Literature, Theatre, Film, Visual Arts,Music, Teaching, Learning, Creating, Spirituality in all forms, World Cultures, Travel, People!, Physical/Mental/Spiritual Health, Meditation, Yoga, Working out, and then, there's usually a pile of new interests, in the form of papers, books, notes...
Other artists in any genre, other creative people. Earnest Intellectuals (and not the ego-driven posers.) Activitists. People who believe that they have the right and the responsibility to make the world a better place through their own efforts and actions. People who believe that world peace and global harmony are not only possible but should be an absolutely crucial goal to which we must all commit ourselves. People in the U.S. who believe in the Jeffersonian definitions of citizenship and the necessity of periodic revolution. Americans who can actually NAME the first Five Amendments of the Constitution….and maybe who have actually read the whole Constitution. Citizens of other countries who have studied the workings of their government and understand their role as citizens. Anyone in love with the possibilities of life and love and art and learning, committed to the perennial pursuit and willing to put their ideals into action no matter what it takes.
The easiest way to say this is: anything but jazz. And then I should amend that to say that I do like the more melodic, vocal-centered jazz – the Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughn type vocal. Singer songwriters: Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Melanie, Cat Stevens…and the next generation – Dar Williams, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Sonia…so many. Rock n Roll of most types, starting in the 60s: the Beatles, of course. The original Blood Sweat and Tears (when it had Al Kooper in it) – their album “Child is Father to the Manâ€, Spenser Davis Group, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Hendrix of COURSE, Captain Beefheart, Tim Buckley (and his son Jeff), Terry Reid, Led Zeppelin, Bowie, John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Allman Brothers, Spirit, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Rita Coolidge, Buffy St. Marie, Laura Nyro, Heart… and the Queen Mother of all bad-ass female lead singers: Grace Slick….remember the days in Philadelphia when “My Father’s Son†was one of the coolest DJs around?....remember “Underground Radioâ€?.... . Folk singers like Phil Ochs, Peter Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger…to John Gorka and Patty Larkin. Lyle Lovett. Marc Broussard. Randy Newman. Travis Tritt. Metal….Black Sabbath and yes of course I have “Iron Man†on an album. Still. Molly Hatchet. Def Leppard. Damn Yankees. Disturbed. Korn, Blind Guardian. Cradle of Filth, System of a Down …and then there is Trent. Marilyn Manson with his neo-surrealistic symbolist theatricality and absolute genius for lyric, and for putting together a show. Crowded House. Queen. R.E.M. Radiohead. Evanescence. Lacuna Coil. Godhead. Opeth. Tool. Perfect Circle. Bright Eyes. Portishead. The Dresden Dolls. Dr. John. The Doobie Brothers (Michael McDonald, really….it’s all about his incredible voice.) Jack Bruce, another incredible voice. Journey – Steve Perry’s incredible voice. And then there is Leonard Cohen – the quintessential songwriter/poet. James Taylor. Janis Ian. I also love theatre music: soundtracks like Wicked, Cabaret, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Les Mis….and theatre artists like Bernadette Peters, Alan Cummins, Mandy Patinkin, Idina Menzel, Patty LuPone. Sondheim…the demi-god. Gershwin. Michael Feinstein. Marvin Gaye. And I own nearly every Barbra Streisand album ever made…albums….since I was like, 12. I love female vocalists of nearly every singing style. Linda Ronstadt. Linda Eder, Isabelle Boulay, Karen Akers, Judy Garland, Kiri Te Kanawa, Maria Callas, kd lang, Tracy Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Pat Benatar, Martina McBride, Melissa Etheridge, Celine Dion, Cleo Laine, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, Emmy Lou Harris, the Dixie Chicks, Patsy Cline, Reba, Perla Batalla, Rosemary Clooney, Ute Lemper. World Music – Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar, Sheila Chandra, Bataa drum recordings, Cuban music, Latin dance music in general, kabuki music, shaguhachi music, music for the shamisen, Paco de Lucia, traditional Celtic Music Blues: Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, BB King, Albert King, Otis Rush, Etta James, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert Collins, Bobby “Blue†Band…there’s nothing better than a Blues Festival on a hot summer night…..stars in the sky and searing blues guitar….or a down-hearted bottle neck slide. Classical Music – Baroque, violin music – love Sarah Chang, Renaissance music on period instruments, Chopin, Puccini….and some of the most amazing music is being composed now for video games. The sountracks to the World of Warcraft, for instance, are some of the most amazing stuff being created right now.
Out of Africa, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, House of the Flying Daggers (a new favorite)and most anything by Zhang Yimou, Tran Anh Hung's Cyclo -- which I think I watched at least 4,000 times, Waking Life, The first Matrix film (not the others. At all.)Kundun, The Last Emperor, The original Star Wars trilogy,Ghost World, Ghost Dog, Fight Club, The Crying Game, Shakespeare in Love, My First Mister, Run Lola Run, Anything by Tim Burton (but especially Edw. Scissorhands) JFK, Robert Altman's stuff is fun to watch, just to try and figure out how he directed (or didn't direct) the actors, Paul Newman movies, Robert Duvall movies, Katherine Hepburn films, things with Hector Elizondo (TV, movies, plays), Hitchcock's work, Apocalypse Now and the first two Godfather films -- the third should be set on fire and fed to Francis Ford Coppola before it goes out. A new favorite director, Julie Taymor, and her amazing film "Titus", based on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus -- and since you DON'T have a category for plays and musicals: I'll put them here -- Shakespeare -- everything he ever wrote. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Nicholas Nickleby, Les Miserables, Wicked, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Marat/Sade, Angels in America, Death of a Salesman and most of Miller, All Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill's plays, Caryl Churchill is a new favorite playwright, Lemon Sky, all of Sondheim..with the possible exception of Passion, Very little of Andrew Lloyd Webber -- I mean, what's up with him? -- Marsha Norman's work...way more than I can list. But you should all join Playbill.com and go to plays in New York. And if you live near Philadelphia, you should join theatrealliance.org and go to plays in Philadelphia. You should just go to plays, wherever you are.
West Wing, before Aaron Sorkin left. I expected to like Studio 60. Sex In the City. Charmed, before Shannon left, not after. Sopranos, sometimes. Old stuff: M.A.S.H., St.Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues...I used to like Bravo when it was really an Arts channel..but now it's a reality TV channel so I don't watch it anymore. In fact, I don't watch much TV at all. CNN, C-Span 2 when the Senate is in session. Book TV on weekends. Old Movies.
Fiction: Everything Dickens ever wrote. Same with Faulkner. In fact, the same with most Southern writers: favorites right now are Tom Franklin, Barry Hannah, Lewis Nordan, John Biguenet, Richard Bausch, Jim Harrison, Lee Smith, Moira Crone, Dorothy Allison.... If you don't know them READ them. New Stories of the South - the awards anthology of southern writing that comes out every year. Flannery O'Connor. Madison Smartt Bell. Amy Bloom -- everything she writes, just about. Barbara Kingsolver, same..except you should all read her short story, "Rose-Johnny" if you never read another short story. Well, no, that's wrong...read short stories. Lots of them. Jane Austen, of course. (Why of course?...you shouldn't need to be told.) Isak Dinesen. Did I mention Dorothy Allison? Richard Ford. Toni Morrison. God, there are too many -- just read the anthologies that come out each year: Puschart, Best of, New Stories of the South...start there, and find the writers you love, and then go out and buy their work individually. Oh! One Hundred Years of Solitude. Seriously, don't be lazy. It'll change your life and your experience of reality. Same thing for The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser. Extend yourself. Non-fiction: Hazel Rowley's biographies. Joan Mellen. Lots of spiritual stuff, too many titles. Read around and find your own, and tell ME about your favorites.
Elizabeth I of England. Don Quixote. Yes, I know he's not real. Arjuna. Betsy Trotwood. Elizabeth Bennett. Eowyn...absolutely. And speaking of The Ring trilogy: Sam (Samwise Gamgee). Do you detect a theme? Newman Noggs...more gentle than the rest, but hero nonetheless. Looking back at this, I know: I've only got one real human being. But that's because it's really hard to be a real hero.