The music industry is a funny thing. I think that most people would agree that music in itself is a wonderful gift. Whether you're writing it, playing it, or listening to it, music has a way of striking chords within our souls. When I first hear a song (whether it be on the radio, at a concert, or from a local band) I judge the music first- after all, isn't that what's important? Forget about record labels, selling out, pop star status... if I like the song, I like the song. And if I don't, I don't. My opinion of the music will be based on the music. My opinion of the band may be something entirely different, but for the sake of saving space, I'll leave that a subject untouched. The tunes that frequent my CD player vary greatly and are usually based on what kind of mood I am in:
Rainy-day mellow: Ani Di'Franco; Jewel; Simon and Garfunkel; Sarah McLachlan; Joan Osborne; Tracy Chapman; Dashboard Confessional
Punky Brewster: Bad Religion; The Ramones; Rancid; Sex Pistols; Circle Jerks; The Clash; NOFX; Sublime
Deep in thought: Tool; Pink Floyd; Staind; This Ascension; Nine Inch Nails
Big hair 80's: AC/DC; Queen; Kiss; Guns 'n' Roses; Billy Idol
Chicks in charge: The Eyeliners; No Doubt, Alanis Morrisette; Janis Joplin; Pink
Dance fever: Cyndi Lauper; Whitney Houston; Madonna; Billy Joel; Prince; Michael Jackson
Boot-scootin' kuntry: Garth Brooks; Faith Hill; Sawyer Brown; Lonestar
A walk in the park: Lifehouse; Matchbox 20; Goo Goo Dolls; Creed; U2; Bliss 66; Eve 6
When I was your age: Neil Diamond; Peter, Paul, and Mary; The Byrds; The Rolling Stones; Don McLean
While the incense burns: Live; REM; The Cranberries; Smashing Pumpkins; Soul Asylum; Divine Afflatus; Nirvana; Pearl Jam; Bush
First thing in the AM: Seven Mary Three
And in a category all its own: Slouch
Nothing beats going to the cinema to see a really good movie, popcorn in hand (and hopefully not too many screaming kids or loud chewing). Just like with music, I enjoy flicks of all genres. I respect actors and actresses (outrageously huge salaries set aside) for their ability to portray someone else. FYI, I received a D- in drama my freshman year in high school. Let's just say that I've never been very good at pretending to be someone I'm not. Some of the movies I might recommend are as follows:
Animation: The Iron Giant; The Little Mermaid; Finding Nemo; Ice Age; Beauty and the Beast; Toy Story; The Nightmare Before Christmas; Shrek
Children: Return to Oz; Mary Poppins; The Princess Bride; The Parent Trap; Pollyanna; Labrynth; Drop Dead Fred; The Neverending Story; The Goonies; Edward Scissorhands
Teens: Girls Just Want To Have Fun; Sixteen Candles; Ten Things I Hate About You; Drive Me Crazy; Freaky Friday; Shag; Cruel Intentions; The Breakfast Club; Clueless; Footloose
Chick flicks: Dirty Dancing; How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days; What Women Want; An Affair To Remember; Coyote Ugly; Steel Magnolias
Era: Sense and Sensibility; Braveheart; Last of the Mohicans; The Sound of Music
Comedy: Ace Ventura; Mrs. Doubtfire; Office Space; Benny and Joon; Grumpy Old Men
Action: Independence Day; Indiana Jones; Die Hard; The Rock; Leathal Weapon; Twister; Willow; Gone in 60 Seconds; Tombstone; Rocky
Stuff that makes you go "Huh?": Fight Club; Pulp Fiction; The Usual Suspects; The Matrix
Oscar-worthy: Jerry MacGuire; Forrest Gump; The Green Mile; About A Boy; Fried Green Tomatoes; American Beauty
Creepy: Seven; Silence of the Lambs; 28 Days Later; The Shining
Christmas: It's a Wonderful Life; The Muppet's Christmas Carol; A Charlie Brown Christmas; Home Alone; A Christmas Story
Ahhh, the ability to read and write- something that is taught to us at a very young age because all those wacky elementary school teachers somehow knew that these skills would come in handy someday. Literature comes in many forms: short stories, novels, poetry, comics, magazines, newspapers, etc. To read (or write) is to live vicariously through words that have a way of becoming our temporary time and place. It's a chance to escape with as little effort as possible. No traveling necessary. I think that I have found a likeness for every piece of literature that I have ever read, but here are some of the pieces that have really stood out in my mind:
Boy's Life
The Stand
Watchers
The Bad Place
Jurassic Park
The Giving Tree
The Wind in the Willows
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Phantom Tollbooth
Bear By Himself
Bridge to Terabithia
The Catcher in the Rye
The Merchants of Venice
The Grapes of Wrath
Where the Sidewalk Ends
The Great Gatsby
Lenore issues #1-10
Le Petit Prince
Anne of Green Gables
The Neverending Story
Pride and Prejudice
Harry Potter series
The Princess Diaries series
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Jane Eyre
The Pinballs
Miss Piggle Wiggle
Tuck Everlasting