Music is very important to me particularly ska/punk rock becaue of the attitude and what the lyrics convey. I have also rediscovered the fun of live gigs and mosh pits (they weren't invented when I was a lad!). I'm interested in people and communities being able to do things for themselves and so I think politics is important and the way governments constantly seek to take power away from people in order to control them often under the guise of 'preventing terrorism). So lets start taking some of that power back to people and communities.
To paraphrase a character from 'Little Britain' I feel a bit like the only punk in the village - a sleepy quaint North Yorkshire hamlet. And yet there are so many fun exciting people out there (I know 'cos I keep running across them at gigs and festivals). So for me I'm looking to have a laugh and talk with like-minded people who are into (Punk) rock music and politics, who question authority and governments and don't just accept their alloted place in life.
Grew up with The Clash, The Ramones and Sex Pistols and still find them inspriring. In the last 12 months Rancid's Leeds gig was the best live music I have ever been crushed by. I also respect Strawberry Blondes, Capdown, The King Blues, Street Dogs Dropkick Murpheys, Against Me, The Bronx, The Explosion, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Automatic, Damien Marley, Big D and the Kids Table. Gogol Bordello are just uniqueley fantastic.
From the sentimemtal ('Its a Wonderful Life') to the brutal ('The Godfather')to music biographies. Best film I've seen this year is 'Everything is Illuminated. Best film ever is 'The Big Country'
Don't watch loads of TV but enjoy Jon Stewart's 'The Daily Show', 'The West Wing', comedies and the odd series such as '24' or 'Lost' until that bastard Murdoch buys them up for Sky viewers only. Currently enjoying 'Heroes'
I love reading and have wide ranging interests including 'serious' literure by Dickens, Orwell ('1984' seems more prophetic for the UK every day), Steinbeck, and Joyce but also JK Rowling, Hunter S Thompson. I also read political and social policy stuff by Chomsky, Naiomi Klein, George Monbiot and Robert Putman. Best books in the last year have been 'Englands Dreaming' by Jon Savage (about the Sex Pistols) and 'Passion is a Fashion' by Pat Gilbert (about The Clash). Best book ever is 'Ulysses' by James Joyce (about God know's what!)
If I had to choose one it would be Joe Strummer because what he and The Clash did for music and how much it scared the establishment (and my parents!) I read some stuff by Joseph Campbell years ago ('The Hero with a Thousand Faces') which led me to understand that we're all heroes in our own way - all of us on our own journey of discovery, battling demons along the way and being helped by magic and lovers. That doesn't have to mean its all romance and mystery 'cos most of the time it can be drab and boring but I just seem to have more fun treating life like an adventure and it keeps me optimistic.