Kitchen Witches (There is nothing like the familiar Scandanavian ones from the 1970's), Tarantulas (Arachnology in General), Live Theatre, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway, Films (especially Indies and B-Horror flicks), Music, Entymology, Plants (Cactii, Succulents, Droseras, Venus Flytraps, Nepenthes Mirandas, and other carnivorous plants), the Cosmos, Jazz, Hot Teas, Sushi, Gourds, Begonias (Persian Brocades, Tiger Kittens, Cowardly Lions, Iron Crosses, etc.), The Strike of Lightning, Greek Mythology, Marine Life (Especially the Octopus, Ammonites, and Hippocampii), Japan and the Good People of Japan, Reading Auto-Biographies and Biographies, Travelling
People with generally happy and sweet dispositions . . .the movers, the shakers, the dreamers and anyone in-between who wants to make a dent in this place while we are here. . . true visionaries. The disembodied voices of Jane Fonda and Barbara Billingsley (TV's "June Cleaver") at the same time (or not!?!) in a dark empty theatre late one night. Jane's voice is soothing and lulling and Barbara's voice is like lacquered pralines that have been soaked overnight in a pot of black coffee.
Siouxsie and The Banshees / The Creatures, Bongwater / Ann Magnuson, Roberta Flack, Scissor Sisters, Concrete Blonde / Pretty and Twisted / Vowel Movement, Shirley Bassey, Peaches, The Mamas and The Papas, "Mama" Cass Elliot (the woman was extraordinary!), Carpenters, Disco Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes, Denise LaSalle, Meow Meow, Toni Christie, Alison Moyet, The B-52's, Yma Sumac, Hooverphonic, Annie Ross / Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, Dorit Chrysler, The Captain and Tenille, Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Tom Waits , Kristian Hoffman, Massive Attack, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Belle and Sebastian, Sex Gang Children, Patti Page, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Tom Jones, Abby Travis, NiNa, Bebel Gilberto, Portishead, Shady / Mercury Rev, Olivia Newton-John, The London Suede, Molotov, Al Jolson, Jean Shepherd, Remy Zero, Kate Bush, Luna, Merle Haggard, Olive, The Sugarcubes, Echo and The Bunnymen, Everything But The Girl, Diamanda Galas, Blondie / Deborah Harry, Lamb, Love and Rockets / Tones On Tail / Daniel Ash, David Bowie, Marianne Faithfull, The Music of Henry Mancini, Ol' Blue Eyes, Billie Holliday, Dean Martin, The Cramps, Polyphonic Spree, Nina Simone, Fleetwood Mac / Stevie Nicks, Danielle Dax, Shriekback, Iggy Pop, Ella Fitzgerald, The Necrotones, The Dandy Warhols, Dead Can Dance, Earlimart, Queen, Bonnie Raitt, Handsome Boy Modelling School, KMFDM, Just Jack, Mellow, Etta James, tribal drumming / Polynesian music, Jazz, and the list goes on . . .
MAGIC (1978) with Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, and Burgess Meredith /THE BAD SEED (1956) with Patty McCormack and Eileen Heckart /SECRETS and LIES (1996) with Brenda Blethyn /FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! (1965) Starring Tura Satana and Haji ("The point is of no return and you've reached it!!!" / "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence . . . the word and the act!") /TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975) starring the DELICIOUS Karen Black /FOUL PLAY (1978) with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase / SHORT CUTS (1993) directed by the wonderful Robert Altman /SKIDOO (1968) with Carol Channing and Jackie Gleason and lots of LSD / OUT TO SEA (1997) with Matthau, Lemmon and Elaine Stritch /SLAVES OF NEW YORK (1988) with Bernadette Peters (Mainly for the scene with performance artist Johann Carlo singing her own song "Say Hi to Your Guy" - I relish that scene!!!) /THE ANNIVERSARY (1968) with Bette Davis /BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970 "This is my happening and it freaks me out!!!") /THEATRE OF BLOOD (1973) with Vincent Price and Coral Browne /THE ABOMINABLE DOCTOR PHIBES (1971) with Vincent Price /DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN (the sequel) /THE DARK CRYSTAL (1984) /BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE (1972) with Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart, and Goldie Hawn /THE MUPPET MOVIE (1978) /BIG BUSINESS (1988) with Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler /WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE? (1969) with Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon /DEAD OF WINTER (1987) with Roddy McDowall and Mary Steenburgen /THE RESCUERS (1977) with the voice talents of Geraldine Page and Joe Flynn /ROSEMARY'S BABY (1969) with Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon / PLAZA SUITE (1971) with Walter Matthau and Maureen Stapleton /BURNT OFFERINGS (1976) with Bette Davis, Burgess Meredith, and Karen Black /PUFNSTUF (1970) with Billie Hayes and Jack Wild /CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978) with Maggie Smith and Walter Matthau /THE EXORCIST (1970) Solely for the voice talents of Mercedes McCambridge /THE RITZ (1971) with Jerry Stiller and Kaye Ballard /KLUTE (1971) with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland /INTERIORS (1977) with Geraldine Page /DR. CALIGARI (1989) with Madeleine Reynal and Fox Harris /ALL of Michael Lucas's films!!! Hubba hubba . . . /THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (1988) with Amanda Donohoe and Hugh Grant /THE HONEYMOON KILLERS (1970) with Shirley Stoler and Doris Roberts / THE HAUNTING OF JULIA (1977) with Mia Farrow /WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR? (1965) with Sal Mineo and Elaine Stritch /MEET THE FEEBLES (1989) /THE WIZ (1978) with Diana Ross, Mabel King, Nipsy Russell, and Michael Jackson /And many, many more . . .
See TV rarely these days but my favourites are as follows : BOSTON LEGAL, ALL IN THE FAMILY (Carroll O' Connor was a genius!!!), The VICAR OF DIBLEY, THE ROYLE FAMILY, BEWITCHED, THE LOVE BOAT, THE MUPPET SHOW, THE BUGALOOS, H.R. PUFNSTUF (anything Krofft), LAW AND ORDER : CRIMINAL INTENT, SIX FEET UNDER, GIGGLESNORT HOTEL, MCMILLAN AND WIFE, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, NIGHT GALLERY, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE (one of my all-time childhood faves!), STRANGERS WITH CANDY, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, THE NEW ZOO REVUE, MADAME'S PLACE, MAUDE, NIPTUCK (only saw about FIVE episodes but LOVED it!) and - here it goes - yes, I'm a die-hard Dan Rather fan and though I miss both shows almost every week I love 60 MINUTES on Wednesdays and THE CBS EVENING NEWS (don't ask - it has to do with armadillos and gravy!)
GRENDEL by John Gardner / NO BELLS ON SUNDAY : THE RACHEL ROBERTS JOURNALS (edited by Alexander Walker) / THE BELL JAR by Sylvia Plath / CRY TO HEAVEN by A.L. Roquelaure (one of Anne Rice's pseudonyms) / EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES by Tom Robbins / THE GASHLYCRUMB TINIES by Edward Gorey / Anything by David Sedaris / JUST LUCKY I GUESS by Carol Channing / and Phyllis Diller's autobiography LIKE A LAMPSHADE IN A WHOREHOUSE / Books about the Cosmos, the deep sea, the Universe, evolutionary theories, science, science, and more science / Old star autobiogs and books about Theatre and Film
I can't say that they are 'heroes' exactly . . . but the people whom I admire most. Geraldine Page (one of the greatest actresses to have ever lived!), HELEN HANFT ("The Queen of Off-Off Broadway" and Experimental Theatre in New York circa the late 1960's and one of our damned finest stage and screen actresses), Quentin Crisp, Matthau and Lemmon, FIONNULA FLANNAGAN! Ronald Lacey (RIP), Rachel Roberts (RIP), Dame Judi Dench, Sid & Marty Krofft, ANN MAGNUSON!!!, Burgess Meredith, Sylvia Miles, Sir Anthony Hopkins, the late great Mercedes McCambridge, Dame Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie, Kitchen Witches, Shirley Stoler (RIP), Geoffrey Palmer, Nigel Hawthorne, Amy Sedaris, my first acting teacher Ouida White, Carroll O' Connor (Archie Bunker - God love 'im!), Cesar Romero, Carol Channing, Carrol Spinney (the actor and master Muppeteer behind the voice and character and costume of Big Bird), Lin Shaye, and CAROL BURNETT