My tastes run from ABBA to Zappa, from Sugar-Pop to Math-Rock ... almost anything works, if it's done well. Here are a few people whose music inspires me, in alphabetical order ... if I sorted them by merit, the list would change every 17 minutes.

Terry Bozzio . Jonatha Brooke . Matt Cameron . Coldplay . Shawn Colvin . Stewart Copeland . Dixie Chicks . Gloria Estefan . Eminem . Extreme . Foo Fighters . Peter Gabriel . Steve Gadd . Gin Blossoms . Omar Hakim . Manu Katche . Nik Kershaw . King's X . Lenny Kravitz . Jonny Lang . Cyndi Lauper . Lyle Lovett . Madonna . Mike Mangini . Pat Mastelotto . Matchbox 20 . Dave Matthews . Missing Persons . Alannis Morrisette . Mr Mister . Samantha Mumba . NIN . No Doubt . Joan Osborne . Simon Phillips . Pink . Jeff Porcaro . Soundgarden . Stone Temple Pilots . Tool . U2 . UK . Van Halen

If the list seems to wander all over the place, it's just a reflection of the fact that my taste wanders all over the place!!