Robot Talk

'I had a dream that I met Jimmy Page on an empty red-carpeted spiral staircase, backstage at some big event," says local solo artist Bridget Brigitte, "and our eyes locked in one of those 'I wish this would last forever' moments and then..."

And then?

"Dreams get smoky," she says with a smile.

She holds a Ph.D. in French and comparative humanities. When she's not composing for the 12-string guitar, piano, and harp, Bridget keeps busy as vice president of the Asian-American Repertory Theatre, running the record label Bionic Sisters, and publishing poetry in such literary journals as the G.W. Review.

TRICKIEST MUSICAL PROBLEM PLAYING LIVE?

"Forgetting. If it's not my pick, it's the capo. If it's not the capo, it's my guitar strap. If it's not the guitar strap, it's the cable. If it's not the guitar cable, it's the irreplaceable power cable for the keyboards. If I could give my brain a tuneup I would."

LIST OF INSTRUMENTS/EQUIPMENT?

"Varies. Mostly two 12-string electric-acoustic guitars. Sometimes my Jimmy Page burgundy double-neck Gibson. If I have my way, a concert grand piano, but I'm usually stuck with my trusty Roland 88 weighted keyboard with only three sounds. A delicious Ampeg bass amp. Crate guitar amp with pedal. Microphones are usually used with accompanying musicians on cello, violin, congas, percussion, drums, hambone, vocals, etc. I never shy away from simple 'me and my guitar' shows either."

TOP FIVE FLICKS?

1. The Incredibles. "It's fluff, I know, but funny. The women are as strong as the men, and they don't die at the end."

2. House of Flying Daggers. "It's a beautiful martial arts film featuring a bunch of strong, deadly women, and the rival teams are not men against men, but men against women. And the women ultimately win."

3. Amelie. "Give me a French film any day of the week. While a gorgeous woman is at the center of this story, it's not about sex, or sex appeal, or her relationships. It's a light tale about her conscious role in mending some other people's love stories."

4. This Is Spinal Tap. "There is nothing like dry British humor."

5. Thelma and Louise. "Minus the fact that they die at the end."

BEST BRUSH WITH SOMEONE FAMOUS?

"At a dinner with Maria Shriver. It was fun hearing her talk about how she loves Target since it's the only store where she can find everything. This was after talking about her book Ten Things -- I mean, it was nice to see she's human."

WORST BRUSH WITH SOMEONE FAMOUS?

"Aerosmith's drummer Joey Kramer...although the band sometimes looks like drugged-up robots behind the unstoppable and energetic Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, I thought maybe they'd be human...I attempted a conversation, but when he figured out I actually wanted to talk music and was not trying to sleep with him, he looked at me as if I were five million other people...ants might be the better word...that exasperated him."

WEIRDEST GIG?

"I played a big Body/Mind/Spirit festival in Oregon...you know, crystals, massages, yoga...so my favorite booth was of course the organic chocolate one where I'd casually walk by and keep consuming the chili chocolates set out for tasting. I got up to play and my voice had accidentally become a whisper because of all the fiery chili...I faked my way through some instrumentals, and luckily sound returned to my pipes. Beware the chili chocolates! Just eat them a day before the show."