The Dinosaur Jr axe man stole from his mum to buy a Beach Boys record and squeaks to Tom Petty – but which punk banger made him cry?

What’s the first song you fell in love with?
Monster Mash by Bobby “Boris” Pickett. Monsters appealed to me as a kid. I found it funny, not spooky. Since I had a kid, Halloween has become the biggest holiday of the year.

What was the first single you bought?
I bought Darlin’ by the Beach Boys with the money I would steal from my mom. I always liked the Beach Boys. I remember they were quite unhip for a while: I played them at a gig around 1989 before we came on and people hated it. Now they’ve become more hip again.