IN THIS  latest irreverent Q&A series, SRQ puts Dr. Troy Quinn, music director and conductor of the Venice Symphony, under the spotlight and on the spot to ferret out his favorites, his flights of fancy and that one unforgivable fashion faux pas.

A recent day in the life?  Just yesterday consisted of getting up bright and early, getting on a plane to fly cross country, conducting an afternoon rehearsal and performing an evening concert with an orchestra. Typically, I get up and teach at USC, then for an hour or two I take care of any e-mails, give phone interviews, plan future music programs, and address any orchestra business, then I attempt to swim at the beach (one of my favorite beaches is Santa Monica, and now my new favorite is Siesta Key) or the pool, spend three to four hours studying scores, then cook a meal or go out on the town in the evening. The meal I prep the most is a pecan-crusted salmon, followed by chicken cutlets.

Your favorite virtue . .  Kindness

When you were a kid you dreamed of . . . Conducting at the Hollywood Bowl

Your guilty pleasure  . . . Eclairs

Thought you had driving to work this morning  . . . I can’t wait to come home and see my wife.

For what fault have you been the most tolerant  . . . Tardiness

In our hometown, we do too much  sunbathing   and too little  reading.

Your favorite villain in fiction   . . . Darth Vader

Your favorite villain in real life   . . . John Gotti

My last supper would include  . . . Thanksgiving dinner

Words you use too often   . . . Brilliant and Quite Frankly

What is one thing that you will never understand   . . . Arrogance

With two more hours in the day, I would  . . . Learn to fly a plane

Your favorite music artists   . . . The Carpenters, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston

If not yourself, who would you be?   A UN Ambassador

If you could undo one invention in the world, what would it be?  Social Media

What was the funniest thing you remember doing as a kid?   Waking up on Christmas Day and watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my brother

Would you rather have a rewind or a pause button in your life?   Pause button

What is the scariest thing you have ever done?  Driving Harrison Ford on a motorcycle. The fourth Indiana Jones filmed happened to film in my hometown of New Haven, CT. I was chosen to be just an extra in the movie, but quickly learned I would be Shia LaBeouf’s stand-in double. A stand-in is basically used to set up the camera angles and practice the scene from a technical standpoint before the actual actors come in and film the scene. For whatever reason Shia was not ready to shoot yet so I had to rehearse the upcoming scene, which was driving Harrison Ford on a motorcycle through a library—all the while thinking I was going to crash and injure the star, as I had never driven a motorcycle before, but that was my little secret. It all turned out well in the end and was probably the coolest non-musical experience I have ever had.

If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be?  John Williams, Lucille Ball and John F Kennedy.

Your favorite food of the moment is . . .    Sushi

You have to wear a t-shirt with on word on it, what would it be?   Smile

If you could snap your fingers and appear somewhere else, where would you be?   Fiji

Which cartoon character best represents your personal philosophy?  Mickey Mouse, because of his “can-do” attitude.

What in your mind is the biggest fashion faux pas?   Black pants and brown shoes 

What song best describes your life right now?   “I’ve Got the World on a String.”