.. .. ..Music, music, music...all kinds, as long as it's good. I'm very social and love to be with other people -- all ages, all types. Laughter is very important to me as is lively (even provocative) conversation. I'm smart and well-informed but it doesn't mean I don't like South Park or really stupid movies. I enjoy live performances: music -- particularly Amanda Jones with Willie Chambers of The Chambers Brothers Sunday nights at Canter's on Fairfax in Hollywood -- and theatre -- particularly the US premiere of "Daughters of Heaven" (the play on which Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures" is based), produced by BrittaniaJones Productions (Amanda and Brit's production company), directed by Judith Bohannon ("google" her) and starring Amanda Jones, Brit Nicol, Brenda Beck, Bennett Liss, Kerry McGrath, Elizabeth Southard, Chris DeChristopher, Bret Roberts, Marty Fortney, Daniel Jeary, Lindsay Heston, Jeff Steinkamp and Matt Mowatt at The Alexia Robinson Studios, 2811 W. Magnolia in Burbank, March 21- April 26, 2008 and "Thoroughly Modern Mille", starring Michael Jones, at Palisades Charter High School 4/4 -- 4/12. Also, indie and/or interesting films (and cheesy ones, too), museums, galleries and beautiful artwork (like the Chagall my son put as my wallpaper and the amazing artwork at chrismarspublishing.com and photography at sallymars.com), comedy, libraries, bookstores, history, the beach, playing guitar, SINGING, dancing, reading, writing, teaching, pop culture, hanging out with my (awesome) kids...and other people's kids (I earn my keep doing therapy with young children and old adults), listening to my kids play piano (and percussion and guitar) and sing together (so much better than watching TV), hopscotch, riding on swings, sprinklers, slip'n'slide, feeling the surf through my feet, thunderstorms (miss them here in southern Cal), hurricanes, tornadoes, travel (have only been on 3 continents and to 42 states -- need to do more), a good cry, uncontrollable laughter...love and romance (ahh, romance)...
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..In the book Illusions (I don't know how to underline on this and beg forgiveness from all of my old English teachers) by Richard Bach (which I read years ago when it was trendy), there was a line about how everything in life is either for fun or learning. I'm single but I'm not looking for a "mate" on this thing (Internet dating was depressing enough -- I like how open and refreshing this mostly kids medium is). I've seen how much fun the kids have with this and how amazingly far-reaching the "audience" is so, I suppose, I'd like to meet people who bring a smile to my face and/or have something worthwhile to teach me (my call on that, of course).
My friends (for real): Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, Steve Seskin (whose beautiful songs have been hits for Tim McGraw, Peter, Paul and Mary, and many others -- steveseskin.com), Tom Rush, Tom Paxton, Steven Cohen, Julie Day, Severin Browne, Don Conoscenti, Holland McCrae...and my family: my beautiful daughters, Amanda Jones (singing Sunday nights at Canter's with Willie Chambers of The Chambers Brothers) and Gillian Jones (drummer and percussionist for San Diego-based jazz and funk band, Blue Room) and handsome son, Michael Jones (lead guitarist and singer playing nightly in my living room) and The Replacements, Chris Mars, drummer of The Replacements and solo recording artist (my darling brother-in-law whose amazing art can be viewed at chrismarspublishing.com), and my late great-uncle, Maestro Leonard Bernstein..... Also, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Jerome Kern... Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett...The Beatles, The Hollies, The Byrds, CSNY, Donovan, Jefferson Airplane... Uncle Lenny (Bernstein), Aaron Copland, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Mozart... Alan Menken, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Claude-Michel Schonberg...West Side Story, Rent, Swan Lake, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas...Miles Davis, John Coltrane...Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye......Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Carly Simon..., The B-52s, The Ramones, The Clash, The Police, David Bowie, Queen...My Chemical Romance, Vertical Horizon, Lit, Anna Nalick, Madeleine Peyroux, No Doubt(older stuff -- not since Gwen Stefani sold out), The Raconteurs ...My brother-in-law, Chris:
Heavenly Creatures, Billy Elliot, Lars and the Real Girl, ET, Little Miss Sunshine, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Superbad, The Departed, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, The Birdcage, Napolean Dynamite, Young Frankenstein, So I Married An Ax Murderer, The Jerk, Life Is Beautiful, The Princess Bride, Finding Neverland, Big Fish...
Amanda's MTV commercial for "Rock the Cradle" and Amanda's episode of "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody"; "Pushing Daisies"; "Invasion" (I'm still grieving that this incredible show was canceled); "Jeopardy" (I often kick a&# on it); "Arrested Development" (grieving over the loss of this -- the funniest show ever-- as well); "Simpsons"; "South Park"; "Family Guy". Not much more -- I don't watch a lot of TV.
Little Women; A Wrinkle In Time; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; The Phantom Tollbooth; Where the Wild Things Are; The Tortilla Curtain; The Four Agreements; Anatomy of the Spirit; The Last Temptation of Christ; Weeping Willow; and Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day...
Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr.,and my children, Gillian, Amanda & Michael (see video above).