I first met Chris Loggins on the set of "The Jeselnick Offensive." A tall, casually dressed Caucasian man with long, light brown hair, he struck me as very polite, inquisitive, and ready for anything, from an evening at a white collar night club to repairing the motorcycle he apparently rode to the show.
Vaughanster: Are you kin to Kenny Loggins?
Chris Loggins: I don't think so. Possibly, way down the line somewhere...
Vaughanster: When and where were you born?
Chris: October 8 in the delta town of Blytheville,
Arkansas (near Memphis)...
Vaughanster: What year, or decade?
Chris: In the 1970's...
Vaughanster: Being from Arkansas, are you proud of Bill and Hillary Clinton?
Chris: I was. I went to downtown Little Rock election night of his first term. I liked the fact that he was a small town boy who worked his way up, but I don't know much about politics, and it seems the NAFTA act he passed caused a lot of our present troubles. I do think he's [one of] the most well spoken and genuinely intelligent Presidents we've had.
Vaughanster: Who were your parents?
Chris: Dennis Loggins (deceased) and Karen Langston...
Vaughanster: Do you have any siblings, and, if so, what, if anything, would you like to tell the world about them?
Chris: I was an only child. My mother re-married when I was nineteen. I have three step brothers, but I wasn't raised with them.
Vaughanster: Glancing at your official website (www.chrisloggins.com) I see that you have links to four recordings ("Caught on the Side," "Dust," "Gingerbread Blues," and "Augmentation"). Did you write, play, sing and record all of these songs?
Chris: I wrote, played and sang those four recordings live in the studio on March 31, 2013. Joshua Minyard recorded them for me. He's a fantastic engineer for hire.
Vaughanster: Are you your own webmaster?
Chris: Yes! People say I need a new one, but I don't like getting too bogged down in the internet. I use my site as a landing spot for those who are interested in what I'm doing. If more money comes my way, perhaps I'll hire a master.
Vaughanster: Glancing at your YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/christopherloggins) I see you also have published recordings of yourself playing "Existential Red," "Little Red Corvette," "Liquid Machine," and "Dust." The only one you give anyone else credit for is "Little Red Corvette," written by Prince. Is Prince your favorite singer, other than yourself?
Chris: No! But I do think he's one of the most talented musicians of the Twentieth Century. I actually don't know why I end up singing Prince songs.
Vaughanster: Which other musicians have given you inspiration?
Chris: I like country blues: Howlin' Wolf [www.howlinwolf.com], Muddy Waters [www.muddywaters.com], Lightnin' Hopkins [www.wherelightninstrikes.com], Junior Kimbrough [http://www.fatpossum.com/artists/junior-kimbrough]... I also like Bob Dylan [www.bobdylan.com], Johnny Cash [www.johnnycash.com/]... My favorite current musicians are Nick Cave [www.nickcave.com/] and Mark Lanegan [marklanegan.com], but I like some of everything: jazz, classical, trip-hop, ambient, Guns N' Roses [gunsnroses.com]...
Vaughanster: What instruments do you play?
Chris: Guitar and piano! I can make sound with just about anything, but I limit myself to guitar.
Vaughanster: In the song "Dust," you ask for a bubble bath. Do you often take bubble baths?
Chris: No, I can't remember the last time I took one. That lyric was just something funny to say. Probably a metaphor for luxury or something...
Vaughanster: What is your religion?
Chris: I was raised Protestant Christian -- Church of Christ.
Vaughanster: What do you think of your neighbors, the Scientologists?
Chris: They're an interesting group - always busy, and they're very eager to help you out, as long as you'll pay $50 to take their course. I'm fascinated at how L. Ron [Hubbard] was able to pull off what he did. All other religions that pop up are Abrahamic in origin. That one comes out of a vacuum.
Vaughanster: What are your thoughts on homosexuality?
Chris: That's probably too big a question to broach, but I'm not a fan of propaganda.
Vaughanster: Who did you vote for in the Presidential Elections of 2008 and 2012?
Chris: Libertarian in 2008... I was unable to vote in 2012; I had just moved here to Los Angeles.
Vaughanster: Is the Los Angeles Mayoral Election of any interest to you?
Chris: No, I'm completely uninformed.
Vaughanster: Are you still a legal resident of Arkansas?
Chris: I think! I've lived in California six months.
Vaughanster: Have you ever played in a band, and, if so, which one or ones?
Chris: I've had a few bands. Still have one in Arkansas: The Brass Tacks...
Vaughanster: What are your vices?
Chris: I don't really have any. I enjoy a nice beer or wine, or chocolate croissant and coffee. I suppose gluttony is the one vice I always have to be mindful of. I also like a good cigar, but can't afford that right now.
Vaughanster: What would you like to tell the world about your motorcycle?
Chris: It's purple, took me from Arkansas across the desert to Los Angeles, and it needs a new battery.
Vaughanster: What other vehicles (tricycles, bicycles, automobiles, boats, planes, etc.) have you owned? What vehicle or vehicles would you like to own, if money were no object?
Chris: I had a big wheel as a kid. Then a bicycle, which I rode all over town... Until I turned sixteen, I drove my three-wheeler. The town I'm from has chemical plants -- salt brine runs underneath the ground, which they use to make bromine. I've heard it's one of two places on earth that has it, the other being Israel. Anyway, I would trace the pipeline through the woods and mud. My first car was a Seventies Dodge Scamp, similar to a Plymouth Dart. I later owned a couple of Honda Civics. I still have a Honda van in storage in Arkansas. If money were no object, I'd like to have a bigger bike; mine's a 650 [cubic centimeters], and I'd like to drive a new model Jaguar through Montana, fast.
Vaughanster: Are you mechanically inclined?
Chris: No!
Vaughanster: How much education do you have?
Chris: I have an Associate of Arts degree.
Vaughanster: More specifically than "Arts," what is your degree in?
Chris: Just a basic degree, I think... I was headed for English Lit and History.
Vaughanster: Your website mentions that you are interested in travel. What cities, States and foreign countries have you traveled to?
Chris: I've been all over the West. Never been to New York... I've been to Israel.
Vaughanster: Why did you go to Israel?
Chris: To visit the place that's culturally shaped the entire planet.
Vaughanster: What were your best and worst experiences in Israel?
Chris: My favorite experience was being in the dead sea at dawn, the mountains of the Judean wilderness in the distance. That's where the tire hits the road! No bad experiences except the flight... We left after Christmas in 2010, and many flights were cancelled and delayed.
Vaughanster: Did you feel at greater risk of becoming a victim of Islamic jihad in Israel or in the U.S.A.?
Chris: Israel! Crossing into Bethlehem armed guards boarded the bus and checked passports, and in Jerusalem, in the street markets, there was uneasiness in the air at times. I've never felt threatened in America.
Vaughanster: What languages do you speak?
Chris: Only English!
Vaughanster: What places would you like to travel to, that you haven't been to yet?
Chris: I would like to go to Europe -- Paris, Austria...
Vaughanster: Why are Paris and Austria of particular interest to you?
Chris: I'm an artist, and those places seem to be high water marks in cultural history.
Vaughanster: When did you start drinking green tea?
Chris: Fifteen years ago... There's a saying to the effect of, "One cannot contemplate the world without it."
Vaughanster: Your website also indicates that you like to pump iron. How many sets of how many reps of how much weight do you usually lift, doing which exercises? What weight-lifting goals do you have?
Chris: I don't have a set plan right now. I usually just work out for about twenty-five minutes, with basic exercises, hitting the major muscles, and I walk a lot.
Vaughanster: Did you ever serve in the U.S. military?
Chris: No!
Vaughanster: Have you ever been a member of a gang?
Chris: No!
Vaughanster: Have you ever played the role of a motorcycle gangster in a movie or TV show?
Chris: No, but I should!
Vaughanster: Did you enjoy "The Jeselnick Offensive"?
Chris: Yes, it was funny. Some of the jokes were a bit mean spirited, but that's our world today. A lot of "humor" amounts to making fun of people.
Vaughanster: What other TV shows and films have you been involved with?
Chris: In the audience of "Happily Divorced," the Craig Ferguson show, "Oh Sit!," Jeff Probst and "The Doctors." I was an extra in a film about Nina Simone.
Vaughanster: Were you filmed in Los Angeles for the Nina Simone film?
Chris: Yes, near Malibu... It was in November and very cold.
Vaughanster: How did you land the extra role in the Nina Simone film?
Chris: I signed up with the major extra casting agency and put myself on the available list. Someone cancelled and they called me.
Vaughanster: Had you ever heard of her before you discovered the film gig?
Chris: Yes, [but] I've never been a huge fan.
Vaughanster: How do you intend to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year?
Chris: I usually don't celebrate it, but I think I'm going to a pancake supper/art show [PancakesandBooze.com] a nice fella invited me to.
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