Pop Quiz: Tinted Windows’ Adam Schlesinger

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Tinted Windows, a supergroup starring Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, and Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick. Since their album came out late last month, they’ve been playing some gigs, but fielding more questions. How did this come about, inquiring minds wanted to know. Really, though, the band isn’t such an absurd concept. Schlesinger and Hanson have been acquainted with each other since the MMMBop days, and Schlesinger and Iha founded Scratchie Records together. The three visualized who they wanted as their ideal drummer, and came up with Carlos, who accepted the invitation. Shake it up, pour it out, and you’ve got the joyous, tightly crafted pop of Tinted Windows. There. All the questions seem to be answered, but we wanted to know more. So we asked Adam Schlesinger to take our Pop Quiz, and he complied, even giving us a shout-out. He’s being totally truthful here, right?

When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Dental equipment salesman.

Do you have any tattoos?
“Born to Answer Questions for Magazines.”

Are you superstitious?
Not yet—knock on wood.

First album you bought?
“Chicken Fat” by Robert Preston (single).

If you could have any super power, what would you choose?
The ability to turn a one dollar bill into a five dollar bill.

What restaurant would you eat at every day if you could?
Chili’s Too, O’Hare Airport.

Have you ever been arrested?
Not yet, because no one has discovered the Ponzi scheme I am running.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Identity theft.

Do you have a favorite bar in New York?
It’s a tossup between Applebee’s in Times Square and the Olive Garden in Chelsea.

How many times a day on average do you think about sex?
Approximately 3.14159265.

Ever been star struck?
No celebrity has ever hit me.

When you get good news, who’s the first person you tell it to?
BlackBook magazine.

What do you always watch if it’s on TV?
Me.

What do you normally sleep in?
A bed.

Where’s the craziest place you’ve had sex?
This is known as the Newlywed Game question.

What’s on your computer wallpaper?
Pictures that James Iha downloaded from Cute Overload.

If you could be any literary character, who would you be?
The pigeon from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems.

Where do you really want to be right now?
Long security line, O’Hare Airport.

What’s the first job you ever had?
CEO, General Electric.

Favorite Muppets/Sesame Street character?
That really hairy one ... Robin Williams.

What’s the best advice you ever got?
Bring a sweater.