I love finding new
music, and am more likely to be browsing
SecondSpin or AllMusic than Facebook at work. I cook, especially
big pots of things that take all Saturday and make my house smell
awesome all weekend. I love a good, dark
beer. Anything lighter than apple juice is
a waste of hops. I spend a lot of my spare time playing
taiko, which is a form of
Japanese drumming, and my house is full of little drums, percussion
toys, etc. I am glad Judd Apatow and his clones have taken over the
comedy scene, but really, Waiting for Guffman is the deep end of
the comedy pool, and everybody else is just playing with water
wings.
Working at a start-up for thousands of shares of worthless stock
(or tiny little lottery tickets, if you prefer). Playing the
drums in my spare
time, and occasionally touring with my group. I've seen a lot of
tiny towns in weird places that I never would have visited if it
weren't for music.
I work really hard at my music, but it'll be a lifetime before I
claim it is something I'm good at. I am better than most at
cooking, but I won't be appearing on Top Chef any time soon. Maybe
Hell's Kitchen. Hmm. How about: I am good at complaining about plot
holes in crappy summer blockbuster movies, I play a mean game of
Minesweeper at work, and I make fish tacos good enough to open a
stand in San Diego.
Probably my sideburns. If you want people to easily remember you,
my recommendation is to grow sideburns.
Literature -- If I could steal somebody's written voice
Little-Mermaid-style, it would be
Salman Rushdie. I especially like
his less ambitious stuff like
Haroun and the Sea
of Stories.
Vonnegut is cool too. If he came back
as a zombie, I would have to hesitate and steel myself before
shooting him in the head. Oh, and
Donald Barthelme's stories
always make me smile.
Film -- The
Coen
Brothers have many spots in my pantheon, but Tom Tykwer made
the movie that sits in my Zeus-throne:
The Princess and the
Warrior.
Music -- I'm going to censor myself, because I could talk for hours
about music. You'll have to trust me that this is an iceberg-tip:
Lonesome
Crowded West.
Fela Kuti.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Food -- I like meat slow-cooked until it is falling off the bone,
green leafy vegetables cooked in bacon fat, and rich broth.
Basically, delicious things my grandma would make.
Amoeba
Records, an unread book, Japanese food,
microbrews,
drum sticks, running shoes.
Probably at taiko practice. Or having a beer with friends.
If I could be any celebrity, it would be
Gary Oldman. Or
Michel Gondry.