Anything that deals with the progression of humankind. And then some.
- What does life mean?
- What chord does Beethoven call "The Black Key"?
- Do blue and orange really make the perfect gray?
- What sexual position makes a woman climax the fastest?
- What is the gravitational pull in Chicago?
- How do the Fibonacci Series relate to DaVinci's Divine Proportion?
- Just where ARE the f**kin' spark plugs located on a g*dd*mn Kia?!?
No holds barred here - I'm telling you!
Whoever has the ability to minimize his/her stupidity... so long as we can talk about philosophy, theology, music, design, or just a plain ol' common sense. If you can drink while doing these things, the better.
ALL KINDS:
VARIOUS: Flamenco, Jazz-Fusion, Huapango, some 80's pop, some modern Rock/Hard Rock, some Pop, some dance, some progressive urban, etc.)
CLASSICS (Big Band, FSinatra, DMartin, etc)
METAL: I love f**king Metal!!!
BLACK METAL (Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Aeternus, Arcturus, Old Man's Child, Cradle of Filth, Opeth, etc.)
DEATH METAL (Rigor Mortis, Morbid Angel, The Chasm, Nile, Death, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, etc.)
OLD SCHOOL (Black Sabbath, old Deep Purple, etc.)
SPEED METAL (early/current Testament, early Slayer, early Sepultura, early Metallica, early Megadeth, etc.)
PROGRESSIVE (Dream Theater, Symphony X, etc.)
GUITAR INSTRUMENTAL (J.Satriani, YJ.Malmsteem, H.Cuesta, etc.)
AND THEN THERE'S CLASSICAL: Vivaldi, Beethoven, Bach, Pagannini, etc...
ANYTHING BUT cock-rock and nü-metal, etc. -P
Bad comedies like "The Stoned Age", "Kentucky Fried Movie", and "Bachelor Party", -- to cool sh*t like "Boondock Saints", "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Godfather", -- to wierd sh*t like "City of Lost Children", "Quest for Fire", and "Fire and Ice", - pretty eclectic.
Military Channel, History Channel, MT2, VH1 Classic, Fuse, whatever...
"The Art of War", "The Book of Five Rings", "The Handmaids' Tale", "Readers Digest: The Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual" (no, I'm not kidding), etc...
It took me a while to think about this one. At first, I was like, "Well, I really don't idolize anyone." Sure we're all influenced by things, experiences, ideas, and people. But 'Hero' is used as a synonym for protagonistic, archetypal figures in Greek legends.
As the case may be, the people who influence me most are:
My parents - my father for exemplifying what a good man is, and what a true human should be; my mother for teaching compassion, cordiality, and other intangible yet valuable attributes.
My brother - Ivan, it's YOU who rocks. I may be book-smart, but damn, I do learn a lot from you. "Best friend" isn't enough to describe.
My sister - affable, intelligent, a good mixture of Ivan's approachability and my profundity. You are fabulous!
My dearest wife, Evie - lover, friend, touchstone. Words really can't encapsulate your significance. That's why I married you. And please don't mind being listed fourth... it's chronological, Baby. ;-)
Pope St. Gregory I : I thought I was a workaholic... MAN!!! That guy did everything! Straightened out a massive organization. World Tours. Clarified people's f**ked up ideas on religion. And even wrote music!!! And yes, he was responsible for Fourth Harmonies - you know, that eerie, ominous, monastic Gregorian Chant sound??? Well, there!
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy : an underrated Bauhaus teacher, designer, philosopher. Another over-achiever! And he eventually became a Chicago icon!
Great Guitar Players - KHammett, YMalmsteen, JPetrucci, MScaccia (long live the resurrected Rigor Mortis), KKing, JHanneman, and the list goes on and on...