Art and Life are synonymous to me. My life is my art. I am my art and vice-versa. I'm interested in so many things in life, but to narrow it down to the nitty-gritty. I'd have to say The Arts (drawing, painting, photography, writing, sculpting, theatre, dance, music - guitar/piano/singing, video..etcetera...
Anything that someone puts their heart and soul into to communicate a strong significant message about the human condition. I've always been excited about learning and discovering new things. Exploration and adventure are key for excitement.
Loving and living and living to love life. It's about bonding and integrating all my interests together that is a true challenge. Challenges are amazing too. There is no telling what I might find out I can do!!!
I'd like to meet:
..People from all different walks of life with a wide range of interests. I believe that there is something special to discover in each person I have the chance to meet. I do believe everyone is beautiful in their own way. I don't mean that in a superficial way either. I mean it in a way that defines what it is in everyone that shines to represent their true selves.
Music:
I honestly have trouble with genres. Classifying music into categories that don't really encompass all the qualities that some bands and solo artists possess seems futile, false, and untrue.
Right now, I'll just name a few, later I'll add on if I ever get them all written out in a decipherable enough list.Here are some bands I can think of off the top of my head...Fad Gadget,
Gary Numan,
The Damned,
The Talking Heads,
Sonic Youth,
Man or Astroman?,
David Bowie,
David Bryne,
Peter Gabriel,
Peter Murphy,
Laurie Anderson,
Reverend Horton Heat
Tori Amos,
Bjork,
The Sugarcubes,
Bikini Kill - Le Tigre,
Tangerine Dream,
The Legendary Pink Dots,
Johhny Cash,
Nina Simone,
The Cure,
The Faint,
The Germs,
The Zeros,
THe Clash,
The Descendents
The Ramones,
The Sex Pistols,
The Slits,
The Smiths,
The Kinks,
The Zombies,
The Pixies,
Buffalo Daughter,
Shonen Knife,
The Velvet Underground,
The Flaming Lips,
The Postal Service,
Deathcab for Cutie,
Sufjan Stevens,
Pavement,
Death by Chocolate,
Blackbox Recorder, Belle and Sebastian, Men without Hats, AhA! Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Covenant, New Order, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, Siouxsie and the Banshess, Morrissey, Neil Young, The Dead Milkmen, Ben Harper, Kraftwerk, The Skull, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Tracy Chapman, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, America, Abba, Blondie, Krass, Naked Aggression, Dead Kennedys, Echo and the Bunnymen, Radiohead, Flock of Seagulls, Violent Femmes, Human League, Dream Academy, The Ventures, The Surfaris, Dick Dale, Herbie Hancock, The Petshop Boys, Ben Folds, The Beastie Boys, Simon and Grafunkel, The Lemonheads, Blind Melon, Public Image Limited, How could I forget "Wesley Willis"!? Modest Mouse, the White stripes, Bill Tucker, John Paul Sharp, Tales from Tuckaway, Reverend Rhodes, King Missle, Paul Michael Escalantes, Daniel Johnston, James Kochala,
MAN OR ASTROMAN?THE DAMNED - Plan 7 Channel 9MORRISSEY AND SIOUXSIE SIOUX - InterludeTHE GLOVE ( Robert Smith - {The Cure} and Steve Severin - Siouxsie and the Banshees) -KING MISSLE - Detachable PenisShonen Knife - Twist Barbie
Movies:
There are so many movies I've enjoyed through the years.. I'll have to compile a suitable list. Now that I have Netflix the job should come along quite more easily.I'm currently on an auto-biographical documentary kick!I tend to go for independent films, foreign films, documentaries, biographies, mayazaki films, movies that feature musicans and bands I enjoy, and a wide variety of older movies...The Phoenix Foundation "Going Fishing" from Eagle Vs. Shark
Television:
Since I moved to Chicago all I watch is public access channels and the ocassional so called reality television shows to humor my sister.
That and I use netflix, the Chicago Library, and You Tube to watch select programming.FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - Inner City Pressure from Episode 2
PET SHOP BOYS - West End Girls ( The music video Flight of the Conchords took ideas from for Inner City Pressure.)Behind the Scenes footage of when I was on WGN as a King.
Books:
A COMIC BY SCOTT MCCLOUD FOUND IN HIS SUNDAY MORNING IMPROV SECTIONGraphic novels (Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, Craig Thompson {Blankets}), biographies (Bruce Lee, Allen Ginsberg etc.. ) , autobiographies (Malcom X), beat books (Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg, Bulkowski, etc. ) comics, children's books, pamphlets, zines, newspapers, classic american literature(Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ernest Hemmingway, etc. and poetry(prose) {E.E Cummings}, Art books, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Gender Issues, ... I love reading and there is also a long list I have to compile for this slot.
The book I've probably actually read the most is the Dictionary. A pocket webster's dictionary goes with me everywhere. I enjoy all sorts of different types of books. Everything I read includes subjects of interest that I just can't seem to get enough of. There are just so many books out there I've enjoyed it's hard for me to know where to begin. After all I grew up living less than 2 blocks away from a library and went there just about every Saturday... width="425" height="350" ..SCOTT MCCLOUD LECTURING ON MATERIAL COVERED IN HIS BOOK MAKING COMICS.
Heroes:
My sister JAN HAMMER (Super-rad Psych Doctrine student that's a child-at-heart, writer, musician, and sewing maniac), My brother-in-law RYAN HAMMER (The Man with the heart so huge he gave a pan-handler on the street his last five dollars when he owed me five dollars ~ Leader of Tales from Tuckaway) ,super friend MARCUS ARMSTRONG (Sound extrodinare and long life partner in comedy) - HaaZAH!, JOHN PAUL SHARP (Best friend since 4 years old, Musician, and non-sequitor humor extrodinare) basically anyone that defies the odds and stands for intense creativity, truth, justice, beauty as it is manifested in those with heart, and making people smile and happy. Those that teach you that there is always something more to discover about the human condition, ways to improve it, and so much to see, be, do, and create in life.Most of all, I am my own hero. Most of the time, I have to be.
