The Concord Monitor’s Eric Moskowitz quizzed Bronson Arroyo about the Cincy starter’s case of Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Ed Veddder III Flu. A brutal assignment to be sure, but it could’ve been worse. Scott Spiezo might be making a new record.  (link courtesy Repoz and Baseball Think Factory)

Q: If you could pick five albums to be stranded with on a desert island, what would they be?

A: If I had to take them on a desert island, No. 1 without a doubt is Pearl Jam “Ten”. I’d say Counting Crows, their first album, “August and Everything After” … Let’s see, I’d say Metallica “Black.” Um, and I’m trying to think, off the top of the head, I know there’s plenty more but it’s hard to think about them. Let’s see, those three for sure. Let’s see, hmmm. One. Two. Three. Ah, there’s so many good albums, but a lot of them I’m thinking only have two or three really good songs on them, you know?

Q: I went to a Pearl Jam show once, and I still remember Eddie decorated his guitar with a sticker for the late senator Paul Wellstone and with the “This Guitar Kills Fascists” line, like Woody Guthrie. Are you at the stage where you put stickers or statements on your guitar?

A: My original guitar that was given to me in ’99 is an acoustic guitar, it’s on the cover of my record, it’s got stuff all over it. For years I cut out magazines and glued them on there, I’ve got a ton of my favorite artists on there, and actually I’ve had a lot of guys sign that guitar, but I don’t use it at shows because it’s not really that good of a guitar, so it stays at home and I just mess around with that one, but I definitely don’t put statements on my guitar. I know Eddie goes out on a limb, he always has, ever since MTV Unplugged, when he wrote about pro-choice on his arm, you know. I try to stay away from religious debates and political debates, because regardless of which side you choose, you’re always pissing somebody off, so.