Well, Everything.
To excess.
In moderation.
Gimme some grown, kind, honest, wickedsmart, übercompetent self-aware hungry-for-life earthy people who are brilliant at something, whatever that something might be.
I like to be around creative people who take life in big bites. Folks who are not afraid to expose their heart, follow it, and enjoy magnificent victories (and make huge embarrassing public bonehead errors) with gusto and grace and savoir-faire.
I don't have much patience with people who are ill-mannered and/or abusive and/or just plain mean. I feel no particular obligation to honor whatever their miswired vision of the world might be. And I am happy to offer them my, shall we say, helpful assistance in actively encouraging them to discover and incorporate new techniques in interpersonal communication. Heh.
Sleep peacefully and awake with enthusiasm, human race. Enjoy being here, calm down for Pete's sake, let it go. Whatever the crisis was back then, it's gone now. Relax. Love fearlessly, be kind, allow yourself to be loved, stroll through this life we share with compassion and, above all, Get Through Your Day Harming No One.
Pretty simple stuff.
.38 Special, 2nd Generation, 47 Times Its Own Weight, 7th Wave, AC/DC, Abelard String Quartet, Accordian Kid, Ain't Misbehavin', Airto Moreira, Alda Reserve, Alpha Band, Al "TNT" Bragg's Revue, Al Kooper, Al Stewart, Alan Price, Albert Collins, Alex Coke, Alex Harvey, Alex Moore, Alice Cooper, All You Can Eat, Allen Wayne Damron, Alpha Band, Alphonse Mouzon, Alvin Crow, Alvin Lee, Amazing Rhythm Aces, Ambrosia, American Graveyard, American Standard Band, Anagen, Andy Pratt, Angel Sucheras Group, Angela Strehli, Antelope, Antony Braxton, April Wine, Argent, Arlo Guthrie, Arrogance, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Artful Dodger, Asleep at the Wheel, Asmus Delby & Gay, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Augie Meyers, Aurora, Austin Ballet Theatre, Austin Blues Ensemble, Average White Band, Ayers Rock, Aztec Two Step, B-52s, B. W. Stevenson, B.B. King, Baba Ram Dass, Baby Face, Baby, Backbone, Back Porch Mary, Balcones Fault, Band Of Heathens, Barry Melton, Basilisk, Becca Sarow, Bee Bop Deluxe, Bee's Knees, Bellamy Brothers, Bert Jansch, Berzerko Brothers, Beto Y Los Fairlanes, Bette Midler, Big Boys, Big Joe Turner, Big Twist, Bill Bruford, Bill Connors, Bill Evans, Bill Monroe, Bill Kirchen, Bill Neely, Bill Withers, Bill Wray, Bill and Bonnie Hearne, Billy C. Farlow, Billy Cobham, Billy Joe Shaver, Billy Swan, Blackfoot, Black Horse, Black Oak Arkansas, Blackfoot, Blind George McLain, Blind Melon, Blitz Brothers, Blondie, Blood Sweat and Tears, Bloodrock, Blue Oyster Cult, Bob Jenkins, Bob Scneider, Bob Seger, Bob Weir, Bob Welch, Bobby Bridger, Bobby Brown, Bobby Doyle, Bobby Thomas & the Light Men, Bola Hooker, Bonnie Murray, Bonnie Raitt, Boo Ray & the Bivalves, Boomer Norman, Boomtown Rats, Boz Scaggs, Brand X, Brave Combo, Brecker Brothers, Breeze, Brewer & Shipley, Brian Andrew Lee, Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Brian Jackson & the Midnight Band, Brides of Funkenstein, Brock Walsh, Brodie Mountain Boys, Bronco Brothers, Brownsville Station, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Hughes, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Bowers, Bubble Puppy, Buck Acre, Buckdancers Choice, Budgie, Buffy St. Marie, Bugs Henderson, Bump and Grind, Buster Brown, Butch Hancock, Buzz Bone, Byron Berline, Cactus Pryor, Calico, Calvert Powell & Resnick, Captain Beefheart, Captain Beyond, Carla Bley, Carlene Carter, Carnaval Brasileiro '79, Carson Alexander, Carry Beezer, Cassel Webb's Bumpin' Co., Cate Bros, Catfish Hodge, Cats at Work, Cedar Frost, Chango, Charles Mingus, Charlie Daniels Band, Charlie Day, Charlie Robison, Charlie Sexton, Chastity Fox, Cheech & Chong, Cheezmo Shmaltz, Chip Taylor, Chris Blackwell, Chris DeBurgh, Chris Hillman, Chuck & Julie, Chuck Mangione, Chuck Pyle, Chuck Wagon and the Wheels, Clifton Chenier, Cold Blood, Cold Nose Five, Colleen Peterson, Combo Mahalo, Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen, Conqueroo, Contenders, Cooder Brown, Cool Breeze, Copas Brothers, Corky Laing, Cornell Hurd, Corpo Santo, Couchois, Count Basie, Country Gazette, Country Gentlemen, Country Joe and the Fish, Crab, Crabby Appleton, Craig Calvert, Creation, Cross Country, Crystal Image, Cunningham Corner, Cyril Neville & Tribe 13, D.B. Cooper, D. Binker, D. K. Little's Power Play, Daddy Longlegs, Daisy Dillman Band, Dan Del Santo, Dan Ely, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, Dana Cooper, Daril Leonard, Dark Horse, Darin Murphy, Darrel Rhoades & the HaHaVishnu Orchestra, Dash Morgan, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Edmunds & Rockpile, Dave Mason, Dave Van Ronk, David "Fathead" Newman, David Allen Coe, David Bromberg, David Grisman, David LaFlamme, David Newman, Dazz Band, Dee McCandless, Dee Moeller, Delaney Bramlett, Delbert & Glenn, Delbert McClinton, Demian, Denim, Deodato, Derringer, Desires, Desmond Child & Rogue, Devo, Dexter Gordon, Diamond Rio, Dickie Betts, Dillaplane, Dingoes, Dire Straits, Dixie Diesel, Dixie Dregs, Django's Moustache, Doak Snead, Doc Jones Band, Doc & Merle Watson, Doctor Feelgood, Doctor John, Dogs at Play, Dolenz Jones Boyce & Hart, Don McLean, Don Sanders, Donna Fargo, Doug Dyer, Doug Kershaw, Doug Sahm, Dr. Feelgood, Dr. Hook & Medicine Show, Dragon, Dukes of Simpleton, Duncan Browne, Durden Family, Dusty Drape & Dusters, Dwight Twilley, E.U., Eaglebone Whistle, Earl Scruggs, Eastwood Revue, Easy Money, Eber, Eddie & Martha Atcock, Eddie Harris, Eddie Money, Eddie Wilson, Edgar Winter, Egberto Gismonti, Eliza Gilkison, El Molino, El Rancho, El Roacho, Elana James & the Continental Two, Electromagnets, Eliza Gilkison, Elizabeth Barraclough, Elliot Leonard, Elvin Bishop, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, E.O. Doggett, Eric Johnson, Eric Quincy Tate, Ernie Gammage, Ester Satterfield, Etta James, Eureka, Evergreen, Exile, Explosives, Extreme Heat, Ezra Charles, Fancy Space, Fanny, Fast Sam, Fat 'n' Sassy, Fats Domino, Feet First, Felix Pappalardi, Fever Tree, Firefall, First Nat'l Rotagilla Band, Flaco Jimenez, Flamin' Groovies, Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids, Flora Purim, Flying Burrito Brothers, Foghat, Fools, Foreplay, Frampton's Camel, Frank Zappa, Frankie Smith, Franklin Ajaye, Fred Argir, Freda & the Firedogs, Freddie Hubbard, Freddie King, Freddy Fender, Free At Last, Free Beer, Freedom Express, Free Nugs & the Kickbaxxx, Frenzi, Full House, Funkadelic, Funky Kings, Gabrieli Brass Quintet, Gallagher & Lyle, Gamma, Gap Mangione, Garfield, Gary Burton, Gary Hoey, Gary P. Nunn, Gary Wright, Gasolin', Gatemouth Brown, Gato Barbieri, Geezinslaws, Genesis, Gentle Giant, George Duke, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Gil Gilberto, Gil Scott-Heron, Ginger Valley, Gino Vanelli, Golden Earring, Goose Creek Symphony, Gospel Silvertones, Gospel Stars, Gove, Graham Parker & the Rumor, Gram Parsons, Great Guitars, Green Slime Boys, Greezy Wheels, Grinderswitch, Grupo Fantasma, Guy Forsyth, Gypsee Eyes, Haciendo Punto, Haji, Hall and Oats, Hamm Brothers, Hampton Geese Band, Hand to Mouth, Hank Alrich, Happy Traun, Harnett Brothers, Harry Chapin, Harvey Mandel, Harvey Raspberry, Hayes Carll, Head East, Heartsfield, Heath Brothers, Heaven & Earth, Helpinstill, Henry Gross, Herbie Hancock, Heyoka, Hickory Wind, High Cotton, High Country, High Voltage, Holy Modal Rounders, Hoot Night, Homegrown, Hometown Band, Horslips, Houston Jones, Hot Cakes, Hot Sauce, Hot Tuna, Hoyt Axton, Hub City Movers, Hugh Regan, Huey Lewis & The News, Hurricane Carter, Hydra, If, Iggy Pop, Image, Incredible String Band, Iron Butterfly, It's A Beautiful Day, J. Geils Band, J.D. Souther, JJ Cale, Jack & Fletcher, Jack De Johnette, Jackie King, James Brown, James Cotton Band, James McMurtry, James Tally, Jan Hammer, Jan Garbarek, Jay Boy Adams, Jay Ferguson, Jazzmanian Devils, Jean-Luc Ponty, Jeff Beck, Jeff Berlin, Jeff Lorber Fusion, Jeff Plankenhorn, Jerry Barnett, Jerry Duwanville, Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders, Jerry Green, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jerrie Jo Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Stevens, Jesse Colin Young, Jim Mings, Jim Ringer, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jimmie LaFave, Jimmie Vaughn, Jimmy Buffet, Jimmy Cliff, Jimmy LaFave, Jimmy Spheeris, Jimmy Witherspoon, Joan Armatrading, Jo Jo Gunne, Joanne Mackell, Job, Joe Cocker, Joe Ely, Joe Jackson, John Abercrombie, John Anderson, John Cale, John Clay, John Cougar, John Dee Graham, John Fahey, John Garza & Blue Horizon, John Hammond, John Hartford, John Fahey, John Henry Faulk, John Klemmer, John Mayall, John Nitzinger, John Prine, John Reed, John Renbourn, John Sebastian, John Staehely, John Stuckey, John Vandiver, Johnny Dee & the Rocket 88's, Johnny Gimble, Johnny Pierce, Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Winter, Joker Moon, Jon Emory & The Missouri Valley Boys, Jose Feliciano, Journey, Joy of Cooking, Jubal Clark, Jubilation, Jug Band, Jules & the Polar Bears, Julliann Banks, Jus' Walkin', KGB, Kacy Crowley, Kansas, Karla Bonoff, Katy Moffett, Keith Adams, Keith Van Sickle, Kenneth Threadgill, Kenny & The Jets, Kenny & the Kasuals, Kenny Acosta Band, Kenny Doss, Kenny Loggins, Kenny Rankin, Kevin Collins, Kim Deschamps, King Creole, Kinky Friedman, Kiwi, Kool & The Gang, Krackerjack, Kraftwerk, Krishna Dass, Kuba, Kurt Van Sickle, L.A. Jets, La Primavera, Ladd Roberts, Lake, Larry Coryell, Larry Gatlin, Larry Groce, Larry McNeely, Larry Raspberry and the Highsteppers, Lasuza, Lavender Hill Express, Law, Lawrence Hammond, Le Roux, Lee Ann & the Bizarros, Lee McCullough Band, Legends of Jazz, Legion of Mary, Legs Diamond, Lenny White, Leo Kottke, Leon Redbone, Leon Russell, Leroy Jenkins, Leroy Preston & WDM, Les Blanc, Les Clamtones, Les Dudek, Levon Helm, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lightning, Linda Hargrove, Linda Ronstadt, Lindsey Haisley, Link Davis, Link Wray, Little Feat, Little Imo, Lloyd Maines, Long John Baldry, Los Guajalotes, Lost Gonzo Band, Lost Highway Band, Lou Ann Barton, Loudon Wainwright III, Louis Meyers, Lowell Fulson & Etta James, Lowell George, Lower Forty Grass, Lucky Roach, Lynn Groom, Lynx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lz Love, M. Sokoloff Dancers, Magazine, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Mahogany Rush, Mamas Pride, Mambo Combo, Man Band, Mance Lipscomb, Marc Benno, Marcia Ball, Maria Muldaur, Marianne Faithfull, Mark Farner, Mark Hallman, Mark Jordan, Marshall Tucker Band, Martin Mull, Mary Jane Girls, Mary McCaslin, Mary Travers, Maynard Ferguson, McKendree Spring, Meatloaf, Meisburg & Walters, Mendocino All Stars, Michael Diner, Michael (Martin) Murphey, Michael Franks, Michael Fricaso, Michael Katakis, Michael Marcoulier, Michael Nesmith, Michael Simmons & Slewft, Michael Urbakiak Fusion, Michael Woody, Midnight Angels, Mike Davis, Mike Greene Band, Milton Carroll, Mingo Fishtrap, Mink deVille, Miroslav Vitous, Mission Mountain Wood Band, Missouri Woodland, Missouri, Molta, Monkees, Monte Montgomery, Montrose, Moods of Country Music, Moon Martin, Moonlighters, Mose Allison, Mother of Pearl, Moxy, Mullet, Myles & Lenny, NRBQ, Nat Adderley, Navasota, Neil Larson, Nektar, Network, New Grass Revival, New Orleans R&B Allstars, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Next, Nick Lowe, Ninth Street Blues Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Noel Redding, Norman & Nancy Blake, Northfork Express, Norton Buffalo Stampede, Nova, Old & New Dreams, Old Salt, Oliver Lake, Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits, Omar & the Howlers, On 2nd Thought, One Hand Clapping, Outlaws, Overload, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Panama Red, Papa John Creach, Papa Mali, Paradise Special, Parliament/Funkadelic, Passenger, Pat Metheny, Patrice Pike, Patty Smith, Paul Butterfield, Paul Ray and the Cobras, Paul Winter Consort, Pavlov's Dog, Penny Ney, Peter Lang, Peter Robinson, Peter Rowan, Phil Lesh, Phil Ochs, Phil Woods Quintet, Phyrework, Plum Nelly, Point, Pointer Sisters, Pot Liquor, Pousette-Dart Band, Pressure, Pretenders, Pure Prairie League, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Quilapayun, RCO All Stars, Rabble, Rainshadow, Ralph Bostoe, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Ralph Towner, Ram Jam, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Ramon Ramon & the 4 Daddios, Ramsey Lewis, Randall Bramblett, Randy Banks, Randy Crawford, Randy Hansen & Machine Gun, Randy Newman, Rat Creek, Rat Madness, Ravi Shankar, Ray Campi, Ray Charles, Ray Manzarek, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Records, Red Weaver Band, Red White & Bluegrass, Refugee, Renaissance, Rex Allen Jr, Richard Beirach, Richard Lasaya, Richard Torrence, Richie Furay, Rick Casual & the Kitchen Band, Rick Derringer, Rick Stein, Rickie Lecea, Rickie Lee Jones, Riley Osborn, Riverstone, Riot, Ritchie Havens, Roadmap, Roanoke, Rob Moorman & Saddle Tramp, Rob Sunderland, Robert Chowning, Robert Gordon, Robert Palmer, Robert Shaw, Robin Lane, Rockaway, Rockets, Rockin' Devils, RockinHorse, Roger McGuinn, Roky Erikson, Ron Crick, Ronnie Laws, Rory Gallagher, Rounder, Rowan Brothers, Roxy Music, Roy Buchanan, Roy Harper, Roy Orbison, Ruben Ramos & the Mexican Revolution, Ruby Starr, Ruby w/ Tom Fogerty, Rufus, Rush, Rusty Wier, Ruthie Foster, Ry Cooder, STB, Sack Weed, Sailor, Salaman, Sam Rivers Quartet, Sammy Hagar, San Francisco Mime Troop, Sanford-Townsend Band, Santana, Sara Hickman, Savoy Brown, Science Fiction Band, Seals & Crofts, Shake Russell, Shakin' Street, Shandi, Shaun Cassidy, Shawn Phillips, Shawn Seigel, Shenandoah, Shiva's Headband, Shoes, Shotgun, Side of the Road Gang, Siler Kessel & Holmes, Silver City Saddle Tramps, Silvertones, Sirius, Skeeter Tate Band, Skyhooks, Skyrocket, Skyscrapers, Slim Ritchie, Slow Motion, Snaker & the Shakers, Sonny Fortune Quartet, Sonny Oard, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Sons of Cajun Crawdady, Sons of Champlin, Sonstar, South Austin Jug Band, Southern Feeling, Southside Johnny & the Ashbury Jukes, Space Opera, Spanky and Our Gang, Spatz, Spellbound, Spirit, Split Enz, Spyro Gyra, St. Elmo's Fire, Stan Alexander, Standing Waves, Star Spangled Washboard Band, Starbuck, Starcrost, Steam Heat, Steeleye Span, Steely Dan, Stephen Bruton, Stephen Doster, Stephane Grappelli, Steve Esteban Jorden, Steve Forbert, Steve Fromholz, Steve Goodman, Steve Grossman, Steve Long Band, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Still Walkin', Stillwater, Stoneground, Stonehoney, Stoney Edwards, Storm, Strawbs, Summerfield, Sun Ra & His Arkestra, Sunrise, Supernatural Family Band, Suze Raff & Woody Lawson, Sweet Tooth, T-Bone Burnett, T. Gosney Thornton, T.Tellonious Troll, Tailwind, Taj Mahal, Talking Heads, Ted Nugent, Terminal Mind, Terri Hendrix, Terry Lee Hale, Texas Rose, Texas, Texiod, The Asylum Street Spankers, The Band Of Heathens, The Beat, The Bells Of Joy, The Bodeans, The Bottle Rockets, The Cats, The Clash, The Committee, The Contenders, The Dead Boys, The Dedringers, The Dicks, The Dictators, The Dillards, The Drifters of Victoria, The Dukes Of Simpleton, The English Beat, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Flatlanders, The Gap Band, The Greencards, The Grey Ghost, The Hudsons, The Jam, The Kinks, The Lost Austin Band, The Lotions, The Mau Mau Chaplains, The Meters, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, The Mother Truckers, The Neville Brothers, The New Oso Band, The Persuasions, The Police, The Ramones, The Reactors, The Reynolds Sisters, The Resentments, The Roches, The Runaways, The Skunks, The Staple Singers, The States, The Summer Wardrobe, The Tubes, The Wild Tchoupitoulas, The Winchester Twin, Thin Lizzie, Third World, Three Balls of Fire, Tiger Balm, Tim Curry, Tim Weisberg, Timothy Leary, Toby Beau, Todd Rundgren, Tom Browne, Tom Johnston, Tom Paxton, Tom Robinson Band, Tom Rush, Tom Russell, Tom T. Hall, Tom Waits, Tommy Bolan, Tommy Tutone, Tompall Glaser, Tony Williams, Too High Band, Too Smooth, Toots & the Maytals, Toto, Tower of Power, Townes Van Zandt, Toys, Traction Masters, Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, Traffic, Trapeze, Traveler, Tribe 13, Triple Threat Review, Triple XXX, Trish Murphy, Triumvirate, Trout Fishing in America, Truck, Turkey Trots, UFO, Ultravox, Uncle Lucius, Uncle Vinty, Uncle Walt's Band, Uranium Savages, Utopia, Valdy & the Hometown Band, Vallejo, Van Halen, Van Morrison, Vassar Clements, Velvet Underground, Vince Bell, Vince Mariani Band, Vixen, Warren Zevon, Watson Beasley, Wave, Waylon Jennings, Wazmo Nariz, Weather Report, Wendy Waldman, Wes & Victoria Hamil. Wesley Lunsford, Wet Willie, Wheatfield, Whiskey Drinkin' Music, Whistler, White Lightning, Widow Maker, Wiggy Bits, Wilcox West, Wildfire, William D. Smith, Willie Nelson, Will Indian, Willis Alan Ramsey, Wommack Brothers, Woodband, Woodstock Census, Woody Shaw, XTC, Yusef Lateef, Yvonne Elliman, ZZ Top...as a start, anyway...
Not a film geek; movies are generally not a part of my recreational activities. Usually discover good movies about five years after they're released. That said, psychological thrillers generally work. I like Kevin Spacey's work; John Cusack does great stuff; George Clooney seems to be hitting on all cylinders these days, too.
Food Channel. Saturday afternoon PBS cooking shows. CSPAN. WSOP. All in all, really not one spend a lot of time glued to the TV.
Mailer, Vonnegut, Vidal, Persig, Fowles, HST, Krauss, Hemingway, Kerouac, Michner, Emerson, Faulkner, Blake, Platt, Heinlein, L'Engle, Burroughs, McCumber, Seuss.
Chaucer and Boswell and Nashe and Swift and Bacon, too, although they all need to learn how to write in English; there were all kinds of spelling errors.
(In short, gimme. I'll read it.)
Einstein... Ghandi... Tenzin Gyatso... F.D.R... Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov... M.L.K... Lao Tzu.
Democratic statesmen. Libertarian judges.
And a waitress/dancer named Carol in the early morning hours of May 17, 1975...