"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
~Edgar Allen Poe
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I'm interested in EVERYTHING and, especially, everything that comes after everything. There are virtually no topics of conversation in this galaxy I cannot listen to and learn from. Experiences and encounters, observation and deduction, are my raison d'tre, discussing them my art and passion. It doesn't matter to me who you are, what you are, why you are, if you talk to me, I will listen.
Anyone With An Imagination & A Sense Of Humor.
I have yet to hear a type of music where I can't find some worth or intrigue, with the glaring exception of corporate boardroom dictated drivel. I am open to hearing new sounds, embracing old ones and reaching for those yet unknown. Tolstoy said it for me: "Music makes me forget my real situation. It transports me into a state which is not my own. Under the influence of music I really seem to feel what I do not feel, to understand what I do not understand, to have powers which I cannot have."
As a film historian, with a passion for the art in my mind and soul as intense and gratifying as breathing, I will watch virtually any movie made between 1891-1974. There will always be great movies made, now and in the future, but the level of consistent excellence in world cinema from the 20's to the 70's may never be achieved again. Sadly, I have found myself becoming extremely selective on new films, most of which seem intended for teen boys or overblown dramas just trolling for an Oscar. CGI effects kind of bore me. If you consider DODGE BALL to be the pinnacle of your cultural life, we will have little in common. However, I recently saw DONNIE DARKO and consider that one of the greatest of American movies from the past 25 years. I will talk movies anytime, anywhere, with anyone, so if you don't just watch them, you ABSORB them, I will be your friend forever.
I pretty much only watch TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES, the greatest network in the history of television. The INDEPENDENT FILM CHANNEL, especially "Samurai Saturdays." HISTORY CHANNEL, PBS, Sports. Otherwise, I watch very little television, though believe that it is capable of greatness and can be, with judiciousness, an integral and rewarding experience. I may knock most of what's on it these days, but the technological miracle of it continues to amaze me.
I read a lot of non-fiction about everything and anything, particularly world history and pop culture history. Favorite fiction authors include: Hemingway, Bradbury, Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene, Alan Moore, et al. Read very few current authors and rarely best sellers. With centuries of literature to choose from, it's unlikely I'll find anything of substance at the grocery store rack, but I'm hardly a snob and think that reading is reading, no matter what you choose. The important thing IS to choose and read as much as you can. No other activity makes your imagination feel so snowed in bliss.
Anyone who believes in their heart that we cannot survive without each other, no matter what part of the universe they happen to live in or what diety they worship. As long as they are peaceful, tolerant, imaginative and can try to see the big picture or the shades of gray, instead of narrowing everything in their lives to one particular view or creed.And friends, who are the true super heroes amongst us. We often can't find them, but sometimes, if you're lucky, you might have one or two in your midst. They destroy doubt, rescue us from regret and protect us from impatience, intolerance and a life without wonder. Friends have saved me time and time again from all sorts of evildoers, both self-imposed and those imposed by the machinations of an indifferent world. A true friend will be your guardian from the moment time first ticked and they will dwell, from moment to moment to moment, throughout your imagination, your heart and most decidedly in your soul. You are everything because of them, nothing without them. There is no eternal light in these cold galaxies, save for your friends and it is through them that you shall live forever.