Brian, Carl & Dennis Wilson/the Beach Boys (the biggest influence of all), gin, whisky, the Beatles, Macca (RAM & McCartney), George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Glen Campbell/Jimmy Webb ('Wichita Lineman' = best song ever), Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, John & Alice Coltrane (RIP), Van Dyke Parks, Phil Spector, Big Star, Chris Bell, Alex Chilton, Laura Nyro, Nara Leão, Todd Rundgren & Nazz, Steve Espinola, Gene Pitney, Emitt Rhodes, Roger Nichols, Tom Waits, Ed Harcourt, Johnny Cash, Patricia Crawford, Rogerio Duprat, Penny Nichols, Townes Van Zandt, Martin Lloyd Chitty, Radiohead, Elvis (Presley & Perkins), Eric Carmen/the Raspberries, the Left Banke, the Byrds, Ben Sadock, the Moody Blues, the Box Tops, the Move/Roy Wood (Birmingham's answer to Todd Rundgren?), the Flame, American Spring/Honeys (BW's wife/sister in law, not the awful UK "R'n'B" band of the late 90's), Loudon Wainwright III, Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson, Burt Bacharach, Sidan, the Kinks, David Bowie, Barbara Lewis, Tim Buckley, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Sam Cooke, Atlantic, Motown, Stax, Sundazed, Revola, Serge Gainsbourg, Randy Newman, Tenlons Fort, the Drifters, Fairport Convention, Margo Guryan, the Cake, Stephin Merritt, Gary Usher, the Free Design, Wondermints, Marc Bolan & T. Rex, Jack Nitzsche, the Small Faces, Billy Nicholls, the End, Jan & Dean, the Millennium, Sandy Salisbury, Curt Boettcher, Lee Mallory, Joey Stec, Lou Christie, "Sneeky" Pete, Graham Nash, Yellow Balloon, Sandy Denny, Joan Baez, Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Scott Walker/the Walker Brothers, Eleri Llwyd, Bill Fay, Gruff Rhys (thanks for letting me accidentally touch your penis), Super Furry Animals, Ruby and the Romantics, Delfonics, Royalettes, the Critters, Al Green, Meic Stevens, tea, rain, sunshine, all the ace people in my top friends, Mark Lamarr.

But not James Taylor (except in Two Lane Blacktop). Or reggae (sorry Mr. Lamarr).