Drums, baseball, my pets, reading, writing, football and many other sports - I pretty much love them all, and yes, that includes bullriding.
OTHER DRUMMERS! ;-)
Musicians, theologians, capitalists, and athletes, or any combination thereof, which would be cool.
Yogi Berra, because I was never able to feel comfortable in my skin until I learned he and I share a birthday. Once I learned that, it all made sense. I call it my "Yogi Factor"! Plus he reminds me of my Uncle Louie, who was the coolest uncle ever.
Peter Gabriel, for giving me the world of rhythm...literally.
Frederick Buechner, for figuring out how to make God make sense to me.
Peter Murphy, for introducing me to the poetry gods.
Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer, for making Sooner football so deeply gratifying all these years from the time I was running around in diapers hollering "Tuck Fexas!" and pointing the longhorns toward the ninth circle of hell.
Ron Paul, for stepping up to the plate. He's the Texan who should be in office instead of the weasel there now leaving weasel pellets all over the world. [How did he ever break the Zero Year tradition? Someone go tell John Hinckley Jr. that W has the hots for Jodi Foster.]
Check out what my local Memphis meet-up group did on July 4th 2007. Yes, that really is the Federal Reserve Building downtown, and the security guard was watching us! It was AWESOME!!! Turn up your speakers and rock out!
PETER GABRIEL, BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, ROBERT PLANT, KINGS OF LEON, THE DHOL FOUNDATION, PETER MURPHY, BRIAN ENO, AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM, SHEILA CHANDRA, and NINE INCH NAILS, to name eleven of about four hundred seventy one gazillion. But these eleven are seriously responsible for my drum style and I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude for the many years I've spent studying, and surrendering my soul along the way, to them. They are the giants on whose shoulders I proudly ride. They're also the reason I think bands like AC/DC are the sonic equivalent of crap. See, music actually has more than three chords, rhythm can go beyond the mind-numbingly boring backbeat, and lyrics can extend well beyond masturbation and STDs and actually accomplish something noble for both genders. So for the record, if you deduced by now that I could care less whether a bunch of drunken, simian misogynists listen to my music, very astute assumption, because I care only about my masters being proud of me. That would be wealth enough.
Enjoy the awesomeness coming at us from the rest of the planet in the following video: Johnny Kalsi et al of The Dhol Foundation. Go check them out at myspace.com/thedholfoundation for more.
Ahh, and two videos from these sexy Tennessee boys. Ladies, I hear you. It is painful indeed. But here's the deal, if ever harems for women are legalized, I hereby officially claim dibs on the Followill boys. I hear there's at least a fifth one, and I'm saying I get them all.
Compelling storylines. Engaging dialogue. Mesmerizing cinematography. Believable acting. Support indie films. I will say, though, that my immovable all-time favorite is "The Last Temptation of Christ". Incredible.
Cardinal baseball, Sooner football, Memphis basketball, My Name is Earl, Candice Olsen's Divine Design. Otherwise, it's off.
Too many, some would say. To which I respond, "Feh!"
But as for reading on the Internet, I start my day with www.wwtdd.com, because it's evil, and check in often to see who's been added at www.dickipedia.org, because it, too, is quite evil. Both make me laugh. Then I read spiritual stuff my mom sends me so I can go out in the world and not be evil, something I have to work at daily.
Jesus. My parents. My brothers. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Rorschach. Judy Sheindlin. Otherwise, it's too long a list and too important not to mention. Future inspirational blog material for when I take breaks from bashing stupid people.