Matt Lauer's favorite band is Earth, Wind and Fire

I interviewed John McCain this afternoon at a private air terminal on the grounds of JIA. Most journalists who cover him say he's a nice guy. And he is. He seems to have trimmed down since I saw him last. I can't imagine the toll such a campaign takes on your body. But he looked good. He certainly doesn't look 71.

His answers did seem a bit more cautious than in previous interviews. But who can blame him? He just won the South Carolina primary and certainly has more to lose than gain from joking around with a journalist.

His wife Cindy was with him. She sat off-camera to his left during the interview tapping away on her Blackberry. I had never met her before. She was too busy for me to get an accurate impression. He seems to think she'd make a good First Lady.

For years and years I have asked high-profile people what books they are reading and what music is in heavy rotation on their iPod/CD player. Because I read so much and listen to so much music their answers help me feel like I get a better bead them.

John McCain most recently ("for fun" not for work) read For Whom the Bell Tolls. He initially told me it was The Great Gatsby but then changed his final answer to For Whom the Bell Tolls. I'm assuming he has read them both recently and it wasn't that he gets the two confused. But The Great Gatsby for fun? For Whom the Bell Tolls, sure. Robert Jordan is one of the coolest characters ever. And it's just a cool book. Blowing up stuff. Sneaking around fighting the man. Falling in love with a beautiful fellow freedom fighter. But The Great Gatsby?

Music in heavy rotation on the senator's iPod? "Anything before 1967," he said. That's too vague for me but I let it slide. And just between you and me it's also a tad disappointing. Sgt. Pepper's came out in '67. Joni Mitchell's Blue is still four years away and The Clash don't come around for another 10 years.

I remember Matt Lauer told me years ago that Earth, Wind and Fire's Greatest Hits never left his car CD player. I'm not sure why I remember that.

The whole interview is or will be posted. McCain's interview. Not Matt Lauer's.