Music, TV, Film, Books, and...uh, probably other stuff, too.
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Morrissey, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, David Letterman, Kevin Smith, Dustin Hoffman, Hank Azaria, Andy Partridge, Brian Wilson, and Matthew Perry. Even though I'm very happily married, I'd still like to meet Sherilyn Fenn and Debbie Gibson, since they were the biggest crushes of my late teen years. (How else to explain that, when my nephew Tyler was born, I was in a theater, seeing "Boxing Helena"? I mean, SOMEBODY had to do it...) Oh, and I'd like a second chance with Elvis Costello, because I met him once and was so starstruck that I said, "You're a genius," which led to him wandering off, probably because how can you possible have a proper conversation with someone who starts off by saying, "You're a genius"? I'd also like to meet Roddy Frame; it's not as if he remembers it, but I got off on the wrong foot during a phone interview with him when I mentioned that I'd seen him open for Edie Brickell and observed that half the audience left after his performance because they'd only come to see him. I didn't intend to belittle Brickell, but he wouldn't have any of my explanation that I was only indicating how people were willing to pay full-price even to see him do an opening act; he replied, "Well, that's nice, but don't diss Edie." Yes, he really did say "diss." Cos Roddy's hardcore like that.
The Beatles, The Smiths, XTC, The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, the Sex Pistols, Jellyfish, Crowded House, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Blur, Bee Gees, Zombies, ELO, Trashcan Sinatras, Merrymakers, Nik Kershaw, Howard Jones, Duran Duran, Franz Ferdinand, Cosmic Rough Riders, Peter Himmelman, Angie Aparo, Frazier Chorus, Judybats, Gladhands, Lush, Rubinoos, Def Leppard, Asia, Javelin Boot, the Grapes of Wrath, Spinal Tap, Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Jason Falkner, Robyn Hitchcock, Cranbury Sauce, Depeche Mode, Greenberry Woods, Splitsville, David Bowie, Queen, The Candy Skins (or is it the Candyskins?), Echo and the Bunnymen, the Psychedelic Furs, the Turtles, R.E.M., Syd Barrett, Matthew Sweet, the Cure, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, the Ramones, Warren Zevon, Barry Manilow, Rooney, Phantom Planet, Marvelous 3, Butch Walker, Ben Folds, Lindsey Buckingham, Colin Hay, Men At Work, Coldplay, Michael Carpenter, the Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg, the Outfield, Pet Shop Boys, Frazier Chorus, Jayhawks, the Candy Butchers, Dave Wakeling, Belle & Sebastian, U2, Brian Eno, Pernice Brothers, Rocket Summer, Elliott Smith, Starbelly, Bread, Richard Barone, Heavy Blinkers, Player, Huey Lewis & The News, Utopia, Stray Cats, Ric Ocasek, Dead 60s, All American Rejects, the Producers, Ben's Diapers, Cockeyed Ghost, Banana Splits, Lancelot Link and the Evolution Revolution, Catherine Wheel, Fountains of Wayne, Danny Wilson, Suede, Embrace, Longwave, Stone Roses, Swirl360, Taxiride, Rick Springfield, Waltham, Jackdaw4, They Might Be Giants, Enuff Z'Nuff, The Big Dish, Aztec Camera, Eggstone, John Wesley Harding, a-ha, Elvis Costello, Hoodoo Gurus, Thomas Dolby, Tears For Fears...aw, man, this could go on forever, so I should probably just say, "I like a lot of people." But a specific addiction of mine is cover songs. Even this one.Beyond that, however, you totally need to check out this clip for probably my favorite song of the last five years: "A Line You Can Cross," by Lansing-Dreiden, which takes every other '80s-inspired artist in recent memory to task and says, "Fuck you, THIS is how you pay tribute to that era..."And, lastly, here's my new favorite musician: my future punk rocker of a daughter.
Now that I have a kid, I find I don't get out to see movies nearly as often as I used to, which means I tend to fall back on the classics - Clerks, Trainspotting, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Swingers, Anchorman, Pulp Fiction, the Commitments, Ed Wood, Anchorman, Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Iron Giant, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Chasing Amy, Jackie Brown, Reservoir Dogs, Austin Powers (but only the first one), Garden State, Snakes on a Plane, That Thing You Do, Sideways, The Grudge, Sixteen Candles, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Forrest Gump, Breakfast Club, and, dammit, I really liked "The Perfect Score." "This is a crack team you've assembled here, chief." Calling someone "chief" = funny.
How I Met Your Mother, The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, King of the Hill, Home Movies, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Firefly, Friends, House, Everybody Loves Raymond, Law and Order, CSI, 30 Rock, Doctor Who, Torchwood, My Name Is Earl, NCIS, Medium, Scrubs, Larry Sanders, X-Files, Sopranos, Profiler, and probably thousands more. Oh, yeah, and Quark. (Look it up.)Favorite new show: "Reaper."Funniest 4+ minutes of television EVER:
The Beatles Forever; Fargo Rock City; Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs; Neverwhere; Our Band Could Be Your Life; Watchmen; Trouser Press Record Guide; High Fidelity...oh, yes, and Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung. I know there are tons more, but I'm just going from the bookcases nearby. A recent favorite is "Frost on My Moustache," by Tim Moore, which was so good that I immediately ordered another one of his books online; great travelogue stuff a la Bill Bryson. As of this writing, I'm reading Wil Wheaton's latest work, "The Happiest Days of Our Lives." Good times...
I gotta put my dad first, right? My grandfather - my mother's mother - needs to be on that list, too. Beyond that, geez, I don't really sit around and unabashedly look up to anyone. As far as personal heroes in journalism, I guess the big one is Cameron Crowe: he was writing for Rolling Stone in his teens, married a rock chick, and went on to write and direct movies. You really can't beat that. Beyond that, Groucho Marx and David Letterman helped me come out of my shell by making me realize that I had a really smart-ass sense of humor.img src="http://img.freecodesource.com/gallery/images/banners/pr od_97_1093.gif"