Anthony John Arena was born in a little log cabin in Illinois, where he learned to write on a piece of slate, and later grew up to be president of the...

No wait. That's not true. That was Abe Lincoln. Let me try this again.

Tony Arena lives right here in New York City and he's been unanimously voted Very Cool Person of the Month.

Here's why Tony rocks.

A) He is a Fount of Musical Knowledge. When I was working on the Fat Kid soundtrack list for Penguin's teen zine Razorbill, Tony weighed in on all the important decisions, like exactly which Stooges and Sex Pistols tracks to include, and he introduced me to a new band that is now one of my favorites (The Briefs).

B) Tony is one of the most generous people I know. Having never met me, he's not once, but twice, made me mix tapes. He patiently answers all my musical questions, and let me tell you, there are a lot of them.

C) Tony writes for maximumrockandroll which is very cool. Check out their link at www.maximumrocknroll.com

D) Ever hear of an autoharp? Well, me neither, but Tony plays one. In a punk band. He also doubles as singer/songwriter. How cool is that? So, it's official...

Anthony Arena rules the world!