Playing old-time fiddle, singing, listening to all kinds of music, films, politics, history, folklore, research, writing, my cat Finnegan the MicroLion, gardening, herbalism, sushi, red wine, bourbon, Macallen's 12-year scotch with a cigar, the Mississippi, the ocean, all water bodies, the vast prairies, campfires, drivin' percussive fiddle tunes, provocative literature, philosophy, conversing, comraderie, large gatherings of friends, my home near the river, plants, fishing, hunting, outdoors, environmental issues, drinking . . .
Music
Categorically, most things with strings attached, e.g old-time, folk punk, stringband, and dark folk . . . bands such as: Ditch Lilies, Mill City Grinders, Foghorn Stringband, Dickel Bros., Uncle Earl, Spider John Koerner, Fort Wilson Riot, Charlie Parr, Magic Castles, Black Audience, The Brass Kings, the Knotwells, Dreamland Faces,Dark Dark Dark, The Dangerboard, Roma di Luna, Parts for All Makes, Ice Palace, the Blackthorns, Breaksea Caravel, Painted Saints, Golem, The Quavers, the Major Stars, the X-Boys (superband of early Mpls. punk/no-wave)Chokecherry, The Bitter Spills, Kruddler, FLT, Gunther, Murzik, Tin Star Sisters, Black Eyed Snakes, The Alarmists, Man Man, Arcade Fire, Beatifics, Townes, the Heartless Bastards, V3, Curtis Mayfield, Howard Tate, Al Green (early), Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs, Hank, Janis, Cash, Hendrix, T-Rex, Bowie, Iggie, KISS, New York Dolls, Camper van Beethoven, Super Furry Animals, Radiohead, Waterboys, Tom Waits, Loretta Lynn, Neko Case, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, early Who, Andrew Bird, Jenny Scheinman, Onion Creek Crawdaddies, Valet, VU, X, Creekdippers, The Kinks, The Cars, The Band, Neil Young, Ol' Yeller . . .
Movies
Millions . . . here are but a few . . . Unknown Woman, La Fine del Mare, Across the Universe, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Once, Aronofsky's the Fountain, and Pi, Before Night Falls, Lovers of the Arctic Circle, Children of Men, Darjeerling Ltd.,The Constant Gardener, Monsterthursday, Fearless Freaks, The Host, The Illusionist, The Machinist, Kung Fu Hustle, The Girl from Monday, Batman Begins, Clean. All Pedro Almodovar!, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Sex and Lucia, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Fog of War, Hero, (and all Xang Yimou films), French action films esp w/ Jean Reno, all Luc Besson such as Leon the Professional, The Transporter 1 and 2, Wasabi . . . everything with Gary Oldman e.g. Sid and Nancy, Basquiat, . . . Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The Revolution will Not be Televised, Bloody Sunday, Jet Li films, Amelie, Triplets of Belville, Ratatouille, all Scorcese, incl. The Godfather , Bond films, Solaris (both), King of Hearts, Hal Hartley films, esp. True Men, Children of Paradise . . .Luis Bunuel films, Wenders: Wings of Desire. Far Away so Close, Until the End of the World. John Sayles films, esp. Lone Star and Matewan, Before Sunrise/After Sunset,Bend it Like Beckham, Mindwalk, Last Tango in Paris, action/spy films e.g. The Bourne films,Ronin, Million Dollar Baby, John Woo's films (Hong Kong), Lost in Translation, Romeo is Bleeding, The Seventh Seal, the Man Who Fell to Earth . . .Jarmusch films, e.g. Deadman, Broken Flowers, Gypsy films: Latcho Drom, Gadjo Dilo, Black Cat White Cat . . .
Television
escapist BBC comedies (love Chef, Ab Fab, Coupling, and the Office). Six Feet Under. The Wire, Battlestar Galactica. Heroes. Deadwood. The Conchords. Some PBS.
Books
..
The Yiddish Policeman's Union, the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, the Omnivore's Dilemma, The Golden Compass trilogy, The Painted Drum (all Louise Erdrich books), Neil Gaiman's American Gods, Anansi Boys and Stardust, The Rose and the Briar American Ballads (Greil Marcus) All Dave Eggers! (YSKoV, HWoSG, How we are hungry, and What is the What), Oryx and Crake, Almanac of the Dead, Bone People, Stranger in a Strange Land, Bill Bryson, Anthony Bourdain, Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy, Isabel Allende, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, Zadie Smith, Nick Hornby, so so many more. . . I love revolutionary writers.
Heroes
Melvin Wine
Tommy Jarrell
Dave Eggers
Michael Chabon
Jimi Hendrix
Studs Terkel
Ahrundati Roy
Amy Goodman
Che
John Sayles
Kurt Vonnegut
Alexis Petridis
Anthony Bourdain
About me: Author West Bank Boogie, book about West Bank musicians since the '60s, with vintage photos and a compilation CD. Freelance writer-- Vita.MN, Star Tribune, blog "Life of Cyn": http://cyncollins.blogspot.com/, Daily Planet, TC Metro, formerly Pulse, The Bridge, Howwastheshow, RIFT, Buon Gusto. I'm a gardener/herbalist/old-time fiddler and love politics, music, films, lit.
Who I'd like to meet: like-minded lit/music/arts people, people to talk politics, play and listen to live music with, watch films together, drink together
hi cyn! hope all is well in mpls. we are in new orleans, takin it easy, listening to our friends play good music. hopefully we'll see you in the spring!
Hey Cyn. It was excellent seeing you today. So much fun to hang there and talk (and fun to hear the other guest, too). I think you have a nice life, all you do. That's from the outside looking in, of course. Perhaps it's hell!
Great seeing you at the 331 Re-launch. I am realllllyy looking forward to a block of time when I can sit down and luxuriate with the book. But from the looks of it already, you did a tremendous job. So passionate. Here's to more printings, and maybe even further editions!!! And belated Happy Birthday as well. See you at the WBB Myspace.
Hello--we've been thinking about you and wanted to thank you for all your support. My mom really liked what you wrote about us on blogspot, so thanks! We really appreciate it. Talk to you later, Nikki
Congratulations, former bachelorette! Now that the big day is behind you, I bet you're excited for the publishing of your book. Another congrats... I'm excited for your book-signing party at the 331. Make sure to post a MySpace bulliten.
