My Uncle Rob, who is not only responsible for making me laugh like an epileptic hyena on more than one occasion, but also for introducing me to the fabulously ragged Hungry Dutchmen. The Dutchmen were a five-piece unit that ended their four-year career without reaching the big time, but they left behind a bitchin' stack of demos that made their way into my hands through Rob. One of the Dutchmen--either Alec or Mike, depending on who's telling the story--was then responsible for me meeting Fred, then making music with Richard "Swingin' Dick" Pearce (Swing for short) in the critically lauded alt-pop combo The Rails. I signed The Rails to a record contract, and the rest is history. I haven't talked to Rob in years--he works like a Chinese immigrant, and never responds to my e-mails. But he is a Master Of The Universe anyway.