It is fantastic! I’m lucky to have a garage to park in at home so that it’s not all heated up when I leave the house in the summer, but even when it’s been out in the sun, it cools down very quickly.
Sounds great. So, one last thing: flootist or flautist? Well, it can be both actually.
— Rich Lopez
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 26, 2011.
