I am interested in things which are at least vaguely cultural - music, film, art and design, a little theatre, some comedy.
Additional interests include walking, travelling, talking, eating, philosophical and semantic musing and occasionally finding some time for sleep.
I'd like to meet:
Makers and shapers, extroverts, artists, filmmakers, philosophers, musicians, believers, talkers, and people who are cool ... yes, you know who you are.
Spastic Ink "The Cereal Mouse"
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Stinkfoot - Frank Zappa
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Supersonic Festival July 2007 - Be There!
Music:
A self-confessed muso, musical snob, fan of all things musical. Influences from Abba to Zappa. Good songwriting should never be undervalued.
Particular penchant though for progressive rock, metal, jazz/fusion and anything slightly wacky, weird or extravagant. I also secretly love very contemporary drumming styles jungle and drum'n'bass drumming and some of those things do find their way into my own music :)
Current Favourite Bands include: The Flower Kings, Pain of Salvation, Ephel Duath and Opeth. All power to the Swedish Progressive Rock scene.
I also dig most things from the following labels: Inside Out, Mimicry, Musea, Roadrunner and Ipecac.
Movies:
Particular interests in European cinema and the ever-growing short film industry.Cinema is perhaps my main love along with music. I frequent the cinema at least once or twice a week. As that cheesy pirate advertisement states, "it's the experience that counts", and I cannot agree more.
Best of 2006 list included: Pan's Labyrinth, United 93
Casino Royale, The Departed, The Beat That My Heart Skipped, Volver, Black Book.
On my good list for 2007, the following films are included: Zodiac, Hot Fuzz, Inland Empire, Sunshine, The Science of Sleep and The Lives of Others.
My favourite film directors include: David Cronenberg, Pedro Almodovar, Michael Haneke, Paul Greengrass, Walter Salles, David Lynch, Jean-Jacques Beneix, Ridley Scott, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Hideo Nakata, Richard Linklater, David Fincher, Chan-wook Park, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Steven Spielberg, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, Michel Gondry and on, and on.
Television:
The most frustrating medium on the planet. Yet these things do rule: Life on Mars, Doctor Who, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Star Trek (aka TOS and TNG), 24 (yes, even though it gets sillier I still go with it).
I am a big fan of comedy, especially black comedy such as The League of Gentlemen and Spaced.
You Tube is essential viewing.
Books:
I read all sorts from drumming theory to art to history to philosophy to sociology. Sometimes I read a little fiction, although my postmodern tendencies would state that much supposed 'fact' is only a matter of interpretation also.
Heroes:
My ultimate heroes are my friends and family for just being who they are, but this is a box prompting more musical related heroes, so here goes...
Musical heroes: Freddie Mercury, Daniel Gildenlow, Frank Zappa, Mikael Akerfeldt, Robert Fripp, Roine Stolt, Mike Patton, Peter Gabriel,... and on, and on....
Drumming heroes: Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, Gavin Harrison, Marco Minnemann (What Have the Romans Done For Us!), Sean Reinert, Billy Cobham, Johnny Rabb, Bill Bruford, Danny Carey, Thomas Lang, Martin Lopez, Bobby Jarzombek, Mark Zonder, Chris Adler, Mike Mangini, Roger Taylor, Steve Smith, Nick D'Virgilio, Derrick Mackenzie, Manu Katche, Zoltan Csörsz, Josh Freese, Carter Beauford, Tim Alexander, Dennis Chambers, Stewart Copeland, Gene Hoglan, Vinnie Colaiuta, Craig Blundell, Terry Bozzio ... the list goes on and on.... basically a large number of people you can find HERE
