Graphic Design - The first thing I turn to when I get bored. I can't say I'm too good at it, but it's something I love to do. When I get all settled into my own place here, I'm going to start trying to pull in some freelance work.Video Games - I have a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PS3, Sony PSP and a Xbox 360. I play all of 'em almost equally, and I play all of 'em entirely too much. I don't let it take over my life or anything, but there are few things better than sitting back with a beer and playing some Halo 3.Reading - One of the easiest ways to keep yourself learning new things. My favorite nonfiction reads are usually books that dissect pop culture (or some aspect *of* pop culture) or politically-charged books. For fiction stuff, I'm a fan of dark humor.Music - I don't really have the words. It's my passion. It's the reason I'm in the industry I'm in. There hasn't been an aspect of the music industry that I haven't loved. With the exception that (rock) musicians have a tendency to be incredibly flaky sometimes.Production (Audio & Video) - The "Yin" to Graphic Design's "Yang". I used to prefer video production over audio, but my current job is definitely swaying me to the other side. Having a job where you're paid to be creative is one of the best experiences EVER.Tasteful Nudity - Who doesn't like some tasteful nudity? I have yet to find that person.Minnesota - Forever the place I call home. Where you can actually tell the difference between seasons. Where the air and water are clean. Where the majority of people are still nice. I'll end up back there one day.Skateboarding - Not so much doing tricks or anything (I'm too big a guy for that shit anymore), but I think it's an awesome mode of transportation. It's also way too fun to watch on TV. I think some people overlook how incredibly talented professional skaters are.Beer - Amber liquid of the gods. My personal favorite is Newcastle Brown Ale. However, other beers on my favorites list include Hamm's (specifically, the "Dirty Thirty" I bought so many times in college), Pabst Blue Ribbon (punk rock party beer) and Rolling Rock (the official beer of my rugby party experience).
Christopher Walken - Mostly because everything I've ever seen him in gives me the impression that he not only has a great sense of humor, but is intensely intelligent.Andy Milonakis - I'd love to talk to him and see where he gets all of his ideas. Also, how exactly he worked his way onto MTV2 when all he seemingly did was make a couple YouTube videos of himself rapping.Glen "The Heavy Hitter" Lerner - Let's face it, the guy has some of the cheesiest (read: MOST AWESOME) commercials in the valley. Plus, I heard he's really short, and I want to verify that in person.Steve Buscemi - I've been referring to him as "my personal God" for quite some time. The man is an outstanding actor, and has led quite an interesting life. I can only imagine what kind of stories and anecdotes could be shared over a couple beers.Danny Cooksey - Motherfucker played Bobby Budnik on Salute Your Shorts. No other reason is needed.Also, I love meeting anyone who can point me in the direction of awesome new music.
<[b>CURRENT LISTENING: Weezer - Weezer (Red Album), Flobots - Fight With Tools, Jurassic 5 - Quality Control, NOFX - Wolves in Wolves' Clothing]NOFX - Ever since picking up "So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes" on a whim back in 8th Grade, these guys have held a dominant position as my favorite band of all time. My basis for comparison when listening to any kind of punk these days.Sublime - Bradley Nowell poured his heart and soul into his music, and you can tell. Sometimes goofy, sometimes sad, serious when it needs to be - it's always REAL. And I think that's why I've always liked 'em. Well, that and I used to smoke a lot of pot, and it's perfect "chilling" music. :DGreen Day - If it weren't for Green Day's "Dookie", I don't know if I would've eventually found my way to punk rock. Outside of that MAJOR bonus, they've just been consistently good for all these years.Atmosphere - To me: one of the reasons hip-hop is still a valid form of music. Before hearing the song "God Loves Ugly", I'd pretty much written off rap and hip-hop for good... but he saved it for me. Big ups to a Minnesota master wordsmith.Cake - It's just plain fun music. Just TRY to listen to "Short Skirt/Long Jacket", Stickshifts & Safetybelts", "Sheep Go To Heaven", or "The Distance" and not do a little dance/rock out a little. I don't think it can be avoided, and that's impressive.Bright Eyes - I don't think songwriting gets better than Conor Oberst. Listening to Bright Eyes, you can undeniably catch EVERY EMOTION he puts out there. Not a lot of people have written songs that move me like a lot of his do.Saves The Day - People out there are bastards. On one hand, they praise artists like Madonna who "reinvent" themselves to stay relevant. (Which I think is a dumb reason, and not that hard to do.) On the other, they write off a band like Saves The Day who reinvent themselves to reach a further understanding of what they're capable of. (Which, in my opinion, is the BEST reason to reinvent oneself.) I've never been disappointed.
<[b>LAST MOVIE WATCHED: A Scanner Darkly (Blu-Ray) - So I really, REALLY enjoyed Linklater's first rotoscoped film, "Waking Life". I figured this one would be just as good. Also, almost every single one of my friends wouldn't stop raving about it. After watching it - I loved it. It's a lot easier to watch than Waking Life (not so much pontification), but the storyline is almost as confusing. My favorite performance in the film had to be Robert Downey Jr., hands down. I'd give it a 4 out of 5.]Reservoir Dogs - My first experience with Quentin Tarentino's filmmaking. And the first movie I can recall seeing where I walked out with my head spinning. I can't think of a thing I don't like about the film. (Of course, it has Steve Buscemi, so that doesn't hurt.) Slick black suits, a kick-ass soundtrack, modern-day gangsters, treachery... and an ending that can be interpreted however you want = awesome.Clerks - The first time I saw it I wasn't in the best place - Kevin Smith pegged the feeling of hopelessness all too perfectly, and I connected with it. Plus, with all the pop culture references and nerd/geek humor, there's no way I could *not* like it. One of the first movies that I ever saw that made me realize how much I really do enjoy well-written dialogue.Fight Club - I don't know what I like more; the movie itself (which is badass wrapped in radical wrapped in a hard shell of goodness) or the fact that the movie turned me on to Chuck Palahniuk, one of my favorite authors. Tyler Durden is one of the best characters (book or movie) that I've ever heard of, and Brad Pitt/Ed Norton pulled it off to perfection.
The Daily Show - I've been watching it since way back when Craig Kilborn was still hosting it. Obviously, it's become a LOT more popular since then. I don't catch it near as much as I used to (I should just start watching it on ComedyCentral.com), but I still make a point to at least try. I don't think the show has ever disappointed me.Late Night with Conan O'Brien - My late night show of choice. Although I do still miss Andy Richter (who, with the exception of a couple of TV shows/movie roles, has seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth), I think Conan's definitely picked it up and been kicking ass lately. It's going to kick major ass when he takes over for Leno doing The Tonight Show in 2009.Family Guy - For as much shit as I'll get for this... I like it better than The Simpsons. I think the reason why is because I like ALL the characters in Family Guy. With The Simpsons, it started coming down to caring only about what Homer did every week.The Office - I'm a big fan of playing on awkwardness to create humor. And The Office has that in spades. At first I thought the Michael Scott character was carrying the show (and maybe he was in the beginning), but the more I watched, the more I realized that almost EVERY character in that show is just as well-written.
<[b>CURRENTLY READING: 100 Ways America Is Screwing Up The World by John Tirman, Consider The Lobster (And Other Essays) by David Foster Wallace & On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt]Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk (Fiction) - Although Fight Club (the movie) is what introduced me to Chuck, this is the first book I actually read of his. A perfect mix of dark (VERY dark) humor mixed in with some sci-fi/fantasy elements, all set in the gloomy reality that is the present-day. Still my favorite out of all his books that I've read.Freedom of Expression© by Kembrew McLeod (Non-Fiction) - Have you ever wanted to be scared shitless by what the prospect of our future looks like because of overzealous corporations? Read this book. At least McLeod dampens the scare factor a little bit with some humor. I think it's a must-read if you work in the music industry, in any capability.Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman (Non-Fiction) - My friend Dana introduced me to my second-favorite Chuck, and I'll forever thank her for that. If I'd have to describe this book, I'd have to say that it's like if the E! Channel came in book form - only for a more intelligent audience. And cynically sarcastic. Klosterman basically takes pop culture, dissects it, and doesn't care enough to put back the pieces.A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Non-Fiction) - Really, truly eye-opening. Howard Zinn's one of those authors that people generally either love or hate - but that being said, this book really is impactful. In a nutshell, the book is a retelling of American History through the viewpoint of the oppressed, the losing side of every battle, the people who had no choice in being the "lower rung" in our society.
Fat Mike - Besides being the lead singer of my favorite band of all time, he's pretty much a paragon of all things awesome. He runs his own record label (Fat Wreck Chords, probably the best punk label out there), does what he can for good causes (NOFX playing Rock for Darfur is the big one lately), and stirs up political activism (see: punkvoter.org). The man wrote the song "Idiot Son of An Asshole" - heroic enough, if you ask me. :DJoe Wenderoth - The most influential college professor I had in the span of my entire academic career. He made it a point to challenge every way of thinking one could muster. In doing that, he taught me to challenge myself. In addition to his teaching - he's an awesome writer/poet and he has one of the coolest tastes in music of anyone I've ever met.Maddox - There's something to be said for someone who can make what I'm assuming is a decent amount of money writing from the perspective of a complete and utter chauvinistic asshole. His inflammatory, politically-incorrect, misogynistic humor shouldn't be funny... yet somehow it is. When I found out about him and started reading his site, it was kind of a breath of fresh air.Spike Jonze - I think the guy's a creative mastermind. There hasn't been a single thing that I've seen of his that I haven't enjoyed. I envy his skill, hardcore. Also, he helped create Jackass, my favorite piece of mindless entertainment for what will probably be years to come.My Mom - Seriously. She did an amazing job raising my brother, sister and I. A lot of the time with little to no help from anyone else. And now she's following through with what she's wanted to do since my brother and sister were born 20+ years ago - she's finishing college. She's one of the most loving, courageous, kind, persevering and just generally amazing people I've ever known. I've always felt honored to be able to call her *my* mother. :)