Randal Berry
Where I live: Southwest Little Rock
Occupation: Retired reptile keeper at the Little Rock Zoo, 45-year Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy assassination “buff,” snake wrangler and songwriter, heavily influenced by the blues and British pop.
My favorite space is: My recording studio and my library.
Why? It’s a place downstairs away from the usual household responsibilities. Here I can create or craft a song that’s stuck in my head, or research queries I get on my website (lincoln-assassination.com) regarding the Lincoln assassination.
I write and record songs when the inspiration hits and try very hard to make it “heavy” and not syrupy sweet. But I usually fail. I own 19 guitars; my “go-to” guitar at the moment is a Fender Telecaster which I slightly favor over my Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I also use a Rickenbacker 4001 bass.
I love “British Invasion” music, and I’m inspired by the Beatles, David Bowie and 10cc. I play by ear and I’m self-taught on a variety of instruments.
If I could make one change to improve this space, I would:
Install Pro Tools on my Mac to record with, and get rid of old reel-to-reel tape machines that are outdated. But it’s hard, because I’m still an analog-type guy.