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Music (see below), good books and bad books (see below), vintage graphic design (I collect old books and magazines -- and sometimes records -- with cool art), daydreaming...
OH, and since there isn't a section on ART (which there ought to be)
ART:
I was a fine arts major in college. My focus was drawing. I went to a gazillion colleges at night while working full time, so over the years, I had a number of double majors - art/music, art/dance, art/sociology and art/american studies. Not surprising then, that I used to own an art gallery (one way to spend your life savings quickly!), where I showed mostly Provincetown artists who had shown in my mom's gallery in P-town. (Arthur Cohen, Robert Henry, Bunny Pearlman, Nick Kahn & Richard Selesnick, Violet Sigismund, Bert Yarborough, Paul Bowen, Selina Trieff, John Dowd, Thomas Vinton, M.P. Landis, Susan Baker, Paul Bowen, Polly Burnell, Pat De Groot, Iren Handschuh, and Cherie Mittenthal.) I also took on some local artists whose work I liked. (Lori Field, Gary Schnieder, Lorrain DeProspo.) The gallery closed, and well, *that* chapter of my life is over for now. My fave artists of all time are Aubrey Beardsley, Egon Schiele, and John Singer Sargeant.
I like to guess (and probably get it wrong) who is looking at this page using this map site:
C. K. Dexter Haven, Macauley Connor, Rick Blaine, Brian Cameron, Mister Darcy, Hildy Brooks, Marquise de Merteuil, Beatrix Kiddo...
On any given day, I will have listened to Sly & the Family Stone, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald at least for a little while, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash if I am in one of *those* moods... I've been spending a lot of close and personal time with my Stax/Volt vol. 1 box set and Rhino's Beg Scream and Shout box. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to finally see Radio Birdman play. And I was devastated to have to miss X on this tour. Personal life intrudes... I'm into old soul; greasy r & b; punk rock; new wave, jazz, glam rock, 60's garage; country and blues from the '20's - 60's; frat rock, vintage rockabilly, etc. I don't like dance music or disco, or 'contemporary' country or soul in general, although I make exceptions to my rules all the time when I hear a song that I like, like Gnarles Barkley's "Crazy." Basically, I like music with heart and grit and an edge to it. It has to make you feel something, somewhere inside you to be good.
My current fave live acts (whose CD's are pretty damn good, too) are The Reigning Sound, The Dirtbombs, The Deadly Snakes, the Sights, the Paybacks, the Downbeat 5, the Briefs, Tiger Tiger... Bands I haven't seen but wish I could have: Sly & The Family Stone, The Jam, Truth is I go see a lot of shows when I'm not playing - too many to list! If you like the stuff I've listed and you're in NY NJ CT DC MA, you should check out the concert calendar Blair puts together on www.powerandvolume.com... (although it hasn't been updated in a while!)
I play in two bands at the moment -- bass and lead vocals in the Demands and guitar and backing vocals with Mister Badger. And, although it's on hold for now, I also sing lead and play weird drums/percussion in the Coal Gems. All three bands are in my top friends here on myspace.
Past bands: 1988 - played bass in The Wolverteens (NYC). 1989-91 - played bass in The Hated (NYC). 1991-92 - played bass in Smartbomb (Gainseville, FL). 1993-96 - played guitar and sang lead in Rocketfuel (NYC). 1997-98 - played bass in The Defilers (NYC). 1999-00 - played guitar and sang lead in The Innuendos (NYC). 2003 - played bass in The High School Sweethearts (NJ). 2004 - played lead guitar in The Whirls. (NJ) 2002 - 06 - played drums in The Miscreants (NJ). More on that in my bloooooooooooooooog.
This clip is in constant rotation lately
BRINGING UP BABY, MY GAL FRIDAY, Philadelphia Story, Holiday... Oh, the snappy patter - the great clothes --- and Cary Grant. The Hustler. The Hustler. The Hustler. Oh, boy. And then there's my obsession with spy movies -- and especially James Bond. (Sean Connery as a young man... mmmmm.....) Of course, a big fave is La Mariee Etait en Noir (the Bride Wore Black) a Truffaut film. I love Cine Noir. Another is the original Thomas Crown Affair -- it is so hot - the clothes, Steve McQueen!!!, the whole visual layout of the film, the opening sequence - all amazing stuff. I'm also a major Hitchcock fan -- I think North By Northwest is one of the greatest films ever and I also love Vertigo... Frankly, I'm a sucker for any suspenseful film crafted in the 40's - 60's -- The Maltese Falcon being the pinnacle. And don't get me started talking about Gaslight -- what a great movie!
I also love much of Akira Kurasawa's work - but especially the Seven Samurai. I might have to rent Ran and see how it held up. I remember thinking it was terrific when it came out. Lately, I have started to develop an appreciation for the classic western. I loved the Magnificent 7 (of course) But my fave's being Sergio Leone films like Once Apon a Time in The West.
I also collect kung fu movies -- Julia says I have an unhealthy obsession with Jackie Chan. I think it's perfectly normal for a gal to love action films!! I was completely blown away by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. And I loved both Kill Bill films. Oh, and in case you didn't know this already -- Kung Fu Hustle is one of the funniest movies ever.
Lost Horizon is both a favorite film (amazing sets!) and a favorite book.
Yes! Television is one of my favorite bands! Great songs, great players.
I have been called a book junkie. To be honest -- I will read just about anything if I haven't got anything good around... However, I don't read nearly as much as I used to or I'd like to these days... too busy...
My fave authors are Yasunari Kawabata, Rex Stout, Jane Austin, Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Michaels), Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, Dorothy Gilman, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende and Larry Niven. But really, any well-written novel will do it for me as well as most mysteries and sci-fi. I admit to reading gothic romances when depressed -- generally, if I'm feeling bad enough to eat junk-food, I'll be reading it, too!
I don't really know any inidividual I can point to and say -- he/she is my hero. But I do admire people who don't let crap get them down. The non-whiners of the world, that is.
Zora Neale Hurston put it well, "I do not weep at the world -- I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife." That's the quality I find myself admiring most.