History is a passion, as well as comparitive religions, philosophy, film criticism, fiction, etc. Other things I really dig are: Cities (big or small), hot, spicy ethnic food (Indian, Ethiopian, Korean), travelling (been to Europe a number of times), cafe and bar culture, seeing local bands, Beer (especially Belgian) Wine (Shiraz is my fave) playing basketball, chilling in the woods, or on the water......(Edit)
New Friends, E-Buddies, Cool Girls, and people to chat with about all kinds of things
The album i have been most immersed in, for almost a year now is a new discovery for me: the great pop genius Andy Pratt's self titled album,from 1973, on Epic records.Some fave performers:Smokey Robinson is my favorite singer, songwriter and producer (gimme that sweet, sweet Motown , brutha).... Thin Lizzy (number ONE band with me, man, Phil Lynott was such a genius),The Kinks, New York Dolls,Wire,The Dwarves, AC/DC, Prince,Manowar, Trouble, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Charlie Rich,Todd Rundgren,Black Sabbath,Stones,The Fall,Bowie, The Move, Gershon Kingsley, Sabbath, Pere Ubu, Judas Priest,Jobriath, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, Ted Nugent, Shonen Knife, The white stripes, Sparks, Hanoi Rocks (THE most underrated rock and roll band of all time), Phil Spector,The Shangri-Las, Pere Ubu, Ted Nugent, The white stripes, Sparks, Muddy waters, Tony Bennet,Kurt Weill,Status Quo, Chuck Berry, Motorhead, Shonen Knife, Captain Beefheart, Ted Nugent, The Mekons, Jacque Brel, Duke Ellington, Pavement,Minutemen, Evie Sands,Pizzicato Five,Neil Young, Daniel Johnston, The Stranglers, Teena Marie, The Clash,CCR,Guided by Voices,Little Richard, Fastway, Chic, Guns N Roses, The Move,Megadeth, Kid Creole, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Human League, Gang of Four,John Holt, Wizzard, Anthrax,The Fall,Zep, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Meat Puppets, Captain Beefheart, Judas Priest, Gary Numan, Culture, Serge Gainsbourg, Miles, Coltrane, The "Grease" soundtrack, Zappa (only 60's stuff),Alice cooper in the 70's, Van Halen (with Lee Roth),Jimmy Cliff, Rancid, The Dictators, Ramones,Patti smith,Burning Spear, Donovan, The Birthday Party, Krokus, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Buffy Saint-Marie,Scorpions, Fats Domino, Penderecki, Belafonte, The Byrds,The Shins, Billy squier, D'Angelo, Deep Purple, anything in the 60's written and produced by Burt Bacharach,Lhasa, Cheap Trick, old Metallica, Mountain, Gram Parsons, Michael Nesmith, Bowie,Television, Hoyt Axton, SilverHead, Split Enz, Jobriath,Shostakovich, Mott the Hoople, Slade, Queen, T. Rex, Sonic Youth,Death Angel,Blondie,Arthur Lee and Love, New Pornographers, Debussy, John Lennon,Fim Flam Man, Bing Crosby (his early years) Nirvana,The Hollies, Prokofiev, Rainbow, Lou Reed, Jeff Buckley, Mold Peaches, Dio, Tim Buckley ( Even more than Jeff, especially his masterpiece "Starsailor"),Loudness (yes, the japanese metal band from the 80's! still one of my alltime favorites...I saw them live in February) The Bee Gees (a lifelong favorite),MSG, Dylan, The Beach Boys, Dan Wallace, The Stones, X, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers,Beatles, Richard Hell and the VoiDoids,Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, Accept, John Hiatt, The Buzzcocks,Rufus Wainwright, Aerosmith, Andy Pratt,Shuggie Otis,Louis Armtsrong, Jimmie Rodgers,Minutemen,Foghat, Hall and Oates, J. Geils Band, Foreigner, Slayer, Aldo Nova, Buddy Holly,Gene Vincent, Elvis C, XTC, The Beach Boys, Nina Simone, Joy Division, Son House,Golden earring, Metal Church, Black Flag, Jimmie Rodgers, Tony Bennet, Journey, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Accept, Mars Volta, KISS, Iron Maiden, 70'Elton John, Flipper, Can, Elvis P, and the Beatles. Right now I'm listening to a lot of Pere Ubu, Keith Whitley, George Strait's box set and original Seattle grungesters (and the ultimate girl group EVER) Babes in Toyland.I'm a record junkie, and I still buy mostly vintage vinyl. Being a musician, I spend countless hours listening to records. I especially love classic and obscure sixties and seventies soul music...(.Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Donny hathaway, Aretha Franklin,Sam Cooke,James Carr, O.V. Wright, Stevie Wonder,the great Howard Tate, Al Green, Evie Sands, James Brown, old Stax and Motown, nothing makes me happier). I spend a lot of money on box sets....I also love pop, indie rock, Jazz, Punk Rock, Post-Punk,new wave, classic heavy metal, and classical music. Some fave performers: Thin Lizzy (number ONE with me, man),The Kinks, New York Dolls,Wire,The Dwarves, AC/DC, Prince, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Charlie Rich,Todd Rundgren,Black Sabbath,Stones,The Fall, Gershon Kingsley, Pere Ubu, Judas Priest, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, Ted Nugent, Shonen Knife, The white stripes, Sparks, Hanoi Rocks (THE most underrated rock and roll band of all time), Phil Spector,The Shangri-Las, Pere Ubu, Ted Nugent, The white stripes, Sparks, Muddy waters, Tony Bennet,Kurt Weill,Status Quo, Chuck Berry, Motorhead, Shonen Knife, Captain Beefheart, Ted Nugent, The Mekons, Jacque Brel, Duke Ellington, Pavement,Minutemen, Evie Sands,Pizzicato Five,Neil Young, Daniel Johnston, The Stranglers, Teena Marie, The Clash,CCR,Guided by Voices,Little Richard, Fastway, Chic, Guns N Roses, The Move,Megadeth, Kid Creole, Carole King, Laura Nyro, Human League, Gang of Four,John Holt, Wizzard, Anthrax,The Fall,Zep, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Meat Puppets, Captain Beefheart, Judas Priest, Gary Numan, Culture, Serge Gainsbourg, Miles, Coltrane, The "Grease" soundtrack, Zappa (only 60's stuff),Alice cooper in the 70's, Van Halen (with Lee Roth),Jimmy Cliff, Rancid, The Dictators, Ramones,Patti smith,Burning Spear, Donovan, The Birthday Party, Krokus, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Buffy Saint-Marie,Scorpions, Fats Domino, Penderecki, Belafonte, The Byrds,The Shins, Billy squier, D'Angelo, Deep Purple, anything in the 60's written and produced by Burt Bacharach,Lhasa, Cheap Trick, old Metallica, Mountain, Gram Parsons, Michael Nesmith, Bowie,Television, Hoyt Axton, SilverHead, Split Enz, Jobriath,Shostakovich, Mott the Hoople, Slade, Queen, T. Rex, Sonic Youth,Death Angel,Blondie,Arthur Lee and Love, New Pornographers, Debussy, John Lennon,Fim Flam Man, Bing Crosby (his early years) Nirvana,The Hollies, Prokofiev, Rainbow, Lou Reed, Jeff Buckley, Mold Peaches, Dio, Tim Buckley ( Even more than Jeff, especially his masterpiece "Starsailor"),Loudness (yes, the japanese metal band from the 80's! still one of my alltime favorites...I saw them live in February) The Bee Gees (a lifelong favorite),MSG, Dylan, The Beach Boys, Dan Wallace, The Stones, X, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers,Beatles, Richard Hell and the VoiDoids,Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, Accept, John Hiatt, The Buzzcocks,Rufus Wainwright, Aerosmith, Andy Pratt,Shuggie Otis,Louis Armtsrong, Jimmie Rodgers,Minutemen,Foghat, Hall and Oates, J. Geils Band, Foreigner, Slayer, Aldo Nova, Buddy Holly,Gene Vincent, Elvis C, XTC, The Beach Boys, Nina Simone, Joy Division, Son House,Golden earring, Metal Church, Black Flag, Jimmie Rodgers, Tony Bennet, Journey, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Accept, Mars Volta, KISS, Iron Maiden, 70'Elton John, Flipper, Can, Elvis P, and the Beatles. Right now I'm listening to a lot of Pere Ubu, Keith Whitley, George Strait's box set and original Seattle grungesters (and the ultimate girl group EVER) Babes in Toyland.But the album i have been most immersed in is a new discovery for me: the great pop genius Andy Pratt's self titled album,from 1973, on Epic records. I love classic country music (George Jones, Dolly Parton, the late great Gary Stewart, Carter Family,Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzel, Johnny Cash, Keith Whitley, George Strait, Loretta Lynn)
The best movie I've seen in several years is Children of Men, which is obviously the best film of the year for me , hands down, (and a distant cousin to) the film The Battle of Algiers, which is one of the greatest films of all time......., I also loved The Departed.and Apocalypto was flawed but amazing and brilliant in so many ways.Other movies I dig.... Nights of Cabiria, A place in the Sun, Annie hall, Touch of Evil,Seven Samurai, I am a Fugitive from a Chain gang, Scarface (1930 and 1980 versions) Safe, Dead Man, My Night at Maud's, Midnight Cowboy, Treasure of the Sierra Madre,Hud (Paul Newman's greatest performance, and possibly my all time favorite film), Knife in the Water, Chinatown,Somebody up there Likes me, Suburbia, Afterhours, Sin City,Stranger than Paradise,Kiss me Deadly, Barfly, What ever happened to baby Jane? Bad Day at Black Rock, Velvet Goldmine, Nights of Cabiria, This is Spinal Tap,Grand Illusion,The Last Detail, Eraserhead, Cool Hand Luke,Buffalo 66,The Motorcycle Diaries,Amores Perros, 21 Grams,Dead Man Walking, Carlitos' Way, SlapShot, LA Confidential,Lawrence of Arabia, Prizzi's Honor, John Waters' Polyester,The 400 Blows,Up there Likes me, Dead men don't wear plaid, Bonnie and Clyde, Ed Wood, Dazed and confused,Anything by Woody Allen, Fellini (especially Cabiria, and 8 1/2), Chaplin or Buster Keaton. I love Old classic hollywood movies (literally any movie with Bogie,Frederic March, Cary Grant, James Cagney,Montgomery Clift, Spencer Tracy or Errol Flynn),Dr.No, Goldfinger, Harold and Maude, Bound for Glory, Eyes Wide Shut, Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, Dr. Srangelove, Nazarin, Lonesome Dove,The Seventh Seal, The French Connection, A Woman under the Influence, The Searchers, The Man who would be King, Stagecoach,The Seven Samurai,Anything by Hitchcock (I'm exploring his British period now, but my favorites are his American films like Rebecca, North by Northwest, and especially Shadow of a doubt) Boys Don't Cry, anything by Luis Bunuel or Orson Welles, Ikiru, Scarface (both the Hawks and DePalma versions),Withnail and I,Topsy turvy, Jeremiah Johnson, Barbarosa,Being There, Six Degrees of Seperation, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, A Star is Born (1937 Version), One Eyed Jacks,Bad Day at Black Rock, Streetcar named Desire,Andrei Rublev, Downfall, City of God, Easy Rider, Anything by Roger Corman,The Killing Fields, From Beyond, The Warriors, Dagon, The Outlaw Josey Wales, From Here to Eternity,Plan 9 from Outer Space, IronWeed, A Taste of Cherry, Salem's Lot (Tobe Hooper version), Aguirre:the wrath of God,The Piano Teacher, Once Upon a Time in America, Goodfellas, The Godfather, Paths of glory,
Don't watch TV because I don't have cable or reception, although sometimes I put on Conan O Brien (and I look his stuff up on NBC.com online every night) which was a hilarious show since day one. But when I do watch TV ( (over someone else's house), it's World war 2 documentaries on the History Channel, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Simpsons.Back when I was a TV junkie in the 80's I enjoyed such quality programs as Street Hawk, BJ and the Bear, Manimal, After-M.A.S.H., and Leonrado Di Caprio's work on the final season of Growing Pains.Oh, and i fucking LOVE Sanford and son!!!!! I also rent DVD sets of old shows. The Ben Stiller Show is brilliant, and stands the test of time. Also, any of the Seinfeld box sets are worth the money.
The best book I've read in many a year was Norman Mailer's sprawling, mind-bending masterpiece "The Executioner's song". Cormac McCarthy's magnificent novel of the post apocalpyse, "The Road", is the best new book I've read and surely the best I've read of the books released 2006.It is an EVENT, like anytime this great, great writer puts out a new book, but this may be his best (and it is measured aaginst many other great works by this master), and I was so, so happy to see such a work of fine literature make it's way into the top ten bestsellers upon it's release. He just may be the finest writer alive, and I'd put him up there with William Faulkner, Ken Kesey, Joseph Conrad, and a small handful of others. I read a lot of books on music: some faves being "Please Kill Me" by Legs McNeil, and the entire works of Peter Guralnick, ESPECIALLY, "Sweet Soul Music","Feel Like Going Home" and his Elvis Books. I love books on film too, such as "Easy Riders and raging Bulls" and "Down and Dirty Pictures". Some of my favorite writers are the Russians: Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekov, Nabokov and Dostoevsky. I also love Jerzy Kosinski,Iris Murdoch, William Faulkner,Michael Chabon, Murakami is a new fave, I fucking LOVE Joyce Carol Oates,Cormac McCarthy, Martin Amis is cool, Joe Meno's got it, Franz Kafka, Herman Hesse, Mark Twain, anything by Jim Thompson, Charles Dickens, Jose Saramago, John Steinbeck,Joseph Conrad, Chuck Klosterman, John Le Carre,John D Mcdonald (especially the Travis McGee books), Elmore Leonard, Robert Heinlein,Ross Macdonald, Dashiell hammet, Flaubert, Isaac Asimov, E.L. Doctorow, Steinbeck, and my fave poets are Pablo Neruda, Plath, Bukowski, Shakespeare, Sexton, and evreyone's favorite mystic of the 12th century, Rumi. Hafiz is pretty amazing too. and oh my God, Kahlil Gibran is an AMAZING poet.Right nwo I'm reading a lot of books on crystals, and prophecy.
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS (my first ever heroes, and I still love them and try to look past their many, many flaws), Jesus,Bon Scott,Buddha, James Cagney Mother Theresa, Johnny Cash,My friend Maddie, Sir Richard Burton the explorer, Martin Luther King,Phil Lynott, Pauline Kael, Dan Wallace, Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Orson Welles, Conan O Brien, Paul Muni, Paul Newman, Edgar Cayce, Nina Simone, Rumi, Pablo Neruda, Morgan Freeman,Spencer Tracy, Sylvia Plath, Akira Kurosawa, Marlon Brando, Yoko Ono, Jimmy Carter, My friend Claire, John Lennon, James Dean, Noam Chomsky, Hank Williams,Katherine the Great of Russia, Saladin, Edward Said, Moe Tucker, Bill Cosby, Benjamin Franklin, Mick Jagger, Smokey Robinson, Mae West, Bowie, Thomas Jefferson, Katherine Hepburn, Victor Hugo, St. Francis of Assisi, Lou Reed, Bill Hicks, Julianne Moore, Mike Nicolosi, Judi Dench, Duke Ellington, Frank Zappa,Woody Allen, Robert Klein,David Lee Roth, Nina Simone, John Stewart,Richard Pryor,Noam Chomsky, Bill Hicks, Jobriath, Leo Tolstoy,Billie Holiday, Ivan Turgenev, Mick Jagger, Einstein, Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi, George Bernard Shaw, Wayne Dyer, and Yngwie fuckin' Malmsteen. and Chris Broadhurst. Jesus was a nihilist. So was Buddha!and most of the rest of my HEROES!!!!