RESIDENCIES: Thursday nights at Linda's; also car shows, Eagles and Elks clubs, weddings, and reunions. Captain Large has a CD out called 30 Classic Car Tunes (Sony), featuring songs like "I Want a Lavender Cadillac" and "Hot Rod Lincoln."
How did you become Captain Large?
"The name is from Captain Marvel, the '50s comic-book hero. I have a Halloween costume that looks like Captain Marvel's outfit."
How long have you been spinning records?
"I've been doing this for more than 40 years--I've lived through five generations of rock 'n' roll. I love it. I have about 60,000 CDs. I'm kind of a music historian."
Which of your shows are the most popular at Linda's?
"Rockabilly, R&B, Beatles, early Stones, doo-wop. I play a lot of originals--songs the Beatles or the Stones did later. You're more likely to hear the Richard Berry original of 'Louis, Louis' than the Kingsmen's cover. What I love about this place is the younger people--I thought they'd want to hear current music, but I just started playing R&B and rockabilly, and the place is always packed. It's roots music--they want to hear the older, original stuff, and they love obscure rockabilly. I don't play Top 40 oldies, like KBSG--they're burnouts. I try to play things that were popular at the time but that people now may never hear."
Did you think of yourself as a rebel, listening to rock and roll as a teenager in the '50s?
"Oh, I used to drive my folks nuts--one of the first records I bought was Little Richard. 'Too loud and screechy,' they'd say. I was used to listening to all the white versions of the songs, but when I heard the original black versions, I thought the white versions were watered down--they had changed the lyrics."
Name five records you'd love to play at your 65th birthday party.
"Fats Domino, 'Blue Monday'; Little Richard, 'Ready Teddy'; the Beatles, 'I'm Looking Through You'; the Rolling Stones, 'It's All Over Now'; Chuck Berry, 'Sweet Little 16.'"