I'd like to meet:
Coming Soon!
Music:
Avett Brothers - November Blue
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Johnny Cash - Hurt
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Nick Cave And The Badseeds - The Mercy Seat
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Black Flag - Rise Above
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New Model Army - 51st State
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Miles Davis & John Coltrane - So What
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Movies:
Big blockbuster movies don't really interest me, It's normally one and a half hours of explosions, chases, machismo, the obligatory kiss, and the film is normallyforgotten by the end of the credits.
My passion for film stems from the gritty British reality movies of the late seventies, early eighties. Directors like Mike Leigh and Alan Clarke made films that struck a chord with me. Some of their better ones include:
Meantime
Bleak Moments
The Firm
Scum
Nut In May
Made In Britain
I believe Shane Meadows to be the best film maker at the moment, picking up where Clarke left off to make some hilarious and uncomfortable to watch movies.
I rate Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood as two of the finest actors of all time. The Spaghetti Western trilogy and The Godfather (Yes I know De Niro was only in Part 2) are my favourite trilogies behind the original Star Wars Trilogy.
My all time favourite movie is The Blues Brothers. It brings back fond memories of being young and on school holidays, watching it every day through the six week holidays.
Television:
I try not to watch TV, as a medium it can be very destructive. But I do enjoy C.S.I. and C.S.I. Miami!.
Books:
My favourite author is Charles Bukowski, His novels both repulse me and crease me within lines! I also enjoy reading Brett Easton Ellis. For an author to create a monster like Patrick Bateman and not be mentally insane himself gets the thumbs up from me!.
Some people think he's an asshole but I'm an avid reader of Henry Rolins book. His poetry can prove a bit strong, but his diary entries are very entertaining.
I like to read alot of biographies, I like to understand the people I have interests in. Favourite ones so far are:
"Touching From A Distance" by Debra Curtis,
"Cash" by Johnny Cash,
"Miles Davis: The Definative Biography" By Ian Carr,
"Margrave Of The Marhes (PEEL)" by John Peel,
"Chopper" (The Series) by Mark Brandon Reed.
I am reading "The Dirt" by Motley Crue at the moment. It's probably the best biography I have ever read for entertainment value. You don't even have to be a fan of the band as the book isn't really about the music, it's more about the drugs, booze and girls they have ecountered over the years. This is highly recommended for anyone with the slightest interest in Rock music.
I can also recommend:
"Salad Days" by Charles Romalotti (One for the Punkers!)
"And The Ass Saw The Angel" by Nick Cave,
"The Catcher In The Rye" by J.D. Salinger,
"1984" by George Orwell.
This is a small selection of the books I have read over the years, I've highlighting the main ones that mean something to me and have shapped me into the person I am today. Otherwise it would look like a shopping list and thats just boring
Heroes:
I don't really have any "Heroes", the thought of worshipping someone fills me with dread and a lack of self respect. There are people that have influenced my life, people that have inspired me in the direction I have choosen for myself.
The first person I think ever had any influence on me was Joe Strummer (R.I.P.). From the moment I heard "White Man In Hammersmith Palais" I knew that something special was happening. As the bullshit tabloids and the right wing rags were celebrating the death of Punk and the demise of the Sex Pistols, The Clash had already altered their sound and changed music forever!
Henry Rollins has always been a big inspiration in my life. A self created media machine, he writes his own books, records his own music, tours endlessly with his band or spoken word show, and documents it all on his own record and publishing label. And after all this, he finds time to fit in acting rolls in films (But we can forgive him for "Johnny Mneumonic"!). He has always proved that independence does work, from the early days of "SOA" thru "Black Flag" and into the "Rollins Band" he has never forgotten where he was from and what he stands for!
I have always listened to Johnny Cash (R.I.P.). An artsist I can remember hearing as a child, played by my father who also grew up listening to him. He has become, for me, the quintessential country artist that redefined the country music scene. In his later years he recorded songs by known artist from the likes of U2, Nine Inch Nails and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and made them sound like he had written them himself, If anyone has heard his versions of "One" by U2 or "Hurt" by NIN I think you'll know what I am trying to say. A pure musical genius that broke out of the constraints of a scene that hated change to reinvent himself in the mid 90's as one of the most prolific song writers of the last 50 years.
I know the people I have spoken about are all musicians (and that two of them are dead!!!), but music has always been, and will always be, a huge part of me!. There are other people I admire, Authors, Artists, Actors etc. but the three I have mentioned have had a lasting effect and for this am eternally grateful!