Talking too much, aimless wandering especially by the sea, art galleries and exhibitions, deep or even frivalous discussion with like-minded souls over endless cups of coffee/glasses of red wine, films, theatre and plays, books and writing, gigs and clubs, Steve King's music quiz(hopefully returning soon to a North London venue near me), laughing too loudly for far too long.
Who Should Paint You: M.C. Escher
Open and raw, you would let your true self show for your portrait.
And even if your painting turned out a bit dark, it would be honest.
What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?
I'd like to meet:
Vince Noir (poncho not compulsory), Donnie Darko (yes, the character), Rick (but only if he stayed in Casablanca, kept the bar and never lost the evening attire)or Poor mad Ophelia to discuss the finer points of horticulture and bitch about men...
adopt your own virtual pet!
Music:
Ambient, anything with jangly guitars, stuff to rock your socks off, harmonies for footwear examination, throwaway pop, Goth, classical, film scores, opera, songs to learn and sing.
165 random choices:
The Cure, The Victorian English Gentlemen's Club, Slowdive, The Divine Comedy, Nina Nastasia, Rammstein, The Damned, Mogwai, All About Eve, Sigur Ros, My Vitriol, Joy Division, Stravinsky, Vetiver, Asobi Seksu,Danny Elfman, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Buffalo Tom, Prolapse, Ladytron, Lemonheads, Bauhaus, The Magnetic Fields,Restlesslist, Only Son, The Dresden Dolls, The Tears, Queens of the Stone Age,Scarce,Bat For Lashes, Graham Coxon, Portishead, Iron and Wine, Craig Armstrong, The Ramones, Joby Talbot, The Teardrop Explodes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Idlewild, Wry, The Pet Shop Boys, Lush, Ella Fitzgerald, Prince, Tindersticks, Blood Red Shoes, Garbage, The More Assured, Muse, Electric Soft Parade, Delays, The Sundays, The Raveonettes, JAMC, 65 Days of Static, Mojave 3, Placebo, Maps, Yann Tiersen, Aphex Twin, Flying Saucer Attack, Rachmaninov, Redjetson, Porcupine Tree, The Cooper Temple Clause, Dandy Warhols, The Like, Primal Scream, Death Cab For Cutie,Talk Talk, Sleater-Kinney, The Duke Spirit, Catherine Wheel, Regina Spektor, Active M, James, The Subways, The Icicle Works, The Chameleons, Nine Black Alps, Suede, Ash, Birthday Massacre,Burt Bacharach, Smashing Pumpkins, MC Lars, Duran Duran, Supergrass, Philip Glass, The Blue Nile, Michael Nyman,Spiritualized, Pulp, Eels, The Monkees, The Sisters of Mercy, WIT, Sonic Youth, Deftones, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cranes, Elastica, Doves, Model Morning, Stellastarr*, The Buzzcocks, Catherine Anne Davies, The Breeders, Elbow, Six by Seven, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Julian Cope, Mansun, Elbow, John Foxx, The Psychedelic Furs, Billie Holiday, Foo Fighters, Curve, Ride, Soft Cell, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Kaiser Chiefs, The Tiger Lillies, XTC, Tori Amos, The Church, Strangelove, PWEI, The Beatles, Interpol, The Pixies, Le Tigre,Teenage Fanclub, Spacemen 3, Gene Loves Jezebel, be your own PET,Echo and the Bunnymen, Explosions in the Sky, Depeche Mode, My Bloody Valentine, New Order, The Smiths, The Von Bondies, Iain Bellamy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Charlatans, The Fratellis, A Whisper in the Noise, Brian Jonestown Massacre,Adam and the Ants, The Long Blondes, Angelo Badalamenti,The Beach Boys, Salad, Puccini, Bloc Party, Moldy Peaches, Fred Astaire, The Wonderstuff, Cable, Electronic, Youth Movies.My favourite festivals are All Tomorrow's Parties and Truck. I can (very occasionally) be found at Silver Rocket, Death Disco or Sonic Cathedral - definitely need to get out more...
Movies:
Films - Psycho is still my favourite ever but have a huge soft spot for animation, 80s teen movies, thrillers, anything really talky e.g you, me and everyone we know or arthouse, a good comedy, a genuinely scary horror film or even a well made weepie.
Other current faves include: Amelie, Spirited Away, Some Like it hot, Jules et Jim, The Empire Strikes Back, Lost in Translation, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Casablanca, Before Sunrise, The Crow, Walking and Talking, The Philadelphia Story, Leon, La Belle et La Bete, Cinema Paradiso, Mysterious Skin, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sid and Nancy, Love and Sex, Nosferatu, Ghost World, Donnie Darko, It happened One Night and Rushmore. See Juno, Brick, Brokeback Mountain, V for Vendetta, Children of Men, The Prestige, Perfume, Atonement and Stardust btw - you owe it to yourself.
Television:
The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, The Mighty Boosh, Big Train, Six Feet Under, Garth Merenghi's Darkplace, The Smoking Room,Peep Show, Life On Mars, My Name is Earl, The Culture Show, Monkey Dust, Nathan Barley, The League of Gentlemen, Twin Peaks, Man Stroke Woman, Spaced, wierd and wonderful stuff - the creepier the better - the BBC 4 season of ghost stories for christmas was brilliant, old black and white films on wet afternoons, music documentaries, anything else that makes me laugh, cry or think.
Books:
Fantasist/dreamer crossed with realist, I enjoy a variety of things but especially stuff by Angela Carter, Neil Gaiman, Banana Yoshimoto and Iain Banks.
Eight books everyone should read: Eucalyptus by Murray Bail, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary For Lovers by Xiaolu Guo, The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall, The Anantomist by Federico Andahazi, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Just In Case by Meg Rosoff and The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill - I challenge you not to be moved and/or inspired. Kelly Link's short stories will also amuse and astound you.
Known to indulge in the odd fix of chick lit (Louise Wener, Eva Rice, Marion Keyes). Very occasional writer of stories for children, so like to keep up with children's books too (I love Lemony Snicket)
Rediscovered a love for the works of Raymond Briggs after realising my ex had a deprived childhood and buying him a long overdue copy of "Fungus the Bogeyman" for Christmas.
Invariably reading several things at the same time.
Prefer books to furniture - obsessive collecter of coffee table art books (had to buy a coffee table for them) Also read comics (Gloom Cookie, Sandman, Y:The Last Man and Strangers in Paradise especially)but mainly under cover of darkness!
Heroes:
Kirsty MacColl, Cleopatra (especially if it turns out she was really a bloke all this time), Kelly Link for being wierder than I could ever imagine, Karen O - style personified, Death from Sandman for managing to combine humour with being drop dead gorgeous, My Mum for believing in me and keeping things together.
Right, that's the Oscar acceptance speech written...
