I enjoy music (both recording and playing), traveling, pinball, the Marx Brothers, Monty Python (British humour in general), Abbott & Costello, Kevin Smith films, David Lynch films, John Waters films, Tim Burton/Danny Elfman collaborations, Christopher Guest films (A Mighty Wind, Best In Show, Spinal Tap (well, that was Rob Reiner, but you know what I mean)), Cohen brothers films, Farrelly brothers films, Woody Allen films, Beavis & Butthead, stained glass, slurpees, the sound of church bell-choirs, drumming of any kind but particularly Highland (Scottish) drumming and Drum Core International (DCI).
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To get a better glimpse into my warped mind, I've created T-shirts with some odd sayings I've come up with that are available at Zazzle.com:
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I'm happy to meet anyone that likes many of the same things that I do. I'm looking to meet some cool, interesting people, and post some (hopefully) funny, humorous goodies that will bring a smile and a laugh to your day.
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I enjoy most types of music (JACK-FM is a favorite) except for country, opera, or most hip-hop (I do admit I like Ludacris, DMX, Jay-Z, Lil' Jon, Kanye West, and Snoop-Dogg. I'm a drummer so I can appreciate any music with a jammin' phat beat that makes you wanna shake dat bootay!).
My all-time favorite artist is Billy Joel, and I've been fortunate enough to see him many times in concert (and almost meet him once). I also am a huge fan of The Beatles and Pat Metheny.
Other artists I like include: Foo Fighters, The Police, Sting, Julian Lennon, Enya, Genesis, Phil Collins, Nine Inch Nails (I met Trent Reznor, ask me about it sometime), Seal, Depeche Mode, The Pretenders, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, The Yellowjackets, Jean-Luc Ponty, ABBA (yes, I admit it), Tenacious D, among many others.
Growing up in the '70's and '80's I was into what was then called "alternative" as well as I got into fusion jazz and instrumental music. I was never into the "hair-bands" of the 80's and I'm embarrassed that they were associated with my generation. I lived in LA in the 90's and I listened to KROQ a lot which featured a myriad of alternative and grunge artists that I really enjoyed.
I was never much into radio (too many damn commercials and annoying DJ's), but of the radio I listen to these days I like to sample JACK-FM. I also like to listen to Mark and Brian. In-between the commercials on Mark and Brian I like to flip over and listen to Adam Carolla. If I do listen to the radio I keep it on the FM dial as I am not into talk radio or sports-talk radio at all.
Even though I love the music of Billy Joel, The Beatles, and Pat Metheny, my all-time favorite album is Supertramp's "Breakfast In America." There's just something about that album that I never get tired of listening to--I've literally played that CD hundreds if not thousands of times and it still sounds fresh to me. And I'm not even really a Supertramp fan. I have a couple of their other albums, but they pale in comparison to "Breakfast In America."
"Breakfast In America" also has one of my favorite quotes that when life gets me down, I think about this phrase and it gives me the will to carry on. From the first track on the album, "Gone Hollywood":
"So keep your chin up boy, forget the pain,
I know you'll make it if you try again,
There's no use in quitting when the world is waiting for you."
The song is about making it in Hollywood, but the lyrics could apply to anyone struggling in life. However, I am currently working on a screenplay. If it's ever sold and I'm cruising down the Sunset Strip someday, listening to "Gone Hollywood" while looking at a billboard of the movie I wrote, you can say you knew me way back when! :-)
As I mentioned, I'm a huge fan of the Foo Fighters and Jack Black. Here's a clip of them interviewing one another.
Artist on Artist: Dave Grohl and Tenacious D
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I like comedies, dramas, thrillers, action films, and "quirky" films. I'm pretty much up for anything (except slasher/horror flicks) that has a good story, engaging characters, and plenty of irreverent humor.
Some of my favorite films include: The Blues Brothers, Napoleon Dynamite, Dogma (I'm a big Kevin Smith fan), the Star Wars Trilogy (the first one, not the more recent one), Pulp Fiction (I'm also a Quentin Tarantino fan), Blue Velvet (I love David Lynch's work, he makes "good-weird" movies), Galaxy Quest, Terminator 2, Brazil, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Analyze This, Blazing Saddles, Boogie Nights, A Christmas Story, Midnight Run, Naked Gun, 40 Year Old Virgin, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, School Of Rock, and Stripes.
I also enjoy any films featuring: Jack Black, Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, John Cusack, Will Farrell, or Johnny Depp. They always make interesting character choices and you know that at least their performance in the film is going to be very entertaining.
I love the work of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez (they make great films and they're buddies in real life too which I think is very cool!). They're latest combined effort, "Grindhouse", was full of gore (Don't watch the "Planet Terror" portion if you're not into horror), but it also was a lot of fun:
And here's an intereview where both Tarantino and Rodriguez discuss "Grindhouse":
Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez
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One of my favorite films is "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (no relation). Here is one of my favorite scenes from the movie:
I don't watch as much TV these days as I used to, mainly because most stuff on TV sucks in my opinion, but I do have a few shows that I record (to fast-forward through the commercials) on a regular basis: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, My Name Is Earl, The Office, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, King Of The Hill, Boston Legal (for Shatner and Spader, I fast-forward through the rest of the show), Mythbusters, 24, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Monk, Rescue Me, Reno 911, The Shield, Scrubs, South Park, The Sarah Silverman Program, and Robot Chicken. I shy away from crime dramas (except Monk), reality shows, game shows, soaps, and if you watch American Idol, then please move on to the next profile, you're not welcome here (or as Luda would say “Put your hands down, you are not pimpin’â€).
Currently watching:
Just once when the bad guys get away on "24" I'd love to hear Jack Bauer let out a disappointed "Shit!" as we all do when things go wrong, but alas it's network television, so consequently, they have Jack say "Dammit!" a lot on the show. Someone put together a clip of all the times Jack said "dammit" on the show and it's pretty funny! Check it out:
One of the shows I really enjoyed watching from the early '90's was David Lynch's "Twin Peaks." I also liked "The X-Files," but had there been no "Twin Peaks," I doubt "The X-Files" would have even been brought to television.
I recently revisited "Twin Peaks" on the DVD box set. In the extras, there were commercials that were only shown in Japan for a brand of coffee. If you're a "Twin Peaks" fan, you'll definitely get a kick out of these:
I love anything by David Sedaris! His books are hilarious!
I just finished reading a book that I received as a Christmas gift: "Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles" by the recording engineer for the Beatles, Geoff Emerick. It combines two of the greatest passions of my life: music by the Beatles and sound engineering.
It seems almost trite these days but I really do admire our men and women serving in the military overseas. I hope that they all return home safely. I have a special connection to our service members because I work for a company that administers healthcare for our military service members and their families. I never served in the military, though my father was in the marines, but I'm proud that I'm able to do my part to serve our country now.
I also admire firefighters and emergency personnel and the selfless work they do on a daily basis. My hat’s off to Denis Leary and his writing/directing partner Peter Tolan for their extraordinary show “Rescue Me†for showing the more human side of firefighters and the work they do (plus it's a really funny and touching show!).
I’ve also had many customer service jobs in my life and I admire anyone who has had to endure the supreme idiocy of some customers with grace and aplomb without bashing the A-hole’s brains in right there on the spot (I think that’s why hockey was invented—take out your frustrations on the ice; it’s more like watching a fight interrupted by a hockey game once in a while. And I think Denis Leary would agree. :-) ).