You know those meme questionnaires that sometimes make their way around the blogosphere? I rarely partake in them — in large part because I’m rarely tagged.
But a relatively new seven-question quiz is making the rounds, and my friend Tim at Balloon Juice has tagged me. And without further ado…
1. Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies.
Oddly enough, I rarely give away books. I don’t even loan books often, so this isn’t the best question for me.
That said, I do keep giving away copies of “Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier’s Fight for America from Baghdad to Washington” because Paul Rieckhoff was kind enough to send me several copies for promotional purposes when his book was first published. (It’s a great book, though I suspect it’s not quite what the question was getting at.)
If I were the type to give away copies of books that I love, I’d probably start with “The Demon Haunted World,” and move on to “A Preface of Morals.”
2. Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music.
Regular readers probably don’t know this, but I’ve played guitar for most of my life. I started taking lessons when I was nine, playing a lot of classical, some blues, some jazz, some pop standards. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t an important part of my life. A few years later, a friend loaned me Van Halen’s “1984.” I didn’t, at the time, listen to the radio much, I didn’t have MTV, I had no siblings, and neither of my parents were into music, so this was the first time I’d been exposed to rock music — and I was hooked instantly. I didn’t know what Eddie Van Halen was doing, but I said, “I want to do that.” From there, I discovered Hendrix, Zeppelin, and Clapton, and started playing my guitar several hours a day. I was in a band throughout high school and most of college, and even spent some time in the recording studio. More than 20 years later, it seems odd to think “1984” was a piece that changed the way I listened to music, but for me, it had a powerful impact.
3. Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue.
I remember reading an LA Times columnist a year or two ago argue that only children watch the same movies over and over again. I was deeply offended — I can think of several that I’ve watched more times that I care to admit. Among the many: Godfather I and II, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, All the President’s Men, Inherit the Wind, Rear Window, and Office Space.
4. Name a performer for whom you suspend of all disbelief.
Perhaps the most captivating performances I’ve ever seen were Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn in “The Lion in Winter.” It was like watching a clinic on acting,
As an aside, they’re not exactly “performers,” in the sense that the audience hardly ever sees them, but I enjoy anything written by Aaron Sorkin, Joss Whedon, or Matt Groening so much, I sometimes feel as if their work was being made not just for people like me, but for literally me.
5. Name a work of art you’d like to live with.
This will probably sound silly, but I’ve always loved Panini’s Interior of the Pantheon. I don’t imagine I’ll ever have it in my home, but I could stare at it for hours.
6. Name a work of fiction which has penetrated your real life.
I think I was 11 or so when I first read “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood, and I had no meaningful understanding of racism, which made the novel all the more powerful and elucidating for me.
7. Name a punch line that always makes you laugh.
Two punch-lines come to mind immediately. The first is in Airplane, when the doctor asks Striker, “Can you fly this plane and land it?” Striker responds, “Surely you can’t be serious.” The doctor responds, “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley.” It’s been more than 25 years, and I’m still chuckling as I type this
The other is, of course, from The Simspons, in a 1993 episode called “Cape Feare.” The family goes into the witness protection program, and some FBI agents are helping explain to Homer that his new name will be “Homer Thompson.” He’s a little slow on the uptake.
Agent: Now, when I say, “Hello, Mr. Thompson,” and press down on your foot, you smile and nod.
Homer: No problem.
Agent: Hello, Mr. Thompson. (presses on Homer’s foot)
Homer: (whispers to other agent) I think he’s talking to you.
I’ve seen it a hundred times, and I never fail to crack up.
How about you guys?
