Favorite books
- The Crisis of the Old Order by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr
- Truman by David McCulloch
- Lincoln by David Herbert Donald
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
- Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- The Collected Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
- The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Likens
- Boss by Mike Royko
- Ulysses by James Joyce
Favorite Films
- Dr. Strangelove
- Chinatown
- Rocky
- The Atomic Café
- The Godfather
- Bringing Up Baby
- Goodfellas
- The Philadelphia Story
- 2001
- Local Hero
Favorite Television
- American Experience
- Mystery Science Theater 3000
- Seinfeld
- Scrubs
- Monty Python
- The Simpsons
- The Sopranos
- The Office
- The Big Bang Theory
- Boardwalk Empire/ Parks and Recreation (tie)
Unpopular Opinions
- On the whole, the Beatles’ best work was before Sgt. Pepper’s.
- Bob Seger is better than Bruce Springsteen.
- The Catcher in the Rye is overrated.
- If you’re old enough to drive a car you’re too old to read Harry Potter books.
- Come to think of it, The Catcher in the Rye is pretty bad.
- “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a life-hating movie with a bad message.
- I like Ireland and Irish people, but I hate St. Patrick’s Day.
- Hobbits suck.
- Bob Dylan is overrated, and he did not deserve the Nobel Prize for Literature.
- This is a tough one and I’m going to get grief for it, but I have decided to be brave. Rick Astley is a great singer and he has never received the respect he deserves for his music. He is not a joke. Give him a second chance and listen for yourself.
Favorite Things
- Indy car racing
- Drive-in theaters
- Diet Coke
- Edward Hopper paintings
- The Three Stooges
- Rivers
- Route 66
- Zippy the Pinhead
- Diners
- The First Amendment
Favorite albums
- “My Aim is True” Elvis Costello
- “The Nightfly” Donald Fagen
- “Steam Powered Aeroplane” John Hartford
- “Aja” Steely Dan
- “Frampton Comes Alive” Peter Frampton
- “Meet the Beatles” Beatles
- “Rockin’” The Guess Who
- “Cosmic Thing” B-52s
- “Greatest Hits” Dave Brubeck
- “The Allman Brothers at the Filmore East” Allman Brothers
Favorite Songs
- “Free Bird” by Lynard Skynard
- “L.A. Woman” by The Doors
- “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel
- “New Frontier” by Donald Fagen
- “Steam Boat Whistle Blues” by John Hartford
- “Can’t Afford No Shoes” by Frank Zappa
- “Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude” by Jimmy Buffet
- “All I Wanna Do” by Cheryl Crow
- “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman
- “Roll With the Changes” by REO Speedwagon
Favorite Bands or Musicians
- The Beatles
- Steely Dan
- Elvis Costello
- John Hartford
- Warren Zevon
- Fountains of Wayne
- Frank Zappa
- Ramones
- REO Speedwagon
- B 52s
More than honorable mentions: The Doors, The Who, The Guess Who, Billy Joel, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Johnny Cash, The Police, Ted Nugent (his music, not his politics,) Jimmy Buffet, Kansas, Chicago, Dave Brubeck, Dave Clark Five, Duke Ellington, Peter Frampton, Allman Brothers, The Eagles, Foo Fighters, Chuck Berry, Les Paul, Aerosmith and Donna Summer.
Choosing my ten favorite albums, songs and performers was very difficult because there are hundreds that I could have included.
Favorite Videos
- “Roam” by the B-52s
- “New Frontier” by Donald Fagen
- “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys
- “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was Not Was
- “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” by Lenny Kravitz
- “Stepping Out” by Joe Jackson
- “Take the A Train” by Duke Ellington
- “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads
- “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders
- “Love Shack” by the B-52s
Funniest Stand Up Comedians
- Richard Pryor
- Sam Kenison
- Chris Rock
- Emo Phillips
- Louis Black
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Bob Newhart
- Jackie Mason
- Jerry Seinfeld
- George Carlin
Favorite food
- Barbequed Pork Steaks
- Whole wheat bread
- Chicken
- Jack salmon
- Turkey hot dogs
- Raw Carrots
- Pizza
- Deviled eggs
- Chicken fried rice
- Cheeseburgers
Je suis Charlie
