Name: Matt Pinfield
Age: Older than I’d like to be (but glad to be alive after my many excesses)
Neighborhood: Currently, Harrison, New Jersey. Previously in NYC: 360 First Avenue, 99 John Street, 95 Christopher Street, 75 West Street, 504 Grand Street. Those are just the last five!
Occupation: Host of MTV2’s 120 Minutes, returning Saturday, July 30, at 1 a.m.
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Lou Reed.
What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
I love El Quijote, the old Spanish restaurant next to the Chelsea Hotel. When I was doing A&R at Columbia Records I took every band I signed to eat there.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Listen to and talk about music.
What was your first job in New York?
Manager of Music Programming at MTV in ‘95.
What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
I went to see All New People with Justin Bartha a couple of weeks ago. Zach Braff wrote the play and I really loved it. It’s about a suicidal guy who considers hanging himself in a Jersey Shore winter rental.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
I give them money if I find them entertaining and not annoying.
What’s your drink?
Diet ginger ale.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
A few times a week. I like to make homemade fresh pasta sauce with peeled tomatoes, lots of fresh garlic, and basil. Put it in a blender and pour it over angel hair pasta. You don’t even cook the sauce.
What’s your favorite medication?
Aspirin.
What’s hanging above your sofa?
A gold record for Radiohead’s The Bends. Thom Yorke and the band gave it to me at MTV because we believed in them and kept making all the videos from the album buzz clips.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
I wouldn’t spend a cent on a haircut. I’m bald and shave my own head.
When’s bedtime?
Depends if I am out at show, but never early enough!
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Neither … it’s full of tourists looking up and slowing down.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
Trump is a master of self-promotion.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
The most difficult thing is New York is getting a cab in the rain.
Who is your mortal enemy?
I’m not going to give an enemy the attention …
When’s the last time you drove a car?
I drive a car pretty regularly.
How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
It’s made it hard for many of my friends who were laid off to find new jobs.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
The Post for their shameless headlines, which are funny and sometimes cruel. (The one that always sticks out in my head is when David Carradine died and it just said “HUNG FU!”) The Times to keep up internationally. And the Daily News because it’s also a daily snapshot of the greatest city in the world!
Where do you go to be alone?
The bathroom.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Energy and attitude.
