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sabrinageekWoke up at 6:30 today coughing and hacking and asthmatic -- aggravated by stomach acid.
I've been wheezing and coughing all day, and it looks/feels like I got a case of bronchitis after my cold a week or so ago. Which is par for the course. I get sick, I get bronchitis. I was always told it was something to do with my asthma/allergies, and that when I get sick, my immune system is weakened by fighting the cold that I get bronchitis on top of it.
So I skived off work today at noon to go home and rest. I'm debating a nap. In the meantime, one of the most engaging memes I've seen popped up today, courtesy of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evil_phoenix, by way of thistle_witch.
Name ten works of music, ten works of literature, and ten movies/films/tv shows that have influenced your life. The only requirement is that you've seen, heard, read them yourself. These are not supposed to be your favorites (but I suspect that many of them could be), or the ones you think are the 'best' - but the ones that have been most important in making you who you are today...
As a bona-fide media junkie, movies, music and literature tend to be the 3 things in this world that influence me the most. I have broadened my horizons through my family, my friends, my loved ones, and my wife. I'd like to think that I may have influenced others with some of my favorite works, as well. So with much thought, here goes --
Literature -
1. _Elsewhere_, _NeverNever_, and the other Bordertown books. This is a no-brainer for the 'Townie friends on my list why its first on the list. A shared-world urban sort-of post-apocalyptic fantasy that carried me through my teenage years of feeling powerless, isolated, and disconnected from the world. In these books, it's the kids/teens that are in control, that run things. They're not perfect, but they are the ones forging a world of their own. And of course, that's how I ended up meeting some of the best friends/family I've ever known.shadesong,corva,wintersweet, crimmycat, and the rest of the 'Townies I can't remember their LJ names off the top of my head are my FAMILY.Has it been 10 years already?
2. Dystopian Fiction -- Originally I was going to list individual books, but realized that the list on Wikipedia included at least 10 I've read and would list, which defeats the purpose of the list. Suffice to say, I have very strong feelings about freedoms, and I often feel that something is "intrinsically wrong" with today's society as if I'm my own Dystopian Protagonist. My list includes:
* 1984 by George Orwell
* A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
* Anthem by Ayn Rand
* Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
* Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
* Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
* The Giver by Lois Lowry (I haven't read this, exactly, althoughsanjikrhys swears by it -- I'll read it someday, though.)
* The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Read at the prompting ofwooisme)
* Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
* Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson
* Lord of the Flies by William Golding
* Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison (Soylent Green is People!)
* Neuromancer by William Gibson.
* The Running Man by Richard Bachman, a pseudonym for Stephen King.
* The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner
* The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner
* Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
3. _The Vampire's Beautiful Daughter_ by SP Somtow -- THis is "Young Adult" fiction, so to speak, and from what I've seen, doesn't seem to get very good reviews. It's a short book at 116 pages, but yet, if you know what you're looking for, it packs a massive amount of emotion in a little book. The protagonist, Johnny, is a kid of mixed heritage, part of which is native american, and he's trying to come to terms with his own life and where he fits in; Rebecca Teppish, the mortal daughter of Dracula. Johnny is attracted to the "bad girl," and Rebecca is going through the vampire equivalent of the Amish "Rumspringa." Dracula's daughter has to live the life of a mortal before she can choose to go through the process of "devivification" at her 16th birthday to become a vampire. Johnny falls in love with her, and she falls in love with him. He gets to experience the world of the vampires, and she explores the simple pleasures of being just a normal kid. In the end, Rebecca moves on, chooses the devivification, and while she wants Johnny to also become a vampire, he cannot. The final scene is of Rebecca, now a vampire, floating outside Johnny's window, pleading to him.. except that, like in the Buffy-verse, Rebecca seems to have lost her soul. When I got this book, it echoed/reflected a relationship that had just ended for me, and the the parallels between the book and the my failed relationship were uncanny, down to my Ex also being named Rebecca. The ending always makes me cry -- a tragic love.
4. _NeuroMancer_ by William Gibson -- Although this and the next are listed under "dystopian," I consider them separate. Neuromancer was the grandaddy of CyberSpace. Although somewhat grisly, Neuromancer represents my concepts of the future. In some ways, my concept of life, my cultural identity will always be somewhat defined by my constant reaching for that life.
5. _Snow Crash_ by Neal Stephenson -- Hand in hand with Neuromancer, this also defines what my life and my world should be like. It also includes a great look at modern religion, and poses the theory that religion is viral.
6. _Vurt_ by Jeff Noon. Virtual Reality by way of feathers and dreaming. Sort of a cross between Changeling: The Dreaming and Neuromancer. Vurt Snake and Game Cat (2 of my usernames besides TW) come from this book.
7. The Cyberpunk Fakebook by R. U. Sirius and St. Jude -- Sort of a satirical look at Hacking, Cyberpunk lifestyle, etc. Although it has a humorous take, it has some great listings of resources of movies, books, etc. It also has some great photos of cyberpunk "models," including one who looks like a very stylized version of me.
8. _The Hobbit_ JRR Tolkien - I'm a hobbit. And while Lord of the Rings is a great movie, it can be a total bitch to read. I prefer The Hobbit so much more. Proof that a "nobody" average joe, like me, can become something Extraordinary.
9. The works of the Romantic Poets -- Keats, Shelley, etc.
10. Hamlet -- "Above all else, to thine own self be true." 'Nuff Said.
Still with me? Wow, that was long.
Movies --
1. Dead Poet's Society -- Some of Robin William's greatest work. Wonderful themes, wonderful music, and it makes you think. Oh Captain, My Captain!
2. Uncle Don's Theater - A local late-night locally hosted Horror Show. (Think Elvira) When I was around 10 years old, this was my introduction to the world of science fiction, horror and b-movie films, a love that I still carry today. In college at NIU, I actually took a class on Media Studies taught by the real life Uncle Don. This later lead me to "USA Up All Night", MST3k and Joe Bob Briggs.
3. Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Film -- I'm a Post-Apocalyptic junkie..
* A Clockwork Orange
* Akira
* Blade Runner, adapted from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
* Brazil
* Demolition Man
* Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A.
* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
* Gattaca
* Ghost in the Shell
* Logan's Run
* The Mad Max film series
* The Matrix trilogy and The Animatrix series
* Max Headroom made-for-TV film and television series
* Metropolis by Fritz Lang
* Metropolis by Osamu Tezuka
* The Omega Man
* Planet of the Apes filmed on two occasions, by Franklin J. Schaffner and Tim Burton, respectively, plus its sequels.
* Resident Evil
* Resident Evil: Apocalypse
* Soylent Green
* The Terminator and its sequels
* THX 1138
* 12 Monkeys
4. Moulin Rouge -- This renewed my faith that quality filming -can- exist in this day & age, and that the Musical is -not- dead. I've often said that this is the movie I would make if I had the money to make a film.
5. Blues Brothers -- Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi at their finest. Inspired me to purchase my own Cop Car. And although John wasn't "good," he was a role model for me as "A large guy to be admired." Also Animal House.
6. Citizen Kane -- Orson Welles was God. Any film student should study this movie and Welles.
7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Treasure Island -- Disney. These started my love affair with literature and fantasy. Robert Newton -WAS- Long John Silver for me and always shall be. I consider these to be some of the pinnacle of Disney filmmaking.
8. Roger & Me -- Say what you want about Michael Moore; I don't follow the man blindly because I've heard/read/seen too much about him on both sides. However, I personally think his films are brilliant.
Especially Roger & Me (again, thanks towooisme) If you look at Roger & Me as the story of a run-down, blue collar city where everyone's out of work, then that movie could be the story of my childhood growing up in Rockford, IL.. or Flint, MI.
9. Tucker, the Man & His Dream -- The story of an innovator's fight against the big corporate world, and how building a better mousetrap doesn't always work; Excellent acting by Jeff Bridges, Martin Landau, Christian Slater and Elias Koteas.
10. Star Trek -- To leave this off my list would be travesty. I'm a trekkie by blood, and Roddenberry's vision of the future is the ideal to which I'd love to see humanity strive for. Note that I said Roddenberry; Berman can rot in hell.
11. (Bonus) The Goonies -- This inspired my wearing trenchcoats _loooong_ before Kevin Smith did it in Clerks, and my love of Rube Goldberg Devices.. I learned the "Truffle Shuffle" from this movie.
12. (Bonus2) View Askew -- Okay, so maybe I was wearing trenchcoats first, but Kevin Smith is/was an independent filmmaking genius, and one of the better Geek Advocates.
13. (Bonus3) Joss Whedon -- Another huge influence from my wife.. Joss is one of the best writers out there today; Buffy and Firefly are fantastic, and Angel is a guilty pleasure.
14. (Bonus4) Three Musketeers -- Disney. Tim Curry, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, -AND- Oliver Platt? How can you NOT like this movie? Oliver Platt's Porthos is another of my "See, Large Furry men can be sexy as hell, smart, funny, and -STILL- get the chicks!" role models. The Character of Porthos also inspired my Changeling LARP character "Steven Conley," the Irish Satyr.
15. (Bonus5) Grease -- Yes, I'm a dork. However, my reasons for this are more cut & dry, if slightly wierd. ;) They used to show Grease once a year on broadcast TV (like they did with Wizard of Oz) and I would watch it every year when it was shown. Grease was the movie that "awakened" puberty for me. Specifically, Olivia Newton-John in tightpants and leather. I didn't understand what the odd feelings were, nor did I understand the dreams I had later on that night.. However, considering my continuing fascination with tight, shiny clothing (latex, leather, vinyl, pvc, etc..) I can honestly say that Grease was the influence that started it all. In the same vein, Punky Brewster was the other major influence on my burgeoning sexuality; She was my age, she was cute, and she had (what I thought) was the coolest fashion sense and personality -- she wore pigtails (and yes, you know how I feel about pigtails,) and had this sort of "funky, ragamuffin" style of dress -- she wore mis-matched shoes.. colors that didn't go together.. buttons all over a blue jean vest, she wore a bandanna around her leg.. For some reason, that really resonated with me, and to this day I'm attracted to the "ragamuffin" look.
Yikes.. this is turning into a 3 hour post..
Music --
1. Classic Rock and Oldies -- My first introduction to music, thanks to my folks. The Doors, Deep Purple, Etc.
2. Comedy/Dementia -- My next taste of music.. a childhood friend introduced me to Wierd Al Yankovic and then later when I went to NIU, I found Dr. Demento.
3. 80's Music -- The Music of my childhood.
4. Enya -- Some of my first taste of "Celtic" music. Her singing can send shivers up and down my body.
5. Boiled in Lead -- My first introduction to Celtic Rock/Punk from "Bordertown." What a great way to start!
6. Information Society (INSOC) -- My all-time favorite band, and my introduction to techno music by my best friend,csixty4
7. Type O Negative -- One of my first tastes of gothic/industrial music.
8. Switchblade Symphony -- Another of my first tastes of gothic music. Also can send shivers down my spine. (In a good way.)
9. The Great Luke Ski -- Rap Dementia celebrating Geekdom in all its forms! This is the comedy artist who showed me how much fun it can be to -embrace- my geek-hood, rather than shunning it.
10. REM, VAST, Mercury Rev, and Bad Religion -- These are bands that my lovely wife,sanjikrhys has introduced me to. (Well, not REM, per se -- she just incresed my appreciation for REM ten-fold.) She is one of the few people I've ever met who's music tastes only barely overlap mine; Frequently in the car it's a battle for the radio, but also more often than not, she is introducing me to new and fresh music that I wouldn't have known otherwise because she has such a fresh look at music, esp. punk.
And there you have it.. Techie's Top Tens in Movies, Music, and Media.
I've been wheezing and coughing all day, and it looks/feels like I got a case of bronchitis after my cold a week or so ago. Which is par for the course. I get sick, I get bronchitis. I was always told it was something to do with my asthma/allergies, and that when I get sick, my immune system is weakened by fighting the cold that I get bronchitis on top of it.
So I skived off work today at noon to go home and rest. I'm debating a nap. In the meantime, one of the most engaging memes I've seen popped up today, courtesy of
evil_phoenix, by way of thistle_witch.Name ten works of music, ten works of literature, and ten movies/films/tv shows that have influenced your life. The only requirement is that you've seen, heard, read them yourself. These are not supposed to be your favorites (but I suspect that many of them could be), or the ones you think are the 'best' - but the ones that have been most important in making you who you are today...
As a bona-fide media junkie, movies, music and literature tend to be the 3 things in this world that influence me the most. I have broadened my horizons through my family, my friends, my loved ones, and my wife. I'd like to think that I may have influenced others with some of my favorite works, as well. So with much thought, here goes --
Literature -
1. _Elsewhere_, _NeverNever_, and the other Bordertown books. This is a no-brainer for the 'Townie friends on my list why its first on the list. A shared-world urban sort-of post-apocalyptic fantasy that carried me through my teenage years of feeling powerless, isolated, and disconnected from the world. In these books, it's the kids/teens that are in control, that run things. They're not perfect, but they are the ones forging a world of their own. And of course, that's how I ended up meeting some of the best friends/family I've ever known.
shadesong,corva,wintersweet, crimmycat, and the rest of the 'Townies I can't remember their LJ names off the top of my head are my FAMILY.Has it been 10 years already?2. Dystopian Fiction -- Originally I was going to list individual books, but realized that the list on Wikipedia included at least 10 I've read and would list, which defeats the purpose of the list. Suffice to say, I have very strong feelings about freedoms, and I often feel that something is "intrinsically wrong" with today's society as if I'm my own Dystopian Protagonist. My list includes:
* 1984 by George Orwell
* A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
* Anthem by Ayn Rand
* Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
* Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
* Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
* The Giver by Lois Lowry (I haven't read this, exactly, although
sanjikrhys swears by it -- I'll read it someday, though.)* The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Read at the prompting of
wooisme)* Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
* Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson
* Lord of the Flies by William Golding
* Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison (Soylent Green is People!)
* Neuromancer by William Gibson.
* The Running Man by Richard Bachman, a pseudonym for Stephen King.
* The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner
* The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner
* Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
3. _The Vampire's Beautiful Daughter_ by SP Somtow -- THis is "Young Adult" fiction, so to speak, and from what I've seen, doesn't seem to get very good reviews. It's a short book at 116 pages, but yet, if you know what you're looking for, it packs a massive amount of emotion in a little book. The protagonist, Johnny, is a kid of mixed heritage, part of which is native american, and he's trying to come to terms with his own life and where he fits in; Rebecca Teppish, the mortal daughter of Dracula. Johnny is attracted to the "bad girl," and Rebecca is going through the vampire equivalent of the Amish "Rumspringa." Dracula's daughter has to live the life of a mortal before she can choose to go through the process of "devivification" at her 16th birthday to become a vampire. Johnny falls in love with her, and she falls in love with him. He gets to experience the world of the vampires, and she explores the simple pleasures of being just a normal kid. In the end, Rebecca moves on, chooses the devivification, and while she wants Johnny to also become a vampire, he cannot. The final scene is of Rebecca, now a vampire, floating outside Johnny's window, pleading to him.. except that, like in the Buffy-verse, Rebecca seems to have lost her soul. When I got this book, it echoed/reflected a relationship that had just ended for me, and the the parallels between the book and the my failed relationship were uncanny, down to my Ex also being named Rebecca. The ending always makes me cry -- a tragic love.
4. _NeuroMancer_ by William Gibson -- Although this and the next are listed under "dystopian," I consider them separate. Neuromancer was the grandaddy of CyberSpace. Although somewhat grisly, Neuromancer represents my concepts of the future. In some ways, my concept of life, my cultural identity will always be somewhat defined by my constant reaching for that life.
5. _Snow Crash_ by Neal Stephenson -- Hand in hand with Neuromancer, this also defines what my life and my world should be like. It also includes a great look at modern religion, and poses the theory that religion is viral.
6. _Vurt_ by Jeff Noon. Virtual Reality by way of feathers and dreaming. Sort of a cross between Changeling: The Dreaming and Neuromancer. Vurt Snake and Game Cat (2 of my usernames besides TW) come from this book.
7. The Cyberpunk Fakebook by R. U. Sirius and St. Jude -- Sort of a satirical look at Hacking, Cyberpunk lifestyle, etc. Although it has a humorous take, it has some great listings of resources of movies, books, etc. It also has some great photos of cyberpunk "models," including one who looks like a very stylized version of me.
8. _The Hobbit_ JRR Tolkien - I'm a hobbit. And while Lord of the Rings is a great movie, it can be a total bitch to read. I prefer The Hobbit so much more. Proof that a "nobody" average joe, like me, can become something Extraordinary.
9. The works of the Romantic Poets -- Keats, Shelley, etc.
10. Hamlet -- "Above all else, to thine own self be true." 'Nuff Said.
Still with me? Wow, that was long.
Movies --
1. Dead Poet's Society -- Some of Robin William's greatest work. Wonderful themes, wonderful music, and it makes you think. Oh Captain, My Captain!
2. Uncle Don's Theater - A local late-night locally hosted Horror Show. (Think Elvira) When I was around 10 years old, this was my introduction to the world of science fiction, horror and b-movie films, a love that I still carry today. In college at NIU, I actually took a class on Media Studies taught by the real life Uncle Don. This later lead me to "USA Up All Night", MST3k and Joe Bob Briggs.
3. Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Film -- I'm a Post-Apocalyptic junkie..
* A Clockwork Orange
* Akira
* Blade Runner, adapted from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
* Brazil
* Demolition Man
* Escape from New York and its sequel, Escape from L.A.
* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
* Gattaca
* Ghost in the Shell
* Logan's Run
* The Mad Max film series
* The Matrix trilogy and The Animatrix series
* Max Headroom made-for-TV film and television series
* Metropolis by Fritz Lang
* Metropolis by Osamu Tezuka
* The Omega Man
* Planet of the Apes filmed on two occasions, by Franklin J. Schaffner and Tim Burton, respectively, plus its sequels.
* Resident Evil
* Resident Evil: Apocalypse
* Soylent Green
* The Terminator and its sequels
* THX 1138
* 12 Monkeys
4. Moulin Rouge -- This renewed my faith that quality filming -can- exist in this day & age, and that the Musical is -not- dead. I've often said that this is the movie I would make if I had the money to make a film.
5. Blues Brothers -- Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi at their finest. Inspired me to purchase my own Cop Car. And although John wasn't "good," he was a role model for me as "A large guy to be admired." Also Animal House.
6. Citizen Kane -- Orson Welles was God. Any film student should study this movie and Welles.
7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Treasure Island -- Disney. These started my love affair with literature and fantasy. Robert Newton -WAS- Long John Silver for me and always shall be. I consider these to be some of the pinnacle of Disney filmmaking.
8. Roger & Me -- Say what you want about Michael Moore; I don't follow the man blindly because I've heard/read/seen too much about him on both sides. However, I personally think his films are brilliant.
Especially Roger & Me (again, thanks to
wooisme) If you look at Roger & Me as the story of a run-down, blue collar city where everyone's out of work, then that movie could be the story of my childhood growing up in Rockford, IL.. or Flint, MI. 9. Tucker, the Man & His Dream -- The story of an innovator's fight against the big corporate world, and how building a better mousetrap doesn't always work; Excellent acting by Jeff Bridges, Martin Landau, Christian Slater and Elias Koteas.
10. Star Trek -- To leave this off my list would be travesty. I'm a trekkie by blood, and Roddenberry's vision of the future is the ideal to which I'd love to see humanity strive for. Note that I said Roddenberry; Berman can rot in hell.
11. (Bonus) The Goonies -- This inspired my wearing trenchcoats _loooong_ before Kevin Smith did it in Clerks, and my love of Rube Goldberg Devices.. I learned the "Truffle Shuffle" from this movie.
12. (Bonus2) View Askew -- Okay, so maybe I was wearing trenchcoats first, but Kevin Smith is/was an independent filmmaking genius, and one of the better Geek Advocates.
13. (Bonus3) Joss Whedon -- Another huge influence from my wife.. Joss is one of the best writers out there today; Buffy and Firefly are fantastic, and Angel is a guilty pleasure.
14. (Bonus4) Three Musketeers -- Disney. Tim Curry, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, -AND- Oliver Platt? How can you NOT like this movie? Oliver Platt's Porthos is another of my "See, Large Furry men can be sexy as hell, smart, funny, and -STILL- get the chicks!" role models. The Character of Porthos also inspired my Changeling LARP character "Steven Conley," the Irish Satyr.
15. (Bonus5) Grease -- Yes, I'm a dork. However, my reasons for this are more cut & dry, if slightly wierd. ;) They used to show Grease once a year on broadcast TV (like they did with Wizard of Oz) and I would watch it every year when it was shown. Grease was the movie that "awakened" puberty for me. Specifically, Olivia Newton-John in tightpants and leather. I didn't understand what the odd feelings were, nor did I understand the dreams I had later on that night.. However, considering my continuing fascination with tight, shiny clothing (latex, leather, vinyl, pvc, etc..) I can honestly say that Grease was the influence that started it all. In the same vein, Punky Brewster was the other major influence on my burgeoning sexuality; She was my age, she was cute, and she had (what I thought) was the coolest fashion sense and personality -- she wore pigtails (and yes, you know how I feel about pigtails,) and had this sort of "funky, ragamuffin" style of dress -- she wore mis-matched shoes.. colors that didn't go together.. buttons all over a blue jean vest, she wore a bandanna around her leg.. For some reason, that really resonated with me, and to this day I'm attracted to the "ragamuffin" look.
Yikes.. this is turning into a 3 hour post..
Music --
1. Classic Rock and Oldies -- My first introduction to music, thanks to my folks. The Doors, Deep Purple, Etc.
2. Comedy/Dementia -- My next taste of music.. a childhood friend introduced me to Wierd Al Yankovic and then later when I went to NIU, I found Dr. Demento.
3. 80's Music -- The Music of my childhood.
4. Enya -- Some of my first taste of "Celtic" music. Her singing can send shivers up and down my body.
5. Boiled in Lead -- My first introduction to Celtic Rock/Punk from "Bordertown." What a great way to start!
6. Information Society (INSOC) -- My all-time favorite band, and my introduction to techno music by my best friend,
csixty4 7. Type O Negative -- One of my first tastes of gothic/industrial music.
8. Switchblade Symphony -- Another of my first tastes of gothic music. Also can send shivers down my spine. (In a good way.)
9. The Great Luke Ski -- Rap Dementia celebrating Geekdom in all its forms! This is the comedy artist who showed me how much fun it can be to -embrace- my geek-hood, rather than shunning it.
10. REM, VAST, Mercury Rev, and Bad Religion -- These are bands that my lovely wife,
sanjikrhys has introduced me to. (Well, not REM, per se -- she just incresed my appreciation for REM ten-fold.) She is one of the few people I've ever met who's music tastes only barely overlap mine; Frequently in the car it's a battle for the radio, but also more often than not, she is introducing me to new and fresh music that I wouldn't have known otherwise because she has such a fresh look at music, esp. punk.And there you have it.. Techie's Top Tens in Movies, Music, and Media.
