Playing the piano and absorbing everything I can and making a living doing it. I am interested in all history but especially United States and British history. I like to read, but I'm not the most well read guy on the block. I am also into Martial Arts and gymnastics even though I stopped being active in either of them a couple years ago. I also play soccer and follow it internationally. Most Californian girls are mentally ill/retarted, but there are some wonderfully notable exceptions. I also like to cook but don't get to do it much. French food is my favorite, but if you eat it too regularly, you die.
Some bad ass gospel piano players. Down to earth people that have some ambition. Creative moral people with positive attitudes. Herbcock Tee Corjarret.
Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Bud Powell, Toto, The Skatalites, The Aggrolites, 311, David Paich, Gregory Philingaines, David Foster, Oscar Peterson, Earth Wind & Fire, Kirk Franklin, Bob Marley & The Wailers, sweet and beautifully grooving Roots Radics, Gregory Isaacs, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King Tubby and all kinds of Jamaicans, The Beautiful South, Ben Folds, Caetano Veloso, Dr. John, James Booker, Elis Regina, Tom Jobim, Simone and all kinds of Brazillians, Tori Amos, Bruce Hornsby, The Cardigans, Cultura Profectia, Dave Matthews Band, Frank Zappa, Fred Hammond, Imogen Heap, Jackie Mittoo, James Brown, Jamiroquai, Jump With Joey, Kneebody, Kraftwerk, Lennie Tristano, Leoes de Israel, Lucky Dube, Michael McDonald, Miles Davis, Nickelcreek (crazy kids), Radiohead, Steely Dan. I haven't even touched Classical: Chopin- the Nocturnes, the Ballades (one day I'll be able to play them), Beethoven - the sonatas! the Concertos!, Debussy, Bach (GOD FEARING GENIUS), Rachmaninov, Mozart, Haydn. But come on. To what degree can you understand how these artists have really affected me?
Groundhog Day, the Boiler Room, TMNT I & II, Ocean's 17, Shine.
Television really bums me out these days. It used to be better. MTV makes me queasy my neazy. The values are all whacked and horrible. Some of it is good though. I like 'American Chopper' even though every episode is the same. "You know, when we first started this bike, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but after seeing Cody finish the paint job I knew it was gonna be SWEET." The Simpsons deserves to be worshipped, and it scares me to think of the impact that is has had on my generation's sense of humor. They should quit while they're ahead though. I loved 'Transformers' and still do. Law & Order is pretty great too. If you have a Law and Order craving, you'll be able to find it on T.V. at any time. SVU is horrific but awesome. Monty Python's Flying Circus is not for everyone in this country. If you can understand it you will have unlocked the secrets of British humor. The American version of 'The Office' is extremely quality. I know a lot of Michael Scott type characters, and funnily enough, they don't like that show.
Lord of The Rings. The Silmarillion. The Screwtape Letters. Can Man Live Without God? by Ravi Zacharias. I love most of David McCulloch works. All the Sherlock Holmes short stories and HOTB too. There's also a smattering of classics that I won't list cause everyone knows they are great. I'm reading the Three Musketeers right now out of a super old copy with yellow pages. I'm loving it! 17th century French dudes declaring love to women at first sight, and dueling over a dropped hankerchief. I really dig Pride and Prejudice for some reason too. Go ahead and kick my ass, I'll understand. I should kick my own ass for liking that book.
Here's another dangerous topic. Nobody is perfect. Most people on 'hero' lists have a lot of ugliness in their lives that gets passed over. You can't entirely separate the good from the bad, but you can learn from the total package and there is a lot to be learned from other people's lives and history. And so many everyday people have qualities that I would love to emulate. The dude at Jack in the Box who is there everyday working to feed his family and is focused soley upon that, for whom a flashy new car or big house are irrelevant concerns. But is he there because he didn't pursue and education or lacks ambition or irresponsibly got his wife pregnant at an early age? Maybe not. But there are two sides to every story. Miles Davis was so innovative and didn't let the white record industry steer his course in music. It is impossible to imagine modern music in most every genre without him. He stood up to a racist policeman who told him to move along outside the club where he was playing and taking a break, and consequently got bashed over the head. But Miles was horrible to women, struggled with addiction, and was a horrifically irresponsible and selfish parent. The founding fathers were all very great men, and I admire them incredibly. These were well rounded scientists, master statesmen, and brilliant writers and thinkers as well as incredibly hard workers. Yet their lives were also riddled with negative aspects. Why the long essay? I guess the word hero suggests too blind of an admiration; nobody deserves 100% admiration. Or instead of blind admiration we can value people as fallible human beings capable of incredible acts each and every one.