Doug Thornton is an author and healthcare technology executive living in Virginia. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, he attended many Journey concerts in the area before moving to Hawaii, where he saw Journey in better weather. He is an avid collector of books, music, and musical instruments that he can't play. He bought Journey's first three albums after listening to Infinity, which initially confused him, but helped him appreciate their prodigious talents. While he never achieved the size of Neal Schon's 1970s afro, he did perm his hair throughout high school in homage to one of his favourite guitarists.