(Credit: Christina Stuart, FLORIDA TODAY)
FLORIDA TODAT/Metromix music writer Michael Nunez was born and raised in Brevard. Having been in the Entertainment scene as a music manager, event planner and publicist Nunez is an avid supporter of the local and national music scene. Metromix turned the tables on Nunez asking for him to give us his top five's and being the subject of his very own SRK (Shake, Rattle & Know).
So let's Shake, Rattle & Know: Mike Nunez
MY TOP FIVES
Restaurants
1. Makoto Japanese Steakhouse (Melbourne) -- great food and family fun for everyone
2. El Tucan (Merritt Island) -- the Pollito Picante is to die for!
3. Hurricane Wings (Melbourne) -- more flavors than you can imagine
4. Cara Mia (Cocoa) -- outstanding Italian food and great service
5. Daisen Japanese (Merritt Island and Melbourne) -- not the cool-at-your-table kind of Japanese place, but great anyhow
TV shows
(Does any football game count as a weekly show? For the sake of this list, I will say it doesn't or that would consume my top 5.)
1. "CSI:Las Vegas" (not the over-acted "CSI: Miami").
2. "Survivor" -- come on, you know it's your guilty obsession, too, right?
3. "Lost" -- miss one episode and that's exactly what you will be.
4. "Heroes" -- the show's starting to get cheesy, though, and may wiggle out of the top 5 soon.
5. "House" -- Hugh Laurie is a genius!
Favorite interviews
1. Rob Thomas -- smart, funny and so down to earth.
2. Dolly Parton -- surprised to see this in my top 5? I was -- but she was just so geniuine I was floored.
3. Wanda Sykes -- I laughed so hard I could barely finish the interview.
4. Brian Regan -- Funny, funny, funny -- on stage and off.
5. Michael Buble -- I interviewed him before anyone really knew who he was. It was so long ago, I don't remember much about the interview, but it was so cool to be one of the first to interview this soon-to-be legend.
Local bands
1. Super Swamper -- not a show for kids, but a blast to hang out with your friends and watch.
2. Medusa -- already a household name in the Melbourne/Palm Bay area.
3. Mo Geetz -- Micah provides dynamic vocals for this band with great musicianship.
4. The Reflections Band -- The ultimate party band hands down!
5. The Outta Sight Band -- covers everything from the '50s to today and all done well.
Bands/artists
1. Matchbox Twenty/Rob Thomas -- no surprise there!
2. Maroon 5 -- every CD, every song is fantastic.
3. Michael Buble -- takes awhile to grow on you, but once it does it's infectious.
4. John Mayer -- a brillian songwriter and guitarist.
5. Pink -- gritty, raw and incredibly likeable.
What's on your iPod?
Nunez: A ton of games, I have everything on there from Frogger to Paper Toss. I also have a ton of pictures of my family. I am a play-a-CD-from-beginning-to-end kind of guy, so my iPod isn't used that much for music. I also can play a mean game of Uno on my iTouch.
Your most memorable interviews?
Nunez: That's an easy one. Rob Thomas is the best. Having followed Rob Thomas since his early days as a struggling musician in Orlando, I still am amazed at his depth of character and how easy he is to interview. Rob is also as amazing off the stage as he is on. Even if you were meeting him for the first time, he would make you feel like you had been friends for years.
Dolly Parton was pretty amazing, too. She is incredibly down to earth and took the time to really answer the questions and is amazingly friendly.
The best comedian interview I have ever done was Brian Regan. If you have never been to a Brian Regan show, you have no idea how good he is. Watch him one time, and you will be hooked! I laughed so hard while interviewing him, I had tears in my eyes and my stomach was aching.
Who would you love to interview?
Nunez: Steven Tyler (Aerosmith). With such an amazing catalog of music it would be a thrill to interview this legend even if he wouldnt remember the interview 5 seconds later. Stevie Nicks would be pretty high on my list as well.
What's your favorite restaurant in Brevard?
Nunez: Makoto's-see my top 5 for an explanation.
We heard something about "I'm with Mike Night." Give us the skinny.
Nunez: 3 or 4 times a year I invite my friends, and they invite al of their friends to a night out at Makoto's or some other spot then we have dinner and a night out as one giant group of friends. SOmetimes we catch a comedy show at Groucho's Comedy Club and sometimes we just head to a movie or club. It's a way of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Really everyone is welcome.
Your favorite place to hang out in Brevard?
Nunez: I have a four year old and a one year old, so most of my "hanging out" time is spent at a park, the Brevard Zoo or the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. If my wife and I are lucky enough to get a date night out we like to catch a nice dinner at somewhere like Cara Mia or Tuscany Grill and catch a movie at Rave Theaters or somewhere.
Keep up with Mike Nunez on his SRK blog and check out his interviews. You know you want to ...
