Yeah, this is an interesting thread....good move reviving it, mrchallenge.
My interests are fairly wide ranging.....
Movies (apart from SW's): Westerns. Film Noir. Japanese action films of the 50's and 60's---not just Samurai or Karate films, but mostly the modern-day gangster films ('yakuza eiga') and the hard-boiled gunmen films that were popular in the late 50's and early 60's (Shishido Jo is one of my most favorite actors). I also like a lot of Hong Kong cinema of all types. Believe it or not, I am a fan of Bollywood movies, as well. Heck..when you get down to it, I pretty much like all types of movies, with the exception of most Sci-Fi and Horror movies (but, then again, there are some Sci-Fi and Horror films I do like).
Music: Being a semi-professional musician...I would be amiss if I didn't list music as one of my interests. My favorite type of music is, of course, Italian Western film scores (with Morricone, Nicolai, De Masi, and Orlandi being among my most favorite composers of the genre). I also like a wide range of pop sounds from around the globe. When I was younger I played in a lot of so-called "New Wave" and punk bands. Back then I was a huge fan of The Jam..as well as The Clash, The Buzzcocks, Generation X, Chelsea, Purple Hearts, and many many more. Got into Ska and Reggae, as well. I have always loved classic R&B (Stax, Tamla, Motown, etc.) and blues (Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, et al). I like classic swing music..as well as the neo-swing stuff. I'm also a big fan of instrumental "surf" rock...artists like Dick Dale, The Ventures, The Shadows, and so forth.
I had an instrumental surf band of my own a few years ago. There is a MySpace page for us located here, if any of you are interested:
http://www.myspace.com/kyodaiyakuza
I am a huge Old West history buff. Occasionally, I take part in gunfight shows and re-enactments in Tombstone, AZ.
I am highly interested in many Asian cultures and societies with India and Japan being chief among them (but, I am also interested in China, Korea, Vietnam, etc.).
I speak a slight amount of the following languages: Japanese, Cantonese, Hindi, Spanish (Tejano or Mexican Border Spanish mostly), and "Farsi" (Persian). I am interested in becoming better at all of them.
I also read a lot! Generally, I enjoy reading film studies, historical works (especially regarding the American West), books on Asian philosophies, and biographical works (especially about film personalities). But, I also enjoy Crime and Western fiction, as well. Some of my favorite fiction authors include: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Jonas Ward, Don Davis, Mickey Spillane, Yukio Mishima, Eiji Yoshikawa, Oyabu Haruhiko, and many others.
I also write (stories, screenplays, music, etc.). I am interested in Martial Arts and have trained (to little avail!) in Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi Chuan, and Wing Chun (don't worry! I am not good enough to beat anybody up...much! he heh!).
Well...now that you are all completely bored, I guess I better find myself interested in shutting up!
