Playing guitar (I'm even impressing myself now), drawing, cartoons and portraiture, digital art, music (collecting and playing), working out and general physical exercise, the odd TV show and playing the odd video game too (I do have just about every system going, and some that aren't).Live music is SO important to me, and I seriously love seeing bands play on stage, there's so much atmoshpere and wonder involved, especially if you're seeing them for the first time.Oh, and I love the movies too. And eating. Yep, foood! Mmmmmm. You name it, I'll eat it :-)
Can't put the Cosmics here, I've already met them, but hey, I would like to again, they're absolute legends. Other than them, I'd have to say the cast of Lost, and of course the mythological Mighty Boosh. And my soulmate, wherever they are. If you're reading, can you hurry up and sort it out?
Oohhhhhh now you're talking. There really are too many bands to mention, but my favourite of all time, that pulls all the right levers and switches and presses all the right buttons, are the Cosmic Rough Riders. What an amazing band. Perfect summery, feel good harmony & melody laden songs that never grow old, and always fill you with optimism and hope, in a world of dreary pessimism, harsh unpalletable crashing noise and creatively-void, manufactured, pretentious greed-driven "musical" plastic. Remember that feeling you got when you were little and everything seemed exciting? You looked at everything with wonder? Everyday was an unknown adventure? That's the feeling I get when I hear their stuff. If there was ever the musical definition of contentment and gentle euphoria, it would be the Cosmics. But I love so many other guitar-based bands and singer-song writers. Key ones that spring to mind are Josh Rouse, Elin Ruth, Matthew Sweet, Teddy Thompson, Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley, Teenage Fanclub, Aberfeldy, Nizlopi, HaveNots, Vessels (now Brinkman), the Honeymoon, Hem, Idlewild, Gina Villalobos, The Like, Silver Sun, David Mead, Captain, City and Colour and Nightmare Of You. Apart from them, and that style of music, I love DJ Shadow and anything down-tempo trip-hop style, any underground inventive hip-hop (as long as it's not some r&b related, overproduced and undercrafted piece of overcommercial chart-bound junk). In fact, I love most music as long as it's not capitalist, soulless and image-obsessed.
At the start of the summer I saw Silent Hill, which I loved (I'm a fan of the games), but my all time favourites must be anything by master animator Hayao Miyazaki, especially Kiki's Delivery Service and Laputa: Castle In The Sky. Also James Cameron's Aliens, the original Star Wars trilogy (of course), Hellboy, Blade 2, Amelie, The Iron Giant, Appleseed, the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, the Incredibles, Bugs Life and Toy Story 2, any of Kevin Smith's Jay & Silent Bob movies, and Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz.
Spaced, of course, The Mighty Boosh, Lost, Prison Break (when I get a chance to watch it), Simpsons, Futurama, Peep Show, Ren & Stimpy, Revelations, Most Haunted, GamerTV, Overhaulin' (for all the modified Mustangs), Justice League (why should kids have all the fun?), Garth Merengi's Dark Place, My Name Is Earl, 120 Minutes (MTV), This Is Americana (RIP VH2), Heroes, The Lost Room, Battlestar and last, but by no means least, the legendary IT Crowd.
Flowers For Algernon, 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Ayre Affair, The Fourth Bear, Karl Pilkington, Wall And Piece, The Bunny Suicides, Roger's Profanisauraus, Top Tips, Letterbocks, The Timewaster Letters, Minipops, Karavan Kidd, Bone, What's Michael?, Owly, Flanimals, The Law Of The Playground, The Fall Of Reach, Come Together/Come Again.
Cosmic Rough Riders, for sticking at it, and continuing to make some of the best music ever created. DJ Shadow for being the greatest musical innovator in history. Dallas Green for having the most incredible voice.