The 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's (history, style, and music of each), World War II and ancient history, punk rock and other live music shows, waistline augmentation, pillaging, gin and tonic, classic pin-ups & sex symbols, great beers of the world (German wheat beer, Belgian ales, British stouts, etc), existentialism, white russians, women, politics, annoying stupid people, debauchery, archaeology, manhattans, philosophy, ladies, evading the law, leather working, and soon to be re-making my abode in Fountain Square into period 1930's/1940's.
Other like-minded people who want to make the world a better place for everyone else, not just to satisfy their addiction for money or power. Other people obsessed with the whole mid-20th century retro movement too, especially the 1930's & 1940's. And the real people who lived through that era... talk to them while you can!
Pay homage to who I consider the First Lady of retro pin-up photography, Miss Amanda Lee:
And, ladies and gentlemen, the prophet Bill Hicks:
Big band/swing, jazz, lounge, crooners, ragtime, rockabilly, psychobilly, punk, classical, electronic/trance, acoustic, gothic rock, movie soundtracks, and classic/outlaw country. I just can't get into rap (even though some of it has a good message), and pop rock, pop punk, pop country, hip-hop and the like all suck the mighty pecker of Satan for their respective 15 minutes. End of story.
Now that you love me and my musical tastes, I also happen to host this swanky event, every month at the Melody Inn:
And I've had this ongoing crush on jazz/swing artist Lavay Smith , ever since I saw her at the Jazz Kitchen in 2007.......
It came to my attention that I am divided on this one!
CLASSICS: the Thin Man series, Casablanca, North By Northwest, African Queen, Little Caesar, the Outlaw, Libeled Lady, Notorious, the Roaring Twenties, Petrified Forest, The Killers, Maltese Falcon, Citizen Kane, Sergeant York, Gilda, His Girl Friday, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and the Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello films.
Some of the funniest lines from the Thin Man series (William Powell and Myrna Loy):
LATER ONES: The Big Lebowski, Serenity, The Aviator, Tucker: A Man & His Dream, Bladerunner, Blazing Saddles, Big Trouble in Little China, Army of Darkness, Pump Up the Volume, Lord of the Rings series, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Full Metal Jacket, Das Boot, Cross of Iron, the Eagle has Landed, Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator (even though it was historically inaccurate), Lost Boys, Aliens (not the vomit-inducing 3rd or 4th ones though), Hunt for Red October, Predator, the Abyss, Young Frankenstein, Ronin, Fight Club, and anything from Monty Python, Tarentino, Mel Brooks, or Kubrick.
The Universal Adjective, put to good use in "the Big Lebowski":
Not a huge TV watcher (it's EVIL and an opiate for the masses), but I do like MST3K (Joel), Star Trek, Young Ones, Red Dwarf, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Simpsons, Futurama, and Adult Swim. Lo, how I hate reality shows and sportscasts. Lately, I'm adding Firefly (how did I miss this one???? it's the shiniest in the 'Verse), and trying to get into the new Galactica.
I have some sort of ADD that prevents me from reading anything but technical manuals and history books. Wish I could be cool like most of my friends and be a huge reader of fiction, but there you go! Most of the books on my shelf consist of WWII history tomes (such as "German Paratroops" and "Government Issue: A Collector's Guide"), conspiracy/alternate history theory ("Above Top Secret", "Fingerprints of the Gods", etc), and a few interesting "coffee table" specials ("Great American Pinups", "Atlas of Middle Earth"). Yep, I'm a geek.
People who are comfortable enough to remain who they really are, and stay true to others too, even in the face of death or other dire circumstances. Innovators in the face of those who stand to make money from stagnation. People who go out of their way to speak out or act against the ones that would make us all corporate-feudalistic serfs.
Individuals/characters I admire the most: the late great comedian Bill Hicks, auto designer Preston Tucker, punk/activist Jello Biafra, and Captain Malcolm Reynolds of "Firefly/Serenity". Keep flyin, Mal :)