ART!
Anything related to the visual arts, as well as film, books (fiction), comics, and pretty much anything frivolous and/or silly.
Music
I like ballroom dancing, so swing, tango, waltz, foxtrot, all that stuff. Funk makes my hips move. Beethoven makes my heart soar. I listen to classical and house music when I'm at work. Rock is the only good radio near me. I was raised on doo-whop and soul. Anything goes, honestly.
I guess Country is all I can't listen to. Sure, there's some great country musicians; Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash. Too bad so much country music is dreck. And don't even get me started on modern pop. Talk about craptacular!
Movies
I'm very opinionated about the movies I watch. I know what's good, but I also know what makes me smile. Alas, these are not always the same things. My collection of fine cinema is not as large as my collection of cheesy schlock.
To illustrate this point, here's a sample of my DVD collection: Basquiat, M, Rushmoore, Spaceballs, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, Eegah, The Magnificent Seven, The Shining, Gladiator, The Wicker Man, The Story of Ricki, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, "Manos!" the Hands of Fate, etc.
I'll let you be the judge as to which ones are the good ones.
Television
I'm a TV addict, and yet I don't watch many shows regularly. A lot of TV dramas seem contrived to me. I can't stand reality shows or anything "ripped from the headlines". If it has to involve social commentary, I'll take mine satirically, thank you. I tend to prefer comedies, sci-fi/fantasy, and cartoons. So things like The Daily Show,Star Trek: Enterprise, and Sealab 2021 will do it for me. And anything that lets me stare at Emily Proctor. Homina homina.
I suppose I should include Mystery Science Theater 3000, too. Why on Earth did I ever leave it out? It kinda belongs under the "movies" category, but not as much as it belongs here.
Books
Currently? I'm reading:
Little Nemo 1905-1914 by Winsor McCay. It's a compilation of the entire run of Little Nemo in Slumberland and Little Nemo in the Land of Wonderful Dreams. Beautiful stuff. I'm also reading Making Money by Terry Pratchett, Ulysses by James Joyce, and Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King.
I just finished reading Noisy Outlaws... by Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, Nick Hornby, etc. (the full title is MUCH longer - the acronym would be 43 letters long), Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, and Pyramids by Terry Pratchett. I've accidentally started re-reading the series of Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. I'm always looking for something new, so if you've got any suggestions...
As far as comics go, I really only read Legion of Super-Heroes every month (I swear, sometimes I think I'm the only one that reads it). Right now I'm reading Desolation Jones, Loveless, Green Lantern, The Ride, and I've recently gotten into Blue Beetle. Also, I seem to be the Death of Comics, so I'm sure all of the things listed above will cease to exist (or be so fundamentally changed that it makes no difference) within a year ot so. Nextwave, Ocean, Deadman, and Trigger rocked, even though they're all over and done with, as does Kabuki despite the fact that it seems only to come out annually.
The Flight books are worth reading, even if you don't like comics.
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VIRGINIA
Graduated: 2002
Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Major: Fine Arts (with a minor in Bond Villiany)
Clubs: Thursday Night Snack Art Consortium, University Program Board
About me: I invented plaid. Next week I plan on suing the Scots and the PGA for copyright infringement.
Hey! Tara & I are engaged! Rock on!
Who I'd like to meet: Okay, I'll narrow this down to *living* people. So, excluding the dead, I would like to meet:
Each and every visual artist. Maybe to collaborate on something, maybe just to have a beer. This includes world-famous painters, comic illustrators, sulptors, ceramicists, whatever. Even Jeff Koons.
Y'know what? Everyone else I can think of that seems like someone worth meeting also seems to fall in the "artist" category. Tim Burton. Bebe Nuewirth. Neil Gaiman. A director, performer, & author, respectively. I guess that shows you where my priorities are, doesn't it? That's right: exactly where they should be. Damn straight.
We'll have to go out for a beer...let me know when you'll be around the ole homestead...bring that new gal of yours. Just not this week...I'm going to see Wanye Newton Sat. night with Tracy (she won free tickets). It should be interesting. Peace and Love...Amber
So we're back from Germany and have almost entirely moved into the tiniest apartment ever. Thanks again for being the bestest man ever and it was great to finally meet Tara.
