These are a Few of my Favorite Things

“Books, birds, Battlestar Galactica.” 

That Battlestar Galactica thing is a lie.  I’m just doing it for the memes.  I’ve never seen the show, and I know I should, along with Firefly, Star Trek, and The Office.  I’ll get to it some day.

Before I start posting whatever I feel like, I want to introduce myself a little bit more so that I can build up some sort of rapport and credibility with my audience.  At least, that’s what my public speaking professor said that I’m supposed to do.  So what better way to do that than to make a list post of my favorite things?  Quick, easy, and effective.  Here we go, in no particular order.

FAVORITE BOOKS

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller (1961)

I had to include this one; I have the opening line and that silhouette permanently etched into my skin.  But I have that because I love the way that Heller is able to weave bits of story and detail into a larger narrative so seamlessly, creating this epic masterpiece of interconnected plots and slapstick comedy, all while making an incredibly human and emotional tale of suffering and loss.  If you had to read it in high school and just sparknoted it, I recommend going back.  Though it’s a bit of a commitment.

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss (1971)

My personal favorite work of the good doctor, I have this one tattooed on my arm, too.  So it seemed a natural choice.  Even though it’s a children’s book, as a writer I still appreciate the way that Seuss plays with language, sound, and meaning to create nonsense words that still make sense.  It’s linguistically pleasing.  Also, the trees get to me every time.  Nobody needs a Thneed.

A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole (1980)

I did a lot of internal arguing about what book I thought deserved this third spot, and Confederacy won out not because it’s my favorite (though I love it) but because I think about it a lot more than almost any other book I’ve read recently.  It’s funny, heartwarming, and so, so clever.  And I feel a sort of affinity to Toole, since he was a depressed writer, too.  I feel like more people need to read this book.

FAVORITE VIDEO GAMES

Pikmin, Nintendo, Wii (2009)

For you purists out there who’ll lambaste me for not listing it as Gamecube, I do so only because the Wii version is the only version I’ve played.  Besides that emulator on my laptop.  But that’s neither here nor there as I just love Pikmin.  It’s the only realtime strategy game that I enjoy, and that probably has to do with the fact that I love the tiny alien aesthetic of everything.  Playing these games (all three), I really felt like an explorer on an unknown planet.  And I love it.

Bloodborne, FromSoftware, PS4 (2015)

And now let’s go to the complete other end of the gaming spectrum.  Opposite the joyful tiny strategy of Pikmin,we have the gritty, spooky, Lovecraftian RPG brutalizer that is Bloodborne.  I had a hard time picking between Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but Bloodborne is the first one I finished, so here we are. Never before have I played a game where I so happily threw my character into the gaping maws of eldritch monsters over and over again, all while being splattered in copious amounts of high-definition virtual blood. Yeah.  It’s one of those games.

What Remains of Edith Finch, Giant Sparrow, PC (2017)

And now for something completely different, Edith Finch.  Much like Confederacy above, I had a difficult time settling on one more game, and these entire lists will probably change every few months or so.  But Edith Finch makes so much sense for a blog about stories.  The whole damn game is like a short story collection, but with gorgeous visuals and sound design.  Anyone (even my mother who can’t play Wii Sports) can pick it up, play it, enjoy it, and in my case, think about it for months afterward.  This is easily one of the best-written games I’ve ever played.

FAVORITE MOVIES

The Thing (1982)

Let’s kick things off dark, shall we? Like Bloodborne, nothing else in my experience compares to the otherworldly madness that is the special effects of this horror classic.  That transformation scene with the dog made me pause the movie to consider that this came out in the 80’s.  The 1980’s.  The same time frame as E.T. and The Goonies.  Watching this movie is just one roundhouse kick of monstrous visuals to the eyeballs after another, in the best way possible, and a perfect antithesis for campy 80’s horror.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

I think it was inevitable that we got to some Coen brothers at one point or another.  I suspect that we have similar senses of humor, them and I.  Or at least that’s the impression that I get from this particular movie, which blends humor and setting so beautifully.  Fun fact, this movie is actually a retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, but with racism.  It’s also got that blind dude who wants Daniel Kaluuya’s eyes.  He isn’t exactly any more likeable here.

Up (2009)

There are so many movies I could choose.  Blues Brothers.  Pulp Fiction.  Elmo Says Boo.  But I think I had to include at least one animated movie on this list, and Up happens to be my favorite.  If you ask me, it’s the best animated movie of all time, though I haven’t seen many Ghibli films yet, so my choices are limited. I just love the music, the characters, the animation, the colors, the voice acting, all of it, it’s all beautiful and works together so well.  I kind of hope Pixar doesn’t make a sequel for this one, because I think it’s perfect the way it is.

FAVORITE TV SHOWS

Gravity Falls, Disney (2012-2016)

Well, speaking of things that are animated, let’s talk cartoons.  If you want something that’s humorous, self-aware, and fun to watch, I think Gravity Falls fits the bill.  It’s kind of like Twin Peaks, but with less coffee and drugs.  It’s got crazy monsters, funny one-liners, interesting subplots, and more codes and mysteries than you can shake a cipher at.  Plus it has Weird Al Yankovic in an episode, and nothing beats Weird Al.

Channel Zero, SyFy (2016-Ongoing)

My family loves American Horror Story.  I do, too.  I think it’s great fun.  But where AHS takes every imaginable horror trope, throws it at a wall, and has sex with it, Channel Zero takes one idea and draws it out to the full, illogical conclusion.  Despite being based off of short internet horror stories, each season of Channel Zero is a slow burn, drawing off the main twist of its source material and building upon it.  My personal favorite season is the first, mostly because that tooth man has some of the most unsettling sound effects of all time.

SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon (1999-Ongoing)

This spot was probably originally going to go to Stranger Things or Twin Peaks or Rick and Morty, but as I was writing this post I heard about Stephen Hillenburg, Spongebob’s creator, passing away. It really made me think about the show, especially the first three seasons, which he was most involved in.  And it made me remember just how damn funny that show is.  I grew up with SpongeBob.  I can quote basically the entire marching band episode.  I still say “Who you callin’ pinhead” without even thinking about it.  My parents still have the first two seasons on DVD somewhere.  Goddamn, I can’t really think of a show that was any more influential in my development than Spongebob.  Thank you for making the oceans fun, Mr. Hillenburg.

FAVORITE ALBUMS

Workingman’s Dead/American Beauty, Grateful Dead (1970)

Although these two albums are technically separate, in my family we insist that they’re kind of like one album.  They came out just four months apart and they’re usually paired together, anyway.  And besides, I can’t choose just one.  While American Beauty has “Ripple,” “Truckin’,” “Brokedown Palace,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Sugar Magnolia,” Workingman’s Dead has “Uncle John’s Band,” arguably the greatest Grateful Dead piece.  It would be a shame to split them apart.

Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (1971)

Besides the fact that this album happens to have what I think is my favorite album art ever, every song on here is a hit.  Sure, “Black Dog” is laced with casual sexism, “Going to California” hasn’t aged well, and “Stairway to Heaven” is the most overplayed beginner guitar song next to “Wonderwall,” but this album still holds up almost fifty years later.  If only it also had “Immigrant Song” and “Kashmir,” it would be the greatest album of all time.

Tommy, The Who (1969)

Once again, it was hard to pick a third choice.  If we’re talking concept albums, how could I leave out American Idiot, 2112, or The Wall?  Hell, I completely ignored Phish, the Talking Heads, and David Bowie, to name some of my other tastes.  And my brother will probably yell at me for not having any Tyler, the Creator or BROCKHAMPTON up here.  But what can I say?  Every song on Tommy is a winner for me. Even that weird underture.  Go to the mirror, indeed.

I think I have to stop listing things for now.  I could go on and on, and I didn’t even get a chance to talk about my favorite musicals (but if I did, it’d be Jesus Christ Superstar, Wicked, and Hamilton).  Though that will be a list for another day, as I think I’ve had more than enough to write about here.  Hopefully my taste is media hasn’t driven you away yet.  If you’re still here, please, read more.  Despite what some individuals would have you believe, this is only the beginning.