girls with guns/goddesses with ammo. the magickal and mystical. the arcane and the obvious. boudoir noir and early erotica. saints and sinners. the moon, stars and the spirals among them. the sound and smell of the ocean. sea-creatures. paris in autumn. philology and philosophy. the aesthetics of science. epiphanic moments. obsolete antiquities. sick senses of humor. salacious symbolism. avant-garde couture. corsets and bustles. pin-ups and pulp fiction. kung fu fightin'. obscure museums. black-clad burlesque and theatre of the absurd. dancing in the moonlight. fireworks and waterfire. fetishists and cybergeishas. tattooed beauties. subculture fashionistas. bunnybuttons and kittenheads. undead ophelias. the end/beginning. lust for love and life. beautiful decay. attics, basements and hidden treasures. vintage port and imported chocolates. the delicious, debaucherous and the decadent. beloved revolutionary sweethearts. individualists and extremists. passion. irony. poetry. sensuality. insanity.
the poets, painters and performers. sentimental fools. costume historians, fashion geeks and subculture fashionistas. fabulous freaks. people who feel too much.
i'll be the first to admit that my taste in music hasn't changed much since i was in high school. i still listen to the same old school goth, post-punk, darkwave, swirly stuff & early industrial, as well as the newer variations (although i'm a bit pickier about those). lately, my musical tastes have evolved into a wider range which currently includes lots of international, noise and indy fusion.
dead poet's society. secret of roan inish. breakfast at tiffany's. rebel without a cause. pulp fiction. kill bill. donnie darko. run lola run. princess and the warrior. wings of desire. annie hall. american beauty. breakfast club. all about eve. citizen cane. frida. pollack. sylvia. henry and june. control. fur. kama sutra. pillow book. dreams. crouching tiger, hidden dragon. the last emperor. amelie. LOTR. star wars. indiana jones. tomb raider. virgin suicides. eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. princess bride. la passion de jeannne d'arc. wizard of oz.
in general, movies by: merchant-ivory (room with a view, howard's end.....i'm a costume geek!). coen bros (millers crossing, O brother where art thou?, hudsucker proxy). jim jarmusch (dead man, coffee & cigarettes, mystery train). jean jeunet (amelie, la cité des enfants perdus, un long dimanche de fiancailles). jean-luc godard (À bout de souffle, vivre sa vie). david lynch (elephant man, wild at heart, mulholland drive). tim burton...especially in collaboration with johnny depp (edward scissorhands, sleepy hollow, ed wood). actually, just about anything with johnny depp, kevin spacey, john malkovich or parker posey.
i don't like to watch tv because i'd probably get addicted to watching the geekier channels (and really bad reality shows at 3am), so i rent/buy/borrow series i think are worthwhile (i.e., angel, firefly, carnivale, six feet under, family guy, cowboy bepop, buffy, FARSCAPE, etc.)
currently reading:
Guns, Germs and Steel -Jared Diamond The Celestine Prophecy -James Redfield
recently read recommendations:
After Dark -Haruki Murakami Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix -J.K. Rowling The Master Butcher's Club -Louise Erdrich Daughter of Fortune -Isabel Allende The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold The Black Dahlia - James Ellroy A Farewell To Arms - Ernest Hemingway The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver Tipping The Velvet - Sarah Waters Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov Bel Canto/The Magician's Assistant - Ann Patchett Until I Find You - John Irving Possible Side Effects / Magical Thinking / Dry / Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs
Assassination Vacation - Sarah Vowell Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood The Alchemy of the Mind - Diane Ackerman
"we're our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves."
(...but if i had to pick a few, i'd say: e.e. cummings, joan of arc, frida kahlo, mahatma gandhi, anais nin, anna akhmatova, margaret atwood, mary shelley, marchesa luisa casati, katherine hepburn, oscar wilde, sylvia plath, bill shakespeare, my grandfather.