Other creative types... authors, agents, publishers, musicians
Most anything that doesn't fit into a box. I've partied with Dave, Chris and Iola Brubeck; Thelonious Monk, one of the founding fathers of Bop; Robert Lamm, since CTA - very much looking forward to his bossa nova project; Brian Setzer and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy for keeping alive the Big Band era; Little Feat for refusing to record music to make the suits happy.
Too many to list them all; but a few include The Fisher King - Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, and Amanda Plummer turn in outstanding performances under the direction of Terry Gilliam; Letters From Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood's masterpiece; Once Upon a Time in the West - Henry Fonda plays the darkest character of his illustrious career, ably supported by Charles Bronson and Jason Robards; Silverado - probably my all time favorite western; Bull Durham - possibly the best baseball film ever made; I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy - Cagney's finest role.
So many books, so little time: Victory by Joseph Conrad - a classic in any era; Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe; The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre by Dominic Smith; the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe; The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco; You Know Me Al by Ring Lardner; Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley; The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson; Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke; With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge; Saving Milly: Love, Politics and Parkinson's Disease by Morton Kondracke; Possession by A.S. Byatt.
“Heroes†is a term that I feel is overused, but certainly the world can use more of them. That said, there are a handful of people I admire: Zinta Aistars simply for her wonderful way with the word. Markus Rutens for finding himself and for finding the courage to dream; his sister Lorena for living more life in her twenty-six years than most people do in their entire lifetime. Anyone with the courage to show their patriotism by holding accountable those in office and not just follow the leader. Oh, and retired Red Wing Steve Yzerman — for playing the game the way it was meant to be played: with passion and a sense of fair play; for playing his entire career with one team; for his humbleness both on and off the ice; for being a fine spokesperson for the game; for what he does for the community.