If you're a fan of Kate and/or Tori Amos and/or Portishead you should check out the music of Catherine Anne Davies at www.catherineannedavies.com. I think she's just great.
Interests:
I enjoy seeing the ghost of the Moon in the daytime sky. I'm interested in science, especially astronomy and space exploration; history; LEGO; something of an audiophile and home theater buff; Old Time Radio (OTR); big fan of the latenight LOVELINE radio program with Dr. Drew Pinsky (He's board-certified!); love all kinds of animals with one exception - not so wild about the ones that walk upright and talk; used to follow politics but gave it up after the 2004 presidential election. How the majority of American voters could have said "Let's have four more years of that!" just baffles me.
I've always been interested in Asian cultures like China and particularly Japan. Not only the pop culture stuff (movies, comics, animation, toys) but also the history of the countries and the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. I'd love to travel and spend a month or two exploring each country. An extended stay in Australia on the way back to the States would be nice too. Would also love to spend several months exploring Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. And I'd like to learn more about BDSM. Or rather, BD/sM.
Movies:
The Blues Brothers, Run Lola Run, Superman: The Movie (1978), V for Vendetta, Kung Fu Hustle, Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Fifth Element, Airplane! ("Son, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"), Star Wars (The original three movies, not the lackluster "prequels"), Excalibur, Jackie Brown, Crumb, Silent Hill, Lady in the Water, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Time Bandits, Barbarella, Hellraiser, Lair of the White Worm, Blue Velvet, High Anxiety, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Silence of the Lambs, Flash Gordon (1980 - the one with the soundtrack by Queen and the Art Deco spaceships), American Splendor, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, Children of Men, Christopher Guest's "mockumentaries" Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show (still haven't seen A Mighty Wind), the films of Akira Kurosawa, Ken Russell, David Lynch, Sam Raimi, M. Night Shyamalan, Jackie Chan, Bruce Campbell, Rosanna Arquette, Cate Blanchette, Toshiro Mifune, the Coen Brothers, Mel Brooks, David Cronenberg, John Waters, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and anything with Milla Jovovich or Franka Potente. It's a melancholy film but I enjoyed A Prairie Home Companion. I used to listen to the radio show regularly, but got out of the habit in recent years. I don't know if it was the last movie Robert Altman completed before his death, but if it was it was a nice little film to go out on.
Television:
Mystery Science Theater 3000, Doctor Who (new and classic), Mythbusters, Real Time with Bill Maher, Twin Peaks, Babylon 5, Monty Python, The Goodies, Firefly, Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett, The Day the Universe Changed, the original Twilight Zone with Rod Serling, the original Kolchack the Night Stalker with Darren McGavin, The X-Files and Star Trek - especially the original series and the animated series. I enjoy watching the various Travel Channel programs hosted by Samantha Brown. And that's not JUST because I fancy Ms. Brown.
Been watching David Letterman since 1982. Enjoy Conan O'Brien too, but I miss Andy. Watch a lot of The Discovery, History and Learning Channels. I started watching The Avengers and The New Avengers when I was just a lad. Diana Rigg in leather catsuits? Joanna Lumley in impossibly high heels? Yes, please. The first anime I saw was Galaxy Express 999 on Cinemax back in the early '80s. Next was Robotech, never missed an episode of that show. There's so much new anime today that I can't begin to keep up with it all. Here are some of the few that I've watched and enjoyed over the years: Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Najica Blitz Tactics, Agent Aika, Ghost Talker's Daydream and The Dirty Pair (the original DP, no "Flash" please).
Books:
E. A. Poe, of course. Big H.P. Lovecraft fan; "Whisperer in Darkness" is my favorite HPL story. Always on the lookout for Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout. Enjoy the pulp magazine exploits of The Shadow by Maxwell Grant aka Walter Gibson, et al. I can spend hours reading dictionaries and encyclopedias. Lifelong comics reader/collector; love the comics/graphic novels of Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, James Robinson, John Ostrander, Geoff Johns, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes and Harvey Pekar among many others. Mad for Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - looking forward to The Black Dossier HC. Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo series is probably my favorite comic. Garth Ennis' run on Hellblazer (the John Constantine comic) was brilliant. Also loved Preacher, Ennis' Vertigo series with artist Steve Dillon. Delightfully blasphemous! And can't forget Doom Patrol, Animal Man and The Ins by Grant Morrison. Those comics warped my little mind. Other favorites include Paul Chadwick's Concrete, Tim Truman's Scout, Guy Davis' Baker Street, Jason Asala's Poe, Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty's Ms. Tree, Mark Evanier and Dan Speigle's Blackhawk and Crossfire and Matt Wagner's Grendel and Mage. Love the art of Joseph Michael Linsner, George Perez, Alan Davis, Art Adams, Adam Hughes and the man who will always be THE Superman artist for me, Curt Swan.
Longtime fan of the Duck stories by writer/artist Carl Barks. Lifelong fan of the Peanuts (Charlie Brown and Snoopy) comic strip by Charles Schulz. I devour each new volume of Fantagraphics' Complete Peanuts as soon as they are published. As much as I love the Peanuts strip I love Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes. Plan to get the big, expensive hardcover someday. That comic strip will always mean a lot to me.
I just keep buying books and comics. Maybe one day I'll actually have time to read them all.
Heroes:
George Carlin, who says a lot of the things that I want to say. Andy Partridge of the band XTC, who has written a lot of things that I wish I had written. Barry Allen. The Justice Society of America.
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About Michael68
I had a hard beginning in life. My father died two years before I was born; my mother a year later.
Sorry. I have a cold.
Actually Mom is still with us. From 1974 to 2004 she owned Jerry's Place, a restaurant in downtown Tahlequah, OK. I grew up in the diner and worked there from 1988 till we had to close the business in 2004 due to a decline in Mom's health (She's doing better now, thanks for asking). I'm currently employed as a ninja, but that's just until I can get back into the foodservice industry.
Michael68's Music
Kate Bush, Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos, Milla Jovovich, XTC, Steely Dan, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Creatures, The White Stripes, Was (Not Was), They Might Be Giants, Portishead, The Beatles, The Smiths, Morrissey, R.E.M., Bjork, Tom Waits, The Cure, The Smithereens, 10,000 Maniacs, Bananarama, Shakespear's Sister, ABC, Deee-Lite, Joe Jackson, Cameo, Garbage (LOVE Shirley Manson! Red-headed Scottish women are hot!), Peter Gabriel, Catherine Anne Davies (Hi Catherine!), Earth Wind and Fire, Madness, Queen (Freddie, you are missed.), Supertramp, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Marty Robbins, Liz Phair, The Clash, Kool and the Gang, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black 47, Buck Owens, Emiliana Torrinni, Kim Wilde, Stevie Wonder, The Who, Leon Redbone, George Benson, Laurie Anderson, The Doors, Concrete Blonde, Gerry Rafferty, Mister Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra ("You can't beat a bit of ELO."), the "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, The Breeders, Thomas Dolby, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police, The Runaways, The Kinks, Lita Ford, Blondie, Roxy Music, k.d. lang, The B-52s, Golden Earring, U2, Cyndi Lauper, Guns N' Roses, Crash Test Dummies, Spin Doctors, Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears (love those horns!), Enya, The Smashing Pumpkins, Auf der Maur, Little Richard, TimeLords/The KLF, Pink Floyd, Roger Miller, Lone Justice, The Cranberries, Gorillaz, Gnarles Barkley, The Ramones, Tears for Fears, Men at Work, "Jeff Wayne's Musical War of the Worlds", Roy Orbison, Shawn Colvin, James Brown, The Human League, The Fixx, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Radiohead, Ronnie Milsap, Pet Shop Boys, Billy Idol, Ernest Tubb, Goldfrapp, Prince, The Motels, Jimi Hendrix, Fatboy Slim, Alanis Morrisette, Stereo MCs, Jethro Tull, Dire Straits, Squeeze, Divinyls, The Cult, The Scorpions ("WE ARE SCORPIONS!"), Paul Young, Falco, The Killers, Blue October, ZZ Top, Dwight Yoakam, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hall and Oates and classic Motown, just to name a few.
Big fan of 80's music so I listen to lots of 80's compilations. The best one I've heard so far is the "Living in Oblivion" series.
When I was 12 or 13 I was totally infatuated with Olivia Newton-John, and a year or two later with Stevie Nicks. But I also loved the harder rockin women like Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Tough, sexy ladies in leather that take no shit AND they can kick my arse? Yes, please.
A youth spent listening to film scores, particularly John Williams', sparked my interest in classical music. I'm far from an expert in the field, but I do have several classical CDs and LPs. And yes, I do enjoy the music of Richard Wagner. Contrary to popular belief, that DOES NOT make me a Nazi. Also enjoy some choral works, with Orff's "Carmina Burana" being a favorite.
The only "real" jazz disc I own is Dave Brubeck's "Time Out", which I take out for a spin every so often. And I have a fondness for comedy albums - everything from Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart and the Smothers Brothers to Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Cheech and Chong.
Now that I found you you know that you were lost! Knowing is half the battle. I too am a ninja but I am on the day shift. Guess that is why we never shared a coffee (or more fitting, tea) break. :-)
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11/13/07 10:15