I'm a History major, so I love reading all about world history, particularly World War II, the Holocaust, the JFK conspiracy, Transatlantic Slavery, Vietnam and of course British history, in all it's glory...I like trying my hand at anything creative, and can happily spend many hours trying anything from painting, cartooning, sketching, and writing, to making videos, designing graphics, photography,etc. Basically, anything that lets me unwind, relax and escape for a few hours.
I love traveling and I have journeyed to 15 American states and many different European countries including France, Holland, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Gran Canaria, Cyprus, and all of the UK.
I volunteer every week at the Houston Humane Society, helping to keep the dogs exercised and aid the adoptions. I'm pretty much obsessed with animals and am almost always involved in some fundraiser for homeless pets.
I support my home soccer team of Everton FC, and Houston Aeros (I've tried and failed to get into the Big 3 sports over here), but WWE is my main passion. I've been watching wrestling for 15 years and have travelled all over to watch live events. It's not as good as it used to be, and when it's bad..it's really bad. But when it's good,it's a wonderful artform and probably the most amazing form of entertainment there is. My all-time favorites are Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, and The Undertaker. Right now I think Edge, Bobby Lashley and Cryme Time are awesome.
Greatest WrestleMania Moment Ever!
I work out six times a week, love camping, canoeing, hiking and various other outdoor stuff.
I'm also a member of a bunch of clubs including the Sons of the Desert, America Historical Association, and British Sociological Society. I try to hit all number of concerts, festivals, shows, plays, symphonies, whatever happens to be in town. I am very much in love with city life, but you can't beat escaping out of town to spend time at the beach or country and turn my cell phone OFF.
After searching the web for a decent Jake Roberts tribute video, I decided to go ahead and make my own. Enjoy!
The one thing I love and respect most about a person is when they are genuine. I don't care which lifestyle they choose....I take every person as an individual. Just be who you are and don't try to pretend to be something else. I have a very wide scope of friends...people with a diverse mix of backgrounds, ages, personalities, lifestyles, fashions, and interests. But one thing they all have in common is that they are true to themselves and have no false pretensions. And that's what is appealing to me. I can learn from them and enjoy their company. The more 'unique' you are, the more likely you are to intrigue me.
My favorite kind of music is Classic rock/Hard rock: AC/DC, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Black Label Society, Whitesnake, Rolling Stones, Queen, Alice Cooper, Scorpions, Kiss, Nine Inch Nails, Springsteen, Deep Purple, Hendrix, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Korn, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Pantera, Rob Zombie, Fear Factory, Rammstein, Pist-On, Type-O-Negative, Metallica, Guns & Roses, Motorhead, Sex Pistols, you name it.
I've also got an embarrassing weakness for 80s music. The more 80s it is, the more I probably like it: Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Deacon Blue, New Order, Level 42, Duran Duran, Culture Club, Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, Michael Jackson, Journey, and other stuff.
Finally, I'm a huge lover of classical music, especially Beethoven, Chopin, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Strauss and Mendelssohn. I collect rare movie scores and soundtracks, especially albums composed by John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Jerry Goldsmith.
I love historical dramas and they are probably my favorite: The Last Samurai, Schindler's List, JFK, Gladiator, Braveheart, Cinderella Man, Rob Roy, Munich etc.
Some other random favorites include: Lost in Translation, Closer, Mystic River, The Godfather, The Exorcist, Philadelphia, Million Dollar Baby, Monster, Psycho, Shawshank Redemption, Donnie Brasco, From Hell, A Few Good Men, Scarface, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, etc.
By now, you're probably thinking I have good taste in films. Well, here comes the flip side to destroy all credibility! I am a total action movie nerd.If it has the names Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, Lundgren or Stallone in the credits, count me in. In my opinion, Commando is a masterpiece.
I love John Carpenter movies such as They Live, Halloween, Prince of Darkness and BodyBags.
Finally, I'm a huge sucker for 80's movies like Back to the Future, the Rocky series, Weird Science, Cocktail, Parenthood, Short Circuit, An American Werewolf in London, Planes Trains and Automobiles, The Lost Boys, and all that kind of stuff. Anything by John Hughes will ALWAYS be a big favorite!
My favorite actors are Russell Crow, Johnny Depp, Jack Nicholson, Liam Neeson and Bill Murray. Clive Owen is also pretty cool.
Favorite actresses are Renée Zellweger, Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman.
I don't really watch any TV, but I do have a couple of old favorites that I'll watch if I stumble on them, such as The Simpsons, The Office, and the odd nostalgia show on VH-1. And let's be honest, EVERYONE stops to watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air if it's on!!
But back home in England, I always watch British comedies. The list of my favorites is endless: Porridge, Only Fools & Horses, One Foot in the Grave, Red Dwarf, Men Behaving Badly, The Fast Show, The Royle Family, Dad's Army, Open All Hours, The Office, Little Britain, The Young Ones, Bottom, Blackadder, and the Thin Blue Line. I also love Billy Connolly and Kenny Everett.
I love reading and I always have a book with me. Most of the time I read thrillers by James Herbert, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and Thomas Harris. I just finished 'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty and it blew me away. Amazing book...even better than the film. My favorite books of all time are without doubt the Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend. Every single one of them is genius.
I enjoy reading classic literature, particularly Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle (especially The Hound of the Baskervilles) and Oscar Wilde.I always read biographies of people I take an interest in...everybody from Winston Churchill and Bill Clinton down to Julian Clary and Ricky Tomlinson!! Occassionally my enquiring mind takes over and I'll spend a lot of time reading Diane Ravitch, Russell Kirk, and various history books.
Don't mess with Big Dunc.
My family. Every one of them in their own way is an inspiration to me. From my Grandparents to my mum...my stepfather to my uncles...even my younger brothers and sisters...every one of them is a teacher and a leader. Watching how they overcome adversity and deal with the bad times is a source of amazement. And their sense of humor, intelligence, kindness and dignity always keeps me focused on who I am and what I need to be.
My friends - "Nature Boy" Dave Sanderson (responsible for all longterm liver problems I'll endure as an old man), the evil genius Pete Hall (who once used my face to put out a cigarette), Alan "Pat" Morgan (who stood laughing as I nearly drowned in a river back in '99, Beth Warr (probably the best girl mate I've ever had), Kieran Gaynor (for all his warm fuzzy bedtime stories about slitting throats and burning corpses), and everyone else from Tony, Bex, and Scott, to Fawcett, Jason and Taul. Thank you all for being such loveable bastards.
And Hulk Hogan of course.