Colin St. John, Music assistant

Photograph: Roxana Marroquin

Describe your personal style.
I have no personal style.

Come on. No one wants to hear your modesty.
I usually wear passed-down pants from my father; I have various shades of Converse All-Stars and then I buy T-shirts. Actually, one interesting tidbit about me is that I just started wearing jeans. I hadn’t worn jeans since about eighth grade.

Why is that?
In high school we had to wear collar shirts every day and khaki pants. So I kind of carried that through to the weekend. Not the collar shirts, but the khakis.

You loved khakis that much?
It was more that I got the impression I looked goofy in jeans. If you don’t wear jeans regularly, they look weird. Also, I used to have these light-colored jeans—I bought them for a job one summer where I had to shuck oysters every day—and my girlfriend told me I looked like an idiot when I wore those.

How discouraging. So what prompted the change of heart?
My mom was in town about a month ago, and we bought some new jeans.

And you like the new ones?
I like the laundry repercussions. I wear jeans into work now because I don’t like having to do laundry all the time. I’ve probably worn this pair about 15 times without a wash. [Laughs]

Well done. In your photograph you’re also in a Rockies shirt. Is that your hometown team?
Yeah, I’m from Denver. I’m actually a sixth-generation Coloradan, through my father’s side. My great-great-aunt or something came over in a covered wagon from Albany.

Yeah, yeah, but the important question is, have you owned that shirt for a while, or did you buy it only after the Rockies made the World Series?
[Laughs] I’ve had it for a long time. I actually went to both the Denver games of last year’s World Series.

Fair enough. Do you have different classes of T-shirts, like some for work and some for going out?
It’s a pretty egalitarian shirt setup.

So you don’t have any favorites? Be honest.
I do have some old band shirts that have a special place in my heart. I have a Grateful Dead shirt, possibly from when I was in grade school. I was a husky boy, so I would buy really big shirts that can still fit me.

That’s nice. Tell me, do you ever wear a band shirt to the same band’s concert?
No. I mean… Just no.

I was just checking. You never know.
There are certain hard-and-fast rules. I also don’t listen to the band’s music on the day of the concert.

We’re supposed to be talking about clothes. How many colors of Converse do you have?
Let’s see, white, green, black, blue. Two lows and two highs.

Anything you’re looking to add to the collection?
I could use some red high-tops. I do have other shoes. I also like Top-Siders.

You say you always wear T-shirts, but I saw you one day in a white button-up and fire-engine-red suspenders. What gives?
Unfortunately, I was at a memorial service that morning. But I do like to rock the suspenders on formal occasions. I might only have two sets here, but I have another four back in Denver.

You pull those out for weddings, too, I’m guessing.
Yes. Weddings and high-school dances.

Did suspenders impress the high-school ladies?
Nothing impressed the high-school ladies.

You went to the wrong high school.