I will have to insert a very intelligent quote from former actress
Mara Wilson, before we continue:
"Liking the same music and movies does not mean you are
romantically compatible with someone, or even that you would be
good friends. I once got into a bitter online argument with a
person whose views I found abhorrent. Out of curiosity, I checked
his profile and discovered we had nearly all the same favorite
books. These were not just fiction books, either: they were books
on philosophy, science, and critical thinking that had shaped the
views I was arguing with him about! We liked the same things, but
our values, views, and temperaments were so different that we never
would have gotten along".
That being said, here's my favorite books, movies, music and
food:
I got sick and tired of reading books about music. It's like
watching a cooking tv show. You can't taste it nor smell it, so
what's the point? I prefer reading about science and trace the
steps of the masters: Sagan, Hawkings, Dawkins, Feynman.
Favorite books: Breakfast of Champions, I am Legend, The Rum Diary,
Piedra de Mar, Sphere, The Incredible Shrinking Man, A River out of
Eden, The Perfume, Steppenwolf, The Never Ending Story, Miles (the
autobiography), The Sirens of Titan, Beneath the Underdog, Surely
you're joking, Mr Feynman
Movies: Among the ones that struck a chord in me, and that I've
felt identified with the main character:
-The Man Who Wasn't There
-Edward Scissorhands
-Punch Drunk Love
-The Legend of 1900
-Babel
Music:
I grew up listening to and studying Classical music. Amongst the
ones that are close to my heart are Bach, Debussy and Rachmaninov.
For some reason I keep coming back to these three. Prokofiev's
music is like the sound of a mischievous elf in a magical forest.
As far as Satie, it took me a while to discover him, but he sure
struck me once I got into him. Then, recently, I discovered this
marvelous human being through a friend: I am speaking of composer
Arvo Part. If you really want a true musical experience that is
sincere, emotional and crystalline clear, you should listen to his
music. You see, his music is like a sphere: Round and balanced. It
has a perfect arc that never breaks: You can trace where it's
coming from and where it's going. There's a sense of Unity and of
complexity within simplicity in his music. A sense that this music
doesn't need anything else. A sense that all other music comes from
his and departs from his. You can probably see by now, that this is
one composer that has struck me.
As far as Jazz, even though I started with bebop and became almost
obsessed with it, I only realized later that I would never care to
develop an improvisational language in this style. It was only a
means to get to something else. Right now the jazz musicians I
basically listen to are Brad Mehldau, Wayne Shorter and Fred
Hersch. I still keep Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Ahmad Jamal
very close on my radar as well.
Also prevalent in my mind: Sunny Day Real Estate, Radiohead, Bjork,
The Beatles, Daft Punk.