War and board games. Slot car racing. Sports. Canoeing. Poker. Beer. Steak. Writing. Sleeping.
Michael Jordan. Bill Walton. Bob Woodward. Kevin Costner. George Romero. Kent Haruf. George H. W. Bush. Bill Simmons. Chris Matthews. Bill Clinton. John Feinstein. I have met: Studs Terkel, Barack Obama, Alan Keyes, Dennis Hastert, Don Beebe, Bo Jackson and Haley Barbour.
Alt-country, rock, funk, prog rock and pop. Some names? Ben Folds, Mike Doughty (and Soul Coughing), Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, Old 97's, George Clinton, Barenaked Ladies, Counting Crows, Neil Young, Procol Harum, The Ohio Players, Harvey Danger, Brian Vander Ark.
Chariots of Fire. Rocky. Aliens. Road to Perdition. LOTRs. The Natural. Bull Durham. The Thomas Crown Affair (both). Any James Bond movie.
Survivor. The Apprentice. SportsCenter. Ghost Hunters. Fear. The Simpsons. House. Futurama. Hardball with Chris Matthews. Scrubs.
Plainsong. The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. Fat City. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. Lord of the Rings.
Studs Terkel. Bill Walton. George H. W. Bush. (Yeah, I don't really have any heroes.)